Strolling through the souk of a transit station was always an assault on the senses. To her left, Jesri was accosted by a diminutive horde of yellow-furred Uen hawking decrepit fruits. Unfurled cloth banners flapped listlessly in the draft from the environmental systems to her right, a rippling display of shifting colors masking stacks of raw materials, food and hunched forms taking inventory. A buzz of shouting voices in a dozen languages carried around her in a dull roar, punctuated by extremes of high and low pitch from the vendors seeking to stand out from the din. Shooing the insistent Uen to the side with a thickly gloved hand, Jesri ducked between a pair of faded banners and turned down a side corridor.

Her destination was far from the souk, far from the docks and the critical systems of the station. Most transit network stations were sparsely populated for their size, which spoke more to their massive construction than their still respectably large population. By the time she had come halfway, Jesri could no longer hear the bustle of the market. Cool, humid air drifted around her under a high ceiling, with unmarked doors sealed shut in rows down the hallway.

This far away from the hub, the sides and nooks of the hallway had accumulated a drift of organic particulates. Absent any maintenance robots, the dust accrued volume, trapping moisture. Speckles of algae and lichen colored some surfaces, and the tiny bells of mushrooms curved up from against one ancient door. It was rumored that the farthest reaches of some stations had hallways which were entirely overgrown with exotic and dangerous plants, with lurking predators peering from within. Jesri didn't believe that rumor, but she didn't disbelieve it enough to try proving it false.

She stopped in front of a door, peering at the battered grey-green metal of the surface. It didn't look that distinct from the others, but no detritus had accumulated in front of the door. The access plate was not free of lichen, but a cleared area in the center took the form of a circular splotch with five radiating lines above it. Stripping off the glove from her right hand, Jesri pressed her palm into the panel. Her hand splayed outward, perfectly matching the five-fingered silhouette.

Unperturbed by its own age, the door hissed lightly as it slid into the wall. The lighting was dimmer within, but still clear enough for her to see a thin path through the boxes and crates lining one side of the entryway. She grimaced and flattened herself against the wall, scraping her chest on protruding corners as she inched past into the main room. These had been living quarters once, with a common layout. An image leapt into her head, unbidden, the dusty crates overlaid by a brightly lit and clean room with pictures on the wall, pictures of children and sunlit green fields.

She shook her head, and saw just the crates. "I don't have time for this bullshit," she muttered.

At the sound of her voice a rustling noise came from an adjoining room, followed shortly by a stooped, robed figure. It shuffled into the room, pushing its hood back from a bare, wrinkled scalp to show its face. Pallid, emaciated cheeks framed a thin mouth and nose, looking incongruously dour beside the sparkle of delight in the eyes above. "Sister," it rasped.

Jesri sighed. "Anja, you look like shit."

Anja cackled dryly, her voice like dead leaves. "You haven't changed a bit. We haven't spoken in how many years and that's the first thing you say? What about, 'Hello, sister, nice to see you after all this time. Sorry I haven't dropped by in ages!'"

Jesri snorted. "Are you asking me to lie to you? I wouldn't have even come by this dilapidated scrap heap if I had known the Kita had taken over management."

Hairless brows drew together as Anja frowned. "That's unfortunate," she mused, rifling through a crate. Clouds of dust fountained up as she shifted its contents before coming away with a small black box. She smiled sunnily at Jesri, earning an eye roll. "Kita are such a trial to deal with."

Drawing off her other glove, Jesri stretched and set her light pack down on a nearby box. She doffed her hood, shaking out chin-length raven hair. "So," she asked, "Is that what you called me here to see?"

Anja shook her head. "No, I had something I wanted you to hear. Have a listen to this while I freshen up, I wasn't expecting you so soon." She tapped a wall panel and shuffled into the back room, leaving Jesri alone with the empty crates and a slowly settling cloud of dust. The room's speakers sputtered to life with a low static buzz punctuated by high frequency squealing. The static pulsed rhythmically, gaining pitch and tone until it resolved itself reluctantly into speech - into English, Jesri realized with a start.

"-link up with primary group," a gruff male voice was saying. "We will have to try for the rendezvous on Zephyr. Our reactors will last until-"

The static fuzzed into indistinct buzzing again, but Jesri stood transfixed. "Zephyr," she whispered. "Anja, where did you-"

The recording resolved into voices again, cutting her off. "-on reserve power for the moment. Containment is holding. We will update with our status in two days. Grand Design out."

Jesri stood agape for several long seconds before Anja sashayed into the room, pirouetting on one foot while beaming at Jesri. "I had to hit up the autodoc before we left, I haven't jumped in for ages. Do you like it?", she asked, running her fingers through lustrous blonde hair. Her cheeks and lips were smooth, her features youthful. She was nearly a twin for Jesri but for her light complexion.

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Jesri shook her head in irritation. "Anja, you can't claim you have new information on the Grand Design and ask me about your hair. Where did you get this recording? Is there any more to it?" She blinked. "Did you say that we were leaving?"

Anja nodded excitedly. "We have to go, as soon as possible. I don't just have vague information - I know where to find it."

Jesri sputtered, at a loss for words. "Anja, we haven't..." She blinked rapidly, her voice sticking in her throat. "I gave up on the search so long ago."

