“Maybe this isn’t worth our time,” I suggest, then try something out to see what kind of a reaction I get from the others. “Maybe I need to rethink this whole mission.”

  “We are all still SSA Enforcers, and there are reported Protocol violations here that we should investigate. It wasn’t hard to turn up plenty of potential lines for investigation,” says Kael.

  “Always by the book aren’t you, Bonehead?” states Syvox. “Grinding out more reputation with the Enforcers every chance you get, even a place like this.” On the surface Taiwo seems unfazed by the conversation and continues to watch the activity in the MIS Hub. Based on our conversation I’m sure he’s disecting every word like I’m trying to, only a lot more effectively. Kael doesn’t rise to the bait that Syvox dangles, so Syvox decides to be useful instead.

  “I pulled all the MIS Hub’s financial data from their tech and can already see someone is manipulating the auction house for ther own purposes. No indication of exactly why, but based on the ownership structure of the auction house and the past winners of the auctions I would say someone is artificially boosting the price of some items and lowering the price of others.”

  “Who would care about one auction house in the middle of an inconsequential world like this?” asks Taiwo, finally joining the conversation.

  “If it was a private auction house, no one,” instructs Kael. “This auction house is officially run and governed by the SSA Protocols as part of the MIS Hub, so the SSA requires certain standards of conduct to ensure trust at MIS Hubs throughout the Universe.”

  “Got it. Part of the job is protecting the SSA’s reputation and people’s confidence in the way things work,” I say.

  “Not just that, Bronwic. In most situations similar to this, it’s the strong or majority who are unfairly and illegally leveraging the SSA’s assets for their own gain.”

  Syvox makes a metallic snort. “Except when you follow the trail there’s almost always someone at the SSA or the SSA itself taking a cut of the activities, so they’re not exactly unsanctioned. Any takers want to lay down Credits to say I’m wrong this time?”

  I’m pretty sure that’s a jab at Kael since Taiwo and I don’t know anything yet. Syvox definitely does not conform to my preconceived notions of what a high Level Cyborg would be. Kael wisely lets it go.

  The auction house, weirdly known as ‘The Frosthaven Citadel’ is a hub of activity even inside the MIS Hub where a lot of people gather. If there’s more to learn about the species dynamics this might be a good place to find out.

  The interior of the auction house is enormous; in fact, it’s so big that I suspect there is dimensional trickery at play and I reach out with my Affinity to confirm it. Within the building are several Portals open to other places and there are pockets of space that are not truly here. It’s a cut down, alternative version of what happens in the Shop. A main room in the interior is packed with tiers of seating that rise in a semicircle around a raised platform. The air buzzes with heated conversations and anticipation as prospective bidders exchange opinions and information. Above it all, a notification screen displays the current item on auction: a powerful polearm with several magical properties that would suit any Adventurer up to the end of their Mythic Class, and depending on what Class they have, perhaps into Legendary. The auction finishes when a grumpy but satisfied Ferran Warrior who’s just gained her Mythic Class wins the weapon.

  We find a spot near the back of the auction house, keeping out of immediate view while a new item comes up for bid and I scan the room. Some kind of large white crystal is pulled from the Auctioneer’s Inventory and placed within a very strong set of force shields. I can feel the Mana all around and the effects in place to stop, or maybe at least slow down, anyone who’s looking to make a heist. I probe the crystal with my Mana Affinity and can sense the same resonance I’ve felt in the past. I sense a miniscule amount of Dark Mana is contained within the crystal, making it a potentially a dangerous and powerful item to bid on.

  The current bid escalates rapidly, sparking fierce competition. A Lithari Nomad in flowing blue robes raises the stakes with a casual flick of their hand, their crystalline hair shimmering with reflected light. Across the room, an Ubracite with a scarred carapace slams an armored fist on their platform, shouting a counteroffer that echoes through the chamber even though most of the bidding is done simply by notifications. The Ferran auctioneer raises his voice, his tone both commanding and impatient.

  "Let’s not waste time, esteemed bidders! The Frost Core is a once-in-a-cycle find, harvested from the deepest rifts of Kryos-12. Don’t insult its worth with hesitation!"

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  It’s clear the item is worth more than just its magical potential. This Frost Core holds significance for all three species—though the tension between bidders even of the same species suggests their interests are anything but aligned. Taiwo leans in toward me.

  “This isn’t just commerce. It’s a battleground in disguise. Whoever wins that core is making a statement.”

  The bidding war continues, and I notice Kael slipping into the auction house, his movements fluid and untraceable to anyone not actively searching for him. He catches my eye briefly before melting into the shadows, no doubt gathering intel in his own quiet way.

