Artemis~

I turned to leave the hallway when I heard a sudden notification from my holopad. I looked down and realised that someone was using communication channel 6, an emergency channel for spies and soldiers that took them directly to either me or Phillip. 

I quickly opened the call, and Sihi Namenik’s face popped up on screen. 

My blood froze.

“Admiral,” Sihi frantically said, her voice shaking. “I’m so sorry, I-”

“Sihi, calm down," I said, stepping quietly away from Varjo. "What’s going on? Are you okay?”

I had already failed to secure the safety of three Order fighters today. I prayed that it wouldn’t become four. Varjo took a step closer to see his sister.

“I’m not okay, but I’m alive,” Sihi replied, her eyes darting everywhere.

“Elaborate,” I instructed, although I felt my commands rising to a plea.

She swallowed. "Security got really tight around here ever since the other two spies were caught. I don't know how, but...they caught me.”

I felt confused. “Why haven’t they...killed you?”

Usually the Council interrogated quickly and terminated quickly. There was never any time for what we were doing now.

“I don't-I don't know. But they took my weapons and cyanide pill away," Sihi said, as her gaze finally turned back to me. Fear and remorse filled her eyes. "There was nothing I could do."

“It’s okay,” I reassured, already beginning to send a message to Phillip on another screen. I had to keep Sihi talking so we could begin to track her location. “Maybe they wanted information?”
Sihi shook her head. “I don’t think so. They haven't interrogated me at all...I was able to steal this holopad from a guard. I'm sure they'll find it soon, so I won't be able to communicate anymore. Artemis, I'm so, so sorry-”

“Sihi, it’s okay,” I said, trying my best to calm her. If I were in her situation I would be freaked out too, even if I was a trained spy. “I’m just glad you’re alive. We’ll get you back so-”

“No, that’s what they want,” Varjo interrupted.

To be honest, I had completely forgotten he was standing right there, so I gave him a somewhat shocked look from his interruption. 

There was a surprised “Varjo?” from Sihi, but I kept my gaze focused on Varjo, willing him to continue.

“I know how Tuuli operates,” he said, and then paused. His eyes looked conflicted for just a moment as he met mine with an imperceptible nod. “He’s using her as bait. It's a trap. Tuuli's probably waiting for you to send some of your finest soldiers, so he can get rid of them. You have to leave her. It's too risky.”

I was slightly taken aback by the cold manner of Varjo’s voice. It reminded me of Phillip when he first came from the Council.

Sihi’s voice made its way back through the tense conversation. 

"Varjo, why are you there?! Oh--oh no," Sihi said with a gasp, and I looked down to meet her eyes but her eyes were trained on Varjo. "They're going to use me to threaten you, aren't they? That's why they're keeping me alive. Varjo..."

I looked back at Varjo, and his eyes fought behind his otherwise expressionless demeanor. 

“It’s fine,” he bit out.

Sihi wasn’t done. “"Varjo, if I'd had known you joined the Order-I-I would have been more careful, I'm sorry, this is-”

“It’s fine,” he said again, his voice colder than before. I searched his eyes for anything, but the further the conversation went, the more guarded he seemed. “It doesn’t matter. It was bound to happen eventually.”

Suddenly Sihi’s demeanor and tone changed, causing me to look back at her, completely on alert again. 

“Wait, Varjo-Oh. Oh, please please please don't tell me they're using me already. Please tell me you joined the Order of your own accord.”

Wait...what? Suddenly I knew. I felt so stupid, and it was hard to make a Zendi feel stupid. Phillip was right all along, and I had been so willing to take risks for any information. At that moment, I felt no better than the Council, and I turned cold towards Varjo. I didn’t just feel betrayal, but I felt mistrust and disappointment. He joined a group of people that sacrificed themselves for the greater good only for him to probably end up killing some of us, making the count Phillip was asking about higher. 

My gaze towards him turned harsh and Varjo barely met my eyes. 

“Varjo, who’s side are you on?”

At that moment, Sihi gave a small yell, and we both turned to look at the screen.

“Sihi? Sihi!” I shouted, but the screen had already been switched off after a scuffle ended.

