The stench of decay and stagnant water hit Nova like a physical blow as they dropped into the sewer. It was a suffocating, cloying smell that clung to the back of her throat, far worse than anything she'd anticipated. The darkness pressed in, broken only by the faint, flickering emergency lights and the dim glow of their own equipment. Water dripped from unseen pipes, each drop echoing in the oppressive silence. A shiver, not entirely from the cold, ran down her spine. The fetid air, the echoing darkness... it triggered something within her, a flicker in her enhanced senses, a ghost in her OS. Galan. The name surfaced unbidden, a phantom from a past she thought she'd buried.

They stood on the cracked, barren earth, the skeletal remains of long-dead trees clawing at the toxic, yellow-green sky. Their ship, a battered old freighter they'd affectionately nicknamed "The Star Wanderer," was a small, insignificant speck against the vast, desolate landscape.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Blaine had said, his voice muffled by the respirator mask he wore. He'd flashed her a reassuring grin, but his eyes, visible through the scratched, fogged-up visor, betrayed his unease.

"It's not?" Nova had shot back, her own voice distorted by her respirator. She gestured with a gloved hand at the desolate wasteland around them. "We're on a planet that's literally trying to kill us."

Blaine had chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. "Look at it this way," he'd said, tapping a readout on his wrist-mounted console. "At least the radiation levels are within acceptable limits. For now." He'd paused, his gaze sweeping across the horizon. "I see why they say the older planets are just trash heaps. You can barely breathe in this environment." He'd run another scan, his brow furrowing as he studied the data. "Carbon Dioxide level is rising. We shouldn't spend too long here, kid. Let's get what we came for and get out."

Nova blinked, the memory of Galan's toxic sky momentarily superimposed over the grimy concrete walls of the sewer. She could almost feel the grit in her lungs, the burn of the polluted air. Focus, she told herself, shaking off the lingering influence of the past. They needed to keep moving. Garrick was a few paces ahead, his massive frame hunched over as he carried Elynn. P1nk3 followed, its movements surprisingly fluid despite its weakened state.

They had come to Galan chasing rumors, whispers of a lost cache of pre-Collapse technology, hidden somewhere in the ruins of an ancient research facility. Blaine, ever the optimist, had been convinced it was their ticket to a better life, a chance to escape the endless cycle of low-paying jobs and near-death experiences. Nova, though more skeptical, had gone along with it. She'd trusted Blaine then, with a naive faith that she now found hard to recall.

The facility had been easy enough to find, a crumbling husk of a building half-buried in the shifting, toxic sands. Inside, they'd found remnants of a forgotten era: laboratories filled with strange, archaic equipment, vast libraries of data stored on fragile, decaying disks, and living quarters littered with the personal effects of long-dead scientists. It was like exploring a tomb, a monument to a civilization that had destroyed itself.

Nova remembered the anxiety that had gnawed at her as they delved deeper into the facility, the feeling that they were disturbing something that should have been left undisturbed. She'd found a datapad in one of the labs, its screen cracked but still functional. It contained the journal of one of the scientists. His entries, filled with a mixture of hope and growing dread, chronicled the facility's descent into chaos.

"'The artifact is changing them,'" she'd read, her voice echoing in the silent lab. "'It's amplifying their aggression, their paranoia. We've lost control.' And later, a chillingly resigned entry: 'There is no escape. May He have mercy on our souls.'" Blaine had dismissed it as the ramblings of a madman, but Nova couldn't shake the feeling that the words were a warning, a prophecy that was still unfolding.

A sudden jolt, as Garrick stumbled over a loose piece of debris, brought Nova back to the sewer. Elynn groaned in pain, her unconscious form shifting in Garrick's arms. The sound, raw and vulnerable, cut through Nova's memories, a stark reminder of the immediate danger they faced. She pushed the thoughts of Galan aside, focusing on the task at hand. They needed to reach the cantina, find Kade, and figure out their next move.

"Mila," she called out, her voice echoing in the confined space. "How much further?" The sewer seemed to stretch on forever, a labyrinth of twisting tunnels and branching passages. Each step was an exercise in blind faith, a gamble that they were heading in the right direction. And somewhere out there, in the darkness, their pursuers were closing in.

They never found the tech they were looking for. Not that it mattered. What they found was far worse.

Blaine had been the one to find it. A hidden sub-level, not on any of the facility's schematics. He'd called Nova over, his voice filled with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. "Kid," he said, "I think we hit the jackpot."

It wasn't a jackpot. It was a cage. Inside, a creature unlike anything Nova had ever seen. It was vaguely humanoid, but its limbs were elongated and distorted, its flesh a patchwork of metal and organic tissue. Its eyes glowed with an eerie red light, and its body pulsed with a strange, internal energy. It was, as they would soon learn, an experimental weapon, a prototype for a new kind of soldier. And it was very much alive.

