Chapter X – Onyx Tortoise Avenue

“Hello,” beamed the short, cheerful middle-aged woman that met them by the door on Onyx Tortoise Boulevard. “My name is Yao Zhi. You must be Madame Ostara’s niece, I take it?”

Mu nodded. “That’s me,” she said.

“And Madame Ostara said you’d be bringing some friends,” said Yao Zhi, her gaze flitting about the others. Tavian and Harry smiled back at her. Seraphina just stared blankly. Kal didn’t so much smile as slightly raise his chin in a gesture of rudimentary acknowledgement.

The landlady appeared to want to ask more questions, having seen Mu’s friends, but apparently erred on the side of politeness and said nothing. Her gaze drifted over Harry who smiled widely, flashing his perfect white teeth. She blushed slightly and looked away, her gaze instead falling on Seraphina.

The young witch had removed her hat; a pair of dark sunglasses hid her bright red eyes. However, her long white hair was still very much on display, creating an unusual combination with her youthful appearance. She still wore her customary dress and robes, but had donned a pair of surprisingly bulky boots, the first time Mu had seen her wear footwear of any kind. Finishing off her ensemble was an enormous and very battered suitcase that she seemed to carry with greater ease than one might expect from one so small.

The seemingly perpetually flustered landlady composed herself and spoke again, “I expect you’ll be wanting to see the apartment?” she asked.

“That would be lovely,” said Mu.

“Yes, of course, right this way,” said Mrs Yao.

She led them into the building’s lobby. A uniformed concierge waved to Mrs Yao as they passed and headed for the lift. Once inside they rode swiftly to the twelfth floor. They were led along a short corridor – softly lit, and tastefully decorated – to a door in front of which Mrs Yao stopped. She opened the door with a key card and passed another pair of cards to Mu.

“This is it,” she said, “Would you like me to give you a little tour?”

Mu shook her head, “That should be fine thank you.

“Okay, well, enjoy your stay. Please let me know if you require any assistance,” said Mrs Yao, glancing about the group.

“Thank you, m’lady,” said Harry, and he took her hand and lightly kissed it. She went bright red, smiled, nodded and then bustled back. As she went, she glanced once more back in their direction. Harry waved and she turned quickly again.

“Shall we?” said Mu, gesturing with an upturned palm and outstretched fingers towards the apartment. They all headed in and she closed the door behind them.

“Shame we’re not saying longer,” said Harry, “She was into me.”

“Sure, she was,” said Mu.

“I’m always a hit with the older ladies,” said Harry.

“Good for you,” said Tavian.

As they talked Kal had immediately set about checking out every detail of the apartment, inspecting every corner and cupboard with intense focus. Both the architecture and design of the apartment gave the impression that it was at least a century old, maybe more. It was very tastefully decorated in a fusion of modern and classical Shang style, that gave it a certain timelessness, despite the obvious age of the building itself. It consisted of one large open-plan living area with lounge, dining, and kitchen. Hallways came off either side of this, presumably leading to bedrooms and bathrooms. Along one wall, a large row of windows looked out across the street.

“How much did Ostara pay for this?” asked Tavian.

Mu looked his way. It looked nice enough. How expensive was it? She didn’t even have a ballpark idea. “Does it look expensive?” she asked.

Tavian laughed out loud. “Maybe not to a princess,” he said.

“It does. It definitely does. I guess Ostara wanted to spoil us.”

“It was simply the best positioned place available,” said Kal, without turning to look their way.

Seraphina had by now entered and sat on one of the couches, placing her suitcase on the coffee table. She set about rummaging through it and pulled out her hat, placing it upon her head with a look of satisfaction. She removed her sunglasses, carefully folding them and placing them in a case, then proceeded to remove her boots and socks and place them in the suitcase.

“That’s better,” she said, looking a lot more like her standard self. She held up one hand and whispered, “Corvum voco.”

There was a little puff of black mist and Matthias the Six-Winged Raven appeared, now perched on her hand.

“Don’t see that everyday,” said Tavian to Mu.

“No, you don’t,” she said, her eyes staying fixed on the raven.

“Which room is mine?” asked Seraphina.

“Whichever you like,” said Mu.

“I need a room with a window so Matthias can come and go,” she said.

