UBEL [https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/useruploads/display/4fd5e56e-16e4-4461-96b2-cb1c340c4dcf_ubel.jpg]

Ubel went back to his seat, a grin playing on his lips as he watched them again go back to their drunken revelry. Creed, whose laughter had echoed the loudest in the last hour, finally slumped beside Ubel. His eyes still twinkled with the joy of seeing his beloved Leviathan—or Lily, as he affectionately called her—garnering a 21-billion-credit bounty.

Creed took a swig from his flask, then nudged Ubel.

“Commander,” Creed began, a bit of the alcohol loosened in his voice. “I heard about something about an expensive cargo that we are hauling. So, what is it?”

Ubel tilted his head, glass in hand, as he eyed Creed.

“Funny you mention it.” He leaned back and crossed his arms, his mischievous grin widening. “That cargo’s under wraps. Secrecy is part of the contract, you see. I’m the only one who should know what’s in those crates.”

Creed raised an eyebrow, already half-drunk but sharp enough to catch Ubel’s drift.

“So it’s a need-to-know-only cargo?”

“Yep, but don’t worry, it’s nothing interesting, I promise you that. Although it is our most precious cargo, it’s just something expensive and boring. The only fun part of this job will be counting our profits afterward,” Ubel said, his words slick with a bored tone. “But trust me, we’re gonna be rolling in credits once this job’s done. We’ll pay off our debts, fix up our gear, and maybe—just maybe—I’ll even throw in some upgrades.”

Creed let out a small chuckle.

“That’s good enough for me.”

“Aye,” Ubel grinned. “But I’ve been thinking, once we get this payday, maybe we pour it into Blitzkrieg—make her a proper fortress for your Leviathan and the future fleet.”

“Upgrades, huh? What’s the idea?” Creed raised an eyebrow. That piqued his interest.

“Yeah,” Ubel said, swirling his drink before taking another sip. “I’ve been thinking about redeveloping Blitzkrieg. You know, make her more efficient when it comes to deploying ships during battle. Right now, we can launch the smaller crafts easily enough, but the bigger ones? Like your beloved Leviathan? She’s a sitting duck when she’s deploying. No energy shields, and no protective systems compatible with her hull. One good hit, and she’s scrap.”

Creed nodded slowly, starting to see Ubel’s point.

“Yeah, to be honest, I also thought about it. She’s too exposed if we launch her, but we can’t overhaul the entire ship just for one deployment system.” Creed leaned forward, the thought of overhauling the 20 km long ship, Blitzkrieg made him suddenly get sobered.

“No, not the whole ship. Just the deployment bays. I want to build external docking modules along Blitzkrieg’s hull. Imagine it—Leviathan and other heavy freighters docked externally, shielded, ready to launch at a moment’s notice. We deploy with speed and precision.” Ubel smirked. “Plus, we can add in new rail guns, and some PDC turrets. Make it a goddamn nightmare to approach if ever my shield gets shut down and if the enemy sends some bombers in.”

Creed rubbed his chin, contemplating the idea.

“Sounds like a solid plan. But what’s the cost? I can already see that it’s going to be expensive as hell.”

Ubel laughed, pulling up a small holo-pad from his belt. He punched in a few numbers, and a list of expenses appeared in the air, floating in front of them.

“Check it out,” Ubel said. “Here’s the breakdown. New external docking modules for ships? We’ll need materials—armor plating, energy relay systems, power cells, and thermal regulators. That’s another 50 billion. Upgraded rail guns? 10 billion per gun, and we’ll need at least four of those bad boys. Another 40 billion. PDC turrets? They ain’t cheap either. That’ll cost us 15 billion for a good set. Then there's maintenance, refitting the hull for external docks. Droids and drones to assist with the docking processes, and spare parts available for quick repair… Rough estimate? 200 billion credits.”

Creed choked on his drink, coughing in disbelief.

“200 billion? Where the hell are we gonna pull that kind of cash from? Damn. And here I thought we’d just need a few tweaks. You got several contracts at least lined up to cover that kind of money?”

“Hey, I didn’t say it’d be cheap.” Ubel just smiled, unfazed. “Well, there’s always more contracts. But I got my eye on a few high-value targets we can hit. And this is just a plan. It’s not concrete yet. Maybe we will start this project two to a year or two from now.”

