[Oliver PoV]

Oliver felt the energy coil around him the moment the teleportation began and found himself holding his breath. Relief washed over him when his surroundings shifted, and he stood once again on solid ground.

'That last strike, that was scary. I think I could've taken it, but you never know.' Oliver breathed a little more easily.

He recognized the station's bare walls. It was one of the many built for missions that demanded complete discretion. Unlike the other teleportation hubs, this one required no one else to work.

Oliver followed a familiar routine to hide his identity before stepping outside. First, he activated a false face, a simple mask that reshaped his features into his disguise. Next, he removed his armor. Finally, he took the crystal from its concealment and slipped it into his pocket. Its energy was spent and would take a week to recharge, now appearing to others as no more than a dull stone.

Satisfied with his precautions, Oliver approached the exit door. It hissed open, revealing a corridor that stretched toward the planet's surface. He tapped his earpiece. "Base, I've reached Aquarius," he said, announcing his arrival to the command center.

"Welcome, Governor," replied a voice identified as Hermes-1. "Talos is on his way to meet you."

He climbed toward Aquarius's streets, where the sun shone with a familiar blue sky overhead. It looked so much like Earth, and yet it was far from any official human settlement.

There was little on this planet to entice colonists: few natural resources, and a reputation for frequent raids. Consequently, Aquarius and other systems around had devolved into a borderland zone, almost a "no-man's-land" where the Imperium seldom bothered to assert its control.

Over the decades, though, a group of Nameless had established themselves here. The settlement that grew around their efforts became a haven for fugitives. Some years ago, a group known as the Children of the Past used Aquarius as a stronghold; now, it belonged to the Governor.

Towering metal walls, forged from rare alloys, encircled the small city. Its streets, few but well-worn, connected tightly packed buildings that stretched upward and continued far below ground. Subsurface tunnels supported a growing population, most of whom were content to live under the planet's crust.

And yet, the surface was still alive and bustling. It was the best way to maintain sanity after hours underground. Many mothers and children took advantage of the safer moments to play and entertain themselves.

Additionally, it was used for farming. Although there were also several plantations underground, the quality and productivity of those grown under the sun still made it worthwhile.

Oliver moved through the narrow streets with the measured steps of someone who bore both responsibility and image to upkeep. Dark metallic walls rose on each side of the street, dotted with neon-lit signs advertising small shops, while overhead, cables and catwalks crisscrossed.

As he walked, the residents approached. Some whispered among themselves, while others came to greet him.

"Thank you so much, Governor," an elderly man said with a grateful nod, pressing Oliver's hand between calloused fingers.

"We're all rooting for you," a gray-haired woman called out from a creaking rocking chair.

"The last attack. I wasn't afraid. You will see I'll join the Guard!" a child explained, while playing catch with his friends.

Each voice held optimism, though not because they knew Oliver's true identity as the Green Ranger. Neither did they even realize who he was beneath the public facade of the Governor. Their trust in him was genuine, born out of the hope he represented for this forgotten planet.

"Thank you, Grandma. I'll stop by later to talk to you. Come on, kid, you should be focused on playing, not on being part of the Guard." He answered every greeting with a soft smile and a quick word of gratitude, forging onward toward the city's tallest building.

In truth, the main edifice was more of a fortress than an office complex. It's a massive white structure with few windows, looming three stories high and crowned by defense cannons. It took up most of the space at the end of the main street.

Walking in his direction was one of the few people in front of the building. Talos was taller than Oliver. His skin was tanned, and he wore dark sunglasses that hid his eyes, especially his red pupils. Even though the city was cold, he still wore a floral shirt and shorts that looked almost like plastic, as if he were about to catch a wave at any moment.

But his clothing wasn't the only thing that made him stand out from the crowd. Being barefoot was also unusual, but the metal joints helped reveal that he was an android.

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"Governor," Talos greeted, a slight grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Talos," Oliver replied, letting out a low breath. "How are things?"

Talos dropped his hands to his sides as he walked in step with Oliver. "Everything's moving according to plan. The Great Houses received a formal notice. They'll start mobilizing in the next few days." His voice remained calm despite the implications of such a sweeping message. "Oh, by the way, we had a small attack earlier. Some mercenaries were trying their luck. Our cannons took care of them."

Oliver's eyebrows lifted. "Cannons alone?"

