PART IV: Through Lawlessness and BackCSS LEGEND, RECREATION DECK, SHIP’S BAR (1 WEEK LATER, SATURDAY NIGHT)

  “Can I interest you in something, Vice General?” asks a bartender. Avon looks at the menu for anything good. It was Saturday, so she decided to treat herself.

  “A Midnight Rose with extra vodka,” she replies.

  “Always in the mood for something stiff, huh? Comin’ right up.”

  “And hold the conversation,” she adds.

  “Got it.” After he leaves, Avon checks the time with a sigh.

  Rokov said he wanted to drink with me tonight, but he’s now ten minutes te… The st time I got off my shift te without telling him, he seemed irritated. I wonder what’s keeping him?

  “Here you go, ma’am. Enjoy.” The bartender slides a gss filled with strong-smelling red alcohol toward Avon.

  “Thank you.” After eating the cherry first, she takes a sip and instantly calms down.

  *swoosh*

  The door opens, and Rokov enters the bar with a haggard expression. There are strangely colored burns on his arms, covered by bandages. He shambles toward Avon and sits next to her, waving away the bartender.

  “Oh, my! What happened!?”

  “An incident in the armory…” Rokov exhales. “One of Hoarfrost’s experimental weapons ended up in the hands of an Eagle Collective infiltrator.”

  “How many casualties?”

  “No one died, if that’s what you’re wondering. I got a little singed, that’s all.”

  “If you want, I can heal you,” Avon offers.

  “I’m fine. The Android doctors gave me infused bandages. They said I’d be back to normal in two days. Still, this just had to happen on a Saturday.”

  “Well, I should’ve been more thorough during the recent armory inspections,” Avon sulks. “It’s my fault you got hurt.”

  “Don’t bme yourself.” He gently pats her on the back. “You’re a great vice general,Avon. Plus, it’s a good thing you weren’t cooked by that psionic fme cannon, too. Otherwise, your nice blonde hair would’ve been burned off.”

  “You like my hair?” Avon asks. His compliment is a welcome change of pace from hearing another “dumb blonde” joke.

  “Yeah. And it smells good, too,” Rokov adds, completely ruining it.

  “Gahh… What have I told you about sniffing me!? I’m a woman, not a flower!”

  Avon crosses her arms indignantly, even though she can’t bme him. Years of using scented cosmetics gave her body a sweet floral aura that even she enjoys. Discounting alcohol, self-care has always been her favorite way to de-stress.

  “Anyway, have you told Hoarfrost that his ‘projects’ got mixed in with the regur weapons? In my opinion as an engineer, he sounds like a negligent scientist.”

  Rokov nods. “Yeah, I told Bull to message him, but I won’t hold my breath.”

  “Expin.”

  “It’s mostly rumors, but I heard he volunteered for a long-term assignment in the Lawless Lands before we came on board. Bull can send him messages, but he’ll only reply once a week at best.”

  It might be because she’s been a Vice General for less than three weeks, but this is the first time Avon’s heard of this. Contrary to what she stated, she wished she could meet Khan. His past with the now-defunct Psi-Ops division and innovative fusion of Human and alien tech both interest her.

  “Anyway, I’ll have the quartermasters inspect the armory for other dangerous pieces of equipment,” said Avon. “And mark my words, someone will pay for this, starting with that Eagle. You apprehended him, right?”

  “We did. Why?”

  “I want to use my powers to probe his mind. That way, I can identify his accomplices. It’ll be a lot faster than a shipwide strip search for gang tattoos.”

  “Once they’re gathered, I’ll shoot them out an airlock and post the video online as a statement. You can come and watch if you want.”

  Rokov shivers at Avon’s brutal pn. “Yeah, no thanks…”

  “But that’s a topic for ter.” Despite being so ruthless a second ago, Avon gives him a cheery smile. “May I buy you a drink?”

  “I’m good. Your intrusive thoughts sorta turned me off.”

  “Not my fault you have a weak stomach.”

  During their exchange, a trio of troopers entered the bar while chatting. When they see the Vice General, they stop in their tracks and leave with hateful grimaces. Avon tsks before taking another sip of her drink.

