“Officer Rhine.”

“... Officer Rhine?”

“Hey Varyna!”

Varyna blinked and looked up to see both Quoppi-Shaden and Faren Cleus staring at her from the front seats of the hover car.

“Oh sorry, what were you saying?” Varyna smiled half-heartedly at the pair.

“Look, I don’t like this any more than you do,” Faren began, brandishing an air converter with a frown, “but they don’t make this stuff Kremel-sized.”

“Ah...” Varyna glanced down at the rubbery bundle in her lap. “No, it’s fine. I was thinking about something else.”

Faren smirked and tapped her on the forehead. “Where is your mind these days, Officer Varyna? You haven’t been the same since you came back from the outer jurisdiction patrol.”

“Sorry, Sir. I’ll do better!” As Varyna unfurled the bundle, Faren turned back to his own rubbery bundle.

They were wetsuits. Designed to make Humans comfortable when surrounded by water. The suits were useful for times they had to enter Nemarian-designed buildings. Like the club they were currently parked down the street from. Their black hover car was just one of many lining the street. Even in the middle of the week, the club was still bustling with guests.

The club itself consisted of a small marble building in front, with a massive glass dome rising behind it. The glass was tinted, but shadows and colorful glints could be seen sloshing through the water. In Varyna’s opinion, it looked like nothing more than a giant fish tank. But the Nemarians loved it. In fact, according to intel, the underworld elites had started using it as one of their fronts for Cnidarium dealing.

Cnidarium was a relatively new drug. Its origins weren’t known for sure—it had suddenly popped up one day and then rapidly swept through the upper class. It was a hallucinogen, and even a pinch too much could kill a full grown Kremel. Plus, its users got addicted quickly, leading to a rise in violent crime on the streets—not to mention the uptick in fatal hover car accidents caused by drivers under the influence.

The Section 0 Crime Division, the top ranked team in charge of special investigations, had been tracking the drug for a while, and sent out the request for the local squad to get evidence at this particular club. And the local squad happened to be Faren Cleus’s squad, which only had one Nemarian and two Humans who could take on the job. Not the most ideal combination for infiltrating a Nemarian club, but the mission was simple enough that they should be fine.

Varyna grimaced as she tugged the rubber suit over her uniform. It was more than a tight fit. Faren’s grunts from the front seat indicated that he was also struggling to pull on the wetsuit. “Why do they make these things so blasted tight,” he mumbled.

“To prevent drag and possible air leakage,” Quoppi answered impassively, and Varyna stifled a snort. She couldn’t tell if her squadmate was really that socially inept, or if he was aware enough of his reputation to aggravate the Captain on purpose.

“Right. Of course. That’s why.” It sounded like Faren was using every bit of self-control to keep from smacking his underling in the head. He couldn’t lash out at poor Quoppi for offering what he thought was a helpful explanation. Though, Varyna swore she saw the Nemarian smirk for a split second at Faren’s frustration.

After several grunts, needless input from Quoppi, and incredible self-restraint on Faren and Varyna’s part, the trio was finally ready to infiltrate The AquaDome.

“Welcome. Can I see some identification?” An indigo-finned doorman was friendly at first toward Quoppi, but quickly changed his tone when he saw the two humans behind him.

“We have this.” Quoppi pulled a message chip out of his pocket and tossed it to the doorman. This was the first time Varyna had ever seen her friend in street clothes. He had tight fitting black pants and a flowy white shirt with a gleaming silver vest and matching boots to top it off. It made her even more conscious of the rubbery black suit covering every inch of her body and the air converter dangling around her neck.

“Oh! I see!” The doorman grinned as he finished reading the message on the chip. “Right this way Mr. Alf. Your security personnel are more than welcome as well.”

Section 0 had given them the message chip and cover identities earlier in the day. The chip had a recommendation from one of the owners of the AquaDome. Varyna had no idea if it was forged or not. The recommendation was good for a ‘Mr. Benou-Alf’, an upper-class Nemarian businessman, and two members of his personal security detail.

The group followed the doorman into the entry building. They found themselves in a small air-filled lobby, with three sets of doors spread on the far wall. The walls and floor were all covered in large golden tiles, and sconces with blue crystals provided ambient light. Their guide approached the set of doors on the left and pressed the button next to it. The doors slid open, and he motioned the three inside.