“Take your pick.”

With that Seraphina disappeared down one of the hallways, giant suitcase, and raven along with her.

“Okay, I guess the rest of us should get settled,” said Mu, “Then we can work out what the next steps are. Everything looking alright, Kal?”

“Nothing untoward so far,” replied Kal.

“That’s good,” said Mu.

With that Mu set off after Seraphina, heading to find a room. The first room she encountered was already claimed. The witch was now sitting cross-legged in the centre of the room, incense burners surrounding her. The window was open and she was facing it. The raven was nowhere to be seen. Troublingly her usually bright red eyes were now pure black – no pupil, iris or sclerae, just pure black.

Unsettling, thought Mu.

Not long later Mu heard a knock on her door. She was sitting at a desk in one corner of the room by the window, reading something on her tablet when she heard it. She looked up from what she was reading and turned towards the door.

“Come in,” she called out.

The door opened and Harry appeared, holding two steaming cups. “Kal’s ready to talk tactics in the loungeroom. I thought you might want some coffee.”

Mu’s eyes brightened and before she knew it, she was reaching out in Harry’s direction. “Yes, please!”

He smiled as he handed her one of the cups. She immediately took a big gulp.

“Ow! Hot, hot, hot!” she said.

“I was gonna warn you, but you just went for that,” said Harry. “You alright?”

Mu nodded then blew on her coffee. She got to her feet and followed Harry out to the loungeroom. Tavian was already seated on the lounge, while Seraphina was seated cross-legged on the rug. Kal was pacing up and down with his hands behind his back. Harry sat down in an armchair and Mu took up a spot next to Tavian on the couch.

“Okay,” said Kal. “Here’s the plan: we need to work out how we fake a delivery to the Governor’s mansion before we can resolve many more of the finer details. That means, Harry you need to get all the necessary details from Tavian and head to this nightclub. Seraphina has already begun scouting the compound and will provide us with a much more detailed picture than the initial schematics that Nova was able to get hold of. Mu, why don’t you go find yourself a suitable outfit for this mission?”

“I think I should help with that,” said Harry.

“You’re going to the nightclub.”

Mu spoke up this time. “Thing is, I don’t really know what I’m suppose to wear in order to look convincingly like a prostitute.”

“I can help,” said Tavian.

“Of course you can,” said Mu, catching some side eye from Tavian in response.

“That’s sorted then,” said Kal.

“Just… out of curiosity. And I know I already agreed to this, but are we absolutely set on the drugs and prostitute plan?” she asked.

“Anything else and there will be invoices, formal procedures, and whatever else. This is the only way we get admitted, but don’t risk getting caught by formal security checks,” said Kal.

Mu nodded. “I guess she said.”

Having conceded this, she changed the topic.

“Any word on the Resonance Bureau?”

Kal shook his head. “Haven’t heard anything from Ostara or Nova.”

Mu sighed. “I want to hear something. Anything. We know they’re here… but what are they doing?”

“Can’t you look forward and find out?” asked Tavian.

“It’s not that simple. My foresight’s weak here. And more than that… I’ve heard things about Resonance Bureau agents.”

“What sort of things?” asked Tavian.

“I’ve heard it said they have techniques to completely suppress their Resonance with the Starflow,” said Mu. “This means even the Starseers of the Bureau of the Celestial Foresight can’t predict their actions. All enforcement agents of the Bureau are Resonants themselves, but they’re completely invisible to other Resonants – whether through Foresight or any other sense. At least that’s what I’ve heard. I dunno… I’ve tried myself to look for any signs of them in the future, but the answers I get are vague at best. When I was being interrogated by the Customs Bureau I tried to see if they were going to hand me over to the Resonance Bureau. All I got was some faint sense that the Resonance Bureau was involved… somehow.”

“But they didn’t hand you over,” said Harry.

“No… but I think it might be true, what they say. That the agents can hide from foresight. And that makes me feel very uneasy. I just want to know,” said Mu.

“Well, Nova is monitoring closely for any signs of them,” said Kal. “You’ll know as soon as she does.”

His words did little for her anxiety, but she resolved to focus on the mission at hand. She’d brought them all here, so she had to be on top of her game now. She just hoped when the Bureau made its move there’d be some sign, some forewarning.

