POV: Crown Prince Garrett Voss

The storm raged outside the panoramic windows of Crown Prince Garrett Voss’s command center, a symphony of chaos that, to him, was nothing but background noise. He stood before a holographic display, not of Aeridor’s vulnerable tethers, but of a sprawling, intricate network of data streams, encrypted comm-channels, and strategic asset deployments. Beside him, a figure materialized from the shadows, its metallic skin shimmering faintly in the low light – one of the "Envoys" from the Deep Holds.

"The operation on Tether Station Two is compromised," the Envoy’s voice was a low, resonant hum, devoid of emotion. "Chief Engineer Thorne eliminated our operative. The structural integrity, though damaged, remains."

Garrett’s jaw tightened, but his expression remained impassive. "An inconvenience. The human element, always so… unpredictable. Still, the message has been sent. The fear will deepen. The calls for 'Descent' will intensify. Precisely as planned."

He turned to the Envoy. "The next phase. The public unrest will reach a crescendo. My father, with his weakening resolve, will inevitably yield. And when he does, the crown will pass. My position will be absolute. Then, Aeridor will be ready."

The Envoy tilted its head, a gesture that was unsettlingly alien. "The 'weapon' must be prepared. Our directives are clear. The surface is recovering. The 'Blight' has diminished, but life returns. We cannot allow their resurgence to threaten the equilibrium."

Garrett gazed out at the storm-lashed sky. "Equilibrium. Yes. The kingdom of Aeridor was built on a lie, Envoy. Not a malicious one, but a necessary one. We were told we fled a dead world, when in truth, we became its containment. A giant, airborne quarantine, carrying the last vestiges of a terrifying bioweapon, the 'Purifier Serum,' designed to eradicate the Deep Holds’ blight if it ever threatened to spread again."

He ran a hand over the glowing controls of the tactical display. "My ancestors believed they were protecting humanity. But they chained us to a dying purpose. For centuries, we have been a glorified bomb, drifting aimlessly, awaiting a threat that never fully materialized. Now, it has. You survived, did you not? Your kind, altered by the very blight you unleashed, have returned. And you seek to ensure the 'Purifier Serum' never falls into the hands of the surface-dwellers, the ones who would inevitably use it against you."

"A mutual interest," the Envoy confirmed. "Your people's weapon, if mishandled, could destroy everything. Our continued existence, in our current form, relies on its containment. Or, as we now propose, its controlled release."

Garrett nodded. "Precisely. The surface dwellers, the ones my father has been secretly communicating with, they believe in reunification. They seek Aeridor for its resources, its advanced technologies. But they do not know its true nature. They do not know it is a weapon. And they would use it, blindly, foolishly."

He clenched his fist. "I am protecting Aeridor. Protecting its future. My father, in his weakness, risks everything by seeking contact. He risked revealing our true purpose, risking the weapon falling into the wrong hands. Aldric, my sentimental fool of a brother, would champion a blind descent, reunite with a world that doesn't understand the dangers we carry. They would unleash chaos. I will not allow it."

"Your strategy is effective," the Envoy observed. "Fomenting internal unrest through resource scarcity, weakening the tethers to create a sense of impending doom, silencing external communications… all will drive the populace to desperate measures, culminating in the call for your ascension to full power."

"When I am King," Garrett declared, his voice cold and resolute, "I will reveal the controlled truth. That Aeridor is not just a kingdom, but a safeguard. That the 'return' to the surface is not a dream of reunification, but a necessary, strategic deployment of our ultimate deterrent. We will descend, yes, but not to join them. To master them. To bring their nascent recovery to heel. And if they resist… we have the Purifier Serum. A clean, controlled eradication of any who oppose the new order. A final, decisive victory."

The Envoy made a low, humming sound that Garrett interpreted as agreement. "The 'Purifier Serum' is active. Its output is stable. We await your command."

Garrett smiled, a chilling, humorless expression. "Soon. The storm provides the perfect cover. Maven Rix will play his part, the people will demand change. My father will falter. And then, Aeridor will descend, not as a broken refuge, but as the hammer of destiny. I will save Aeridor, even if I must destroy it to do so."

He turned back to the display, watching the red lines indicating the strained tethers. He was not a tyrant for the sake of tyranny. He believed he was acting for the greater good, making the difficult, necessary choices that his father and brother lacked the courage to make. He saw the kingdom’s struggles not as problems to be solved differently, but as tests to be overcome with an iron will. He would forge Aeridor into its ultimate purpose, a weapon of control over the recovering world below. And anyone who stood in his way, even his own family, would be swept aside. His alliance with the Deep Holds was a necessary evil, a means to an end. The stage was set for the final act, and Crown Prince Garrett Voss was ready to play his gambit.