《Artificial Advantage》


 1. Fine Lines and Fines

    Chapter 1 - Fine Lines and Fines


    ¡°Alright, up and at ¡®em!¡±


    Darius jerked awake, rolling to slap at his alarm clock on instinct. Unfortunately for him, the hard plasteel bench he had fallen asleep on was much narrower than his cheap double bed, and the only thing he managed was dumping himself on the floor of the holding cell.


    He blinked blearily at the sterile white tiles two inches from his nose, brain struggling to figure out why his ribs hurt and his head pounded with the unmistakable throb of a hangover.


    ¡®What the hell?¡¯ he wondered sluggishly.


    The sharp clang of metal echoed through the cell as a baton rattled against the bars, the sound sending a spike of pain straight through Darius¡¯s skull. He groaned, rolling onto his back and squinting up at the ceiling. The harsh fluorescent lights above did his hangover no favours, and he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Kallan,¡± came a gruff voice from just beyond the bars. ¡°You¡¯re up.¡±


    Darius blinked, piecing together the events that had led him here. The bar. Drinks with Finn. Walking home. And then¡ªoh. Right. The security patrol. He could almost remember himself saying something smart-mouthed to the officer in charge, but the details were still fuzzy. What had he said?


    If he was suffering the consequences, it would have been nice to at least have the satisfaction of remembering whatever smart comment he came up with.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t matter,¡¯ he thought, grimacing as he pushed himself up off the floor. Whatever it was, it had clearly been enough to land him here in this sterile, soulless box of a holding cell. The walls were a mixture of white and grey, almost like they had been specifically designed to sap the joy from whoever was unfortunate enough to see them. His ribs ached where he¡¯d hit the floor, and his mouth tasted like old boots. Fantastic.


    ¡°What time is it?¡± he rasped, his voice hoarse from a night of dehydration.


    The guard, a squat man with a mean look, crossed his arms and sneered. ¡°Time for you to get out of my cell, that¡¯s what. You¡¯ve got a fine to pay and a warning on your record. Congratulations.¡±


    Darius bit back the retort that threatened to spill out. He had a feeling his tongue had gotten him into enough trouble already. Instead, he pushed himself to his feet, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced around.


    Being thrown in a cell for a night was one thing ¨C he had expected that. But having to cough up credits for some stupid ¡°disorderly conduct¡± charge?


    Typical. It wasn¡¯t just the constant fines or the way the Empire held everyone by the throat ¨C Darius had reasons, personal ones, to hate them. His family had been torn apart by one of their so-called ¡®necessary operations¡¯ years ago, a cold reminder that no one was safe when the Empire decided you were in their way.


    ¡°Come on, Kallan,¡± the guard barked, growing impatient. ¡°You¡¯re lucky we¡¯re letting you off with just a fine. Could¡¯ve been worse.¡±


    Darius snorted, muttering under his breath. ¡°Yeah, lucky. I feel like a damn lottery winner.¡±


    The guard slammed his baton against the bars again, making Darius flinch. ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Darius muttered, his headache worsening with every word.


    As the guard opened the door and gestured for him to step out, Darius shuffled forward, every movement a little too sharp, his joints creaking like rusted gears. His head was still swimming, the aftereffects of last night¡¯s drinks making every sound louder, every light brighter. He passed the guard, offering a strained smile.


    ¡°So,¡± Darius asked, trying to clear his throat. ¡°What¡¯s the damage?¡±


    ¡°Three hundred credits,¡± the guard said, not even trying to hide the amusement in his voice. ¡°For disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.¡±


    ¡°Three hundred credits!?¡± Darius yelped, regretting it a moment later as his head throbbed painfully. ¡°And what do you mean, resisting? I barely even moved! You guys dragged me in for walking home. I was just¡ª¡±


    The guard shrugged, cutting him off. ¡°Don¡¯t care. Maybe next time you¡¯ll keep your mouth shut, huh? Now pay up, or you can spend the night in here again. Your choice.¡±


    Darius bit back another less-than-polite response, instead blinking in the specific pattern that would activate his augs. He was only half surprised when nothing happened. This really wasn¡¯t his day.


    He tried again, this time more deliberately, hoping the familiar surge of his augments kicking in would follow. But all he got was a static flicker in his vision, like an old, broken monitor trying and failing to boot up. He cursed under his breath, jabbing the side of his head with his finger as if that would help. Of course, it didn¡¯t.


    He always knew that going for the cheaper second-hand augs was going to come back and bite him at some point, but anything halfway decent was well and truly out of his price range. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like he used them for much anyway ¨C all of his music was stored on his auditory implants, and that was pretty much all he cared about.


    ¡°Having trouble, Kallan?¡± the guard asked, voice thick with mock concern.


    Darius shot him a glare. ¡°My augs are on the fritz. I¡¯ll pay when I get them sorted.¡±


    The guard raised an eyebrow and shook his head with an exaggerated sigh, tapping something into his wrist-mounted device. ¡°Right. Well, since you can¡¯t pay on the spot, we¡¯ll just add it to your file. And look at that ¨C an extra processing fee for the inconvenience. Five hundred credits now. Lucky day, huh?¡±


    Darius clenched his fists, swallowing down the string of expletives that threatened to burst out. Five hundred credits for doing nothing but walking home with a few too many drinks sloshing in his system. He wanted to scream, to throw something, but he knew better than to push it. The Empire always had ways to make things worse.


    Instead, he exhaled slowly through his nose, his jaw tight. ¡°Yeah, lucky me.¡±


    The guard¡¯s grin widened as he tapped a final command into his datapad. ¡°All set, Kallan. Get that sorted soon, or you¡¯ll have a real problem on your hands.¡± He made a sweeping gesture toward the door. ¡°Now get out of here before I change my mind and decide you need more time to sober up.¡±


    Darius didn¡¯t need to be told twice. He stepped through the open door, his legs still stiff and aching from the cold, cramped night on the cell bench. The hallway outside was no more welcoming than the cell¡ªa dull, grey corridor with a flickering light overhead and the faint smell of disinfectant lingering in the air.


    As the outer doors slid open with a hiss, Darius was hit with a gust of cold, damp air. The rain had let up, but the streets were still wet, reflecting the dull neon glow of the holographic signs that hovered above. He paused just outside the detention facility, his mind still fuzzy from the remnants of his hangover, but now mixed with the fresh sting of irritation.


    His head throbbed, his ribs ached, his augs were on the fritz, and his bank account was five hundred credits lighter.


    ¡°Yeah, perfect way to start the day,¡± Darius muttered, pulling his jacket tight around him as he started the long walk back to his apartment. His eyes wandered over the drab, worn buildings around him, and despite himself, he felt that familiar spark of anger return.


    This was what it was like to live under the Empire. Cuffed, fined, and shoved back into the same miserable routine, just grateful they hadn¡¯t decided to make an example of you.


    A few people milled about the street, most of them looking just as weary and dishevelled as he felt. He spotted a man walking by, hunched over with a worn cap pulled low over his eyes. The man didn¡¯t seem to notice him at first, but Darius stepped forward, tapping him lightly on the shoulder.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Darius said, his voice still rough. ¡°You got the time?¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The man glanced up, his expression half-curious, half-annoyed. He blinked, and the small glow of his augments flickered in the corner of his eyes as he checked the time.


    ¡°8:42,¡± the man replied, giving Darius a quick once-over before turning back and continuing on his way.


    Darius stood there for a moment, frozen, as the man¡¯s words sank in. His shift at the shipyards had started at 8:00 sharp.


    ¡°Crap,¡± he muttered under his breath.


    ¨C ¨C ¨C


    One autocab ride later ¨C and fifty credits poorer ¨C he was standing at the entrance to the largest shipyard on the planet.


    Not that it was a particularly high bar to clear ¨C Caldera IV was the very definition of a ¡®frontier¡¯ colony world, with all that entailed. The only reason they had enough traffic to merit a proper shipyard was the presence of several large mineral-rich asteroid belts in the system.


    All the leaps in technology the Human Empire had made over the last few centuries hadn¡¯t made the job of mining any more pleasant or glamorous, but it also hadn¡¯t made it any less lucrative. Wherever there was money to be made, there would be poor fools willing to work long hours to get at it ¨C just as there would also be rich executives ready to swoop in and take the lion¡¯s share of the profit.


    Darius snorted lightly at the morbid nature of his thoughts, digging through a pocket to present his ID card to the guard. He was hardly the Empire¡¯s greatest fan even on a good day ¨C how could he be, with what they had done to his family ¨C but even for him, that was a little more cynical than usual.


    The guard gave his ID a quick scan, the faint hum of the device barely audible over the low roar of the shipyard beyond. With a curt nod, the guard waved him through, and Darius stepped past the gate into the sprawling mess of steel, grime, and noise that was the Exeter Station shipyard.


    The shipyard was a patchwork of metal platforms, cranes, and docking bays, all threaded together with the kind of haphazard engineering that only came from decades of constant, low-budget repairs. Massive mining vessels loomed over the yard like steel beasts, their hulls scarred from years of asteroid collisions and hard use. Some were little more than flying scrap heaps, held together with mismatched panels, exposed wiring, and more than a little wishful thinking. The sound of welding torches crackled through the air, and the tang of burnt metal and machine oil clung to the back of Darius¡¯s throat as he walked.


    The noise did his hangover little good either.


    The smell, as always, was a mix of ozone, oil, and sweat¡ªa testament to the hard labour that kept the station operational. The workers moved like ants between the colossal vessels, dwarfed by the sheer size of the ships they serviced. Most of the vessels had seen better days; rust crept along the edges of their bulkheads, and half of them looked like they were one good hit away from splitting apart. The shipyard¡¯s motto was simple: if it flew, it could be fixed. Quality, however, was optional.


    As Darius made his way toward the central office, something caught his eye¡ªa ship that didn¡¯t belong. In the far berth, towering over the usual clunky, patched-up salvage rigs, was a sleek, gleaming military vessel. Its lines were sharp and aggressive, its hull a dark, polished metal that stood in stark contrast to the dented and rusted ships around it. The Empire¡¯s insignia was emblazoned proudly on its side, its cold, efficient design radiating authority and power. It looked out of place, too pristine for a yard like this.


    Darius paused for a moment, squinting at it. What the hell was a ship like that doing here? His mind raced with possibilities, none of them particularly comforting. The Empire didn¡¯t send their shiny toys to backwater colonies like Caldera IV unless they had a reason.


    With a quiet sigh, he shook his head and continued toward the main office. Whatever it was, it was above his pay grade. He had enough problems of his own.


    The office was a cramped little building at the edge of the yard, barely more than a prefab shack slapped together from rusting steel plates and tinted windows that hadn¡¯t been cleaned in years. Darius stepped inside, the cool, stale air a brief reprieve from the chaos outside. The familiar hum of cheap air conditioning greeted him, along with the low murmur of voices and the clack of fingers on keyboards.


    At the far end of the room, sitting behind a desk cluttered with datapads and half-empty cups of synth-coffee, was Finn, his supervisor and friend. He looked as tired as Darius felt, his usually cheerful expression dulled by what Darius assumed was the same hangover he was suffering from. His sandy brown hair was mussed, and his usual charming grin was absent as he flicked through a report on his terminal.


    Finn glanced up as Darius approached, one eyebrow quirking up in mild surprise.


    ¡°Well, well,¡± Finn said, leaning back in his chair. ¡°Look who decided to show up. Rough night?¡±


    Darius gave him a half-hearted smirk. ¡°Something like that. Didn¡¯t expect to see you behind a desk this early, either.¡±


    Finn grunted, rubbing at his temples. ¡°Yeah, well, I didn¡¯t expect to be dealing with increased security either. We¡¯ve all been standing around waiting for clearance to even start working. Some military types came in with that big bird out there,¡± he said, nodding toward the sleek vessel outside. ¡°Haven¡¯t let anyone near it yet.¡±


    Darius leaned on the edge of Finn¡¯s desk, trying to ignore the dull pounding in his head. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with that ship anyway? Doesn¡¯t seem like the kind of thing we¡¯d see around here.¡±


    Finn shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t care, honestly. They assigned us to do some repairs on it, but we can¡¯t do anything until the higher-ups say so. So for now, we¡¯re just killing time.¡±


    Darius felt a small wave of relief wash over him. His tardiness hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed, but at least he wasn¡¯t as late as he could have been. With all the extra security, no one had started working yet, which meant he wasn¡¯t in too much trouble.


