Neera’s Office, Quadrant A, Abaddon Station

  February 24th, 2509

  Neera’Vilkra was still in her chair, her legs leaned on the desk. Not many clients or any of her people visited her for hours today. And she liked that way. The work in maintaining her territory and the well-being of the people living there was long and tedious. Didn’t help that she had a habit of often paying a visit to the civilians, to see how they’re doing. Ruthless and Cold as she is, yes. But she cared for her civilians in Quadrant A.

  A territory is meaningless without ensuring the well-being of the people living in it. Abaddon was a ruthless den of crime and debauchery, and Neera was already immersed in it. But she vowed to herself to keep the civilians safe under her wring.

  She lost her family and loved ones to the Inquisition when she fell out of favor from the Vair Conclave. And if sacrificing profit is the price paid to maintain prosperity and safety of her territory, it was a price more than worth paying for.

  Of course, with the Cold War reaching its boiling point, business was gonna grow larger than it was currently. Mercs, raiders, and bounty hunters are looking to take a piece of the pie. Losses of personnel from the main factions embroiled in this conflict meant the higher-ups are desperate to recruit belligerent non-state fighters. It didn’t matter to them as long the pay is good.

  Neera thought about Karel “Dice” Swerts, who was once under her contract. She couldn’t help wondering if he was looking to take advantage of the war. But given his past, he preferred to not get involved. He was away now, in league with his new associates, Special Tactics Recon.

  A video call from her computer buzzed, putting the crime boss out of her thoughts. Neera put her feet back on the floor, then answered the call. The screen flickered to show a fellow Vernusen, skin in darker shade of blue and silver-colored hair. One of his pair left ears had a cut.

  “Fredir.” Neera greeted.

  [Neera. To what do I owe the pleasure?] Fredir’Karn greeted back, his lips pursed slyly.

  “I was feeling a little alone. Thought I could check on you and your new friends.” Neera answered, with a hint of sarcasm.

  [So you do. Well..] Fredir took a breath, then continued. [My new friends, or as I prefer to call them, new teammates, are doing relatively fine. We’ve managed to set up shop pretty well in that warehouse.]

  Neera smiled slightly, as Fredir was referring to The Bishop. An abandoned warehouse fit well within the Antwar District, an area within the Imperium’s capitol beset by poverty, crime, and once held by a group of SoT terrorists.

  “Glad to hear that, Fredir. And I’m glad that those new IDs I’ve given you and the team have worked out well.”

  [Yes. Kyla Weber is ambitious, which is necessary in our current mission.] Fredir’s tone spoke of admiration for the former veteran SSB agent.

  “Indeed so. But, ambition is meaningless without the will or the resources to get it done. Has she found a lead?”

  Fredir’s face showed doubt, which wasn’t good for Neera.

  She sighed and rubbed her face. “I see. I assume looking into the Agency’s database is a not an option?”

  [Yes.] Fredir nodded. [Unless you want an army of agency specialists hungry to arrest and torture you.]

  “I’ll pass.” Neera brought up her hand. “Tell you what, I’ll look into my connections and see if I can help you start.”

  [That would be most excellent, Ms.Vilkra. Thank you.] Fredir smiled again, which satisfied Neera.

  “I can’t promise anything big. But it will be a start.” Neera warned, to avoid disappointment.

  [Any solid lead to get us started is better than nothing. I wish you well. Warp graces you.] Fredir waved goodbye and cut the connection.

  Neera scoffed, not keen on the gesture he gave her. Not especially when she left that life behind.

  She closed the video call and made an audio to one of her intelligence specialists. After a few minutes of connecting. [Yes, boss?] The voice was raspy, and the background noise suggested she was on a building More specifically, the Agency’s HQ in Tortsin, as per the location shown in the phone call screen from Neera’s computer.

  “Flower, get any information on Agents Raven, Knob, and Hammer. Anything that could clear their names.” Neera made her order.

  [On it, boss.] The specialist accepted.

  “In a few weeks, they’ll be meeting with you. Their call will be Pierce. Respond with Shatter.”

  [You mean when the Dominion’s invasion fleet attacks the capitol.] Flower deduced.

