The hangover did arrive. It wasn’t quite as bad as she had feared, but there was still a lot to process. Erine was at her very sweetest, and once again fell into being more of a caretaker than anything else. The two of them spent a good while in simple silence, with Vanaka slumped in her ansoti’s arms while the latter slowly rubbed her back. Losan’s sweetness was less of a scale and more of a simple lever, but he did keep it switched the right way.

The local news had plenty to chew on, with a lot of regularly scheduled programming being put on hold in favour of the human trafficking story. It competed fiercely with a story about the police getting into an extended brawl with a Kalero Warden that put forty-eight of them on injury leave and eight police vehicles in the repair shop. Perhaps Nara didn’t do distractions by half-measures. Perhaps she’d been morally outraged at an inadequate police force. Or perhaps the cops had stubbornly refused to accept that they were completely outmatched.

Overall Vanaka was perfectly happy to keep her head down and stay confined to the hotel for two days, until Unta got in touch and set up a face-to-face conversation. They met at a small, plain café down at ground level, taking their seats over in a corner away from the windows.

“I got in touch with some old contacts,” Unta told her. He didn’t whisper, but kept his powerful voice at a low yield. “At my old job. There are no useful descriptions to be had of those troublemakers that fled two scenes of violence in one night. Nor any other solid leads. Nothing special is being done at the spaceports, so you’ll have no trouble going offworld again.”

Vanaka let out a breath and the knot in her gut loosened somewhat.

“What energy and resources they have to bring to bear right now is largely focused on the fallout from that trafficking outfit and the Warden. They don’t have the means to shut off transit. And it would choke the economy and bring the politicians down on their heads.”

“And what of our friend in black and red?” Vanaka asked.

“She is laying low, now that the job is done,” Unta said. “We are going to look into helping her get off-planet, subtle-like.”

“Will you meet her in person?”

“Probably.”

“Please give her my regards,” Vanaka said. “And please remind her that I asked her to deliver a message to one of her...”

She hesitated, stumbling over terminology.

“... sisters.”

“I will,” Unta said, then drank generously from his oversized mug. It was some sort of energising drink, brewed locally. Vanaka had settled for more familiar tea, and sipped the hot contents carefully.

She had no idea how much contact the Kalero Wardens had between them or how likely it was that Nara would run into Saketa, be it on their homeworld or out in the sea of stars, but it was worth a try.

Unta put the mug down. Overall, he really looked in need of stimulants or, more ideally, sleep.

“Those people from the container,” Vanaka said, and lowered her voice further. “Do you know anything the news outlets aren’t sharing?”

“Haven’t gotten in touch with any of them since that night. Secrecy, remember? But... just considering the facts and previous experience?” The bulky man shrugged. “These outfits don’t snatch people who are well-off. They go for easy targets. None of these women, girls or boys have easy lives. And this vomit bag of an experience sure doesn’t help.”

He looked down into his drink, swirled it around a little, and had some more.

“On the other hand, social groups, a couple of temples, at least one politician and some journalists are leaping onto this as an opportunity. Maybe the momentum will even carry on. Maybe things will improve a tiny bit on the larger scale of things, and some of society’s gaps will get glued into. As for the individuals, at least living in poverty is better than what they were in for. And all of them at least have a chance now.”

“Because we launched that assault,” Vanaka dared say, after looking around for anyone who might be close enough to overhear.

“Yes,” Unta said. “And because of your mysterious way with information.”

She looked away, pretending to be fascinated by a very plain picture on the wall, but she could tell he was examining her thoughtfully. It wasn’t long before she got tired of it, but a sudden burst of obstinacy led her to simply continue to stare at that boring scenery.

“Look,” he finally said. “You can keep your secrets, as agreed. There is no need for details, but your reputation is made. Kiris is going back to her ship and taking off within a day. She, and some other contacts of mine, will spread my recommendations and my assurance of your reliability. Assuming... that is something you actually want.”

She met his gaze. His features looked as soft as she’d ever seen them.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“How this all went down... I know a gunfight is a horror to anyone without the training or, well, the taste for it. You had the guts to go in anyway, and you were useful, certainly, but though I want you in the network it won’t surprise me at all if you want to just walk away.”

Walk away. Yes, there was nothing at all stopping her from simply walking away, like some tourist. Like a kid on vacation who had been doing this whole thing on a lark.