I muttered to myself, trying to pull the screen back up but it was no use. I finally sent the message to Phillip, and after it was sent I turned to look at Varjo. 

Without thinking, I slapped him.

The sound rang across the empty hall, and his gaze hardened. 

“Now why’d you do that?”

He grabbed my wrist and twisted it behind my back, shoving me against the window.

I let out a yell and stomped his foot. His grip loosened enough for me to twist around and tackle him.
The doors to the command room opened as Phillip stepped out, suddenly shocked by the scene before him.

I saw the glint of Varjo’s knife and I was about to counter it with my own before Phillip stepped between us. Guards flowed out of the room, holding Varjo back.

“Are you okay?” Phillip asked me, eyes scanning for injuries.

Before I could respond, Varjo interrupted.

“Is she okay? She attacked me first!”

I took a step towards a restrained Varjo, but Phillip held me back. 

“Admiral,” he hissed in my ear, head bent down so no one could hear. “You’re causing a scene.”

The eyes of the council on Tambour suddenly flashed in my head, their disappointment prominent. 

“You always cause a scene. You’re too emotional, like a human.”

I suddenly realised what I had done, and I turned to Phillip, lost.

He sighed, looking at Varjo and the guards around him.

“Take him away.”

“No! Let me explain-” Varjo protested, but Phillip held up his hand.

“I’ll deal with you later. For now, you’re confined to quarters with guards stationed. I’d appreciate it if you’d just wait.”

A comeback stirred behind Varjo’s eyes, but he finally accepted it with a curt nod, albeit shoving a couple guards off.

“I can walk by myself,” he muttered.

Phillip then turned to me, folding his arms. “What happened?”

“What happened is you should be taking him to the detention level,” I bitterly replied. “He’s a traitor. You were right.”

“We don’t hold people in cells without proof, remembeer? We vowed to be better than the Council.”

I sighed in anger, but I knew he was right. I really needed to get myself back in check.

I started explaining the call with Sihi, to which Phillip quickly sent a message to Spy Division on his holopad. Then I explained the reason for my outburst, and Phillip nodded in thought.

“I think the Council forced him to join the Order under the warning they’d kill his sister otherwise. Now that they’ve detained his sister, it may be their way of saying time is running out.”
“Running out?” I asked. “To transmit information? They expect him to do a lot when he’s barely gotten here and barely gained our trust.”

Phillip paused. “Running out of time to...maybe assassinate. I saw his knife, Admiral. He may have pulled it out to defend himself since you attacked him first, but he might have had that knife ready for...something else.”

I blinked and looked away.

“But…” Phillip continued. “We might be able to offer him a deal. Tell him that if he works for us under the guise of working for the Council, we won’t imprison or kill him. I think he can still be of use.”
This was Phillip’s Council side talking, but I didn’t mind. 

“You want him to be a double agent?”

“I can offer it when I talk with him later,” Phillip said. He then looked at me, slightly exasperated. “And yes, as Admiral, you can be present for it. But try not to tackle him again, yes?”

I rolled my eyes, but gave Phillip an apologetic nod. “Yes.”

Aashe ~

"Just a moment," I say, glancing at the pilot. With his catlike ears and tail, he looks at least partly Royskatten. A hybrid? Shaking the thoughts from my head, I shove Iemiel over to the wall, speaking in a low voice. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with you, Aashe?" Iemiel spits in response. "You've been nothing but argumentative since we lost the dunebikes yesterday."  

"You can't just accept a deal that easily! He didn't even specify a price. For all we know we'll get off- planet and then it turns out he wants a fortune from us."  

"It'll be fine."  

"Yeah, right." I shake my head. "The last time you said that, we got stuck in a crevasse."

"He's just a Royskatten. Nothing worthy of your respect. You should know that, Aashe."  

"That's exactly what's wrong with this attitude. If we want to form alliances, we treat other species with respect."

Iemiel grits his teeth. "We're M'varra. We don't need alliances. And I understand why you don't want us to fail on this mission, Aashe. But as your captain, you follow my orders. Get it?"  