  “I thought people were starting to like you more after the scuffle with Kryder. Fighting aliens side by side tends to bond people,” said Rokov. Avon admits her approval did increase after that battle, but it’s still a work in progress.

  “I thought the same, but it’s unrealistic to expect everyone to change overnight. Besides, it’ll take more than that to ruin my weekend.”

  “See? I told you taking time off is refreshing.” Avon nods in agreement. Taking more time for herself has made her more optimistic recently.

  “It doesn’t matter how rich or powerful you are, nothing is more sacred than the end of the workweek!” he decres.

  Then, Avon’s cell phone buzzes in her belt. She just got a one-sentence text from Bull:

  Report to the wardroom.

  Avon stands up. “I have to go. The General needs me.”

  “But it’s the weekend, and you’re off-duty!” Rokov whines.

  “Evidently, not anymore. You can have the rest of my drink.”

  CSS LEGEND, WARDROOM

  When Avon entered the wardroom, only General Bull, Admiral Desha, Captain Sul, and a ptop showing the GSEB crest were inside. She takes a seat, both confused and curious.

  “Sorry to intrude on your Saturday, Vice General,” Bull apologizes. “But this is an urgent matter we need your help with.”

  “It’s admirable that you put responsibilities over personal wants, Vice General. Your psychological profile didn’t exaggerate your work ethic in the slightest,” said a heavily disguised voice coming from the ptop. Avon sees a little red dot next to the camera, indicating it’s active.

  “I know GSEB employees value their privacy, but is this level of secrecy necessary? I’d prefer to know who I’m speaking to.”

  “Avonnica Marilyn Hayton. Age 27. Date of birth: 0508, 488 PSC. Pce of birth: Port Hayton, Shau Prime, Regis Sector. Time of birth: 1035 LPT,” replied the voice.

  “Daughter of Robert Norris Hayton and Angelica Hayton, the heads of the Hayton Family. IQ: 188.”

  “Eldest of 3 siblings; 2 brothers, 1 Synth-Human sister grown with your DNA. You are closest to your sister, Sandramary Tetra Hayton. In private, she calls you ‘Ava,’ and you call her ‘Sandy.’”

  “By the way, did you enjoy your Midnight Rose?”

  “Overseer…?”

  Only one man could recall this much data about an elite in less than a second: Overseer, the nameless Director of GSEB. No one knows who he truly is, but he’s a master of efficiency with eyes all over the gaxy.

  Miraculously, no politician has managed to win him over. Some who tried have even fallen victim to a “sudden disappearance,” courtesy of his Enhanced agents.

  “No offense, sir, but I didn’t think you were real,” said Avon. “I’d say ‘nice to meet you,’ but it feels inappropriate.”

  “Say whatever you want; I won’t mind. It’s not every day I get to prove the prodigal daughter wrong.”

  “Now that you two are acquainted, let’s get to the point,” Sul interrupts. Avon quickly assumes a professional expression. “Do you know Jamar Khan?”

  “Hoarfrost? Commander Rokov and I were just talking about him.”

  “Then you know what his mission was?” asked Desha.

  “I think so.”

  “Last night, we received an urgent audio message from Khan. He transmitted it before it compiled properly, so it was heavily distorted by the time we received it.” Desha points to the computer.

  “Overseer put his best technicians to work on it, and the contents are concerning. I’ll let Khan eborate. Overseer, if you may.”

  The GSEB logo flickers and is repced by a static-filled recording of Khan’s voice. Avon can barely make out what he’s saying.

  This is Hoarfrost to GSAF. *static* –a new development. Codename: Scourge has– *static* –and his research. I suspect Ler-Deld Edrahz intends– *static*

  I met– *static* –to leave the Alliance. *static* –and I made a promise. Unless I receive backup– *long static* –and the mission will be a bust.

  *static* –off-record. Imagine how people would feel about a Deldraka working for– *long static*

  “I’m confused.”