The temptation was certainly there. She could just continue to travel; seeing the sights, trying out new foods, meeting fascinating new people and biting some of them, and of course dance. She could enthral crowds and dare to flaunt her predator within the safety of a character. She loved all of these things, and none of them required her to be involved with this awful underworld.

“There were eighty-one people in that container, right?” she asked him. “That’s the most common number I hear on the news.”

“Eighty-one, yes,” Unta replied.

“It was horrible, seeing them like that,” Vanaka said solemnly. “I really think it will stay with me.”

“It does,” Unta said. “You sort of get used to it, but it does.”

“But of course I knew about it,” she went on. “I knew what the information I’ve been getting out of people is used for. And I know how these traffickers operate. I am not some naif.”

Vanaka stopped for a moment as she wondered if she’d just lied to both of them. Had she been naïve to get into this and hope to emerge unscathed in spirit, with clean hands?

Regardless of what the true answer was, beneath the horror was a feeling of having done right.

“I have...” Vanaka hesitated. “I have proven to myself that I can do good in the universe. Real good. Not just donate money and hope it makes some kind of difference. If we hadn’t acted, those people... well...”

She sighed at the awfulness of it all, but also at a pang of conscience.

“I don’t think I can walk away,” she said. “Not when I have seen it. I have seen the effect I can have.”

“So you are staying on board?” Unta said, and although he kept his satisfaction muted, Vanaka could still see it poking through.

“Yes,” she said, and felt her own resolve strengthen. “Yes, I am staying with the network. Within my niche. I will... I will help out in a fight if I absolutely must, but getting information... that’s what I am good at. That is my speciality. I will stay on, and do my part, as a Helper.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Unta said. “Mystery Girl.”

Her wits were numbed enough that it took her a moment to smile at his little joke. When she did he smiled back and held his hand over the table, palm-out. Imitating a local gesture she’d read about on the flight and then witnessed planetside, she pressed her own palm against his.

“And don’t worry about it,” he told her. “We hardly ever lack for Fighters. You just stick to your speciality and take pride in it. You are doing necessary work.”

“Thank you,” she said, and really meant it. It dawned on Vanaka that no one had ever said that to her.

“If a veteran may give you some advice...” he went on. “Take time to collect yourself. Spend some time with your favourite people. Do the things that fill your spirit. Let the horror clear out of your system on its own. Then return to the fight, rested up. You will do more good in the long run if you don’t push yourself towards breaking.”

“Sound advice. You rather look like you should heed it yourself.”

The weary Kapadian grinned at himself.

“I know. I know.”

Vanaka finished her tea.

“Well, I think I will be off. Thank you.”

“Oh, thank you,” he said back. “Mystery Girl.”

She waved farewell and walked out the door. Losan and Erine had been waiting on a bench and got up when they saw her coming. Erine could tell she was dealing with hefty thoughts and took her hand.

“Well?” Losan asked.

“We are in the clear, it seems,” Vanaka told them. “There is no reason we should run into trouble at the port. And... and I’m going to continue as before. Exactly as before.”

Erine squeezed her hand reassuringly.

“Are you sure?” the ansoti asked.

“I am sure,” Vanaka said.

“Good,” Losan said, rather to her surprise.

“Good?”

“Good that you’re sure what you want,” he clarified. “That you have found a place for yourself.”

His hand moved to her favourite spot on his neck for a moment, then fell away.

“We want what is best for you,” he continued. “That is how this works. And I may be a bodyguard, but I still concern myself with more than just your physical safety. Even if Erine and I have our separate specialties.”

Vanaka smiled and gave him a hug with her free arm. Making a very careful choice of companions had been another lesson drilled into her since early childhood, and she was very happy to have these two.

“I love you both,” she said, and hooked her arms into theirs and started them walking. “That is also how this works.”

“You never do much to hide it,” Losan said, and the words combined with his usual serious face for a comic result.

“So are we staying planetside some more?” Erine asked.

“Despite all assurances, I would feel much better if we just left.” Vanaka said.

“Me too, actually,” Erine admitted. “There is a flight in eight hours. I checked.”

“Of course you did. Well, that is plenty of time to get ready, see some final sights, and head for the port.”

“Hm. Remember when we first arrived?”

Vanaka turned to look at the ansoti.

“You wanted to know if it was possible to stand on top of that official tower complex. The really enormous one. Well, it is. I checked.”

Vanaka pulled her in a little closer.

“What would I do without you two?”