  “Yes. Failure is not an option. I’m sure you understand.” Neera’s tone made the terms were clear.

  [I do and I’m on it, boss. Flower Out.]

  The call ended, then Neera got up from her seat. After a minute of stretching, she decided to distract her mind by doing what she likes best.

  Visiting the civilians in Quadrant A.

  Because of its size, it took hours to go through every nook and cranny across Quadrant A. Sometimes, kids used small tunnels to get in and around the Quadrant, and were dubbed tunnel kids. However, the tunnels were not treacherous, and dozens of them met deaths from the cold embrace of space, smoke, or the fires.

  As such, Neera’Vilkra put a strict policy of disallowing anyone from using the tunnels. She implemented public transit with Hover-buses and hover-bikes to allow faster travel around the Quadrant. It was faster than walking, but some preferred that way, even if it took hours to walk from one far area to the next.

  An hour later, Neera reached the Dorms, where she saw civilians chatting outside the dorms. When they saw her, they waved happily.

  “Ms.Vilkra!” A crowd of young adult humans, serparis, and vernusen came over and huddled around her.

  “Easy, easy. You’re going to make your faces red.” Neera said jokingly, with a few of the crowd blushing or giggling.

  “How are things in the Dorms?” Neera inquired.

  “Great! The Arcades and the parks made it easier for us to clear ourselves.” One human answered her question, while the rest nodded.

  “But?” Neera sensed there was something wrong.

  “It would be nice to have at least some training centers near our area. Learn how to defend ourselves.” One Vernusen suggested, while the rest of crowd murmured in agreement.

  Neera sighed wistfully. “Well, a group of engineers just finished refurbishing some docking stations in Port 15. So I’ll reach out to them and help you guys out.”

  “Yes! Thank you, Ms.Vilkra!” The crowd shouted in excitement, and the crime boss felt a ping of gratitude.

  “It’s no problem. I need to visit other people. Take care.” She waved her goodbye to the crowd, and the crowd returned their gesture.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Another hour, she reached to the area near Port 15, where she saw the group of engineers taking their food breaks after a week of hard work. When they saw, they stood attention.

  “Ms.Vilkra!” One of them murmured. She gestured the engineers to go back to their seats, and they did so.

  “I’m not your general, so no need for salutes. How’s the refurbishing holding up?” Neera inquired.

  “Pretty well, boss.” The head engineer, a Serpari came forward, and gestured his hard hat to her. “Some areas were difficult to deal with. But overall, the docking stations are good as new.”

  “Port 15 should be ready, then?” Neera’s inquiry met with a yes, but she sensed there were still some final touches.

  “Yes, but we need a few days of final touches and testing to make sure the stations are up to snuff.” Another engineer chimed in.

  “Good enough for me. If there’s a problem or delays, let me know or my people immediately. I want accountability, no running away from responsibility.”

  While some of the engineers swallowed, the rest of them half-bowed in respect. Neera waved her goodbyes as she left the area.

  Around 2 hours of walking, she waved and greeted other people. Some of them were in bad moods, but still greeted her nonetheless. When Neera got to the prayer zones, she clutched a hand on her chest, and felt her heart grew weary.

  It’s ironic, really. When humanity managed to sail the stars, organized religions lost their influence. While some said it’s a good thing, as they were no longer bound by the dogma of the bigoted and short-sighted fools who used religion to speak their false convictions, others still took up practice, and they were spread across human space.

  Some of those highly-religious humans believed space travel was blasphemy. Heresy. An unforgivable act of apostasy. But humanity moved forward, settled in hundreds of planets across their voyage. Even so, groups of humans kept on practicing their religions. Abrahamic or not abrahamic.

  Still, Neera felt her heart growing heavier, and was kneeling down until she was helped up by a middle-aged human clad in formal religious clothing.

  “Imam Rashid?” Neera asked when she looked at him.

  “Yes. It is me, Miss Vilkra.” He spoke to her gently. “Are you well?”

  “Ye… I mean, no. Anytime I go to the prayer zones, my heart grows heavy.” Neera was trying to avoid answering honestly, but she preferred not to lie to the Imam.

