Alina's even tohought speech brought unwele news. 'Every Pylon outside of the Valley was showing anomalous energy readings. The readings indicated explosive devices. I sent a Probe to iigate one of the Pylons up close. Every Pylon in New Lordaeron had been promised.' My fists ched as my heart rate spiked. I ground my teeth until I hear crag. "Treachery." I growled even to me, I sounded feral. Betrayal was the only thing that made se was incredibly uhat stealthed agents got past the sensors in the Pylons. My mind raced, it couldn't be any of the summons. That only left the Nomads. After all what did I really know about them?

  The troops upon hearing my outburst surrounded me, prepared to defend me, or kill the traitors. Their ons held at the ready, were sweeping the area for hostiles. John seemed to fade out of existence. Raynor used the scope of his rifle to s every possible overlook.

  Aline tinued her report. 'Probes are already in the process of removing the explosives from the Pylons. Having the Observers s for the signature of the explosives has revealed there are more devices installed in every major structure of the unity.' Why this intricate plot, why not just start demolishing the town?

  "Fuck." I snarled. "Every Nomad is a suspect. S them for residue... that won't work. All of them have worked with explosives of some type. They've been pleting jobs for Amanda or Dakota. They'd been helping Probes clear rge areas underground. Maybe all of them are in on it." My body had frozen in pce, my brain sped into a hyperactive thought processing mode. I started to really think about my retionship with the Nomads. With Sally and Megan. I had never questiohe ease of our retionship. I tur over, and pulled everything apart, examining all the angles.

  While my mind was rag to find answers my body started trembling with rage. The thoughts of my girls being involved burned my mind and brought my lunch right up to the bay throat. That acid sear in the bay mouth was ignored as the pain in my heart burned far more fiercely. I felt fluid p from my nose and ears.

  "Hoss... " Jim turned his own thoughts inward, examining his iions with Amanda. I could feel him run through a simir path in his thoughts. That he began to question his own judgement more than anything else gave me a pause. What happens if I was wrong? That thought snapped me partially out of the spiral of anger. I cast a quick Regrowth on myself the heal the shattered blood vessels in my head.

  "We don't know." I whispered, suddenly everything I was feeling drained away leaving a cold knot in my belly. "Until we are certain, make no assumptions. We have a treaty, and I will not have it broken because I jumped to false clusions." That might be the endgame of this setup. To turns us on our allies. Who would be? There were too many ao that question.

  My eagerness for a sense of belonging would have been so easy to exploit. I more calmly held up the mirror of myself in my mind and could only call myself a fool. Something inside my inner self cracked. It was an almost audible sound. The soldiers felt it and twitched befaining trol. My aura erupted, a green field of living mana ced with golden threads. It spread quickly over a huge area before trag back down to a thin shell just over my skin. My momentary i in the effect almost knocked me out of the bizarre cold feeling. After all my mana art of me. Uanding it, helped me to better uand myself, and the ges I was going through.

  "We have to gather intel on them. Alina use the Observers set up over the town. Have the Probes add a new work of ylons. Keep them separate from our old work. Do not add the Nomads to the exemption list. Put all the Probes in the area on this. Do not hide the work, but do not answer questions about it. Their aay trigger whatever scheme our mastermind had plotted, when they notice our activities." I was half issuing orders, half thinking out loud. I ran through dozens if not hundreds of different sarios in my head, I even used Overclock Self so I wouldn't waste time. Most of my ideas returo establishing a Stargate. We needed some form of air superiority and then the means to trol the orbital nes above us. I had the sneaking suspi that the Corpo's satellites, despite all our efforts to prevent it, were catg glimpses of our activities. Hints of our presence.

  I switched bamunig with just Alina. 'Ohe Probes have a new work of Pylons up, start them on a Stargate. I'll try to use my ability to expedite it.' It was the best step. Other then finding a way to remove the Nomads from New Lordaeron, without offending any of them that were not involved.

  "Let's be careful and take our time, gentlemen. Nothing about this is certain. We'll figure this out, no matter what the oute. Meanwhile, we o add more loyal troops, and make sure that whoever is w against us 't do much damage." This was my mess. I'd help it up. First let's py with some designs for the future. Increasing one's strength was always a valid way to overturn plots.

  After waiting another few hours to give the Probes time to work, we walked bato the Town. We'd mostly mao get ahold of our emotions during the wait, so we wouldn't potentially give anything away. Jaina, Amanda, Sally and Megan were waiting by the Town Hall. They were chatting amiably, and all turo look at us. Megan looked like the cat who got the best dollop of cream. Sally had a slightly disapproving frown while Jaina had an almost guilty look on her face. Amanda moved quickly over to Raynor and immediately hugged him. I couldn't get a strong sense of any of their emotions, they were shifting too quickly. They were rid full of multiple powerful feelings all at the same time.

