Lanada was kicked awake, a few sore spots suggesting it wasn’t the first one. They opened their eyes to see someone’s foot descend to their stomach again. This time though, they managed to block it.
“STAR now, huh? What have you told them?”
Another goon chose a bat to hit Lanada again, drawing from them a cry of pain. They were silent as they tried to look around the room, spotting the woman who had kidnapped them. She was Lacy Gruz, a big-time mobster who had been one of Lanada’s primary employers.
“Think you can turn your back on us like that? And to think we were about to cut you in...”
They absorbed another blow, grimacing in pain. Lacy was one of the toughest bosses, earning a frightening reputation. Landa was never scared of her; but now all their leverage was gone. Lacy wore a stern face, standing above Lanada. She looked even more intimidating with the advanced armor she wore, resembling what the Geldor shooters had been wearing earlier that day.
“I—I didn’t sell you out, they blackmailed me!”
“Blackmailed a goon to join STAR? Are you serious?” Lanada got kicked again, this time Lacy doing the bidding.
“I haven’t said anything, I’m trying to get out!”
Lacy only smiled as her goon assaulted Lanada again. It was clear no matter what Lanada said, it wouldn’t make a difference. They were only there to sate Lacy’s rage at being betrayed. She had no intent to listen to Lanada, only to get revenge.
“Fucking bitch. We’ll find out. For now though, we’re cutting off STAR’s contact.” Lacy stared down her pistol into Lanada’s eyes. Of course, she was going to shoot them.
Acting quickly, Lanada rolled out of the way, barely dodging Lacy’s shot. The goon kicked them away, but Lanada used that momentum to slide a little further, giving them space to stand up. It was difficult with their hands and legs tied, but they still managed to hop onto their feet, shimmying their arms to hopefully get the ropes off.
When more gunshots came their way, Lanada dove to cover, cringing as their unprotected face hit the floor again. Half the crates they hid behind were broken open already, racks of guns inside. A torn wooden lid looked perfect to remove the rope. They sawed away at the ties, freeing their hands while goons still shot at them.
The closest escape was a high up window, letting light in from a nearby streetlight into the warehouse. Lanada quickly untied their feet and peeked out of cover; the thugs were quickly closing in. Barely dodging more rounds, Lanada sprinted to the shelving lining the wall, climbing to reach the window. A round barely stopped their adrenaline rush after impacting their leg, another hitting their side.
They crashed through the window and absorbed the fall with a roll on the other side, cringing from the glass digging into their skin. The smell of machinery in the air of the dimly lit parking lot advertised one of Ingalderin’s industrial districts. They kept up a sprint, looking back to see Lacy and her goons filing out of the warehouse. A nearby truck was their only hope for cover.
They broke the window to get inside, diving below the steering wheel to hotwire the engine. It whirred to life almost instantly, Lanada jerking the gears into action before slamming on the acceleration. A few plinks let them know they were still being shot at, but it was only seconds before they found cover behind a building they turned around.
They only drove about a mile before ditching the truck, choosing a more discreet, faster vehicle to commandeer. Whatever worker owned it would probably be upset, but Lanada preferred to be alive. Their switch appeared to work as they encountered no more activity from Lacy. It seemed they had lost her.
With a moment to breathe, they checked their person for all of their belongings. Everything was still on them including their Circle, only their gun missing. Lacy must not have had much time to tie Lanada up. The time was early the next morning, just before the sun would rise. Their first thought was Gerry; the only other likely person to have been targeted.
“Gerry, you okay?” Lanada called.
“Yeah… what’s up?” he woke up.
“Just had a, uh, incident. I’ll be over in a few, be careful. Watch out for a woman with heavily armed goons.”
“Lanada WHAT?!”
They hung up without another word, focusing on the road and making it to their truck. It was still in the STAR parking garage, nestled between a couple slick black luxury cars. It looked out of place with its scratches and holes. They left a hastily scrawled note on the windshield, apologizing for stealing the car and directing where it could be returned.
When they arrived home, Gerry could be seen peeking out his window, watching the road for Lanada. When he saw them, he opened his door to run out and meet them. They collided after Lanada’s truck was dropped off at the elevator, walking back to Lanada’s apartment together.
“So, I got kidnapped…” Lanada started once their door was closed.
“WHAT?!”
“And… and I'm leaving tomorrow morning…”
“What?!”
“Will you be okay? Without me?”
“I mean you gave me a gun, so I’m as safe as I’ll ever be. Or not, I’ll probably shoot myself by accident or something.”
