It wasn't long before the Goblin broke through Elpis's atmosphere, slowing down as it approached the city of Concordia. As they were visitors, they couldn't land at the main spaceport inside the town, but on the outskirts.
Concordia was Elpis's largest spaceport, that is, until the catastrophe "The Crackening" occurred. After that, many survivors gathered in the city for safety. Now, Concordia is the safest place on Elpis and has evolved into a city, protected from Scavs and deadly creatures across the moon's surface.
Turning off the Goblin's systems, leaving only the defense systems activated, the three exited the Goblin. Maxwell extended his hand to Angel, helping her out. She, however, refused to let go of him; he didn't complain, and they all began the walk towards Concordia's entrance.
"Where's the Odyssey, sir?"
"I left it in an isolated part of Elpis, near a deep mining crater. I don't want the people of the city to notice us; Elpis's ECHOnet servers are not in Ouroboros's hands."
"But wouldn't that be worse, sir? Elpis is already cracked from mining abuse. Couldn't Zarpedon come after us for that?" Minerva couldn't help but express her concern.
Maxwell shook his head.
"No. Zarpedon and the Lost Legion's main objective is to protect the Vault from being opened. The method the Lost Legion wanted was to destroy Elpis completely. If Ouroboros finishes nailing the last nail in the coffin that is this moon, then it's considered a favor."
Of course, Maxwell knew that it wasn't the Elpis Vault that was being protected, but rather the Great Vault of Pandora, which can only be opened by Elpis, but Minerva didn't need to know everything. Maxwell, however, did not want to destroy Elpis, as he believed that this was not the correct solution.
The Eridians were the supreme race of all six galaxies, perhaps even the entire universe. How could they not have thought of destroying the only key that could open the Destroyer's door?
His eyes hardened for an instant, but softened upon seeing Angel beside him. She walked with small bounces; the reduced gravity was a fun novelty.
Truly, the human being is condemned to be free. He sometimes felt that creating a corporation took away some of his freedom, but these were short-lived thoughts. He wouldn't leave the future of the universe in the hands of a few Vault Hunters.
As they approached Concordia's main entrance, there was a pulsing energy barrier blocking the way. A Claptrap, painted blue and adorned with a police hat, rolled forward, busy harassing a Marcus vending machine.
Noticing the group's presence, the Claptrap security unit was eager to make them comply with the law.
"Ok, that's far enough, buster! Entry papers, and make it snappy! CHOP CHOP!"
Maxwell didn't bother to respond to the creature and turned to Angel.
"Can you handle this nuisance, Angel?"
"Hmh," Humming, she activated her Phase Shift. A faint blue glow began to emanate from beneath the left sleeve of her outfit. "I'm still connected to all Hyperion technology."
CU5TM-TP's chassis shuddered for a moment, its demeanor doing a complete turn.
"Access authorized. Welcome to Concordia, model citizens!"
The barrier was deactivated, granting access to Concordia.
Minerva watched in silence from behind. It was good that the Siren who could control technology was on their side. Just imagining the havoc she could wreak, not only on Ouroboros but on the entire universe itself, sent shivers down her spine.
Some individuals didn't need to pull a trigger to make someone sleep with the worms.
Fortunately, Angel is a sweet girl, or else, on a mere whim, she could make humanity return to the Stone Age on a beautiful Sunday morning.
The Claptrap stabilized and opened the way, deactivating the barrier that prevented them from entering Concordia.
With the entrance cleared, the group passed through something like a membrane. The air inside the city was breathable; the oxygen system made Concordia one of the few safe zones on Elpis. As soon as they crossed the main gate, everyone removed their helmets.
Angel, however, pulled up her hood, hiding her face. Even though she wasn't known by anyone other than her father, Maxwell warned that it was better not to draw attention. Angel is a Siren, and Sirens cannot be public figures, given the bounties corporations place on a woman just for being a Siren.
All visitors were required to go to the local clinic run by Nurse Nina. All newcomers had to undergo decontamination, given the dangers of Elpis's fauna and animals that absorbed a lot of radiation.
"Can you put our names in their system? The decontamination process isn't very pleasant," He didn't know if she could, as almost all of the city's equipment was Dahl's.
"Depends, I need to get close to the device if I'm not connected to the same network."
Maxwell seemed surprised by the confirmation. He knew nothing about Phase Shift, given the limited exposure to Angel's power and Tannis, who received the powers after Angel's death.
They went near the infirmary entrance, but didn't enter. Angel closed her eyes, her tattoos glowing. After a few minutes of silence, she opened her eyes and nodded, confirming the successful infiltration into the infirmary's systems.
"It seems your powers have some limits," Maxwell commented as they resumed walking, passing through Concordia's center.
"Yes, I can only control technology that is close to me. My father managed to bypass this limitation by connecting me to Hyperion's servers. Which, consequently, allows me to control any Hyperion technology without needing to be nearby."
"Your father is a genius at exploiting others' capabilities. I believe it would only be a matter of time until he sat in the CEO's chair with your help."
"Hmh..." Angel flinched as they entered Moxxi's Up Over; the local bar was crowded and noisy. A typical scenario for one of Moxxi's establishments.
"Is this Moxxi's bar?"
"Yes. Moxxi likes to invest money in building and buying these entertainment businesses. She has plans to build a casino in space." Maxwell guided the girls to the counter. With luck, Moxxi would be serving the customers.
