Remarkably, the shooting didn’t even break the news, let alone make the headlines.

  It struck Vertan as highly surprising, given how big of a deal things seemed back in Ulminh and their brief stay in Qiaou. The Ilunian populace seemed to move on with their lives as quickly as the incident had come and gone, more preoccupied with their own daily worries. By the morning of the next day, the establishment they had visited had cleaned up the mess themselves and quickly replaced the murdered bouncers. Law enforcement remained busy cracking down on the homeless elsewhere across the district.

  The place began to feel increasingly hostile towards Vertan, the longer they stayed there. Having inspected the bodies of the shooters, he found that none of the masked and armed men had any verifiable piece of identification, despite dressing up as trained operatives. There was no warrant, no badge, no ID. Such a recurring pattern leads him to believe that these people are authorized to hide something as much as carry out their operations.

  The existence of the Daero Counters on them is another ominous indicator. Having confiscated one for a short moment, he found that nobody aside from him or Lym actually knows what it is. He quickly knew that the shooters, mercenaries or not, were given access to specialized Coalition equipment, and therefore were there for only one possible reason. Paranoid of any internal tracking device, he had since disposed of it in an alleyway.

  The bright and unnatural lights of the gigacity kept him in a persistent and oppressive state of agitating anxiety. These aforementioned facts combined with seeing the massive holoboards display his name, face, and details as a glorified wanted poster for the “traitor of the Coalition” only serve to make it worse.

  Whoever is at the top, knows. Vertan wonders if an arrest will be out for him the moment he arrives for their diplomatic mission.

  “Alright, alright,” says Gahn in response to Vertan’s story. “We can leave right now, actually. Everybody happens to be back and we wouldn’t have been doing anything for the next several hours, anyways.”

  “What?” says Vertan. “I mean, that’s great, actually. You don’t sound too happy about it, though.”

  “Oh yeah, I’m fine, really,” replies Gahn. “Something’s always happening. I just would have appreciated a little more rest after everything going on.”

  “I’m sorry about that, really,” says Vertan. “But you do realize the importance of—”

  “Look, we’re not making any more stops,” says Gahn. “This was our last one. We’re arriving in the Eraln sector in Alpharion tomorrow. We’re going to negotiate our terms, and things will be good from here on out, alright?”

  “I know that that’s the intention and goal. But I’m telling you I’m literally seeing wanted posters of myself posted up on the holoboards downtown here.”

  “Right, I know that you told me, and that’s what we’re going to clear up!”

  “And those guys with the Daeros? What about—”

  “I’m only going to work with substantial evidence. Those Daeros could have been illegally acquired by anyone through any number of processes for all I know. You told me there was no identification on them. After what happened on Qiaou, it’s not hard to assume they could be posers for any number of reasons.”

  Vertan let a heavy exhale out of the nostrils in frustration.

  “I feel something bad brewing,” he says. “Just heed my warnings, okay?”

  “I am, and I will!” snaps Gahn, slightly exasperated now. “You’re free to go; I have some matters to attend to. We have this under control, alright?”

  This must be how Hilgo felt, Vertan thought to himself as he left Gahn’s quarters.

  Making his way back to his own quarters, an unusual sight caught Vertan’s eye. Looking down over the railing, he could see that Lym has been joined by Aolia’s comrades in her chamber, the group chattering in conversation.

  Curious, he made his way over, and Aolia greets him with a cheerful smile. The other five likewise acknowledge him, and Lym as usual already noticed his approach long beforehand. She had since changed back to her original robes and removed the mask, revealing her burn scars and mechanical eye, but some of the makeup done on her still remains.

  “Hey, Vertan!” says Aolia. “Everything alright up there with your husband? He didn’t kill you, did he?”

  “What—?” Vertan started, before letting out a chuckle. “Oh, you know him, he’s tired and stressed, is all.”

  “You talking about Admiral like that?” the man next to Aolia jabs at her.

  “What?” she responds. “Apparently they’ve been childhood friends! Oh, sorry, haven’t introduced you to everyone—”

  Introduced in a counter-clockwise circle from Aolia, is Balon, Yulo, Erei, Cinti, and Guee, before reaching Lym.

  “We’re the self-volunteered group keeping guard over ‘the asset’ today,” grins Aolia.

  “I uh, I see,” says Vertan as he pulls up a chair. “I take it you all are close friends?”

  “No, I can’t stand her,” Balon jabs once more, preemptively pulling his arms up in defense against Aolia.

  “They were all getting to know me better,” says Lym, still sitting as upright as ever. “It would be nice if you could join us.”

  Vertan sat stunned for a moment. Should his shoulders be allowed to relax?

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “Oh, uh, are we allowed to be doing all this?” he asks. “I mean, I know, but Gahn—”

  “Oh, please,” Erei scoffs, waving a hand as she sips from a mug. “Every one of us here knows now. Even those assholes who guarded the previous shifts do. The formalities can wait until we land in Eraln.”

  “Wait, sorry, but keep going, Lym,” says Aolia. “So you’ve been a warrior for how long, again?”

  “A little over ten-thousand of your years, I believe,” Lym responds.

  “Oh, okay, so that means you’ve been alive much longer than that, right?” asks Aolia. “What was your childhood like?”

  “I don’t remember much if I had one,” Lym answered. “We age quickly after birth before slowing down, so I’ve looked the way I do now since I was the age of about ten of your years.”

  “How do you look so young after all this time?” Aolia continued querying. “I might need to ask you about your skincare, it’s so good!”

  “Mostly good,” Balon muttered in jest.

  “Balon!” Erei almost spits out her tea. “You can’t say that!”

