“Hey you two, read the reports. Things got pretty rough down there, you alright?” Commander Reyna asked the next morning. They had a calm night in the capitol, Sam and Lanada silent to each other after the ship had landed. They hadn’t spoken much the next day either.
“We’ll manage. Didn’t have enough intel down there.”
“We don’t have enough intel for the Geldor at all. It may surprise you, but your operation gave us the most insight we’ve had so far.”
“How’s that?”
“Well, for starters we confirmed that those weapon shipments are being arranged by and for the Geldor, not independent groups. We found a couple of their major supply routes, both of which have been cut off since last night. We also have some information about their weapons and training, both of which rival if not surpass our own military.”
“What does that mean for us? Got something new?”
“Not for you two. You deserve at least one day of rest. Our other agents are handling the situation right now, I’ll have something tomorrow morning though.”
“Good, I’ll be around the office anyways, have some work to do,” Sam grumbled, walking to his desk without a look back.
“You two good?” Reyna asked, confused by Sam’s mood.
“No. It got bad down there. Nobody should have died last night, especially not like that.”
“Yes, I read the reports. Gelt’Rel and its team knew what they signed up for, tragic as it is.”
“I mean everyone else. There was no reason to continue that fight, we should have gotten out.”
“The Geldor had bombs and missiles. They clearly would have caused more damage than what the camp got if they held on to them.”
“You didn’t see it though, you weren’t down there. There’s no way you can justify those decisions he made. All those people died when they didn’t have to.”
“This is a war, Lanada. I don’t know what else you expect. People are going to die, get used to it.”
“I’m used to people dying, but not like that. I expected the organization that goes on about peace to make violence its last option.”
“Fighting can give us that peace, Lanada. You need to look at the bigger picture.”
“The bigger picture is more dead on either side than anyone planned. I’m going. And please, I don’t want shit from STAR until tomorrow.”
“If that’s what you wish, get some rest, Lanada.”
Lanada said nothing as they stormed out of the office, a sour emotion on their face. The journey back to the civilian sector was quiet, Lanada hiding their face from any STAR operatives they saw. All that was in their mind was getting a drink.
The nightlife in the Capitol got wilder as it got further from the government tower, the bottom floors taking on a characterizing grunge that contrasted the rest of the stately building. On its bottom floor, buried right at the end was one of the most popular underground clubs though; Lanada’s destination.
They needed a break from the pretentious STAR offices, and therefore the rest of the government. In that filth right under their nose, they imagined they’d feel the most comfortable. The entrance to the club was a wide opening, lights casting partygoers in a bright magenta and green light. A few other shops and restaurants surrounded the small plaza, but didn’t draw nearly the same attention, serving only as a side piece for the club.
Lanada found a lonely corner inside, ordering the hardest drink they had. Everyone else there had no idea what Lanada had just witnessed, nor did they probably even know about the Geldor. Saumryans, humans, and brestyrians danced all together, free from the political strife. On the larger scale, the violence all felt fabricated, for in that example everyone danced together.
“Hey, you always come to clubs to sit alone in a corner?” A random brestyrian said, popping a seat and a drink next to Lanada.
“Yeah, actually. Come here to get some quiet.”
“Umm…” The brestyrian looked around, obviously confused by the loud music.
“Not literally, uh, just want a change in scenery.”
“Right. Sounds boring. I could make your night a lot more exciting though.”
“You want money or something?”
“What?”
“Sorry. Look, I just saw some bad shit I’m trying to forget. If you can take my mind off of it, you can have whatever you want.”
“It’s a deal then. My name’s Tunil, by the way.”
Tunil and Lanada chatted for a while, drinking so much their sentences barely made sense anymore. They did a good job distracting Lanada, through their heavy conversation to the constant flirting. They slowly drifted closer to Lanada as they did the same, ending with them on top of each other.
Lanada was so drunk, they could barely understand what was happening. Their mind was a blur as they went out to dance with Tunil, grinding on each other as if they were alone. Half of their dancing was only kissing, moving their hips while they locked tongues. After about an hour of dancing and more, they exited to Tunil’s apartment together, still hugging on each other the entire way. Their door was barely closed before they started furiously making out again, taking off clothes as they headed to the bed to have sex.