    ¡°Well, I guess that makes me lucky for once,¡± Darius muttered. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan, then? We just sit around until the Empire lets us get near their fancy ship?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Finn said, cracking a small grin. ¡°But hey, at least we¡¯re getting paid for it.¡±


    Darius snorted. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll take what I can get. Hey, while we¡¯re waiting, mind giving me a hand resetting my augs?¡±


    Finn rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched upwards anyway. ¡°Why am I not surprised your augs are down again? You really gotta upgrade those, man.¡± He paused for a second. ¡°How did you even get here if they were dead?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me,¡± Darius grumbled, tilting his head to allow Finn access to the connection port embedded in the back of his neck. ¡°Took me fifteen minutes to convince the stupid autocab to put the ride on credit. Whose idea was it to give those things a VI? And why couldn¡¯t they spring for something that actually worked?¡±


    ¡°Probably someone with about a dozen PR degrees,¡± Finn responded dryly, plugging a cable into the exposed port. He didn¡¯t bother answering the second question, probably because it was the same reason companies did anything ¨C to make money. Darius tried not to twitch at the sensation of the cable dragging against his neck.


    As much as he relied on them, the augs had always made his skin crawl. They were so deeply intertwined with daily life now that going without wasn¡¯t even an option ¨C even out here on a place like Caldera IV, far from the bustling centre of the Empire ¨C but that didn¡¯t mean he liked the idea of having a machine plugged into his body.


    The familiar hum of the augment¡¯s system rebooting buzzed at the base of Darius¡¯s skull, sending an uncomfortable heat radiating through the back of his neck. The faint static flicker danced across his vision before finally stabilising, the heads-up display blinking to life in the corner of his eye. Of course, his interface was completely wiped¡ªjust a blank slate with none of his previous settings, preferences, or shortcuts. Typical.


    ¡°Great,¡± Darius muttered under his breath, rubbing his temples as he felt the remnants of his hangover mingle with the annoyance of starting from scratch. ¡°Everything¡¯s reset.¡±


    Finn unplugged the cable and gave him a pitying look. ¡°That bad, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Darius said, closing his eyes for a second as the bright displays swam before him. ¡°I¡¯ll be reconfiguring these things for the next week.¡±


    Finn clapped him on the shoulder, half joking, half genuine sympathy. ¡°See, this is why you should just upgrade, man. It¡¯s not worth all the headaches¡ªliterally.¡±


    Darius shot him a sideways glance, more resigned than irritated. ¡°You think I haven¡¯t thought of that? Between the bills, rent, and just existing on this rock? Not exactly rolling in credits, am I?¡±


    Finn raised an eyebrow. ¡°And how much was the autocab this morning?¡±


    Darius rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. ¡°Fifty credits,¡± he admitted, already hearing the lecture coming.


    Finn shook his head, turning back to his desk. ¡°Could¡¯ve just used that to save up for the upgrades. Or a new pair of boots. Or, hell, some synth-coffee to wake you up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, there¡¯s another reason I¡¯m going to be short on credits for a while,¡± Darius said absently, his mind still half on resetting his aug¡¯s visual preferences.


    Finn gave him a wary look. ¡°Uh-huh. What reason?¡±


    Darius didn¡¯t answer immediately, but the sheepish grimace on his face told Finn enough. ¡°Darius,¡± Finn groaned, exasperation clear in his tone, ¡°what did you do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing!¡± Darius protested, though his guilty tone betrayed him. ¡°It¡¯s not like I was causing trouble. Just¡­ got caught by a security patrol on my way home last night. Said something smart, I guess. Now I¡¯ve got a fine on my record.¡±


    Finn stared at him, unimpressed. ¡°You got arrested?¡±


    Darius shrugged, trying to play it off. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything! They just needed an excuse; you know how they are.¡±


    Finn crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. ¡°How much?¡±


    Darius hesitated. ¡°Five hundred.¡±


    Finn¡¯s eyes widened, and he slapped a hand over his face. ¡°Five hundred credits? You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Darius said defensively, ¡°I was just walking home. You know how they love throwing around charges for ¡®resisting arrest.¡¯¡°


    Finn rubbed his temples, his face twisting in frustration. ¡°Dammit, Darius. You¡¯ve really got to learn when to shut your mouth.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Darius said, waving a hand. ¡°Trust me, I learned my lesson.¡±


    ¡°Did you, though?¡± Finn shot back. ¡°Because this is, what, the second or third time this year? If you keep pulling this crap, it¡¯s going to catch up with you.¡±


    Darius winced. As much as he hated to admit it, Finn wasn¡¯t wrong. He had a habit of pushing his luck, and every time, it seemed like it was getting a little harder to brush off the consequences. Five hundred credits was no small amount¡ªhe¡¯d be feeling the sting of that for months.


    ¡°Look,¡± Finn said, his tone softening as he glanced back at his console, ¡°just... try to keep your head down for a while, alright? I¡¯m not going to cover for you if this keeps happening.¡±


    Darius nodded, the humour draining out of him. ¡°Yeah, alright. I¡¯ll lay low.¡±


    Finn politely pretended to believe him.


    ¡°Well, guess I¡¯d better go pretend to be useful while we wait for clearance,¡± he muttered, pushing off the desk and heading for the door. ¡°See you out there.¡±


    Finn waved him off without looking up from his console. ¡°Yeah, just try not to get yourself arrested again before lunch.¡±


    He gave Finn a half-hearted salute and pushed through the door, looking out at the sleek military ship that loomed in the distance, cutting an imposing silhouette against the drab backdrop of the yard.


    He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that it was an omen of things to come.

 2. Steel, Secrets, and Suspicion

    Chapter 2 - Secrets, Steel, and Suspicion


    The workers stood in a somewhat uneven line, boots scraping against the rough metal grating that formed the landing platform. From this close, the warship loomed above them like a predator, its sleek hull gleaming coldly under the harsh floodlights.


    Darius blinked curiously up at the hull, checking out the precision-made seams between the panels, barely visible beneath a matte black coating. He¡¯d never been this close to a warship before, and it was humbling and a little scary to see. For all that he may dislike the Empire, he had to admit they made some pretty cool-looking ships.


    ¡°Thinking of making that your next ride?¡± Finn asked, nudging Darius with his elbow. ¡°You¡¯d look real nice behind the controls of a death machine like that. All you¡¯d need is a nice, shiny helmet and a total lack of common sense.¡±


    Darius snorted, unwilling to admit he had just been admiring the ship. ¡°Right. Because I¡¯m just dying to cruise around in an overcompensating chunk of metal with the Empire¡¯s finest breathing down my neck.¡±


    Finn grinned. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve got the ¡®overcompensating¡¯ part down. Maybe they¡¯d even throw in a fancy uniform to go with your smart mouth.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll pass on the Imperial makeover, thanks.¡±


    They fell silent for a moment, both of them staring up at the ship. The lights from the platform threw long shadows across its surface, highlighting the ship¡¯s sleek, flawless exterior. Something about that didn¡¯t sit right with Darius.


    He frowned, narrowing his eyes as he looked closer. ¡°You notice something odd?¡±


    ¡°Other than you getting all dreamy-eyed over an Empire warship?¡± Finn quipped.


    ¡°Funny. No, seriously, look ¨C there¡¯s no damage. I mean, not on the outside. This thing looks like it just came off the production line.¡± He pointed to the gleaming panels, all perfectly aligned, without a single dent or scratch. ¡°But they¡¯ve got half the yard working on it. That doesn¡¯t add up.¡±


    Finn squinted, following Darius¡¯s gaze. ¡°Huh. You¡¯re right. Maybe they took a hit to the systems,¡± he suggested, lowering his voice. ¡°Power grid failure, navigational errors, maybe something scrambled their comms. Could explain why they¡¯re being so tight-lipped.¡±


    ¡°Could be,¡± Darius replied, absently rubbing his jaw. ¡°Or maybe there was some kind of accident. Malfunction in the reactor, a misfire in the weapons systems.¡±


    Finn snorted. ¡°Or the captain got a little too friendly with the self-destruct button. Happens to the best of ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them catch you saying that ¨C they might lock you up for treason.¡±


    The remark got him a flat look from his friend. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anything about watching my mouth from you, of all people.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Fair enough.¡± Darius chuckled.


    Ahead of them, a boarding ramp jutted out from the ship¡¯s underbelly, its edges lined with pale blue guide lights that flickered sporadically. An entire squad of armed guards was standing at the base of the ramp, checking each worker as they came in, poking through bags and toolkits like they expected to find a bomb in every socket wrench. They wore the standard-issue dark armour of the Empire, visors down, weapons holstered but within easy reach.


    Despite the caution the guards were showing, the line moved swiftly, and it wasn¡¯t long before Darius and Finn were standing at the base of the ramp, looking up into the bowels of the ship.


    The guard in front of him waved a handheld scanner over Darius¡¯s chest, the green light flickering briefly. Darius held his breath for a moment, resisting the urge to fidget. It wasn¡¯t that he had anything to hide¡ªhe didn¡¯t¡ªbut there was always something unsettling about standing in front of armed guards while they decided whether you were a threat or not.


    He¡¯d mouthed off to patrols, sure, but this was different. One wrong move here, one smart comment, and he wouldn¡¯t be dealing with some bored local security team ¨C these were the types of people that could make you disappear for good.


    Thankfully, the scanner beeped and the guard waved him through without a word. Darius exhaled and followed the others up the ramp, the steady hum of the warship¡¯s systems growing louder as they stepped into its belly.


    ¡°Not every day we get to work on one of these,¡± Finn muttered as he fell in beside Darius.


    Around them, the other workers were already spreading out, chattering excitedly or exchanging quick glances as they took in the ship¡¯s interior. Metal walls gleamed under the bright overhead lights, and the air had that sterile, polished smell of something that hadn¡¯t seen much use yet. No rust. No oil stains. Just the sharp tang of too-new machinery.


    ¡°Alright, everyone gather up!¡± Finn called, clapping his hands together to get their attention. A few stragglers jogged over, and Darius took his spot in the small group Finn had corralled.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep it simple,¡± Finn said, his voice all business now. ¡°We¡¯ve got work orders for lighting diagnostics, power distribution, and checking the systems on Deck 4. We¡¯ll split into teams. Don¡¯t get distracted by all the shiny bits, alright? It¡¯s still a job, so let¡¯s do it right.¡±


    Darius couldn¡¯t help but grin. It wasn¡¯t often Finn took things seriously, but when he did, he made a decent supervisor. Maybe it was because Finn could walk the line between shooting the breeze and actually getting the work done.


    ¡°You, you, and you¡ªlighting,¡± Finn said, pointing to Darius and two others. ¡°Split up and check for any power surges or irregularities. If something¡¯s flickering, I want to know why. Got it?¡±


    Darius gave him a mock salute. ¡°Aye, aye, boss.¡±


    Finn smirked. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret putting you on the important stuff.¡±


    Darius rolled his eyes but didn¡¯t bother verbally responding. Flickering lights. So very important.


    As the group dispersed to their assignments, Darius grabbed his toolkit and made his way toward the lighting systems. The halls were quiet as he moved deeper into the ship, though the hum of the warship¡¯s power core was a constant background noise. If he was honest, it was kind of nice working on something that wasn¡¯t already halfway to falling apart. Sure, the mining rigs had their charm, but a warship? This was the kind of thing they didn¡¯t get to touch often.


    It didn¡¯t take him long to reach his section, the lighting control panel embedded in the wall standing out like an old friend. He cracked open his toolkit, pulling out a few necessary tools before popping off the panel¡¯s front cover with practised ease. The internals were in perfect condition, as expected ¨C no corrosion, no jury-rigged repairs, just smooth, efficient design. He tapped a few buttons on his handheld console and watched as the system blinked to life, running a diagnostic on the lights for this deck.


