“Well, if it isn't the Wolver Squad. I haven’t seen you in a minute, so first and foremost, a belated congratulations on making it to Knight Elite! You should all be proud of yourselves.”

A singular round of applause rang out from the computer terminal. The knight's amber-colored eyes hid behind wire-framed glasses and blended in with the rest of the screen, while the plume coming out of her Round Helm looked a bit faded. Kora, who we hadn’t seen in quite some time, had requested Zimthose, Lance, and I to be present for the mission briefing, likely just to formally congratulate us on our promotion. Balldrick had gathered with us in the Wolver Masters' War Room, but stood leaning against the wall to give us the spotlight.

Zimthose gave an exaggerated bow while Lance gave an awkward salute that looked a lot like him rubbing his eye.

“You should especially feel accomplished, Blast,” Kora continued. “I’m sure being squad leader isn’t easy, and you must feel like you have big shoes to fill. But Silver had faith you could do it, now you just need to keep at it!”

“Thank you, Kora,” I replied. “We owe a lot to your intel and continued support. None of us could have done it without you. And… I’m sure Silver felt the same way.”

“Oh Blast, I’m just doing my job,” Kora said, waving her hand. “Speaking of, sorry to get back to business so quickly but… I’m afraid I’ve got another mission for you guys.”

“What, can’t call just to congratulate us, huh? Always gotta be work with you, Kora, never play,” Zimthose joked as he propped an elbow on my shoulder, like some kind of arm rest. I could see Kora letting out a deep sigh, nodding her head.

“You’re not wrong, Zimthose. If I had the time, I promise I would. Well, I’d try at least. But I’m afraid, this time especially, the circumstances warrant the urgency.”

“We’re ready, Kora,” I said, elbowing my brother to give myself space. “What’s the situation?”

“Right. Well, based on the information you recovered during that particularly hazardous heist last week, we believe the Gremlins are plotting something big. Much bigger than usual. We believe they’re developing some kind of weapon dubbed “Project R,” and it seems to be dedicated to targeting Haven itself.”

“Not just harassing Tier 1 territory or attacking supply chains, but directly targeting Haven?” Balldrick asked as he stepped over, a serious look on his face. “That’s…unprecedented behavior. And we’re positive this is accurate?”

Kora gave a nod as she responded.

“That’s what the data shows. The Strangers have been informed of this since we believe their lives are most directly being targeted. As such, their Council and Spiral HQ itself has requested that you, Wolver Squad, conduct the main investigation into this Project R and put a stop to it.”

“Wait, us?” Zimthose gave a small fist pump. “ About time we get more recognition!”

“Wait, us?” Lance chimed in, at the same time. “Why would they request us instead of more seasoned knights? Like a squad of Defenders? Or if it’s really that bad, they could call upon Recon Rangers, even.”

“For one, Lance, you aren’t just knights anymore. To be more specific, you’re Knight Elites now. And you’ve got a better track record than most knights with the same or more field time than Wolver Squad,” Kora said. I could hear the pride in her voice as she rushed on. “You were the first squad to subjugate a Snarbolax, something not even the Alpha squad accomplished! Not only that, but you also scrapped The Collector, came into the good graces of the Moorcroft Manor Management, toppled the Royal Jelly Palace, and most recently have created a path to negotiations with King Krogmo and the Tenderfoot Gremlin Clan. And let’s not forget that as recruits, Silver, Blast, and Zimthose aided Rhendon in establishing a path from the Rescue Camp to Haven, saving Isora knows how many lives.” She paused to take a breath, almost for dramatic effect. “You’re all more than deserving of respect not just from Spiral HQ, but from all the residents in Haven. And yourselves.”

I recalled each challenge as Kora listed them off. Most of them seemed like death sentences at the time. From fighting Razwog, to encountering Herex, and recovering echo logs after harrowing battles with beasts larger than anything we’d come across, each time could very well have been the end. They probably should have been… but they weren’t. Thanks in no small part to having Silver with us. But now?

“Maybe so,” I said, “but it’s also because of us that so much of this has happened. If the Strangers hadn’t accepted any Spiral Knights into Haven, then maybe the Gremlins wouldn’t have decided to wage war on them alongside us. If anything, it’s our fault for establishing that path from the Rescue Camp that’s made Haven such a prime target. Hailoh and Plinkop, Vise and Punch, even Krogmo and Sullivan…everyone in Haven is at risk now because of us.”

A brief silence followed. Even Zimthose didn’t seem to have a quip to throw in.

“You might be right about that, Blast,” Kora finally said. “I feel the same way, to some degree. Maybe there could have been alternatives, ways to avoid conflict. But what’s done is done, and we’ll never know what could have been. At the same time, you need to remember that your actions since landing on Cradle have saved countless lives, both Spiral Knight and others.” 

I let out a quiet sigh at that. She’s right, but what about the ones we couldn’t save?

“Now,” she continued, “after everything that everyone has done for us, we have to return the favor. For those who have sacrificed everything, and those who are still standing by our side through thick and thin. It’s our duty to eliminate the Gremlin threat looming on Haven’s doorstep. They’re counting on us, on you, to help find out what Project R is and stop it.” The sound of keyboard clacking was followed by a pop-up appearing at the bottom of the screen, under Kora’s video feed. “Based on your findings,  Recon Knights have managed to pinpoint a few locations of interest regarding Project R but they require a more thorough investigation. Other squads are being dispatched as we speak to conduct their own investigations or sabotage missions. The files I just sent are briefings for your own missions, and should explain everything we know about the target locations. Once you’ve looked over them, head out ASAP.”

“Roger that, Kora. We’re on it,” I said with a salute.

“In the meantime,” she said, saluting back, “we’ll begin running analyses on that strange device you recovered from the Jelly Palace. If it is related to the Artifact that was stolen from the Lab, we’ll find out soon enough.”

“Keep us posted,” Balldrick said, giving his own salute. Lance and Zimthose followed suit.

“Good luck, Wolver Squad.” With that, the video feed cut to black.