“Have fun!” the Nemarian beamed as he closed the door behind them. The space they were in now was the airlock chamber. It was small, but spacious enough for the three to stand comfortably.

Not long after the doors closed, a long beep sounded and the doors to the lobby lit up red. Then water began filling the chamber.

“Enjoy one last breath on dry land.” Faren clinked his air converter against Varyna’s in a strange sort of toast before affixing it over his face. Varyna followed suit. The breathing piece sat over their mouths, with a large translucent piece that covered the rest of their face to keep water out without hindering their vision. Varyna couldn’t stop thinking how it reminded her of the windshield of a hover car. Not that they were here to make a fashion statement anyway.

When the chamber had filled entirely with water, another set of doors lit up green and slid open.

The comm buzzed in Varyna’s ear with Quoppi’s voice.

“Welcome to The AquaDome.”

The inside looked even more like a giant aquarium. Colorful ribbon-like plants were around the walls, swaying in the water as they stretched from the floor to ceiling. The only lighting were the bright blue and orange laser lights that rippled all around. Dozens of Nemarians lingered at glass tables in the front area while a crowd could be seen farther inside on the dance floor.

A Nemarian in a sleek blue suit approached them right away and began conversing with Quoppi. Small bubbles came out of their mouths and gills as they spoke, but to Humans like Varyna and Faren with ears more suited to the land, it seemed like the two weren’t making any noise at all.

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After a while, the blue suit Nemarian began moving and Quoppi motioned for Varyna and Faren to follow. Like their ears, the rest of their bodies weren’t made for the water, and the two Humans couldn’t move quite as effortlessly as the Nemarians did, even with their wetsuits. But Quoppi made sure to never be more than arm’s reach ahead of them.

The blue suit Nemarian led them away from the front room and down a hallway. The floor tiles turned to glittering pebbles as they came to a glass tube. Quoppi and the other Nemarian immediately began swimming upward. Faren and Varyna did their best to keep up.

At the top, they came to another hallway, and finally came to a halt in front of a door. Quoppi and their guide conversed again before Quoppi turned to his Human companions with a frown.

“They said no security personnel or weapons are allowed inside the room,” he informed them, carefully keeping his gills closed to ensure his words carried no farther than the comm unit.

“Ha. Looks like we’ll have to think of something in a hurry,” Faren’s voice crackled back.

“I told them Varyna is my courtesan, so she will be coming with me,” Quoppi responded nonchalantly.

Varyna blinked. What? Quoppi’s.. courtesan?

“Quoppi... You should have told them I was your courtesan or whatever.” Faren was working hard to keep a neutral expression.

“But Captain, I have no sexual attraction toward you.”

Varyna’s straight face nearly cracked. How could Quoppi say something like that so matter-of-factly. And, wait, did that mean he was attracted to her? Just what exactly was this perverted fish trying to pull?

“Hey-” she reached out to grasp her insolent squadmate’s shoulder, but Faren cut her off.

“I don’t like it either, but what’s done is done. They’ll only get more suspicious the longer we converse among ourselves.” He narrowed his eyes at Varyna. “Don’t blow our cover with that hot head of yours.”

Varyna nodded and reluctantly passed her blaster to the Captain. Then, even though every muscle in her body was fighting not to and her lips threatened to illustrate her displeasure, she linked her arm through Quoppi’s.

“I’ll relay what’s happening through the comm, Captain,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Right. You two tell me everything that happens, got it?”

“Yes Sir!” Varyna and Quoppi turned back to the man in the blue suit. He said something else to Quoppi before bowing and motioning them through the door.

Inside was a small room with three plush-looking couches and a glass table in the middle of them. The laser lights were a little brighter in here, but it was still far too dim for Varyna’s liking.

Two of the couches were already occupied by Nemarians. Some were wearing suits, and some were in shiny street clothes not unlike Quoppi’s getup. Along the back wall stood one beefy-looking Nemarian and one equally muscular Human, wearing a wetsuit similar to Varyna’s. They had blasters in their hands. Their arms were relaxed, and the guns pointed at the floor, but the message was clear.

