The Iron Vanguard scouts had barely disappeared beyond the settlement's borders when the team reconvened in Maria's quarters.
"We still have Richard and Damien to deal with," Maria said without preamble. "The community was expecting a resolution, and we can't leave this hanging with the Iron Vanguard approaching."
"The people were ready to string them up," Ethan observed grimly. "Did you see their faces when we had to stop the proceedings?"
Walter nodded thoughtfully. "Emotions are running high. If we don't address this quickly, it could create issues."
"What are our options?" Victor asked, though his tone suggested he'd already formed opinions about appropriate punishment.
"Imprisonment is the obvious choice," Maria replied. "But the question is for how long, and under what conditions."
"Given the danger they created, it better be for a long time," Victor said firmly. "They nearly killed people with that shelter collapse."
"Agreed," Ethan added. "They've proven they're willing to escalate to deadly sabotage. We can't risk them having another chance."
Sam looked uncomfortable. "Are you suggesting a life sentence? Shouldn't there be some possibility of rehabilitation or redemption?"
"Not when people's lives are at stake," Victor replied sharply. "They made their choice when they decided to endanger the community."
Lily shifted in her chair. "What about exile? Send them away from Valentra entirely?"
"That's pretty much a death sentence or if they do survive they'll create problems for other groups and might come back to bite us. I don't think that's the right way to handle it." Walter spoke.
The debate continued for several more minutes, but they gradually settled on imprisonment as the most practical solution. The details could be worked out later; what mattered was providing closure to the community.
"We'll need to build a holding facility at some point," Maria sighed. "We'll repurpose a portion of a storage unit for now."
They went outside and recalled everyone to pick up where they had left off.
The community had reassembled with remarkable speed, their desire for resolution was evident. When Maria announced the team's proposition, the response was mixed but intense.
"Imprisonment?" called out one of the workers who'd nearly been caught in the shelter collapse. "They tried to kill us! Why are we keeping them alive?"
"Because we're not murderers," Maria replied firmly. "Justice doesn't require us to become what we're fighting against."
"They don't deserve mercy," another voice shouted. "Richard already had his chance to live quietly and he acted against us again!"
The crowd's anger was palpable, with many residents clearly favouring more extreme punishment. Eric stepped forward, his face solemn.
"They sabotaged our work, endangered our people, and showed no remorse," he said loudly. "If we let them live, what message does that send to anyone else who might consider similar actions?"
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the gathering, and Maria realised that a significant portion of the community genuinely favoured execution over imprisonment.
"The current situation is a little complicated," she sighed. "We will imprison Richard and Damien until further notice. We can rediscuss and hold a vote at a later date."
"What if they escape?" someone called out.
"They won't, we'll be watching over them." Victor answered.
When Richard and Damien were brought back to the plaza, their expressions showed defiance mixed with growing concern.
"Imprisonment for what amounts to minor damage?" Damien protested as he heard the verdict.
"Minor?" Thomas shouted. "You call that minor?! What you did could have killed three people!"
"That wasn't proven—" Richard began.
"While there's nothing concrete, what I observed is enough evidence." Lily interrupted.
The crowd's hostile murmurs grew louder, and several voices began calling for harsher punishment once again. Richard's eyes darted across the angry faces, recognising the genuine danger they were in.
"Fine," he said quickly.
Damien looked shocked at Richard's capitulation, but a glance at the crowd's murderous expressions convinced him to remain silent.
"Wise choice," Victor said quietly as he guided them towards their temporary holding area. "Because the more popular alternative wouldn't be good for you two."
As Thomas and his crew began the hasty construction of makeshift cells from a converted storage building, Maria turned to address the gathered community once more.
"Before we disperse, there's another matter that requires your attention," she announced. "The three visitors we spoke with earlier were scouts from a group called the Iron Vanguard."
The murmur that rippled through the crowd was different now, uncertainty was replacing the anger that had dominated the trial proceedings.
"What does that mean for us?" Janet asked.
"The Iron Vanguard is a mercenary group," Maria explained. "They said that they're seeking a new base of operations and will be passing by our settlement with their leader stopping by for a meeting."
"Are they a threat?" Eric asked directly.
"We can't be sure," Walter replied. "They presented themselves as friendly passerby's, but they were clearly gathering intelligence. We'll need to be prepared for either diplomacy or conflict."
Maria surveyed the faces of her community, seeing the mixture of concern and determination. "We've faced threats before and emerged stronger. Whatever the Iron Vanguard's intentions, we'll meet them as a united community."
The crowd gradually dispersed, people returning to their tasks with the additional weight of potential conflict on their minds.
"Marcus Hale and Richard Hale," Lily spoke quietly. "What if those two are connected in some way..."
"Do we confront Richard about it?" Victor asked.
"Not yet," Maria decided. "Let's see what Marcus reveals during the meeting first."
---
Despite the sun having set the 3 Iron Vanguard scouts continued to move through the darkness, their path illuminated by a sliver of moon light.
Rhea led the small group, she had begun organising the intelligence they'd gathered during their visit to Valentra. The settlement was more formidable than they'd initially assumed—organised, well defended, and led by people who weren't naïve about the realities of the new world they lived in.
