After some time combing the hallways, it becomes apparent they have evacuated this sector of the facility. I happen across a mainframe computer and I plug a data chip in. transferring a computer worm to extract data to the chip. It takes a few moments before it finds data to extract. In the meantime, I scour the room for anything useful or of value.

Among the chairs and haptic interfaces, I come across a short straight blade. “An Ih’ri?” I muse. It has a black hilt with a gilded rim at the scabbard. The blade itself is a thin short blade, akin to a rapier’s. I partially unsheathe the blade to gauge the quality. There is a green sheen to it indicating an alloy of synthetic crystal and tempered metal alloy of some unknown composition.

Pursing my lips thoughtfully, I slip the blade back into the scabbard. When I return, Farsa can tell me more perhaps. At this point, a green light on the data chip signals that the worm has completed its task. I stride over to the console and retrieve the chip, slipping it into my cleavage for safekeeping before I turn for the exit to the corridor, I take a slow and cautious pace as I advance to the shuttle hangar nearby.

I slowly make my way down the hallways and corridors of the underground bunker complex, checking my corners and clearing rooms as best to my ability. Every so often I check over my shoulder to ensure no one is following me or setting up an ambush from my rear.

After coming across a large bulkhead door, I halt and check my gear, ensuring my shotgun is loaded before I try the door. I tap the door’s Haptic interface, but nothing happens. I frown and look for alternatives. Scouring the door’s frame, my eyes land on a service panel on the bottom-left of the door frame.

Finding my knife in my kit, I use the blunt side of the blade to pry open the panel. Inside is a cable bundle with a few red wires bundled with a single blue cable. Reaching in, I Grab the bundle of wires with a hand, sparks spit back at me signaling that I have cut the power to the door as they come out of their soldered connections. After discarding the cables and standing, I pry open the door with my hands and press into the large shuttle hangar. pressing my body against a stack of crates to listen for any other occupants inside the vicinity.

Hearing voices a bit away in the cavernous room, I sneak closer to the sounds. peering around the corner of a crate stack. I notice a pad with two shuttles parked on top. In the far corner, I notice two Iridians conversing.

“Do you think they killed the intruder?” one of the two voices says. A younger-sounding woman.

“I do not know sister, we should leave soon” A second voice responded. A more mature-sounding woman.

After a pause, the mature woman's voice went on "we need to leave. your life is in danger the longer we stay."

The younger woman responded shortly after "I will go ready the shuttle."

“That would be best. I’ll stand watch. Go. Signal me when the shuttle is ready”

Deciding after hearing this to emerge from behind cover, I rack my shotgun. It was a pair of Iridians. One younger than the other. The younger of the two was mid-way up the ramp into a shuttle before she froze at the sound. The other woman stared at me as she gripped her blade hilt, which was in its scabbard by her right hip. “who are you?” she tilted her head as the muzzle of my weapon aligned with her chest and I squeezed the trigger.

The report of the shot echoes in the shuttle bay off the metal walls. The woman falls to the bulkhead as I approach still. Several fragments of bone and pink-colored blood with bubbles in it smatter the shuttle ramp behind her and blood pools around her, I rack the slide of my weapon. The spent shell clatters to the metal bulkhead floor and I finish them off with one last shot. Quick and painless, headshot. Her neck snaps back as the flechettes rip her skull apart and brain matter oozes out of the exit wounds.

Looking at the younger Iridian who is still frozen with fear, I can make a few deductions. She was a House Vansae member for certain. She had Teal hair and another tell was the clothes. Iridian clothing was a good way to gauge status and rank inside Iridian society. Purple and Teal were reserved for nobility and House leadership respectfully. This girl was wearing purple garb with a very ornate corset. A -very- important member of house Vansae. Her death would send a message.

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I speak. “What is your name?” The young woman swallows. She can not be a day older than Galinae and appears just as timid. “M-m-mine?” Great. She seems confused, and bewildered. Or she is just playing dumb. “No, the person over there. OF COURSE, I meant you!” I snap at her.

She winces. “Laza, why?”

I smile “lovely name. One I will remember. Open or closed?”

she blinks “what do you mean by that?”

I repeat my last statement. “Open or closed?”

she blinks a few times “O-open..”

Nodding, then leveling the muzzle of my shotgun with her head... Her eyes widened in terror before I aimed downwards at her abdomen before I pulled the trigger. Her abdominal cavity was eviscerated by the Tungsten-Carbide flechettes.

