The ship groaned and shuddered as it touched down on the surface of the aptly named Keres Station, the sprawling urban hub of the planet Keres Major. The planet’s skyline was a mess of tangled spires and crumbling structures, every inch of it cloaked in grime and rust. Storm clouds churned overhead, casting the already dark city in a perpetual gloom, punctuated by the occasional streak of neon light from towering advertisements.
Nova followed Mila down the ship’s narrow ramp, her eyes scanning the bustling chaos of the port. Civilians, traders, and armed guards moved in hurried streams, their faces hardened by desperation or suspicion. The air smelled of ozone and rot, and the distant whine of machinery echoed through the streets.
“So, what’s the plan?” Nova asked, keeping her tone casual. She kept her hood low, her hand brushing against the dataslate hidden in her jacket.
Mila glanced over her shoulder, her smirk as confident as ever. “Simple. We get in, do the job, and get out before he knows we were ever here.”
He, that’s what some call the AI. The ones that believe it may be a hive mind. “Right. And what is ‘the job’?”
Mila’s eyes glinted mischievously. “Patience, silver hair. First, we meet the contact.”
They wove through the crowded Transpo, Mila walking with the easy swagger of someone who owned the place. Her crew followed close behind, all four of them, silent and intimidating, their presence a warning to anyone foolish enough to interfere. Nova kept her distance, her instincts prickling. Something about Mila and her people didn’t sit right with her.
They reached a dilapidated warehouse near the edge of the Transpo. Mila pushed open the door, revealing a dark, cavernous space lit by a single flickering bulb. A man waited inside, his face half-hidden by shadows. He was older, with a thin frame and a nervous energy that set Nova further on edge.
He looked at Nova apprehensively, then back at Mila, “Whoa whoa, you didn’t say nothing about this one. Who are you?” the man asked, nodding toward Nova.
“She’s with me,” Mila said curtly. “Now, what did I come here for?”
The man hesitated, his gaze darting to Nova and then back to Mila. “She doesn’t look like Resistance material.”
“She’s useful. That’s all that matters,” Mila replied, her voice cold. She cleared her throat, “You said you had something for me.”
Nova crossed her arms, her expression neutral despite the flicker of irritation Mila’s words sparked. “Useful how?” she asked, her tone sharp.
Mila shot her a warning look. Then her eyes went back to the nervous man.
The man produced a small device from his coat—a sleek, black box with glowing blue edges. Mila took it, her expression unreadable as she turned it over in her hands.
“This’ll do,” she said. “Let’s move.”
“Wait,” Nova interrupted, stepping closer. “What’s in the box?”
Mila tilted her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Curious, aren’t you? It’s a tool.”
Nova narrowed her eyes. “What kind of tool?”
“The kind that levels the playing field,” Mila replied cryptically, as she brushed Nova’s shoulder walking back out to the Transpo.
Nova’s gut twisted, but she forced herself to stay calm. Mila’s evasiveness wasn’t surprising, trust wasn’t exactly abundant in their line of work– whatever that may be, but it wasn’t comforting either.
The air on Keres Major was thick and humid, carrying the smell of ozone and decay as Nova and Mila’s group made their way through the outskirts of the city. The streets here were quieter than the chaotic port, but no less grim. Broken-down hovercars lined the road, their frames stripped of anything valuable. In the distance, the faint hum of a Baixu Company patrol drone buzzed through the air, a constant reminder of the corporation’s grip in the Outskirts. What an apt name, we are almost near the edge of the universe out here.
Mila led the group into an abandoned cantina at the edge of a ruined marketplace. The building was barely standing, its walls were cracked, and the neon sign above the entrance flickering erratically. Inside, the air was stale, and the furniture was coated in a thin layer of dust. But it was quiet, and for now, that was all that mattered.
“Welcome to the penthouse,” Mila said, raising her arms in front of her. She moved over a broken chair and sat down on the edge of a rickety table. Her crew spread out around the room, each taking up a spot that seemed almost rehearsed.
Nova hung back, leaning against the wall, her arms crossed. “Cozy,” she muttered, scanning the room.
“Better than the cargo hold of that ship,” Mila replied. “Now that we’ve got some breathing room, it’s time for introductions. If we’re going to work together, you might as well know who you’re stuck with.”
Mila nodded toward the wiry man sitting cross-legged on the floor, his tattooed arms resting on his knees. His tattoos were intricate, depicting swirling geometric patterns interspersed with what looked like faded text in a language Nova didn’t recognize. Could he be a part of the Covenant?
“This is Cage,” Mila said. “He’s our tech expert. If it’s broken, hacked, or stolen, he’s the one who makes it work again.”
Cage gave Nova a lopsided grin, his teeth surprisingly white against his weathered face. “And I do it all for the low, low price of having to listen to Mila’s plans,” he quipped.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Shut up, Cage,” Mila shot back, but there was no malice in her tone.
Next, Mila gestured to the tall dwarf sitting on an overturned crate. He was stocky, with a thick beard braided into intricate patterns and a deep scar running down one cheek. You could see his jaw through the thin skin. Despite his size, his presence was commanding.
“This is Garrick. He’s the muscle.”
Garrick grunted in acknowledgment, his deep voice rumbling like distant thunder. “And occasionally the voice of reason, when you lot lose your damned minds.”
Mila rolled her eyes and pointed to a woman sitting near the back of the room. She was dirty-looking but elegant, her short-cropped hair dyed a bright shade of green. Her eyes were sharp, scanning the room as if calculating the best escape routes.
“Elynn,” Mila said. “Our stealth specialist. You won’t hear her coming until it’s too late.”
Elynn gave Nova a brief nod, her lips curling into a faint smile.
