Page 41 of Galactic Sentinels, Vol. 1 (Chronicles of Pherebos #1)

Pherebos

I wake up feeling full, relaxed—energized. I slept deeply, peacefully. No nightmares, for once.

Then I open my eyes.

By the waves… it’s a regeneration chamber. No wonder I feel so good physically.

In just a few seconds, everything comes rushing back—Vagantu. Our escape. The leeches. The abyssal monster. Noviosk.

My heart starts pounding. Where’s Ileana? Is she okay?

“Oh! You’re so soft! I can feel you’re awake. I’ll bring you something to cover up!”

Wingo. My faithful companion.

The lid of the chamber swivels open, and I’m met with his warm golden eyes. He’s holding a pair of pants with his trunk.

I slip them on quickly while he gives me the latest updates.

Ileana’s been treated and is helping out somewhere on the big medical ship we landed on.

I don’t even bother checking the damage to my body—I’ve been through worse.

And after time in the sarcophagus, I know everything’s been rebuilt exactly as it was .

“…and she left with that woman. She hasn’t come back since,” Wingo concludes.

“Can you take me to her?” I ask, already eager to find her.

“Did you not notice all the walls around here? You’ll be surprised, but your light link doesn’t work like a ribbon that just trails through corridors. Honestly? Your link goes off in this direction.” He points to the left wall.

“Well, it’s better than nothing. Let’s go find her.”

I look around for the rest of my things. No way I’m wandering around this ship bare-chested and barefoot. But there’s no sign of my jacket or boots.

“Are you Pherebos?” asks a curvy brunette who appears in the doorway.

“The very same,” I reply.

“I’m Clara. Here are your things—clean and dry!” she says, letting her gaze linger a little too long on my body.

“Thanks,” I say, reaching for my jacket.

“I’ve never seen anyone like you before,” she adds. “Your eyes are so… beautiful.”

“As long as they let me see clearly, that’s all I ask.”

I can tell she’s flirting. Before, I might’ve taken what was offered without thinking twice. But now? My heart’s set on finding my Dedicated Soul. And I intend to find her soon.

“Let me help you,” she offers, stepping closer, holding the two flaps of my jacket together—her fingers brushing just a little too much .

“Well, she’s not shy, that one! You’re not available!” Wingo huffs in my mind.

“She can’t know. You’re the only one who can see the light link between Ileana and me.”

“Thanks, but I’ll do it… myself,” I say, gently taking the jacket from her hands. “Thanks again for your help, but I need to get back to my partner. She left with one of your colleagues. And thanks for the clothes.”

“Ah, all right. If you need anything, just ask for Clara. I’m the only one here with that name.”

I pull on my boots without answering and hurry down the corridor, following Wingo, who’s tracking the glowing thread that links me to Ileana.

We’re stopped by a man.

“Hey, you’re Pherebos, right? General Akifumi said you could help us ID some people from Vagantu.”

“How do you know I’m Pherebos?” I ask, suddenly uneasy. “Are images of me circulating in Confederation bases now? Labeledundercover agent, maybe?”

The man hesitates. “Uh… well, Akifumi told me, ‘Ask for Pherebos—you can’t miss him. He’s Asgarnian, violet eyes.”

He looks a little unsettled by my question.

“His aura is clean!” Wingo chimes in.

“So, for once you agree. Let’s go with it… ”

“What’s your name?” I ask.

“Rob. We’ve got a young woman who already sorted through most of the people we need to identify. But Akifumi said you could help too—since you’ve spent time on Vagantu. ”

“Ileana’s been put to work on this task,” Wingo confirms.

“Then I’m with you… Rob.”

“Onorio’s in charge of this file. Ileana couldn’t finish sorting all the cards, so he sent me to find you.”

“Take me to them. Ileana is my companion.”

“Your compa—ah, okay!” he stammers, clearly flustered.

“Another one under the spell of our dear Ileana!” Wingo chuckles.

By the time we reach Onorio’s office, Ileana’s already gone.

I’m tempted to follow her, but two men corner me with a long list of faces to identify. I can’t back out now.

‘’Wingo, could you go with Ileana, please? I’d like you to keep an eye on her. Reassure her. Being in a base like this must be stressing her out a bit.’’

“I’ll be right with her. Honestly, I’m not thrilled about spending an hour or two staring at all their villains.”

‘’You’re making it sound like a huge deal. There are other people too. Victims, even.’’

“Okay, you don’t need me for this. I’m joining our Human.”

‘’She’s not your Human. Ileana is MY Dedicated Soul!’’

“You can be so grumpy and possessive!”

I glare at him, but Wingo doesn’t care.

“ Gnuffgnuff!”he says, lifting his little trunk with mock dignity.

Onorio and Rob stare at him, wide-eyed.

“Wingo wants to stretch his legs,” I explain.

“But… does he have the right?” Rob asks, uncertain.

“Why wouldn’t he? ”

“Well… he’s an animal. Just hope he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“You hear that, Wingo? Don’t be silly,” I say, giving him a look.

“Pfff, what does he think I am? I’m way past the age of foolishness!”

“ Really?” I reply, amused.

Wingo lifts his head, clearly offended, and trots off to find Ileana.

For the next hour, I go through the profiles of everyone captured in the area since the offensive began. Ileana had already sorted most of the cards. Onorio thinks she may have made a few mistakes.

I don’t say anything when I come across Prax’s file—the Sadjim who was there the day of the sale.