Her spine shatters into fragments and the wad from the shell buries in her kidney. Another piece of the wad grazes her skin and cuts it deep, bouncing off the metal of the shuttle ramp.

I pause to look at her now-lifeless body Before walking up the shuttle ramp and into the cargo bay of the craft. After a quick sweep, I find it clear of hostiles and head to the flight deck in the forward compartment.

After a few minutes, I managed to get the engines started. The shuttle’s engines hum to life as I translate all of the controls, combined with a bit of luck and a process of elimination. As I depart, I slide a switch on one of the panels to close the rear cargo ramp I entered as the shuttle climbs off the ground. The Dead bodies slide out the back of the shuttle as it lifts off. Hitting the bulkhead floor below with a crunch.

Just as I maneuver the shuttle out of the shuttle bay, I find I have to fly in a thunderstorm to leave the planet. Lightning strikes crack the sky and high winds buffet the shuttle in the climb for orbit. After a minute, the shuttle breaks through the cloud layers at an altitude of 3000 meters, I can see Void Star in low geosynchronous orbit above and dead ahead of the nose of the shuttle.

***

Galinae sat patiently onboard the bridge at the coms station for any transmission from Kara. only for B’Nan to grunt in confusion “I have a single iridian shuttle heading our way..” Galinae perks up “what?”

The comm board shows green on their hailing frequency just then. “I-incoming transmission from the shuttle!” Galinae squeaks. “This is S.S.R. Void Star responding to hailing frequency from Iridian shuttle.”

***

***

Aboard the shuttle, I respond. Pressing the comm transmit switch “This is Kara. Galinae. I stole a shuttle.” After a long pause, Galinae responds “B’Nan says he thought we’d never see you again. That the entire idea of infiltrating the bunker was a suicide mission.”

I raise an eyebrow. B’Nan has no idea just how capable a Chimera is. ”we’ll discuss my findings when I get back. Open shuttle bay 5 for me, hun?”

The port side of Void Star’s ventral section has five shuttle bay doors outlined by the subtle seams in the flanks of the vessel. One of these doors swings open. Hinging from the top and swinging up using a hydraulic arm and piston. I maneuver the shuttle alongside the opening and an arm emerges to pull the shuttle into the hull, settling it down in a cradle inside the shuttle bay.

After the engines shut down and the flight deck re-pressurizes, I stand from the flight deck seat and open the cargo ramp in the back to exit. Making my way to the elevators towards the aft of deck 4.

After a short ride up, I make it to the bridge. “We will talk in my quarters,” I announce. “B’nan, Galinae? With me.”

***

We arrive in my quarters at the top of the ship. It is the ideal place to hold a meeting away from prying ears..Not only having been soundproofed but being outside the bulkheads in it’s own pressurized hull section. Thus.offering no realistic way to eavesdrop from anywhere but inside the room.

“So what did you find, Kara?” Galinae starts. I hold up a staying hand. “Patience. First we have to go over what i saw.”

I start “First off, this is not a small facility. They had Iridians from House Vansae that boxed me in from both sides in a corridor as I breached. They knew I was coming.” Galinae perked one eyebrow.

“So how did you survive, then?”

I hold up a staying hand again “Patience, Gali. I am getting to that.”

After smiling, I continued with my story of what transpired. “I simply bypassed the direct entrance and passed through by way of the ventilation ducts. After dispatching four guards, it was easy as the facility was mostly empty. Save two others I encountered after extracting the entire computer core’s worth of data.”

I slide the data chip from earlier onto the coffee table in between the chairs and couches. “We have to deliver this to Farsa. I am sure she’d be interested in the contents.” I lean back in my chair and watch both Galinae and B’Nan’s expressions. They both nod in unison and I sigh. Continuing. “What is sure to ruffle some feathers is that I encountered a noble girl named Laza.”

At that, Galinae perked up “You could not possibly mean Laza of house Vansae, right?” she stared at me, scrutinizing my expression. "...Right?"

I sigh in exasperation. Gali's insistence is sometimes tiresome. “I quite possibly mean her, Gali. I was unable to confirm her identity but she wore purple garments. Which as you and I know is reserved for Iridian nobility and the high matron.”

Galinae's countenance darkens "Kara, you realize what this means, don't you? the High-matron will hunt you down."