Chapter 460: Under arrest

Chapter 460: Under arrest

The main hall of the Grey palace felt different when filled with tension thick enough to cut. Team 7 stood together in a loose formation, their body language speaking of exhaustion and unresolved conflict. Behind them, palace guards in their distinctive blue uniforms maintained respectful distances while keeping watchful eyes on the unexpected visitors.

Commander Seraphina Brooks entered the hall flanked by six young men in civilian clothes, but their bearing screamed military training despite the casual attire. Noah recognized the coordinated movement, the way their eyes catalogued exits and defensive positions, the subtle positioning that kept their commander protected while maintaining clear lines of sight.

What he couldn’t wrap his head around was seeing his former academy instructor standing in Lucy’s palace, looking every bit the EDF commander she’d apparently become.

“Team 7,” Brooks said, her voice carrying the authority that had once kept classroom full of teenage cadets in line. “It’s been a while.”

Kelvin shifted uncomfortably beside Noah, his hands flexing in what might have been nerves or readiness for violence. “Miss Brooks. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I imagine not.” Brooks stepped forward, her glasses catching the light from the hall’s crystalline fixtures. “Though I suspect you can guess why I’m here.”

Sophie moved closer to Noah, already running through possibilities. “How did you even know we were here?”

“That’s not the question you should be asking.” Brooks activated a holographic display from her wrist communicator, showing official EDF documentation that made Noah’s stomach drop. “Under Section 847-C of the Earth Defense Force Military Code, you are all under arrest for desertion, unauthorized military action on neutral territory, and conducting operations outside your designated command structure.”

The words hit the assembled team like physical blows. Diana went pale, while Kelvin’s expression darkened with the kind of anger that had already damaged one ship console today.

“Arrest?” Sophie’s voice cracked slightly. “We’re not deserters. We came here because—”

“Because Lucas Grey was called home by his family,” Brooks finished. “Yes, I’m aware of the circumstances that initiated your departure from the Vanguard Station.”

She deactivated the display and fixed each of them with the look she’d once used to quiet unruly students. “What I’m less clear on is why the rest of you followed him without authorization, why you’ve been operating independently for over five weeks, and why EDF response teams found evidence of your presence at a major combat incident on Earth.”

Noah felt everyone looking to him for answers.

“Ma’am, we can explain everything,” he began.

“I’m sure you can. And you will, once we return to the Vanguard Station.” Brooks gestured to her team, who shifted into more alert positions. “I’d prefer to do this the honorable way. Come with us voluntarily, and we can avoid the necessity of restraints.”

Sophie stepped forward, her composure cracking under the pressure of everything they’d been through. “We can’t leave. Lucas is missing. He’s our teammate, and we need to find him.”

“Missing?” Brooks raised an eyebrow. “According to our intelligence, Lucas Grey is exactly where his family wants him to be.”

“That’s not—” Sophie’s voice rose in frustration. “The Eighth took him! We tracked down Arthur, we fought him, but he trapped Lucas in some kind of shadow dimension and now—”

“Sophie, slow down.” Brooks held up a hand. “What are you talking about? Who is Arthur, and what does any of this have to do with shadows?”

Noah watched Brooks’ expression shift from professional authority to genuine confusion. She had no idea what they’d been dealing with. The EDF’s intelligence network hadn’t connected their absence to the threat Arthur represented.

Diana found her voice. “There’s an enemy calling himself the Eighth ancestor. He’s been kidnapping the heads of the original families, and—”

“And that’s fascinating,” Brooks interrupted, “but it’s also not EDF jurisdiction. Our concern is with five AWOL military personnel who need to return to their assigned duties.”

Kelvin stepped forward, his arm implants glinting in the hall’s lighting. “Even if we wanted to help explain everything, this isn’t your call anymore, is it?”

Brooks’ expression tightened. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you wouldn’t be here with arrest warrants unless someone higher up the chain gave you orders you couldn’t ignore.”

The silence that followed confirmed Kelvin’s assessment. Brooks looked like someone who’d been handed a situation she didn’t fully understand but couldn’t refuse to execute.

“The issue is no longer within my power to resolve,” she admitted finally. “This arrest order comes from Central Command itself.”

The words created a ripple of shocked silence through Team 7. Central Command meant the Ark, the mobile fortress that served as humanity’s primary military headquarters. It meant their situation had escalated far beyond station-level disciplinary action.

Lucy stepped forward from where she’d been observing near the hall’s entrance. “Commander Brooks, I believe there’s been a misunderstanding. Team 7 are guests of the Grey royal family. The EDF has no jurisdiction on Raiju soil.”

Brooks turned to face Lucy, and Noah could see the respect in her posture despite the tension of the situation. “Lady Grey, you’re absolutely correct. The EDF has no authority over Raiju territory or its citizens.”

She smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “However, EDF property currently resides on your soil, and the retrieval of that property falls well within our operational parameters.”

Lucy’s eyes narrowed. “EDF property?”

“Team 7 represents a significant investment in training, equipment, and specialized abilities. They are, for all legal purposes, military assets that belong to the Earth Defense Force.”

The two women stared at each other across the hall, and Noah could feel the tension ratcheting higher with each passing second. Lucy’s hands were clenched at her sides, and he recognized the signs of her powers building toward activation.

“Commander Brooks,” Lucy said, her voice carrying the authority of someone who’d grown up expecting to rule a world, “I don’t think you want to do this. This is my home, my palace, my planet.”

“And I’m an Earth Defense Force officer,” Brooks replied without blinking. “You handle Grey family matters, I handle EDF matters. Currently, EDF assets are present in your territory and require immediate retrieval.”

Lucy took a step closer. “I’d suggest you consider your next words very carefully.”