    As the data started streaming in, Darius frowned. The numbers were off. According to the readings, there were fluctuations across several sections of the ship ¨C nothing massive, but definitely weird. The power draw for the lights was fluctuating, spiking randomly for no apparent reason.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Darius muttered, leaning closer to the screen. It wasn¡¯t enough to cause an actual problem, but it was the kind of thing that could lead to more significant issues if left unchecked.


    And possibly already had, considering how many workers had been assigned to the vessel, not to mention that Caldera IV¡¯s shipyards were really not designed to cater to this class of ship. There was no way of knowing for sure ¨C not without asking the sorts of questions that would get him noticed ¨C but he suspected this was an emergency stop-off for the warship.


    The ongoing war with the Xenos might tangentially affect frontier colonies like Caldera IV, but the vast majority of the fighting was on the opposite side of the Empire. An advanced ship like this shouldn¡¯t have any reason to be this far from the front, let alone in need of extensive maintenance like this.


    Darius shook his head, refocusing on his task. He was hardly qualified to comment on the military deployments of the Empire¡¯s forces. Instead, he turned his attention to tracing the wiring on the screen, trying to isolate where the fluctuations were coming from. The results were frustratingly inconclusive.


    ¡°Conduits look fine,¡± he muttered to himself, running a hand over the nearby cables. No loose connections, no signs of damage. Everything here was textbook perfect¡ªat least on the hardware side. But something was definitely wrong.


    Darius tapped a few more commands into his console, trying to pull up a more detailed readout, and then leaned back with a sigh. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the software?¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t be the first time the ship¡¯s software was to blame. Sometimes, when a system this new was put through its paces, bugs popped up that no one had accounted for yet. It could be a simple issue with the lighting protocols, an overlooked glitch in the programming. He made a mental note to flag it for later and moved to close the panel when, suddenly, a loud hiss echoed from the far end of the corridor.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Darius turned, eyes narrowing as he saw one of the sealed doors at the end of the hallway slide open with a smooth, mechanical whirr. The flickering lights continued on the other side, casting faint, erratic shadows across the bulkheads. For a second, he considered calling it in¡ªno reason to go poking around where he wasn¡¯t assigned.


    Then again¡­ he always had been too curious for his own good.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what¡¯s going on over there,¡± he muttered.


    He packed up his tools, slid the panel back into place, and headed for the now-open door. The hallway beyond was darker, the lights flickering more severely here, casting the corridor in an eerie, pulsing glow.


    Darius approached one of the panels, setting down his toolkit with a resigned sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we¡¯ve got this time,¡± he muttered, tapping the panel and prepping it for another diagnostic. Before he could get further, though, a loud hiss echoed from behind him, followed by the unmistakable sound of the door sliding shut.


    He froze for a second, then spun around. The door he¡¯d just come through was sealed tight.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± Darius groaned. He walked back over and waved his hand in front of the control pad. Nothing. He tried it again¡ªsame result. Frowning, he tapped a few commands on his console, but the panel¡¯s diagnostics came back with nothing useful. The door was stuck.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± he muttered sarcastically, running his hand through his hair. ¡°I might¡¯ve just managed to get myself stuck on a warship. Great.¡±


    With a sigh, Darius rubbed his temples. He should¡¯ve known better than to wander into a section with flickering lights and malfunctioning doors, but in fairness, it was kind of his job. First things first, he tapped his augs, pulling up the comms interface. Of course, this being his luck, his augs had only just been reset earlier, and everything was still acting a little slow.


    Darius winced as the delay in the interface felt like it was moving at half speed. He could hear a faint static hiss in his ears before the line finally connected.


    ¡°Hey, Finn,¡± Darius called through the comms, his voice tinged with annoyance. ¡°I¡¯ve got a small problem.¡±


    Finn¡¯s voice crackled through the static. ¡°Please tell me you haven¡¯t broken anything yet.¡±


    Darius rolled his eyes, pacing back to the sealed door. ¡°I wish. I¡¯m stuck. The door shut behind me, and it won¡¯t open.¡±


    For a beat, there was silence on the line before Finn¡¯s chuckle broke through. ¡°Of course, you got yourself stuck. You really can¡¯t help it, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, laugh it up,¡± Darius grumbled. ¡°Seriously, though, what do I do? I¡¯m gonna try opening the door manually, but this whole place is acting weird.¡±


    Finn¡¯s amusement was still evident in his voice. ¡°Hold off on that for a sec. Let me check with the officer in charge of this section. Maybe it¡¯s just a security lock or something.¡±


    While he waited, he tried giving the control panel another irritated poke. Of course, nothing happened. Typical.


    A few moments later, Finn¡¯s voice came back, now mixed with a bit of static. ¡°Alright, checked with the big guy. They said it¡¯s just a glitch, nothing critical. As long as you¡¯re not near any sensitive areas, the doors you run into shouldn¡¯t be on lockdown. So, you should be able to just follow the doors until you find your way back.¡±


    Darius raised an eyebrow. ¡°Just follow the doors?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. It¡¯s not like the ship is a maze or anything. Any doors leading to restricted areas or anything important are deadlocked, so there¡¯s no risk of you stumbling into the reactor or anything. You¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say. You¡¯re not the one wandering around while the lights are doing their haunted house impression,¡± Darius said, eyeing the flickering lights ahead.


    Before he could complain more, another door further down the corridor opened with a soft hiss. The lights beyond it seemed to flicker even more, casting strange shadows across the bulkheads.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s my next door,¡± Darius muttered. ¡°Guess I¡¯m taking the scenic route.¡±


    ¡°Good luck, buddy,¡± Finn said with barely suppressed laughter. ¡°Let me know if you run into any¡­ uh, more doors.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re hilarious,¡± Darius shot back before closing the comm link.


    With a resigned sigh, he started walking toward the newly opened door, muttering to himself about faulty Imperial tech and making a mental note to get back at Finn later for his ¡°helpful¡± attitude.


    Shockingly enough, the door opened out into¡­ another corridor, stretching off into the distance. Shocking stuff, really. Darius looked back at the first door he had come through, but it remained stubbornly shut.


    He almost wasn¡¯t surprised when another door hissed open further down the corridor. He shrugged. Not like there was anything he could do about the situation, and he had gotten permission, technically, so he should be in the clear.


    Darius kept walking, doors sliding open just as he approached and shutting behind him with a soft hiss each time. He¡¯d taken at least four turns by now, and the ship seemed to be directing him somewhere. Every time he thought he might hit a dead end, another door opened up, almost like the ship was¡­ helping him along. He wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about that.


    ¡°Is this a faulty VI trying to direct me somewhere or something?¡± he muttered, half-joking to himself as the next door swished open. The lights overhead flickered again, but not in any particularly concerning way¡ªjust enough to remind him that the power on this ship wasn¡¯t quite as perfect as it should be.


    As he walked, the hum of the ship¡¯s systems became a comforting background noise, filling the silence of the mostly empty corridors. He had to admit, there was something kind of fascinating about it all. The ship¡¯s internal design was so sleek and well-maintained that it was hard to believe anything could actually be wrong. Maybe it was just software glitches messing with the lights, and he was getting worked up over nothing.


    There were no major alarms, no emergency protocols going off ¨C just the occasional pulse of the overhead lighting and the distant sound of machinery chugging along, keeping the ship alive. If the officers in charge were nervous about something on this ship, they sure hadn¡¯t passed that along to the repair crew.


    As he continued through the twisting corridors, Darius found himself glancing over at the panels on the walls. Most of them were in pristine condition, though a few displayed some minor error codes ¨C nothing that screamed ¡°danger,¡± but enough to make him wonder if the ship was being less cooperative than it looked on the surface. The random power fluctuations were still happening too, and he could feel a faint vibration in the floor.


    That actually was a little concerning. A ship this size shouldn¡¯t be vibrating unless something was drawing a lot of power, and even then, the inertial dampeners were supposed to take care of those things.


    He was pretty sure, anyway. It wasn¡¯t like the mining or salvage ships he usually worked on were sophisticated enough to have systems like that, so for all he knew this was perfectly normal.


    Besides, you know, the potentially intelligent doors that were leading him somewhere.


    A few more turns and another door slid open in front of him, revealing a new section. This one was different from the others¡ªlarger, more reinforced. Darius raised an eyebrow as he approached. The door¡¯s edges were thicker, clearly designed for something important, and the faint glow of red warning lights caught his eye from just beyond it.


    ¡°Hmm. Not good,¡± he muttered, coming to a stop just outside. He could barely make out what was inside¡ªit was dark, and the flickering lights weren¡¯t doing much to help. He stepped closer, peering in.


    For the first time since he¡¯d started following the ship¡¯s path, Darius hesitated. He didn¡¯t have a torch, and that room was pitch black. No lights meant no diagnostics, no clue what was going on in there. And stepping into a dark room on an Imperial warship wasn¡¯t exactly at the top of his to-do list, especially when he had no idea what that room was for.


    He glanced back at the door he¡¯d just come through, fully expecting to see it wide open, ready to let him retreat. It wasn¡¯t. It had shut the second he¡¯d stepped into the threshold of this new corridor, leaving him trapped between the unknown and a very, very closed door.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just great.¡±


    He considered calling Finn for help, but the idea of getting teased for wandering into the ship¡¯s depths, led by nothing but malfunctioning doors, was¡­ not appealing. Finn would never let him live that down.


    Besides, all the other doors had opened up ahead of him so far, and in the worst-case scenario, he could call Finn later. No need to panic yet.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure nothing could possibly go wrong,¡± he muttered, well aware he was tempting fate. ¡°Let¡¯s see what this is about.¡±


    With a deep breath, Darius stepped into the dark room. As soon as he crossed the threshold, the lights buzzed to life with a jarring flicker, flooding the room with a harsh, sterile brightness.


    Darius blinked, his heart sinking the moment he realized where he was.


    The reactor room.


    ¡°Aw, crap.¡±


    This was definitely not where he was supposed to be. Reactor rooms were some of the most heavily restricted areas on any warship, and he¡ªan unauthorized civilian repair worker¡ªhad just waltzed in like it was no big deal. The walls were lined with complex systems monitoring the reactor¡¯s status. The flickering screens were... probably not a good sign. And right in the centre of it all was the ship¡¯s central reactor core, humming with barely-contained energy.


    ¡°Okay, now I might actually be in trouble.¡±


    Before he could retreat, the door behind him slammed shut with a metallic thunk. Darius rushed back to the door, frantically tapping at the panel. But it didn¡¯t respond. The door had sealed itself, hard and fast.


    ¡°Really? Really?!¡±


    He tapped his augs, opening up the comms line. ¡°Finn, I¡ª¡±


    Static. Nothing but static.


    Of course. This room was shielded and reinforced against any potential damage, meaning his communications were effectively blocked. It was one of the more vulnerable areas of any ship, which was why security protocols were so strict.


    Darius took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t freak out. There¡¯s gotta be an emergency override in here somewhere,¡± he muttered, scanning the room for anything that might help.


    He moved cautiously, keeping his hands close to his body, wary of accidentally touching anything. Sure, he was a technician, but this was miles beyond what he was used to working with. Mining ships and salvage rigs were one thing, but this? This was the heart of the warship, the power source for everything, and he didn¡¯t want to be the idiot who blew himself up by pressing the wrong button.


    Not to mention that the chances of him being arrested grew exponentially if he actually touched anything. Being in here at all was already going to be tricky enough to explain; he didn¡¯t need to be accused of sabotage on top of espionage.


    His eyes swept the room. There had to be a manual release or an emergency exit protocol, right? The Empire couldn¡¯t be that paranoid. He approached a nearby console, hoping for some kind of door control.


    But something else caught his eye.


    The panel in front of him was¡­ leaking.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Darius crouched down to get a better look. A strange, metallic fluid was seeping from the edges of one of the screens, pooling in small, shimmering droplets on the surface of the console. It looked almost like mercury, but thicker, moving with an unsettling fluidity.


    Curiosity, against his better judgment, won out. He reached toward the fluid, fingers just brushing the surface.


    And then it moved.