❂
Lanada awoke in Tunil’s arms, their snores filling their ears. They were slightly confused at first, the previous night taking its time to return to their memory. The bits they could remember were good, keeping Lanada glued down as they reminisced. They hadn’t hooked up with anyone since before joining STAR. Lanada knew it felt different though. Only their intoxication made the experience worthwhile. Since they were sober, they began feeling uncomfortable laying there so intimately.
Quietly they grabbed their Circle, spotting a new notification. It was Sam reminding them of a meeting. Last thing Lanada needed was for this random person to know they were STAR. They couldn’t live with the embarrassment and shame. They uncomfortably but slowly moved Tunil’s arm off and stood up, quickly putting their clothes back on. They weren’t quick enough however, and Tunil began to awake.
“Going already?”
“Yeah, got a meeting to get to.”
“Meeting? Alright then. What for?”
“Really rather not talk about it.”
“You’re with STAR?”
Lanada froze.
“How’d you know?”
“You’re wearing your ID.”
Lanada looked down, their ID was visibly hanging from their belt. Usually a top covered it, but Lanada hadn’t gotten to it yet.
“Also you brought your gun for some reason.”
Indeed Lanada’s gun was also on display, hanging by their hip.
“Yeah. It wasn’t by choice though.”
“They forced you to join?”
“Yeah. My advice for you; be careful. STAR is just as dangerous as anyone else these days. Take it from me.”
“Yeah. I think… I think it would be good if you left.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not the one you should be saying that to.”
Lanada silently left, the door closing hard behind them. Tunil sounded disappointed more than anything. It couldn’t match Lanada’s own feelings of disappointment and loss. That part of their life felt like it was gone, taken away again by STAR.
❂
Lanada showed up to the briefing a couple minutes late, but Sam was even later. Reyna had already started without him, casting more suspicion over Lanada; Sam was never late. He rushed in moments after, out of breath and looking disheveled. He seemed to calm down upon seeing Lanada, if not getting a little angry.
“Where were you?” he muttered after he sat down.
“None of your business, so fuck off.”
That seemed to be a satisfying enough answer for him as he sat back, his face unchanged. Reyna went through the list of missions, addressing Lanada and Sam sooner than the last time.
“Got something for you two, Sam and Lanada. Some of our agents were able to track one of the Geldor’s weapon shipments back to its original location; we now know where one of their depots are. We need you two to infiltrate the depot and discover where they’re sourcing their weapons from, as well as look for information on their network and where other depots may be located. Coordinates of the base have been sent to your ship, that’s all I have for you.”
Reyna continued to the next topic while Sam led Lanada outside.
“Glad this one won’t need us to fight.”
“Maybe. A lot of times though it’s unavoidable.”
“Only if you’re not careful. I never killed someone I didn’t want to before STAR.”
“I pray then you never have to. No use wondering about it though, we’ll see more when we get there. Reyna should have sent us all the files we need for the mission, we can review it when we get to the ship.”
“I’d rather die.”
“Fine. I will look at the files on my own then. Get high off your mind or something. I won’t need you until we land.”
“Good. Now I’m going to walk faster so we don’t have to go together. Bye!”
Sam stopped in place in disbelief as Lanada power walked ahead, not looking back. It was a quick walk to the ship, happily without Sam this time. Bofi was at the kitchen, eating a hearty breakfast that Lanada wanted a part of.
“Hey. Wanna sandwich?”
“Bofi you’re always eating something.”
“I make sure I get good grub for my crew. I can enjoy it too. Where’s Sam? Running late?”
“You could say that. I just didn’t want to see his face to be honest.”
Coincidentally, Sam walked into the room, looking quite upset.
“Hey Jenill, I’m going to start working on my paperwork, you got the coordinates?”
“Yep, have my second waiting on you to take off. I’ll let them know.”
Sam left without even a thank you.
“He’s an ass today.”
“He gets like this every time a mission doesn’t go right. He’s a perfectionist.”
“Well he deserves it then. Prick. You saw what happened down there.”
“A little. I can’t really speak on it though, I wasn’t down there. Didn’t really see what happened.”
“The Geldor overran the scouts. I thought we were going to retreat, but Sam just kept fighting. Once the scouts started dying, he had those weapons just blown up. The camp burned down, a bunch of people died in the shooting… It was a massacre.”
“Yeah, things don’t always go to plan…”
“No, it went exactly to plan, his plan. That’s why I’m upset. If we had just taken a step back and not picked a fight, maybe the scouts and those people would still be alive.”
“STAR has a very solid ‘us versus them’ mentality. It’s no surprise really. I’m glad I just have this ship to worry about.”