  “Khan’s official mission was to gather intel on alien activity in the region, but that’s only part of the truth. GSEB told him to gather intel on a notorious Alliance scientist, Scourge Mexaklye,” Sul expins.

  “He volunteered to be a proxy since the Interstelr Constitution forbids GSEB from getting involved in extra-Confederate matters.”

  “I would have sent one of my Enhanced, but some ws can’t be broken so easily,” Overseer expins.

  “Laws are for the mediocre,” Avon scoffs.

  “Anyway…” Overseer continued, ignoring her. “I told Khan to observe Mexaklye’s research bases and bring back anything that could improve our technology. Since he has mechanical knowledge and stealth training, he was a logical choice.”

  “By the way, only the people in this room are aware of this information.”

  “Based on the message, he’s been compromised and needs to be extracted ASAP,” Bull adds. “That’s where you come in, Avon.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you,” said Overseer. “Your shuttle, the Lustrous Gem, has the test Hayton Industries stealth and propulsion technology.”

  “More importantly, it is a privately owned vessel without a jump inhibitor or license number. That makes it untraceable, even for me.”

  “No one will know if you go into the Lawless Lands. Because of this, we need your help in retrieving Khan.”

  Avon isn’t sure how to reply, which Overseer notices.

  “I’ll bet you have many inquiries that we unfortunately don’t have time to address. From his message, I predict Khan will also bring a Deldraka defector. So, for everyone’s sake, I must take every precaution to make sure this stays under wraps.”

  “If so, wouldn’t it be more rational to leave the Deldraka behind?” asked Avon.

  Bull exhales sharply. “Believe me, I’m tempted to do that, but this is too good an opportunity to pass up. An alien willing to aid Humanity isn’t something that happens often.”

  “More accurately, it hasn’t happened once,” Avon corrects him.

  “Exactly.”

  “Well, I suppose loaning you my ship isn’t out of the question. I expect not to see a scratch upon your return.”

  “Thank you, but that’s not all,” said Overseer. “This is a very delicate operation. We could use your cool head to ensure everything goes right.”

  “Me?”

  “Again, yes, you.” Overseer sighs. “The w may be ‘for the mediocre,’ but even I know when to abide by it. I wouldn’t ask this of you if I wasn’t confident in your skills.”

  “Overseer rarely endorses anyone,” Sul pipes up. “You should be honored, Vice General.”

  “I don’t approve of military officers constantly putting themselves in dangerous situations. On the other hand, my aid would expedite the mission…” Avon thinks out loud. “Very well, I’m in.”

  “Excellent. I’ll let you work out the rest of the details. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday, Avon.”

  Finally, Overseer hangs up, and the ptop automatically shuts off. Then, with an audible pop, tiny puffs of electrical smoke start coming out of it.

  “Must he destroy every ptop we lend him?” Bull gripes. Avon is about to suggest that she fix it when Desha hands her a USB.

  “Here, Vice General. You could use this.” Avon looks at it, not sure what “it” is.

  “It’s the test Deldrakan Transtion Matrix,” said Desha. “Our linguists were able to refine it even more after the fight with Kryder. Still, try to talk slowly and use simple words while using it.”

  “Okay, the Vice General and I have a lot to discuss, so we’ll be in my office,” Bull announces. “Desha, take us to the Lawless Lands. Sul, you’re in charge until we get back.”

  “Aye.”

  CSS LEGEND, GENERAL’S OFFICE

  Bull: Obviously, we cannot pull this off on our own, and your ship’s small size limits the number of reinforcements.

  Avon: The Lustrous Gem is made to carry up to six passengers. Because two more will be joining us on the way back, a team of four would be ideal.

  Avon: They have to be highly skilled and trustworthy, traits that aren’t easy to come by nowadays.

  Bull: Don’t worry, one spot’s already been filled. I enlisted the aid of a commando from the Fontem Sector in advance. She’s going to meet us there.

  Bull passes Avon a diginote with a dossier on Lieutenant Sabel “Caldera” Reyes, a highly skilled soldier and pilot. Three years ago, she was reconstructed into a cyborg by RavenTech after a botched mission left her crippled. While that segment of her past is cssified, Avon scrolls through the rest of her record and is visibly impressed.

