Mars Time: 21:02, February 18, 2295

  Corner of North Killarney and Alfalfa Street, Dragon District, Xing Hong

  Sigrun arrived first.

  The reinforced case felt heavier than it should, High-Grade Zephyrium inside worth more than most people earned in a year. She set it down against the shop window, checking her reflection in the glass, one hand reaching to the back of her hair.

  [+ Engaged: Hamr, Programmable Hair Clip, Nordling variant. Configuration: 'Civilian' → 'Valkyrie']

  Combat-ready. That's what she'd aimed for. Half-up ponytail, tactical configuration from her PHC's settings. A light dusting of makeup—enough to look pretty, not enough to suggest she'd tried. The beige trench coat hung properly now, Emmanuel's repairs with the ballistic weave was always fast and affordable. Unlike his weapon-modding services.

  But that was a problem for later.

  A holographic advertisement cycled on the building across the street: 'COVENANT RECRUITMENT - SERVE THE FAITH, SERVE HUMANITY.' White-orange star ships converging on Jupiter's massive form, dramatic music she couldn't hear through the glass. Her hand moved unconsciously to her Nucleus Watch.

  [CURRENT BALANCE: $847,100 AD]

  Thirty thousand from the Zephyrium bounty. She'd send Xin his share, keep hers. Still over eight hundred thousands short of Europa.

  Still so far from answers.

  Movement caught her eye. Xin, walking toward her through the night market crowd.

  He'd changed a little, hair actually styled instead of the earlier windswept mess. The beige puffer jacket hung open over his green hoodie, and he carried something: two paper bags, the smell of fresh bread cutting through the night market's mix of exhaust and cooking oil.

  He'd made an effort.

  That bothered her more than it should.

  "Sorry I'm late." Xin adjusted his glasses nervously. "Had to make sure H?kon was actually asleep. He talked about you."

  "About me?"

  "Yeah. Asked when he'd see Sky Lady again." A small smile. "I said maybe soon."

  Something twisted in Sigrun's chest. She picked up the case—

  "Wait!" Xin held out one of the bags. "I, uh... bought two pork floss bread. And electrolyte beverages. Thought you might need it after such a long day."

  The bag was warm in her hands. Through the translucent paper, she could see the golden-brown buns, steam still rising faintly. A drink bottle pressed against the side, condensation beading on its surface.

  "I ate earlier." The words came out automatic, defensive.

  "You can keep it for later then." He shifted his weight, looking anywhere but directly at her. "Or... we could eat now. If you want. Before we go to Dilinur's office."

  The rational part of her brain tried to work. The part that had spent eleven years alone on Mars, that had forgotten what it felt like when someone thought to buy you dinner, won out.

  "Fine." She set the case down again. "Just for a minute."

  They stood there on the corner, night market noises flowing in the background. Sigrun opened the bag and pulled out the bun. The pork floss was savory, the bread still soft and warm. She took a bite, and for a moment, her mind was somewhere else. Somewhere that wasn't Mars. Somewhere that didn't require counting every Atomic Dollar.

  "Good?" Xin asked.

  "Yeah." She swallowed, reaching for the drink. "Thanks."

  They ate in silence. The electrolyte beverage was cold, slightly sweet, with that metallic tang that came from proper Mars-formulated supplements. It cut through the richness of the pork floss, making her more alert somehow.

  When she finished, she crumpled the bag and dropped it in a nearby recycler. Xin did the same, his movements careful.

  "Better?" he asked.

  "Yep." She picked up the case. "Let's go. Dilinur's office is in Phoenix District."

  They walked. Dragon District's night market sprawled around them: vendors selling steam buns and synthetic meat skewers, more holographic ads for oxygen subscriptions—though these seemed more affordable than the ones in Eagle Dist—cycling overhead. The crowd noise provided convenient distraction.

  Xin kept glancing at her.

  "What?" Sigrun finally asked.

  "Nothing. Just..." He adjusted his glasses again. "Thank you. For the supplement. H?kon's scales are already brighter after taking the Catalyst-U. You know, that Uranus-made prescription Doctor Nikki gave?"

  "You already thanked me. Multiple times."

  "I know. But I still don't understand why you paid."

  Neither did she. The words stuck in her throat like shrapnel. She'd been counting every Atomic Dollar for eleven years. Every client, every bounty, every degradation suffered through for that shuttle ticket.

