We returned to the ship for the rest of the day. Both Southpaw and I were tired from staying up and fighting. After a quick shower, making sure to wash my claws and paws, I collapsed in my bed, happy that the day was over.
That evening Southpaw greeted me as we sat down for dinner. Mousethief and Screws were sitting down as well. “Congratulations Assassin Mittens,” he told me. “I just got a priority dispatch. You have been promoted.”
“Thank you, Master Southpaw,” I said and bowed my head.
“I didn’t do much. You handled this mission insanely well. I should be thanking you for giving me such a large boost. An invisible monster, well that is going to really boost my clearance amount. Now you are going to be earning for yourself.” He gave me a smile which I returned.
“Your help in killing it was invaluable,” I replied.
“Well, you will be off on your own. There isn’t much ceremony. Since almost anyone that makes it to Neophyte makes it to the rank of Assassin. Once you become a Master Assassin after five years, there is much more celebration at that. Since it is rare for any creature to live that long. I believe Mousethief has already arranged your departure after breakfast,” Southpaw replied.
“Yes, I have. We are going to the nearby Dispatch location, since our container should be here this by tomorrow evening for transport,” Mousethief replied.
“Thank you for your guidance, Master South Paw,” I said and finished up my fish.
“Well, I look forward to your exploits Assassin Mittens. Good luck out there,” Southpaw said. After that I got my duffle bags and left his boat. It sailed off. Mousethief had a car ready for us and I got in.
After buckling in. He quickly took off. My danger sense was still warning me as he drove like the Snake Ancestral Spirit was after him. “So, Dispatch?” I asked.
“The safehouses in various cities that were covered during your training,” Mousethief replied while quickly driving around another vehicle. I nodded at this, trusting in his Mes granted skill to avoid certain vehicular death.
“You couldn’t use Southpaw’s communication or when they sent approval of my promotion?”
“As you saw, Southpaw doesn’t like me much, since he knows I made Tom Cat fly through missions like greased lightning. Now we are going to do the same thing!” Mousethief’s excitement was almost tangible. “Also need to confirm the paperwork on a fifty fifty split between us and we are good.”
“You are going to have to share with me how you pick missions. That Quackening was concerning. Not for the ducks, but for the Apostates,” I replied.
“Just a small skill that gives me a feeling at what is most aligned with my goals. Missions with high payouts are always good ones,” he replied.
“You can’t ask for something like, Mittens is unharmed and a high payout?” I asked.
“The skill can only take one input. And deals with static situations much better. The payouts for missions are a straightforward process, with little drama involved. But you being unharmed, is a lot more complicated. Again, I can only use one input for the skill. It is only tier one but cost half a million EXP,” he replied.
“What?! That is better than anything I have. And half a million?”
“Yep. Even with the cost it is highly limited, with a long cool down. Unless you want to play it safe and do boring investigation missions?” Mousethief asked.
“No I don’t. But the last one was interesting,” I replied.
“Since I arranged for us to get it back at the organization. I just separated all the mission types that Southpaw would approve of and used my skill to pick the best one. Imagine if it was some kiddie cult. Those are the worst.”
I processed all of that while Mousethief served through a red light, merging with opposing traffic perfectly, barely losing any speed. “How are we not stopped with you driving like this? A skill?”
“The plates on the car. They are registered to the Covenant Church and with no accidents, no one will follow up on the issue. Isn’t it the best?!” Mousethief turned to look at me while he drove with one paw. It took everything I had to not panic as he kept swerving in and out of traffic. I knew he was doing that to tease me. Mousethief really was the worst.
“My danger sense keeps spiking with how you drive, it is annoying,” I replied.
“Better get used it, Mittens. So ready for some super hard missions,” Mousethief replied.
Stolen novel; please report.
“Yes. Hmm, maybe instead of that asking for ones I kill a lot of creatures on, and it won’t be an issue?” I asked.
“Again, that is based more on you and your choices, less on an outcome after events have settled. Also, you added two criteria. Trust me, I know my skill the best to maximize things. Creatures are going to die regardless,” Mousethief said as he spun the vehicle around and it came to a screeching halt in front of a non-descript warehouse with a high wall and metal gate in the industrial part of town.
He leaned out the window and flashed his ID to a camera. The metal gate in front of us began to open. Mousethief took it slower this time and pulled into the warehouse. I noted lots of communication and monitoring equipment set up. Lots of good creatures scurrying about as well. I noted many of them wore military uniforms.
“Chief Technician Mousethief! What can I do to help you?” A hare ran up and saluted Mousethief.