I sigh. "Yes." 

"Good. Glad to hear that."  

We walk back over to the table where the pilot waits.

"Everything all right?" he asks us, smoothly. I open my mouth to reply, but Iemiel interrupts me. 

"Fine, thank you." Iemiel nods curtly. "We've made our descision. Take us to your ship."  

"Absolutely." The pilot smiles. "Follow me. The name's Renjiro, by the way. Renjiro Mohaka." 

-----

A few minutes later, we follow the pilot – Renjiro, I remind myself – down a back alley.

"Are you sure this is the way?" I wrinkle my nose at the litter that clogs the gutters. If this were an M'varra colony, no good chieftaness would stand for such disrepair. 

Renjiro spins round to face us, smirking. "Oh, this is far, far better than the alternative."

"Which is?" 

"The crowded street, bustling, busy, dotted with pickpockets and snake-oil sailsmen. I'm sure you'd rather this."

"Quit talking to the pilot," Bemn hisses in my ear. I roll my eyes but fall in step behind the rest of the group. 

Then the alleyway opens up into a giant docking bay. I gaze upward and around in slight awe. Spacecraft land in ports; automated signals flash from a light panel on one wall; android venders selling spare parts make rounds through the crowd. 

Renjiro, meanwhile, is leading us through the crowd to a smaller docking area near the north wall. 

"And here's the beauty," he says, gesturing at an elegantly streamlined, medium-sized spacecraft. "A Varamer-87. Latest model. Hop in, everyone. Then we'll talk about payment." 

~

Sihi Nayemnik~~ (semi long post incoming)

"Where are you taking me?" I spat. The guards didn't reply.

We entered a large, grand room. At the far end was a table, where Tuuli himself sat. On either sides of him were a Councillor. I noticed there was a guard missing from his usual entourage--my brother. The guards dropped me, and I slumped onto my knees, bound hands stretched painfully far behind my back.

"Why hello, Sihi," The Qinroan said, in a voice dripping with both sweetness and venom. I recoiled as he used my first name. "Your brother has been put into quite the unfortunate predicament, hasn't he? He'll have to choose between your life, or his own."

"What do you want?" I spat, sounding and looking brave. But really, my insides were swirling with fear and horror.

Tuuli smiled. "Information, my dear. I've decided to give your dear brother a fair amount of time to complete his task. You may as well be useful in the meantime."

"You can't make me talk," I snapped.

"Oh," Tuuli said, smiling. "I believe I can. Guards?"

A group of guards left the room, returning with three prisoners. Order members. My stomach tightened as I recognized each one.

"Earlier, we managed to fool your Admiral into believing we killed three of your members. But they are, in fact, quite alive. We've even taken away their pills. Now, my dear Sihi, it's up to you whether they continue to live." Tuuli's grin grew. I shrank back, fear clawing its way up my throat. 

"One of the two spies we killed dropped the hint that there was quite the network of you amongst us. Name a few of your accomplices, and I might just let these three soldiers survive," Tuuli said.

I hesitated, feeling a little panicked.

