+++ Jonathan Jones +++

Jahellios System

New Krakow

Artowisz City

“Alright, funnel in boys, we’re going in,” I ordered as Harold's four-man squad pushed forward toward the compound that we identified as a possible lead. For the past few days, the situation in Artowisz City further deteriorated, with the New Krakow Socialist Party finally announcing a general strike and “general disobedience”. With militant groups running rampant, and civilians rioting to “depose” the “corrupt Colonial Government”, we naturally took the full opportunity to increase the aggressiveness of our search.

“We’re gonna have to be a bit sneaky for this one,” I told Harold, who held his SMG in hand. Getting our weapons in was not exactly easy, but Ms. Kalista’s “connections” allowed us to get them in after a few days of waiting. Even I held my own SMG, the SD Z-44, one magazine locked and loaded inside, and four more left in my inventory.

And as natural, all of our weapons were suppressed. We wouldn’t be going in banging the neighborhood with noise like some moronic savages, even when the entire neighborhood was on fire and filled with a lot of noise.

“I wouldn’t mind going all out if it means we finish this mission earlier,” Harold replied, shaking his head. “The refits to the Jukebox are almost finished. After that, we’d just be wasting our time here. It’s only a matter of time before the FEG Military raises the threat level of the situation here in New Krakow and before you know it, it’s a localized system-wide lockdown.”

“Would be unfortunate if that happens,” I said. “Seems like the locals are really serious about this ‘revolution’ thing. Many of them are armed. I would bet good money that the seas are now filled with roving bandit surface ships.”

“Which is why we’d have to find him here. I wouldn’t want to venture into New Krakow’s oceans just to find that brat’s little brother.” He frowned. “She’s already moving into her designated position, isn’t she?”

“She’s our main scout, she already made her way there earlier. But she hasn’t said anything over our comms,” I took a peek at the compound up ahead, as Harold’s men piled up on one of the entrance doors beside the main gate, their guns lowered as they awaited our orders. The darkness meant that we were all hidden, and due to the sheer volume of riots on the nearby blocks, even the sound of us approaching was muted. “I’ll try to contact both of them.”

“Go.”

“Louise, Juliett, what’s the status?”

“Recon is ongoing,” Louise's voice replied, still as cold as always. “At this point, I don’t think they’re holding my brother. But they’re here. Most likely. In the compound.”

“Then that means we’re gonna have to assault it. Maybe this time around they’ll cough up some violent intel. Juliett?”

“I think it’s still going to be a tough fight down here. I’m trying to sneak through the ventilation shafts.”

“You’re doing what now.”

She chuckled. “What? I could fit inside. So I did.”

“I swear…you’re such a…”

“Badass? Whoah! The jerkface is calling me a badass!” The mere fact that even her hushed voice sounded so enthusiastic grated me. “But, yes, anyway, I’m getting closer to their main rooms. I should be able to pick up something if they’re here.”

“I see…just, be careful.” I looked at Harold. “Alright, enough dallying around. Let’s follow the ladies and get inside. Order your men to begin breaching. Juliett, Louise, don’t get into a stupid firefight until we’re there.”

And with that, I sneakily followed the path that Harold’s men took, piling up behind the four of them with Harold behind me, all while two of them began shooting the main locks of the entrance door, before kicking it open. Immediately, we funneled in, guns aimed at every corner as we entered a flat open area.

“Check all corners, I don’t want any surprises,” I ordered, as we cautiously made our way to the first building.

“Copy that,” Harold said, as he turned to the left, aiming his SMG at a bunch of trimmed bushes on the side of the compound.

“Clear,” one of his men said, as the other three followed, including Harold. I stopped in front of the building’s wide main entrance door. I lowered my SMG with a sigh, as I radioed our assessments to the rest of the team. “Clear. The compound’s perimeter is clear.”

“We knew that already,” Juliett replied as Harold’s men began planting explosives on the locked entrance door.

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“Well, we still had to check. Anyway, we’re breaching inside. I think it’s pretty clear enough that they’re waiting for us.”

“We caught up on them. They have no hope left.” Louise said, her voice practically brimming with fury and anticipation for having another one of her revenge on these people who wronged her. “I’ll make sure of that.”

“Just don’t get too overconfident. I don’t want to deal with any casualties after this one, and remember if you can capture them and make them talk, make them talk.”

I looked at Harold, who held the detonator in his hand. I gave my watch a final look, as I nodded at him. With a push of the trigger, the entire thing was blasted open. Immediately, we charged forward through the breach, as the building’s alarm systems went off. I could hear distinct shouts from inside, as we rushed forward in files of two on both sides of the hallway.

“Move! Move! Move! Hostiles dead ahead!” I warned, as one of Harold’s men began firing his gun at a group of cowering men in front of him. I raised my gun to the level of my eye, allowing me to look at the scope. I fired a burst of three bullets at the first enemy I found, and he dropped before he even had a chance to equip his rifle.