“Please don’t shoot yourself. This woman’s name is Lacy, she’s a big time mobster, has a lot of goons. If you see them at your door, shoot them. If you see her, shoot then run. Here’s a photo.”
Lanada brought up their one contact photo of Lacy, making sure Gerry studied her face.
“Remember her. She’s the most dangerous person I know.”
“I’d hate to see the second and third most dangerous.”
“Right, I’ll show you them too. I’ll show you everyone.”
“Oh gods… Why don’t you show them to STAR?”
“Because, I’m not trying to cut off their business yet. I’m hoping to establish some kind of working relationship so I don’t lose my network and reputation. Don’t want to stick with STAR forever.”
“STAR won’t like that. What are you going to do, say no to a mission because you have to go assassinate someone?”
“Yeah. Sounds fine to me.”
“I would laugh so hard, Lanada.”
“Yeah. These people are also dangerous. I give them up to STAR, that’s how many criminal organizations that want my head? And STAR just simply isn’t good at rooting this stuff out. The gangs have a lot of support and contingencies. They could disappear in a single night if they had to, I’ve seen them do it before. They're always a step ahead.”
“Right. So my only protection from all of them is this wimpy pistol?”
“That’s a really strong pistol, actually. And the hope here is that they won’t pay you any mind.”
“How likely is that?”
“I really can’t say. Either way I’d give you false hope or have you scared to death.”
“Fuck Lanada…”
“I’m sorry Gerry.”
The rest of the day passed without any excitement, giving Lanada ample time to pack their things. Only two suitcases held all of the belongings they’d need, leaving their apartment looking a little less lived in. Gerry spent most of the day with them, excusing himself for a hookup he’d been looking forward to. The entire day though their mind was in a fog, navigating its new life.
When it was finally dark enough to sleep, Lanada laid awake in their bed for hours, still worked up. They scrolled through their Circle and watched videos until their fatigue took over, forcing their eyes closed slowly.
❂
They were back in the plane of infinity, to their annoyance. The figure was there, everything was the same as they had left it. Lanada was getting tired of the nightly ritual.
“Hey, you!” The reverb from their speech was already starting, barely beginning to pierce Lanada’s ears. They didn’t care though, they had no patience left.
“What do you fucking want?! I already put up with enough shit when I'm awake, I definitely don’t need this! I’m sick of people trying to control my life!”
Lanada covered their ears as the reverb grew loud and shrill, filling the back of their head.
“LLLAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” It tried to say. They interrupted the figure though.
“What do you want?! Just leave me alone!”
❂
They awoke instantly after that, jerking up in a cold sweat. It was still the middle of the night, giving Lanada plenty of time to sleep still.
“Thank fuck,” they grumbled as they turned over and fell asleep again.
❂
Knocking at the door woke them up, getting increasingly louder.
“Calm the fuck down!” Lanada shouted from their bed. The knocking luckily stopped.
They yawned as they walked to the door, seeing a rather strung out looking Sam at the door.
“You ready?” he said impatiently.
“I was just asleep! Give me a minute.”
“Be quick, we’re running late.”
“And that’s my fault?”
“I suppose not, but it’s the situation regardless.”
“What, up late at the office?” Lanada let him in while they retrieved their luggage and dressed for the trip.
“Yeah, it’s been really busy. Consider yourself lucky you just began, they really start piling on the paperwork after your first year.”
“Hope I’m not around long enough for that then.”
“Nope. We’re going to turn you into a stellar agent. Let’s go.”
With Lanada ready, Sam guided them down to his car, popping their luggage into the back hatch. His face was tense as ever as he pulled away, bending his neck to look around. They were mostly silent as they drove to Ingalderin’s primary space port, bringing them right downtown. They passed by fifth street on the way, the rubble cleared and taped over. Blood still stained the street despite a few cleaners visibly working.
The port park could be spotted kilometers away by the ships flying in and out, its high walls providing a shield for the vapors and forces ships exerted while landing and departing. Sam drove them through a small roadway into the port, yellow lines guiding him past the landed ships.
Most ships looked the same, being built by the same public manufacturer; ovular in shape with thin slits for windows. Thrusters stuck out on the sides to finely maneuver the ship while large ones filled out the rear, providing the craft’s main power.
Sam kept driving towards one of the largest ships at the port, painted a slick black with the words STAR printed on the side in matte. It clearly set itself apart by the stack of guns and armaments dotting the outside, a few radars and antennae showing off its technology.
