At the center of the room, on a pedestal, sat the prized artifact, the egg.
It pulsed with an eerie green glow, casting emerald light across their faces. Roughly the size of a human head, its surface was translucent, revealing something moving inside. Shadows shifted within the shell, organic and unsettling.
Nisede moved toward it, her gaze fixed on the artifact. Luca stepped beside her, drawn by the intensity in her eyes.
"What exactly are you planning to do with this?" he asked.
Nisede's expression tightened, frustration flickering. "I should be asking you the same," she replied, her voice laced with challenge. "You think I don't know what you're here for? You want it as badly as I do."
He maintained eye contact. "Maybe. But this isn't about me. I was sent to secure it, nothing more. The question is, why are you so desperate to get it first?"
Nisede hesitated, her eyes darting between him and the glowing artifact. She opened her mouth, closed it. Started again. "My father… he wants to use it, exploit it like everything else. I can't let that happen."
"Use it for what?"
"For profit." Her voice was tight. "For what he always does."
Luca stepped closer to the pedestal, studying the egg. The shadows inside shifted. Not random. Almost deliberate. Pulsing in rhythm. He leaned in, and the green light reflected off his eyes. "Nisede, what is this thing?"
She took a slow breath. "It's a bioengineered terraforming agent. My father's company creates them: hive species designed to rapidly convert hostile worlds."
"Insectoids?" Luca's heart stuttered.
She nodded, a bitter laugh escaping her. "Efficient, profitable, and according to rumors I've heard, dangerously unstable. Serath believed they were an existential threat."
A chill settled over him. The Vexillari. The Insectoids. Species that would tear their civilization apart.
This is how it starts. This is how you fell.
"This egg," he said slowly, "is it—"
"A Queen." The word dropped like a stone. "First viable prototype in ten years of research. My father's auctioning it tonight to the highest bidder. Colonizing companies. Defense contractors. Resource exploitation firms." Her jaw tightened. "He's keeping supply low. Scarcity drives the price up. This egg could sell for more than some planetary systems."
"And you're stealing it to—"
"To sabotage him." Her voice cracked. "I know it probably won't stop anything. He'll make more eventually. But without proof of concept, without a viable egg to show investors..." She met his eyes, and there was something broken in her gaze. "Maybe I can slow him down. Damage his credibility. Make corporations think twice before throwing billions at unproven technology."
A long pause.
"Serath tried to warn people," Nisede whispered. "No one listened. They called her paranoid. A conspiracy theorist. So she ran." Her hands trembled. "I'm not as brave as she was. But I can do this much."
He studied Nisede's face. Her gaze was unwavering, filled with a desperate conviction reflected in her knitted brows and parted lips.
"Look," he said, his tone softer. "I don't know if this changes anything, but… if it matters that much to you, I'll help you keep it from people like him."
A flicker of surprise crossed Nisede's face, her eyes softening. "I don't need you to believe me. But if you care about anything beyond a paycheck, you'll help me keep it safe."
They stood there in silence, the tension thick, but it had shifted: an acknowledgment, an understanding. She looked at him for a long moment, before nodding, a small, grateful smile tugging at her lips.
From his comm, Chris's voice came in urgently. "Luca, you guys are out of time. Guards are heading your way. I'll trip another alarm to lead them off, but get moving now."
Luca stepped up to the pedestal, the glow of the egg casting surreal green light over his hands. He reached for it cautiously, lifting it. Strange warmth radiated through his fingers, almost alive. The egg was surprisingly light. It was likely alien biotech, hollow but scaled up from terrestrial life. The shell felt like hardened resin, tough but with enough give to suggest it could crack if dropped. A faint pulse thrummed against his palm. Whatever was inside was very much alive.
His eyes drifted across the vault. Jewelry cases lined one wall, diamonds, rare metals, exotic gemstones that caught the light. Technology beyond Earth's capabilities. Art older than human civilization.
The System sometimes lets you take stuff out. Sometimes.
Nisede caught his gaze. She moved to the wall, opening a panel, and grabbed two small jewelry boxes. Each one fit in the palm of her hand, sleek and expensive.
"These are mine," she said quietly, crossing back to him. She held them out, her hands trembling slightly. "Take them."
Before he could protest, she slipped the boxes into his jacket pocket, her fingers lingering for just a moment.
A notification flickered across Luca's vision:
[Item Acquired: Varnathi Heirloom Pendant - TL ∞]
[Item Acquired: Varnathi Heirloom Anklet - TL ∞]
"Nisede—"
"Please." Her voice was softer now, vulnerable. "If you ever think of me again… let it be kindly." Her golden eyes held his, glistening slightly in the green glow.