“And then there’s me,” said the final member of the group, a man with an air of smugness that rivaled Mila’s. His hair was messy, and his clothes were a patchwork of different styles, like he’d scavenged them from a dozen different worlds.
“That’s Kade,” Mila said, not even bothering to hide her exasperation, “He’s recon mostly.”
Kade gave an exaggerated bow, “At your service.”
Nova raised an eyebrow, suppressing a smile, “Charmed.”
“Now that we’re all acquainted,” Mila said, hopping off the table, “let’s talk about why we’re here.”
Nova stiffened but kept her expression neutral, “I thought you were going to tell me why you wanted me here.”
Mila smirked, her eyes gleaming with something that made Nova’s stomach drop. “Let’s just say we’re both useful to each other for now. You want answers, and we want someone who knows how to survive. That makes you part of the team—whether you like it or not.”
Nova glanced around the room, meeting the eyes of each crew member in turn. They were a motley bunch, no doubt about it. But there was something about them—something dangerous, yes, but also oddly… human. For a moment, Nova let herself wonder if she could trust them.
But only for a moment. Wait, what answers? What could they possibly know about me?
Mila stared at Nova for a second longer, then pulled out the ‘tool’ they obtained from the nervous man. It hummed to light, seemingly alive in her hands.
"Now then, what's the job?" Nova asked, breaking the silence that had settled over the cantina. She pushed herself away from the wall, stepping closer to the table where Mila sat, the strange device still humming softly in her hands.
Mila's smirk widened. "Glad you finally asked. We're going to pay a visit to Baixu Corporation."
Nova's eyebrows shot up. "Baixu? That's suicide. Their security is insane." Why did she mention the AI if we're fighting Corporates?
"Not if you know the back doors," Cage interjected, his fingers tracing the lines of his intricate tattoos. "And luckily for us," he added, with a wink towards Nova, "we've got someone who just might know those back doors."
Nova's eyes narrowed. "You want me to hack Baixu? With what? I've barely got a decent rig, and you expect me to crack one of the most secure corporations in the Outer Rim?"
Mila chuckled. "Relax, silver hair. We're not sending you in blind. That's where this little beauty comes in." She held up the humming device. "This, my friend, is a Phase Shifter. It'll let us bypass most of their physical security measures."
"A Phase Shifter?" Nova's voice was laced with disbelief. "Those are just rumors. I thought they were destroyed after the Blackwall Event."
"Most of them were," Garrick rumbled, his deep voice echoing through the cantina. "But not all."
"This one's a prototype," Mila explained, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Cage heard someone managed to salvage it from a derelict Baixu lab a few months back. Now it's ours, but it should do the trick."
Nova hesitated, her mind racing. A Phase Shifter… It was a risky plan, bordering on insane. But the more she thought about it, the more it made a twisted kind of sense. Baixu was a fortress, but even fortresses had weaknesses. And if this device worked the way Mila claimed…
"What's the catch?" Nova asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Mila's smile widened. "There's always a catch, isn't there? The Phase Shifter only works for short bursts. We'll have a limited window to get in, grab what we need, and get out. And," she added, her voice hardening, "we can't risk taking it too deep into their facility. The core systems would fry it in a heartbeat."
"So, what are we grabbing?" Nova asked, her curiosity piqued.
Mila glanced at the others, a silent signal passing between them. Then, she turned back to Nova, her expression serious. "We're going after their research data. Specifically, anything related to AI development and cybernetic enhancements."
Nova's heart skipped a beat. AI development… Could this be connected to the Thanatos Matrix? Could Mila's group be working to fight the AI, just like the Resistance?
"Why?" Nova asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Mila's eyes bored into hers. "Because," she said slowly, "I think Baixu knows more about the Blackwall Event than they're letting on. And I think they might be working on something… dangerous."
A tense silence filled the cantina. Nova could feel the weight of Mila's words hanging in the air. If Baixu was involved in something that could trigger another Blackwall Event… the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Alright," Nova finally said, her voice firm. "I'm in."
Mila's grin returned, wider than ever. "That's what I like to hear. Now, let's go make some chaos."
The streets outside the cantina were dark and deserted. Rain had begun to fall, a cold drizzle that slicked the pavement and sent shivers down Nova's spine. The faint hum of the Phase Shifter in Cage’s hand resonated in her mind, a constant reminder of the dangerous task ahead.
Mila led the group through the maze of alleyways and abandoned buildings, her steps sure and silent. Cage kept pace beside her, his eyes darting around, scanning for any sign of trouble. Garrick and Elynn brought up the rear, their presence a silent threat in the shadows.
As they approached the towering complex that housed Baixu's main research facility, Nova's pulse quickened. The building was a monolith of steel and glass, its sleek lines and imposing structure a testament to the corporation's power. Even in the dim light, it seemed to radiate an aura of cold, calculated efficiency.
Mila stopped at the edge of the complex, her eyes fixed on the entrance. Guards patrolled the perimeter, their cybernetic implants gleaming faintly in the rain. Security cameras swiveled on their mounts, their lenses watching every move.
"Ready?" Mila asked, her voice low.
Nova took a deep breath, her hand tightening around the dataslate hidden in her jacket. "Ready as I'll ever be."
Mila nodded, her eyes hardening with determination. "Cage, do your thing."
Cage stepped forward, his fingers dancing over the controls of the Phase Shifter. The device hummed to life, its blue edges glowing brighter. A faint shimmer distorted the air around them, like heat rising from the pavement. The walls of the Baixu building seemed to fizzle out of existence, but Nova knew at the molecular level they were simply vibrating too fast for her eyes to keep up.
"Now!" Mila shouted, and the group surged forward, disappearing into the shimmering haze.