“This is the ship we’re stationed to, the Ahria.”
“It literally says STAR on it? Shouldn’t you guys be a bit more secretive?”
“It’s not visible from a distance. If it’s in the air or space, other ships probably won’t be able to read it. We rely mostly on radar.”
“Better hope people don’t use binoculars or something.”
“It has a lot of tech to keep it stealthy as well. It doesn’t have an official signature or registration, so it’s not identifiable by anyone other than STAR or our military. Some more stuff too, but it would go over your head.”
“I don’t think it would.”
“Okay… So it has an up—”
“Sam I was joking. I just don’t care.”
“Oh.”
He was embarrassingly quiet as they approached the ship. The dock beside had a small elevator that he drove the car onto, lifting it up so he could drive into a small garage on the ship. It was a lot larger up close.
Three stories of windows looked out on the port, the larger cockpit windows barely visible from the bottom. Lanada felt miniaturized.
“This is pretentious as well.”
“This is the least pretentious thing STAR has, trust me.”
“My gods, it gets worse?!”
“Wait ‘til you get inside.”
The space around the car was tight to get out of, and even tighter once Sam closed the bay doors. A small airlock led them inside to a main hallway, reaching the length of the ship. Crew was running every which way to prepare for takeoff, completing their final checks and whatnot. Sam led the way up a nearby staircase, taking them to the top floor.
Another hall led and opened to a massive half circle room for the cockpit, filling out the front of the ship. Several terminals were operated around the walls while others helped pilot. The entrance kept an elevated position just long enough to reach a platform overlooking the room, controls manned by three people. In the middle was a larger brestyrian, observing the room and adjusting their own controls on occasion. Sam walked right up to them, motioning toward Lanada.
“Captain, good to see you again. This is my new partner, Lanada.”
They turned with a serious face, a small smile gracing the edge of their lips.
“Hey, Captain Jenill. Hope you stick around longer than his last partner.”
“Last partner? What happened to them?”
“Oh, that’s a long story,” Jenill turned around to their controls again, as if they weren’t going to say anymore.
“So he left about two months ago after one of their missions didn’t—”
“Jenill, they don’t need to know that,” Sam interrupted.
“Oh but I really do!” Lanada beamed, laughing at Sam’s disturbed face.
“Come by after my shift tonight, I’ll tell you the story,” Jenill winked at Lanada while Sam dragged them away.
“Don’t know why she’s annoying today.”
“I like her already!”
“Got a couple more people to introduce you to, otherwise you’ll have free reign of the ship until we reach the Capitol.”
“Can’t wait.”
He guided them around the room and off the platform, approaching a seedy saumryan woman covered in grease attending to a terminal.
“Oh hey Sam! This your new partner?” she stopped Sam as he opened his mouth, turning in the blink of an eye to face them.
“Yeah. They’re Lanada. Lanada, this is our Chief Engineer, Hol’nel.”
“Hi! I’d stay and chat but one of those goons is overheating the boiler, I can hear it from here. See ya around though!”
She disappeared through a nearby hatch in the floor, dropping to the lower floors.
“You can never get her attention for long, she’s always busy,” Sam observed.
“She said something about your partner as well…”
“No, I believe she was only talking about you.”
“And your ex partner by implication.”
He let out a large sigh.
“Got a couple more people. Med quarter is next.”
“Oh, I do have like, two bullet holes from the other day.”
“The protest? I don’t remember you getting shot.”
“No, it was something else. Just business.”
“Lanada… You can’t be doing that while you’re a STAR agent.”
“Wasn’t really my choice. You’re the one who told me to get my affairs in order.”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“I didn’t expect that would mean killing someone.”
“That’s not what I was doing, but whatever.”
“Then what were you doing?”
“None of your business.”
They reached the med bay on the bottom floor near the ship’s entrance. Inside was a husky looking human.
“Doctor Kalio, this is Lanada, my new partner.”
“New? Oh yeah, I remember. Last one ended up in here a lot, hope you’re a bit safer Lanada.”
“Nope. I’ve got bullet wounds from like two days ago.”
“Oh. Already? Not the best first impression. I’m surprised STAR didn’t get you patched up before now. Is it infected? Let me see.”
Lanada embarrassingly showed the bullet wounds wedged in their side. They had taken out the rounds and done a quick stitch, but both wounds when uncovered were swollen and discolored.
“Sam, you might have to pause that tour… These look nasty. You’re new? Got a lot of scars here for a rookie.”