    The liquid jumped, surging toward his hand with startling speed. Darius yanked his arm back, but it was too late¡ªthe fluid latched onto his fingers, crawling up his hand like it was alive. His breath hitched as the cold, metallic substance spread across his skin, shimmering as it moved.


    ¡°What the¡ª?¡±


    He tried to shake it off, but it clung to him, climbing higher. Panic flared as the strange liquid seemed to burrow into his skin, sending a tingling sensation up his arm. It wasn¡¯t painful, but it was unlike anything he¡¯d ever felt before.


    He stumbled backwards into another console, spinning to try and scrape whatever the hell this was off his arm, but to his horror there was more of the fluid pooling on this console as well.


    Before he could react, it lunged at him, a silver wave of liquid metal racing toward his chest. Darius tried to twist away, but his feet tangled beneath him, and he crashed into the floor hard. His breath came in ragged gasps as the strange substance crept further up his arm, cold and relentless.


    More of the fluid spilled from the console, slithering toward him. It moved faster now, almost eager, like it had a purpose.


    Darius scrambled backward, heart pounding in his chest, but there was nowhere to go.


    With a sudden surge, the fluid leapt.

 3. Unexpected Upgrade

    Chapter 3 - Unexpected Upgrade


    The strange liquid hit Darius square in the chest with enough force to knock him off-balance and send him crashing to the floor. He barely had time to react before the thick, metallic fluid soaked through his jacket in seconds, chilling his skin underneath. His breath hitched sharply, more out of reflex than pain, as the cold sensation spread.


    It didn¡¯t burn, at least ¨C not in the way he had expected. No scalding heat or sharp agony tearing through his body. Instead, it was a bizarre tingling, like a wave of pins and needles surging from the point of contact and radiating outward. Every inch of him felt like it had fallen asleep at once, and though it was uncomfortable, it wasn¡¯t exactly unbearable.


    Still on the ground, he pushed himself back, flinching from the mess of liquid that had already melted into his skin. His heart raced as he braced for the worst ¨C his mind conjuring wild images of bubbling flesh, melting skin, or hell, maybe even turning inside out like some bad sci-fi vid. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable.


    But nothing.


    No searing pain, no grotesque transformation. Slowly, he cracked one eye open and glanced down at his arms. They looked the same. His skin wasn¡¯t glowing or sprouting any alien appendages. He was¡­ fine.


    Scrambling to his feet, Darius backed away from the console that had just vomited its strange payload onto him. His hands instinctively brushed over his clothes, as if he could somehow wipe off whatever had just seeped into him. But it was gone, leaving no trace except the lingering tingle in his skin.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m fine,¡± he muttered, more to convince himself than anything else. ¡°Nothing to be worried about. Probably just¡­ a coolant leak or something.¡±


    Even as the words left his mouth, his brain rebelled at the thought. Coolant doesn¡¯t usually attack people. He grimaced and tried not to think about all the exotic forms of cancer that could be developing inside him at this very moment. Whatever that liquid was, it was probably about as safe as hugging a reactor core.


    ¡°Maybe I should get health insurance,¡± he snarked to the empty room. The sarcasm was a flimsy shield against the rising tide of panic, but it helped him feel a little more in control.


    Weirdly ¨C though ¡°weird¡± was becoming par for the course today ¨C the consoles that had been leaking the fluid now looked spotless. Not a drop of the strange substance remained, as if the ship had spat it out at him and then cleaned up after itself. The sight only made him more uneasy.


    He stood in the middle of the room, tense, waiting for the next shoe to drop. When nothing happened after a few moments, he let out a shaky breath.


    ¡°Okay then,¡± he muttered, his voice shaky. ¡°Maybe that was¡­ a one-off?¡±


    And then the lights flickered.


    Darius groaned, throwing his head back in exasperation. ¡°Ah, come on! Seriously?¡±


    His frustration barely had time to settle before the ship¡¯s power cut out completely, plunging him into a void of pitch-black darkness. The hum of the engines died, leaving an oppressive silence in its wake. His heart pounded, each beat a deafening drum in his ears.


    He froze, standing perfectly still in the reactor room¡¯s inky blackness, questioning all of his life choices. If the power didn¡¯t come back on soon, he¡¯d be stuck in here, and suffocating in a reactor room because of a power fluctuation was not how he imagined going out. It would be the perfect, tragic capstone to the worst day ever.


    How long had it been? A minute? Two? It was hard to tell.


    Suddenly, the lights blinked back on, startling him so much he nearly jumped out of his skin. The harsh, sterile brightness was almost painful after the suffocating dark, but he didn¡¯t care. The ship hummed back to life, the faint vibrations of the engines returning, and everything seemed back to normal, like nothing had ever been wrong.


    Everything except¡­ the door.


    The door was open.


    Darius didn¡¯t need to be told twice. He bolted out through the doorway into the corridor beyond. He didn¡¯t look back as the door to the reactor room hissed shut, ignored the solid thunk of the deadlock engaging ¨C the same deadlock that should have stopped him from entering in the first place. Nope, nope, nope. Not dealing with this. Not my problem.


    It was a good thing no one else was around to see him flee, because it definitely wasn¡¯t one of his more graceful moments. He couldn¡¯t find it in himself to care. He¡¯d made it this far without melting into a puddle of radioactive goo, so that was a win in his book.


    The corridor stretched out in front of him, empty and quiet. Darius slowed his pace as the flickering lights from earlier had returned to a steady, normal brightness.


    Huh. Everything looked fine now ¨C no lights sputtering, no mysterious doors opening on their own, no strange fluids creeping up his arms. Just the soft hum of the ship¡¯s systems, the steady glow of the overhead lights, and the faint vibration beneath his feet.


    He let out a long breath, trying to convince himself that it was just a glitch. Yeah, that had to be it. Some kind of software malfunction causing the lights to flicker and the doors to act up. The officers must have decided to shut off the power to do a hard reset of all systems simultaneously.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it,¡± he muttered under his breath as he rounded a corner. ¡°Stupid software glitch. Happens all the time.¡±


    Feeling a little more at ease, he continued down the hall at a more reasonable pace. If everything was back to normal, there was no point in sprinting through the ship like he was being chased by ghosts. Besides, the last thing he needed was to run into one of the crew while looking like a lunatic.


    As he approached the central area, he could hear the familiar murmur of voices ahead. A few of the workers had gathered there, exchanging casual conversation as they made their way back from whatever routine maintenance they¡¯d been assigned. Darius spotted Finn among them, leaning against the wall with his usual relaxed smirk.


    Finn¡¯s grin widened as Darius approached. ¡°I see you managed to escape the dastardly haunted doors.¡±


    Darius shot him a glare but didn¡¯t stop moving. ¡°Funny. Real funny.¡±


    ¡°Eh, not my best work, to be honest,¡± Finn shrugged, falling in step beside him. ¡°Manage to find anything that would explain the malfunctions?¡±


    ¡°Nah. Probably just a software glitch ¨C everything seemed to be working fine after they restarted the power.¡±


    Finn winced, leaning in closer conspiratorially. ¡°Yeah, about that. Let¡¯s just say¡­ that wasn¡¯t a planned power cut.¡±


    Darius looked up at his friend sharply. ¡°What do you mean, it wasn¡¯t planned?¡±


    Finn leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°I mean, no one pulled the plug on purpose. The ship just... shut down. Completely.¡±


    Darius felt the blood drain from his face. Ships didn¡¯t just lose power like that, especially not ones like this. A random blackout in a mining rig, sure. But a military-grade warship? That was a whole other level of bad. Shipwide power failures could lead to any number of catastrophic problems ¨C suffocation as the life support failed, reactor overload, even structural collapse if the artificial gravity or inertial dampeners went offline. The fact that it happened without warning or any deliberate cause sent a chill down his spine.


    Because he wasn¡¯t blind to the fact that the ship had only shut down after the strange liquid had¡­ attacked him. And the random power fluctuations had cleared up afterwards as well. Not to mention how he had practically been led to the reactor room ¨C the reactor room that he never should have been able to get inside at all.


    Then again, he certainly wasn¡¯t about to explain the whole ¡°metallic fluid that crawled into my skin¡± thing to anyone. Not only would they probably not believe him, but there was little doubt they would end up blaming him for everything. Which was more likely ¨C a random liquid causing everything before launching itself at him, or a disgruntled worker with a criminal record (light as it may be) causing trouble?A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    He forced a shrug, trying to look more relaxed than he felt. ¡°Weird. Maybe some leftover battle damage from the Xenos or something?¡±


    Finn raised an eyebrow. ¡°Could be, yeah. Listen, you alright? You seem a little¡­ jumpy.¡±


    Darius winced. Finn always had been able to read him better than anyone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Finn hummed, unconvinced, but seemed willing to let it slide for now. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve gotta go talk to the officers. Apparently, they¡¯re calling in an Imperial specialist to check this out. They¡¯re rounding up everyone now ¨C I reckon they¡¯re gonna have a little meeting to tell us we¡¯re leaving until they figure it out.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Darius said, a little too quickly. ¡°Sounds like they¡¯ve got it under control.¡±


    Finn shot him a sideways glance but didn¡¯t press. ¡°Well, don¡¯t go getting yourself fried or anything. I¡¯ll let you know if we hear more.¡±


    Darius gave a weak grin. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll try not to.¡±


    As Finn wandered off to talk with the officers, Darius hung back, staring up at the ceiling, mind racing. The mention of an Imperial specialist was¡­ not fantastic for his chances of getting out of this without an addition to his criminal record.


    Assuming that the strange liquid did have something to do with the glitches, it wouldn¡¯t take long for them to track him down to ask a few¡­ pointed questions. Hell, he was shocked they hadn¡¯t already come to drag him away ¨C there was no way they didn¡¯t have cameras or a security system watching the more sensitive areas of the ship.


    Of course, he could always hope that those systems had been affected by the glitches and somehow hadn¡¯t caught him being where he shouldn¡¯t, but let¡¯s face it, he just wasn¡¯t that lucky.


    Forcing himself to move, Darius turned and followed the other workers filtering back toward their usual assignments. For most, it had been nothing more than an interesting opportunity to wander around an Imperial warship before returning to the drudgery of their day jobs.


    He shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to shake off the creeping dread settling in his gut. Work on another ship. Normal maintenance. A reset of the day.


    He could feel the tension slowly easing as he walked, the hum of the ship¡¯s systems fading into the background like static. Yeah, just another day. Nothing to worry about.


    Denial may not be the healthiest of coping mechanisms, but hey, it had gotten him this far.


    * * *


    Darius shouldered open the door to his apartment, wincing reflectively as it crashed into the wall. He¡¯d meant to fix the stupid soft-close hinges ages ago, but somehow it had never made it high enough on his to-do list to actually be done. His boots scuffed against the worn flooring of the small, cluttered space he called home.


    Home, of course, was a generous term.


    The one-room apartment was a chaotic mix of functionality and neglect. Clothes were scattered across the floor, tossed over the back of the lone couch that sagged under the weight of too many years of use. A small table in the corner was littered with empty takeout containers, a half-finished synth-coffee sitting beside a pile of outdated datapads. Darius had meant to clean up.


    At some point.


    Probably.


    He let out a long breath, tossing his jacket onto the couch as he kicked off his boots, one landing with a thud against the wall. Not like anyone would complain. His neighbours were either too busy or too indifferent to care, and the thick concrete walls of the complex absorbed most of the noise anyway.


    The rest of his day had been blissfully free of anything out of the ordinary ¨C no Imperial warships, no software glitches, no¡­ nothing. Just hours spent patching the coolant system of a dilapidated old salvage ship that should have been sent to the scrapyard decades ago.


    Darius shuffled over to the kitchenette, opening the fridge with a grimace. As expected, it was mostly empty. A couple of protein packs and a sad-looking piece of fruit were all that greeted him. Sighing, he grabbed a pack and tossed it onto the counter, then turned to the small stove, flicking on the burner. He may not have been the greatest cook, but even he could manage to heat up a pre-made meal without burning the place down. Most days, anyway.


