"His signal's dead."
"What?!"
"I-I can't find his signal anymore, he's down! We're blind as far as anything is concerned!"
"H-he couldn't have done this...I never would've expected him to take his squad's death this harshly."
"Barrus, people do some stupid crap when they're grieving. ...But even so, you're right. Nobody saw this coming."
"I suppose you're right, Feron."
"Should we rescue him?"
"He's not worth the time or hassle. He's practically insane. If the Firestorm Citadel didn't drive him mad, losing his squad certainly has."
"And if neither of those things did it, Feron? If he killed his own signal of his own rational choice?"
"We don't know that for sure, Barrus. For now, we wait. Keep someone posted on the elevators. I want a full, detailed report. Put out a missing persons order; Sin's gone missing. First squad to track him down gets a million Energy."
"Feron, bribery h-"
"Barrus...Do it."
"...No."
"Wh-"
"I think it's time you stopped fussing over every single soldier in the field, Feron. We were bound to lose some. Hell, we lost three-fourths of our forces in the initial crash! We're LUCKY to have this many soldiers, ready to assemble. We need to keep the others' morale alive and strong, or else, what?"
"I...I suppose you're right."
...That was the last radio chatter I heard, before the com-link disconnected.
Truth be told, my squad wasn't dead. They were all disconnecting. We needed to break out, in a sense. Become wild cards. Become our own Knights. And I needed answers.
A few days before the Firestorm Citadel raid, a man calling himself Lorenzo approached me. He said he had information about my father's past, a motivation for why my home burnt down, taking my family with it to an early grave. Backing up his claims was my father's old Iron Wolf badge. It wasn't much to go on, but Lorenzo said he spotted the armor and helmet making it's rounds in the Clockworks. Alongside a set of golden armor, much of the same design. If we retrieved those four pieces and returned them to his possession, he'd be able to analyze it for answers as to who burnt my happy days away. He'd be able to bring a sense of closure to this whole thing.
And right now, closure's what I need.
My name is Sintag, and I stand with only my friends at my side. I had Alfred sent to the surface; He'd need to report a success, which the mission had been. Lord Vanaduke had, indeed, been vanquished. His soul at rest, the others would be able to go to the Core. Potentially find a way off Cradle. I had lost most of my gear. The same with Tina and Alice. We were down to just our best weapons.
Never have the stakes been higher. Never has the reward been better. And never has the toll we were about to face been as big as this.
This is my Closure.
"Barrus. I suppose the report reached you, as well?"
"...A pyrrhic victory. We've gotten to the Core, but we lost Sin, his technology, we lost Tina's gunsmithing skill and, well, Tina, and we lost Alice, AGAIN, this time for good. Feron, I'm troubled by-"
"But we can get off this planet." Feron spoke, harshly. He knew the cost, and it had hit him like a truck, no matter how much he denied it.
"...We've both been through a lot. I think we just need to sit back and count our blessings by now. The Geo Knights have made it to the Core, we've set up shop there, and nothing but good has been reported."
"And get some sleep. Barrus, when was the last time you slept?" Feron asked, again. A note of concern was in his voice.
"I'll sleep when I'm dead." Barrus grumbled. He'd been up practically 24/7 since the crash. Feron wondered how he wasn't dead yet.
"No, you're sleeping NOW. I know you're concerned about the logistics, Barrus, but too little sleep will kill you."
"Well, no use I'll be, lying in a grave. ...I'll head to bed."
"See you in the morning, Barrus."
"You too, Feron."
Barrus sleepily wandered back to the Hall, found his bunk, and passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow. Feron got in touch with Kora soon after.
"Kora, have you got a lock on his signal?"
"Feron, I keep trying. ...He's dead. I can't believe it."
"....I can't believe it either, Kora."
Just then, Kora's screen lit up. An unknown caller.
"Should I?" Kora asked, looking inquisitive. "Maybe it's him, and he dropped his coms or something."
"Fine, Kora." Feron muttered. It was like a child looking for a puppy that had gotten lost.
Kora swiped her hand across the screen, establishing a link. A static-filled voice generated on the other end.
"Greetings. My name is Lorenzo."
At this, Kora's eyes hardened. Lorenzo continued.
"I heard of your loss. But, let me ask this; Have you been checking the medical signals?"
"N-no, actually." Kora's eyes widened. She pulled them up. Three signatures. All of them reporting vastly different places and floors. "W-what? HOW?! HOW IS HE..."
Kora looked angered. She hated being lied to. She HATED being lied to regarding a Knight's status in the field. She LOATHED it when someone she cared for was doing it.
She cared for everyone.
"Feron. Get Barrus."
"Barrus is taking a nap, improbable as it may be. Can I take a message?"
"Ha ha, very funny. Listen, I got these medical signatures, and..."
Kora swiped the screen, and sent Feron the files. He also looked surprised, then angered.
"You're kidding. ...I may not be Barrus, but he'd send a squad to hunt them down, based on their medical signatures' tracking. Form a team. Send them after this rogue squad. Capture them, BUT DO NOT KILL. We need information."
"All right."
It took a few minutes. Desna, Rhendon, Bechamel, and Wegner all walked in. Kora briefed them as follows;
"Your orders are simple. We have a rogue squadron of Knights in the Clockworks. You may recognize them from their names, but I'm uploading full data on them anyway. Capture them, BUT DO NOT, AND I REPEAT, DO, NOT, KILL THEM. We need information from them. Track them via their medical signatures. It shouldn't take you too long anyhow; They're most likely dangerously low on supplies."
"Roger that." Rhendon murmured, loading his Blitz Needle.
"All right." Bechamel stated, checking his Scissor Blades for sharpness.
"This ought to be fun." Desna noted, her sword ready.
"I'm a scientist, not a bounty hunter..." Wegner grumbled, arming a small variety of Vials and bombs.
"Your orders are clear and your objective has been given. I've planned a route that should put you right on top of them. Best you leave now." Kora stated, plotting the route as fast as she could.
The party got aboard the Elevator and descended.