The fattest and fanciest dressed Nemarian sat in the center of the couch on the right, with two female Nemarians cuddled up next to him. Varyna wasn’t overly familiar with Nemarian beauty standards, but she thought those girls must be getting paid a lot to entertain that guy. She had to applaud them for the effortless smiles on their faces as they pushed themselves up against the fat Nemarian’s orange scales.

The fat Nemarian motioned them to the empty couch. Quoppi sat first, and Varyna sat next to him. She tried to mimic the girls across the table, hugging Quoppi’s arm and leaning her head close to his. She felt his arm twitch in obvious discomfort, but he didn’t move away.

Good job, Quoppi. She was impressed at her awkward coworker’s acting ability.

Just as they settled, one of the beefy guys from the back approached Quoppi and said something, holding out his hand.

“.. they want to take our comms,” Quoppi quickly relayed the message, already reaching for his earpiece.

Faren’s voice replied, “Wait! Hey! Make something else up, Quoppi! Don’t let them take-”

“Sorry, Captain. Things will become complicated if I protest.” With that, Quoppi popped his comm out and switched it to off, nodding to Varyna. She hesitantly did the same.

“If this goes south you better get yourself out of here in one piece, Captain.”

After a second ominous chirping sound in Faren’s ear, the line went dead. Varyna and Quoppi, the two worst fighters on his squad, were left completely to themselves in a room full of dangerous criminals.

“Just a simple mission, my butt,” he grumbled to himself.

Inside, the fat Nemarian waved a hand animatedly as he spoke to Quoppi. Varyna had read up on him before they came. According to his case file, he was called The Whale and was one of the lower bosses in the area. But the paragraphs of notes and blurry mugshot in the file couldn’t prepare Varyna for the vile way the Nemarian licked his lips when he spoke and grasped at his female companions with meaty webbed hands.

Quoppi’s arm tightened in her grasp as he conversed with The Whale. Her poor squadmate, no matter how level-headed and intelligent, was bound to feel the pressure of their situation. She wished she could help him somehow, but the best she could do was keep the act up to avoid drawing suspicion.

And to do that, she had to fixate on something else—anything else—besides the foul Nemarian in front of her. She was bound to start gagging if she watched him any longer. Instead, her eyes found their way to the only other Human in the room. He was tall. Really tall. He towered over the Nemarians in the room in a Kremel-like way with wide shoulders and thick limbs. His short dark hair waved in the water above his air converter.

The most concerning thing about him, however, was that his eyes were laser focused on Varyna. And he didn’t shy away when she met his gaze. It was more than just curiosity or natural instinct drawing him to the only other of his species in the room. His eyes blazed with suspicion.

Right. He was exceptionally massive and muscular for Human standards. He must have worked his butt off for this security gig and still was often overlooked in favor of other Nemarians. So why would some big shot Nemarian have a Human bodyguard and Human courtesan with him?

Blast. I knew we should have recruited Nemarians from another squad for this mission.

It was beginning to dawn on Varyna just how unconvincing their cover really was. Quoppi would have to be giving an incredible performance to sell this, and Varyna had a sneaking suspicion that her clumsy squadmate’s acting wasn’t quite up to par.

“Come on Quoppi.” Varyna whispered, even though she knew her words died in the water before reaching her friend’s ears. “All you have to do is convince them you’re a buyer. Faren can take care of everything else as soon as they bring out the drugs.”

The conversation between Quoppi and The Whale continued, every second feeling like an hour as Varyna could only sit and hope things were going well. The Whale’s Human bodyguard continued to drill a hole in her face with his stare, and she returned a few pointed glowers.

“... He doesn’t have a comm unit.” Around the third time Varyna locked eyes with the man, she noticed it. How could he communicate with the Nemarians without a comm?

As she looked around, however, Varyna realized that none of the Nemarians had comms either. So how did they communicate with the Human? Then, she noticed something else.

Hands.

It was discreet, but the Nemarians were all making hand signals between each other and the Human. The Whale had his arm propped up on the back of the couch and wiggled his fingers. Then the two Nemarians seated on the other couch exchanged brief looks. One of them crossed his fingers on one hand and drew a tiny ‘X’. The other nodded, pretended to stretch, and mimicked the movement to the men posted on the wall. Varyna’s heart dropped as the two guards nodded and their grips tightened on their blasters.

Blast it all. We’re in big trouble.