“Let’s just say I’ve been in the business for a while.”
“Takes a lot to kill you, huh.”
“Apparently.”
He tended to their wounds with proficiency; he was clearly experienced. Sam excused himself halfway, going to his room to finish some work as he said. Despite all the strangers, Lanada felt more relaxed without him there hovering over them all the time. They were a professional, definitely overqualified for Sam’s chaperoning.
With a special sealant their body was mended and Lanada was sent on their way, greeted by a skinny saumryan.
“Hi! I’m Glena, the ship’s steward. I have orders to show you your room, Lanada right? Sam’s new partner?”
“Yeah. You’d think the whole ship would know by now.”
“Oh we definitely do. Sam always draws some gossip when he’s onboard.”
“How? He’s so boring.”
“Which is what makes the interesting things in his life worth gossiping about.”
“Well keep me in the loop, I love harassing him.”
“Noted.”
They were quiet as he slowed to stop in front of the door, motioning it towards Lanada.
“Well, this is it. Sam is in room 3B if you need him, I’ll be running around the ship pretty much. Sam should have sent you contacts for the whole ship on your Circle, I should be on there too if you need me.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Lanada let him close the door behind them, their luggage already laid out on the bed. It was a cozy room, much livelier than the light tan, metal hallway outside. Mikoril’s purple wood lined the wall with bronze accents, working its way into all the cabinetry and furniture. A plush green carpet finished the room, as if the whole work was to resemble a hug. Lanada didn’t feel hugged though, only humored by the pretentious room.
They tried to relax inside, sending Gerry a message on their Circle while they surfed the television there. It didn’t have the service Love Dove was on, so they quickly turned it off. At that point the room only felt suffocating, and they were itching to leave and explore the ship.
They had never been on a ship that large before, only using public transport vessels on their jobs to save money and stay discreet. This one was not only larger, but also a lot better built. They couldn’t feel any movement from the vessel, a stark difference to the rattling and shaking and swaying from public ships. It felt more like a decent hotel than a giant conglomerate of flying metal.
Just down the hall from their room was the kitchen on the second floor, the smell of food and clanging of dishes inviting them over. A few people were eating, but it largely looked like the few cooks there were cleaning up after a meal, preparing for the next. The food looked good, a little better than what they’d been served in school.
The rest of the ship was rather unremarkable, containing more quarters for the crew along with an entire engineering subdeck below the bottom floor. Fighters waited in several airlocks, giving them a more precise attack method if needed. They ended their self guided tour at Sam’s room, knocking to alert him. He opened the door quickly after, a bit of the tension gone from his face.
“What is it?”
“Do you really want me to go asking about your old partner or are you going to tell me?”
“I’m not telling you. Go get an inaccurate version from someone else if you want to know that bad.”
“The whole crew knows the gossip Sam, not like you’re really hiding it.”
“I’m not trying to hide it. I just… I don’t like talking about it. Now I have some work to do. I’ll meet you at the airlock when we reach the Capitol. Should be four more hours.”
“For a spaceship we’re sure moving slow.”
“We’re not in space, and there are regulations to follow. Bye now.”
He closed the door before Lanada could react, locking it with force from the other side. They were humored as they walked back up to the cockpit. With the journey already on the way, it was a lot calmer there, most operatives simply observing their stations.
“Hey Jenill! I want to know about Sam’s last partner!”
She turned with a mischievous smile, as if she was familiar with handling juicy gossip.
“He wouldn’t tell you?”
“Nope.”
“That’s expected. Randy’s a soft spot for Sam. They used to be good friends, or, you know… but something happened a few months ago. As far as we all know, Sam wasn’t making a whole lot of progress on one of his cases, but he kept coming back to it. I wouldn’t say he was obsessed, but he stopped taking new jobs to focus on it. Even disobeyed direct orders from Rendell a couple times when he thought he got something. He never did though, and Randy got fed up and asked to be reassigned.”
Now Lanada had the smug, gossipy smile.
“What case was it?”
“Don’t know the details, I heard his target was an assassin though. Apparently they were really good, because Sam never found anything admissible. I don’t know if he was ever successful, but Rendell has him working on the Geldor now. They’re a bit more pressing at the moment.”
“You want to know what’s funny?”
“Hm?”
“Pretty sure that assassin was me…”
“Wait. Really?”
“I mean, I was an assassin until a few days ago. They blackmailed me to join STAR.”
“Wow. No wonder you get under his skin. Finally caught you and they made you his partner instead.”