“Have you found anything yet, Seraphina?”

“I can show you,” she said. “Please bring me a glass.”

Mu looked at Tavian, he shrugged. She stood and walked to fetch a glass from the kitchen. She placed it on the table in front of Seraphina.

“Thank you,” said Seraphina.

With that the witch breathed in deeply and tilted up her head until she was looking directly up at the ceiling. Her eyes went completely black once more, as Mu had seen them before, and she reached up one hand, two fingers extending towards her eyes. As Mu watched she jabbed these fingers into her eyes, the surfaces rippling like some black pond. A moment later she withdrew her hand and long, oozing tendrils of black sludge accompanied the tips of her fingers. With her other hand she picked up the glass and moved it underneath, so that the sludge drizzled into it. Then she shut her eyes and gave a flick of her wrist, sending a few remaining droplets of the sludge flying off. She opened her eyes again and they were their usual red. She looked right at Mu.

“Drink this,” she said, handing the glass to Mu.

“Um…” said Mu.

“It’s not very tasty, I’m sorry,” said Seraphina.

“That… that wasn’t my main concern,” said Mu.

She held up the glass and eyed its contents gingerly.

“Drink up,” urged Tavian, leaning forward with an all to amused expression on his face.

“You know, if you want to pass it this way, I’m sure I could make it into a solid cocktail for you,” said Harry. “Might need to get some flavour notes off Seraphina first though, know what I’m working with. Not too familiar with… eye… goo.”

Mu ignored the two of them and after a deep breath to steel herself she threw back the contents of the glass. Contrary to what Seraphina had led her to expect it had almost no flavour at all. No, it was the texture that was thoroughly disturbing, somehow wet and dry at the same time. It felt like it clung to the edges of her mouth and throat, thick and viscous. And it was strangely uneven in temperature, some patches warm, others quite cold. With a great effort Mu forced it down, then resisted the multiple activations of her gag reflex that ensued. She sat perfectly still for a moment, eyes closed, until she was convinced that she wasn’t going to throw up.

She opened her eyes. Everything was normal. “What, um, what is this supposed to do?” she asked.

“It will take a moment,” said Seraphina.

Then it hit. It felt like an all-mighty force had yanked Mu from where she sat. She went rocketing through the air, into the hall, into Seraphina’s room, and then out the window. She looked down and saw that somehow, she wasn’t falling. No, she was soaring. Up and up, over the bustling street below. There was the wall of the Governor’s compound and then the courtyard filled with gardens and ponds and miniature canals, crossed by little bridges. With a burst of exhilaration, she swept lower, pulling up just before she struck the ground. A moment later she passed through a moon gate, into a secluded courtyard. There she came to a stop, perching atop a small wall. Beside a lotus pond in the centre of the courtyard was a little open-air pavilion. Seated in it were two men, one rather girthy individual dressed in Aixin court robes, the other tall and thin in more Shang-style robes.

As she came to terms with what she was experiencing, she heard a voice in her head:

“I believe that fat man is the Governor.”

“Seraphina? Is that you? What’s happening?”

“You are seeing Matthias’ memories.”

“I’m…” Mu only realised now that they’d stopped that she couldn’t look around. Before everything had been moving too fast for her to realise that she wasn’t making choices about what to look at. “How do I… how do I get out?” asked Mu.

“You don’t like it?”

“It’s a little disconcerting,” said Mu. “How about you just tell us what you saw? Or what Matthias saw?”

“Okay,” said Seraphina.

In the next moment everything that Mu had just seen rushed by her again, this time in reverse and at far greater speed. A second or less later she had the sensation of falling back into her own body

“You, ah, doing alright there, friend?” asked Tavian.

Mu was panting, as if she’d just run a race. She shook her head to clear it and glanced at Tavian, blinking uncomprehendingly at him a few times before what he’d said registered properly in her mind.

“I saw the Governor,” she said.

Tavian was quiet.

Seraphina decided this was the time to jump in with an explanation. “I showed her some of what Matthias has seen.”

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“Ah,” said Tavian.

“It was like I was the bird.” Mu looked at Seraphina now, having regained her composure. “I think once you’re done with scouting around, Kal needs to see everything.”

