Junction

Synopsis: Science unleashed brings about the salvation of humanity and the destruction of reality.

Inspired by multiple roleplaying gaming systems too numerous to mention. © EmotionalStorm December 2020. This story cannot be transferred to any other site besides Literotica.com without the prior authorizations in writing from the author and EmotionalStorm must be credited for this work.

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Jace received the message and sighed as he threw the lights on. Coop looked at him as Jace sped up, "Just got summoned to the Palace. Immediately."

Coop shook his head, "They wasted no time on that."

---

When Jace arrived, everyone was held in a waiting area and Jace was called forward alone. He walked into the throne room and except for Royal guards, it was just the King and an elf whom he had only seen once before but had never spoken to. He suspected it was Crostanlir but his facial identification files showed nothing on him.

Jace bowed to the King, "Your Majesty requested my presence."

The Gold Dragon King nodded, "This is Crostanlir, what do you know of him?"

Jace looked over, "Likely replacement for his father as the head of the Royal Family. I have no other information on him within the City of San Angeles. Any interaction he has with the city would appear to be shielded behind other actors from within the Avalon Elves, including any interaction with the military or corporations. No known direct ties, Your Majesty."

The Gold Dragon King looked at Crostanlir, "Your knowledge of Jace Rivers?"

Crostanlir attempted to understand why he was here. He looked at Jace, "Genetic experiment of Sylvia. Defective but effective in the field. Trained by my youngest brother. He wore his ring into our home to deliver my brother's final words and his legacy to his wife before her mourning ended. Which I found to be a dishonor of my brother's memory and legacy.

Responsible for the escape of Sylvia from the assassins, outed our research programs into finding a cure, the breaking of many good military careers, and the underhanded efforts leading to the murder of 2 of my other brothers. Making me think he might have played a hand in his instructor's death, my youngest brother, Triviliana."

Jace held his tongue as he saw where the King was going.

The Gold Dragon King yelled out, "Wrong on just about all accounts. What 'defect' is it you happen to be referring to? What do you know of his service?"

Crostanlir seemed annoyed, "His age regression that ended his line. Highly successful from most accounts with one failed mission out of 15."

The King looked up, "You are not a part of CGR or my military, and have admitted having access to his file outlining the anomaly in the defects section of his file. How did you come by that? His military file is restricted to Kings Eyes only.

How did you know the number of missions he undertook? He failed no missions. He identified one corrupted Elven General in his report to me with the supporting evidence. The telepaths proved the case presented. That mission was deemed highly successful for identifying the traitor."

Crostanlir still looked and acted defiantly, "To you, your Majesty it was highly successful. To the elves, he is nothing but a disgraceful and failed science experiment that should have been put down already. Elven scientists and elven members of the military are required to answer these questions to the Elven King. I was the conduit for that information to my father."

The Gold Dragon King was getting angry now, "That is MY military and not yours. Your people are a part of it and I will relieve all sitting generals and commanders effective immediately. To face telepathic interrogation on what other secrets of my Kingdom were passed on to you illegally.

He is correct in the fact you have no public profile but we have access to your elven only system and I know all of those who report to you in 'counterintelligence.' Your job was to paint your race in the best of light in my Kingdom.

Instead of keeping your people honest and free of corruption. You failed your father because of Jace. Simply put you are a massive failure to your family. I have your ties into the weapons manufacturers, Sands and Phantom Corp that he ran into upon his release.

The other two which you ordered to stand down through your proxies via the direction of your father. Sands stood down because they heeded the warning from Sylvia, not because of your efforts.

You focused your efforts and financed Phantom Corp yourself to pursue him and they lost. You blamed him for your youngest brother's death in those messages to your intermediary. For abandoning him on the field but I doubt that as he recorded the orders given to him for us to leave him behind.

We later found out he cut it short for a private message for his family and to seal his legacy. He had nothing to do with Sylvia's escape. Other than put her on the defensive when she violated my directions to remain away from his family.

I ordered her retirement. While not knowing who she was from the time of chaos that caused the deaths of thousands; including the deaths of some of your very own people. Your 'intelligence service' did not have that information either.

He was the one who provided insight to us into how she thought, she trained him so he knew her thinking and logic that she would use if she felt cornered. That aided us in bringing her to an end.

We found your order to the Marshal Service stopping his transfer, again through your intermediary. They are not your Marshal Service! The Director is being brought in for questioning in this matter."

Jace had had enough, "Your Majesty. If I might clear up a few things you do not know."

The King did not like being interrupted but nodded, "Very well, Jace. Speak your mind."

Jace looked at the elf, "I understand following orders and I also know when orders are bad that the plan may require being reworked in the field. Any military officer worth his salt will do that. I did that because your corrupted general attempted to kill off my entire unit.

He tried to wipe out the remains of the unit, your brother's unit as he had a hand in training those who followed. If I could have proven your ties to that order I would have hunted you down myself. As it is, it's just a theory to me. I am not out to bring down an entitled race.

I respected my commander too damned much for that. If he were alive, he would have been my pick to follow your father. If Commander Triviliana had completed that tour he would likely have been a bigger threat to you.