With the egg secured and the jewelry boxes weighing down his pocket, they turned and moved back toward the vault door.
"Alright," Luca said. "We split up once we're clear of this level."
Nisede gave him a measured nod. "Agreed. No more tricks, right?"
Luca allowed himself a half-smile. "Not unless you start them."
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Red lights pulsed through the corridors, a frantic, rhythmic throbbing. Alarms shrieked, echoing off polished walls. Luca cradled the egg against his chest as they moved, Nisede leading the way, retracing their path upward.
This is insane. We're carrying a Queen egg. Vexillari... this thing hatches and we're talking about a species that tears civilizations apart.
And now the System's offering me this. A different path. A different choice.
His mind flashed to the Insectoid hive. Chris on the ground, armor melted through to the bone, Joey's hands shaking as he applied nano bandages. The acid had melted through TL8 composite as if it were tissue paper.
I've seen what these things can do.
Footsteps thundered from above. Eight guards hit the stairwell landing, plasma rifles snapping up in unison.
"Contact!" one of them barked.
Luca spotted a recessed maintenance alcove beside the landing. He dropped into a crouch, setting the egg down carefully behind a junction box. The green glow pulsed against the metal plating.
Stay put. I'll be back for you.
Nisede was already moving. Her tail whipped out, catching the nearest guard's ankle mid-step. He went down hard, skull cracking against the railing. She flowed past him, blade flashing, and opened another guard's throat before he could bring his weapon to bear.
Luca activated [Reflex Shot], time slowing to syrup as his interface highlighted targets. The closest guard was raising a stun baton. He ducked under the swing, grabbed the man's wrist, and twisted. Bone snapped.
Plasma bolts screamed past his head. He grabbed the injured guard, using him as a shield, and felt the body jerk as bolts tore through flesh instead.
He shoved the corpse forward into two more guards. Nisede was on them before they recovered, her blade exploiting every gap in their armor.
Luca's hand went to the dagger he had picked up earlier. Two quick strikes. Two bodies dropped, smoke curling from cauterized chest wounds.
[Calculating... XP]
[Calculating... Credits]
Blood sprayed across polished walls. The elegant TL9 architecture was painted red now.
"Luca, you're clear to get out!" Chris's voice crackled through the comm, strained and urgent. "But they're onto me now. I've got to bail."
"Chris, wait—"
"Just go, Luca." The line went dead.
Fuck.
Luca ducked back to the alcove, scooping up the egg. Still warm. Still pulsing. He cradled it against his chest as Nisede grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the carnage. They sprinted up the stairwell, boots pounding against metal grating, the sounds of the gala growing louder above them.
The guests have no idea. They're drinking champagne while we're fighting for our lives three floors down.
They burst through a service door into a maintenance corridor. Nisede slapped a panel on the wall, and a cleaning field generator—high-end tech designed for surgical suites—hummed to life. The field washed over them, blue light flickering across their clothes. Blood evaporated. Sweat vanished. In seconds they looked pristine again, like they'd been at the gala the whole time.
Luca's hands were shaking. Adrenaline still screaming through his veins, his heart hammering against his ribs. He forced himself to breathe, to slow down, to look like he belonged.
Nisede smoothed her dress, tucking her blade back into its hidden sheath. Her golden eyes met his, fierce and alive.
"One more hallway," she said quietly. "Then we blend back in."
They slipped into an empty guest suite, pulling the door shut behind them. The gala's sounds drifted up from below—laughter, music, the clink of crystal glasses. Surreal against the life-or-death scramble they'd just endured.
Luca set the egg down on a side table, the green glow casting eerie light across the room.
Nisede turned to him, breathing hard, her scout suit pristine from the cleaning field but her eyes still wild with adrenaline. "You need to take the egg far from here. People like my father… they'll use it, twist it into something monstrous. I can't let that happen."
Luca's gaze lingered on her. This was it. She wouldn't be coming with him.
She's a simulation. A construct. This is a System delve.
But the ache in his chest felt real.
"I'll keep it safe," he promised, his voice rougher than intended. "But what about you?"
Nisede smiled faintly, reaching up to brush her fingers against his cheek in a soft, lingering touch. "I'll be fine. This is my world, Luca. I know how to handle it."
She leaned in, her eyes never leaving his, and pressed a light kiss against his lips. Brief. Gentle. A moment suspended in time that left him feeling both grounded and adrift.
When she pulled back, there was sadness in her gaze, but also acceptance.
Her voice dropped. "If you ever see my people again… tell them Serath didn't die alone."
He opened his mouth to respond, but she was already moving.