  Amanda turo me smirking, "Do you need him for a while?" Then she gave me a look that said I better not need him. She was steel, and then butter melting, before firming back up into steel again. Eagerness and joy, anger and sorrow all at once. She really was crazy about him. My smile was authentio, have fun you two. In fact... " I turo the men, "Dismissed, get some rest, and rex. I'll see you all tomorrow."

  My eyes took in the Ladies, "Sorry we took so long, there were some ued developments." My smile grew, even though my stomach felt like it was on a boat in a storm. Their emotions all spiked, annoyance, irritation. There was some joy and glee. So they didn't feel too deeply for me, that... hurt. Jai like a whirlpool ret and purpose. She was happy to see me but also sad, a full of anticipation.

  Why were their emotions so plex, while the Mox's states had been so much easier to uand. Was it the drugs and alcohol, their different lifestyles, or was it something about me that was different? My mind ran more ps around the growing track of questions, looking for the best o get ahead of this.

  "How have you been?" I tried to put as much affe into my voice as I could.

  "We've been helping Jaina with her tower. Lost track of time, it's weird in there." Sally patted Jaina on her shoulder, who was still upset but happy. Desperate but resolved.

  "Y-Yes they've been very helpful." She wouldn't look me in the eyes. Her gaze shifted anywhere but me. What the fuck? Her feelings scattered through the full range of humaion.

  "Now, Sally don't try to take a bunch of the credit, we didn't help all that much. If fact, we probably got in her way more than we helped." Megan was still grinning that Cheshire smirk. I didn't like that o. I sensed almost pure smugness from her. She felt like she had gotten away with something and it tickled her inner gremlin, a lot.

  "Well, why don't we all take a look at the Tower. You tell me all about it." I kept my smile intact. Inside I was sure this was going to suck. But I had to do it. Had to py like I was a blind fool.

  All so I could figure out why the voi the bay head was screaming that I was fucked.

  Everything about Jaina's tower screamed that majical shit was dohere. From the formations of runes and sigils carved into every visible surface, to the glittering gems burning with the mana energies of all the elements. Jaina had also somehow worked Psicrystal into the structure, though how it ied with magic was still not fully known at this point. The beautiful white stone walls sparkled with ingrained flecks of crystals, and that sparkle was in turn magnified by the amazing may of the immediate area.

  I've slowly bee aware that while Psi energy and Mana are not directly reted energies, they do seem to be patible. You could use oo power the ws of the other, albeit at an increased cost. I suspected that there was a way te the two forces pletely, but what that would look like or if it was even a good idea, I couldn't guess. Somehow the tower ulling in mana and trating it into a denser form. It took a moment of observation to figure it out, but it was obvious after standing in its field effect for a while. Over all I was very impressed. Even if the tower cked any other fun, which I highly doubted, it was worth the expense in pany Points.

  "I'm so sorry, My Lord. As you see, this is where many of the missing pany points were spent. Certain rare gems, noive stones and even quite a few ductive metals had to be bought, at least at first. The Assemblers needed samples to be able to replicate the materials." She bowed deeply, her posture spoke deeply of shame. Her emotional state was a wreck, I thought she fully expected me to strike her down. I felt the eyes of my dies on me. Gauging my rea. Which was to ugh my ass off.

  "This. This is why you were so upset? I thought you had killed someone, or majorly fucked something up. I was over here w about nothing." Of course, my gut hadn't calmed down in the slightest. But I wasn't going to let them see my increasing .

  "We told her it would be fine, kind of goaded her into it actually." Sally with her eyes cast down. Her act didn't fool me, she was seething in anger. A Megan, at Jaina, at me.

  "I told them they were just worrywarts. There was no way you'd be too upset by just spending... money." Megan with the Grin of a Thousand Smuggeries, waved her hands vaguely at everything around us. "Doesn't it look great!" She reeked of pt for everyone, but most of all for me.

  My heart was breaking, but I had a role to py. The show must go on.

  "Yes, yes, you are very smart." As I patted Megan's head, enjoying the silkiness of her hair and the warmth of tact. All the while, w if I'd have to crush her skull soon. The very idea made me sick. Then I grabbed Sally into a side hug and squeezed a little harder than I intended. She didn't pin and in fact tched on to me like a koa. There I was, thinking how I might have to crush her into paste. My heart felt despair. That really fucks with your head, by the way. I holy don't know how spies and assassins do this kind of thing. My empathy and sympathy were warring with my rage and sorrow. Uhey truly felt nothing, I just didn't get it.