He would have been seen as a better successor to your father. My reason for believing you had a hand getting the new unqualified Elven Lieutenant placed in his unit that he did not train. He would have likely killed your brother for you.

The closer he got to finishing his required missions, the bigger the threat he would have been to your eventual rule over the family. Again, just another theory and he died because that elf failed to watch his own back, let alone your brother's back.

I did not seek this audience. This only strengthens my resolve in leaving the Marshal Service altogether. Something you cannot prevent Crostanlir. Working under any elf at this point, especially with you potentially leading them, is something that I cannot trust.

It will always play a factor in the security of my life and that of my family. I can work as a bounty hunter and pay my bills. I have enough funds I could lock myself away at my home and never have to work. You know I could work on just doing investments to grow my holdings and having children, Your Majesty.

These holes you are identifying you have had for centuries and you are only trying to plug them now because you are concerned I might leave this City-State. That is not the case. I left an area where you could monitor me earlier today.

I am sure you were informed of my disappearance. With my wife and in-laws. I had gotten word about Sylvia before it hit the news, the loss of all my children from within the program. Two of those children were my wife's nephews and Helene and Richard Cooper's grandchildren.

We took time, not even half an hour, to console each other over their loss in private. We did not need anyone monitoring us grieving over that news. We decided to move forward together. They needed to understand how I felt.

My thought behind leaving the Marshal Service. If I cannot trust the elves that are in power with my life then I have to be able to defend myself and my family by other means, Your Majesty."

Jace looked at Crostanlir, "This means if you or a squad of your assassins come after me I will bury them where they stand. You have never seen me unleash on a battlefield and those who have that are elven are dead. The nature of our missions and not my doing.

I saved your brother on 4 other missions and he was my friend and mentor. He talked about his eldest brother, Grena Pish, or 'arrogant asshole.' He had me out of position in the mission he died on. I was set to infiltration on that mission, not cover fire support.

The one who was killed, and also this other elf who just joined the team, from that same fucking General. He had cover fire responsibilities because he could choose NOT to be on infiltration because of your race.

Your brother did not choose him for his team, the General demanded the new Elven Lieutenant be taken. Filed in the battle plan before leaving you would find our roles were switched because of that request from him, an elf.

Selected for his race, and not for his ability to fill the role to keep your brother safe, let alone to keep himself alive. The role I held in every mission since joining his team, until your corrupted General interfered.

I was allowed to plan all of my missions, except for the last one. The General gave me a suicidal plan from an elf who never served a day in Spec-ops. I was within my rights as the commander on the ground to change the plan to the changing battlefield.

They were expecting exactly what he outlined. He gave them everything on us and I proved it. He knew I could change it in the field, he just underestimated me, much like yourself. High-risk missions and your brother survived 7 years because he could choose the missions he went on.

He could choose the position he took within a given mission. He was 2 successful missions away from making history like your Father. I did not have that luxury. I took every mission in turn and survived for 2 years!

I survived 6 missions longer than my commander, your brother. He trained me to succeed, and watch for the hidden threats in life. His only blindspot was your own people. Something I did not have during my service was family to have that blind spot with. Now, you want to come charging at me, do it head-on. It will be another elven funeral if that happens."

He turned back to the King, "As to Director Younger, I did not send my request to the director. I sent it through the chain to personnel instead of asking him. As required by the Marshal Service's regulations.

Director Younger has always been an elf of honor but that is one elf inside of that bureaucracy. Ask yourself why the Director did not address this? It likely because it never left personnel to land on his desk for consideration. He never contacted me to ask, 'Why I wanted to do this now?'

I needed to know how the elves within the Marshal Service were going to address that request after the chaos in their own lands. They bypassed the Director and resolved it at a lower level without consulting him.

They hold all senior key positions within the service, just like your army until you get to the Dragon General. An attack is coming soon. I don't have proof of Crostanlir being behind this. Else I would ask he be turned over to Dragon Telepaths to learn the truth in the matter.

Be it from the elves or one of your Dragon enemies, an attack is coming. It is coming because their spies will see these actions as a vulnerability to exploit. I know as some of my missions were in the same caliber of exploitation. I always give you my tactical take on a situation.

I leave it to you and the Minister of Defense to decide how much of it will be acted upon. This discussion was for me to hear to get me to change my mind. It is not needed, my being here, Your Majesty.

My advice which you have not asked for. Get with Brandialshane to identify the best candidate to work with this new structure. Levaransin or Verashorna are both better candidates than him from what I know of his family, but I do not know them at all.

I do not know any of them personally as they are shielded from the human public for the most part. Verashorna has had some press in the city and served some time in your military. Beyond that my personal knowledge of either of them is small as I have never spoken to either of them.

Commander Triviliana echoed those words to me in our many long talks about the elven people and their future. He had no idea when his father would look to step down. He was the youngest male in the family and looked at those above him who would be better suited than Grena Pish.

He never sought to replace his father, he was looking forward to finishing his military career and having children with Kisha. Yes, I know both of those names are for women of the Elven Royal House and Levaransin is actually the eldest of his children but being passed over for being a woman. Permission to be excused, Your Majesty?"