"Goodbye, Luca."
She slipped out the door and down the hallway, disappearing from sight.
Luca's hand went to his lips, fingers touching where she'd kissed him. The warmth lingered. His chest felt hollow, like something had been carved out and taken with her.
She's not real. This is a delve. A simulation.
But the feeling was real. The loss was real.
Then he picked up the egg from the side table, cradling it against his chest, and moved.
Luca made it back to their original suite. Chris was already there, disheveled and sweating, his shirt wrinkled, tie loose around his neck. He looked like he'd run a marathon.
"Well," Chris said, collapsing into a chair. "That was fun."
Luca set the egg on the table, its green glow casting eerie light across the room. He sank into the opposite chair, shoulders slumped, the weight of the mission settling onto him.
Chris noticed his silence. "You okay?"
Luca looked at the egg, then at Chris. "This whole thing is a disaster."
"Disaster?" Chris grinned. "We got the artifact. Mission accomplished."
"It's not just an artifact, Chris." Luca's voice was quiet, serious. "It's a Queen egg. Vexillari or Insectoid—Nisede wasn't sure which. But either way…" He trailed off, the implications hanging heavy in the air.
Chris's grin faded. "You think the System wants us to bring it back?"
"I don't know." Luca stared at the egg, watching shadows shift beneath the translucent shell. "But I can't risk it. Not knowing what it could mean."
A silence fell between them, thick with the weight of the decision.
"It's forcing a choice," Luca said finally. "Choose the Vexillari or the Varnathi as potential allies. Bring this back, and who knows what gets unleashed."
Chris leaned forward, studying the egg. "The Varnathi Vault. Alpha Centauri. We already made contact with their civilization."
"The Varnathi in that vault... that's one path," Luca said, his voice low. "The System rewarded us for finding them."
"And the other?" Chris asked.
Luca's jaw tightened as he gestured to the egg. "The other is what happened to you in the hive. That's what this thing represents"
Chris's expression darkened at the memory. "Yeah. I remember."
"So what do you want to do?" Chris asked quietly.
Luca's hand drifted to his blaster. He stared at the egg, the faint warmth radiating from it, the life growing inside.
Who am I to decide which civilization lives or dies?
He thought of Nisede. Her golden eyes. Her fierce determination. The way she'd kissed him goodbye.
He thought of the Varnathi Vault. Families frozen in time. Artists. Scientists. Merchants. People with lives and dreams and stories.
He thought of Chris screaming as acid ate through to bone.
If I'm wrong, I've doomed more than one species.
The weight of that settled on him. A whole civilization, reduced to this one choice. His choice.
But if I'm right… I might have saved them.
"The Varnathi," he said quietly. "They're not perfect. Greedy, capitalistic, obsessed with wealth and status. But they're…" He paused, searching for the word. "They're people. Not bugs. Not a swarm. People I can talk to. Negotiate with. Maybe even trust."
He raised his blaster, aiming at the egg.
"You sure about this?" Chris asked.
Luca's finger tightened on the trigger. His hand trembled slightly. "No. But I'm doing it anyway."
He fired twice.
Plasma bolts shattered the shell. Red ichor sprayed across the table, the glow flickering and dying. What remained was a lifeless husk, broken and cold.
The room fell silent.
Then, overlaying his vision:
[Mission Complete: High Society]
Infiltrate an exclusive fundraiser in an asteroid resort, bypass four levels of advanced security, and steal the prized artifact.
[Mission Reward Triggered]
Modifications Available: Select one: Weapon Mod / Armor Mod / Tool Mod
[+2,500,000 unallocated XP]
[+1,100,000 credits]
[Level up! Level 72, +5 attribute points]
[+2 Perception]
[+1 Memory]
[Unique Mission Reward Triggered]
[Item acquired: Alpha Centauri Drydock Key 1/3]
Luca exhaled, his shoulders relaxing as the reality of the choice sank in.
"Good call, Rossi," Chris said quietly, respect in his voice.
Luca looked at the destroyed egg, then at his jacket pocket where the two small jewelry boxes rested.
A memento, she'd said.
He'd remember her.
The portal shimmered, waiting to take them back.
Luca pulled off his jacket, loosening his tie. The tuxedo had served its purpose, but they were heading back to a facility with no atmosphere.
He retrieved the jewelry boxes from his jacket pocket, moving them to the suit's utility pack alongside the key fragment. Chris was doing the same, swapping his formal wear for his Guardian armor.
"Ready?" Chris asked, sealing his helmet.
Luca locked his own helmet into place, the HUD flickering to life. "Let's go home."
They stepped through the portal.