  And she'd thrown away $3,400 watching an Imperial freelancer treat a Diabolisk with gentleness she'd forgotten existed.

  "I saw." The admission came out rougher than intended. "You and H?kon. The way you…it reminded me of…"

  Ivar and Olav. But surely those names would be the last thing to mention here.

  "...he needed medicine. Felt right." She said instead.

  "But you needed that money, right? For Europa. For..." Xin's voice softened. "For whoever you're trying to find."

  How did he know? She hadn't told him. Nikki, maybe? Or just obvious—anyone saving that much had a reason. Or perhaps she'd told him in the Warren then forgotten doing so.

  They passed another recruitment poster, this one also Covenant: space ships, dramatic lighting, 'JOIN ZORI'S CRUSADE AGAINST DARKNESS. BELIEVE IN THE TRUE MOTHER.' Sigrun's reflection ghosted across the hologram.

  Her hand went to her watch again. Old habit. Checking bank account balances whenever she felt uncertain.

  "After we turn this in." She stopped walking, then turned to face him as she put down the case holding the High-Grade Zephyrium. The words stuck. Business. Make it business. Frame it as transaction and maybe it won't hurt. "I want... I'm offering..."

  Fuck.

  "You're offering?" Xin scratched his head.

  "One night. Together." The words came out so clinical. So detached and familiar. "Sixty-forty split of the bounty in my favor. You can do whatever you want. Except—" She caught herself. "Except kissing on the lips. And blowjobs."

  Xin's expression shifted, something complicated behind his glasses. Confusion? Shock?

  "You want me to pay you? Is this about you doing more in the Warrens—you did handle most of the battle—would be fair to let you have payment of some sorts—"

  "No. I just thought, you've checked my advertisement. So you have…the need…" That first night when they'd met at the Slumbering Mantis Inn came crawling back in her memory. She knew he'd looked. Assumed he wanted—why would he look otherwise? "It's a transaction I thought you'd be interested in. Simple!"

  But nothing about the way he was looking at her felt simple.

  "Sigrun." His voice was careful. Gentle in a way that made her want to run. "I mean, it's been twelve years since I've done it with anyone. And I don't know how to just...have sex without feelings involved. Never did."

  Their Nucleus Watches, her silver blue and his emerald green, chimed simultaneously.

  [SOCIAL TRANSACTION INITIATED - LEASED LILY CONTRACT?]

  [AWAITING COMPLETION PARAMETERS]

  The Nucleus system had heard "one night" and "payment" and logged it. Great. Now it was official awkwardness.

  "You'll think about it, though?" She probed, breaking silence.

  "Yeah. I will." He replied. The blush on his olive cheeks was unmistakable.

  "Okay. We should keep moving." Sigrun picked up the case again. "Dilinur's waiting."

  Mars Time: 21:38, February 18, 2295

  Honghuang Administrative Palace, Phoenix District, Xing Hong

  Phoenix District's government building rose ahead: glass and golden steel, holographic flags of the Seven Realms cycling above the entrance. The Terra Alliance's navy blue stars and eagles around a maple leaf, the Imperium's twin dragons over crimson, the Directorate's emerald backdrop with a lion head facing left, the Covenant's white-orange cross, all rotating in perpetual display of Xing Hong's precarious neutrality.

  The security checkpoint was manned by Constables whose appearance immediately marked them as distinct from the city's usual enforcers. Golden tactical armor plates—pauldrons, chest pieces, and vambraces—gleamed over flowing black robes that bore unmistakable East Asian styling. The garments fell in clean lines to mid-calf, secured with ceremonial sashes as equipment harnesses. Each guard wore Xing Hong's neutral insignia embroidered in gold thread: a deep black canvas with a stylized golden phoenix at its center, wings spread wide above the aureate shape of a Hong Kong Orchid Tree.

  The lead Constable stepped forward, a weathered Imperial man whose face bore three scars. His hand moved to the scanner at his hip. "State your business."

  "Bounty completion for Prefect Dilinur." Sigrun held out her Nucleus Watch.

