Chapter 243: A Traitor Among Us

The concept of betraying their own race was foreign to the Aragarians as it is with Earthlings. No one would think of doing such a thing, especially when there is too little to gain. 

Everyone was silent and wrestled with this revelation. 

"Why would a Presider betray our race?"

"You misunderstand. I didn't mean that he betrayed the entire race, just us. The current Presiders here." 

"What do you mean?" 

"He is simply doing what we did back home. And I'm referring to the battle of conquering and devouring each other to make ourselves more powerful. The Barbablon and the Babelians had long retreated to Babylos. Unless a Presider is daring enough to initiate a Judge War against them, no one would ever have enough contribution points to be a Principal. Even Presider Marrho has to make sufficient preparations to start a Judge War. Everyone is making preparations for that, and aren't we here to amass as many contributions for that time?" Garenjazz asked. 

"Then what is this traitor planning? And how could it be a Presider! Everyone is here! The only suspicious ones are Zeraphine, Pridgeon and Crostfree! But They don't have the Bolt of Heaven!" 

"If word of the Lost Primordial reaches home, how many Presiders will flock here? Or rather, would we even get the chance? The best thing to do is to keep this news out of the Principals. Make this something only Presiders will settle. I do not believe that if the inheritance of a Lost Primordial is here on Earth, he or she would inform a Principal. That is a chance to be a Prime!" Garenjazz explained. 

"Then the most suspicious one is definitely Crostfree." Lanterk made a guess. 

"I will take Presider Lanterk's comment as a sign of his immaturity. But if that is true, how could I have created a distortion field that blocked even Garenjazz's techs? The possibilities are, I am working with Zeraphine or Feyor or Garenjazz himself!" Crostfree laughed. 

"What is your opinion of this matter, Crostfree? You're the one who fought them after all?" Feyor asked. 

"I'd love to hear your tale as well." Gordon laughed. 

"Then, since you asked, let me give you my narrative... The Lost Primordial's legacy is left on Earth. Someone, probably from the first batch of Pioneers, or even a Presider who was here on Earth at that time, found the inheritance. Earth's people found another part of Lost Primordial's Legacy as that audio clip of my enemy claimed. They killed all Pioneers, and perhaps the Presider's lost the clash, or it would cost them too much if they continued fighting. They must have determined that it was too dangerous to continue or too costly for them, so they retreated. They requested another batch to replace them while they go home." Crostfree explained this all in one breathe. 

"So those Presider's who went back wanted us to weaken the enemy? They assumed that Earth could put up a fight?" Lanterk asked. 

"Young Presider, one would do well to ignore the ramblings of Crostfree. He is the survivor of Dormin's Downfall. Wasn't it after that war that you earned quite a bit of tech? Did you betray and kill your fellow Presiders? I heard just before that war, you were a nameless Pioneer?" Tiana asked with great suspicion. 

"Then how do you explain the Principal going here? Just because Pridgeon got injured? No! The Presiders may have informed this Principal. Some deal must have been struck! That Principal used the excuse of a wounded Presider to go here! The traitors belong to the former batch! That is the most probable truth!" Crostfree barked back. 

"Highly unlikely. I knew Principal Nabal and had the chance to serve him. He's an eccentric Principal and is a hedonist. He isn't the type to seek fame and despises complex plans. He is a weak Principal by their ranks, but none would dare attack him, for he is the son of a Prime! Him coming out here out of boredom just fits his personality! If the inheritance of the Lost Primordial is true, he would most likely tell his father! Why strive hard when you have a stronger dad who could do more with that tech than you could ever do? As long as he lives a life that is not boring, he would choose to remain sheltered under his father's wings!" Tiana laughed. 

"Perhaps that's why the Presiders downplayed the reports. They needed someone like him to go." Zeraphine interrupted. 

"Think about it. He goes alongside those Presiders who went back home, and when they return here, they reveal the existence of the Lost Primordial or find a way to make the Principal come to this conclusion. He would be forced to act and fight those who inherited Earth's technology to give it to his Father. As for us, we would all be killed." 

"Except you." The voice of another young teenage girl echoed. 

"What are you implying, Presider Straviaa?" Zeraphine almost shouted. 

"It's just that when Crostfree was battling with these unknown enemies, you were in Pangea. And you did not offer any aide at all. Weren't you sent to Earth earlier than most? After Pridgeon, you used your obsession with this Seeker Carlean as an excuse. Almost all of us returned to the moon shortly when the WGP made their crazy demands. But you? Who knows what you have been doing, Princess!" The teenager mocked. 

"Enough!" Garenjazz reprimanded. 