Creed shook his head, rubbing his temples.

“And… relax,” Ubel replied with a lazy grin. “We’ll get there. I ain’t gonna throw us into a grinder without a plan. Besides, I figured you should hear it first. You’re the captain of Leviathan now. Part of Blacklist. This ain’t just between a commander and his crew—it’s between two captains.”

Creed’s expression tightened with responsibility. For a moment, Ubel could see the weight of command settling on his shoulders. But then Ubel broke the tension with a snort of laughter.

“Don’t look so serious, Creed. We’re not the UGTR Navy, for crying out loud. Lighten up.”

“So… you want me to talk to my crew about this?” Creed asked.

Ubel leaned back, chuckling.

“Nah, not now. You’re captain, Creed. This conversation’s between us. Your crew’s your business. But you need to know what’s coming. Tomorrow—or the day after—bring it up with them. But tonight? Enjoy yourself.”

Creed looked back at the noisy crew, still lost in their drunken festivities. He scratched the back of his neck, the serious talk sobering him up a bit.

“I gotta admit, Ubel. I’ve been running with you for a while, but being called ‘captain’? Feels… different.” Creed sighed, rubbing his face. “Hell, I just wanted to fly a ship. Didn’t expect all this… responsibility.”

“That’s the thing about power,” Ubel said, his tone softer now. “You never really ask for it. It just finds you.”

Creed nodded, still a bit overwhelmed but grateful for Ubel’s candidness.

“Fine, I’ll talk to them. Right now, I think I need another drink.”

Ubel laughed.

“Good call. Don’t let the stress of command get to you just yet. There’ll be plenty of time for that.”

As Creed stood up to return to the crew, Ubel waved him off.

“Tomorrow, Creed. Let’s talk business then. Tonight’s for getting lost in the bottle.”

Creed raised his flask in a mock salute before heading back into the throng of pirates, joining their laughter and rowdiness.

Ubel watched him go, shaking his head with a smirk. He grabbed a fresh bottle of wine from the table, uncorked it, and took a deep swig.

“To the void,” he muttered under his breath, raising his glass to the ceiling, “may it never take us alive.”

Then Ursa slid into the seat beside him where Creed had once seated.

She waved for the droid bartender, who swiftly placed a fresh bottle of rum in front of her. Lighting up a cigarette, she took a drag before casting a sidelong glance at Ubel. Her eyes narrowed, and after a moment, she tilted her head.

“I just noticed that you are wearing a different outfit today. Not liking your previous look?” Ursa asked as she breathed out a puff of smoke.

“Yeah and no. I just found a craving of wanting to wear something different.” Ubel shrugged. What others didn’t notice, maybe due to their drunken state or high on stims, was Ubel wearing a formal suit which was different from his usual street jacket and pants. “What? Do you like it?”

"No, it was just a strange sight. Especially after I also realized that you got your ears pierced. Did you do it recently?" Ursa asked, nodding toward the small rings glinting in the low light.

Ubel chuckled, running a hand through his side hair to show them off.

"Yeah, thought I'd put them back in. Used to have them years ago, but got the itch again."

Ursa raised an eyebrow, blowing another smoke lazily.

"Weird," she muttered, then leaned back. "Didn’t know you were into stuff like that."

“Got one here too.” Ubel grinned, opened his mouth slightly, and stuck out his tongue, revealing a silver stud glinting—this time on the tip. “So, what do you think?"

Ursa rolled her eyes, unimpressed.

"Weird as hell, more like."

Just then, Mei sauntered over and plopped into the seat on Ubel’s other side. Her eyes were gleaming with curiosity and slid in closer, leaning over to inspect the new body add-ons on Ubel.

“Piercings, huh?” She asked, leaning in closer to inspect his tongue, genuinely curious, her fingers resting lightly on the edge of his sleeves. “Do they mean anything, or you just felt like sticking metal in your body?”

Ubel paused thoughtfully, his grin faltering. There were a few seconds of silence, and then he grinned.