“At ease. I need a hard line, and the open list. Also, a place to sleep for the night, for both of us,” Mousethief said.
“Of course, Chief Technician. Follow me,” The hare set off at a quick pace after giving a quick salute. I followed Mousethief as we made our way to a corner of the warehouse. We got the occasional look, but we were mostly ignored.
Technically I held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel as an officer in the military. Mousethief was technically above me as a Colonel. But no one would ever call me Lieutenant Colonel Mittens and I would never wear a uniform. Also, my pay scale was completely different. Once I was a Master Assassin, I would be promoted up to Colonel in terms of authority.
It was a matter of authority and what resources we could commandeer in the field. And if things spiraled into disaster who had ultimate authority. Paladins were of the equivalent rank of Lieutenant General, just below the top rank of General and four ranks above me.
High Clerics had the equivalent rank of General. All of this was part of the organizational structure to manage the hierarchy within the Covenant Church’s domain. Could I command a soldier? Yes, but I would get into huge trouble. There was an asterisk against my rank along with everyone else’s in the organization.
If I abused or even used my position in the slightest it would get back to Maximilian very quickly. The primary purpose of having a rank was to cut through any red tape and know who I had to listen to. I had been informed that officers were aware of ‘special agents’ for the Covenant Church and enlisted soldiers were told not to ask questions or else.
All of this meant that Mousethief was technically the highest ranked creature in the safehouse and could use and request all the assets as needed. Technicians got a lot more training in procedures and paperwork.
We entered an enclosed room at the far end of the warehouse. I noted two soldiers standing outside with automatic rifles. They saluted us as we entered. Since Mousethief and I were not in uniforms, they were saluting the hare we were following.
There was a small room we had to sign in and then we entered main portion of the secure room. I noted two mice working with equipment and handling papers.
They both came to attention and saluted the hare. “Get the open list for Division Eight and set up a secure line to Division Eight in ten minutes from now.”
“Yes sir!” Both mice saluted and busied themselves.
“I will prepare a place for both of you to sleep, unless there is anything else Chief Technician?” the hare asked. As the nominal creature in charge of the safehouse, he was read into the Organization.
“That will be all, thank you,” Mousethief said. After that the hare left and a binder was brought over. The open list. It contained the up to date missions available for Assassins, sorted by region and the urgency. It was periodically updated with the latest reports.
Each mission was assigned a code, and as more information came up or was discovered, it would be forwarded to all the open lists in the safehouses. Once a mission was completed, word would be sent out and the copies destroyed. Only the Organization would keep a record back at its headquarters.
There was also a time component. If a mission wasn’t updated for five years, it was removed and filed as dormant. There were a lot of small cases that came through. That was why the binder was so thick. As a situation reached a crisis point, more reports would be filed and using a scoring system, the mission would quickly rise to the top of the open list.
Most Assassins would pick the missions at the top of the list. Mousethief just picked what he thought was the best from the nearby regions. Travel time was a consideration as well. Most assassins had stomping grounds, but technically they could go anywhere which was what my father and Mousethief had done.
“This is a good one. We can take a ship to get there as well.” He grinned at me, and I just rolled my eyes. If this was going to work, we had to trust each other. He slid the binder over to me and went to the communication equipment to let the Organization know our movements and which mission we were handling.
A series of thefts from a port. The cargo was primarily fertilizer for various crops further inland and some minor equipment. It had escalated to the Organization since there was an unconfirmed rumor of cultists. There had been a cursory sweep, but nothing had come up. The port wasn’t to the South either, which meant it probably wasn’t snake cultists.
This mission had been buried in the binder and was fairly recent. I listened in as Mousethief began speaking.
“Secondary connection, agent black two. Verification code. Tango, purple, two, one, nine. Day code. Three Carrot. One.”
“Counter code, gamma, seven, eight, two , four, one. Authenticated, agent black two. Secure connection confirmed. State nature of secondary request,” the obsecured voice on the other end asked.
“Agent gray taking mission 1,082 dash C dash 3,” Mousethief said. There was a period of silence.
“Mission confirmed 1,082 dash C dash 3 for agent black two. Good luck and may the Warrior watch over you, cutting connection,” the voice said and the connection was cut.
“Well, that went well. Never like making the calls,” Mousethief said and turned towards me. “Let’s go,” he added. We signed out of the secure room and the hare from before was waiting for us. We were shown out of the warehouse to a small side building with a shared sleeping area and kitchen, and a single bathroom.
The plan was to rest up until we departed with our container tomorrow. And I would start my first independent mission. It felt strangely exhilarating to come so far.