  The scanner hummed, projecting her data in holographic blue:

  [IDENTITY CONFIRMED]

  [Name: Sigrun Fjeld, Race: Nordling]

  [Status: Psi Lynx, Terra Alliance Certified. Suspected Unlicensed Leased Lily]

  [Birthplace: Bj?rgvin II, Europa, Jupiter]

  [Threat Assessment: High - Handle with Caution]

  "Nordling female. Certified Psi Lynx." The Constable's eyes flicked up from the display, his expression shifting from bored to wary. He checked something on his terminal, fingers moving across holographic keys. "That your associate?"

  "He's with me."

  The guard held the scanner toward Xin, who raised his watch nervously.

  [IDENTITY CONFIRMED]

  [Name: Zhi-Xin Wu, Race: Imperial]

  [Status: Rigger (Inactive), ZenFusion Data Solutions, 3.7 Rating]

  [Birthplace: Nantou, Taiwan, Earth]

  [Threat Assessment: Minimal]

  "Imperial male. Some nerd." The Constable's tone shifted to mockery. "Rigger, huh? What, took the satellite off Extranet? Algorithm finally tank your rating? Or did the platform's cut bleed you dry?"

  "The rating drop wasn't my fault, actually—" Xin scratched his head.

  "He needn't answer that. You've no authority." Sigrun took a step forward, hand drifting toward her belt where Járn waited.

  "Right. Got curious, is all." The Constable caught sight of the Thermal Axe's glimmer and stepped aside, scanner lowered, gesturing to the elevator well behind him. "Eighty-eighth floor is where you'll find the Prefect's office. Don't try anything funny."

  They rode the elevator in silence. Sigrun watched the floor numbers climb, acutely aware of Xin beside her.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  "That guard was…" Xin finally said around floor forty.

  "An ass. Most Constables are."

  "You stood up for me."

  "You're my partner for this job." The word 'partner' came out too loaded. "Temporary partner."

  "Right." Xin adjusted his glasses. "So after this, after we get paid..."

  "We'll see."

  The elevator hummed upward. Floor fifty. Sixty. Seventy.

  "Sigrun?"

  "What?"

  "That offer. The sixty-forty split." He wasn't looking at her, watching the numbers instead. "Is that...how you usually..."

  "Yes."

  "Oh."

  More silence. Floor eighty.

  "But not with you." She heard herself say. "Different."

  "Different how?"

  She didn't have an answer that wouldn't hurt.

  The elevator doors opened to Dilinur's office level. Traditional tapestries mixed with modern tech, panoramic windows showing Xing Hong's sprawl below. Voices carried from the main office.

  "The caucus today was an utter disgrace." An alto voice, sharp with frustration. "We must find some way to defend Xing Hong. None of the Earth factions can be trusted."

  A man's voice responded, calm and measured. "Then might I suggest you look among the recent bounty hunters. Our city has no short supply of those, just need a few competent...and sane ones. Assuming they don't kill one another."

  The conversation cut off as Sigrun and Xin approached.

  Dilinur Altai, the Prefect of Xing Hong, turned from the window. Black silk robe with crimson accents flowing around her slender frame, her raven-black hair styled in traditional updo Sigrun had seen in historical holos. Dark, contemplative eyes assessed them both.

  "Sigrun Fjeld. Of course it'd be you. Only…" Her gaze shifted to Xin. A pause. "I do not recognize you. Are you a new hunter? A recent immigrant between jobs?"

  "I've been here for some time. Kept a low profile, though." Xin scratched his head.

  A bald man in formal black robes stood beside her desk, golden trim catching the overhead lights. Imperial ancestry was obvious in his features—the same bone structure as Xin's, but more refined. He examined them both.

  "The scan records show you are Zhi-Xin Wu. A Rigger." The word carried faint disdain—Imperial aristocracy assessing gig labor. "Inactive status, 3.7 rating. Curious how the two of you would even cross paths."

  "My seneschal, Tsudo Kenji." Dilinur gestured. "He'll verify your delivery."

  Sigrun set the case on Dilinur's desk. Kenji opened it, drawing out a spectrometer from his robe. The device hummed as it scanned the Zephyrium.

  "Genuine High-Grade." Kenji's voice was dispassionate. "Extraction damage minimal. Impressive." His gaze flicked to them. "I was expecting a mass-murdering thug with more muscles and zero manners to retrieve this. Instead..."

  "We managed." Sigrun kept her voice neutral.