"I'll give you some time to think on it. Guards, take Miss Nayemnik back to her cell."

~~~~ 

Varjo Nayemnik~~

Varjo sat on the cot of what was really a glorified cell, his back pressing against the wall. His usual cold self had deteriorated, revealing a rather disheveled and disheartened version of himself. 

The doors were sealed tight, though Varjo could sense the energies of at least two guards just outside of it. They'd taken his two knives from him, making Varjo glad he'd entrusted Ora with the information chip.  

He sighed, thinking of Sihi. He wondered if she was still alive, and his chest tightened. She was all he had left. He didn't want to lose her too.

The doors suddenly opened. The empath--Thaddeus Phillip--and the two guards were there. "Come with us," He said, his tone impossible to read. "I trust you won't try to escape?" Varjo hardened his expression once more, not that it really mattered. He knew Phillip could read his emotions anyways.

He stood, letting the guards guide him. A million angry words stirred inside his mind, begging to be let out, but he stayed silent. It would only make the situation worse, and that was opposite of what Varjo needed. His gaze focused, almost angrily, on the back of Phillip's head.

They entered the elevator. Varjo watched the Vice Admiral tap a few buttons and felt the elevator descend, to the level Varjo had been on when Artemis attacked him.

The group entered the room Varjo had been interviewed in. To his surprise, he found Artemis inside. The two guards stood behind Varjo.

The Vice Admiral sat next to the Admiral, and instructed Varjo to sit down, in a much cooler tone than he'd used during the interview. Varjo complied, feeling the eyes of the guards tracking his every movement.

Varjo looked across the table, with a gaze that could have simultaneously frozen water and melted steel. Artemis met his gaze, though her's was more composed, more regal. She'd clearly calmed herself since their scuffle in the hallway.

"So, Nayemnik," The Vice Admiral began. "You're spying on us for the Council, correct?" 

"I think you already know the answer, Vice Admiral. Do you really need me to confirm your suspicions?" Varjo's tone was cold, and calculated. He felt a small shiver when he realized how similar it was to the tone Tuuli used when addressing his guards. 

"Typically, we'd have you imprisoned, or even killed," Phillip continued, unfazed. "But we've decided to give youa chance to save your li--"

"It's not about my life," Varjo interrupted, a small bit of anger slipping into his voice. "It's about hers."

"Who is 'she'?" Artemis asked carefully. Varjo swallowed, his discomfort showing for a brief moment.

"Sihi."

~~~ 

Henri says 'hiccp.' Perhaps he means 'hiccup'?  My captchas have been getting exceedingly close to real words lately.

Artemis~

Aigith~

The gates of the checkpoint are beginning to close as we maneuver out of them, and I send a distress signal to the Order's base. I hear shouting from my crew as I try to get a connection on the holoscreen in front of me.

"Aigith, they're on our tail!" Conqir calls, and I nod to show I heard him, not tearing my gaze from the flickering holoscreen.

"Come on..." I mutter, and it suddenly comes to life, staticky. "Order! Copy, can you hear me? Admiral! Order of Light! Can you hear me? Copy!" An image of the Admiral finally appears on the holoscreen.

"Aigith, we got your distress signal. Pull up your location on your screen com so we can track you and talk with you," she says, and I do so, trying to simultaneously pilot the ship. "What happened?"

"The Council seemed to know where we were, ma'am," I reply, swerving in attempt to throw of fsome of our pursuers. There's more shouting as several things clatter to the ground, probably weapons. "There's a Council ship that is currently giving chase, and I honestly can't guarantee if we can get the fighter transport." I shake my head, inwardly vowing to do everything I can to get that transport.

"Okay, we've got your location and the transport's location pulled up. You're not that far away. I'm sending the coordinates now."

A moment later, the coordinates show up on the corner of the holoscreen, and I glance at them. It'll be close, but if we can shake of the Council ship, I think we can make it. "There's no guarantee," I say, "but I think we can get them." I hear sighs of relief in the background, but the Admiral shows no reaction.

"Update us as you go," she says.

"Yes, Admiral. I'm not sure how they found out. I'm so sorry if anything happens to your fighters, but my crew and I are doing the most we can to fix this."

"Thank you, Aigith. Work quickly and keep us updated."

I nod swiftly and turn away from the screen. I key in the coordinates and see that we're close, just as the Admiral said. Another sharp turn brings us on a course for the transport. Iri strides over to where I'm standing in front of the control panel.

"We managed to hit a few of the pods, but the larger ship is giving chase, and she's fast," she says. "We need to outmaneuver them, maybe fly lower to the surface of the planet, then get back to-"

"No," I cut her off, and she bristles.

"It's our only shot, Aigith."

"We're close enough to the transport to get them out."

"There's no guarantee."

"We're not going anywhere until we try."

"The crew takes priority-"

"I am the captain of this ship, Iri," I say, a card I don't play very often. "It is ultimately my decision, and if you don't like it, I swear on the stars I will dump you back on Deja where I found you."

