Chapter 5 - The Serpent in the Hall
The Great Hall of the Oberland compound was a cavernous stone chamber with high vaulted ceilings, dominated by a massive fireplace and hanging banners bearing the Jyn family crest—a silver dragon coiled around an iron anchor.
Forty people stood in neat lines in the center of the hall: guards, cooks, technicians, housekeepers, and senior advisors. Surrounding them were Jyn’s elite personal security detail, heavy automatic weapons held at the ready.
Jyn walked slowly down the center aisle, his heavy boots echoing against the stone floor. Beside him walked Thor, his massive snout low to the ground, his ears swiveling, sniffing the air with methodical intensity.
Nia sat on a raised gallery above the hall, holding Leo, flanked by Lin and two heavily armed guards. She watched Jyn with a mixture of awe and fear. He commanded the room with absolute authority.
"One hour ago," Jyn’s voice boomed across the hall, clear and terrifyingly calm, "a team of Chong mercenaries breached our outer gates. They knew the frequency overrides. They knew the dead zones in our camera grid. They knew the exact location of my son’s nursery."
A murmur of shock ran through the gathered staff.
"The man who sold those codes sold my son's life," Jyn continued. "He sold the honor of this house. He took Chong's money, believing he could hide among us."
Jyn stopped in front of the line of senior advisors. He looked at Lin's deputy, a sharp-faced man named Marcus who managed the estate’s communications array.
"Marcus," Jyn said softly.
"S-sir?" Marcus stammered, sweating profusely despite the chilly draft in the room. "I swear to you, I had nothing to do with this! I was in the comms room the entire time trying to re-establish the main link!"
Jyn didn't answer. He turned to Thor.
"Thor," Jyn said softly. "Search."
The dog stepped forward. He didn't rush. He walked past the line of guards, sniffing their boots. He walked past the kitchen staff, unbothered by the smell of food on their aprons. He walked up to the line of tech operators.
He stopped directly in front of Marcus.
Thor raised his snout, taking a deep, long breath of the air around Marcus’s jacket.
Suddenly, Thor’s head snapped down. He nudged Marcus’s right pocket with his nose.
Marcus panicked. He reached into his pocket to pull something out, but Thor was faster. The dog didn't bite Marcus—he snapped his jaws onto Marcus’s wrist with precise control, forcing his hand open.
A small, high-tech satellite burner phone fell from Marcus’s hand, clattering against the stone floor.
The room gasped.
Elena rushed forward, picking up the phone. She tapped the screen, her eyes widening. "It's an encrypted uplink to a Chong server in Macau. Active transmission timestamped ten minutes ago."
Marcus fell to his knees, weeping hysterically. "They forced me, Mr. Jyn! They have my sister in Hong Kong! They said they’d kill her if I didn't give them the codes! I had no choice!"
Jyn looked down at the sobbing man with cold, unyielding eyes. "You always have a choice, Marcus. You chose to put a sixteen-month-old child in danger to save yourself."
Jyn gestured to Elena. "Take him to the cellar. Secure his sister through our Hong Kong network—get her to safety. But Marcus stays in the dark until the Council meets."
"Yes, Boss," Elena said, dragging the wailing traitor out of the hall.
Silence returned to the Great Hall. Jyn looked up at the gallery, his eyes locking with Nia’s.
Nia saw the exhaustion behind his stone-faced mask. He was a man fighting a war on all fronts, carrying the weight of a century of blood and duty, trying desperately to protect a family he was only just learning how to love.
She stood up from her chair, holding Leo, and walked down the grand stairs into the hall.
The staff and guards parted respectfully as she approached Jyn. Thor trotted over to her, resting his large snout against her hand.
Nia looked at Jyn, then reached out, taking his cold, steady hand in hers in front of all his men.
"We are going to Venice," Nia said, her voice clear and firm, echoing off the stone walls. "We are going to meet this Council. And we are going to end this war together."
Jyn looked at her, stunned by the fierce resolve in her eyes. The quiet art teacher from Connecticut was gone. Standing before him was a mother ready to fight for her family's empire.
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A rare, warm smile broke across Jyn's face. He squeezed her hand tightly.
"To Venice," Jyn agreed.