"Thoughts?" she asked Miles as they paused to rest near a small stream.
"They're cautious," he replied. "Answered our questions but didn't volunteer anything extra."
"The fortifications are solid," Tony added. "Whoever designed their defences knew what they were doing. Taking that place by force would be costly."
"Population estimates?" Rhea asked.
"Hard to say exactly, but definitely over 100 people," Miles said. "Maybe closer to 200, some of them looked like they could handle themselves in a fight."
Rhea nodded, Marcus would want comprehensive details about Valentra's capabilities, especially if he was considering it as a potential base location.
They resumed their journey as the night deepened, covering ground at a quick yet steady pace. The Iron Vanguard's temporary camp lay roughly 15 kilometres away, positioned not far from the river they were continuing to follow.
They reached the camp in the dead of night, almost everyone was fast asleep. They remained quiet but not too quiet, they didn't want to disrupt people's sleep but also wanted to avoid being mistaken for outsiders.
They came across some guards and briefly exchanged a few words before continuing towards the heart of the camp, they would tell Marcus about their findings in the morning.
---
As the sun rose the camp slowly came to life, fires were lit and people were up and moving about.
Marcus Hale stood near the command tent. At 42 years old, he possessed the lean build and alert bearing of someone who'd spent years in the military. Scars marked his hands and forearms—souvenirs from countless battles and close calls.
"Report," he said without looking up as Rhea approached.
"The settlement, named Valentra, is more substantial than we expected," she began. "Well-fortified and organised, there's probably close to 200 residents."
Marcus's attention sharpened immediately. "Defences?"
"Palisade walls and watchtowers. Their buildings are solid, they clearly have people who know what they're doing. They've also got continuous armed patrols and what looked like some kind of training ground."
"Leadership?"
"Council-based decision making, but there's clearly a woman named Maria who holds primary authority. They've got competent people in key positions."
Marcus leaned back in his chair, processing the information. Plans were formulating in his head, should they pass by peacefully or not?
"Resources?" he asked.
"Abundant food production and plenty ongoing construction projects. They're not struggling."
"Willingness to negotiate?"
Rhea paused thoughtfully. "Hard to read. They were diplomatic but cautious. Agreed to a formal meeting with you, but I got the impression they're prepared for trouble."
Marcus nodded slowly.
"Timeline for approach?"
"They're expecting us in a few days."
"Anything else?"
Tony shifted uncomfortably. "There was some kind of internal conflict happening when we arrived. They were conducting what looked like a trial for two community members accused of sabotage."
"Sabotage?"
"Tools going missing, work assignments getting confused, dangerous incidents that could have killed people," Miles explained. "The community was pretty angry about it."
"Names of the accused?" Marcus asked, more out of habit than genuine interest.
"Richard something, and a younger man named Damien," Rhea replied. "Richard... Hale, I think it was."
Marcus went very still, his eyes fixed on the campfire in front of him. The name bringing a flood of memories and emotions he'd buried years ago.
"Richard Hale," he repeated quietly.
"You know the name?" Tony asked.
Memories flooded back into Marcus's mind, Richard at 8 years old, following Marcus around their family's small farm.
"I want to help!" he'd insisted whenever Marcus was assigned chores, his younger brother's earnest face scrunched with concentration as he tried to copy every movement.
The memory shifted to their teenage years, when Richard had grown tall and confident, constantly questioning the way things were done.
"There has to be a better way, Marcus," he'd argue during family discussions. "Just because something's always been done one way doesn't make it right." Their father had called it stubbornness.
He remembered their last real conversation before the wish event, when Richard had been struggling with his job, frustrated by what he saw as incompetent management.
"I could run that place better than my boss," Richard had said with characteristic confidence. "If people would just listen to reason instead of following tradition blindly..."
Marcus had laughed then, telling his younger brother that leadership was more complicated than having good ideas.
Whatever had happened in the settlement, whatever had driven Richard to endanger his own community, Marcus would get the full story when they were reunited. Family meant something, even in this transformed world, even when that family made the wrong choices.
"What were they on trial for again?" he asked, his voice carefully controlled.
"Coordinated sabotage that endangered lives," Rhea replied. "The community seemed pretty convinced of his guilt. When we left, they were discussing punishment."
Marcus felt a surge of complicated emotions.
"We're making a few changes to our timeline," Marcus announced abruptly. "We move towards Valentra today."
The scouts exchanged glances at the sudden urgency in their leader's voice.
"Something wrong?" Miles asked.
"Nothing that can't be addressed," Marcus replied, but his jaw was set with determination.
As the scouts dispersed, Marcus remained still, his mind no longer focused on Valentra. Instead, he was thinking about his brother, about the circumstances that might have led Richard to sabotage his own community.
And about what kind of reception the Iron Vanguard might expect when they arrived and attempt to take one of Valentra's prisoners away.
The meeting would still happen, he hoped to resolve the situation peacefully. But if negotiations failed to secure Richard's release, the Iron Vanguard would be prepared for more direct action.
2 days, Marcus decided. In 2 days, he would be reunited with the brother he'd thought lost forever, regardless of what obstacles Valentra chose to place in his way.