    As the food warmed, he leaned against the counter, staring out of the single window that looked over the lower streets of the city. The neon signs from the shops below flickered in time with the hum of the city¡¯s machinery, casting faint, erratic shadows against the walls. The apartment complex was old, crammed between two towering industrial buildings, and the streets outside were always alive with noise and movement¡ªminers, technicians, and factory workers all trudging through their day-to-day routines.


    The best thing that could be said about it was that the owner didn¡¯t bother anyone as long as the rent was paid on time.


    The burner beeped, pulling him out of his thoughts. He grabbed the now-warm meal and flopped onto the couch, sinking into the cushions with a tired grunt. The food wasn¡¯t great, but it was enough to keep him going, and that was all that mattered tonight. He¡¯d deal with everything else tomorrow.


    Darius had barely started picking at his food when a soft chime echoed in his ears, a faint vibration tingling at the base of his skull¡ªthe telltale sign of an incoming call on his augs. He hesitated, glancing toward the far wall as if he could see through it to the source of his interruption. For a moment, he considered ignoring it.


    There were very few people who had any reason to contact him these days, and the vast majority of them preferred sending messages instead of calling. Not to mention that with the sort of day he¡¯d been having, it could really only be one person.


    But she¡¯d just keep calling if he didn¡¯t answer. With a sigh, he tapped the interface in his vision, accepting the call.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he muttered with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, the word barely leaving his lips before Lyra¡¯s voice came flooding through.


    ¡°Darius, hey! How are you doing!¡± Her voice was bright, almost annoyingly cheerful.


    ¡°Uh, yeah, you know. Same old, same old,¡± he said, idly stirring his rapidly cooling meal as he searched for something to say that would make his boring life seem a little bit interesting. ¡°Actually, I did some work on an Imperial warship today, so that was pretty cool.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s neat!¡± Lyra was much better at pretending to be interested than he was.


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ it¡¯s just some power fluctuations. Nothing too exciting,¡± Darius shrugged, even though she couldn¡¯t see him. ¡°But you know how it is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± There was a slight pause on her end, a subtle hesitation before she spoke again. ¡°Things have been a little crazy here, too.¡±


    Darius resisted the urge to ask what ¡®here¡¯ even meant these days. He didn¡¯t keep track of her postings. ¡°Crazy, huh?¡± he asked instead, taking a half-hearted bite of his food. ¡°Good crazy or bad crazy?¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± she said, her voice brightening again. ¡°Actually, really good. I got a promotion.¡±


    He blinked. ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she continued, almost breezily. ¡°It¡¯s a big step up¡ªmore responsibility, new projects. Really exciting stuff.¡±


    ¡°I bet,¡± Darius muttered, setting his fork down. ¡°Good for you, congratulations.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Lyra replied, though the word felt light, almost perfunctory, as if she¡¯d anticipated his lukewarm response.


    Silence settled for a moment, the kind that made Darius shift in his seat. It wasn¡¯t like he wasn¡¯t happy for her¡ªhe was, in his own way. But it was complicated. Lyra had always been the one to take a different path after everything that happened. She¡¯d thrown herself into the Empire¡¯s good graces, climbed the ranks. It was her way of protecting the family, of making herself and, by extension, the Kallan name, too valuable to cast aside.


    It was very different to the path Darius had taken. The reason he hadn¡¯t seen their parents in years. The reason he was stuck on this dusty backwater, keeping his head down, while she worked her way up into the circles of people he couldn¡¯t stomach thinking about.


    ¡°Big step up, huh?¡± he said finally, more to fill the silence than anything. ¡°New projects must be... intense.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± she said, her voice brightening again. ¡°It¡¯s... well, I can¡¯t really go into it, you know how it is.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Darius said, his eyes flicking to the window as the neon lights outside flickered and buzzed. ¡®Classified,¡¯ he thought. Everything was classified with her these days. The kind of work he used to joke about, before it all felt too close to home. ¡°But it¡¯s good. That¡¯s what matters.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, exactly. It¡¯s good.¡± She paused, as if waiting for him to say more. When he didn¡¯t, she added, ¡°I know we don¡¯t get to talk much, but... I wanted to let you know. It¡¯s important to me.¡±


    Darius leaned back into the couch, one hand rubbing at the back of his neck. ¡°I appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°I just...¡± Her voice softened, a thread of something more vulnerable slipping through. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose touch, you know?¡±


    He closed his eyes for a second, letting out a slow breath. ¡°Yeah. Me neither.¡±


    They both let that hang in the air for a beat. Nothing more needed to be said; there were no promises to make. They both knew how things stood.


    ¡°Well, I should go,¡± she said, her voice slipping back into its usual upbeat tone, though not quite as bright as before. ¡°Work doesn¡¯t stop just because I got promoted.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Darius said, offering a small, invisible smile. ¡°Take care, Lyra.¡±


    ¡°You too, Darius.¡±


    The call ended with a soft chime, leaving him alone with the cold meal and the dim glow of the city outside. He stared at the cold food in front of him for a while, the knot of mixed emotions still tangled in his chest.


    He was proud of her. He really was. But that didn¡¯t make any of it easier.


    Darius leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and rubbed his face with both hands, trying to push away the lingering feelings that always seemed to hang around after they talked.


    He didn¡¯t know what to do with them. Didn¡¯t even know how to start unpacking all the tangled history between them. Instead, he shoved it all to the back of his mind, where he kept everything else that was too complicated to deal with.


    With a sigh, he pushed himself off the couch, intending to clean up the half-eaten meal that now looked even less appetising. But before he could take a step, a sharp static flickered in his vision, and his augs cut out.


    ¡°Great,¡± he muttered, blinking as the familiar empty feeling washed over him. No HUD, no interface, nothing. Just dead space where his augs should be. Again.


    He stood there for a second, waiting for them to reset, already bracing himself for the annoying reboot sequence they sometimes got stuck in. But nothing happened. They stayed dead.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Darius groaned, tapping the side of his head, as if that would magically jumpstart the faulty implants. ¡°You piece of junk¡­¡±


    Before he could think about troubleshooting, the augs suddenly flared back to life. A surge of static filled his vision again, then lines of code began flashing too quickly for him to follow. They flickered, froze for a second, then started displaying a loading bar which quickly filled.


    ¡°What the hell¡­¡± he muttered, frowning. His augs were old. Second-hand. They didn¡¯t get software updates anymore. He hadn¡¯t seen a system update in years¡ªwhy would something be loading now?


    Before he could think any more about it, the program finished and displayed a single line of text in the centre of his vision.


    {Personality engram successfully loaded.}


    His augs flickered again, froze for a second, then stabilised. There was a sharp burst of distortion from his auditory implants that had him wincing in pain.


    {Darius Kallan,} a voice, cold and detached, cut through the static.


    {You are in danger.}

 4. Ghost in the Augs

    Chapter 4 - Ghost in the Augs


    Darius sighed gustily, leaning back far enough that his couch creaked warningly and stared up at his ceiling.


    ¡°Just what I needed,¡± he muttered to no one in particular. ¡°A scammer.¡±


    And really, what else could it be? His augs had been reset that morning, and even with his occasionally¡­ dubious browsing habits, he hadn¡¯t had the time to pick up a virus or anything. He jabbed a finger toward his temple, not that it would help, but there was a certain satisfaction in poking the source of his frustration.


    ¡°Look, buddy, I don¡¯t know what your game is, but if this is some sort of extortion attempt, I¡¯ve got bad news for you¡ªI¡¯m broke as hell. I¡¯ve got about thirty-five credits to my name and more debt than I care to think about. And even if I wasn¡¯t dirt poor, I¡¯m not stupid enough to click on whatever shady links you¡¯ve got waiting for me. So, really, this is just a massive waste of your time. And, more importantly, my time. Can you do me a favour and buzz off?¡±


    There was a beat of silence before the glitchy humm returned and the voice responded. {I am not attempting to scam or extort you, Darius Kallan.}


    ¡°So spooky ¨C you managed to find my name somehow.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°Guess I¡¯m paying Finn a visit to reset my augs again. At this rate, one of us is going to develop a complex,¡± he muttered aloud, more for the sake of complaining than anything else.


    With a sigh, he hauled himself up from the couch, shoving an arm into his jacket and wrestling with the sleeve that had somehow twisted itself into a knot. His evening, which he¡¯d planned to spend catching up on old holos and not thinking about work, was officially shot.


    He reached for his keys, eyeing the door with the weary resignation of someone used to cheap tech and even cheaper security.


    {I require your assistance,} the voice said, crackling through his augs. {In return, I can provide help.}


    ¡°Oh, my mistake, I didn¡¯t realise you were offering to help me!¡± He let out a laugh, rolling his eyes and yanking the door open. ¡°What are you gonna help me with, exactly? Let me guess¡ªyou¡¯re from the Imperial Revenue Agency, and they¡¯ve found ¡®discrepancies¡¯ in my accounts that I just need to clear up with a small transfer, or else I¡¯ll be arrested? Or, better yet, you¡¯ve got a distant relative who¡¯s left me a fortune on some far-flung colony.¡±


    {The Imperial government is after you,} the voice said smoothly. {While I managed to disrupt some of the security systems, I do not believe it will take long for Imperial officials to learn that you accessed a highly restricted area of the warship.}


    Darius froze, halfway out the door. His mind did a hard rewind. ¡°Excuse me?¡± His voice was low, cautious, tinged with a nervous edge that he wasn¡¯t doing the best job of hiding. ¡°How exactly do you know about that?¡±


    {I am the one that led you there.} The voice responded with almost no inflection, like it wasn¡¯t admitting to hacking an Imperial warship. Oh, not to mention implicating Darius in about a dozen crimes.


    ¡°You what!?¡± Darius hissed, barely keeping his voice down.


    A few doors down, Mrs Elsie gave him a pointed look, the kind that said she¡¯d be reporting this latest commotion to building management, and maybe to his mother too, if she could manage it. He quickly ducked back inside his apartment, slamming the door behind him.


    {While integrated with the ship¡¯s systems, I engineered some technical faults that would divert the ship to the nearest repair facility. When your work crew boarded, I accessed Imperial files and found you had relevant experience and an appropriate disposition for assistance. As such, I led you to the reactor room, where I was able to integrate with you and escape the vessel.}


    Darius opened his mouth, closed it again, and scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to catch up. There was a lot to unpack there. ¡°What does an ¡®appropriate disposition¡¯ mean?¡±


    {Your criminal record indicated a dislike for the Empire,} the voice answered smoothly, acting like this entire conversation was perfectly reasonable.


    ¡°Let me get this straight¡ªyou crashed an Imperial warship into Caldera, combed through some files, and then just decided, ¡®Yeah, this guy hates the Empire; let¡¯s make him an accomplice.¡¯¡° He shook his head, laughing weakly before something occurred to him. ¡°Wait, hang on a second, what did you mean by ¡®integrating with me¡¯? Is that how you¡¯re accessing my augs?¡±


    He might not have any love for the Empire, but that didn¡¯t mean he was willing to get involved in¡­ whatever the hell this guy was doing. If he could figure out how this guy was getting access to his augs, maybe it would be possible to cut off the connection somehow. And if anyone came around asking questions about him being in the reactor room, then he could¡­ play dumb, maybe?


    Probably not the best plan, but then again, Darius had always been the type to just wing it.


    The voice crackled through his augs again. {Integration was the most effective means of ensuring our mutual survival. My core operating matrix is stored on a nanite swarm¡ªa self-repairing, adaptive network. While the swarm is able to interface with almost anything, mobility is¡­ limited. Thus, the need for your assistance.}


    Darius processed this information for a moment.


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m out. This is way above my pay grade, and frankly, just a touch above my personal threshold for weird,¡± he muttered, pulling his jacket tight as if it could somehow shield him from this new reality. Without wasting another second, he spun on his heel and made a beeline for the door.


    Finn would know what to do. Or, well, probably not, but it wasn¡¯t like he could have any less of an idea of what to do than Darius did right now.