Beaming, Anja crossed the room and grabbed both of Jesri's hands. "We never lost, sister. We were just waiting. And now we have what we need to win." She stepped back, one hand at her side and the other clasped in a fist against her heart. Tears glittered in her eyes as she spoke words that had not been uttered in five thousand years.

"Terra Invicta, sister."

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The two women walked silently through the deserted corridors towards the docking hub. Jesri's head was spinning, her expression dazed. She had been aimless for so long that this sudden, bright flare of purpose beating in her chest felt like it would burn her alive. The walk back to the market passed in a blur, and before she knew it the lichen-dappled metal of the far halls was replaced with the sharp odors and draped fabrics of the souk.

Sliding out of their side passage, the women picked their way through the crowd towards the docks. Jesri turned towards Anja and jerked her head towards the market. "Did you need something before we left? I don't have much of anything on board."

"Still living like a solitary monk, sister?", giggled Anja. "You really haven't changed."

"Says the hoarder," she shot back. "I rescind my offer. Hope you like nutrient pellets."

Anja screwed up her face in disgust. "Nobody likes those but you. At least let me-" She trailed off, peering past Jesri. "Sister, you wouldn't happen to be docked in slip 49, would you?"

Jesri casually turned to study a banner beside her, studying the dock out of the corner of her eye. Burly, serious Kitan security guards stood around the access point. As she watched, one of them snapped his head up to look at Anja, who was making no effort to hide while staring straight at them. Jesri groaned, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her away.

The Kita muscled their way through the crowd, shouting and pointing at them as they started to run. The docking area was always a bustle of crowded activity, and neither group could make much headway. Jesri and Anja slid between knots of bemused aliens while the Kita simply bowled through them, a chorus of protesting voices in their wake.

They broke into a clear stretch of the docking ring, only to see the path ahead blocked by a waiting group of Kita. "Shit," Jesri grumbled. The pursuing group caught up to them quickly once their forward progress was halted, trapping the two neatly in the empty corridor. A swell of people gathered behind the security officers to watch the confrontation.

The leader of the forward group stepped towards them, brandishing a short club. "Jesri Tam," he shouted. "You are placed in bond under suspicion of illicit activity aboard this Kitan station. You and your accomplice will accompany us to the command center for questioning."

Jesri spread her arms in a nonthreatening gesture. "This seems like a lot of fuss just to talk to me," she said amicably. "What am I being accused of in particular?"

"Lying to customs officials!", shouted a Kita from the pursuit group. Jesri recognized him as the codex officer from earlier. "You said there were no others like you, but you've smuggled another onto our station!"

"She's nothing like me-", began Jesri, but Anja cut her off. "Onto your station?" she said, an odd note in her voice. She took a step towards the one who had spoken but Jesri moved quickly to cut her off. She smiled broadly, taking care not to show any teeth. "I'm sure this is all a huge misunderstanding," she said rapidly, keeping herself between Anja and the officers. "Let's just talk through your concerns and I'm sure we can all reach an accord-"

"No!", shouted the head officer from behind them. "We will have this discussion at the command center. Priest, restrain them!"

At his command, a robed Kita with a long, thin staff moved forward to stand beside the leader. Extending his staff towards the two women, he spoke solemnly and deeply while moving his free hand in a circle. "Sashun Endomibel Lel Trei Ges Afori Sashun," he intoned, pointing squarely at Jesri. "Rekes Shekuti Barar!"

At his words a shimmering wall sprang up around Jesri and Anja, enclosing them in a bubble of hazy, indistinct light. Anja ran her hand down the field with a disinterested expression, sparks trailing from her fingers. The head officer hooted in amusement as the priest stepped back solemnly, crossing his arms and bowing. "Now you will be placed in bond," the officer said loudly, addressing the crowd. "No irregularities will be tolerated on any Kitan stations!"

The assembled security guards beamed at the display of power, and the crowd watching the spectacle started to disperse now that the show was over. A pair of guards approached the women with restraints, but halted halfway when Anja began to laugh softly.

"Are you fucking serious?", she chuckled, fixing the officers with a mirthless stare. "Is this what passes for life these days?" Contempt dripped from her voice as she turned to look at the priest. "For civilization?"

Jesri grabbed her arm tightly, knuckles whitening. "Anja, let's just go with them to the command center, we can work this out quietly-" Anja shook off her hand and stepped away, turning her glare towards Jesri. "We're not playing their games, sister," she said softly, "Not this time." She bared her teeth in a feral grin. "But for you, I'll give them one chance." She turned to address the head officer, striding to the edge of the field. "You, come here."

The officer scoffed, drawing himself up. "You will make no demands of me, detainee. You should know your place on our station."

Now Jesri started to chuckle, throwing her hands up in a mock surrender. "Well," she said resignedly, "I did try."

Anja took a step back from the field edge and drew in a breath. "Station Indomitable," she said evenly, her gaze boring into the lead officer. "Major Anja Tam, TNMC Three Five Seven Two Sierra Five." A chirrup of acknowledgement sounded from the hallway speakers, and she smiled sweetly at the horrified priest.

"Command authorization."