“I’m going to have so much fun now that I know all that!”
“Be careful, Sam’s kind of sensitive. Not sure if you actually hate him, but he’s a good man. Don’t let your specific circumstances make you judge him too harshly.”
“I’m judging all of you, no offense.”
“None taken. My crew here are decent folk though, keep that in mind, Lanada. Rendell is the one who blackmailed you, if you’re looking to blame someone let it be her.”
“What do you have against Rendell? Not that it doesn’t make sense, but I thought you’d all be a bit more devoted.”
“Everyone has some kind of problem with Rendell. It’s a natural part of her role however. I try not to think about her, it’s not like her decisions are bad or anything. She just feels a bit fake.”
“Everyone in STAR feels fake.”
“Of course, they had you stuffed in the Ingalderin office. All the agents there have a bit of a chip on their shoulders. They take themselves way too seriously.”
“Got that right.”
There was a momentary silence as Jenill focused on piloting, letting Lanada think a little. In fact, they felt they were thinking too clearly.
“Hey. Anywhere I can smoke some weed around here?”
Jenill went quiet, their eyes darting around the cockpit. Without looking at them, they spoke under their breath to Lanada.
“Yeah. An engineer named Macan, he’s always got something. Keep it quiet though, and you didn’t hear from me. Also definitely don’t tell Sam, he’d freak out.”
“Didn’t plan to. Thanks, Jenill.”
“Nah, it’s Bofi. That’s what my friends call me.”
Lanada was gleeful as they descended back to the lower level, hanging around the small engineering room in the back. It also served as an entrance to the crawlspace running under the ship, filled with about ten people all focused on their work. Lanada quickly asked around to find Macan, eventually being led into the crawlspace.
It seemed all the engineers were in on it too, for when Lanada turned the second corner, they found about half of their crew passing around a couple blunts. Even Chief Engineer Hol’nel was there, tapping away at her Circle while she took in a breath of smoke.
When they saw Lanada, many of them began to scramble, a frightened look on their faces. Evidently, STAR agents didn’t usually approve of the crew smoking on the job.
“Easy, easy, I’m here to join you.”
They looked confused but shrugged and went back to their business, a couple of the conversations starting back up. Despite the cramped space, Lanada spent most of their remaining time smoking with them and playing cards; a popular game called Shuffle. The last hour was filled by a lengthy chat with Gerry. He was particularly high strung it seemed without Lanada being there or coming back. Lanada could only hope for his safety though.
When they started approaching the Capitol, Captain Bofi announced it to the crew, forcing Lanada to hang up on Gerry. The bustle from when they boarded was back as the crew tended to their duties, preparing the ship to land and park for a few days. A couple other agents that were also holed up in their rooms came out, not saying a word to Lanada as they waited for the airlock to open.
Lanada started some really bad small talk on purpose to bother them, asking things they clearly had no interest in. They were only stopped as Sam joined them, greeting his fellow agents and being met with kindness they hadn’t shown Lanada. Despite there being no prompt, Lanada laughed at how petty they were, drawing more strange stares from the two.
As the airlock doors opened, they could hear Sam apologizing and making excuses, the exact position they wanted him in. It looked super embarrassing. Especially since Lanada planned to make their story widely spoken gossip. That would only humiliate him further.
They exited to the Capitol’s port park, its entire floor lined with sand. A few metal and concrete pads made a surface for landing ships as well as a path indoors, contrasting the bright sand. The capitol building towered behind the port’s walls, shaped like a triangular prism. The long side was made of pure glass, while the others were sandstone, a few narrow windows exposing the inside.
Mikoril’s purple trees met it at the same height, allowing the top floor to barely peer over their canopies. The entire facility was located in the Filaise Strip, the only region on Mikoril with sustainable vegetation. Although modern farms could reproduce the trees and other plants, they didn’t grow naturally in any other part of the planet.
The port park ended in a small doorway, entering a glass hallway that led into the capitol building. On the other short side of the triangle was the civilian sector, a building large enough to house nearly a million people—as well as feed and entertain them. Lanada had been to the complex a couple times, but generally chose to avoid the hub of government and authority as an assassin.
The hallway of glass showed off the Filaise Strip at its best, lending a glimpse of the thick underbrush outside. The sand had changed to a soil, thicker and colored a light gray. The same pattern of dark purple trunks and wide blue leaves continued for all the plants, hiding the noise of wildlife behind.
