Eliza lives. But the fact that the possibility of death was even on the table was what truly mattered. Kazuki continued to think silently as he sat motionless in the conference room. Bright stars sparkled in the clouds beyond the window as numerous police shuttles patrolled the airspace.

Those seated were a multitude of police higher ups, judiciary coordinators and of course: his inner circle. Archus sat to his right whilst Eliza sat to his left, drinking a complimentary cup of tea that the service drones provided to all visitors.

Not the best brew. Beside Eliza, in order were: Martinez, Rivera and Sato. He would have brought more of his HICOMM, but most were busy running other contracts in the Hinterlands.

His eyes, however, were locked onto Eliza. She seemed uneasy. All of them wore professional outfits, though they all had their coats hung on the seats they sat.

Kazuki had his shirt sleeves rolled up messily, revealing a hundred scars and burns for each limb.

Eliza, on the other hand, had her blouse sleeves rolled in an orderly fashion. A white blazer, trimmed with crimson, was hung from her seat. It was highly professional, similar to a few of the female police supervisors across the table. She finished her tea, gently placing the cup down before nervously gripping her pleated skirt and thigh-highs, hiding her hands beneath the table on her lap.

This was irregular. But he didn’t blame her. They all knew who would be arriving Late as he may be. Kazuki… clicked his fingers. She glanced at him, confused. He nodded. She was breathing faster, blinking quickly.

Then, she slowed and took a deep breath. She nodded back at him, smiling…

Seems like she’s okay.

Guards were stationed around the room, those on his side of the table were his most experienced contractors, from the days of the rebellion’s birth to now: Amyé, Claire, Quinn and Lilly. Lilly and Amyé wore converted Clandestine dress uniforms, similar to the Judiciary dress uniform he, Martinez and Sato wore.

He would have brought more, but once again he is limited by logistics. And four is enough of a show of force. Standing opposing them were the ‘officers of the law’, including Riley, bandages over a reinforced-leg. They wore the SPTU and police dress uniforms. Theirs was a well-maintained deep navy blue tunic adorned with white plated buttons, along with their light plate rigs.

Unlike the AGENCY, which was called in whenever things got heated, they were entrusted with the order part of law & order. Kazuki merely had to focus on bludgeoning criminals to death.

“The AGENCY will only accept full command of this operation,” stated Kazuki. “I will not coordinate in a command element with the local police.”

Archius leaned backwards in his chair, calm and collected as this was the first time he’d ever fully presented himself to the force, though under a fake alias of course.

He maintained an air of elegance, at least compared to Kazuki. But he had no need for elegance. They knew who he was, all glancing at him with fear or spite. ‘Contract-Breaker’ suited him.

The police murmured between themselves.

“Working alongside the Narisan PD isn’t preferable, especially in anti-smuggling operations," said Archius, steering the conversation forward.

Martinez picked off where Archius laid the foundation, using his knowledge. “Smugglers have ties to local police; nine times out of ten. This is no different, leaving this mission to us would properly bring about justice.”

The Kastí man cleared his throat, pushing a part of his auburn hair back. He looked to the empty seat beside him. The Commissioner was not present. But as the most experienced officer there, Paulus felt obliged to chime in, “And why is that? You can understand why we are worried about letting contractors off the leash, especially on a planet where oversight is difficult.”

At least he was being professional, Kazuki thought. Mercenaries, Freemuzzles, Contractors, all the same.

“My men stay to the letter of the contract, you do not need to worry. But you should be careful about what you preach. I know, SPTU wasn’t involved… but…” stated Kazuki, gesturing to the other police commanders in the room. Animosity had crept in from the previous ops, the skyliner fiasco and the standoff at the station were to blame. “Seven out of ten for execution, zero for cover-up.”

“Those involved were dealt with,” Paulus explained, shifting the conversation in a different direction - or at least trying.

Kazuki needed to press the point. The point was that the police on Narisa were not to be trusted if something like that could happen on Anagora itself. Even if Paulus was simply doing his job, he was still part of an incompetent apparatus.

“Scapegoats,” interjected Kazuki, remaining seated as he kept his hands on the table. Despite that, everyone knew that if he wanted to, he could have them all killed in under a second, without even uttering a word.

Everyone bar Eliza exchanged nervous glances, but of course, no one would ever wish to bring it up. Corruption runs deep, even within the force.

“Uh… might I ask what you are talking about?” whispered Eliza, turning her head to Kazuki.