We have a silent standoff for a moment, then Iri nods. "I'll let the crew know, Captain." Her use of my title instead of my name shows that she understands. I turn back to the control panel as she leaves. I'd apologize later for my harsh words, but for now, we had a transport to save.

I spot the second rendezvous point, a checkpoint on the surface of Wen, and my heart leaps when I see the transport. The pod we sent out earlier is nowhere in sight.

"We're going to touch down in a minute!" I call over my shoulder. "Kipolo and Pejan, stand by ready to get the fighters on the ship as soon as we're on the surface!" I hear their calls of acknowledgement, and turn back to the control panel. Suddenly, I hear a loud bang, and an instant later, I hear Opharie shout,

"They're firing!"

Sure enough, the Council ship fired two successive shots at the checkpoint, reducing it to smoking wreckage. Heart pounding, I face the holoscreen and reconnect.

"Admiral, they have shot the transport. Repeat, they have shot the transport." No response. I hear a call from the back of my ship. It's Fin.

"Captain, they're retreating!"

"Keep an eye on them!" I yell. "We're going in for survivors." I turn back to the holoscreen and say, "We are currently recovering members. Stand by." I move back to the controls and lower us down until we touch the surface. The doors open, and Pejan and Kipolo run out to the wreckage of the checkpoint. "Malave, go with them!" I call, and she does so.

Iri comes to stand at my side, and we watch with baited breath as the three crew members recover fighter after fighter from the debris. I count seven. Once they're all on the ship and the doors are safely closed, I assign Opharie and Conqir to tend to their wounds as I pilot us off the planet. I turn the holoscreen on again.

"Admiral, we have successfully left the planet's system and are now on route back to the checkpoint." I hear cheering and laughter from the monitor, and allow myself a small smile.

"That's wonderful news, Aigith," the Admiral says. "Come back safely."

"Yes Admiral. But I regret to inform you that we couldn't get everyone," I say, the smile sliding off my lips. "Out of the ten fighters on the transport, we only got seven. I'm very sorry."

"Thank you for letting me know. Get to the checkpoint safe, and contact us."

"Yes, Admiral." I switch off the screen, knowing the pain I'd caused the Admiral. The seven soldiers we did manage to save, however, were profusely expressing their gratitude to my crew and me.

"That was a good call, Aigith," Iri says. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"You were concerned for the crew," I respond. "There are worse crimes. My concern is that the Council ship let us go. If their aim was to take out the transport, why not head directly to their rendezvous point? Or after taking them out, why not finish us off too?"

"You think they could be tailing us?" Iri asks.

"Possibly. Have someone keep a lookout, and make sure everyone's on guard. We don't know what we're dealing with."

Iri gives me a smirk. "Neither do they." 

Ora--

The damage wasn't bad. Only a few clipped wires that looked suspiciously like they were cut with a knife, which worried me until I realized nobody else had seen them. I twisted the ends together, placed a few drops of cold solder on each one, and jolted the power source, all while my mind was humming furiously. 

What was Nayemnik here to do? Surely Jainnen Tuuli didn't want one of his best guards halfway across the galaxy, spying on the enemy? Or did he? What plan did he have in mind?

It doesn't matter, I tried to tell myself. This was all part of his plan, whatever it was, and I was priviledged to be a part of it. Jainnen Tuuli was a rightful and just leader, and these rabble-rousers were just asking to be destroyed. But my curiosity lingered hopelessly.

The repairs took a grand total of seven minutes. I had time to send the information on to my parents.

Finding a port and plugging my holopad in, I deftly inserted the tiny chip into the drive. I used a few streamlining tips I had learn to speed up the downloading, leaving me with the file open and primed for delivery on the screen. I couldn't help glancing over it.

Boring, but utterly useful. The file contained extensive data on Fleet Admiral Zygo and her vice admiral, down to the last details about their fingerprints and their distant relatives. This was vital intelligence that I needed to send right away. I was about to do so, when a line at the bottom of the document, newly added by Nayemnik, caught my eye.

"The hemlock is in the vent and potent ASAP."

That was odd. Hemlock, I knew, was an extremely dangerous Earthen poison. It popped up sometimes on the Mars colony, and the adults would always warn us not to eat it. But it had nothing to do with the Order, as far as I knew. And what did "potent ASAP" mean?

