Ashton and the rest of the crew entered the Tower, the central hub of their Ghosts. They made their way to the conference room, where they were greeted by the other members of the organisation.
Ashton sat at the head of the table, and the rest of the crew sat around him. They all looked at each other in silence for a few moments, each lost in their thoughts.
Ince everyone settled down, Ashton walked everyone through what had happened on Planet Verdantia and the Deacon. The only silver lining was Ashton befriending the Xylopians, as the mining right of Neoradium would ensure the Ghosts never ran out of funds.
Finally, Otiga said, "So, the Deacon is dead?"
Ashton nodded. "Yes. We were able to take him down, but it seems the Cult was one step ahead of us and had planted some sort of creature inside their followers, which gets triggered and kills the host once they get weakened enough."
The others nodded, but there was a palpable sense of disappointment in the room. They had been hoping to uncover more about the Cult terrorising the galaxy, and the Deacon had been their only lead apart from the prisoner they were about to break out.
"Did you find anything in the facility?" Anna asked.
Ashton pulled out the small metal device he had found in the Deacon's ashes and placed it on the table. "This. We don't know yet, but I'm hoping Thori can figure out what it is."
Thori, or Vulcan, was surprised once he heard Ashton call his name out. But once he saw the device in Ashton's hands, he immediately realised why his disciple wanted his help.
If there was anyone who understood more about Xyran technology than Astaroth, it had to be him.
However, the others did not understand why Ashton would choose Thori to review the device over Leon, who happened to be their tech expert. But since Leon did not object, the others could only watch on in silence.
"Also, some of the Xylopians wanted to join the faction. Leon, get them registered as mercenaries and geared up. Vimur, you'll be in charge of getting them trained."
"Got it." Leon nodded and left for the bay to execute Ashton's instructions along with Vimur.
Others took the hint and left the room as well. Only Otiga and Anna were left behind, just the ones Ashton needed to talk with. Once alone, Anna tapped a few buttons on the control panel, bringing up a holographic projection of the prison facility they were targeting.
"How's the planning coming along?" Ashton asked, tapping the map.
"It's going well," Anna replied. "We've been reviewing the prison blueprints and think we have a solid plan. Thanks to Malekith, we've identified the weak points in their system."
"Walk me through it," Ashton replied.
"Sure thing," Otiga said, pulling out a stack of papers. "We've identified the weak points in the Prison's security system. The main entrance is guarded by four armed guards, and security cameras cover the entire perimeter. However, there's a blind spot in the northeast corner where we can slip in undetected."
As Otiga spoke, she pointed to different sections of the blueprints, showing Ashton the various routes they could take. Anna chimed in, explaining how they had acquired the necessary tools and equipment to pull off the escape.
Ashton listened intently, nodding along as they spoke. He was impressed with the level of detail they had put into the plan.
"This all sounds good, but what about the prisoner? How do we get him out?" he asked.
"That's the tricky part," Anna replied. "There are over a hundred prisoners in there. It's not like if we break one of them out, the rest will remain silent. And we can't just storm in and start a riot by releasing them all. We need to be strategic."
Otiga picked up where Anna left off. "We've been studying the patterns of the guards and the prisoners. There are certain times of the day when the guards are more relaxed and the prisoners are more active in... certain activities. We're going to use those moments to our advantage."
Ashton had the urge to know what kind of activities Otiga was mentioning just to embarrass her but decided not to go forth with it.
[You teasing me, you naughty, naughty~]
'Shut it.'
Ashton leaned back in his chair, his mind racing with possibilities. "Okay, I like what I'm hearing. But what about the guards? They're armed, right? Mazton said his men would distract them, but what if they fail?"
Anna nodded. "Yes, that's possible, but we have a few tricks up our sleeves. We've acquired some tranquiliser guns that should take them out without killing them. And if we have to, we can use force, but we'll try to avoid it as much as possible."
Ashton nodded. "Alright, I trust you guys. When do we do this?"
"We've set a date for two weeks from now," Otiga said. "That should give us enough time to ensure everything is in place."
"I almost forgot about it. What about the extraction route? Have we secured transportation?" Ashton glanced at Otiga. "We can't use our regular ship, or the Orion empire will know we were behind the prison break."
"Don't worry. I have arranged for a stealth frigate to pick us up at the designated location. We'll have a wide window of opportunity for extraction before the alarm is raised."
Ashton nodded, satisfied with the preparations. "Alright, let's finalise the plan and ensure everyone is briefed. We don't have much time."
The three worked together, fine-tuning the plan and addressing potential issues, while Mazton and Leon fulfilled their respective roles. They discussed backup options, contingencies, and communication protocols to ensure smooth coordination during the operation.
Once the plan was finalised, Ashton turned to Otiga and Anna. "Great work, team. I have full confidence in our abilities. Let's ensure our people are ready and prepared for the mission."