“I don’t have that luxury unfortunately. If they really do think that way, I don’t know how I’m going to listen to their orders.”
“You’re a good influence Lanada… But I do see why STAR is so aggressive with the Geldor. Those weapons were really dangerous. I think it has the government scared, especially King Lactain.”
“And we’re just supposed to listen to the orders of a terrified man child? Fuck that.”
“I know. And, I know you’re angry at Sam, but I doubt he’s happy with how things turned out. He hates violence just as much as you.”
“Then why’d he do that? Why did he make a choice like that?”
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
“It was a hard decision, Rendell had Sam’s back to the wall. Most of us, Sam and you included, are all following orders. I know it’s easy to blame Sam, but he was under stress from Rendell, as well as the mission itself. I’m sure those weapons were intimidating.”
“Why do you defend him?”
“Because, I’ve had many STAR agents on my ship, and he’s one of the few who care about what they’re doing. It’s not for glory or the job, it’s because he genuinely wants to help. I admire that, even if our orders can get muddled. Sam will always make the best of them, regardless.”
“I guess. He still doesn’t do enough.”
“If he did any more, he wouldn’t be a STAR agent anymore.”
“So he’s the best of two evils? If he gets replaced, someone worse will just come along?”
“That’s the idea.”
“I don’t know how anyone can justify being in STAR with agents like that.”
“We do it somehow. I’ve got to go pilot though, nice talking Lanada.”
Bofi stood quickly and uncomfortably, likely bothered by Lanada’s line of questioning. They remained to wait for their meal as the last of her feet disappeared upstairs.
The rest of the flight was uneventful, Lanada taking their usual pastimes. When Gerry didn’t answer his Circle again, they found Macan to smoke. In the group of engineers, a couple were obviously missing, having died in the last operation. The conversation wasn’t there like usual, only the quiet hum of the ship filling their ears.
They were unfortunately interrupted by Sam, who said nothing about the weed, only directing Lanada to his office so they could talk about the mission.
“We’re not just going to shoot them, are we?” Lanada asked as Sam prepared his reports.
“Ironic. You were so gung ho at the beginning. I believe that was your answer for all the test questions.”
“This isn’t a test though, this is reality.”
“Then you’ll be happy to hear that no; I don’t think we should just shoot them.”
“Wow, that’s usually the bare minimum, but for you that’s such an accomplishment. Can we get a round of applause? Sam realized we shouldn’t kill people!”
Lanada sarcastically clapped in Sam’s face, leaving him to stare with frustration.
“Thank you? Now listen up, please. Scouts tracked a weapons shipment back to this depot, it’s where that last shipment we investigated came from. Our agents have carried out a couple more operations against the Geldor, so they’re well aware we’re watching them.
“What we need to do is the easy part, just go in, get any information we can, then leave. We’re primarily trying to find any other regular shipments and where they go to, as well as other depots we might discover as a result. If we pull this off, we’ll have insight into their supply network.
“We’re going to take a fighter and land about five kilometers out from the depot, we’ll approach on foot. The Ahria is going to take an aerial scan first, that should give us a map of the area along with a heatmap, then the ship will stay in the atmosphere to feed us information. We’ll watch the first scan with Jenill though, get a look for ourselves at the depot.”
“You have a plan to get in?”
“No, but the sun should be down by the time we reach the camp. That will give us some cover. Otherwise, need to take a look at it with Jenill so we can plan our entry.”
“As long as it doesn’t involve a massacre, I can follow.”
“Good. Let’s get up to the cockpit, we’ll be in range in a few minutes.”
“We have to sleep in a tent again?”
“Not unless the ship blows up or something.”
“Knowing you I could see that happening.”
“I was going to say the same about you.”
Lanada only shook their head as they approached the bridge, Bofi engaged with her navigation instruments. She only heard them when they were a step away, bending her head to look back.
“Almost in range, take a look.”
A screen showed them the image from the ship’s telescope, blasting the camp up a size so it could be seen. They were still too far to view it from above, the mass of buildings and tents not showing their layout yet. In the setting sun, Geldor could be seen loading and unloading weapons, going about their business, messing about. None of them looked serious.
Despite the distance, Sam was already taking notes, studying the screen as the camp got closer. Lanada tried to take a peek, but his handwriting was too bad to read. It was only a couple minutes until the camp was revealed from the top, giving the Ahria a clear view of the depot’s layout and buildings. On another screen, Bofi took a few aerial scans, illuminating every individual found in red.