  "So it seems." Dilinur pulled up her terminal, fingers moving across holographic keys. "Kenji. Place it into the extraction machine."

  Kenji moved to a device in the corner. Sleek black metal with quantum processors humming beneath the surface. He inserted the rainbow-hued Zephyrium into a crystalline cradle that closed around it.

  The machine whirred to life. Holographic displays materialized above it, data streams cascading in characters Sigrun half-recognized.

  [DECODING EMBEDDED DATA...] [ORIGIN: Unregistered Source] [ENCRYPTION: Imperial Military Grade] [PROGRESS: 8%]

  "Someone embedded intelligence in the mineral structure itself." Kenji's tone had shifted, curiosity replacing amusement. "Sophisticated work. Whoever did this..."

  The progress bar climbed. 15%. 23%. The data streams began organizing themselves.

  [FILE STRUCTURE DETECTED]

  [Category 1: Research Documentation]

  [Category 2: Schematics - Biotechnical]

  [Category 3: Video Logs]

  [Category 4: Geographic Coordinates]

  "Biotechnical schematics?" Dilinur leaned forward.

  The first file opened before she finished the question.

  A three-dimensional schematic materialized in the air between them, rotating slowly. At first, Sigrun couldn't parse what she was seeing. Organic curves, mechanical interfaces, connection ports and meaty tubes snaking through—

  Three meters tall. Four meters wide. The shape resolved into something that made Sigrun's stomach clench.

  [FENRIS HORDE BREEDING TECHNOLOGY: V?XTR (Vuhk-stir)]

  [Status: ACTIVE DEPLOYMENT - Multiple Locations]

  [Primary Function: Mass Radi-Mon Production]

  Sigrun watched Dilinur's face drain of color as the details became clear. Restraint systems. Dark brown flesh and tubes that looked like they'd crawled out of a holo hentai porn.

  "Buddha's mercy." Kenji's voice came out strangled.

  The display helpfully provided a cutaway view showing naked men connected via genitals, their penises continuously squeezed. A nude woman lying next to the V?xtr, received processed genetic material, her body like a living incubator as the meaty tubes pumped into her three holes: mouth, vagina and anus.

  Beneath the derogatory image, holographic bubbles went on:

  [PRODUCTION RATE: 40-60 Baseline Radi-Mons per 7-week cycle]

  [OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY: 87% with healthy hosts]

  [HOST SURVIVAL RATE: 69% beyond 11 months]

  "So, the Fenris Horde plug people into that." Dilinur's voice was flat as she stroke her chin. "Living people. Serving as..."

  "Factories." Kenji finished. His hands had clenched on his robe. "Breeding factories for monsters."

  Calming down, Sigrun eyed the schematic with the same detachment she'd learned through her eleven years of Martian survival.

  Dilinur looked at Sigrun. "You've seen these? In the Warren?"

  "No." Sigrun shook her head. "But I've heard. They say Queen Maren..." She stopped, old habits still making that name difficult. "They say the Commonwealth developed these after the outbreak. To accelerate Radi-Mon production."

  Xin had gone very still beside her. His breathing had changed, shallow and controlled.

  "You alright?"

  "Yeah. Fine." The word came out tight. "Admittedly, that's worse than the lab showed."

  The schematic cycled to another view.

  [ADDITIONAL NOTE: Original technology derived from Accelerated Human Development Protocol]

  [Principal Researcher: Dr. Meiya Ji]

  [Commonwealth Implementation: Queen Maren Fjeld, Professor Lokki H?gberg]

  [Modifications: Hivemind control integration, production rate optimization]

  "Meiya Ji." Dilinur repeated the name slowly. "That's an Imperial name."

  Xin muttered.

  Sigrun looked at him. His olive skin had gone the color of old paper. Behind his glasses, his eyes were fixed on that name.

  "There's more." Kenji's voice was steadier now, but his hands still trembled slightly as he manipulated the controls. "Video documentation?"

  The holographic projectors shifted focus. The V?xtr schematic dissolved, replaced by—

  A woman.

  She materialized in half-scale, detailed enough that Sigrun could see the gold trim on her qipao, the jade pins in her hair. Classical Imperial beauty, the kind Sigrun had seen in historical holos and high-end advertisements. High cheekbones, delicate nose, a jawline that managed to be both graceful and sharp.