Seraphina nodded. “That was the plan. I thought you might want to understand what I’m doing.”

“I understand, and it’s terrifying,” said Mu.

“I’ve always thought being a bird would be cool,” murmured Tavian, absentmindedly.

“Sorry, by the way,” said Mu, to Seraphina.

Seraphina didn’t respond.

“What you’re doing is great and that was very interesting. I just found it… troubling that I couldn’t move or look anywhere at will. How do you do it for so long?”

“When I’m scouting, Matthias and I are one. He is my familiar,” said Seraphina. “What we were seeing then, though, was just a memory, so we couldn’t see anything that Matthias had not already seen.”

“Right,” said Mu. “I get it.”

“Alright,” said Kal. “Seraphina will provide me with the final results once she has completely scouted the compound. In the meantime, it is almost night. Harry, you need to get moving to this nightclub. Get all the details you need from Tavian and be on your way.”

Harry could sense Kal’s growing frustration with the amount of time it was taking him to get ready, but if he was going to play this role, he was going to nail it. As such he spent a little extra time putting the finer touches on his ensemble. Foregoing the more modern style of most of his outfits, he had elected to adopt a style more specific to Shangxia, with a dark mandarin-collar suit with embroidered details on the cuffs. He finished off the outfit with a long coat which he hung around his shoulders, a banded fedora, and a pair of small round glasses.

Once satisfied with his ensemble he headed out into the night. The city was bustling with activity, bright lights from buildings and bill boards illuminating the scene, traffic flowing continually along Onyx Tortoise Boulevard. Harry hailed a cab and input the destination information Tavian had given him.

A short while later he stepped out into a much narrower street in a far less salubrious part of town. A sign confirmed he’d found Mr Wu’s Jazz Lounge and Cocktails. He strolled with all the swagger he could muster up to the doorman and flashed his most winning grin.

“I’m here to see Mrs Hua,” he said.

“Is she expecting you?” asked the doorman.

“She is,” said Harry.

Tavian had sent a message through some contacts, but they hadn’t heard anything back. Nonetheless, Harry was just going to plough ahead and hope for the best. He’d asked Mu how she thought things would go and she’d given him a thumbs up. Whether that was just optimism on her part, or actual foresight, he wasn’t sure, but he chose to believe the latter.

“Your name?” asked the doorman.

“You can tell her Mr Zhang is here to see her,” said Harry.

The doorman tapped his ear and relayed this information. A moment later he seemed to get his reply. “The General Manager will see you shortly. Someone will escort you inside.”

“Thank you, my man, you’ve been most helpful,” said Harry with another smile. The doorman remained stony faced.

Harry stepped inside once the door opened. Inside he waited a few moments before his escort appeared. He was led across the club’s floor, through a back door and down a miniature labyrinth of corridors before they reached an office. His escort hit the intercom and announced Harry. A moment later the door opened and he was ushered through.

Inside was a dimly lit and fairly simple office, its décor in stark contrast to the club outside. Behind a desk sat a woman in her thirties or forties, dressed in a floral-patterned qipao. Her hair was in a bun, with a few stray strands framing her face. She wore a pair of glasses through which he frowned at Harry.

“Mrs Hua, I presume?” said Harry. “A pleasure.”

“Mr Zhang?” said Mrs Hua, pronouncing the name with active distaste. “Your contacts don’t fill me with an abundance of confidence.”

“Well, you see, my father is an important man, so I need to use… more discrete channels than I might optimally.”

“Whatever. Hurry up, tell me what you want. I’m busy here – the band’s been missing a player the last few nights and all the replacements are lousy musicians or drunkards or both.”

“I’ll cut to the chase then,” said Harry.

“Please do,” scowled Mrs Hua.

“I’m taking a little break here on Shangxia with a few close acquaintances and we were looking to have a good time. We were told that you were the person to speak to,” said Harry, his smile never leaving his face despite what bordered on active hostility emanating from Mrs Hua.

“Why does this involve me?” snarled Mrs Hua. “See our bartenders if you want the best drinks in the city.”

“I’m sure your bartenders make excellent cocktails, but I was ideally looking for something… more. Something that will really take our evening to the next level. And perhaps some… pleasant company on the side,” said Harry, vaguely wondering whether he was coming off as sufficiently sleezy to pull off the role.