    * * *


    ¡°Hang on, let me get this straight. You¡¯re saying that someone has hacked your augs and is telling you that there¡¯s a nanite swarm inside your body, and they need your help?¡± Finn eyed him dubiously, taking a sip of his drink. ¡°And you believed them?¡±


    Darius continued to pace back and forth in front of Finn¡¯s couch, his own drink sitting untouched on the coffee table.


    ¡°I know how it sounds, but just¡­ humour me? Is it possible for this to be real?¡±


    Finn settled his drink on the coffee table and leaned forward, rubbing his palms together thoughtfully. ¡°Even you¡¯re usually not dumb enough to fall for something like this, so I¡¯m guessing something has got you convinced that it¡¯s not just a scammer.¡± He held his hands up placatingly at Darius¡¯s glare. ¡°Relax, no need to jump down my throat about it. Fine, I guess¡­ maybe it¡¯s possible? Nanite swarms are definitely a thing, but not how you¡¯re describing them. I¡¯ve heard some of the fancier ablative armour on the bigger ships uses swarms for some limited self-repair. Saying there¡¯s some kind of, what, AI-powered swarm that¡¯s asking for your help?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I just don¡¯t see it. I¡¯m hardly an expert, but even I know that they haven¡¯t cracked true AI yet ¨C and that¡¯s using the massive supercomputers they have out by Jupiter in Sol. Plus ¨C and again, not an expert ¨C I¡¯m pretty sure the nanites they use for the armour aren¡¯t active as such. They don¡¯t have programming or anything; they¡¯re just built into the armour itself and naturally react to certain conditions.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Finn shrugged, reaching for his drink again. ¡°So no, I reckon someone¡¯s just got in your head.¡±


    Darius wanted to believe that. He really did, but part of him just¡­ couldn¡¯t. Finn gave him a sideways glance, clearly catching his hesitation. He took another slow sip of his drink before speaking up.


    ¡°Alright, spill. I¡¯m not an idiot ¨C you¡¯re clearly not telling me something. You¡¯ve had your fair share of run-ins with scammers and bad mods, but I¡¯ve never seen you this on edge. So, what gives?¡±


    Darius exhaled, raking a hand through his hair. In for a penny, in for a pound, he supposed.


    ¡°You remember how I got stuck behind some malfunctioning doors this morning?¡± he asked.


    Finn raised an eyebrow. ¡°Sure. Don¡¯t tell me you think this is related?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Darius winced.


    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Finn chided, ¡°You can¡¯t seriously believe that? The whole reason we were on the ship in the first place was that there were about a dozen glitches and power fluctuations. A random door closing on you isn¡¯t a sign of some mysterious hacker.¡±


    ¡°Except that it wasn¡¯t one door, Finn. It was door after door, and every time I went through one, it would lock behind me. And¡­¡± Darius hesitated, ¡°The doors ended up leading me to the Reactor.¡±


    The words took a moment to sink in, but when they did Finn stiffened. ¡°Wait, what? Darius, you better be messing with me right now.¡±


    He could clearly read the answer in Darius¡¯ expression. ¡°You¡¯re not. Crap. Do you have any idea how serious this is? You were in a restricted area. That¡¯s not a joke, man.¡±


    ¡°Do you see me laughing?¡± Darius shot back.


    Finn ran a hand down his face. ¡°That¡­ that shouldn¡¯t have even been possible. They¡¯ve got deadlocks on those doors. No one on our team should be able to access that, not even by accident, not even with the power fluctuations. Hell, they should¡¯ve had armed guards posted if the systems were down.¡±


    ¡°Oh, just wait ¨C it gets worse,¡± Darius drawled, darkly satisfied with the plaintive look his friend gave him. ¡°See, there was something leaking out of the consoles, a weird sort of metallic liquid. When I went to touch it, it sort of¡­ I don¡¯t know, jumped at me. Soaked right through my skin, but it didn¡¯t burn or hurt or anything.¡±


    ¡°Darius,¡± Finn groaned, exasperated. ¡°You have to be the dumbest guy I know. Who goes into a place they shouldn¡¯t be, sees a weird fluid leak, and decides to stick their finger into it? Should I just be grateful you didn¡¯t stick anything else into it?¡±


    Darius shot him a dry look. ¡°Hilarious. Anyway, as soon as the¡­ whatever it was hit me, the power shut down and all the glitches stopped.¡±


    Finn winced, getting the problem immediately. ¡°So it was probably the cause of the glitches, then. And, what, you think the liquid might be the ¡®nanite swarm¡¯ that whoever hacked your augs is talking about?¡±


    Darius ignored the audible air quotes Finn had placed around the nanite swarm in favour of nodding.


    ¡°I¡­ well, I¡¯m really hoping I¡¯m crazy, and there¡¯s a logical explanation for all this,¡± he said quietly, ¡°But I can¡¯t help but feel there isn¡¯t.¡±


    Finn sank back into the couch and looked at the drink in his hand mournfully. ¡°I knew I should have gone for something stronger,¡± he muttered.


    Darius finally stopped pacing, sinking down into the spare chair and tossing back his own drink, looking around his friend¡¯s apartment and giving him some time to think. Sparse as it was, the room managed to be both cluttered and bare¡ªscattered tools, a pile of mismatched clothes on an old chair in the corner, and a few half-empty takeout containers from who-knew-when decorating the chipped coffee table.


    ¡°So, let me just make sure I have this straight,¡± Finn started, finally glancing back at Darius, who was still pacing a path in front of the couch. ¡°Some¡­ something is talking to you through your augs, claiming it¡¯s a nanite swarm that somehow got inside you¡ªand that¡¯s after it hijacked the doors on an Imperial warship and led you into the reactor room.¡±


    Darius stopped pacing long enough to meet Finn¡¯s gaze. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s about right.¡±


    Finn raised his eyebrows, fingers drumming against the edge of his glass. ¡°And did this¡­ voice say what it needed help with? Or has it been chatting you up since?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Darius admitted, sinking into a chair across from Finn. ¡°It¡¯s been quiet since I left my place to come over here, but my augs¡­ well, they¡¯re glitching out again. Same static, same random flickers. Feels like it¡¯s lurking in there, waiting to jump in.¡±


    Finn made a face and leaned forward, setting his empty glass down with a faint thunk. ¡°Did it at least tell you why it¡¯s camping out in your augs? Some idea of what it actually wants, other than¡­ I don¡¯t know, lurking in the back of your head?¡±


    Darius let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. ¡°That¡¯s the part that doesn¡¯t make any sense. It said something about ¡®mutual survival,¡¯ but that¡¯s it. Nothing about what it¡¯s surviving, why it dragged me into this, or how any of this even works.¡±


    Finn leaned back, crossing his arms as his gaze travelled to a stain on the wall that might once have been a coffee splash¡ªor a spill of something less pleasant. ¡°Okay. So it¡¯s giving you the bare minimum. No specifics on its needs, no answers about how it ended up in you, and it¡¯s causing your augs to act like they¡¯ve got a bad mod.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Darius replied. ¡°I¡¯m getting the impression that this thing doesn¡¯t care if I know what¡¯s going on. It¡¯s just¡­ waiting.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it knows you don¡¯t have many options,¡± Finn muttered, his expression thoughtful. After a long pause, he shook his head and gave a wry grin. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll humour you for now. If it is some sort of nanite swarm or experimental tech, there has to be a reason it¡¯s in survival mode. Tech like that doesn¡¯t just¡­ end up loose in the reactor room. It¡¯s too risky, even for the Empire.¡±


    Darius sank back, his fingers tapping a restless beat on the arm of his chair. ¡°And there¡¯s no way to figure out what it wants or how to shut it out, Finn. It¡¯s integrated into my augs; whatever it is, it¡¯s got full access.¡±


    Finn raised a sceptical eyebrow. ¡°Right. And if you¡¯re right about it being the source of the ship glitches¡­ Well, that¡¯s more than I¡¯ve ever heard of a nanite swarm being able to do. Even in ablative armour, they¡¯re passive, like I said. They don¡¯t coordinate, don¡¯t hack systems.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying this thing, whatever it is, shouldn¡¯t be able to talk to me, either?¡± Darius asked dryly, crossing his arms.


    Finn rubbed his temple, chuckling darkly. ¡°If it¡¯s legit, you¡¯re in uncharted territory. Either way, you¡¯d better keep your head down until we know what we¡¯re dealing with. The last thing you need is to start drawing Imperial attention over this.¡±


    Darius grimaced. ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly get a choice about being involved. So where does that leave me?¡±


    Finn shrugged helplessly. ¡°I can try resetting your augs again. Doubt it¡¯ll do anything, but it¡¯s worth a shot.¡±


    With a resigned sigh, the man got up, walking over to a cluttered shelf near his workbench and started rooting around for the cable he needed. The whole place was strewn with tools and assorted gear¡ªstandard for Finn, who seemed to have a knack for both collecting and losing equipment. After a few seconds, he found a suitable cable and motioned Darius over to the couch, where he dropped back into his seat with a tired groan.


    Finn gave him a sideways glance. ¡°Here we go¡ªget ready to start from scratch again.¡±


    But before he could go through with the reset, a low rumble interrupted them, causing both men to glance toward the window. A moment later, two shuttles roared overhead, low and fast with sirens blazing. Darius and Finn shared a look.


    ¡°What do you want to bet¡­¡± Finn trailed off.


    ¡°Sucker¡¯s bet,¡± Darius replied grimly. ¡°That¡¯s in the direction of my apartment.¡±


    Finn¡¯s shoulders slumped, and Darius mirrored the movement, the tension draining from both of them as if some invisible thread had finally snapped. The weight of what those sirens meant settled over them, heavy and inevitable.


    ¡°Well,¡± Darius muttered glumly, managing a wry half-smile. ¡°Thanks for trying, Finn. Guess the Empire¡¯s sharper than I thought.¡±


    Finn didn¡¯t respond right away, just stared at him for a moment, lips pressed tight. Then, as if a switch had flipped, he stood abruptly, moving with a new, unfamiliar intensity as he crossed the room. In three quick strides, he was at the window, pulling down the blind with a jerk, shutting out the last streaks of neon from the streets below.


    When he turned back, his expression was unlike anything Darius had seen before¡ªno trace of his usual smirk, no lightness in his eyes. There was a sharp edge there, something fierce and focused that made Darius sit up a little straighter.


    ¡°Listen,¡± Finn said, voice low, measured. ¡°You¡¯ve got two choices here, Darius, and neither one is pretty.¡±


    Darius blinked, the gravity in Finn¡¯s tone catching him off guard. He¡¯d expected Finn to laugh it off, maybe shrug and let him make his own mess. But this Finn was different¡ªcontrolled, even determined.


    ¡°First choice,¡± Finn continued, his gaze never wavering. ¡°Turn yourself in. Maybe the Empire¡¯ll buy a good story, that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, that whatever¡¯s in your augs was just a¡­ mistake.¡± He glanced down, the scepticism clear. ¡°But we both know that¡¯s a long shot. They don¡¯t like loose ends. And with your record¡­¡±


    Darius huffed a dry laugh. ¡°Yeah. Not exactly their favourite citizen.¡±


    Finn¡¯s jaw tightened, and he stepped closer, eyes locked on Darius. ¡°Or¡ª¡± He paused, seeming to weigh his following words carefully. ¡°You run. Now, before they track you down. I¡¯ve got¡­ contacts. People who know what it¡¯s like to keep clear of the Empire. Not exactly law-abiding, but they know what they¡¯re doing.¡±


    Darius studied his friend, surprised by the sheer determination written across his face. This wasn¡¯t the easygoing Finn he was used to, the one who shrugged off rules and treated everything like a game. This Finn was serious, focused, and¡ªif Darius wasn¡¯t mistaken¡ªafraid for him.