  Avon: “Awarded the Dagger of Conquest, Four-Point Sapphire, and Quadruple Ace; the first three-time recipient of a Deathless medal.”

  Avon: Very impressive. I knew investing in RavenTech would pay off.

  Despite Avon’s level tone, she was getting very jealous while reading Caldera’s accomplishments. Out of all those awards, she only has the Dagger of Conquest. She is grateful not to have a Deathless medal, though; no bauble is worth suffering a fatal injury.

  Bull: Caldera’s a great pilot, and her cybernetics will make short work of any opposition we encounter.

  Bull: As for her loyalty, she’s a patriot to the end.

  Avon: Sounds perfect.

  Avon: Then, for our second teammate, may I recommend someone?

  Bull: Avon, I’m not a telepath, but I know there’s only one soldier on this ship you’re willing to trust with your life.

  Bull: So, if Commander Rokov says yes, then it’s fine with me.

  THE LAWLESS LANDS (4 DAYS LATER)

  The Lawless Lands is the informal name of an abundant contested nebu located between the Scythe Empire and the Alliance of Deldu. After its discovery, both sides fully colonized it in a few short years.

  When they encountered each other, each faction fortified their territory while also striking at their old nemesis. The fighting took precedence over local leadership. Soon, all colonies on both sides were left in a state of anarchy.

  Scythe, Deldraka, Veriyans, and even Humans can be found living amongst each other. Retionships between the diverse peoples range from tight friendship to vengeful animosity due to the absence of gactic government.

  THE LAWLESS LANDS, LUSTROUS GEM, MAIN CABIN

  CLANG CLANG CLANG

  “Rise and shine, boys and girls!” yells a shrill voice. “Come on, move your asses!”

  A cyborg woman with fiery red hair cps her metal palms to wake everyone. She wears a skimpy outfit—tex bike shorts and a strapless bra—which exposes her many cybernetic impnts. There are remnants of tattoos on her torso, which transition into intricate graffiti art on her armored limbs.

  “You don’t have to yell, Reyes. We are moving…” Avon rolls out of her alcove and stretches out a crick in her back. “Not all of us sleep by plugging into a wall socket.”

  “The name’s Caldera, ma’am, and that’s offensive.”

  Based on the Lieutenant’s file, Avon expected a steel-knuckle sandwich. However, Caldera turned out to be much more easygoing than her name implied.

  Once they get dressed, Bull, Avon, and Rokov join her in the cockpit. After getting a drink, Avon supervises at the helm while the others sit down. While Caldera is a better pilot than her, the Lustrous Gem is still her ship.

  Remembering her previous thought, Avon takes a swig of hard coffee and admits her curiosity:

  “Caldera, your file said you’re very hot-blooded. To be honest, I don’t see it.”

  “Nah, I had a temper,” she confirms. “But being a quadriplegic with only half your vital organs tends to cool ya down. You oughta try it sometime.”

  Avon shakes her head. This is the ninth time Caldera mentioned her “condition” without revealing how she ended up in that state. She tried asking Bull, but he said it was “cssified and embarrassing.”

  “Hey, it ain’t all bad. I’m bulletproof, got a cell phone for a brain, and shoot missiles from my shoulders and grenades from my thighs.”

  Meanwhile, Rokov yawned while scratching the back of his head. “Honestly, I'm having second thoughts about this op. Going into Deldraka space with no backup? It’s a suicide mission, I tell you.”

  “This is technically neutral territory, not Deldraka. Also, you accepted before I could finish expining,” Avon replies. “You have only your impulsivity to bme, Gregori.”

  “Really? Fuck, you’re a dumbass,” Caldera teases. “Your muscles must be cutting off circution to your brain.”

  “You two do know I have feelings, right?” he sighs. “At least, hold your snark until after coffee.”

  Hearing this, Bull tosses Rokov a canned coffee from Avon’s mini fridge while taking one for himself. Being cooped up with these three for 96 hours may sound tedious, but he actually found their banter quite entertaining. And though he didn’t participate much, Bull found a rare moment of happiness watching them get along.