“I told you I was busy didn’t I?” said Mrs Hua.

Harry nodded. “You made that clear.”

“Well then please don’t waste my fucking time,” said Mrs Hua. “You want drugs and women?”

Harry decided the time for subtlety was at an end. “That’s right.”

“Anything in particular?”

“Happy to sample the local delicacies. That said, my acquaintances are rather particular, so we would only want the finest quality. I am willing to pay whatever is necessary,” said Harry.

“I’ll arrange someone to get in touch,” said Mrs Hua.

Harry took in a breath. This was the key moment. “If I may be so bold… could I ask if you might be familiar with who… His Excellency… liaises with? It’s just my father has previously had dealings with the Governor and I know for a fact he is a man of exceptional tastes.”

“I am not in the business of giving out the details of clients,” said Mrs Hua.

Harry had no time to think strategy and so improvised on the go. “Of course, and believe me, I absolutely appreciate the need for discretion, especially for a man of His Excellency’s standing. And I absolutely don’t need any specifics, it’s just that if I am to spend a large sum, I want to be confident in the quality I’ll be receiving.”

Mrs Hua removed her glasses and lifted up a cloth, wiping the lenses before replacing them. “Mr Zhang, I am not in the business of connecting clients to inferior products. I assure you, anyone I recommend will supply a product of the most exquisite quality.”

Harry took just a moment to consider before flashing her with a conciliatory grin. “Of course, of that I have no doubt. But even within the finest tier of product there is still someone who has the best of all, is there not? And I trust that His Excellency would have the discerning taste to recognise such—”

Mrs Hua leant forward. “Mr Zhang, I agreed to this meeting against my better judgement. I do not know you and I do not know who this father of yours is. So, unless you want to start providing me with more information, I may well be disinclined to continue. I may also start to become a little suspicious about why you are so specifically interested in the Governor’s suppliers.”

Tavian had warned Harry that Mrs Hua was not the easiest woman to deal with, but Harry was starting to think he’d underestimated the difficulty of the task. He’d have had more luck charming a brick wall. His mind rapidly parsed the options. There was a point where it was better to withdraw in defeat and try to find another angle. If he pressed too hard word might reach the Governor, which could compromise everything.

Still, time enough for one last gambit.

“I don’t want to cause any trouble for you, Madame General Manager,” said Harry, holding up his hands. “Given your time is valuable, I shan’t take up anymore of it. Why don’t I place my faith in your assuredly good judgment and we’ll leave it at that. And of course, a referral fee will be in order for your efforts, plus significant repeat custom.”

Mrs Hua stared back at him with sceptical eyes. “Fine. Give your details to Mr Li on the way out and someone will be in touch.”

Mission accomplished. If the mission were to score drugs and prostitutes, thought Harry. Still, he judged it too dangerous to push any harder now.

“Thank you so very much, Madame General Manager,” he said with a bow.

Mrs Hua looked as unimpressed as ever. “Get out of my sight before my better judgement kicks in.”

With one more bow, Harry rose to his feet and headed for the door. It slid open and he stepped outside. The man who had escorted him in when he arrived stepped forward. “Your tablet, please?”

Harry passed him the device and a moment later the man handed it back. “Someone will be in contact shortly. You are welcome to wait in the bar in the meantime.”

With nothing better to do Harry headed to the bar. Taking up a seat he leant forward. He raised a finger when a bartender looked his way and asked the bartender to surprise him when he came over. Shortly after Harry was sipping an entirely pedestrian cocktail, his back now to the bar, observing the club. The band was up on stage. A pretty woman with extremely long hair was singing in a pleasingly smoky voice.

I wonder if that’s Tavian’s friend, Fang?

Harry hadn’t quite finished his drink when a message flashed up on his tablet:

Mr Zhang, you are cordially invited to the Jade Lounge.

There was nothing to indicate who had sent the message.

Harry flagged down the bartender again. “Another of those please… and where might I find the Jade Lounge?”

The bartender gave him a surprised look, but gave him the directions. Downing the remnants of his first drink, Harry took the second and headed the way he’d been directed. The Jade Lounge was behind a closed door with an attendant outside.