“That’s it, we’re in position.”
“Thank you.”
Sam looked close at the screen, stopping his scribbles for just a moment.
“There are some good rock formations around the west side, might be able to take advantage of that,” he started.
“They have actual buildings here, is that a garage? It’s probably the largest operation they have,” Lanada pointed out.
“You’d be surprised. But those buildings you mentioned, I bet what we’re looking for is in there. Not a very straight shot inside though. The last camps had wire fencing, but they have an actual wall built here, see the barbed wire? We can’t cut through it anymore.”
“I saw it when we were further away, looked like we could climb it.”
“Barbed wire, Lanada?”
“What good is this armor if it can’t defend against that?”
“Well, just because it can doesn’t mean you should. Don’t want to wear it down for nothing.”
“Oh no, I might get a scratch!”
“Too obvious anyways. It looks like they have people watching the walls.”
“We could try distracting them?”
“No, that won’t work either. They know we’re watching them, anything would just put them on edge looking for us.”
“Do we have any information about their weapon shipments? When’s the next one coming?”
“You’re right, let me take a look… About forty minutes. What are you suggesting?”
“I think we could hitch a ride on one. They don’t have people riding in the back, look at that one leaving there. We might be able to sneak in that way.”
“You’re right. We’ve got another truck that should have just gotten there, let’s watch it unload. See it?”
Lanada nodded as they looked into the screen. A truck had indeed just arrived a couple minutes ago, but it was still idling in the entryway, waiting for crew to unload and load. They came moments later with a couple forklifts carrying crates, another one approaching the back to retrieve the cargo.
“Did you see how long it took for them to get there? We could definitely get out and into hiding during that window.”
“I think you’re right, Lanada. Sounds like a plan. Thanks Jenill, I’ll radio you once we land.”
“Good luck down there,” Bofi offered.
“Thanks Bofi.”
Lanada followed Sam downstairs to the hatches that would take them to the fighters. Four were laid out in the front of the hallway, taking up what would be another engineer crawlspace underneath. Sam opened the hatch nearest to them, taking them down a hole and into the fighter. It was an easy climb into the backseat, but Sam struggled to get to the front, squeezing past the second row.
After Sam and Lanada were situated, the fighter was started up, NuCores in the back whirring to life. With the pull of a latch, Sam separated the fighter from the airlock and they began to fall a few feet, right under the ship. The thrusters then shot out a billowing jet, forcing the craft forwards.
Bay doors closed the fighter-shaped hole in the Ahria’s underside, leaving its hull clean and sleek. It slowly shrunk out of sight as Sam descended their craft, the ground growing into view. The camp in the distance was barely visible as they flew away to loop back around, soon obscured by rocks and mesas. Sam used the rocks as cover as he continued to fly lower, eventually gliding for a calm landing in a nearby basin.
“Jenill, we’re down.” Sam radioed. “The depot’s a kilometer out, better get hiking.”
Sam was the first out, guiding Lanada into the sunset. It was barely over the horizon as they stumbled down a nearby hill, the sky casting an orange glow over the dunes and cliffs. At the bottom of that particular ridge, Sam and Lanada took cover beside a road leading on, waiting for the truck they expected.
The valley around them slowly grew darker as they waited behind a rock, making the dirt road less and less visible. Both were silent, only the sounds of nearby bugs being heard. Just as Lanada started to feel antsy though, they saw headlights in the distance. It had to be the truck.
It was approaching at a slow speed to navigate the rough terrain, rocking side to side as its large wheels absorbed every rock and bump. Lanada readied themself to run next to Sam, taking off once the headlights shot past their boulder.
They sprinted to the back of the truck, barely grabbing on as it sped to its destination. They managed to board it cleanly though, sliding next to some crates inside. The drivers didn’t seem to notice, only the noise of music and a few sniffles coming from the cabin up front.
The view out of the back was simple, only showing the road they’d passed and the rest of the valley they were coming from. As it grew even darker somehow, it all blended together as a blackened landscape.
They only noticed the time passing when the truck started to slow down. The bustle of people could be heard in the distance, growing louder and closer. They had to be at the camp. Lanada’s thoughts were confirmed as the gates came into view out the back of the truck, automatically closing moments later.