The King still looked pissed, "Not yet. I will speak with Brandialshane on this matter. I am disqualifying this elf for consideration and placing him under arrest."

Crostanlir started pulling magic into himself. Jace could feel it which meant that the King would feel it. Jace jumped away and spun around rapidly to land prone off to the side and on his stomach with his Judge in both hands facing Crostanlir.

He flipped the switch and unloaded the entire clip to bring down his massive shield and hit hard enough to disrupt Crostanlir's spell casting. Jace fired on full-auto for a change and all shots were center mass as he slid across the floor further away from the elf from the force of the gun.

The King had jumped forward and ripped the elf in half when he snapped his jaws down and left his legs and intestines skittering across the floor. Blood sprayed everywhere. Jace would have been stepped on if he had not jumped to the side.

The elf had been facing Jace and not the King when he had begun his silent casting. Jace holstered his gun as guards went to grab him. The King looked over and Jace bowed after standing, "I am still a Marshal with the duty to protect you and myself from a terrorist attack, Your Majesty."

The King waved them off, "You cleared out of the way for me to attack."

Jace nodded, "I knew if I felt him casting then you did as well. No guard in the direction I moved. I held his attention and brought down his shield while disrupting his casting. A tactical move. You have always appreciated it when I have explained my actions, Your Majesty."

The Gold Dragon King nodded, "He was casting a slaying spell toward you. Attempted to anyway. You can go. Take a few days off and let me talk with Director Younger about you. I want you to take the time to reconsider. After I get the issues with the elves resolved."

Jace bowed to the King knowing his mind was already made-up unless something significant surfaced, "Understood, Your Majesty."

He turned and walked out to the waiting room with lines of blood covering him. He looked at the ladies and Coop. He took his gun out, ejected the clip, and threw it to Coop while he put a fresh one in and chambered a round. He took it off of full auto and holstered his weapon.

Coop looked at the empty clip and watched Jace flipped the setting, "Something major happened in there."

Jace nodded, "I want to double up our patrols at the house for a while. I will pay for them. Starting tomorrow."

Sarah asked him, "You have blood spray on you!"

Jace nodded, "The King started dining early. I was directed to take a few days off."

---

The King was in his chamber and watched the surveillance tape and marked 2 different times on it with the Minister of Defense walked in. He had been made aware of the attack in the throne room and looked at what the King kept replaying.

The Gold Dragon King finally stopped. "2.5 seconds. Jace sensed him casting 2.5 seconds before any of my guards or myself in the room. I thought it might have been just me getting old. I ran it back and filtered the reading for magical detection.

Jace felt it instantly building and cleared the path. He had Jace in his sights as his intended target but if he had targeted me, he might have gotten that spell off before I could have gotten through his shield. If Jace had not been there."

He played the entire exchange and the Minister of Defense shook his head, "Jace moved almost 3 times faster than the average human. He ensured he was on the ground, rolled over, and in a prone shooting position. All before firing the first shot and that kept him from being put into a spin with that gun.

He used both hands for a change and fired on full-auto. Something he does not normally do. The force still pushed him further from the target due to your slick floors and his metal armor. I have seen some of his combat footage, the additional files you released to me. He has improved."

The Minister of Defense paused and pointed, "Look at his left eye." They blew up the image Jace's original eye became a hybrid of human and draconic for a split second.

The King sighed, "I want a full physical ran on him when his time off is over. It can be done at his home, following the agreement, but I want measurements and blood work to be done on him. We saw that last message about his inherent Ki. I scanned him and it was at 325 above his expansion unit when he left.

He is undergoing a metamorphosis according to some of the geneticists I spoke with. They want blood work to see what is going on and not just semen. His 'production' was different than others and it might be a side-effect of that. We have seen metamorphosis occur before from within the program.

His support for us continues and his concerns about the entitled elven population we will need to address. His concerns over Crostanlir's involvement in his Commander's death troubles me, but I have no way to answer that now. Not without doing a full investigation. That is not something I wish to do at this point."

He shut down the monitor as Brandialshane entered with Kindra. He looked over and polymorphed himself into an elven form and walked over to Brandialshane in a break with tradition and protocol. The Gold Dragon King sighed, "Informal meeting, you are not here. Your eldest son is dead."

Brandialshane nearly collapsed at the news and Kindra kept him from falling. Brandialshane asked, "How?"

The Gold Dragon King looked over, "I snapped him in 2 when he went to cast a slaying spell in my throne room. I was not the target. He had been told he was under arrest and he targeted Jace Rivers who was standing nearby.

I need some answers and Kindra seems to know more of Jace than anyone outside of his wife or the military. Especially with the destruction of CGR. That was why I wanted her here."

He went to the monitor and displayed the exchange that occurred. Brandialshane nodded at several comments Jace made and raised an eyebrow at the family names he mentioned as being better candidates as well as the insights into elven royal politics which surprised him even more.

They showed a high-level image of the fight that occurred up until the point that the King landed in the middle of the fray. They did not show the King consuming his son. He ate the entire elf once Jace was gone. They did see Jace's actions.