“Mr Zhang,” said Harry, introducing himself, “They’re expecting me.”

“Of course, sir,” said the attendant and the door opened.

Inside were several men, but only one of them was seated. He was a bald man with a long moustache and an immaculately tailored and no doubt very expensive suit. At Harry’s entrance the man smiled and rose to his feet, walking forward to shake Harry’s hand.

“Welcome, Mr Zhang. I am Wei Jiang. The General Manager tells me you are a man of very particular tastes. I believe I have it within my power to ensure that your every desire is satisfied.”

Compared to Mrs Hua, Mr Wei was a ray of sunshine, but there was an underlying vibe from him that Harry found undeniably sinister.

Not that he’d let that impact his performance. “That is excellent to hear,” he said, then made his gamble, “Mrs Hua says you take care of some of Shangxia’s… most illustrious.”

Something flashed across Mr Wei’s face, almost imperceptible and too quick for Harry to definitively identify. An infinitesimally short time later his customary smile had returned. “She does, does she?” he asked. “Well, I can assure you, my client list is filled with satisfied individuals. And I can also assure you that you will be among the most illustrious company there is here on Shangxia.”

Most illustrious. Does that mean the Governor?

Regardless, he didn’t think he was likely to get anymore info out of Mr Wei, so he decided his best bet was to wrap things up here and get Seraphina and Nova to conduct their respective surveillance on Mr Wei. With any luck that would reveal what they needed for their plan. It was a solid lead, if not the confirmation he’d been hoping for.

They discussed arrangements for supply and payment. “My couriers will make the delivery as soon as possible and the girls can be there at the time that suits you and your associates,” said Mr Wei.

Perhaps Seraphina could conduct surveillance on the “couriers” as well.

Options, at least.

“Thank you very much,” said Mr Zhang. “It has been a pleasure doing business with you and I look forward to a fruitful relationship in the future.”

Mr Wei smiled.

Harry wandered back out into the main area of the club. The band was still performing. On a whim he went and sat down at the bar again. He raised his tablet and took a snap, shooting it Tavian’s way.

Harry: This your friend Fang?

Tavian: Yes. But don’t bother.

Harry: She turn you down?

Tavian: No. But I know she’ll turn you down.

Harry: That almost sounds like a challenge.

But that’s not why I’m messaging.

She well connected?

Tavian: She’s been here longer than me.

Might know something.

Harry: She trustworthy? Can she keep a secret?

Tavian: She’s solid.

That settled it.

Harry ordered another drink and waited for the band to reach one of its periodic breaks. He casually strolled over to the stage. As he walked, he did his best to inconspicuously glance around. He couldn’t see Mrs Hua or Mr Wei anywhere, but didn’t doubt there were cameras watching.

“Miss Fang?” he said, reaching the stage.

She smiled at him in a polite yet perfunctory manner. “Hello.”

He could see she was quite happy to leave it at that, so he spoke up again, though quietly enough that only she could hear. “I’m a friend of Tavian’s.”

Her head flicked around. “Tavian’s? How is he?”

“He’s alive,” said Harry.

Fang held up a hand and walked over to the stairs, descending from the stage. “What’s happened to him?” she asked when she reached where Harry was standing.

“Anywhere more private to speak?” asked Harry. “Probably best that Mrs Hua doesn’t get wind of any of this.”

The look in Fang’s eyes said she understood. “Follow me.”

He did as she instructed and not long after he found himself standing with her in a dimly lit alleyway outside. She took out a cigarette and offered the case to Harry. “You smoke?”

“Not usually,” he said, “But I guess it might look better for the cameras. I assume we’re still being watched here.”

“Always a safe assumption,” said Fang. Harry took a cigarette and she lit it for him. He took a drag and coughed a little.

“Smooth,” she said.

“Oh, that’s me,” he said, still spluttering slightly. “Harry, by the way.”

“So, what secret things do you want to tell me?” she asked. “Keeping in mind I’ve got to be back on that stage in about ten minutes.”

“Well, Tavian’s alive, like I said,” said Harry.

“I’m glad. I think I would have been genuinely sad if he were dead,” said Fang, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke which wafted lazily up into the night air. “The last time I saw him he was working his magic on some pretty young thing. Figured he might have been caught by a jealous husband.”