“Well... not in the deep, philosophical sense.” He rubbed his chin and then played with his earrings. “If I remember correctly, I did it to keep myself from falling asleep.”

Ursa and Mei both stared at him, confused.

“Falling asleep?” Ursa echoed, her cigarette paused mid-air as she was about to take another drag.

Ubel leaned back, swirling his wine as he explained.

“You already know that I’m the kinda guy who gets bored easily. Real easily. And back in the day, I’d sometimes doze off if things got too dull. Once, I almost passed out in the middle of a class and got myself accidentally jabbed by a pen, which woke me right up. So I thought, ‘Hey, pain works.’ Next thing you know, I’m piercing my ears. Every time I’d feel sleepy, I’d just tug on one of them or prick myself awake.”

“So that was when you started... piercing yourself?” Mei blinked, clearly confused but intrigued.

“Pretty much,” Ubel shrugged. “It was a way to keep myself awake. Face, ears, tongue. When I’d get bored, I’d just mess with them. Eventually, I outgrew the whole pain thingy, but the habit stuck. Now I just play with them when I need something to do or I need to kill some time.”

Ursa shook her head, exhaling a long stream of smoke.

“I thought it’d be something cultural or at least related to where you’re from. Turns out you’re proving that you’re a weirdo.”

Mei, on the other hand, leaned even closer, her eyes wide with deep curiosity.

“I’ve heard of cybernetic piercings that help in combat, like enhancing your reflexes or improving sensory input and combat efficiency. You got something like that?”

Ubel smirked, wiggling the stud in his tongue with his teeth.

“Nope. Don’t need them, nothing that fancy. Just a simple piercing to keep my hands busy.” Then, flashing a mischievous grin, he added, “Although... the tongue piercing has some other benefits, certain activities more enjoyable.”

“Oh? Like what?” Ursa gave him a flat, unimpressed look.

He leaned in, his grin widening.

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“Gives kisses a bit more... flavor... and interesting.”

Ursa looked at him with a deadpan expression which made Ubel laugh in restraint as he enjoyed the reaction from Ursa.

“You’re… no, I don’t even have to say anything, I already mentioned that word too many times.” Ursa gave him a flat stare. Meanwhile, Mei’s eyes widened and blinked in surprise.

“Really? I didn’t know piercings could do that.”

Before Ubel could reply, Mei, never one to shy away and without missing a beat, leaned forward, seemingly fascinated.

“Let me check for myself.” Her face inches from Ubel’s. “Let us see what it’s like.”

Ubel chuckled but didn’t hesitate. Never was a person to back down from a challenge, shrugged, and gently cupped Mei’s face, pulling her in for a kiss. The moment their lips met, he teased her mouth with his tongue, letting the cool metal of his piercing brush against her gums and tongue, adding a strange but pleasant sensation. Mei's response was immediate—she leaned in further, deepening the kiss, grabbing Ubel's head and her hands gripped his jacket, pulling him closer to keep him from pulling back.

What started as a playful kiss quickly became something more intense. Mei’s lips moved hungrily against his, her hands tangling in his hair as she controlled the rhythm. Ubel, surprised by the intensity, could only respond as she practically devoured him in a long, heated kiss. When she finally let go, both of them were left panting and gasping for air. Ubel, wide-eyed, took several deep breaths, visibly shaken by the intensity. Mei licked her lips, eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

“Damn… didn’t expect that.” He muttered.

“Not bad, Ubel,” Mei purred, looking slightly pleased with herself. “Didn’t think you had it in you.”

Ursa scoffed from the side, flicking her cigarette, having watched the entire exchange with detached amusement.

“You just got more than you bargained for, didn’t you?” She mocked Ubel with a dry grin. “Mei’s one of the deep kissers on Godright, and you just got a taste of it. So, how’s it feel?”

“It was so good!” Mei answered, although Ursa’s question was more directed to Ubel than to Mei who started to test the whole thing. Ubel glared at her, wiping his mouth.

“Could’ve warned me, ya know.” Ubel looked at her with a flat tone.

“Well, I thought you already know what you’re getting into.” Ursa just shrugged and smirked, taking another drag. “And because watching you squirm is hilarious.”

Mei licked her lips, still tasting the wine and enjoying Ubel’s lingering flavor.