  But it was the eyes that caught attention. Luminescent toxic green, glowing faintly even through the holographic projection. Rare color. Sigrun had seen maybe three people with eyes like that in eleven years on Mars, all of them Imperial nobility or old money.

  The woman's hair fell in thick dark waves, sections pinned back while the rest cascaded past her shoulders. Her qipao was black with gold accents, modernized cut that allowed movement while maintaining traditional aesthetics. Deep burgundy lipstick completed the image of someone who'd never worried about rent or Medi-Vap costs or which client might turn violent.

  The woman spoke, her voice carrying that Earth Imperial accent: Beijing Mandarin softened by English:

  "Research Log 847. Twentieth day since successful extraction from Europa Station. The Imperium believes I'm documenting weapon systems. They're fools."

  Dilinur straightened. "She was on Europa?"

  The hologram continued: "I've confirmed what Queen Maren claimed. The V?xtr technology works. Production rates exceed projections. But the process is..." A pause. Something flickered across that face. Regret? "Inelegant. The euphoria and orgy serve little purpose beyond sadism and entertainment."

  "Who is this woman?" Kenji asked.

  "Dr. Meiya Ji." The hologram answered as if hearing him. "The Commonwealth stole my work. Twisted it into those machines. They took research meant to help humanity colonize radiation-saturated worlds and turned it into..." Her eyes narrowed. "Into that."

  The display shifted. New data populated around the hologram.

  [SUBJECT PROFILE] [Name: Meiya Ji (紀玫雅)]

  [Age: 55 (appears 35 due to longevity treatments)]

  [Principal researcher, Accelerated Human Development Protocol]

  [Status: WANTED - Multiple Jurisdictions]

  [Imperium of Dragons: Treason, Theft of Military Assets]

  [Nordic Commonwealth: Terrorism, Industrial Espionage]

  [Terra Alliance: Unauthorized Bioweapons Research]

  "Teacher." The word came out of Xin so quietly Sigrun almost missed it.

  Everyone looked at him.

  "I..." Xin's hands had started trembling. "That's Teacher Meiya. My piano instructor. From Taiwan, twelve years ago."

  The office went very quiet.

  "Piano instructor." Kenji repeated slowly. His eyes moved from the hologram to Xin. "This woman, wanted across the Seven Realms, principal researcher on bioweapon protocols, was your piano teacher."

  "I didn't know." Xin's voice was hollow. "I studied with her for two years before she disappeared. I thought…I never knew what happened to her."

  Sigrun studied his face. The way his eyes hadn't left the hologram.

  Piano teacher. The words tasted like a lie. Nobody reacted like that to someone who'd just taught them music.

  The hologram flickered. New footage played, lower quality, like hidden camera work. It showed a massive chamber, organic walls pulsing with sickly bioluminescence. And in the center—

  A V?xtr. Active. Occupied.

  Sigrun had seen terrible things in eleven years. Bone Fiends eating corpses. Skuggrs melting through armor with acid. The scars on her own body from dozens of near-death encounters. She'd learned to compartmentalize, to look at horror and file it away in whatever mental box kept her functional.

  Dilinur and Kenji didn't have that training.

  "Sweet Buddha." Dilinur turned away from the display, one hand pressed to her mouth.

  "Six males." Kenji's voice was clinical now, forcing himself through professionalism. "Connected via genital interface. Continuous extraction. And the female..." He stopped. Started again. "Conscious. Look at her eyes."

  Sigrun looked. Wished she hadn't.

  The nude woman's eyes were open, fluttering, alive, lost in an impossible mixture of bliss and pain. Tubes ran into her three holes from the machine's organic chambers. Her abdomen was distended.

  The footage displayed production metrics in cold text:

  [HOST IDENTITY: Civilian Capture, Nordling, Age 27]

  [DAYS IN SERVICE: 34]

  [CURRENT GESTATION: 43 Baseline Radi-Mons]

  [ESTIMATED SURVIVAL: 69-111 days]

  The video continued. Showed the male hosts' faces. Some were smiling, grinning, salivating. Others had that same absent stare, minds probably broken and numbed from weeks of continuous extraction and stimulation.

  "This is what Skarn does." Sigrun said quietly.