Harry took the smallest of drags on the cigarette. “Funnily enough, that’s not too far off what happened, actually.”

“Oh? Who was the husband?”

“Before I say anything more, you need to swear to secrecy. Don’t tell anyone a word of what I’m about to tell you.”

“Fine,” she said.

“Great. Because I don’t want to bullshit you. And I’m not going to bullshit you,” said Harry.

“My suspicion that someone is about to bullshit me always goes up immediately after someone tells me they aren’t going to bullshit me,” said Fang. “But for some reason I trust you. Even if you are a friend of Tavian’s.”

Harry grinned and half-laughed, half-spluttered. “The woman Tavian went home with was the Governor’s concubine.”

It was Fang’s turn to splutter. “What?”

“Well, Tavian had to flee. Then the… er, our little… group decided – collectively – that Tavian kind of had a responsibility for anything that happened to this young lady after he fled. So now we’re going to rescue her.”

Fang looked incredulous. “You’re going to break into the Governor’s Yamen to rescue one of his concubines from his clutches?"

"That is what we are going to do,” said Harry.

“Well, I always felt Tavian was a bit crazy, but I guess his friends are too,” said Fang.

“Regardless, I’ll cut to the chase before you have to go back,” said Harry. “The Governor hires prostitutes and buys drugs, right?”

“Sure,” said Fang, “Everyone knows that.”

“Do you know who supplies him?”

“Everything like that in this city is controlled by the same people,” said Fang. “The White Gang. I saw Mr Wei in the club tonight.”

“It is him…” said Harry, more to himself than to her.

“I’d assume so,” said Fang.

Harry looked her in the eyes. “You’ve been very helpful.”

“Glad I could help you and Tavian in getting yourselves killed,” said Fang, stubbing out her cigarette.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to the stage. Er… I’m just thinking, this whole little secret conversation might look less suss if we were to make-out. Just a little. For appearances.”

Fang laughed. “I can see why you are Tavian’s friend. Sorry, dear, not happening.”

“Damn, it would have really annoyed Tavian,” said Harry.

“Well, if it’s to annoy Tavian… hand me your tablet.”

Harry did as he was told. She held it out at arm’s length then bent in to kiss him on the cheek, snapping a picture at the same time. “A souvenir,” she said with a grin, passing him back the tablet, before heading inside.

“Bye,” he said.

He glanced down at the photo and smiled.

“The couriers will be making a delivery tomorrow,” said Harry. “We can track them, find out when they’ll next be headed to the Yamen. We intercept. In we go, before anyone realises anything is wrong.”

“It won’t be easy,” said Kal, “But yes, I think it is our best bet. Only trouble is the drugs and the girls don’t show up at the same time, based on what you’ve heard. We might need to stagger your arrivals. Then it’ll be a matter of linking up on the inside, getting to Miss Li’s room and getting her out.”

“I have finished mapping the Yamen,” said Seraphina.

“Show us where to go, we’ll make the interception, and we’ll be on our way,” said Tavian.

“This is mad,” said Mu.

“That’s the Amrita way,” said Harry, grinning.

“Alright,” said Mu. “I guess we move.”

“Game on,” said Tavian.

Governor Aixin Yucheng leant back in his high-backed chair and gazed up at the ceiling, letting out a long sigh. The meeting with the capital’s Combined Chamber of Commerce had taken far longer than he cared for. It was getting dark outside. It had been a painful experience from start to finish.

There’s going to be a rebellion if the Imperial Government doesn’t restart interstellar departures, he reflected glumly. And everyone will blame it on me.

The day had not been a pleasant one. He had only that morning received news that his great aunt would be visiting Shangxia next week. He knew the only reason she would come was to attempt to dig up dirt on him. She was forever scheming to have her son replace him as Governor of Shangxia.

He’d deal with that situation tomorrow.

For now, he needed to let off some steam. He hit a button on his desk. “Have Li Mingxia brought to my chambers,” he said. “And a bottle of baijiu.”

“Yes, Your Excellency,” came the reply from the other end of the intercom.

He was about to make his way back to his chambers when the intercom buzzed once more. “I—I’m sorry, Your Excellency, but there is someone here—”

“I am finished for the day. Schedule them for a meeting if they’re worth my time.”