Angel took a seat at the counter.
"Appearances can be deceiving." Looking inside, Minerva whistled.
"Are you alright?" he asked in a low voice, noticing Angel's discomfort as they made their way to Concordia's bar.
She nodded with a small smile.
"This is the first time in years I've been in the outside world. The smells, the noise, the people. It's all very real... Much better than seeing everything through lenses."
Maxwell looked at Angel, still visibly uncomfortable in the noisy, crowded environment. Trying to lighten the mood, he smiled faintly.
"I have plans to go to Athenas; it's a very beautiful place there, and it even has a Siren."
Angel turned to him, surprised by the promise. Before she could reply, a seductive, familiar voice cut through the air.
"Well, well... Look who finally decided to leave their room." Moxxi glided from behind the counter. She wore a striking red dress, matching lipstick.
Her eyes quickly found Angel, and her smile hesitated for an instant. She stared at her for a second longer than necessary.
"Do you want a drink, dear?" she asked Maxwell, turning her focus back to him. "I have a special bottle saved for you."
"I'll stay sober for now," Maxwell replied, refusing with a gesture. Was she not jealous, was she?
Angel watched everything with interest. When Moxxi looked at her again, she smiled shyly.
"I want to try a drink."
Maxwell frowned and looked sideways.
"You're not drinking. You're still too young."
"I'm eighteen," Angel said, lifting her chin. She finally thought she wouldn't be treated like a child anymore.
Maxwell sighed. He knew saying no again wouldn't do much good. Angel had been imprisoned for too long; letting her experience a little wouldn't hurt.
"Do you want anything, Minerva?"
"No, sir. I'm fine, thank you for the offer." Minerva had a duty to protect her leader and the Siren. Alcohol would impair her reflexes, should anything happen.
"No problem."
Moxxi began preparing a drink for Angel; she mixed a light raspberry cocktail, adding something special.
"You know, I've always been curious about you serving customers yourself. Is there a reason?"
"Nothing special, darling. I just like to hear the stories they let slip when they're too drunk to hold their tongues. Besides, it's nice to have the company of a beautiful woman while drinking, don't you think?" Moxxi slid the drink to Angel, who picked up the glass with both hands. She took a long look at the contents before downing the glass.
"Aghnn~" Angel closed her eyes, feeling the liquid go down her throat like liquid fire.
"I understand. It makes a lot of sense." Maxwell smiled at the last part; Moxxi knew she was eye candy for men and even women. Perhaps the success of her businesses had to do with her figure?
"Why is everyone dancing and looking funny?" Angel asked, her voice slurred and her eyes half-closed as she watched the people in the bar with amused confusion.
Maxwell looked at Moxxi questioningly, with a raised eyebrow. Moxxi shrugged defensively, an innocent smile on her face. "I swear, the drink had almost no alcohol! Maybe she just has very low alcohol tolerance."
"Pour me *hig* more, Moxxi!" Angel demanded, pushing the empty glass towards the bartender.
Before Moxxi could react, Maxwell pulled Angel away from the counter; she had already drunk too much for today.
"Do you have a room available?" he asked Moxxi, to which she merely pointed to the back room.
...
...
"I can't understand... This can't be possible." Jack denied reality. Looking at all of Hyperion's satellites, he noticed the absence of one in particular.
The Hyperion 4N631 satellite is Offline.
'She's gone... SHE'S GONE?! HOW?!' Jack screamed internally as he watched the recordings made after the incident multiple times. All that remained were pieces of metal floating in space; the signals clearly indicated that the satellite had been hit by explosions.
But this didn't help him understand how it happened. He had left Angel as close to Pandora as possible; there was no reason for her to have been targeted. And to add insult to injury, it was only the satellite furthest from the battle zone, which was the space near the Hyperion and Dahl conflict.
"Did something happen, Jack?"
Jack merely shook his head, but his grim face made it clear that something bad had occurred.
"It was nothing," he replied, his voice not betraying the storm raging within him. "The Moonshot Cannon is ready. You'd better get in before the Lost Legion forces arrive."
Nisha didn't believe his denial, but the urgency of the situation forced her to enter the container due to the little time they had.
"He's going to stay behind and help us escape? Truly a hero," Aurelia almost shed a tear.
"I wouldn't be so sure, Aurelia. Jack isn't as saintly as that face makes him seem," Wilhelm said aloud, loud enough for Jack to hear. "Who's sure that's not the doppelganger?"
"Wilhelm's right, I'm not even sure if that's me or Jack anymore," Timothy muttered, his shoulders slumped. He had no idea what he'd gotten himself into. Now he had to deal with constant existential crises and a face that made everyone want to punch him.
"I hope he dies... What? Am I the only one who wants that?" Fragtrap commented, but everyone ignored what the robot was saying.
The container's door closed with a dull thud, preparing to be launched down onto Elpis. In the middle of the process, the Lost Legion soldiers appeared, emerging from the corridor, ready to prevent the Vault Hunters from proceeding.
"FIRE!"
"Oh, crap." Jack cursed over the hail of bullets, before hitting the panel button and turning to face the soldiers. The Vault Hunters had their last glimpse of Jack surrounded by the Legion soldiers.
"Filthy bandits, you killed my Siren!" Jack screamed, raising his wrist weapons and firing frantically. His rage reached a level he had never felt before. "I'M GOING TO KILL ALL OF YOU!!!"