  The auction ends with the Lithari Nomad’s final, decisive bid. A new Ubracite bidder growls low but relents, stepping back with a disgruntled huff. The Ferran auctioneer, who oddly seems to be smugly satisfied, signals for the Frost Core to be delivered. The Lithari and her companions view their prize with an air of quiet triumph, though the glares exchanged between many of the groups in the room suggest this isn’t the end of the conflict.

  Before I can process the dynamics further, Kael materializes at my side, his voice low and urgent. “I’ve found something. Follow me.”

  I feel out of my depth in situations like this and irritated, both at the situation and myself. Backroom politics and subterfuge are not my strengths or interests. Taiwo seems like he’s in his element, though, and Syvox looms in the background with his arms crossed as he lazily watches the proceedings unfold. Everyone has consciously or unconsciously given him plenty of room to himself.

  In a troubling way I don’t feel great about, I feel relief and then horror when Foresight flashes a strong, urgent vision before me. I have trouble understanding what I’m seeing and stop dead, then trigger Perfect Focus to slow everything down and give me the time to unpick it and comprehend the massiveness of it.

  I see a fleet of monstrous 800 meter to 1200 meter wide stingray-like entities with four elongated, barbed tails entering Earth’s low orbit and hovering in the atmosphere. Behind them stretched out into space are more of them coming and the vision flashes back through the trail to where they’re originating from - Venus. On the underside are hundreds of thousands of organic flesh pockets that remind me of massive kangaroo pouches and an enormous, circular maw with rotating rings of razor-sharp teeth that look capable of consuming entire buildings or warships.

  From the massive entities I see four types of invading troops drop to Earth’s surface and create havoc and destruction that whizzes past at high speed. Raven-like winged monstrosities with serrated beaks and limbs ending in scythe-like talons with glowing eyes savage anything in the skies. Four story tall four legged beasts with thick armored hides covered in spiny protrusions stampede Settlements and crush infrastructure. Fast moving dog sized creatures with bladed limbs and multi-eyed faces swarm everywhere killing people and Monsters alike. Last, and possibly most horrifying, I see tentacled masses of amorphous organic matter pulsating with glowing red veins. Each of them corrupt the land wherever they are, turning it into a wasteland and sucking everything dry.

  Fucking Venus! Fucking stupid. Why didn’t it ever occur to any of us that if Earth was hit by a Mana Influx, surely the rest of the solar system did too? And somehow the Mana found enough vestiges of life to drive it to these massive creatures at the kind of rapid pace that would have happened on Earth if humans and Galactics hadn’t been there to keep them in check. I need to get back to Earth and warn everyone, then Venus to see what we’re dealing with and brace to defend the Earth. What about other planets in our solar system? I’ve been thinking the danger has passed because I wasn’t looking in the right place!

  I’m left reeling. How long do I have before they arrive on Earth? A couple of hours, tops. Taiwo has seen me do this before, so as I come out of it and return my attention to this shitty little room on a planet in the middle of nowhere, he knows right away something’s changed.

  “Earth?” he asks.

  “Yeah, an invasion. I’m going.”

  Syvox is immediately by our side. “Maybe… I’ll swing by and take a look.”

  I ignore him and don’t even bother to tell him about the restrictions regarding who can visit Earth. Surely as a High Enforcer he knows.

  “I will come,” says Kael. I shake my head and open a Portal for him right in the middle of the auction house back to Driivekthar.

  “No,” I reply. “Five seconds to go back, after that I’m leaving and you find your own way.”

  Kael looks me in the eyes for a couple seconds then strides through the Portal. I close it behind me and open another one for Taiwo and I to Evan Low. He’ll be plugged into all the communication channels and has the military and strategic skills to help form a response. Taiwo steps through and Syvox tries to follow, but I haven’t allowed it when I triggered Omnipresent so he bounces off. I slightly rethink pissing him off.

  “I’ll find you one day,” I tell him, partly to encourage him not to visit Earth and partly because I mean it. Syvox may be abrasive, but he has a view of the SSA and what happens in the Universe that I don’t. He doesn’t say anything and I’m not waiting around.

  I step through the Portal and into a pitched battle in a cavern where Taiwo has joined a group of humans including Evan fighting a group of Monsters. I’m so distracted I haven’t even triggered my Dimensional Forge armor so I do it quickly and panic that I’m too late, that Foresight showed me something that’s already happened, but I realize it’s just a normal Dungeon run and the Monsters are standard freaks who look a bit like Kael and are between Level 100 and 120.

  Evan has noticed I’ve emerged and turns to me.

  “We need to talk,” I say, and then trigger Resonant Strike three times in quick succession to obliterate all of the opponents in an explosion of gore. We didn’t fight this hard and achieve this much for nothing.

  I’m not fucking around.