There was no time for the reply to come.

The doors to his office slid open and a man and a woman in long dark coats walked in, both significantly taller and thinner than the Governor himself.

“Excuse me!” barked the Governor in outrage. He was about to say more when he began taking note of their distinctive features. Particularly the unconcealed cybernetic implants on their heads. With a sinking feeling, he realised who they were. He had already had the distinct displeasure of meeting them once before.

They confirmed it a moment later. “Greetings, Your Excellency. As you may recall, I am Ms Chu, this is Mr Wang. We are from the Interstellar Fugitives Section of the Enforcement Division of the Bureau of Resonance. We will be requiring an update on the search for the fugitives.”

Why are they so interested?

He was interested in capturing the bastard who had slept with Li Mingxia right under his nose. That took guts or stupidity – perhaps both – but whatever the case may be, the Governor was determined that he would pay a very dear price.

But the Resonance Bureau was interested in the woman. Who was she? She was dangerous, he knew that much. Bai Qiang had told him that one of his White Gang lieutenants – some Wei Jiang – had lost a number of men to her on the night of the incident at the Tianyigang freight facility. So, she was probably an unregistered Resonant. But that didn’t explain it all. Whole planets didn’t get shut down for days on end to contain a single unregistered Resonant. And these agents – they weren’t from a local field office; they had been dispatched directly from the Imperial Capital. There was more to this story, and infuriatingly he – the planet’s Governor – was being left in the dark.

But at least he had some news for the agents.

“The woman you’re hunting. Whatever her real name – and might I say, our operations would go more smoothly if you would reveal that to us – she is now going by an alias. Qing Zhu. What’s more, she has returned to the surface. One day ago.”

“Is she in custody?”

The Governor gulped. “Unfortunately, we only connected that alias to her belatedly. We are currently attempting to narrow down her whereabouts. The Customs Bureau flagged her credentials for some irregularities when she went to the Ring, after the incident at the freight facility, but they let her go.”

“Her current whereabouts are unknown?”

“We have had some minor technical glitches with some of our surveillance systems, but the problem should be resolved shortly. We believe she is in the Capital and if she makes a single move, we’ll pick her up,” insisted the Governor.

“Mr Wang,” said the female agent, “I do believe the Governor’s words indicate that the Planetary Government’s efforts have been unsatisfactory.”

“Yes, Ms Chu, I agree,” replied the male.

“Wait, wait, wait!” interjected the Governor in outrage, “It is the Customs Bureau that let her slip through. That’s a matter for the Imperial Government, not the Planetary Government.”

The agents were not dissuaded. “Your surveillance systems have failed during a critical security incident. This is indicative of sub-optimal practices within the Planetary security apparatus.”

“Ms Chu, I believe we should requisition Planetary Government security forces in order to ensure operational goals are met,” said Mr Wang.

“I agree, Mr Wang. Governor, we will have the formal requisition documentation forwarded to your office as a matter of some urgency. We shall deal with Imperial Customs separately. You are to provide us with a comprehensive brief of all security and surveillance resources in place and make such resources fully available to us,” said the female agent.

“I—” spluttered the Governor. “This is an outrage.”

“You are welcome to appeal to the Grand Council,” said the male agent. “His Imperial Excellency, Aixin Ulušun, Prince of the First Rank and Minister for Civil Administration has provided the Bureau with special operational orders, which include authorisation to requisition all Banner- and Planetary-level Government resources as required to apprehend the target.”

The Governor shook his head slowly, barely believing what he was hearing. “Banner-level? Who is this woman?”

“She is an extremely dangerous unregistered Resonant,” replied the female agent.

“Did you have any further questions?” asked the male agent.

So many.

But he didn’t know what to say. He shook his head, still in disbelief.

“Very well. The requisition documentation shall be deposited with your office tonight. Please ensure all briefing information is provided to us with the utmost haste and accuracy. Thank you, Your Excellency.”

The Governor watched as the two agents left.

He breathed out and slumped in his chair. Everything had gone mad in a matter of days. He called out for his secretary.

Li Mingxia’s latest round of punishment would have to wait. Apparently, there was work to be done.