The creature had been dormant, but their intrusion had awakened it. It had lashed out, its movements faster and stronger than anything they could have anticipated. They'd barely managed to escape with their lives, the creature's enraged shrieks echoing in their ears as they fled the facility.

Blaine had been injured, his arm mangled by the creature's attack. Nova had dragged him back to the ship, her own fear battling with a desperate hope that they might still make it out alive. They had lifted off, leaving Galan and its horrors behind, but the experience had changed them both.

Blaine, lying on the medical cot, his face pale and drawn. "We should have left it," he'd whispered, his voice hoarse. "Some things are better left buried."

"Not much farther," Mila's voice, tight with strain, answered. "Just around this bend, I think. But keep your guard up. They know we're down here." The words were punctuated by a distant clang, followed by the unmistakable sound of more soldiers entering the sewer system. They were being hunted. Nova gripped her knife tighter, her knuckles bone-white. There’s no going back to how things were.

The sewer tunnel opened into a larger, circular chamber, the air thick with the smell of stale beer, cheap liquor, and unwashed bodies. A rusty ladder led upwards, disappearing into a hole in the ceiling. Garrick, his face slick with sweat, carefully maneuvered Elynn's limp body towards the ladder. "This is it," Mila said, her voice barely a whisper. "The cantina."

They climbed the ladder one by one, emerging into a dimly lit, low-ceilinged room. The cantina was a squalid, smoky den, filled with a motley assortment of humans, aliens, and the occasional heavily modified cyborg. Rough-hewn tables were scattered across the floor, surrounded by mismatched chairs and stools. A makeshift bar lined one wall, its shelves stocked with a variety of dubious-looking bottles. The air hung heavy with the smell of cheap alcohol, greasy food, and desperation.

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

As they entered, the barkeep, a burly human with a scarred face and a cybernetic eye, nodded curtly. He gestured towards a series of shutters covering the few grimy windows and the thick, reinforced door. Without a word, he began to close them, plunging the cantina into near darkness, the only light emanating from a few flickering neon signs behind the bar and the faint glow of P1nk3's internal systems.

A handful of patrons, their faces etched with the weariness of hard lives, glanced up as the team entered, their eyes lingering on Elynn's mangled leg and the strange, glowing android in their midst. But they quickly averted their gaze, returning to their drinks and their hushed conversations. No one wanted trouble. Not here. Not now.

Kade was already there, lounging at a table in the corner, a half-empty bottle of amber liquid in front of him. He raised his hand in a lazy salute as they approached. "Well, well," he drawled, a smirk playing on his lips. "Look who finally decided to show up. Where have you fellas been?"

No one responded, the exhaustion and the trauma of the escape etched on their faces. Garrick gently laid Elynn down on a bench, his movements surprisingly tender. P1nk3 stood silently beside them, its glowing red eyes scanning the room.

Mila rounded on Kade, her eyes blazing with fury. "You were supposed to be our backup," she hissed, her voice low and dangerous. "We could have been killed back there. The entire mission is still in jeopardy thanks to you. Where were you?"

Kade shrugged, unfazed by her anger. "Relax, Mila. I was just scouting ahead, making sure the coast was clear. Besides, you all seem to have handled yourselves just fine." He gestured towards Elynn with his bottle. "Mostly."

"You could have been followed," Mila continued, ignoring his jibe. "Did you even check?"

"Of course, I did," Kade said, taking a long swig from his bottle. "Didn't see a soul. Relax."

"Did you see anyone following you?" Mila pressed, her voice taking on a sharper edge. "Anyone at all?" She paused, looked at the group and then added, almost as an afterthought, "Corporate or otherwise?"

The word hung in the air, thick with unspoken accusations. A tense silence descended upon the group. Kade's smirk vanished, replaced by a look of cold calculation. He leaned forward, his eyes locking with Mila's.

"You know, Mila," Kade began, his voice soft yet carrying a dangerous edge. He leaned back in his chair, casually swirling the amber liquid in his bottle. "We've only known each other a few weeks, haven't we? But in that short time, we've certainly shared a few drinks in a few dives." He paused, his eyes fixed on Mila's face. "Seems like every backwater cantina from here to the Rim, the moment you walk in, the whole place tenses up. Bartenders go stiff, patrons start eyeing the exits... everyone seems to pucker up at your approach."

He took a slow, deliberate swig from his bottle, never breaking eye contact. "And funnily enough," he continued, as if struck by a sudden thought, "you always order the same damn thing. That Nait. Never seen you touch anything else. Strange, isn't it? For someone who claims to be fighting for the 'people's' right to choose, you're remarkably consistent in your own choices."

Mila remained silent, her gaze unwavering, but Nova noticed a slight tightening of her jaw, the almost imperceptible clenching of her hand on the table.

"What are you getting at, Kade?" she asked, her voice low and controlled.