The inside of the capitol building was an empty atrium for the first three stories, filling the entire base triangle. In the middle of the long side was a fountain, nozzles shooting water onto the top tier only to flow back to the bottom; an endless cycle. In the corner opposite was a secretary desk, a short saumryan helping a line of people next to the elevators. The walls not covered in glass were a ridged sandstone, no other obstructions stopping the lines. To finish off the space was an enormous chandelier, a pouring of glass squares that refracted rainbows across the neighboring walls.
Lanada and Sam were at the front, followed by the other two agents as they entered the elevator. Awkward music played to cover an even more awkward silence, the only noise between the other agents a few coughs and throat clearings. They fortunately departed on a lower floor than Sam and Lanada’s, leaving them alone.
“Who were they? Didn’t seem too friendly.”
“You’ll get the same reaction from most STAR agents. We take our job very seriously. If we don’t, people get hurt.”
“That just sounds like negligence to me.”
“STAR is anything but negligent.”
“Do you know the STAR anthem, poster boy? Do they have a coordinated dance?”
“Actually, yeah. ‘Before the fire starts, before the beating hearts—look to the star in the sky! With our siblings behind us, we’ll earn their trust—by protecting you!’” Sam was rather off pitch, but was unusually animated for the short song, becoming just as stoic afterwards.
“Uh-hah!” Lanada laughed so hard it was silent.
“The translator changed it, but you get the point. I won’t be showing you the dance though. It requires a baton, which I don’t have.”
“Do they really make you learn that? Or did you just want to nut to STAR so bad you learned yourself?”
“I used to be in the unofficial STAR Baritone Choir. Had a few good years.”
“That’s the most pathetic thing you’ve ever said. Army choir? Really? How much nationalism do you need to get off?”
“Lanada…”
They went silent as the door opened, exchanging themselves for new riders on the elevator. The hall was simple and arched, clean tile lining the floor and ceiling with gold intricacies on the walls. Each door blended to the wall, barely noticeable by their windows and plaques labeling the office. At the end of the hall looked to be the largest office, its label reading STAR 7.
There was already a commotion as they walked in, various beeping and ringing interrupting the steady drone of chatter. A line of people were all on radios, likely speaking with agents in the field. In a room to the right of the entrance sat Rendell at a desk, barely looking up when the door closed. She shot Sam a little wave then returned to her computer, clacking away.
Directly in front of the entrance though was another desk, a grizzled, very buff saumryan woman sitting at it. She stood immediately upon seeing Sam and Lanada, sticking out a stiff hand to shake.
“Sam. Lanada, pleasure to meet you. I’m Commander Reyna, I lead this STAR office. I serve as Sam’s and your direct supervisor.”
“Thought that was Rendell?”
“She’s the commander of STAR itself, I just run this division, your division. You’ll get to know everyone in this office rather well. Let me get Margit, she’s our lead intelligence analyst. When you’re in the field your reports will be sent to her first, your first line of contact in the field.”
She led them over to a small brestyrian sitting before a massive deck of computers, several displays showing information all around her. She was frantically speaking into a headset, operating the computer when needed. She was also one of the few brestyrians who wore clothes, clearly styled to fit a saumryan’s feminine aesthetic. Being from a largely thermally active biome, clothing was only a social practice—one that humans had mostly normalized on Mikoril.
“Hey Margit, got a new recruit, Lanada.”
“You must be Sam’s new partner, heard a lot about you!”
“Seems like everyone has. I’m already in the gossip stream.”
“Oh I don’t mean just gossip. I was the one who helped get evidence on you, actually. I got to operate the camera that filmed you dumping that body!”
“I’m glad you’re excited.”
“And I’m guessing you’re not?”
“No, I’m being blackmailed.”
“Oh yeah! That was my idea! Sam hated it—he really just wanted you in rehab, but they were Rendell’s orders. Reyna liked the idea too. I was there back when Sam was chasing you around; you killed a lot of our operatives. We figured having you on our side would be... safer.”
“Yeah I’m sure you all have had a great laugh. Go for it. Get it out.”
Lanada crossed their arms and stared down Margit, who had indeed taken their advice and laughed loudly, pointing a finger at Lanada while she keeled over. Sam smiled as she started, letting off a few guffaws before laughing with her. Lanada kept a stoic face, staring both of them down. The rest of the office eventually stopped looking though, and the two jesters died down, heaving for a fresh breath.
“You done?”
“Heh, for now. I kid though, I look forward to working with you.”
“Thanks.”
Margit returned to her work and Sam motioned Lanada to follow him, leading them to a lanky, tall saumryan.