The palace guards shifted position subtly, while Brooks’ team mirrored their movement. Noah could see hands moving toward concealed weapons, stances adjusting for potential combat. The situation was seconds away from turning violent.

That’s when Noah stepped forward with a sigh that seemed to deflate him completely.

“Commander Brooks, tell your people to stand down.”

Brooks looked at him sharply. “Noah?”

“We’ll come with you.” Noah’s voice carried the exhaustion of someone who’d fought too many battles and lost too many people. “There’s no point in making this worse than it already is.”

He looked around at his teammates, seeing his own resignation reflected in their faces. They were tired, fractured, and facing problems bigger than any of them knew how to solve. Adding a diplomatic incident between the EDF and the Grey family to their list of failures wouldn’t help anyone.

“He’s right,” Sophie said quietly. “We’ve caused enough problems.”

Diana nodded reluctantly. “Another crisis is the last thing anyone needs.”

Even Kelvin, despite his earlier anger, gave a sharp nod of agreement. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Lucy turned to face Noah, her expression shifting from political authority to personal concern. “Noah, you don’t have to do this. I can protect you here.”

“And then what?” Noah asked gently. “We stay hidden on Raiju while Arthur continues his plan? While Lucas and King Aurelius remain trapped? While the other families refuse to act?”

He reached out and pulled Lucy into a surprising hug. It was sudden even for Lucy but she ought to understand that bond was one forged in crisis and loss. “You be strong, Lucy. Handle your family politics, unite the original families if you can. We’ll deal with EDF bureaucracy and find our way back to help.”

Lucy held onto him tightly. “Promise me you’ll stay in touch.”

“As soon as we can,” Noah replied. “As soon as this is resolved, we’ll be back.”

Sophie and Diana each embraced Lucy in turn, offering quiet words of support and encouragement. Kelvin managed a awkward pat on her shoulder that still conveyed genuine affection.

“Eclipse!” Brooks’ voice cut through the farewell moment with military sharpness. “We haven’t got all day.”

Noah stepped back from Lucy and turned toward his former instructor. “Yes ma’am. We’re ready.”

As Team 7 fell into formation behind Brooks and her escort team, the palace guards maintained their positions but didn’t interfere. The walk through the corridors toward the exit felt like a funeral procession, each step taking them further from the only place that had felt like home since leaving the Vanguard Station.

Once they were clear of the palace and walking across the landing platform toward Brooks’ transport ship, she moved closer to Noah.

“What the hell have you been doing out here?” she asked quietly, her professional mask slipping enough to show genuine concern.

Noah looked up at the alien stars visible through Raiju Prime’s atmospheric shimmer. “Fighting something that makes the Harbinger war look like a training exercise.”

Brooks stopped walking. “That bad?”

“Worse. And we’re losing.”

She processed this for a moment, then resumed walking toward the ship. “Well, whatever you’ve stumbled into out here, it’s created ripple effects you can’t imagine. Your little unauthorized trip to Earth drew exactly the kind of attention we were trying to avoid.”

Noah felt a chill that had nothing to do with Raiju Prime’s climate. “What kind of attention?”

“The Ark is now aware that Vanguard forces were operating on Earth, conducting military actions outside their designated parameters. As we speak, Commander Lein, Commander Beaumont, and Commander Volkov are being called before tribunal hearings for alleged mismanagement of EDF resources.”

The guilt hit Noah harder than any of Arthur’s attacks had. Mei, Cassandra, and Viktor weren’t just their commanding officers—they were people who’d believed in Team 7, who’d invested time and resources in their development. And now those same people were facing destruction because of decisions Noah and his team had made.

“Damn,” that was all Noah could manage as he looked up ahead at the guys waking in front.

The transport ship loomed ahead of them, its generic hull design a stark contrast to the elegant architecture they were leaving behind. Team 7 boarded in silence, each of them processing the implications of what Brooks had revealed.

Minutes later, as the ship cleared Raiju Prime’s atmosphere and set course for the Vanguard Station, Brooks settled into the passenger compartment’s command chair and allowed herself to think about how catastrophically wrong everything had gone.

‘Three hours ago, this was supposed to be a quiet retrieval mission,’ she reflected, watching the stars streak past through the viewports. ‘Get the kids, bring them home, handle discipline internally. Keep Central Command out of it entirely.’

But then the message had come through from the Ark, updating her mission parameters in ways that made her stomach drop. The subtle operation to retrieve missing personnel had become an official arrest warrant with full military authority.

‘Three hours, and suddenly the whole Vanguard program is under investigation.’

The reality was staggering. Her fellow commanders, people she’d begun working with to build something meaningful, were facing career-ending consequences for what Central Command was calling criminal mismanagement of EDF resources. Resources in the form of humans—young people who represented Earth’s next generation of defenders against the Harbinger threat.

It was a big deal. The kind of big deal that ended careers, destroyed programs, and sent ripples through the entire military hierarchy.

‘And somehow, it all started with six kids who followed their friend home for what should have been a family visit.’

Brooks looked toward the passenger area where Team 7 sat in subdued silence, each of them processing their own version of how the situation had spiraled so far out of control. Whatever they’d encountered, whatever they’d been fighting, it had consequences that reached far beyond their personal mission.

The war against the Harbingers had taught humanity that small actions could have galactic implications. The situation developing around Team 7 was about to provide another lesson in the interconnectedness of crisis management.

As the transport ship continued toward the Vanguard Station, Brooks couldn’t shake the feeling that bringing these young people home might be the biggest mistake she’d ever made.

“And then Lucas is missing. Just great!” She muttered to herself.

But the orders were clear, the political situation was beyond her control, and sometimes military service meant executing missions you knew were wrong.

The question was whether any of them would survive the consequences of following orders that should never have been given.