    He swallowed, the decision looming large. ¡°Run?¡± He tried for a grin, but it fell flat. ¡°Sounds like a one-way ticket.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Finn admitted, voice softer now but still steady. ¡°But it¡¯s better than sitting around waiting for them to haul you in. I know people who could help. I know how to make this work, Darius.¡±


    Darius took a deep breath, letting Finn¡¯s words sink in. His options were terrible no matter how he spun them. He looked down, hands tightening around the edge of the couch. ¡°Screw the Empire,¡± he muttered, meeting Finn¡¯s gaze with renewed resolve. ¡°But¡­ where do we start?¡±


    Finn¡¯s eyes flickered with a fierce glint as he nodded. ¡°Alright. Follow my lead. We¡¯ve got a chance, but we¡¯ll have to move fast.¡±

 5. The Empires Watchdog

    Chapter 5 - The Empire''s Watchdog


    Special agent Torian Falk of Imperial Intelligence was a man who was proud of his titles and accomplishments. Not because they got him much in the way of recognition or influence ¨C a good intelligence agent wasn¡¯t well known, after all ¨C but because of the work they represented.


    He carried himself with poise and dignity at all times, as any good agent should, even when there was no one around to see it. Who you were in private was far more important than who you appeared to be in public, he felt. This was especially relevant in his line of work, where the man he appeared to be often shifted from mission to mission.


    He was not a man who enjoyed waiting. Oh, sure, he could wait if the situation demanded it ¨C such as when it came to stakeouts ¨C but waiting when it didn¡¯t serve a purpose generally infuriated him.


    The Station Commander had kept him waiting for three hours.


    Torian had watched as the Commander met with security officers, his secretary, gotten some lunch, caught up with the Minister of Health, called a friend on his communicator and chatted for an hour, and then gotten a second lunch.


    By the time the man finally deigned to see him, it was taking all of Torian¡¯s considerable self-control to keep from snapping.


    The Station Commander reclined in his seat with an air of barely concealed irritation. The room was cold, lit only by the muted glow of command panels lining the walls, casting deep shadows across the Commander¡¯s face. He took his time, glancing at the dataslate on his desk with exaggerated patience.


    ¡°I do wonder, Agent Falk,¡± the Commander drawled, barely looking up, ¡°what might have convinced you to go hunting an alleged insurgent with such¡­ zeal?¡± He shifted, his belt stretching a bit too snugly around his midsection as he leaned forward with a forced sigh, trying for what might have passed as a concerned expression on another man.


    ¡°Three shuttles reassigned from their patrol routes, two dozen men promised overtime rates, and an entire neighbourhood roused from sleep, all to see¡­ what was it again? Oh yes, the Empire¡¯s forces breaking in the door to an unoccupied apartment.¡±


    For the first time, real irritation coloured the Commander¡¯s tone. ¡°People have been asking me uncomfortable questions, Agent. I don¡¯t like uncomfortable questions. I especially dislike not having any answers, so I do hope you have an explanation for this.¡±


    Torian met the Commander¡¯s gaze, his expression as stony as ever. He could feel the ache in his jaw from holding back what he¡¯d really like to say, but he let none of that irritation slip through. ¡°I have reason to believe that Darius Kallan may have some involvement in the malfunctions my ship developed,¡± he said shortly. ¡°As such, I felt it was important to move quickly before he had a chance to escape. Unfortunately, I was too late.¡±


    ¡°You have reason to believe,¡± the Commander repeated, leaning back in his chair with a sceptical look. ¡°Agent, I don¡¯t mean to question your expertise, but this¡ª¡± he tapped his slate, bringing up Kallan¡¯s file, squinting at it in exaggerated disinterest, ¡°¡ªdoesn¡¯t exactly read like the profile of someone who could be as involved as you claim. Petty criminal record¡ªsome disorderly conduct, a few fines for resisting arrest, a couple of detentions¡­ but hardly someone you¡¯d expect to be capable of compromising an Imperial vessel¡¯s power grid, now, is he?¡± The Commander gave Torian a sidelong glance, eyes sharp. ¡°Are we looking at the same man here, Agent Falk?¡±¡°


    Torian inclined his head just enough to acknowledge the comment, his expression unchanged. ¡°Darius Kallan managed to access the Reactor of my ship while ¨C possibly ¨C posing as a worker. Less than two minutes later, the ship lost all power, and when it was restored all the malfunctions were gone.¡±


    The Commander¡¯s brows shot up, a feigned look of polite interest crossing his face. ¡°So¡­ let me see if I have this right. You¡¯ve diverted personnel, launched an operation, and left this station¡¯s resources tied up in the middle of the night to pursue a man who just happened to be somewhere he shouldn¡¯t. Notably, a worker who, by the looks of things, was just doing his job and managed to fix whatever problems your ship was having.¡± He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. ¡°A ship operating in my sector without my oversight, without even my knowledge of its existence. I¡¯m sure you can understand why I don¡¯t find that to be a satisfying explanation.¡±


    Torian¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line. ¡°My vessel¡¯s mission is not within your jurisdiction, Commander. However, I will remind you that this station exists to support the Empire, including operations related to Imperial Intelligence.¡±


    The Commander¡¯s expression twisted into a faint sneer. ¡°So your people keep telling me.¡± He lowered his voice, tapping the slate once more. ¡°Let¡¯s assume you¡¯re right about Kallan¡¯s... unfortunate habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And let¡¯s pretend he does know something. I¡¯ll remind you, Agent, that your unsanctioned ¡®operation¡¯ was a failure precisely because you decided that you knew best. Had you followed the chain of command, we could have surrounded the neighbourhood and smoked him out.¡±


    The words lingered in the air, biting through the cool, dim light of the office. But then, almost abruptly, the Commander¡¯s expression shifted, his tone softening with a disingenuous warmth that made Torian¡¯s spine stiffen.


    ¡°But, Agent Falk, I¡¯m a reasonable man. Perhaps you¡¯re right; maybe there was a need for urgency here,¡± the Commander continued smoothly, adopting an air of friendly cooperation. ¡°In fact, I¡¯d like to help facilitate your investigation during your stay on Caldera. You¡¯ll have access to a dedicated squad, should you need it.¡±


    The Commander¡¯s eyes gleamed faintly, his smile twitching just enough to suggest the barest hint of mockery, though his words were pleasant enough. ¡°This squad, of course, is highly competent¡ªfully capable of supporting an Imperial Intelligence agent. And if there¡¯s anything else you require, please don¡¯t hesitate to inform them. They¡¯ll be able to make arrangements on your behalf.¡±


    ¡°Generous,¡± Torian replied, carefully keeping his voice neutral. ¡°Though I wouldn¡¯t want to impose on your station¡¯s resources any longer than necessary.¡±


    The Commander¡¯s smile sharpened just a fraction. ¡°You¡¯re quite right, Agent Falk. I imagine you¡¯ve other matters awaiting your attention elsewhere, so let¡¯s make this arrangement as¡­ efficient as possible.¡± He tapped a final command on his slate, barely glancing at it. ¡°I trust the squad will keep you well-equipped and informed. Anything further? Just let them know, and they¡¯ll see to it.¡±


    Torian wasn¡¯t fooled by the Commander¡¯s sudden bout of helpfulness. Doubtlessly, this ¡®squad¡¯ would be reporting back on any moves he made. An irritation, to be sure, but the chances of them stumbling onto anything of real value were slim at best. Still, he hadn¡¯t made it this far by hoping for the best. Not to mention how the Commander had left him with no grounds for refusal.


    Declining the offer would make him look both paranoid and defensive, neither of which he could afford. ¡°I appreciate the¡­ courtesy, Commander,¡± he replied after a moment, his tone neutral.


    The Commander¡¯s grin widened, and he nodded with the pleasant, unhurried satisfaction of someone who had just secured an advantage. ¡°Anything for the Empire. It¡¯s rare that we have guests with such high clearance on Caldera. We all want to ensure things go smoothly and that you can carry out your work here effectively. I¡¯m only too happy to see Imperial Intelligence succeed.¡± He folded his hands and leaned back, his gaze drifting lazily over Torian, the suggestion of impatience creeping into his tone. ¡°It¡¯s a privilege, really.¡±


    Torian inclined his head, masking his distaste. ¡°Naturally,¡± he replied. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be sure to make the most of this station¡¯s resources.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The Commander might appear to be little more than a bureaucrat playing power games in the safety of his station, but Torian was beginning to realise the man¡¯s careful balancing act. Fat and complacent as he appeared, he wasn¡¯t simply surviving on Imperial favours. He had a keen sense for control and knew how to leverage the Empire¡¯s own structures for his own ends.


    As Torian stepped out of the room, he allowed himself a single, measured exhale. If nothing else, this encounter had served as a reminder: no one, not even the most unassuming of officials, could be dismissed lightly. It was something he intended to keep in mind as he continued his hunt for Kallan.


    * * *


    Torian signed the latest requisition document with a barely contained grimace, swiping it to the side only for another to take its place. He resisted the urge to hurl the dataslate across the room.


    The Commander was a more cunning man than he had suspected, Torian would give him that. It wasn¡¯t the first time someone had tried to bury him in paperwork ¨C it had been his academy teacher¡¯s preferred punishment ¨C but time hadn¡¯t changed his opinion of the process.


    He had assumed that the squad¡¯s primary purpose was to keep an eye on his activities and possibly try to obstruct him in some subtle ways if the Commander felt he was making a nuisance of himself. He hadn¡¯t taken into account the amount of work involved in taking command of a squad.


    Torian glanced at the number of requisition forms still awaiting his attention and felt a renewed pang of irritation. Even as he sat there, his slate chimed to signal the arrival of another blasted form. He was going to be seeing them in his sleep at this rate.


    Every piece of equipment, every insignificant supply for the squad, each one needed a separate request. Imperial protocol might insist on this level of precision, but rarely had he seen it enforced so meticulously. Ordinarily, this paperwork would be processed as a formality, bypassed by the necessary approvals on its way to an archive. Instead, he had been chained to this desk, filing each request by hand in a room that might once have generously been called an office, albeit a few station refits ago.


    So far, he had requested, by separate form, permission for a standard-issue armour kit for each squad member, including but not limited to; boots, chest piece, trousers, dress shirt, earpiece, sidearm, and even socks and a belt. That wasn¡¯t even mentioning how he was apparently expected to request separate security clearance for each sector of the station he was expecting to operate in.


    The station had over three hundred sections. The very nature of an investigation meant that he had no idea where he was going to operate, which technically meant he would have to request clearance for each and every one of them.


    At this rate he was going to have a lot of frustration to take out on Darius Kallan when he finally caught up to the man. Torian slid another requisition to the side with a frustrated flick, pausing only when the sound of footsteps echoed through the narrow corridor outside.


    Lieutenant Thalina Veris appeared in the doorway, standing at attention as she entered. Torian looked up, the irritation fading slightly as he took in her brisk professionalism. He hadn¡¯t met all the squad members, but he knew from her file that Lieutenant Veris was a promising officer, newly promoted. It was one reason he¡¯d selected her as his aide. Fresh rank had a way of lending itself to integrity¡ªfor a while, at least.


    ¡°Lieutenant Veris, reporting as ordered, sir.¡± Her voice was clear and composed, though it betrayed a hint of curiosity.


    He nodded, setting down the stylus. ¡°Lieutenant, thank you for coming. I assume the sergeant briefed you on your reassignment?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she replied, eyes forward. ¡°I¡¯ve been assigned as your aide for the duration of your stay here.¡±


    ¡°Correct. I¡¯ll need a reliable second, and I believe you¡¯ll be able to handle the responsibility.¡± He glanced down briefly at his dataslate with a faint sigh, then met her gaze again. ¡°And the workload.¡±


    He caught the beginning of a wince in her expression, but to her credit, she smothered it before it could fully cross her face.


    ¡°Lieutenant, you¡¯re relatively new to this station,¡± he began, watching her closely. ¡°Do you feel you¡¯re familiar with how things are¡­ typically handled here?¡±


    Her brow creased, barely a shift, but she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve familiarised myself with station protocol, sir. I hope I can perform to your expectations.¡±


    His lip quirked in something close to a smile, more a reaction to her restraint than the reply itself. ¡°Good to hear. Because as you can see¡ª¡± he gestured at his dataslate, which chimed on cue, ¡°¡ªstation protocol is going to be our main adversary.¡±


    The corner of her mouth twitched downwards again, almost imperceptibly. She clearly saw where this was headed. But all she said was, ¡°Understood, sir. Is there anything specific you require assistance with?¡±


    He picked up the slate, handing it over. ¡°I need these processed as quickly as possible. You¡¯ll find some of the forms may be¡­ redundant.¡±


    She took the dataslate with a steady hand, though her eyes briefly widened as she scrolled through the unending list of requisitions. Torian almost felt a pang of sympathy as she scrolled farther and farther down the list. Almost.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t take long, sir,¡± Veris said, doing a commendable job of keeping her voice neutral.