Ileana didn’t have time to explain their relationship in detail, but I know he was one of her two sellers.

He hadn’t endorsed the sale, though. He even offered to give up everything he had to free her.

And in the end, he did—he’s the one who removed the lethal collar during our escape. I owe him a lot.

But it’s a different story when I see the file on the two human brothers—Rick and Nick.

They’re the ones who led me to Vagantu. Without them, I might still be wandering the galaxy, searching for my partner. I remember they offered me other women first. They’re not exactly evil, but they’re definitely lacking basic morality. Selling or buying intelligent life…

“That one,” I say to Rob, pointing to the file .

“He was caught on a ship with another guy,” Onorio adds. “Their file’s here too. They claimed they’d just dropped off a friend and left. Said they hadn’t bought or sold anything.”

“Wow. Looks like they were more careful this time. But let’s be honest—if they’d come across Ileana, they probably would’ve put her up for sale.”

“They’re brothers,” I explain. “They deal in illegal goods and people. I don’t think they’re the worst out there. They just go with the flow.”

“I see. Maybe a short-term stay in a sensitization unit would be good for them. What do you think?” Onorio asks.

“An awareness unit?” I repeat. “Not sure what they do there, but I’ve heard it works well for Humans. Some kind of program that makes them take responsibility for their actions. Brain reconditioning, basically.”

The words send a chill down my spine. I didn’t realize the Confederation used methods like that.

“Oh no, it’s not what you think!” Onorio exclaims. “It’s more like a guided path—exercises to build awareness.

A full psychological evolution program developed by the Polarians.

It’s solid. Especially for people like these two, who’ve been swept up by the Coalition without really questioning anything.

At the end, those who truly awaken are released and sent to a base of their choice.

Those with irreparably damaged psyches are sent to a space prison. ”

“Alright. Intensive awareness course for the brothers. I’m not sure it’ll work, but… why not. ”

I get back to the files and finish the selection process. No sign of Henri.

Either he wasn’t the traitor… or he left Vagantu before the big wave of arrests and slipped past the interception ships. How can we be sure?

“Are all the people you intercepted in the base included in the files I just reviewed?”

“Yes, of course,” Rob replies. “You had the same files as Ileana. Even the ones she already cleared. Why? Oh, and by the way—your colleague mentioned that the Coalition head passed away.”

“I can confirm that. He was on a light craft, just a few meters from us, hovering above the water when he got swallowed by an aquatic monster. No one survives that.”

“That’s… good news, right?”

Is that really the case? That’s a good question. If we’d gotten our hands on Noviosk, we could’ve interrogated him—maybe even uncovered the identity of the traitor who slipped away, or learned more about the other Coalition leaders scattered across the galaxy.

“I’m just surprised,” I say. “So… there were no Confederation members caught in your raid?”

The two men look at me like I’ve grown a second head. Did I just say something stupid?

“What exactly do you mean?” Rob asks. “All the agents assigned to the operation were there, of course!”

“Sure,” I reply. “But take me, for example. Or Ileana. We weren’t assigned to this mission, and yet we’re here. And our faces weren’t in the database I just reviewed. ”

“That’s normal,” Onorio says, giving me a look like I’m a slow learner. “You’re victims of the Coalition. And more importantly, you’re members of the Confederation.”

“So let me get this straight,” I say slowly. “All Confederation members who got caught in the net were automatically cleared?”

Onorio glances at Rob, then back at me.

“Rob, could you step out for a minute?”

Two minutes later, we’re on a video call with Akifumi.

“Onorio! Pherebos! Good to see you. What can I do for you?”

“Well, for starters, you just confirmed this man really is Pherebos,” Onorio comments.

I barely stop myself from asking how many other Asgarnians with violet eyes he knows. I surprise even myself with that level of restraint. Too bad Wingo’s not here—he would’ve roasted him on the spot.

“And what exactly is your question, then?” Akifumi asks, raising an eyebrow.

“You mentioned information leaks,” Onorio explains. “And this guy asked some… odd questions. I wanted to clarify.”

“Apparently,” I cut in, “the Confederation members who were caught yesterday were automatically released and cleared.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Akifumi replies. “Pherebos, Onorio’s aware we’re looking for a traitor. You can speak freely in front of him. ”

I was in charge of identifying the person leaking information to the Coalition.

It was supposed to happen during the auction.

To get into Vagantu, I posed as a buyer.

I can confirm that the Coalition leader for this sector is dead.

But the traitor? He was there yesterday.

And he’s not in the database I just checked. At least… I don’t think he is.

“So your question makes sense,” Onorio says aloud. “You think the person we’re looking for slipped in among the Confederation personnel to justify their presence.”

“It’s the only explanation—if you really intercepted everyone who left Vagantu since yesterday,” I reply.

“Onorio, can we get a list of all Confederation personnel in the area since yesterday?” Akifumi asks. “Whether they were assigned to this operation or not. Someone won’t fit.”

“Can we also check if Henri, the governor of Jaga-18, is in the area?” I add.

“He’s not,” Onorio replies. “He’s back at his base, preparing for our arrival. Jaga-18 is the closest terraformed world, and several victims have requested to be relocated there.”

I can’t hide my disappointment. I really thought Henri was our traitor.

That would’ve made things easier. That bastard deserves to be punished.

Imprisonment, at the very least. But I don’t want him t ounderstand the cruelty of what he did.

I just want the Confederation to know what kind of man he really is.

So… if it’s not him…

Then who the hell is the traitor?