  “Aight, belt up. We’re dropping outta metaspace,” Caldera decres.

  The radiological film over the windows disengages as the shuttle returns to normal space. The Lustrous Gem slows down as it enters a stunning nebu. While space is normally an endless bck void, the Lawless Lands were filled with all colors of the rainbow.

  “Activate the cloaking device,” said Bull.

  “Roger, roger.”

  Caldera flipped a switch, and the ship began cloaking itself. The hull changes color to match the surroundings while allowing potential scans to pass through it. At the same time, the lights darken while the air gets colder to reduce the ship’s energy signature.

  “I didn’t think space could have so many beautiful colors…” Rokov gasps while looking out of a viewport.

  “Don’t be a fool, Gregori.” Avon points to the mangled ruins of an unknown warship on her side. “Beautiful or not, this is where ships go to die.”

  Meanwhile, Caldera intentionally flies slowly, suppressing her inner speed demon. She knows if they go too fast, the cloak will fail, and they’ll be exposed.

  “M’kay, if all goes according to pn, just 45 minutes of smooth sailing until we nd. Aside from routine patrols, no noteworthy hazards within scanning range.”

  “Thanks, Caldera,” said Bull. “The pnet Khan was on has a lot of woodnd, so stay cloaked until we touch down. There could be spotters hiding in the foliage.”

  “Gotcha.”

  “Avon, man the comm station. Try to get in touch with Hoarfrost without drawing attention to us.”

  “Yes, sir.” Avon salutes before heading to the back to work her magic.

  “Rokov, you and I are lookout. Keep an eye on the scanners over there for me.”

  “Got it.”

  “General, I’ve made contact.”

  “Wow, that was quick,” Rokov remarks. “I haven’t even sat down.”

  “Well, someone has to move the plot along,” Avon replies while typing away on her console. “Hold on, I’m trying to clear up the interference.”

  “GSAF, come in,” said a static-filled voice on the other end.

  “Yes, this is General Bull, Hoarfrost. Gd to know you’re still alive.”

  “My position– *static* Too te– *static* Ah, son of a–!”

  Khan’s voice is repced with sounds of combat combined with more intense static. Avon also faintly heard some Deldrakan shouts in between them.

  “Damn, the signal is being jammed! Compensating…”

  “Khan, if you can hear me, retreat to the designated rendezvous point for extraction!” Bull yells as if that’ll make him come in clearer. “That’s an order!”

  “General, we– *static* now!”

  CONNECTION LOST

  “Fuck!!”

  Avon smmed her fist on her armrest, startling the others. “S-Sorry…” she mutters, blushing slightly from embarrassment.

  “Luckily, whoever cut the cord didn’t find us,” said Rokov. “No ships are in pursuit.”

  “Enough smooth sailing, Caldera. Drop the cloak and get us over there, now!” orders Bull.

  “Disengaging cloak, priming afterburners, activating Amaterasu injectors…”

  Caldera fshes a toothy grin at the array of thruster settings on her console. Most of these features were neither legal nor found on any market, legitimate or otherwise.

  “Man, VG, you elites get all the best toys,” she purrs while stroking the console. “I wonder if I can get to Mach 10 in five…”

  “Hold on, I get motion sickness!” Rokov cries.

  “And don’t call me ‘VG!’ More importantly, many of these systems aren’t flight tested!” Avon follows. “If you blow up my ship–”

  “Then, we’ll be dead anyway. Punch it, Caldera,” Bull interjects.

  “Say less!!”

  UNNAMED LAWLESS LANDS COLONY, FOREST

  It was close to midnight on the pnet when they arrived. This world had no name or fgs and few traces of civilization. The darkness and greenery unnerved Bull and Avon the most.

  After a smooth nding, Bull, Caldera, Avon, and Rokov exit the shuttle in full combat gear. Avon quickly locked the doors to the Lustrous Gem before catching up to the others.