  Meanwhile, I kept a false smile pstered on my fad forced my voice to aohe ting teique really helped, and once again I'd have to thank John for his guidanehow. Jaina slowly unkinked her inner self, and her magierd started to show. Her excitement built by the sed, as she realized that I wasn't mad. Her face flushed and her eyes gleamed with a fey light.

  She turo the Tower with her hands emphasizing her words, "This is an advanced Mage Tower, let me show you it's features!" Her face lit up with such joy that had I been upset with her to begin with, I'd have dropped it after seeing that expression. For some reason, I didn't fully uand, I let out a rolling deep belly ugh, there was something vaguely German about it. I couldn't help it though, her antics were just so eaining.

  For the few hours she expined every decision that went into the tower in exhaustiail. To say that I was impressed was an uatement. As she slowly guided us up the floors she would point out her formations and expin what each of the runes did. She was truly lost in her own little world as she expounded upon each detail. Not only was the tower a mana trator, and mana ste structure; it could after a period of exposure to higher density mana, spark a maor. It would literally bee a fountain of magiergy, flooding the area, with all the fvors of mana.

  I had a sed of before she expihat the mana would be heavily filtered, and presented very little risk to the town's popution. That was why Megan and Sally were okay in here despite the dense rolling mana in the air. Sadly, it would likely be years before the reactor could gather the required amount of mana to ighe reactor.

  Hmm. Now this was iing. Each floor had entment built into it to aid in all the tasks of daily life. Cooking, ing, and so on. On top of that, the tower had entments that would improve the skills of any teacher to vey knowledge and improve the ability of any student to absorb that knowledge. Soon we would have mages underfoot at all times. Nice.

  Finally, the massive gem on top of the tower not only stored a huge amount of raw mana, it could be used as a Mana on. She talked about all its modes of use she had painstakingly scribed into the gem. From a thousand seeker mana bolts, to ohick bzing beam of pure raw mana and everything iween. That was an excellent use of pany Points as far as I was ed. At this point we were in Jaina's chambers, just below the pinual room whi turn was right uhe Massive mana gem.

  "Well what do you think, My Lord?" She was smiling at me through her eyeshes. Her gaze darted to Sally and Megan, who were tched onto me at this point. She licked her lips. Umm. What? Now, I'm not the most emotionally intelligent of men, but those as were signals. Sally and Megan squeezed me harder as if trying to restrain me. Jaina swiftly closed the distand kissed me like her life depended on it. Maybe it did? I was too shocked to respond to her kiss. What the fuck was going on?

  Two sharp paiered both of my kidneys at the same time. "Rrrrrraaaaaaa!" I very intelligently bellowed as I thrashed throwing both the ging dies to the sides of the room.

  Jaina looked just as shocked as I felt, which was the only reason I didn't attack her first. My aura fred no longer restrained by the efforts of my will. A good thing too, that was the only reason I wasn't ying on the ground bleeding out. It was the only reason I didn't immediately fall into shod freeze up. My healing mana worked quickly to keep me alive.

  Megan was ughing as she picked herself up. Her amusement was at an almost inhuman peak. Sally wasn't ughing. All of her anger was now focused on me. She looked at me with all the iy of a serial killer looking at their victim.

  Megan taunted, brandishing the knife she'd used to puncture my back. "I guess we have to expin now that you survived the first strike. It's only polite." Her eye fshed as she unched some quick hack at me. Her attempt amouo nothing. Thankfully, Vik did some good work when he updated my ICE. My e was safe for now.

  Sally snarled, "No, he should die in ignorance." She seemed to briefly hesitate though, she'd probably realized I wasn't at the same level of strength as I had been before.

  I slowly backed up, so I could keep them all in my sight. Sn in annoyance, I answered with a groaning, "Figures. I never had any luck with the dies. However, I'm more than a little surprised at your involvement Jaina." I swallowed that pain of betrayal, pushed down the crushing despair. I'll deal with those emotions ter when my kidneys weren't trying to emute water sprinklers.

  "No! My Lord I would never... " Jaina was shaking her head in denial, and she started summoning something with her mana. I could feel her surprise. Huh.

  "Now, now, don't bme poor Jaina. She had no idea. She thought she was going to get added to our fun time. Sally and I were certainly very ving as we filled her out like an application. Every. Single. ce we could get." My brai bnk, before it haltingly made the es. Well, that was just fug depressing.

  Megan giggled like a lunatid her face started to ge. "Oh, I love that look." She'd produced a pistol from an unknown location, now she had a on in each hand. I gowards Sally and yup she was ging her appearance as well. "Who cares, let's get this over with." Her rifle was leaned up against the wall, so she stuck to the long curved knife she'd shanked me with.

  I grumbled internally, feeling my hold on all the things I'd repressed ing undone. What a fug mess this was going to make.