In The Crux, there is a rank and hierarchy that the Seventh Heavens hand out; the recruits are called Protos. After they have completed their basic training, they are elevated to become Starlights; when their advanced training is complete, they are elevated to the Shining Star rank as they do combat missions and investigations; then the several are chosen by the heavens to become the Empyrean, the elite warriors of the Crux; and there is the Aethereal Queen, who governs the Crux with the assistance of the Seventh Heavens.

It was a hunch, but Alpha Crucis went to the London HQ and straight to registration on the fifth floor to speak with the woman in charge wearing a bluish-green—and real—shining star uniform.

“I want to talk about Shining Stars Luna, Perseus, Ljus, and Namu.” Alpha Crucis ordered.

The woman typed in their names and found something on her computer. In three minutes, she got an answer, “there are no such names in our database. Neither alive nor dead.”

“They have registries underneath these names. Has this database been updated?” Alpha Crucis questioned.

“Fully automatic on an hourly basis,” the woman said.

Alpha Crucis persisted, “They have to be in there. We pulled them out of--”

“Sentinel...” then the woman turned her screen around to confirm her findings, “There’s nothing.”

Seeing the results discouraged her from saying, “Thank you.”

She left the records room to the coroner’s office two floors down to speak about the deceased Shining Stars.

The coroner shared the findings with Alpha Crucis, “the plane crash didn’t kill them; there brutally beaten with smoke in their lungs. The four of the five were shot and bled out. Only one had a broken neck in three places.”

“Shining Star Luna...” Alpha Crucis said.

The coroner glared at her, “No. I did dental identification, and none of these girls are Shining Stars. So, I did a little digging...” The coroner handed Alpha Crucis the results on her tablet. “our so-called Shining Star Luna has been in and out of juvenile detention for years with drug problems. The others were the same. But they did have some sensitivity to the Aether, but not much. Also, you were right about the uniforms. They are not Crux-issued, just plain costumes.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The five deceased share the same link in their histories and juvenile registration. All of these ladies were part of the Community Outreach Program in Brussels. Glenda and Maria were a part of the same program when they were Shining Stars. Alpha Crucis handed the tablet to the coroner, “Thank you.”

Almost running out of the room, Alpha Crucis went to her next destination, driving and heading back to the countryside. Arriving at her destination, she wasted no time visiting Delta Crucis’ living quarters. Of course, she was not there. Alpha Crucis almost kicked down the door. Surveying the small room, it was much to canvas. It was a studio apartment with humble and basic furnishings.

Alpha Crucis didn’t do anything important in the kitchen and the living room. She looked around and looked neat. Too neat. She went to the bedroom and found her suitcase that had been opened. A bed that hasn’t been slept in. A bathroom that hasn’t been used.

It was then Alpha Crucis came to the weird conclusion, “She wasn’t living here...” she uttered. “So, where were you staying?”

Then, Alpha Crucis found her holy bible on the nightstand. Picked up the book and read through some of the pages crossed out in red ink. Also, there was a picture of her and the holy mother as teenagers. Focusing on the pictures, they were intimate at best. One of them had the two lying on the field, with Maria feeding Glenda a strawberry.

However, the last picture was taken recently...

For Delta Crucis to have these pictures was one thing, but the selected crossed-out text was alarming, especially in Galatians 3:28, Romans 10:12, Acts 17:26, and John 3:16.

Alpha Crucis took the book with her as she left the room.

It was getting dark, but Alpha Crucis had a feeling about where she was. She even had real Shining Stars shadow the troubled Sentinel for a few days before their mission. They claimed to have seen the sentinel with another woman for three days straight. Then afterward, the final nail in the coffin, the registrations, were all forgeries using the Aethereal Queen stamp that was missing for a few weeks.

It would be so scandalous if it weren’t for Lycka misplaced her stamp weeks ago, only for Delta Crucis to find it days later, according to the Aethereal Queen.

Using her phone, she tracked Delta Crucis’ GPS. It was the same place that was 120 kilometers north of town. Driving in her car, she wouldn’t see a thing in the darkness, but the moon illuminated the sky.

It took roughly 20 minutes to get there as Alpha Crucis reached her destination, an old, abandoned church.

“Very fitting,” Alpha Crucis mumbled.

Alpha Crucis parked her car in front of Delta Crucis and got out immediately without turning off the engine and leaving the lights on. She then hiked up the broken steps. Entering the broken door, she peeked inside to see Delta Crucis bathed in the moonlight while reading a book.