  “You all good, Rokov?” Bull asks. Rokov answers with a thumbs-up, still queasy from the flight. “Good. Khan’s waiting for us not far from here. Caldera, you take point. Everyone else, activate night vision and stay close.”

  Caldera’s armored impnts remove her need for power armor, making her more agile than the others. She takes her carbine off her back and scouts ahead. Avon also lifts her own rifle, pointing it at every sound she hears. Her stress was making the rings in her eyes appear again.

  “Steady, Avon,” Bull assures her. “Don’t be afraid, just focus on the task at hand.”

  “Can’t say I bme her for being jumpy…” Rokov mutters. “This pce gives me the creeps. It’s like the trees have eyes.”

  “Well, they don’t. And–”

  BOOM

  A loud explosion interrupts Caldera’s rebuttal, pulverizing a nearby boulder into purple-tinged dust. Bull and Rokov quickly draw their weapons and stand back to back. Avon recognized the noise, and no history texts could accurately describe its frightening volume.

  “That was a Scythe Starbster!”

  Inside the smoke, a chorus of guttural shouts echo through the wood. Then, a group of burly alien warriors encased in an ornate bronze variant of power armor approach Bull and his team. Each one was at least 190 centimeters and looked well over 130 kilos. Many of them carried bded weapons, while some had arm-mounted firearms or single-shot pistols.

  Their leader marks a tree with the purple glyph of the Invader Legions, the feared military of the Avnal Ij Asara. To Humans, they’re better known as the Scythe Empire, their ancient enemy.

  “What do we do, General?” Rokov asks. Avon does a quick headcount; there couldn’t be more than a dozen.

  “There aren’t many. Let’s fight our way through!” she yells. Bull nods in agreement.

  “You heard her! GSAF, engage all hostiles!” Both sides roar as they charge into battle.

  Rokov immediately takes the high ground and rains fire down on the Scythe. Seeing this, Avon stays mobile, tactically prioritizing the gunners. In battle, Scythe prefer fighting up close with Rippers or Splinters. She’s careful to stay in open areas to avoid close-quarters combat.

  Suddenly, a Scythe ambushes her, grabs her rifle, and throws it away. Without skipping a beat, Avon summoned her psionic whip and cut him down with a series of shes.

  “I have no words for losers…”

  With a flick of her wrist, Avon turned the whip into a powerful javelin, crackling with psionic energy. She hurls it at a small cluster, and it explodes, killing them all.

  “Nice one!” Rokov compliments.

  Avon tries to reach for her gun when–

  SMACK

  “Ugh!”

  The Vice General stumbles back after taking a powerful punch to the face. Then, Scythe prepared to bring his Ripper down on her. She instinctively shields her face and braces herself.

  *ratatatatat*

  “No one harasses my friends but me.”

  After killing him, Rokov jumps down from his spot to push the alien’s dead body off of Avon. He picks up her rifle and hands it to her.

  “You good?”

  “You… saved my life?” she breathes.

  “Save your monologue until after the fight, Avon. This isn’t over yet.”

  At the same time, Bull was locked in a brawl with a trio of Scythe. He jams his knife into the closest one and executes the other with his pistol. The third retreats, and the bde of his Splinter opens up.

  “Target locked–”

  *whoosh* BOOM

  A pair of micro-missile unchers slowly retract behind Caldera’s shoulders. Her red hair billows out from the wave of hot air.

  “Target destroyed.”

  “Avon only counted a dozen when we started, but I’m beginning to think there’s more.” Bull retrieved his knife and rifle while wiping the Scythe’s innards off his visor. “Caldera, can you give us an eye in the sky?”

  She salutes him and leaps into the canopy of a tree. Her eyes fsh as she scans the nearby area.

  “Oh, we’re fucked! I got eyes on a lot more Scythe comin’ right this way!”

  “Then they must be broadcasting a continuous distress signal. We’ll be overwhelmed if we stay here.”

  “Wait… what’s that?” Caldera looks at a faint glint of metal in the distance. “Sniper, get down!”

  POW-POW POW-POW POW-POW

  Everyone hits the deck as a barrage of synth-psi bolts flies from the shadows. However, they only hit Scythe soldiers.

