Page 130 of Trove’s Purpose

In theory, Alred could easily rebuild his body. He had a sample of his own DNA, preserved for all these thousands of years within his core, which he could use to regrow all of it.

But what they lacked was the ability.

The technology did exist to regrow organs and limbs. But those sort of medical grade facilities were far out of their reach. And they tended to focus on one thing at a time, not an entire body. The sheer amount of power, raw ingredients, and technology necessary to build Alred…

It was a long goal of theirs that they very well might never realize. One they had been working towards knowing full well it could be impossible.

But someone who could give them access was a person as wealthy and well-connected as Hyde.

“And for destroying Rik-Vane, I will be more personal. I will offer each of you a favor. You may ask anything of me, and if it’s within my power, it will be yours.”

Those were all big promises. The last one wasn’t as stunning as the second at first glance, but the possibility of it was as incredible as Trove’s imagination could allow. Whatever he wanted that the High Imperium could give. There were a lot of things in that category. Trove could think of many immediately off the top of his head. The problem wasn’t thinking of something to ask for, it was narrowing it down to only one.

That wasn’t an inconsiderable offer. Adding it to the other two things made those three jobs suddenly seem not so bad.

He wasn’t a fool though. He knew very well that any place called ‘forbidden’ was called that for a reason. The people Sorbet and Tebros used to work for were currently, actively, trying to hunt them down, and bringing their leader something was certainly going to be difficult.

And destroying Rik-Vane…

Honestly, that was the only thing that seemed relatively easy. They had already survived and conquered that place. It was an old, run down station that was barely being kept functioning. The only reason any maintenance was performed there was because, as terrible as all those people were, they still wanted to live.

Going to Rik-Vane was the very last option for those who, no matter what, wanted to preserve their lives. Surviving there was a constant struggle. It wasn’t a good life. By all measurements, there was nothing really worth fighting for to keep living there. But they all did it anyway. Once you reached Rik-Vane, you’d already done so much to live, you were already in deep enough to keep fighting to continue doing so.

And because people there still wanted to live, it behooved them to make sure the station’s vital functions continued. Vytln had learned his mechanical skills being one of those who repaired the station. The only things that were really kept running smoothly were the power core, the gravity generator, the air circulators, and the water recyclers.

Beyond that, there were no attempts by anyone to keep the station going. And the maintenance that was done was almost always repairs, not actual maintenance. People like Vytln kept things going, but nothing was truly stabilized.

If they wanted to undo all that, to break that station, truly, it wouldn’t be hard.

But still, hearing that request made Trove pause.

He wasn’t the only one either. The others were all exchanging glances. There was a lot to read on their faces. Sway almost looked eager at the idea. Rok seemed uncomfortable. Tanin, as he ever was, remained impassive.

“What do you want from this forbidden spot in space?” Tanin asked simply.

“I will tell you if you accept the job. If you do not, I will not reveal the secrets of that place or what it means.”

“What do you want given to this assassin head?”

“Let’s call it a message.”

Tanin grunted in understanding. “What do you gain from destroying Rik-Vane?”

“The core.”

“The core?”

“Space stations are incredibly complex pieces of technology. The species that builds those do not reveal how they’re created. It’s fully proprietary, completely secret, and fiercely protected. Typically, if a space station is decommissioned, they will send people to dismantle all of their technology and equipment, and to harvest the core.

“The only one they have given up on, the only one they have considered lost, is Rik-Vane. Any attempts they’ve made to go there have ended in death. Rik-Vane, therefore, is the only station where I can get my hands on a station core.”

“Why do you want a station core?” Tanin asked.

“I need it,” was all Hyde said, and Tanin didn’t press further.

He got the information that he needed.

To get their identities confirmed and solidified, they had to go somewhere dangerous and get something secret and take that secret to their graves.