  "How many are there, according to our estimates?" Dilinur looked at Kenji. "How many V?xtrs does the Fenris Horde operate?"

  "Impossible to say. Rumors say dozens. Maybe hundreds." Kenji gestured at the display. "But if each one produces forty to sixty Radi-Mons every two months, operating for over a decade..."

  He didn't need to finish the math.

  Dilinur did it anyway: "Millions? They've bred millions of these things?"

  Meiya's hologram continued: "But Maren didn't create this technology alone. Skarn—Sven Solheim—underwent extensive biomechanical augmentation before his transformation. The Imperium enhanced him into something that could control the Horde through direct neural interface."

  Kenji read the technical specifications. "These modifications would allow direct control over Radi-Mon hives. Essentially turned a Draug into a living command structure."

  "Which is why the Fenris Horde operates with such coordination." Dilinur's expression had shifted from horror to calculation. "They're not individual creatures. They're extensions of Skarn's will."

  "Making him the single point of failure." Kenji finished. "Kill Skarn, potentially collapse the entire Horde."

  "If we could reach him." Dilinur's voice was dry.

  The hologram flickered. The display shifted to show a second figure materializing beside Meiya.

  Sigrun felt something cold settle in her chest as the new hologram resolved.

  A young woman. Early twenties, maybe. Short black hair, practical cut. Athletic build, slender but strong. She wore simple grey institutional clothing. East Asian features, delicate bone structure. And here eyes were amber-gold, glowing a most unusual color.

  The display populated identification:

  [SUBJECT U6-M9: Designation "UME"]

  [Status: VIABLE - Transferred to Secure Facility]

  [Age: Biological 23, Chronological 3]

  [Location: Red Nanjing Vault, Mars Southern Hemisphere]

  "Before the Radi-Mons, I have created a daughter." Meiya's recorded voice explained. "Using my own genetic material and that of a suitable Taiwanese donor. The Void psionic compatibility between donors created synergistic effects. U6-M9 exceeded every projection."

  Sigrun was still staring at the younger woman's hologram. Something about her face nagged at Sigrun's awareness.

  "The facial structure." Kenji said slowly. He was looking between Ume's hologram and Xin. "A resemblance? The eyes, particularly. And the jawline..."

  "Excuse me?" Xin blinked.

  Kenji didn't answer directly. Just studied Xin with renewed interest.

  "There were millions of Taiwanese people on Earth before the Great Annexation." Dilinur's eyes moved from Ume to Xin, then back. "I'm sure lots of them look similar. Common ancestry and all."

  Meiya's hologram now continued into its last portion: "IF YOU'RE READING THIS, MY HIGH-GRADE ZEPHYRIUM HAS MADE IT OUT, AND WORTHY CHAMPIONS HAVE DISCOVERED IT."

  The hologram's toxic green eyes seemed to stare directly at them, as if Meiya Ji could see through time to this very moment.

  "SKARN WAS NOT CREATED BY THE COMMONWEALTH ALONE. HE HAS UNDERGONE EXTENSIVE BIOMECHANICAL AUGMENTATION. THE FENRIS HORDE IS A PRODUCT OF MANY CORRUPT POWERS IN THE SEVEN REALMS."

  Dilinur leaned forward, her expression shifting from curious to intense.

  "A few Covenant scholars at the Opera District sent words the other day, reporting similar claims. Intriguing." Kenji added from the side as he stroke his chin.

  "KEY TO DEFEATING HIM LIES IN AN IMPERIUM ARCHIVE, RED NANJING VAULT, FILE DESIGNATION: U6-M9, PROJECT UME. BRING THIS ZEPHYRIUM, AND ALL SHALL BE REVEALED." A pause. The holographic woman's expression didn't change.

  "MAREN FJELD KNOWS. SHE'S ALWAYS KNOWN. TRUST NO ONE FROM THE NORDIC COMMONWEALTH. THE QUEEN OF LIES PLAYS ALL SIDES."

  Sigrun's blood turned to ice. Maren. Her mother's name hanging in the air like poison.

  The hologram flickered once, then stabilized. Text began scrolling across the display:

  [MESSAGE COMPLETE]

  [ADDITIONAL DATA: Imperial coordinates, vault access protocols, security bypass codes]

  [WARNING: Information may be compromised]

  The office went silent.