"As much as I want to see a good-old-fashioned cat-fight between two beautiful teens worth simping over... We still have to focus here. Straviaa, its impossible for Zeraphine to be the traitor. While she may have motives and desires great power and all that evil villain cliché, her technologies can't be that one because she does not have Presider Marrho's Bolt of Heaven. I know, because I am assigned by her father to be her ward." Garenjazz didn't hesitate to reveal this secret. 

Straviaa became silent, and Zeraphine also kept quiet. 

"With regards to the statements that Crostfree made, while it is possible, it will easily fail if we report to another Principal back home. If we reported that we were attacked and tell another Principal, their plan immediately fails. But those pretending to be the Lost Primordials created a trap to make us fight these Earthlings who claim to have acquired another piece of the Lost Primordials inheritance. Why risk it?" 

"How effective was the attack?" Feyor suddenly asked Crostfree. 

"What is the extent of the damage?" 

"Pridgeon is gravely wounded. He used his ship to collide with the enemy, and I had to move and save him. I used my technology to rescue Pridgeon, but then, they used a Pangean BEKI bomb on me." 

"Then isn't it obvious? If they did that, they vastly underestimated the powers of Presiders. To think they assumed that a BEKI bomb could kill us?" Andronze answered. 

"There is another possibility." Andornze continued.

"The Lost Primordial left their inheritance to a small group of people who have been making preparations for our attack. Maybe the Lost Primordial who lived the remainder of his or her life here decided to plant seeds to give this world a chance to fight back. The only problem is that we discovered this location earlier than expected. " 

"This does sound possible. But why would the Lost Primordial fight the WGP? Why are their factions?" Gordon asked. 

"Maybe one group got greedy and wanted to devour the rest. Didn't Crostfree say that the Kraken battle revealed that various countries have technologies that could be a century ahead? What if the Lost Primordial planted a whole bunch of seeds? The techs he must have with him are plenty. He gave them all foundational science and simply hoped that Earth would develop strong enough. But some groups got greedy and overestimated their capabilities." Andronze guessed. 

"That is possible. The improvements of the countries were suspicious after the Third World War." Feyor nodded in agreement. 

"It does explain their guts in attacking another Presider like Crostfree. So we have an ambitious group with technologies ripe for the taking. It sounds like it's time to abandon all forms of pretense and just make an all-out war." Lanterk laughed excitedly. 

"I agree with Lanterk." Straviaa approved. 

"Are you convinced, Garenjazz? You are my ward, after all." Zeraphine asked with a very sarcastic tone. 

"This is just... too easy. Perhaps it's my own paranoia or because I know how crafty Crostfree is. We fought several times, and he still lives. I am almost certain he is either exaggerating or downplaying the battle. Either he received shocking amounts of damage that could kill several of you, or he is exaggerating the battle, and it was he who caused Pridgeon great harm. " 

"Is Pridgeon awake?" Crostfree asked. 

"He is stable." A Pioneer answered. 

"Force him up and get him here." 

"He is barely able to move, Presider." 

"Can he talk?" 

"Yes." 

"Then bring him in," Crostfree ordered coldly. 

Garenjazz waited patiently for Pridgeon to come online. 

Soon, a video feed was being sent to them, and it showed a very weak and wounded Pridgeon. He was wearing his trademark suit, which had recovered to some extent. There were still parts of his suit that did not recover, and Pridgeon still had no right arm. 

"As you all know, Pridgeon prioritized in Life Science. So his body has the best healing mechanism among all of us. And as our Presiders suit is virtually hack-proof against other Presiders, you could say that I cannot manipulate his suit even if I gave him the energy to recover." Crostfree presented. 

Several Presiders nodded. Principals granted the suits, and it contained tech that could not be understood. 

"Give him enough energy to fully heal himself of any drugs, hypnosis, or any other means to alter his state of mind." Garenjazz coolly ordered. 

"Fine. But you all will pay me the energy that I expend now. Granting energy to power a Presider suit and fix it isn't cheap." Crostfree frowned. 

"It will be divided between us," Feyor promised to which some of the Presiders frowned. 

Powerful energy began to surge and power the suit of Pridgeon, allowing it to recover just enough to allow the suit to perform certain scans and functions. Pridgeon's right arm reformed along with his suit. 

The recovery began under the watchful eye of all the Presiders. Pridgeon's countenance could be seen changing. 

"Tell us the truth." 

"Pridgeon. Tell them but do not reveal my tech or hint them of what I am capable of." Crostfree warned. 

The other Presiders didn't find this demand strange. 

"It is as Crostfree said. I almost died, and he saved me and retreated. He clashed, and his weapons got attacked by that BEKI bomb." 

"Is this good enough for proof?" Crostfree asked Garenjazz. 

