Season 04 - Episode 27

‘an audacious plan’

Ny is pacing, crossing his small room back and forth, muttering to himself. Occasionally he stops, looks at the empty chair beside his own as if for an answer or guidance, then resumes his pacing.

He doesn't know what to do.

Ko's self sacrifice had been too much for him, too bleak, too hopeless. The fresh hope that had come with his young friend's return however, had picked Ny back up, dusted him off, put him back in the fight. Now, three heavy, new blows have hit The Resistance in quick succession. Even combined, none of these problems have hit him as hard as believing he had lost a friend, but still.

He doesn't know what to do.

The message from their GovCo source has changed things. He'd thought all they needed to do was wrestle control of The Levels' resources away from GovCo. Now he knows there are no resources to control. He hasn't told anyone else this yet, he's not sure if he should.

Then there's Si. When he walked out, he took a couple of dozen of their youngest and most able comrades with him. Now they're not only short handed but have a rival resistance group to contend with.

And now, finally, the return of The Church. That crazy woman Pho has returned, apparently with an entire empire at her back. Toppling GovCo would have been challenge enough, but taking on a whole empire as well? It doesn't seem possible and yet they're in it, they're committed.

He doesn't know what to do.

He continues to pace, hoping each time he turns to find inspiration waiting for him. Instead there's just his room and all its familiar things, reminding him of the time before all this, a time without secrets or war or terrible danger. It seems impossible that such a life ever existed now.

Listless and weary, he turns to his vidscreen and notices he has a message. He can't remember the last time he received a message. As he opens this one he realises it's actually several days old.

There is no sender and initially he's not sure what he's looking at. A small block of text describes an audacious plan. It is accompanied by an enormous, three-dimensional map of The Levels, shot through with little, pulsing red spots.

Ny shakes his head as he rereads the anonymous proposal several times.

It's insane.

It's impossible.

There's no way it can work and yet... what else is there?

He'll have to take it to The Resistance, let them decide as a group. If they attempt it, it will be the riskiest thing they've ever done but if they pull it off? Well, who knows? It could make things even worse or might just be the solution to all their problems.

The idea is so massive, so intimidating and serious that part of him shies away from it. It's the last three words of the message however, that intrigue him and soften the fear. He looks to the empty chair again and finds himself smiling despite himself as he reads the words aloud.

“Up we go,” he says.

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