"Halt!" Ketis called out. "Drop your weapon and don't take a single step further!"
"Ahem, forgive me for not complying to your demand." The armored pirate replied as her laser pistol fired a green beam at a ghost that was aiming an opaque grenade launcher in her direction. "I am not your enemy, miss. If you will allow me to approach, I am willing to surrender my weapons to you as long as you allow me to explain myself."
Though Ketis found the presence of this odd pirate to be very suspicious, She currently lacked clear directions.
"Step closer, but not too close. Stop. Quickly drop your weapons and kicked them in our direction. Don't leave anything out, understood!"
The pirate efficiently dropped her pistol and withdrew another pistol as well as some combat knives out of her slim suit of armor.
"Is that enough to earn a moment of your time?"
"Explain, and do it quickly!"
"Very well." The pirate smiled and tapped the side of her helmet. Her faceplate turned transparent, allowing Ketis and the rest to see the friendly smile on her face. "Let's begin with introductions. I am Lieutenant Qwasma Ineron. As you can see from the appearance of my armor, I am a Xona Stalker."
"We know that! Tell us why we shouldn't kill you!"
"I can tell you where the shrine you are looking for is actually located. The map you are using isn't wrong. It's just that this base is more complicated than you think. As soon as the Grey Watcher called down the abyss, the shrine descended to a secret and more guarded site."
"What?!"
It turned out that the Hallowed Abyss shrine rested on a platform that had descended downwards as soon as it became a critical site. A large amount of tunnels was built underneath the current floor that led to various destinations.
Without any clues, there was no way that Ketis would be able to find where the shrine had moved before the anomaly succeeded in killing every Larkinson mech pilot trapped outside!
"Can you bring us to the actual location of the shrine?" She urgently asked.
"I can. I am at your disposal, miss."
Ketis suddenly narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Why are you turning against your own side?"
"Not all of us are willing to continue to live and die as pirates." Lieutenant Ineron replied. "We used to be ordinary intelligence operates from Majestic Teal. The reason why we were forced into the Nyxian Gap and took up the mantle of pirates is because we fell victim to a scheme. This is a heavy blow to us because it is very difficult for us to get rid of our outlaw status and restore our innocence. Many of us have left many friends and families behind."
ZAP!
Ketis fired a warning shot with her compact laser pistol that just brushed past Lieutenant Ineron's helmet!
"I don't have the time to hear your entire backstory! Get on with it already before more of our mech pilots die!"
"I'm a defector!" Qwasma Ineron got straight to the point. "I am part of a faction within the Xona Stalkers who have made secret contact with one of the Black Cats among you Mirror Raiders. He goes by Lincoln, though that is certainly a pseudonym."
Ah. That was why Lieutenant Sodo Rodan always acted smug and sneaked out so often. The intelligence officer had actually made a secret deal with some of the members of the Xona Stalkers!
Ketis lowered her pistol, showing that she was inclined to believe Qwasma's explanation.
"What does this deal entail?"
"It's quite complicated, but the most important point is that your patriarch has promised to clear our names with the MTA by exchanging a considerable amount of merits. In exchange, we have provided his clan with a lot of insider knowledge and crucial intelligence. How could your infiltrators circ.u.mvent most of our stealth detectors without our hidden assistance? My fellow defectors have also performed a bit of sabotage and are ready to stir some trouble against our fellow pirates, some of which include our own comrades."
All of this sounded too detailed to be a fabrication. While she wasn't an excellent judge of character, she sensed that the defecting pirate lieutenant hadn't lied.
"Do you think she's telling the truth, Lucky?"
"Meow." The gem cat hesitantly nodded.
Whether his judgement could be trusted or not, Ketis wasn't sure.
"Let's leave this deal aside." Ketis waved her cutlass. "I'm just responsible for killing some cultists. Where has it moved and why didn't defectors provide us with an accurate map in the first place?"
"We were in the dark as well, miss." Lieutenant Ineron helplessly shrugged. "Most of the Dry Snakes didn't know about this desperation move, let alone us Xona Stalkers! Grand Protector Roshaw kept his cards very close to his chest. The good news is that now that this measure is in the open, we managed to trace where the shrine has relocated. I have even prepared some transportation that will allow us to pass through the tunnels unobstructed until we reach the site. I have to admit that the Hallowed Abyss has moved to a very odd section of Ulimo Citadel."
"Send over a map."
"My pleasure."
The lieutenant obediently transmitted a data package which Ketis confirmed to be clean. A new map loaded in her HUD. A blinking section immediately attracted her attention.
"This.. are you joking?"
"We are absolutely sure the shrine has moved there."
The destination.. turned out to be the local nutrient processing plant! The one responsible for producing Ulimo Citadel's signature specialty food!