  " Meiya Ji." Kenji's voice carried recognition. "A psion from Mainland China wanted by the Imperium for treason. Wanted by the Commonwealth for terrorism. Wanted by at least three other major powers for various reasons, most of which classified." He looked at Xin with new assessment.

  "I didn't know where she went." Xin's voice was hollow. "She just taught me piano. I haven't seen her in twelve years."

  Privately, Sigrun thought. One does not react like that to someone who was just a piano teacher. They were close.

  But there was little use in dwelling on the past.

  "So, the payment." Sigrun's tone was professional and cold. Because if she let herself feel anything right now, she'd lose control. "Prefect."

  Dilinur's gaze lingered on Xin for another moment, then shifted to Sigrun.

  "Of course." Her fingers danced across the terminal. "But first, a question. Did you encounter any noteworthy competitors in the Warren? Names, classes, descriptions."

  Sigrun considered lying. Keeping information gave leverage. But Dilinur was paying fifty thousand Atomic Dollars. Most poor bastards in the Seven Realms couldn't even earn that much in a full year.

  But she also wanted this conversation over so she could process what the fuck had just happened.

  "Sorry, Prefect. I don't really recollect." She held back the urge to punch the table.

  "Such an artful way to say 'Just pay me and be done with it.'" Kenji's mouth twitched. Almost a smile.

  Dilinur's smile was sharp. "You've always been a lone wolf."

  "If this helps, I did see two hunters discussing the same bounty the night before." Xin's voice, unexpected. Still hollow, but functional. "Jabari Adomako and Fuuka Natsukawa. They seemed capable."

  Dilinur's eyebrows rose. "The Maridian griot and the Imperial witch. Interesting."

  "There was also a Covenant Stalwart." Sigrun added, suddenly conscious of Xin looking at her. "Marcus something. Valoran. Big, tough enough."

  "But you killed him?" Kenji put a hand to his chin.

  "The other two came to rescue him." She met his gaze. "I did kill or scare off all the others who got in my way. That enough?"

  The office went quiet for a moment. Xin was definitely staring now. Something she couldn't read—admiration mixed with something else. Fear, maybe. Or arousal. Hard to tell with someone she'd only known for two days.

  Dilinur pulled up a holographic interface, bounty dispenser UI, transaction logs visible. "For transparency." She gestured. "$50,000 Atomic Dollars shall be transferred to Sigrun Fjeld, as agreed. Split however you've arranged."

  The transfer completed with soft chimes from Sigrun's silver blue watch, messages only visible to herself.

  [PAYMENT RECEIVED FROM - Xing Hong Administration: +$50,000 AD] [CURRENT BALANCE: $897,100 AD]

  "You're dismissed." Dilinur's attention had already shifted back to her terminal, fingers moving across data streams. "Kenji will see you out."

  But as they turned to leave, Dilinur's voice stopped them.

  "One more thing."

  They turned back.

  Dilinur's expression had shifted again, harder now. "If this Meiya Ji is correct—and given her reputation, she probably is—then the Red Nanjing Vault contains information that could turn the tide against the Fenris Horde." She looked directly at Xin. "You may be contacted again regarding this matter. Given your connection to the recorder."

  Kenji moved to the door, opening it in clear dismissal. "This way."

  They followed in silence.

  ??

  Extended Chapter

  This chapter is 6,000+ words long. Scene 2 will come after Scene 1. (It will arrive tomorrow)

  Hope you've enjoyed it, and I'll see you tomorrow! ?

  Cradles of Gravity

  ?? A slow-burn Space Opera Romance

  ?? Come find family among sensual warrior matriarchs.

  ?? Soren woke up on a strange planet today—and yesterday was 8,000 years ago.

  He's taller, stronger, full of unstable cosmic energy, and surrounded by alien matriarchs.

  And they want to kill him.

  Welcome to Cradles of Gravity!

  A space opera romance with all the laughs, playful banter, and chaos that make up a good found family story. It also contains adult sexual themes, emotional trauma, and graphic violence. Come join the crew, save the world, and learn to transcend humanity.

  What do the readers have to say?

  Two new chapters per week.

  Acts 2 of 3 complete, over 200,000 words ready for reading.

  Looking forward: LitRPG novella sidestory that accompanies Act 3; 2 sequels planned + prequel and additional spinoffs.