“Nasty business. End of,” stated Kazuki; he was even disgusted at mentioning it at this capacity. But if he was disgusted, Archius was furious. He glanced towards him, seeing a veil of calm placed over someone willing to rip the skin off of each officer in this room.

Silence engulfed the table. Eliza spoke up, trying to act as a mediator between both extremes, “Whilst I understand your concerns, having a split-command structure between two groups with… differing scopes and tactics would make it complicated.”

“What about the radical mercenaries?” started Paulus. “For what it was worth, my SPTU forces worked well with your men.”

“Whilst I do agree, this is different.” started Martinez, placing a hand on the table. “We will not. Not. Work with police on this in a command element, communication with police risks leaks to our targets.”

It was logical, but Kazuki needed to send the logic even deeper into these officers. He knew that they knew that the Narisans were to do more damage than good, after all their PD was more of a laundry for criminals than anything else.

Paulus nodded, it seems that a conclusion to negotiations would happen before the Commissioner arrived. Kazuki gave Archius a glance; and he nodded. Things were going to plan, it seems. “Yes, communication is an issue. Which is why I have proposed to the Commissioner for further integration of the AGENCY to assist in that… though, I apologise, he has differing views on the matter.” Paulus put on a strained face.

“Not your fault.” commented Kazuki, a surprise to most of the officers that Kazuki, the Contract-Breaker, didn’t immediately smack him down.

“I believe negotiations are finished, then?” asked Martinez.

Paulus held out a single finger, taking another cup of tea from a hovering drone. He tugged at his uniform’s collar and adjusted the armour straps.

As Paulus opened his mouth to speak, the conference doors slid open. And everyone fell silent. A man stepped into the room, messy, mahogany brown hair - with lapis blue eyes. His hair had a small hairpin in it - a purple flower…

Still must be missing his wife, Kazuki supposed.

Kazuki knew him. Everyone present did…

Especially Eliza.

The Commissioner was accompanied with a thick beard - groomed to Geldabare Confederacy standards. He wore a thick tunic-like coat, pinned with a flower brooch and police armband. The Commissioner was here. Lapis eyes scanned across the occupants. He brushed a ceremonial cloak to one side, a cloak that was interwoven with golden murals along the edges.

It reeked of lies.

The captain placed the cup down, sitting up straight. The officers discreetly fixed any discretions of their uniform. Adjustments for comfort were of sub-par quality.

To the Commissioner, it was unacceptable. Whilst those on Kazuki’s side remained still. His side wore combat armour, or heavy coats with suits - except for Quinn and Claire, who came directly from the fight. Their injuries were taken care of before the meeting. Martinez rolled his eyes at the sight of Frederick, an older-looking man who seemed only a few years older than Kazuki’s own parents.

Eliza gulped for a second, slowly hovering her chair close to Kazuki and Archius. She sealed her lips shut. Frederick ignored his daughter, fixating for a second at Kazuki. But the second passed, and he slowly walked behind his officers. Every step was noticeable - deliberate. “Pay me no mind, let us continue with the meeting,” said the Commissioner.

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He reached his seat, opposing Kazuki, slowly dragging the chair backwards. Martinez spoke up, “Good to see you’re still kicking, Fred.”

“Commissioner to you,” remarked Frederick, sitting down as he glared at Martinez.

Kazuki glanced towards Martinez, telling him to drop the niceties. Frederick didn’t deserve them. Bright neon lights burst through the windows; the ventilation system huffed in still air, the pale walls of the room decorated with police accolades, all paper thin. Eliza looked away as Frederick glanced at her, acknowledging his daughter.

“You’re calm, Commissioner.” Kazuki started, “And late.”

The commissioner deserved the worst he could give him, but at the same time, Madame Justice and the SPTU deserved the best.

Frederick’s eyes thinned, placing his hands together. “I was busy, Contract-Breaker. Anyways, I haven’t been briefed on what happened. Tell me.”

“Not only a stone-cold hard-ass but a dead-beat dad as well,” Archius whispered to Kazuki, jesting as Eliza glanced at Archius. Archius quickly faced forward to avoid her look.

He hovered his own chair ever slightly closer, an indirect assurance to Liz. It was nothing for him, but if Frederick goes on an outburst, he wants to be ready to smack him down. Damned be the AGPOL alliance if the Commissioner cannot respect her.

“Four minutes past seven, two of my men and your daughter were the targets of a heavily armed attack. Twenty-seven civilian casualties. District 22, the Hesphatio Ward, near the memorial.” stated Kazuki, glaring at Frederick. He glared back. It would be an understatement to say that bad blood existed, it thrived… And of course, the rank and file suffered for this.