"Just the cannons," Talos confirmed, his tone somewhere between pride and amusement. "Didn't need anything else. They never got close."

Oliver paused for a moment beside the thick, reinforced door leading into the building. "We still need more crystals to set up a defense grid," he remarked. "We'll never be fully prepared if we can't give this place a decent barrier field."

Talos nodded, his expression uncharacteristically somber for a moment. "True. But for now, that kind of upgrade is a luxury we can't afford."

They climbed the short flight of stairs and entered the main lobby. At this hour, the lobby was crowded. Every human in sight wore a sleek, full-face mask, its design giving them a uniform appearance. Only Talos and a handful of other androids were without masks.

A digital overlay appeared on each mask, a faintly glowing inscription hovering under every person's eyes, displaying their user ID. This anonymity was Oliver's doing, or at least part of the new system he'd put in place. It made the whole operation much safer. Besides, Oliver didn't have to see their faces.

Five years had passed since Lian's death, an event that shattered the Children of the Past. Where that once-radical group had sought to reshape the empire through brutal force, Oliver had taken their ideals and forged them into a more cautious, calculated movement.

He had built his organization from the ground up. Recruiting one by one, Oliver ensured each member shared his vision.

Oliver stepped past the final set of security doors, greeted immediately by a masked figure standing at rigid attention. A large "I-3" was displayed on the front of the person's mask. Marking him as an Iolaus, one of the aides assigned to handle every detail of the Command Center. They were responsible for organizational support to each operation.

"Governor, the command room is ready," the Iolaus reported.

"Thank you," Oliver replied, his footsteps reverberating on the floor as he led Talos deeper into the fortress-like interior. Gray corridors branched off like arteries through the base. A sense of disciplined hush pervaded the hall, broken only by the mechanical whirs of automated doors.

Talos followed calmly, arms hanging at his sides, an odd picture next to the Iolaus in their crisp uniforms. Unlike the Iolaus or Hermes agents, Talos was unique and answered solely to Oliver.

"Well, let's detour to the Financial Operations wing first," Talos suggested as soon as they were inside the elevator. "The data release will start hitting the network in a few hours, and we need to make sure we're ready."

Oliver pressed the glowing icon for the second floor. "Agreed," he said. "Also, let the Science and Tech teams know I'll be dropping off the Green Crystal. I plan to trade it for the test unit they've been working on."

Talos didn't so much as move a muscle, yet Oliver knew the android was already transmitting commands across the base's secured grid. That was the advantage of having a mind half-digital.

When the elevator's doors slid open, it revealed a corridor abuzz with activity. Dozens of masked workers hurried in and out of rooms, their footwear clanking softly on the grated metal walkways. It was like a hive; people moved with precision but little overt interaction, each choreographed by invisible lines of authority.

Oliver threaded through the crowd, heading for a room labeled "Financial Operations Center."

A single push opened the thick door, and the relative calm of the corridor gave way to a chaotic conference space crammed with battered monitors and archaic computer towers.

Their humming fans filled the air, and glowing displays flickered with dozens of data streams. You could find information from local budgets, off-world trade logs, and coded messages reviewed by the finance team.

Five fervent talkers, each wearing masks marked with a bold "M," appeared to be engaged in half a dozen conversations at once.

"Use the shell companies to hide these funds!"

"Fine, but how do we launder the surplus?"

"Overcharge on some mining export to Mars. Jack up the invoice and bury the details."

Oliver raised his voice over the clamor, fixing his gaze on the five masked figures. "Midas-1," he called, stepping forward, "I need the report."

The five Midas operatives turned in unison. Their postures suggested impatience, yet Midas-1 stood to explain.

Sighing, Midas-1 delivered the update. "Everything's running according to plan. We've camouflaged the assets and funds, ready for the big reveal on the discovered mineral deposits in Aquarius's local star system."

"So far," added Midas-2, "we've strung out the deadline to ensure the official announcement hits the NET when the Great Houses arrive in the Senate. That way, they'll be a step behind once the news goes public."

Oliver nodded, giving a glance at Talos, who gave only a slight dip of his head in approval, before returning his attention to the two Midas agents. "Excellent. Which company are we using to make the announcement?"

"Who else?" Midas-1 replied, gesturing toward a flash drive resting in the very center of the table.

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