“That was... interesting. Wanna go again?” she asked, her voice carrying a hint of teasing, but with a genuine spark of interest.

Ubel held up a hand, chuckling.

“Give me a breather, alright?” he still remembered the feeling of being eaten by Mei.

Mei shrugged, eagerly awaiting to continue their play then she looked over at Ursa. Undeterred, she turned her attention to Ursa, who was now watching the exchange with mild amusement. The strange interaction between Ubel and Ursa did not escape her eyes.

“Ohhh, right!” Mei grinned wickedly, realization dawning on her. “You’re right, Ubel’s a pretty damn good kisser.”

“I never said anything about that though?” Ursa frowned.

“So... how was it?” Mei asked.

“How was what?” Ursa raised an eyebrow, her frown growing deeper as she didn’t know the reason behind Mei’s questions other than to tease her obviously.

“Sleeping with him,” Mei said bluntly, her tone laced with curiosity. “You two hooked up recently, right? So, what was it like with Ubel?”

Ursa rolled her eyes, flicking her cigarette ash onto the table. Her eyes flashed with irritation as she also flicked Mei’s forehead hard enough to make her yelp in pain.

“None of your damn business.”

“Come on! I mean, if Ubel’s that good at kissing, I’m curious about the rest.” Mei rubbed her forehead but was still grinning

“Why are you so interested in that all of a sudden?” Ubel gave her an interested grin. Ursa, watching from the sides, rubbed her temples and groaned. Mei, still savoring the taste of the kiss earlier, leaned back, clearly not done with her teasing.

“You know, Ubel, if you’re that good at kissing, I wouldn’t mind seeing what else you’re good at.” Mei casually said while still rubbing her forehead. “I want to know what the rest of the package is like.”

Ursa rolled her eyes, leaned forward, and poked Ubel’s cheek with her finger.

“Be careful of this sex fiend. It’s just the way things go out here. Just wait till we hit deep space. Some people here go crazy when we’re in the black.”

“Great,” Ubel muttered with a smirk, he made a mental note to take care of his crew’s sexual frustrations and was currently in the thought of considering buying synthetic partners for them if they get good plunder later. “How many of these… fiends are there on Godright?”

Ursa began rattling off names.

“You’ve got Eris, Katya, Mucker, Mei, Munda before he died—those were the ones who couldn’t keep it in their pants.”

“Right,” Mei said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “So, I guess that opens up a spot. Ezio’s a contender, though he’s more into other guys than us, girls. Sisi might take Munda’s spot. And by the way, she recently attacked Orphel in bed, earning her a punch in the gut. And about Mucker… well, that guy just went to synthetic sex toys after his sister rejected his advances by threatening to cut off his cock.”

Ubel glanced at Mei, raising an eyebrow.

“I notice you didn’t deny being on the list.”

“Why would I?” Mei replied with a wink. “I enjoy life, especially out here where you never know when your last day is.”

“There are people on this ship who go stir-crazy; not just the sex. It’s the drinking, the fighting, the general lack of inhibitions.” Ursa pointed her glass at Ubel as she swirled the last bit of wine. “You are now their commander, you better take into consideration their quirks, or else, you’ll find yourself eaten.”

“Outlaws through and through,” Ubel chuckled, taking a swig from the fresh bottle in front of him. There was something oddly refreshing about their crudeness—free from pretense, unfiltered by the chains of morality. They were outlaws in every sense of the word, driven by impulse, need, and desire, unbound by the rules that governed the humans back on Earth.

“You know,” Ubel said, leaning back in his chair, “for all the insanity that goes on around here, it’s never boring. And I love it.”

Ursa blew smoke in his direction.

“You’re the one who likes things weird, captain. In a way, maybe you should be thanking us later for keeping you awake.”

“You know, Ubel, being in space for so long makes people crave certain... experiences. Could be a fun way to pass the time. Freedom’s a hell of a drug, and we’re high on it.” Mei leaned in, resting her chin on her hand, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper. “If you ever get bored again, Ubel, just let me know. I’ll keep you entertained.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Ubel shot her a sly grin.

The canteen still buzzed with crude jokes, laughter, and the kind of banter that only outlaws could share—no filters, no limits, just the raw, unpolished reality of life in space.