“And—” Archius started.

Twisting his finger, he flicked a small card onto the oval table. It projected out a report of information - courtesy of Krystalink, it even had the watermark on it. Glancing at Sato, Kazuki could feel a sense of pride within her, even if the old techie-commodore acts as a grumpy workaholic all the time. It showed a planet: Narisa, along with a dozen other message boxes.

“—We have a location. Narisa, frozen wasteland. PD there is far from the brightest, chief. The Gunrunners there peddle guns to buyers across the High Table, they’re so comfy in their frozen shithole that they don’t even have cybernetic exospines.”

“Interesting thesis.” Frederick coldly stated, seemingly unbothered by the fact that his last remaining daughter was at the forefront of an organised hit. “But have you brought any actual proof?”

The holographic projection hovered for a moment before flicking onto a new slide, showing the faces of the attackers, all dead, in fact: most of their heads were… less than presentable, Eliza looked away from the dead corpses. He probably should have ordered for body shots.

“Autopsies showed no positive ID, but their weapons did leave a trace. Spent casings as well as filed down serial numbers, from the war. My associates have been able to scrape together enough information to link them to military caches in the war.” said Archius.

“Military caches that were abandoned when supply ships were scuttled. Ships last seen in the Narisa system. And yes, we did use the analyspec on this… If you disagree, we can always argue with the supercomputer.” said Kazuki.

The images flicked to show the weapons captured, indexed to the old Imperial archives system, though most of it was extrapolation from existing data. “It’s been filled, but we were able to retrieve the serial codes,” said Sato, her beige fringe hiding her left eye.

The Commissioner glanced from Kazuki to Archius, sighing as he furrowed his brow at the information presented. “This information is quite old, I don’t doubt its validity, but the sources of it can be quite suspicious, CRIS, Mischief Board?”

“The Mischief Board’s involvement in this matter is being investigated,” said Sato.

“Great. Can I get a second opinion on this?” asked Frederick, snarky.

Archus spoke up, covering for Sato, “The guns are not Mischief Board originated, but we believe that the men are. However, those investigations are… underway.” said Archius, smirking as he glanced over at Sato, feeling smug that he had to cover for her. She, in turn, rolled her eyes.

“And what of you? Contractor?” asked Frederick, glancing towards Archius. “I do remember some of my friends speaking of a child with your details in the CRIS—”

“No.” Kazuki remained motionless, “My friend is the director of activities for the CRIS black ops branch; that’s why he’s sitting on this side. With the contractors.” Sarcasm seeped through every word.

His bout of sarcasm was ignored by the unflinching police chief. He grumbled for a moment, probably unwilling to give Kazuki more leeway and span of control, after all: Frederick knows. He’s one of a few who knew. But he has his parents to thank for keeping his mouth from blurting hurtful truths.

“Contractors? Please, you are all just… soldiers of fortune, Freemuzzles and Mercenaries. Let’s not be unreasonable here, Contract-Breaker.” said Frederick.

“Incorrect.” stated Kazuki, with his stone-cold face thinning, “We are contractors. Good ones at that.”

Eliza turned to Kazuki. “Freemuzzles?” she inquired quietly.

“Freelancers… But with guns.”

“So, Contractors?”

He nodded. “Don’t call a mercenary a Freemuzzle, though. It’s considered rude in the industry… a pseudo-slur.”

“Oh… sorry…”

Kazuki turned his attention back to the police officers. They were speaking to themselves. “We were sent here to fix the messes that you can’t fix yourselves - no offence, Captain Micon.”

“None taken…” Paulus blurted out, somewhat understanding the situation, even if his pride was hurt. The Commissioner glanced towards him, but he remained unflinching, the SPTU was used prying oversight.

“Tch, and for what reason should I delegate this investigation to the AGENCY?” Frederick asked, placing his hands together, “The forces in the High Table Oversector are adequate enough to investigate and pursue this new threat, why send in the bloodthirsters?”

‘Can I blast him?’ asked Quinn, on the private uplink-channel, he was in no mood for this. His hand was twitchy as he kept it by his side-arm, a secondary shotgun… He really loved shotguns, Kazuki noted. ‘This guy’s pissing me off.’

‘Move and you’re on reactor-cleaning duties,’ said Lilly, glancing at Quinn from across the room. Quinn backed down, without a single verbal thought.

‘This guy’s delusional if he thinks he has any influence on what happens in that frozen hell—’ Quinn glared at Frederick from across the room, ‘—sorry Eliza.’