  “So it seems. How about you come to my house? It’s not far.” Rashid suggested, and Neera nodded, following him to his house.

  Over the next ten minutes, Neera sat in living room, relaxed and concentrated while Rashid brought a cup of tea to her. They drank together, then felt not so parched at this moment.

  The Imam noticed a weary expression on the crime boss. Although some of his peers from other reaches would brand him an apostate, it felt it was Rashid’s duty to help other people in spiritual healing, even if some of them weren’t good people in moral sense.

  “Miss Vilkra, you don’t seem well. Is your spirit weary again?”

  Neera sighed. “Honestly? Yes.”

  “Is this about when you were a member of your people’s conclave?” Rashid’s inquiry was responded with a no. “No, Imam. It’s something else.”

  “Then speak, my child. And be honest.”

  At any other time, Neera would’ve chuckled. But this was not the time. “You know Abaddon is a place where all sorts of crime is a fact of life here, right?”

  “Yes.” Rashid gestured her to continue.

  “I’ve been building Quadrant A to be a firm, but honest place where people can feel free and not beset by the depravity of slavers nor to the relentless atrocities of raiders. I’ve rejected slave trade and ruthlessly casted them away to keep my place honest. And yet…”

  “And yet, your heart grows weary at the suffering caused by others like Malice and Hargrave.” Rashid deduced, and Neera nodded.

  “Yes. I’ve built my organization, rebuilt from Quadrant A from its ashes. But it wasn’t out of righteousness, Imam. I’ve built it by being ruthless, merciless, illicit dealings, and a firm grip.” Neera shook her breath, then felt the gentle hand of the Imam on her shoulder.

  She inhaled, then exhaled, and calmed down for the time being, then was gestured by the Imam to continue. “It’s just… I don’t see how it’s right for me to be the person who cares for the well-being of civilians in the territory while being a ruthless and merciless crime boss who built an empire through deceit and treachery. I failed my family, the people who trusted me at home. And I don’t know if I can protect you all from what’s coming.” She looked down on the floor.

  The room stood silent for a few minutes, until Rashid spoke his words. “We sentient beings can be walking sets of contradictions. We say we’re one thing, but we do the other.”

  Neera glanced at the Imam, and paid attention.

  “We are not perfect beings, Miss Vilkra. I am not perfect, either. Sometimes, when it comes to survival, we abandon our values if it meant to live another day. Murder, lying, cheating, and I could go on. I’ve committed a number of sins in my lifetime.” Rashid took his breath and continued. “With Abaddon, leadership requires a firm hand and ruthlessness. And you are ruthless and merciless, there’s no mistake about that.”

  “But, you visit your subjects whenever work doesn’t occupy you. See how they are holding up. You try to help them, and you shelter them in safety when gunfire sweeps through our homes. Any other crime boss would just see people like us as expendable. Numbers that can be replaced. Profit over our suffering. You may not be a good person in morality, Ms.Vilkra.. But you care for your people and that is a measure of goodness in my eyes and in the eyes of Allah.”

  Neera nodded, and felt her heart lifted off from her burden.

  “As we speak, The war between liberation and tyranny will engulf the galaxy, sooner or later. Thousands of people will die from projectiles, artillery, and explosions. Thousands more will escape the suffocated waves of war to seek refuge. People who are empty from principles will profit over the suffering. And Abaddon will no doubt will be involved in the crossfire. I and all of the people of Quadrant A cannot trust anyone else to keep us safe.. And I know you will keep us safe.”

  A tear fell from her right eye, and Neera wiped before it reached her cheek.

  “Thanks, Imam Rashid. I hope I live to everyone’s hopes here.” She got up from her seat, and the Imam got up. Both shook hands.

  He did a praying gesture, then spoke. “Allah protects you.”

  Neera nodded, then waved goodbye to Rashid, and left his house.

  She felt a buzz on her phone, then checked it. It was coordinates for a meeting. Time to get back to work.

  A terrible war would soon engulf Abaddon Station, but Neera’Vilkra will do everything she could to keep her people safe.

  She would not let them down.