There were more shouts, as they organized their defense. But we were breaching in quickly. I watched as we passed two of Harold’s men, who turned to one of the rooms, tossed a flashbang inside, and went inside with their guns on full-auto. I tapped Harold’s back as we reached a corner, stopping him.

“They’re well armed,” I said, and he nodded. He looked down at one of them, still gasping for air on the floor as he bled to death, his neck oozing blood profusely as he tried to take his rifle on the floor. Harold kicked it away from him, before pulling his pistol and silencing him. “Onwards?”

“Onwards, brother.”

I could hear more suppressed fire as the two of us went deeper through the winding halls and rooms of the building. Two flashbangs went off again in the distance, all while I could hear the indistinct sound of Louise firing off her spells further into the interior of the building. The red alarm lights illuminated the trail of bodies that we were leaving on the floor, as we fired off our SMGs whenever we encountered panicked duos or trios that had the unfortunate luck of being in front of the crossfire.

Each time, we double-tapped them. It was a training that both of us received in the Von Wicht Gang back in Loran. Quite frankly, much of what we did was something we learned from Mr. Von Wicht. He was a soldier of the Union before becoming a conman and a bank robber after all. Many said that he even was a part of some sort of special forces, and while I had many doubts about it, his training certainly turned us into one of the deadliest and most efficient gangs out there.

“Militarized, professional, and with an honor code,” was our reputation in Loran. We weren’t mere vagrant barbarians who robbed and killed everyone in sight. No, we were efficient, we only targeted the rich, fought the police and the Royal Guard on almost equal terms, and almost never overstretched ourselves. Or at least, that was what we were, until Mr. Von Wicht turned insane, and with it, our gang. By the end of it, whatever honor code we had was dead, nor were we even “professional”. Merely militarized. And that was our death knell.

Overconfidence in killing without restraint would eventually catch up on you.

Soon, we bit more than we could chew and ended up dispersed, in hiding, dead, or worse.

Still, it seemed that the skills he imparted to us, to me and Harold, and I would bet Harold imparted the same to his crew, seemed to live on. And now, we began applying our “restraint”, or at least, a bastardized version of it. Unlike in Loran, taking prisoners and letting them off scott-free was impossible. In this dark and isolated environment, loose ends were bad news. We would never let off anyone we had a scuffle with off alive, and potentially threaten us later on.

But for now, we gave them a taste of our boundless mercy, when two of them dropped to their knees after they tossed their guns, begging for us “not to shoot them”.

Fools. We’re gonna shoot you later anyway.

“Alright, dipshit, the end of the line is here. You better start talking, if you don’t want this boy talking,” I threatened, emphasizing the SMG that I was holding and pointing at his head. He quivered in fear.

“We don’t know, we’re also searching for him, I swear!” He shouted. “I know you’re searching for him, we know that. But we were unable to find him. Or her. You found us first. You always seem to find us first.”

“That’s not exactly being helpful there, mate,” I said as the other one clasped his hands, almost crying to himself.

“Please, sir. This is just a job for us. I have a wife and family,” he begged, and I couldn’t help but scoff at it. They were hunting a literal family. Funny how he used that defense. “Please, I swear, I won’t talk. I’ll run and disappear.”

“What organization are you all from?” I coldly asked.

“We’re all from different gangs in Artowisz,” he said. “Four months ago, the police trapped us during a conflict between each other, trapped us, and detained us. Now they gave us a deal. We kill all of the members of House Fleur, and we’re free.”

“That so?” I asked, already intrigued by this. So the ones who hunted her family were mere criminals? Deniable assets. That must be it. Of course, the Artowisz Police would never do the job themselves. That could be traced back to them, to the New Krakow Colonial Government, and of course, to the FEG. They wouldn’t be so sloppy and potentially threaten their influence like that.

But if a bunch of armed thugs murdered Louise’s family, they can swoop in afterward, conduct “investigations”, and tell the public how lamentable their deaths are. My blood boiled. Disgusting.

I looked down at the two of them. I could tell that both of us, Harold and me, were feeling the same way as we stared at the eyes of these two men. In many ways, we could have been them. And in many ways, we were one of the same. Who was I to be disgusted of them, when I could easily be the same?

I doubt any “honor code” I held myself into would really hang up had Loran captured me and used me this way. I mean, by the tail end of our life in Loran, we were already robbing and scamming even the poor. I really wanted to laugh at myself for my sheer hypocrisy.

But I’m just here for the money. I told myself. Thank god I’m staying true to my dirty nature. Would be more depraved if I acted righteous right now.

Righteousness was not my virtue. And so, like the rat I was, I revoked my mercy. With just a little gesture to Harold, we both pulled the trigger.

And dropped the two mirrors of our true selves.