Garenjazz was silent. 

"Hurry. Sending you a video feed isn't cheap. I will be demanding compensation." Crostfree added. 

"Fine. Disconnect it." Garenjazz sighed. 

Crostfree immediately disconnected the video and returned to audio transmission. 

"I'm still not convinced to be honest. Crostfree might have bought Pridgeon after all." Garenjazz lazily replied. 

"You can't be serious?!" Crostfree shouted. 

"I'm just honest. I have to show Zeraphine everything I know. She isn't easy to watch. So, I am merely laying it out on her." Garenjazz yawned. 

"I don't think someone's out to betray us." Feyor gave his stance. 

"The scenario that Andronze presented seemed to be the most logical. I have a theory that can even complete it. Lourca Oviili. What if it was an Arbiter who discovered the inheritance of the Lost Primordial? It would explain her betrayal and all the lost technology. I heard that there were rumors of mind-controlling tools that are at our level. What if she discovered it and was trying to face off against the Presiders out of her arrogance?" Feyor presented his theory. 

"This conversation is going nowhere!" A voice that never spoke finally shouted in anger. The voice sounded like an irritable and old man. 

"Enderks. So even you are in attendance!" Crostfree laughed and gave a weak cough. 

"I have no time to listen to this talk. Crostfree and Garenjazz are too suspicious of each other. The rest of you wild stories that match the paranoia of those two! If we just take action and destroy Earth now! Why bother with all this! If we all take action, it will reveal whatever traitor there is!" 

There was silence, and finally, the young Presider Lanterk agreed. 

"It does sound good." Lanterk nodded. 

"We don't know who or what-" 

Suddenly, Crostfree started to cough loudly. 

"What's going on?!" Pridgeon could be heard shouting. 

"Presider! Presider?! AGH!" A shrill cry was heard. This was the same voice that Crostfree was talking to. 

"What's happening?! What is that strange green gas?!" Pridgeon shouted. 

Alarms were suddenly made. 

"WARNING! HIGH RADIATION DETECTED! EVACUATE THE BUILDING! WARNING!" 

"What's happening?" 

"Crostfree?!" Various Presiders suddenly began to shout and freak out. 

Panicked cries and alerts could be heard on the background. 

"Crostfree! Where are your weapons? Your techs? Where is it?!" Pridgeon's demanded. Crostfree gave no answer. 

"You! Where is it?" 

"I do not know! Presider Crostfree could open a portal to a pocket dimension! We don't have access to it! He sends us into his large spaceship at will!" 

"What?!" 

"Presider! It's burning! Let me go! Let me go!" The Pioneer could only squeal in pain. 

"DAMNIT!" Pridgeon howled as he began to escape. 

Several loud cries could be heard at the background, and after a few seconds, the call was terminated. 

The video conference call of the Presiders in the moon and in the Orbital continued. The expressions of all the Presiders looked sour. 

"Crostfree is dead," Garenjazz confirmed. He noticed the lifeline that revealed the accurate status of the Presider no longer showed its vital signs. 

"It looks like he was burned to death..." Lanterk looked over at the reports of how Crostfree's body died. When a Presider dies, the suit presents a timeline of what the body went through before dying. 

"No. That was Plague Technology. It's that green energy that he showed us earlier. Whoever attacked him with that green energy must have used some strange way to implant it in his body. But Crostfree should have detected it." 

"No, this proves it. Crostfree fought a hard battle." Garenjazz concluded. 

"I know his technology. And based on those last seconds, I can conclude that the battle cost him too much. After Pridgeon fought, he must have also suffered quite a bit. The fact that he was in some building proves it. The ship he was on, which he hides in a pocket dimension, was damaged that he temporarily settled in his base in Australia. What a fool. Pridgeon wanted to acquire the techs, but only Crostfree could open it. But since he is dead, then unless we are able to find that dimension where he kept all his weapons, it is forever lost." Garenjazz sighed. 

Everyone's expression grew dim. 

"What a waste." Enderks cursed. 

"So... We don't know who the enemy these are. Are they Earthlings, are there traitors among us? Andronze looks especially suspicious." Gordon laughed. 

Andronze only glared at Gordon. 

"What do we do now?" Straviaa asked with a visibly, fearful expression. 

"We wait. There are two Presider level forces on Earth. Is anyone willing to fight it?" Garenjazz asked. 

No one replied. 

Back at the pocket dimension of where Crostfree was... 

The charred ashes of Crostfree's body fell down. His suit was unable to protect him. 

Pridgeon's right arm was giving off a bright red light. 

"Perfectly executed! Ladies and Gentlemen, as promised, I will be a Principal, and you all shall be Presiders!" Pridgeon laughed.