"I'm saying," Kade said, his voice dropping to a near whisper, "that I don't know a fucking thing about you, except for your peculiar fondness for that particular brand of rotgut. Yet, for some reason, a lot of other people seem to know a great deal. Bartenders, smugglers, informants... they all recognize you, Mila. They recognize you, and they fear you." He leaned forward, his eyes glinting in the dim light. "So, I did a little digging. And you know what I found? Nothing. Not a damn thing. No records, no history, not even a lousy photo. It's like you materialized out of thin air a few weeks ago."

He paused for effect, letting his words sink in. "You said it yourself, Mila 'Resistance knows resistance.'" He said, almost tauntingly.

"So, I asked myself," Kade continued, his voice dripping with insinuation, "why is a supposed Resistance leader so unknown to the very people she claims to represent? And then... then I saw something in that fucking white room."

The air in the room grew thick with tension, heavy enough to choke on. Garrick, his hand hovering near the broken haft of his axe, shifted his weight, his gaze fixed on Kade. Cage, his face pale and drawn, nervously adjusted his glasses before stepping behind Nova. Even P1nk3 seemed to sense the shift in the atmosphere, its red eyes glowing a shade brighter.

Mila's voice, when she finally spoke, was ice-cold. "What might you have seen, Kade?"

Kade's lips curled into a slow, knowing smile. "I saw a bottle of Nait," he said, the words laced with a quiet intensity that sent a shiver down Nova's spine. "Sitting on a shelf, amidst all that sterile, Baixu tech. Just like the one you always order. Funny, isn't it?" He leaned back, casually spinning his bottle on the table. "A bottle of Nait, in a top-secret Presidium black site." He looked at her, his gaze piercing. "Care to explain that, Mila?"

A collective gasp swept through the group, though whether it was from shock or the sheer audacity of the accusation, Nova couldn't tell. Mila remained impassive, her face an unreadable mask. The silence stretched, punctuated only by the faint hum of P1nk3's internal systems.

Finally, Garrick broke the silence, his voice rough with disbelief. "Ho. What does that have to do with anything?" He asked Kade.

Kade ignored him, his attention still focused on Mila. He turned to the android, who had been observing the exchange with silent intensity. "Hey, P1nk3," he said, a hint of challenge in his voice. "You've been around the block a few times. You ever heard of our dear leader, Mila, before she graced us with her presence?"

Nova felt a chill crawl down her spine. The cryptic message from P1nk3 echoed in her mind: "Seek the conductor, or be lost in the dissonance." Was the conductor Mila? Was she the one pulling the strings?

Just as Pink3 opened his mouth to reply, Elynn jerked violently on the bench, her body arching in a spasm. A strangled gasp, followed by a choked, desperate scream, ripped through the tense silence.

Everyone turned, their attention snapping to Elynn. Nova's gaze, however, darted back to Kade. In that brief moment of distraction, she saw it beneath the table– his fingers closed around the butt of a small, concealed pistol, which he quickly holstered in a hidden pocket of his jacket. He was armed. And he had been ready to use it.

"Elynn!" Garrick exclaimed, rushing to her side. He knelt beside the bench, his large hands hovering over her, unsure of what to do. "Easy, lass. Easy."

Elynn's body was wracked with tremors, her face contorted in agony. Her eyes, wide and unfocused, stared up at the ceiling. "It hurts," she gasped, her voice barely a whisper. "Make it stop... please..."

Mila pushed past Kade, her earlier anger momentarily forgotten. "Cage, do we have anything for the pain?" she asked, her voice urgent.

Cage fumbled with his medkit, his hands shaking slightly. "I... I used the last of the good stuff on the way here," he stammered. "There's some local anesthetic, but it's not very strong."

"It'll have to do," Mila said, taking the kit from him. She knelt beside Elynn, her movements swift and efficient. "This will help," she said, her voice softer now, as she prepared to administer the medicine.

Nova watched them, her mind racing. The immediate crisis had pushed the confrontation with Kade aside, but the image of his hand on the gun was burned into her memory. He was going to shoot, she thought, a chill running down her spine. But…

P1nk3, who had remained silent throughout the commotion, now took a step closer to Elynn. Its glowing red eyes seemed to focus on her injured leg, or rather, where her leg used to be. "Fascinating," it murmured, its voice a low, almost inaudible hum. "Such a crude method of repair. Yet, effective in its own way."

"Can you do something to help her, Pinky?" Nova asked, turning to the android.

"My functions are li-limited," P1nk3 replied. "However, I may be able to assist in stabilizing her vital signs."

Kade, who had been watching the scene with a detached air, now spoke up. "Maybe we should just leave her," he said, his voice devoid of any empathy. "She's only going to slow us down."

Garrick rounded on him, his eyes blazing with fury. "You son of a bitch," he growled, taking a menacing step towards Kade. "She's one of us."

"Is she?" Kade asked, raising an eyebrow.