Suddenly, my brain alighted on another meaning of hemlock. The code word was often used among the council to mean 'assassin.' In that case, the assassin was 'in the vent,' or in the enemy's lair, and would complete their mission as soon as possible. Varjo Nayemnik had to be the assassin.

And the Fleet Admiral had to be the target. 

@Quill, I'd love to ship Sihi and Aigith! 

Varjo Nayemnik~~

Varjo looked up as the Admiral and Vice Admiral reentered the room. The guards seemed to relax slightly as they stepped into the room, though Varjo felt the opposite. He made sure to keep his discomfort hidden--he might not be able to hide his emotions from Phillip, but he could still hide them from Artemis.

"Tell us what you know about the base," Artemis said, leaning across the table. "We need to make a plan to recover her."

Varjo pulled off one of his gloves, opening a small sewed in pocket on the inside. The guards lifted their weapons warily, and he shot them a cold glare. He removed a small computer chip from within, placing it on the table and sliding it towards Artemis and Thaddeus. 

"The guards are all required to have one of them on them," Varjo began. He realized he'd referred to the guards as a seperate entity, as if he were no longer a part of them. At this point, though, he really didn't whose side he was on. "It has blueprints of the base, so we can use them as maps. It's a fairly large building. They made the chips recently--it should be up-to-date."

"How do we know this isn't a corrupted file, and you're trying to hack our database?" Artemis replied, eyeing the chip suspiciously.

"You don't," Varjo replied, "But I also don't see maps of the Council's base lying around, so you'll have to trust it." He decided to leave out the fact that Tuuli didn't need to hack the Order's database, because he had spies who could just gather intel for him.

"From what I can tell," The Vice Admiral said quietly, "He's not trying to trick us." Varjo could hardly hear the Vice Admiral's words. Had he been nearly any other species, he wouldn't have been able to hear it. He was impressed at how quietly Phillip could talk. Varjo wondered if he'd learned that trick from working under Tuuli.

Artemis picked up the chip, inspecting it carefully. "Thank you," She finally said. "Guards, take him back for now. I need to get a group together so we can plan."

~~~~~~~~~

Renjiro Mohaka~~

I settled into the pilot's chair, turning to face the M'varra. "So," I said, "How far are we going?"

"A moderate distance," The M'varra who seemed to be in charge said. "Why?"

"I base my price off distance," I replied smoothly. "Is that not okay with you?" The M'varra's gaze hardened.

"Name your price and we'll see if it's okay or not," They replied sharply.

"One thousand units. I want five hundred now, and five hundred when we arrive," I said. Not a bad price, really. 

"One thousand units is lower than I was expecting," The M'varra remarks, in a cold tone, as if they couldn't fathom why I would charge them something so low if I didn't know how things would go.

"I mentioned a discount, didn't I? Now, do we have a deal or not?"

~~~ 

Artemis~

“No wait,” Varjo said, and I looked up from inspecting the chip. “I can help you plan. No one knows Council security like I do.”

Phillip scoffed, and we both looked at him.

“Need I remind you that you’re not the only one acquainted with the Council.”

Phillip and Varjo both held a steady glare, and I shifted uneasily.

“Well, I’m sure we could use what you both could provide,” I replied, and I continued before either could say anything. “Let’s go.”
~
It was around 3 am when we finally finished the plans. Phillip sent the weary Strategics division to rest until the morning, and went to speak privately with a captain.

I stepped towards the large window in the room, looking outside. But I didn’t make my usual observations of the city. Instead, my eyes glazed over as I ran through the extraction process in my head. We’d use the GSS Titan because its stealth technology was advanced enough to sneak through Council radars. Then, we’d beam through to a weak maintenance point of the base and an ensign back at the ship would hack into the detention level so we could tamper with the sensors inside, giving us the ability to track Sihi’s chip. At that moment, I was glad Phillip had suggested putting chips in all spies’ arms. It would make this extraction a little less impossible. From there, we would try to track and retrieve her with as much discretion as possible, leaving the casualties to a bare minimum. The last thing we wanted was to boldly announce our presence. It was risky, but it was the best plan we had. 