  Everyone attempts to hold in their laughter, barely choking over the offensive joke.

  “Oh,” says Lym. “Oh!”

  A slight chuckle turned into a giggle. To everyone’s surprise, Lym was laughing and grinning as she lightly clutched at her abdomen.

  Soon, she collected herself and caught her breath, still smiling slightly. And then, a moment of confusion.

  “What—,” she started. “What is this? This feeling?”

  “What?” Aolia blinks confusedly.

  “This feeling just now,” Lym continued. “It feels good. I never thought such a feeling existed.”

  “Joy?” Cinti asks. “Happiness?”

  “What was my body doing?” asks Lym. “I usually have such a control over myself.”

  “Laughter,” answered Vertan. “You were laughing.”

  “Oh, I see,” says Lym. “I see.”

  Vertan had almost missed Lym’s first time smiling.

  *****

  Following their departure from Ilunia, the rest of the fleet, scattered across System Lionda, soon rejoins their flagship to make way towards Eraln sector, Alpharion. Their destination, World Ritus of System Brutza.

  It was in this shorter journey that anxiety began to grip at everyone the most; no amount of laughter could fully mask the heaviness of the air as Ilunia fell behind them. Dialogue expressing doubts and second guesses spread in whispers and low voices across the ships. The reality of what the news cycles displayed came back as a stark reminder after the break.

  Vertan Zviedal is now on the federal watchlist.

  Lym Alzie-Rugen is no longer a demon, an asset, but revealed to be a person.

  Will they be perceived as colluders of Vertan? Or his captors?

  The replies they have thus far received from the other side remain vague and dry.

  The Ulminhan protests had first brought the truth out into the light, bare and naked, and the Qiaouian broadcasts destroyed any last chance of it remaining a confidential secret. Suddenly, it felt as though all eyes were on them in the mission.

  Hopefully soon, the affair could be sorted out and be over with.

  Over the span of several hours, everyone once again began preparing for their arrival. Admiral Gahn Pei-Ramlik sends out yet more communications. Every troop stood at the ready in their uniforms and arms. Lym was once again under surveillance of several armed “guards” standing outside the chamber. Vertan was made to stand with them, an attempt to signify his role in authority.

  Arriving at World Ritus, the fleet is soon given clearance to land. Gahn’s ships descend through the planet’s atmosphere, friction with the air causing the underside of the ships to glow hot with streaks of a bright and fiery red-orange.

  Looking outside the windows from his view, Vertan couldn’t help but feel an uneasy aura steadily creep over him. The planet looked to be eerily empty, save for some buildings and complexes. It seemed to be almost devoid of any sign of natural life, even as he is able to see some people on the ground, and a number of vehicles here and there. Surely, it made logical sense that such a “highly dangerous and sensitive asset” won’t be handled in a dense urban area such as World Ilunia or Headworld Suprima, but even then, he expected something more akin to the highly saturated and densely packed defenses of Gateworld Thoma. The anxious feeling that they were made to come out here where nobody could see them couldn’t be shaken.

  Landing down at the military base, everybody stepped out to see that they are likewise immediately greeted with armed Coalition troops awaiting them. High ranking officials stood prominently at the front. All stood neatly in disciplined formation, the banners of the Coalition towering above them.

  The air felt unnatural, and was as suffocating simultaneously as it was breathable. It seemed as though the planet didn’t have a breathable atmosphere provided by natural life to begin with, and was pumped with air by industrial machinery with all of its accumulated technical problems.

  Descending from the ship, Gahn’s cape billowed in the winds of the ships’ residual exhaust. His large number of troops followed, and, finally, in the middle of them all, the highly monitored Lym, and Vertan walking just ahead of her.

  Stopping several meters in front of them, Gahn faces the commanding officer across from him, and gives an acknowledging bow. The other woman, a tall and imposing figure, nods back.

  “As authorized by the government of Ulminh in cooperation with the Coalition, I hereby stand before you, General Hiau, to begin about the terms of our negotiations in regards to the anomalous demon for the security of the stars and the known universe,” Gahn announces. “Witnesses to us here today include Vertan Zviedal, veteran to the Special Expeditions and special advisor to safe handling of our operations. We demonstrate the capability to safely handle and transport the anomalous demon.”

  A tense silence hangs in the air for a moment.

  “Admiral Gahn,” General Hiau began, her eyebrow raised. “We understand and acknowledge your intentions, but must we inquire about the…unorthodox manner…of which you present the demon before us.”

  “Indeed, I do not intend to leave your questions unanswered,” replied Gahn. “Bring them forwards.”

  Stepping forwards, Lym and Vertan brought themselves out front, escorted by Gahn’s troops. The three now stood before the Coalition’s might.

  “Mister Vertan Zviedal, if you could please?” initiated Gahn.

  “Right,” started Vertan. “General Hiau, it is an honor to show you that a solution and consensus has been reached with the demon named Lym. We have reached a negotiation that in exchange for the peaceful return of her vessel, of which contains the details for her return home, that she will leave without any further interference to the stability and harmony of the Myriad Worlds. This process will be fulfilled under strict guidance and oversight by the Ulminhan government, as it was originally our world that handled her initial appearance.”

  Gahn’s eyes flicked over to Vertan. Vertan’s eyes likewise flicked momentarily to Gahn. Both found themselves sweating inside before the intimidating General.

  Did they say the right thing? They had gone over this so many times.

  “Do you accept proceeding forwards with our negotiations?” Gahn continues.

  A suffocating aura presses down upon everyone present.

  “No,” responds General Hiau. “Seize them.”