The Achievement Junkie

"Tralon Accrutya… A great name!" Daruun agreed with a nod. He chuckled for a moment until Daruun noticed Jack's body language revert back to Jack's earlier state of worry. "So… You've all learned of what happened to Kylon?"

"Yeah… Apart from showing them your office, I want to discuss that among other things," replied Jack.

"Very well. Let's talk in my office." Turning to see his granddaughters, Daruun asked, "Would you like to come, or do you want to stay here and enjoy the lounge? There's also a masseuse if you'd like."

"I want to hear your conversation," Daliea insisted. Maura and Eliza rallied with Daliea as well, saving the thought of a divine masseuse for later.

That being said, Daruun led the way and eventually held the door open for his four guests. "Please, take a seat."

Jack and his wives sat in a semi-circle facing Daruun's turned-around desk. It was an unusual setup for the wives to see but that didn't distract Jack as he immediately began the conversation, "If you knew about Kylon, then why didn't you tell any of us? And how come you haven't intervened in any of this?"

"I have intervened, but only to the degree which I'm able," stated Daruun. "Being in the presence of your wives, I'll repeat the fact that I'm far too large of a player to force my hand within Kartonia. Though I'm its creator, I still need to be careful in what I can and can't do. Since Jewel has gotten involved via creating Gem as a throw-away incorporate, it makes things much more difficult for me. My leverage over Kartonia shrank the moment Gem stepped foot on the planet.

"If a six-star were to get involved in a dispute of one-stars, it wouldn't even be an argument, let alone a fight. And with Gem's knowledge and link to Kartonia via Halmut, the moment I step in with a heavy hand is the moment they'll gain evidence against me, albeit extremely weak evidence."

"Then Jewel is using Gem Inc to gather evidence? Evidence of what?" asked Jack.

Daruun replied, "As the six-star cosmician that rules one of the twenty-eight districts within the void, my strict involvement in a 'free' planet would give Jewel enough reason to convict me of a few minor misdemeanors. But since Jewel is the strongest intergalactic enterprise, they would drag out the small of misdemeanors into the largest courts they can access. That would interrupt my involvement with the Resolute Enterprise and give Jewel the chance to challenge the enterprise indirectly."

"Oh… So you think Jewel is trying to use you as a bridge to attack the reputation of the Resolute Enterprise?"

"Correct, Jack."

"Ummm… what is--"

"To give you a brief perspective of the void," Daruun glanced at Jack's wives and smiled, "Within the known universe, there are twenty-eight districts, each filled with hundreds of thousands of planets, if not millions. I rule over one of those districts, District 14, otherwise known as the Fate District. I'm a six-star cosmician, compared to the Kartonian gods which would all be classified as one-star cosmicians. Hence why my involvement in a single world could be skewed as a radical invasion of privacy and security for the world's inhabitants."

All three women were at a loss for words. None of them expected to be faced with such a broad perspective in a moment's given information. And the underlying meaning of that information made it even more difficult to swallow.

"Well… If you can't help directly, can't you help indirectly like Jewel?" asked Jack.

"No, not to that extent," Daruun admitted with a shake of his head. "My belief is that Gem Incorporate is merely a throwaway incorporate that is being used to gain leverage on me. So long as they regulate their information well enough, sacrificing Gem won't impact Jewel at all. I'm guessing that we won't even be able to link Gem Inc to Jewel once this all goes down, not to the extent necessary for intergalactic court."

"But can't you help me so that I can do it?"

"That's why I'm letting you handle it, along with your father and the others."

Sighing, Jack asked, "Then what should we do about Kylon? I get why you didn't want us to kill her, but can't we--"

"You need to prove to her what actually happened between Skaryn and Halmut. She needs confirmation of what happened the day Kustram was removed from the map," insisted Daruun. "Getting her in a situation where you get past her programmed, defiant reactions and show her the truth. This is why I showed you what happened in the past, so that it can be accessed through your memory bank."

"But how can showing her something like that be enough to contradict her twisted memories?"

"Trust me. If you can force her to sit through that memory, then it will get the job done. As for her child… I think Skaryn should be the one that handles that matter and no one else," added Daruun. "It takes a few decades for a dragon to give birth, so she won't be laying the child for another few years but it's still something to keep in mind.

"The other way to restore her memory would be to unseal Skaryn and have the two meet. His presence alone would weaken the implanted memories and his own skills are more than enough to unravel that mess of entangled memories."

Showing a more serious side, Daruun paused and took a deep breath. "What I'm more worried about is how Halmut managed to do this. Given the final care package he received from Gem, I imagine that it contained items to counter dark energy at a one-star level and give Halmut the ability to manipulate the weaker minds of one-star cosmicians. Such items wouldn't too difficult to find given Jewel's influence."

"Then what about Halmut's mind? Does he have some item to protect it?" asked Jack.

"That's what I assumed until your recent fight with Halmut…"