I felt someone stand beside me and I turned, expecting Phillip but was surprised to find Varjo, who stared out at the city. I didn’t have the energy to be hostile so I just let it be.

“You don’t get a view like this on Tsikhe,” he said quietly.

“I prefer it over any planet in that system,” I responded, and I felt him look at me.

“Right, Tambour is in that system. You’re Zendi.”

I didn’t meet his eyes. “I don’t miss the trees.”

“T’idi has a lot of trees too. I’m not sure which I prefer, but Urbriva isn’t so bad. Although it seems to always be dark.”

“What’s he like?” I asked, shifting the conversation. “Tuuli.”

I looked at Varjo, and he gave me a somewhat amused look. “You’ve literally brought up an entire organisation against him, and you don’t know what he’s like?”

“Okay, well, obviously I know what he’s done,” I said exasperated. “I just haven’t been around him like you or Phillip have. And Phillip hardly likes to talk about it.”

“Well, he’s…” Varjo trailed off. A hint of pain flashed behind his eyes, and he turned to the city. “He’s a very ambitious Qinroan. He leads with an iron fist and his actions are ruthless.”

I sighed, watching the holographic billboards advertise a drink brand.

“But he has a very strong will, I’ll give him that. He’s intense but very determined.”
“Like you,” I quietly said, and Varjo turned. Realising what had slipped, I spluttered. “I-I’m not saying you’re like Tuuli. I mean I don’t know how you and Tuuli are right now, and I don’t even know if we can trust you, but it’s just what I’ve observed. Is all.”

Varjo tilted his head. Reflections from the city lights flashed purple across his face. “You are the opposite of what I expected.”

I frowned. “How’s that?”

“Tuuli didn’t like to talk about you, and when he did he said you were foolish and so wrapped up in your own agenda you didn’t care about the greater good.” Of course Tuuli did. Where was I surprised. 

“But… you’re actually pretty compassionate for someone in your position.”

My eyes widened, but Varjo’s softened. In that moment, my Zendi brain screamed at me as my human heart and gut took over.

“When all this is over, join our ranks. Properly. We believe in second chances.”

is it to late to join?

Name: Mahriel

Occupation: Black market trader, spy

Species: Grazian

Home Planet: Graza

Abilities: Very acrobatic and a very good shot with a blaster.

Appearance: Tan, blue/green eyes, long chestnut hair that reaches her shoulders and is typically kept down, defined cheekbones, tall, about 5'10 slim and pretty. wears skin tight clothes which are black with red stripes.

Personality: Acts tough but can be caring, though she likes to hide it.

Gender: Female

Age: 26

Alliance: None... yet

Weaknesses: She has a soft heart which sometimes gets her into trouble even though she tries to hide it

Other: She is up for shipping, and her prefered weapons are blasters and throwing knives.

Third person POV. If there are any mistakes, I apologise

Phillip~

“What are you doing up?” Phillip asked with a smile as Freya’s face appeared on the holoscreen. He had called just to see if she would pick up, and he wasn’t really expecting anything to come of it. But after talking to Strategics and trying to sort out the mess all day, he just wanted to pretend like he was home, and he was glad she was awake.

She sighed. “I just put Ender to bed. He’s been running a high fever for a few hours so he couldn’t sleep.”

Phillip’s eyes widened. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah, my guess is it might be a stomach bug that’s going around at his school.”
“Ah,” Phillip replied. Even though he was only two, Ender went to a specialised school for children with heightened intelligence. He could speak in complete sentences already, which sometimes Phillip found to be a bit strange, but it was normal to Freya. Her species, the Lothrians, were very intelligent and usually reached cognitive maturity early on.

Phillip looked at Freya. She was tired. 

“Are you doing okay?” Phillip asked.

Freya shrugged. “Honestly, I’m just exhausted. The lab has been sending me troughs of research that the last lead biologist never got through, and the deadline to distribute it to all these other companies is coming up. On top of that, Ender’s been all over the place lately, and the Uropian representatives have been trying to convince me to let him join the Defence Program.”