Sam shot them a look of confirmation, then began to run outside, encouraging Lanada to do the same. They sprinted to a clump of shadow straight behind the truck, following it along the fence to the side of the camp. They were in.
A three story building constructed of red stone stood near them, a large garage attached to the side. Every other structure in the camp was a tent.
Lanada followed Sam through the maze, trusting his Circle that Bofi was streaming her aerial scan to. With the other wavelength scans as well, every individual was outlined in the camp, including Lanada and Sam.
With a careful eye on their Circles, their backs were against the building in no time, crouching into the wall’s shadow. A small side door was only a few feet away, and after checking for alarms or motion detectors, Sam slowly pushed the door open.
There were a couple Geldor inside, talking as they walked away toward another exit. One was human, the other brestyrian, holding hands and chatting pleasantly about some camp gossip. It was clear they hadn’t fought before, their armor clean and weapons spotless. It was difficult to imagine these people actually being a threat.
Lanada was frozen with Sam as they waited for the room to clear out, watching the Geldor’s backs the entire time. The garage was filled with military vehicles; two tanks and an armored transport, other turrets and large weapons in the corners. They barely reached the ceiling, supported by spanning dark metal beams. After the two people left, they slipped inside, softly closing the door. An immediate staircase took them up to what looked like an office, so Lanada and Sam climbed it.
At the top was a metal door, only a grate covering the view inside. Past the glass the room was empty, lined by a terminal set against a window overlooking the garage, as well as a couple small desks filled with paperwork. Lanada assumed the two people who’d just left tended to that station. That meant they likely didn’t have long.
Sam was first in the door, positioning himself at the terminal to investigate. He connected his Circle then began downloading information, looking through file caches to copy over.
“Margit, I’m streaming data to you now,” he spoke into his Circle.
Meanwhile, Lanada searched the piles of paperwork on the desks. There were many inventory reports about weapons or members, but most covered data that Lanada couldn’t understand.
“Sam, there’s a lot of data here. They’re shipping a lot.”
“Anything about where they’re coming or going?”
“No, they only detail the truck and what was inside. The next entry is dated for today at the time we got here, truck D. I think that’s the one we arrived in. The one before this was outgoing, truck G.”
“That paperwork is probably logged in this computer somewhere, but scan anything relevant.”
Lanada nodded and followed directions, guiding their Circle as they sifted through the papers.
“Got something, come take a look,” Sam said, staring into the computer screen.
Lanada moved quickly behind Sam, looking over his shoulder at a map. It looked like a paper scan, detailing the nearby valleys and rock fixtures with a satellite photo. The roadways were highlighted, forming a web of red marker lines. At each point was a large dot. Given the one over the depot they were currently at, Lanada guessed the rest were depots or camps as well.
“That doesn’t look good. Did you know things got this big?”
“No. We thought the few camps we’ve spotted were all. We’ve only found a fraction of the Geldor. This is bad.”
“They’re really close to Falderheim. Any activity over there STAR knows about?”
“No, we didn’t think they were in that area. Some of these are in towns, look here. They’re right in the middle of Ingalderin, a couple blocks from STAR. They’ve been right under our nose.”
“Ingalderin… You’re right. I think I know that spot, the Dollops were there last I heard.”
“The Dollops??”
Sam looked absolutely disgusted by their name. So was Lanada.
“Hey, I didn’t name them. They’re one of the first gangs I knew, had me doing jobs down in the sewers when I was a kid.”
“They picked that name and you worked for them?”
“I was an, uh, independent contractor, so no, I didn’t. They always kept to themselves, stayed well hidden for the most part. You think the Geldor killed them? Or shit, maybe they joined them.”
“That would check out. You said those guns were used by a couple gangs?”
“Yep. Shit. How many other gangs are wrapped up into this?”
Lanada studied the map even closer, finding more places they recognized. A small cave just north of the Capitol, where they’d been countless times. Some of the city hideouts were occupied by the Geldor too, Lanada remembering the one in the northwestern village of Seno.
“Looking at it, actually… A lot of these places are gang hideouts, or they were. And Look how the camps are placed, how they connect to the roads. It looks like they’re planning an attack in the city.”
“They surround a couple other towns though, they also have a camp in Falderheim and Ildar.”
“I know, but the way they’re arranged, they’re focusing on Ingalderin. They’re not surrounding it because to the north is just dunes, can’t camp out there or enter the city without being spotted. And the road networks they’re connected to are all busy trade routes used for smuggling, they could easily blend in entering the city or importing weapons. Also if you look at zoning and jurisdiction, most of the outposts are just outside the city limits, meaning police can’t monitor them as easily. Like I said, a lot of them are where the gangs were hiding out. Sounds like they're looking for the same features.”