‘No offence taken,’ Eliza blurted out, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Kazuki looked towards her before discreetly patting her on the arm, a meagre attempt to reassure her. She glanced towards him, but said nothing. He didn’t dare look into those eyes.

“Narisa.” said Quinn, speaking out of turn, “Good luck finding an officer there that isn’t on a secondary payroll.”

‘Quinn…’ Claire looked over at him, trying to get him to shut up.

Lilly, however, was in no mood for Quinn. ‘Hey, Shut it. Now.’

“Your subordinate,” Frederick starts, looking and gesturing towards the unarmoured Quinn, making a show of how he doesn’t have his armour. “He questions the competence of Narisa’s force?”

“We all do.” jeered Kazuki, covering Quinn’s misstep.

Quinn zipped his mouth shut.

It was a direct stab at what Frederick cared for the most: his pride. Not just his pride as a Celeste-Delmara, but his pride as the commissioner. To be insulted and talked down to would harm the relationship between the two organisations. Kazuki knew that. Frederick’s face soured.

“And what of you?” asked Frederick, “What makes you better for the job? Contract-Breaker, nameless no-one, you, and your band of killers.”

“They’re on my payroll, not some crime lord’s.” Kazuki snarled at Frederick with an emotionless tone, “And I believe our forces are more acquainted with hazardous environments. A frozen radioactive hellscape; barely habitable does seem like added hazard pay…”

Kazuki glanced over at the other officers in the room, especially those of a scrupulous nature. Hazard pay was something they hated to pay out, it means that they can’t line their pockets with embezzlement schemes. Everyone knew, even the Commissioner, but there was nothing he could do about it… And in the cut-throat world of High-Table politics, that was far from ideal.

“Dad,” Eliza spoke out of turn, to the surprise of everyone in the room. Where Quinn spoke out of anger, Eliza spoke with determination in her voice. “The AGENCY is much more suited to dealing with this problem, in my opinion. If you may…”

“No, you may not,” iterated Frederick, snarling at his own daughter. His ego is damaged. Kazuki remained silent, looking at Archius for advice. “And what is this, Contract-Breaker? A joke? You bring my daughter here?!”

Kazuki turned back to Frederick. “She is currently assisting the AGENCY in managing logistics and oversight. Part-time work.”

“What? Helping murderers?” Frederick snarled.

“Uh. No.” Kazuki then said sternly, “Killers. Yes. Murderers. No. For each muzzle, there needs to be a support system to ensure its operation. Eliza assists in the procurement of justice and munitions both.”

Kaz turned to Archius once more.

Archius’ lips turned into a small smirk as he nodded, approving Eliza’s outburst. He has no idea why he’d allow it, but if Archius believes that something can be gained: he’ll allow it, it shouldn’t hurt anyone, right? Words hurt, perhaps, but he does not grasp the concept. Bullets hurt harder.

“Elizabeth… You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Frederick snarled, standing up and slamming both his hands down on the table’s smooth surface, rocking the cups of tea slightly. Eliza shook at the shockwave, but remained calm. “What are you even doing here? That man—”

Frederick pointed at Kazuki. He remained still as members of Frederick’s own council exchanged glances. Clearly, they were not all too keen on getting involved in a family dispute, but neither was he, but it seems this is playing directly into Archius’ hands. That sly fuck, Kazuki thought, he probably had this as some backup plan - and all Archius had to do was not get Kazuki involved…

“—no, monster, brought you to the frontlines of a conflict you have no right to be in. Not once, but twice. He broke his contract to protect Oria-Tessie and you watched him.”

Kazuki didn’t defend himself when he mentioned Tessie, with a nudge from Archius silencing any thoughts. The information surrounding what happened are only mere rumours after all. Kazuki killed Matt Oria-Tessie, philanthropist and businessman. Clandestine’s propaganda machine was far too advance, even for the combined arms of Archius, Sato and Krystalink to defeat. And its legacy lingers, against the truth.

“I—”

“Do not speak back to me. You and Ulysses, bloody disappointments the two of you… why couldn’t you have been more like your sister?” Frederick spoke over Eliza, increasing his voice as his glare intensified, swapping between the trio. This was definitely a personal outburst, but Kazuki kept firm.

What was first straddling the line had crossed it. Kazuki’s eyes lit up as he tried to stand up, willing to defend Eliza. But Archius stopped him with another nudge of his leg. He froze. He glanced at Archius, who shook his head. Whatever Archius had cooked up, it seems he wanted the Contract-Breaker to stay his blade…