  CRACK CRACK

  Then, tendrils of psionic energy rise from the ground and finish off the survivors.

  “What the hell just happened?” Avon asks.

  “Heh… It’s all right.” Bull sighs in relief. “I recognize the sound of that weapon.”

  He then flips open his visor and looks up. “I know it’s you, Hoarfrost! You can come down!”

  *clunk*

  Khan jumps from his spot and nds right in front of the group. His sniper’s armor, which was already retively light, was missing several ptes for even better mobility. He removed his helmet to take a look at everyone, unconcerned that everyone besides Bull was a stranger.

  “Finally, you’re here!” he excims. “Come on, I’ll lead the way to the research center.”

  “Lead the what to the where now?” said Caldera dumbly.

  “We’re going to destroy an Alliance research center in this area. Didn’t you get my message for backup?”

  “We got some of it,” Avon reveals.

  “It must’ve not gone through completely.” Khan shrugs, having long been used to technology failing on him. “Oh, well.”

  It seems everything isn’t as it seemed, Bull muses. “Fine, give us the short version.”

  “During my time in the Lawless Lands, I located one of Scourge Mexaklye’s secret research bases. He built them to conduct experiments somewhere the Alliance can’t stop him. And based on what the scientists have been throwing out, they’d have a good reason to.”

  “Hybridization, induced mutation, bio-grafting, fetal experimentation, all very stomach-churning procedures.”

  “Huh?” Rokov cocks his head.

  “‘Evil science stuff,’ Gregori,” said Avon.

  “Anyway, if we can hinder his research, it’ll greatly anger Ler-Deld Edrahz. I could bore you with the official reasons, but I know you won’t turn down a chance to stick it to him.”

  Ler-Deld Shrador Edrahz is an infamous Deldraka militant and the Confederacy’s public enemy #2, second only to Dominus, Emperor of the Scythe Empire.

  Known for his destructive psionic powers (mainly electrokinesis) and despotism, he often operates without the full approval of his people. His bloody campaigns have made an impression on other gactic powers. Due to being their most effective deterrent, the Alliance has little choice but to constantly exonerate him.

  “Actually, this facility is how my associate and I met. She’s the main reason it must be destroyed.”

  Bull and Avon simultaneously remembered Khan’s fragmented recording. Now, many of the bnks were starting to get filled in.

  “Is this ‘associate’ a rogue Deldraka?” the General asks.

  “Yes. In fact, you ought to meet her,” Khan answers. He cups his hands over his mouth and says in perfect Deldrakan: “Veorz, kree-stas rayit, alra!”

  *fsh*

  A disheveled Deldraka woman suddenly teleported next to Khan. Avon raises her gun in surprise, but Rokov pushes it down. She tightly clutches her staff to her chest and shivers with a nervous expression as she inspects the other Humans.

  “Veorz, these are the soldiers who came to help me. I told you about them, remember?” Khan says to her.

  Avon also takes off her helmet to get a better look at her. The elite shakes her blonde hair free, which visibly disturbs the Deldraka.

  “I am General Bull of the Gactic Confederacy,” Bull greets her. “You are?”

  “Ziorsidh Veorz,” she mumbles. “Former Shonrix. Nice to… meet you…”

  “Shonrix?”

  “Another type of psionic specialist on the same level as a Zirovrix. They’re ascetics who take care of World Trees and communicate with them,” said Khan to Bull. “I don’t know the whole story, but Veorz was exiled from the Alliance. She’s been living here ever since.”

  To the Deldraka, a very community-minded people, exile is far worse than death. Veorz looked ashamed as Khan told her story.

  “While continuing her psionic studies, Mexaklye tried to nab her for his research. Believe it or not, she’ll be better off in the Confederacy.”

  “We can discuss that ter,” Bull replies. “Now that we know our actual objective, we need to revise our pns.”

  “True that. Anything more you can tell us?” Caldera adds.

  “Yes, but we should head somewhere safer.” Khan looks around warily. “Veorz isn’t comfortable being in the open.”

  “We have a pce,” said Bull.