“For the Council?” Phillip asked, alarmed.

Freya shook her head. “No. Just for Uropa X’s government. But still, they start these cadets when they're children, Thaddeus. It’s a big planet with an even bigger population, and they’re one of the last ones not completely controlled by the Council. Don’t worry, they don’t know about you,” Freya quickly added when panic flashed across Phillip’s face. “But usually I either turn them down or ignore them. I don’t need someone else I love risking their life for government.”

Phillip raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“All I’m saying is, things would be a lot easier if you were here.”
Phillip didn’t respond, because he couldn’t argue with that. Truth was, he felt terrible for having to relocate his family to one of the only secure planets in a nearby system that he could think of. And he didn’t doubt Freya’s strength, but he never meant to leave her alone to raise Ender by herself. Tuuli’s end couldn’t come quick enough so Phillip could finally go home.

“I’m sorry,” he said, unable to meet her eyes.

It was a phrase he said a lot, and Freya knew he truly meant it.
She sighed. “I know. I'm sorry too. I shouldn’t be giving you such a hard time. I guess we’re both just stressed out.”
When Phillip only responded with a nod, she tilted her head.

“Wanna talk about whatever’s on your mind?”

Phillip glanced up, giving her a sad smile. “You know I can’t.”

Freya mirrored the smile, looking down. “Right.”

Phillip never told Freya anything when it came to details. If the unthinkable happened and Tuuli got to her, at least she would be totally unknowing and blameless to the enemy.

“Well, I’m going to bed,” Freya announced after a couple more moments of silence. “I love you. Stay safe.”

“You too,” Phillip responded as the holoscreen switched off. 

He turned to look at the clock, realising it was already 0400. Phillip really debated if going to sleep was even worth it at that point since they had to be up at 0700 anyway, but he finally gave in and settled into bed.

When he drifted off, he dreamt of Ender playing in a garden.

~

By 0700, Phillip had already gotten some form of caffeine from the cafeteria and made his way down to the command room. He was the first one there, as the official launch time was 0800, and beforehand they would be doing preparations. He assumed the Admiral was preparing the GSS Titan but was surprised to find her rounding the corner to the room shortly after. 

“Admiral,” he greeted, and she looked up from an otherwise distracted state. “I thought you’d be seeing to the ship.”

“Shortly,” she replied curtly, although not in a rude manner.
He could tell something was on her mind, but chose not to read off of her emotions. In fact, she was one of the few people he almost never read, simply out of respect. And she knew that.

“Are you alright, ma’am?”

She looked up from sorting something out on her holopad, and she hesitated before shaking her head.

“I couldn’t sleep so I meditated, and I had a vision. A vision of Tuuli in possession of some kind of weapon capable of destroying planets. He destroyed…” she paused, glancing to the side. “He destroyed Tambour. In the vision. Idon’t know if that’s going to happen or if that's even possible, but I was going to either ask you or Varjo about it.”

Since when was she on a first-name basis with him?

“Ask me about what?”

Naymenik rounded the corner, joining the discussion at hand. Phillip stiffened but stopped himself from saying anything, seeing as Naymenik was mainly focused on what the Admiral had to say.

“The possibility of Tuuli having a planet destroying weapon,” Phillip replied, and Naymenik turned to him. “I’ve never heard of it, but then again I haven’t been with the Council recently. Your intel might be more up-to-date in this case.”
Naymenik looked at the Admiral. “There is a collection of weapons and weapons research that Tuuli keeps classified. The only ones that have any access to it are himself and a team of androids who are literally programmed to only talk to him. So yes, there is a possibility. Why?”

The Admiral shifted out of focus, no doubt replaying Tuuli destroying Tambour in her head again. “Something came up. I’ll save it for later.” She looked back up to the both of them, her gaze straightening. “But now we have more important things to do. Phillip, start with setting up the coms and monitors in the command room. Varjo, come with me. You’ll finally see how we’re a threat to Tuuli when it comes to firepower and ships.”