“This is Kar’Neil, he leads the 3086th squadron. They’re our soldiers in the field and serve our division exclusively. We have two other squadrons that sometimes support us, the 2385th and the 7687th. They’re out on missions right now, but you’ll meet them sooner or later.”
“Hey Lanada! You’re Sam’s new—why are you looking at me like that?”
“Dude! School! How could you forget?”
“Um…”
“Sat together in history?”
“Oh. Yeah! Sorry, it’s been so long! How’ve you been?”
“Been getting roughed up, but I’m still here. I’m shocked you’re here though, I thought you were a nerd. Not the killing type.”
“Never really joined for the killing… I have my reasons though. I’m more surprised by you. You definitely never seemed like the killing type.”
“That’s ironic. I’ve been killing people for years, even before I joined STAR.”
That seemed to scare him as he hid a grimace.
“Yeah, definitely didn’t see that coming. How’d they even let you in?”
“Blackmailed me with ‘evidence.’ I’m surprised you don’t know, I thought the whole office was involved.”
“Eh, we’re kind of the grunts of STAR. We’re technically advisors to them, so we’re not an official part of the organization. They don’t really tell us what we’re doing, just where to shoot.”
“That’s shit, I’m sorry.”
“I don’t mind. I’m sure the things they worry about keep them up at night.”
“I’m sure all they worry about is their ego.”
“Hey, you’re speaking for yourself, you’re an agent too, remember?”
“I really don’t want to be.”
He chuckled and turned back around, Sam guiding Lanada forward. The few agents around the office were introduced, friendlier than the other agents they’d been seeing. The rest of the office was also nice, usually commenting on the same things. The division seemed very tight knit, and Sam’s ex partner and Lanada’s being blackmailed were on their tongues constantly.
It seemed like the whole division had bonded together to take Lanada down, giving them at least a little relief that Sam alone wasn’t responsible; it had in fact been an entire team of people necessary to find a shred of evidence on them. They ended by settling at Sam’s desk, his focus on his computer while he typed away.
“So,” Sam started, still staring at his screen. “We’ve been tasked with the Geldor team. It’s made up of our division, 7, as well as divisions 14, 15, 16, and 9. There are twenty five divisions in total, all pretty equally balanced. The Ingalderin office you saw was Division 9, I sometimes have to go there for training, or to corroborate info or fill in for other agents on assignment. With the new recruits we’ve been getting though, I hope that won’t be a problem. I’m sending all the mission reports to your Circle, make sure you take time to read them so you’re well informed when we hit the field.”
“You’re giving me homework? Gods this is like school.”
“Yep. Only difference is there will be shooting.”
“You made that analogy so much worse.”
“It seems I did. Anyways, get on those documents I sent you. I haven’t properly given you a brief.”
“I just hope it’s brief.”
“Hah. So right now, we’re still trying to assess how the Geldor are organized. We’ve observed several groups across the mainland with similar weapons, but we haven’t confirmed they’re connected to the Geldor. We’ve also been trying to track those weapon shipments, trying to figure out if the Geldor are behind them or not. If so, they could have been the ones supplying all these attacks the whole time.”
“You think the gangs are moving the guns? I’ve seen them arming up lately.”
“Of course you’d know… But that’s a good lead, I’ll let Margit know. She’ll get that information into our database so we can reference it later.”
“And where do we come in?”
“Wherever our orders take us. We’ll have something tomorrow, they don’t waste any days with us. For now though, you should get some rest. I’ll show you to your room, but maybe get around the capitol a bit to get an idea of things.”
“Great. I can’t wait.”
They left swiftly, giving Commander Reyna a small wave after talking to Margit. Like everyone else, Lanada’s new apartment was in the civilian sector, taking them through the lobby and another glass hallway. It opened to a massive atrium, skylights letting in the sun that illuminated a small garden. Small pools of water wove through the plantain, fitted with almost every variety of Mikoril’s flora, including a couple small trees. Marble and stone mostly built the structure, helped by small bridges to allow passage over the water.
The five stories were perfectly laid out above Lanada, each ending at tiers forming a profile that retreated back in the middle. Smooth pillars formed concave bends to support the overlooks, connecting them to the floor and roof. Beyond the garden and below the first tier were a few shops and restaurants; the beginning of the large indoor city.
As Lanada and Sam passed under the first level, the sunlight was blotted out from the skylights, replaced by warmer, colorful lighting that accented the low din of people going about their business. It reminded Lanada of their own neighborhood at night.