“Good point. So gang affiliations and they're moving in on Ingalderin... I’ll relay that to Margit. I don’t think they can keep the military out of this any longer though.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“STAR isn’t big enough to handle this alone. Not their numbers or their firepower. We’ll need to protect those cities, even if they are only focused on Ingalderin.”
“We really don’t need soldiers in the city…”
“Do we not, Lanada? Think past your pride for once, these people are dangerous. If that’s not clear by now, it will be soon.”
“I know they’re dangerous, Sam. I don’t want them to take Ingalderin, that’s my home. But if the army is anything like you, I don’t want them either. I don’t want to see people getting harassed and shot in the streets, buildings bombed out just like you say the Geldor would. A full on firefight in the city would destroy it.”
“Like the Geldor wouldn’t do that already? You’ve seen what they have! They’re the ones willing to attack a city!”
“They want to attack the Monarchy in the city, not the people just living there! If no soldiers are there, then who’s there to shoot at? We should draw them out, fight them silently, anything but just blowing them up back!”
“I think we’re past sneaking at this point.”
“Apparently. But a violent war in the streets isn’t the answer.”
“The Geldor want a war regardless, Lanada. It doesn’t matter what we do, it’s going to be violent. Would you really want the city to be controlled by them? The Geldor?”
“It’s all the same as the Monarchy occupying it. Either way, people would live. The city wouldn’t be half leveled.”
“Whatever Lanada, it doesn’t matter. We’ll be following orders. We’re not in control.”
“No, a shitty King is, and now I have to obey him because you blackmailed me.”
“So you—”
Their conversation was interrupted by the door opening. It seemed Lanada and Sam had taken too long, and now the two Geldor were back. They were having a joking conversation, not even noticing the two armed agents as the door closed behind them. With a gun aimed at each of their faces though, they soon noticed and slung their hands up.
“Woah! Hey, uhh…”
They went quiet, staring at Lanada and Sam in fear. Lanada side eyed Sam with their gun forward, seeing him do the same. He looked deep in thought, calculating what to do next. They stood for a few solid seconds while Lanada waited for Sam’s decision.
Although they had what they needed, if the two were left behind, they would put the camp on alert, making their escape impossible, and tipping off their surveillance. Locking them in the room wasn’t an option either, at risk of making noise or being found. Lanada went down the list, like they normally did when dealing with a target. Normally though at the end of their barrel was an asshole tycoon monster or their goons, not the two scared young adults before them.
Lanada searched the room for something to tie them with, to muffle them, but only paper and office supplies were visible. They had dropped their weapons, so getting close wouldn’t be an issue for them. The best course would be to knock them out quietly and carry them back to the ship. Not Lanada’s first choice, but it was the only alternative to killing them. STAR would appreciate the intel prisoners provided as well.
Lanada jumped as two silent shots were fired. The brestyrian fell in an instant, making Lanada recoil. They had looked at Sam just in time to see him shoot the human, quickly and coldly. Only a small hole in each of their foreheads showed the damage, the mark of STAR's specialized weaponry. Only a little splash of blood covered the wall behind the corpses, much cleaner still than the gore Lanada had seen before. Still though, looking at those dead faces, their stomach lurched.
“There was no other way. Come on.”
He sounded unbearably bleak, but Lanada was horrified. They could have stood there for hours before shooting; it was hard to believe that decision was made so quickly for them, and they had no control over it.
“That was fucked, Sam.”
He was silent as they stepped off the last of the stairs and outside. The rest of the camp was still quiet, unaware of what had happened. Lanada almost wished they were; Sam deserved some consequence for his actions. They barely paid attention to their Circle on the way out, simply watching Sam’s back. His face. Lanada was a killer, but never like that. They wanted to see how it felt. They hoped to at least see pain, some discontent. Sam’s face was stone, though.
The outer wall was easier to exit from, choosing a small doorway out the back to escape through. It didn’t matter much whether they were spotted then. Sure enough, as they were halfway between the depot and the nearby rocks for cover, an alarm began ringing. They sprinted faster before gunfire could be heard, the sand behind them exploding into small dust clouds. The Geldor were too late though; Sam and Lanada successfully escaped into the valley.