As the crew continued their raucous celebration, Ubel found himself oddly at peace, surrounded by these unruly, vulgar, and unpredictable individuals who somehow made the dark, empty expanse of space feel a little less lonely.

Then Ubel, sitting back and nursing another drink, couldn't shake the nagging sensation tugging at the back of his mind. Something important was slipping through his mental cracks, something that gnawed at him—an unsettling feeling that he had forgotten something critical. It wasn’t the sort of anxiety that came from minor oversights; it was deep, like a sharp edge poking at the back of his mind. But try as he might, he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. He ran through a mental checklist, trying to recall if he’d missed a crucial detail. He racked his brain, searching through fragmented thoughts and half-formed ideas, but nothing seemed to stick. After a while, he waved it off, opting instead to grab another bottle of wine from the counter, but the feeling persisted.

Just as he was twisting the cap, an alarm blared throughout the ship, cutting through the casual atmosphere like a knife.

Instantly, the rowdy atmosphere shifted. The Blacklist crew, who had been celebrating just moments before by being drunk, asleep, and high on drugs, instantly snapped into sharpened focus. Weapons were drawn, and all signs of drunken revelry vanished, replaced with the cold professionalism of hardened outlaws. Ubel couldn’t help but be impressed at their immediate readiness. They were keeping their promise—no dead weight on his fleet.

“Alarm? Terran ships?” he doesn’t know who asked but that question reflects their only worry in their drunken revelry in the void right now. He quickly tapped into his holo feed, pulling up the source of the alarm by connecting to the ship's internal systems. The command droid stationed at the bridge appeared in his vision.

“Captain, potential containment failure detected. Cargo Bay Three.” The droid’s mechanical voice crackled through the feed, cold and efficient.

"Cargo bay three…" Ubel’s mind raced then a cold realization hit him—he knew exactly what he kept in that cargo bay.

The girl.

The dead girl he put in a preservation tank.

“Well, shit.” He cursed under his breath, quickly overriding the ship’s security systems. Using his command privileges, he bypassed the usual protocols and linked up with the security drones stationed in the hold. Through the camera feed, he watched a shocking sight.

The cargo—no, the dead girl that he was hired to deliver to a client, once motionless and sealed in her containment unit… was now standing, alive, and battling the heavy combat droids assigned to guard her. Moving with an unnatural, almost eerie precision.

The girl was awake.

And more than that, she was fighting. Not just any fight either; she was systematically dismantling his security droids.

“Damn,” Ubel muttered, impressed. The droids were top-grade, designed to neutralize enhanced humans or cybernetic combatants. Yet here was this girl—this walking corpse—dismantling them piece by piece as if they were made of tin. His lips curled into a twisted grin. The drones were not easy to take down; they were built to withstand enhanced human and cybernetic threats. Yet, she was dismantling them with terrifying ease.

His eyes widened in both realization and fascination.

This girl—she was far more dangerous than he had anticipated as a boring cargo. Maybe he wouldn’t have to wait to meet the client to get himself an interesting encounter after all.

“Alright, everyone, eyes on this. We currently have a situation.” Ubel said, swiping the footage from his console to the main holo-feed in the canteen, making sure everyone saw it. The central table lit up, displaying the chaotic battle unfolding in cargo bay three. The crew caught mid-prep, turned to watch, confusion and curiosity mingling in their eyes as the image of the strange girl fighting his droids.

“Uhhh… what are we seeing?” Bastille was confused, squinting at the display.

“Who the hell is that?” Creed also asked, narrowing his eyes at the footage. “Is that the intruder?”

“Is she the one who triggered the alarm?”

“Not an intruder,” Ubel shook his head and answered nonchalantly, taking another long sip from his bottle. “That’s our precious cargo.”

He was met with strange looks from his crew.

“We are smuggling live people now?” Ursa asked, the cigarette in her hand burning low, then reminded Ubel of something. “Article VII in the Accord of the Black Sun.”

Ubel nodded but didn’t break his gaze from the screen, watching as the girl obliterated another droid. Then he turned to Ursa, with an inner feeling of appreciation that she remembered the Accord to use it.