Sam led them off to the side and up a set of stairs, taking them to the second level. It was a short walk on deep red carpets, Sam stopping at a room sooner than expected. The outside tier exposing the atrium was even visible from there; a location that was likely prime real estate.
“You’re kidding. This close?”
“They have us here so we’re easy to reach. Can’t take the time to run through the whole civilian sector if there’s an emergency.”
“Right. Let’s see what my tax dollars are paying for.”
Their tax dollars seemed to be paying for a lot. It wasn’t a large home, but it was still bigger than Lanada’s old apartment. The sofa had room to breathe, the kitchen had enough counter space to actually cook a good meal, and even the bedroom was spacious. Quality wood and fabrics lined all the furniture and rooms, showing off the Capitol’s handiwork as it let in some motifs of its architecture.
“Pretentious? Yeah, all STAR agents stationed here have the same setup. I have a better backsplash though. Get some rest, you’ll need it. I’ll get you at 9 tomorrow.”
“Even earlier? Come on.”
“The less time we leave you unsupervised the better.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
Lanada closed the door in Sam’s face with a smile, letting it quickly disappear. They looked around the room to make a plan on how to get comfortable there, but the cold leather couch didn’t look too inviting. They looked to the bedroom instead, diving into the plush comforter on top. They called Gerry to pass the time, eager to complain about their lodging.
“What’s that… is that… is that suede on the fucking walls?” Gerry snorted and laughed, not granting Lanada even a hello.
“I knew you could find something to complain about, this place is stuffy! And I didn’t get one with a window! Talk about a prison.”
“I’m sorry, but suede walls?”
“That’s not even the worst part.”
“Please don’t let me see it, I’ll vomit.”
“Eh, it’s not that bad actually. Not quite like the old apartment here.”
“At least it doesn’t have the smell?”
“Hey, I never let the place get that bad! I was very clean!”
“Then how come I could smell it?”
“It was fresh, wasn’t in there more than a day or two.”
“Yeah, yeah get an air freshener next time, haha!” Gerry laughed.
“I don’t think there will be a next time… STAR doesn’t need to hide bodies from itself.”
“Very true. How was the Capitol?”
“Been here before, but it’s a lot more relaxing not being on a job. Those were always the worst here, all the government people sniffing around… I did jobs for one of them actually, but I stopped trusting them.”
“Wait, like someone who held office? Who?! You have to tell me!”
“Representative Grop’Nir.”
“Haha, really?! I always hated that douchebag! He was the first one to try and say we were connected to the new Geldor!”
“Oh yeah, how’s the Gel—uh, um, your organization doing?”
“We had to change the name. It’s called the Dilna Co-Op now, because cute birb. A couple of our founders are dead, but other people have been doing their work. It’s not enough though; we’ve already had to close the chapters at Ildar and Falderheim. A lot of people are leaving, disconnecting themselves from us. Then a few people are leaving to join the new ‘Geldor.’
“All the stores we helped supply that gave free food? Halved. And the group houses we owned? Empty, basically. It’s hard to beat all that bad noise the Geldor made. Especially since everyone thinks this was an internal split, and we’re the same people. Ingalderin’s chapter is the strongest at least, we’ve got a lot of people who know what’s what.”
“I’m sorry Gerry… Is there anything I can do since I’m, you know, a whole agent? A STAAAR agent?”
“Hehe, maybe. Just make sure I’m not on any lists anywhere. And make sure we’re not in your systems! I don’t want the government spying on me.”
“Will do. I’ll ask Sam.”
“Ooh your partner? Was he the cute one? Are you getting along?”
“He’s been my only partner, Gerry. But no. We’re not. He’s got a bleeding heart though, so he always plays friendly with me. Until he shoots at a crowd of people...”
“Does a what?!”
“I… I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Yeah… I get it. Let’s wait until you’re comfortable.”
Lanada really didn’t need to talk about it, but they felt Gerry deserved to know. In the future, of course. Regardless, Lanada couldn’t think up any words, trusting Gerry to fill their ears like usual. Instead, he let out a soft sigh.
“Hey, I’m sorry to cut you short, but uh, a guy’s here, soooo…”
“Hah, have fun.”
“Keep me in the loop, Lanada! Byyye!”
With Gerry hung up, there was an uncomfortable silence in the room, as well as an uncomfortable boredom. They let out a sigh as they forced their STAR intel onto their circle, trying to read it despite their busy mind. They maybe got halfway before drifting to sleep, barely taking in the information.