🧠🐾 It took two trains, a ferry, and a small seaplane for Maverick and Galvan to reach Primality’s HQ. It was hidden in the mountains, surrounded by pine trees and low-hanging clouds. They weren’t even sure if this shady HQ was the right location. They were working entirely off an anonymous tip Maverick had managed to obtain through his old shadowy network of contacts. 

As the pair silently watched the armed guards that patrolled the entrance, Galvan knew Lodestar was there – he could smell it. 

Galvan offered to act as bait. If Primality were interested in Lodestar’s genius creations, they certainly weren’t going to miss the chance to take in his most groundbreaking accomplishment. Maverick hid tiny tracing devices and mics all over Galvan before he made his approach. 

As predicted, Primality took one look at him and saw a payday, and in their excitement, neglected to properly check him. Galvan was led straight to Lodestar, who was refusing to aid his captors any more than was strictly necessary. When he saw his loyal companion, he immediately feared for his safety, but Galvan gave him a hand signal that only the pair knew. 

“It’s okay.”

Lodestar continued to play along until the two of them were briefly left alone in a holding room. There, Galvan quickly communicated the rest of the message, using their own secret sign language that Lodestar had taught Galvan when he’d rescued him as a pup.

“Help coming.”

They didn’t need to wait long for a rescue. Maverick mustered the full might of the Mech Arena League, which came storming in to save two of its prime Pilots. Primality was caught red-handed!

Lodestar gave an account of his time there, forced to work on reviving fierce, primeval predators from Earth’s prehistory. Investigators gathered evidence from Primality’s Headquarters and built a strong case against them, particularly with the precedent established by the incident with Biogear.

Lodestar was, as always, incredibly thankful for Galvan’s devotion. It was because of him that the alarm was raised. Galvan credited Maverick for his help. They agreed that without Maverick’s expertise, Lodestar’s rescue would have been nearly impossible. The trio went out for dinner to celebrate their success, and a new partnership began to form. 

They had staved off another corporation that wanted to use Lodestar’s creative mind for nefarious purposes. And although they knew there may be others like Primality, for the time being, victory was theirs. 

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