“Yeah. That is why I accepted this contract, even if I could also use the reason that the contract was accepted before the Accord was made. Because the thing is, I was under the impression I was smuggling a dead body. She wasn’t alive when I accepted the contract, and now that corpse is up and walking around, tearing my droids apart.”

Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded as the room fell silent, then erupted in a mix of confusion and murmur, similarly puzzled. That is until someone voiced the questions, they were all thinking.

“Dead? She doesn’t look too dead to me,” Eris remarked, raising an eyebrow as they watched the girl rip the arm off one of the droids and use it to beat another into submission.

“Well, she was dead. That much I know for sure.” He glanced around the room at the bewildered faces staring back at him. “The problem is, as you can see, she’s not exactly in a good mood.”

“Are you sure you weren’t scammed or lied to by the one who offered you this contract commander?” Mei asked.

“It’s not impossible, but at the very least, I checked every cargo that I put inside Blitzkrieg. And this… that girl included, where she was very much a dead cold body.”

The confusion in the room thickened. Creed, arms crossed, gave him a hard look.

“No time for idle talk then. So, what are we dealing with, Captain?”

Ubel sighed, setting his drink down. His expression darkened, but he didn’t look away from the screen.

“No. I want you to take the crew and head back to Godright. Get to the Leviathan. I’ll deal with her myself.”

The crew bristled at his words. Creed stepped forward, his voice firm.

“We’re not running. You forget, Ubel, we’re your crew now.”

Ubel glanced back at him, a smirk creeping onto his face.

“Right. Forgot about that.” He let out a small chuckle, then raised his hands in surrender. “Fine. Suit up, then. Combat gear and full arms. But prepare for one thing—this might end with us having to kill her.”

A murmur of surprise spread through the crew. Mei frowned, her voice uncertain.

“Kill her? Can’t we just restrain her? You know, get her back to the client alive?”

“One of the information we got about that body, is that girl is probably a member of the High Terran Family. And those people were known to be combat capable as what we are seeing right now. And we are hired to deliver a dead body anyway.” Ubel then clapped his hands. “Blacklist! Move out!”

But Ubel was also thinking of the option of sparing the girl and interrogating who she really was. As what he always plays in his games, NPCs are always more interesting when alive than dead. Sparing the good or evil characters would always bring him more unique and interesting next meetings and dialogues. And he would also have an option to kill her if he deems her boring. But he had a strong feeling that this was not going to be just a normal encounter.

Blacklist and Ubel soon found themselves rushing in towards Bay Three equipped with the combat armor that he bought along with the droids and drones. But as soon as they entered with a hiss from the thick metal gates that kept out intruders or contained the cargo within, they were welcomed by the sight of the destroyed bay. Cargo containers, tanks, as well as droids, and drones were stuck on the wall, floor, or just scattered around. Total destruction.

But the Blacklist crew moved in without hesitation and positioned themselves around the girl who still have a robotic limb in her hands, breathing deeply. Droids and drones quickly went into an encirclement around the subject. But before they could open fire as Creed commanded, they heard a familiar voice, whispering an order.

“All units standby, maintain combat awareness.” Ubel’s words echoed in their enclosed combat helmets that glowed with one red eye. The entire Blacklist crew then put their fingers on the trigger just in case their commander sends a go signal to kill.

But Ubel however, was preoccupied with something else in his mind.

“Son of a—” Ubel muttered, slapping his forehead. Those who were close to him glanced at him slightly in the confusion of his actions.

How could he have missed this? He thought.

Ubel hesitated for a moment, then let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn’t recognize her at first because she looked different—maybe younger than he last remembered her. Ubel always watches her streams back on Earth. Back when he was still Kiryu. And she had the appearance of a mature woman back then.

Now she seems different.

But he would never mistake those green eyes, split type hairstyle of black and white for anyone else. After all, it was her emotionless face that made Ubel breathe deeply upon seeing it again. The very cold and indifferent eyes and face that granted her the title among the players.

For a moment, their eyes locked and he could feel that something had clicked on each of them. He walked towards her, with a grin started to appear on his face and his golden eyes started to glow unconsciously.

“Well, this just got even more interesting.”