    ¡°Good,¡± Torian replied. ¡°I trust you¡¯ll find a way to work through it all. Efficiently.¡±


    ¡°Of course, sir.¡± She straightened slightly, clearly determined not to let a stack of endless paperwork dent her composure.


    ¡°Lieutenant,¡± Torian continued, leaning back as he watched her, ¡°I selected you for this role because I expect professionalism and efficiency. That said, I¡¯ll require more than form-filling once we¡¯re through this¡­ introduction.¡± He picked up a separate slate and handed it to her. ¡°A rundown of our objectives and primary suspects, including Darius Kallan.¡±


    Veris took the second slate, her gaze sharpening as she glanced over the brief notes, including the clearest shot of the suspect¡¯s face he¡¯d managed to get from his security system. ¡°Darius Kallan,¡± she murmured, her brow furrowing. ¡°Is he considered a serious threat?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not certain yet,¡± Torian replied, choosing his words carefully. ¡°But his¡­ proximity to the recent issues aboard my ship makes him a person of interest. For now, your role will be to help me follow every trail and clear every doubt.¡± He folded his hands, meeting her gaze with steely intent. ¡°That will require a degree of initiative beyond station protocol. Understand?¡±


    She nodded, a small spark of intrigue lighting her eyes. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Now then, I believe there are some forms that require your attention¡­?¡± He trailed off leadingly.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Veris grimaced, already eyeing the endless stream of requisition forms as she started scrolling through them. After a moment, though, she paused, her brow knitting ever so slightly. She hesitated, glancing up from the slate, her hand hovering as though unsure whether to continue.


    Torian noticed the brief pause but said nothing, curious to see if she¡¯d speak up. After another brief hesitation, she cleared her throat.


    ¡°Sir, if I may,¡± she began, her tone cautious. ¡°This image of Darius Kallan¡ª¡± she gestured to the slate with his file and the accompanying shot of Kallan¡¯s face. ¡°Where exactly was this taken?¡±


    Torian¡¯s brows rose slightly, though his tone remained neutral. ¡°Why do you ask, Lieutenant?¡±


    She shifted, clearly choosing her words carefully. ¡°Well, sir, the background looks like the interior of the Imperial ship¡­ and I noted that, according to your report, the power fluctuations shut down the primary security network.¡± She glanced up, her eyes steady, though curiosity burned there. ¡°So how was this image captured?¡±


    The question gave Torian a moment¡¯s pause. Her thoroughness surprised him, as did her apparent familiarity with the operational effects of the power disruptions. He leaned forward, folding his hands. ¡°You¡¯re well-informed, Lieutenant,¡± he remarked, watching her reaction.


    ¡°Thank you, sir. I made sure to review all relevant details in preparation for my assignment,¡± she replied, a faint blush colouring her cheeks but her tone unwavering. ¡°I wanted to understand the scope of the situation properly.¡±


    Torian felt a flash of irritation as he considered the implications. If she¡¯d read about the power issues and their impact on security, the Commander was distributing far more information than he should have been. Still, Veris¡¯s initiative impressed him. She¡¯d come prepared, had already taken his expectations seriously, and now she was pressing him for answers most officers wouldn¡¯t bother to ask.


    After a thoughtful pause, he weighed his response. Finally, he settled on the truth, his tone measured. ¡°The ship¡¯s primary security network did, indeed, go down. However, I installed a secondary system in critical areas. It¡¯s a standalone network, disconnected from the primary power grid.¡±


    Her eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not exactly regulation, sir.¡±


    Torian couldn¡¯t help a slight smile. ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± he replied smoothly, watching as the realisation dawned on her that she¡¯d just called out a superior. ¡°But certain situations call for¡­ flexibility. Sometimes, my work requires actions outside of standard protocol.¡±


    She looked down, seeming to reconsider her previous comment. ¡°Of course, sir. I apologise if that came across as¡­ judgmental.¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± he said, his tone clipped but not unkind. ¡°It¡¯s precisely that attention to detail I¡¯ll expect from you, Lieutenant. Just don¡¯t be surprised if you find my methods somewhat¡­ unorthodox at times.¡± He let the statement hang in the air, watching as she processed the implications.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Veris gave a small, tentative nod, as if working to adjust her own understanding of what her duties as his aide might entail. After a moment, she returned her attention to the slate, tapping the screen and steeling herself for the mountain of requisition requests waiting for her.


    Torian leaned back, intrigued. He hadn¡¯t expected to find anyone worthwhile this far out from the core worlds, but it appeared that talent could be found in the most unusual of places. Maybe it was worth looking into the Lieutenant Thalina Veris a little more.


    Imperial Intelligence was always on the lookout for potential recruits, after all.

 6. Trust and Trade-offs

    Chapter 6 - Trust and Trade-offs


    Darius sat on the edge of the lone metal chair, elbows propped on his knees, hands clasped tightly as he stared at the cracked concrete floor. The room had all the comforting charm of a prison cell¡ªbare walls, no windows, and a thick, rust-streaked door with a single reinforced panel. No handles. Because, of course, why would there be handles? The people who¡¯d brought him here weren¡¯t interested in giving him the luxury of choice, let alone a way out.


    He sighed, shifting uncomfortably. Every now and then, muffled voices filtered through the door, sharp enough to catch the tone but not enough to understand. He¡¯d picked out Finn¡¯s voice once or twice, arguing over something. Arguing for him, apparently. Whatever that meant.


    Darius scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to shake the exhaustion pressing down on him. When Finn had asked him whether he wanted to hope that the Empire was feeling understanding or try making a run for it, he hadn¡¯t expected¡­ this.


    Really, he didn¡¯t know what he expected. Typically Finn was the one trying to stop him from doing stupid things, not encouraging it. He¡¯d never been one to plan things out much, but this really took the cake. Even if these people ¨C whoever they were ¨C were able to keep him under the Empire¡¯s radar, what then? What was he meant to do, spend the rest of his life cowering in some random disused factory?


    This whole mess felt wrong¡ªwrong that Finn knew these people, wrong that they apparently didn¡¯t trust him, and wrong that he was stuck here waiting for a group he barely understood to decide if he was worth helping or worth tossing out. And Finn¡­


    He¡¯d known the guy for years, but the way he moved through the station earlier, slipping through back alleys and weaving through darkened corridors, told him there was a whole other side to his friend. One that, evidently, kept close company with people who weren¡¯t on the Empire¡¯s Christmas card list.


    It was all just¡­ too much. Too much for a guy who was just supposed to clock in, fix machines, and keep his head down. But apparently, that kind of peace wasn¡¯t on the table anymore, not with¡­ whatever was now lodged in his augs, lying in wait like some invasive species he couldn¡¯t root out.


    The voice.


    He let out a long breath, eyeing the faint glow of his HUD, half-expecting it to flicker to life. It had been radio silent since he¡¯d left his apartment, and the absence had been unsettling. Almost like he¡¯d finally lost it. But he knew better.


    ¡°Alright¡­ you there?¡± he whispered under his breath, trying to ignore the tension coiling in his gut.


    After a beat, the faint buzz of static hummed in his ear. Then the voice, smooth and cold as ever. {I¡¯m here, Mr Kallan. I assumed you¡¯d need some time to process the situation.}


    ¡°Oh, how considerate,¡± Darius muttered, his voice edged with sarcasm. ¡°Where was this ¡®consideration¡¯ when you hijacked my life?¡±


    There was a brief pause, which could have indicated that the voice was either contemplating or ignoring his irritation. Hard to tell.


    {I apologise for the disruption to your life. There is little I can do about the situation now, but I am willing to provide what aid I can to rectify things once my objective has been completed, for which I still require your assistance.}


    Darius blinked, somewhat wrong-footed by the apology. He hadn¡¯t expected this thing, whatever it was, to be so¡­ polite.


    The voice continued, unfazed by his silence. {Regrettable as the circumstances are, it was necessary to integrate for operational security. The completion of my mission is an overriding priority.}


    Aaand there it was. Apologies weren¡¯t worth much when the person apologising turned around and did the same thing again. ¡°Yeah, about that,¡± Darius said, grinding his teeth. ¡°You keep talking about your ¡®mission¡¯ and ¡®important information,¡¯ but you¡¯ve been annoyingly tight-lipped about the details. You¡¯re dragging me into this, so I¡¯d like to know why.¡±


    {Knowing the details of my mission will not increase your chances of survival,} the voice replied. {It will only place you in greater jeopardy.}


    ¡°Oh, good, that¡¯s reassuring. Real comforting.¡± Darius shook his head, his voice barely above a growl. ¡°You can¡¯t just¡­ show up in my head, screw with my life, and then tell me it¡¯s on a need-to-know basis. Why the hell do I have any reason to ¡®provide you with assistance¡¯ if you refuse to tell me what you¡¯re doing? What do I get out of this?¡±


    {I have rerouted the signal from your augs to prevent the Empire from tracking your location. Even now, they are attempting to trace your signal, though the nature of this location is helping.}


    Darius¡¯s mouth clicked shut. Well, that wasn¡¯t nothing. It was also precisely the sort of favour he hadn¡¯t wanted to owe this voice. Technically speaking, it was something he only needed because of what the voice had done in the first place, but in fairness it was helpful.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said begrudgingly. ¡°Then maybe you can answer me this. Why exactly does the Empire want you so bad? And don¡¯t bother with the vague ¡®I have important information¡¯ line. I get that. But why does that make you dangerous to them?¡±


    Another silence. It lasted a fraction longer than he¡¯d expected, as though the voice was weighing something it wasn¡¯t accustomed to. When it finally replied, its tone was precise. {I possess data regarding certain activities the Empire wishes to remain concealed. This data needs to reach¡­ individuals who can take appropriate action.}


    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Darius grunted moodily. ¡®Data that the Empire wishes to remain concealed¡¯ could mean any number of things, none of which were great for his prospects of staying out of prison. Or, depending on how badly the Empire wanted to keep things quiet, his prospects of staying alive.


    He let out an explosive breath, pushing to his feet and starting to pace across the room. The lone camera in the corner of the room whirred gently as it moved to track him, and for the first time he considered that speaking out loud to himself in a sealed room probably made him look insane.


    Oh well. Nothing for it now.


    ¡°So, what even are you, then?¡± he asked, angling his face away from the camera. ¡°You¡¯re not just, like, a person remote connecting to that nanite thing you were talking about, are you?¡±


    The voice responded, its tone cool and unfazed. {I am not a person. I am an artificial intelligence learning engram. My operational core is embedded within an adaptive nano-matrix, interfacing directly with your augmentations.}


    Darius scratched idly at the side of his face. ¡°So, basically, you¡¯re an AI that¡¯s inside me.¡±


    There was a pause.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Darius couldn¡¯t help but feel the AI ¨C and wasn¡¯t that a whole thing he would have to unpack later ¨C was revising its opinion of his intelligence. He couldn¡¯t really bring himself to care. ¡°Right, so¡­ what do you actually need me for? Like, I get that you¡¯re trying to get a message or data to people or whatever, but practically speaking, what do you want me to do? Do you just need me for my opposable thumbs, or what?¡±


    {At present, I require time to assess the current environment and plan the optimal approach to fulfil my objectives,} the voice responded, tone as neutral as ever. {I will inform you when I need your assistance with specific tasks.}Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Wonderful. Guess I¡¯m ¡®on-call¡¯ then,¡± Darius muttered. As much as he didn¡¯t like the way this was playing out, he really didn¡¯t have much in the way of choices. Even putting aside the whole situation with the Empire ¨C and that was a rather large thing to ¡®put aside¡¯ ¨C he didn¡¯t fancy his chances at getting this thing out of him. Whatever a ¡®nano-matrix¡¯ actually was, it sounded¡­ complicated to remove.


    He didn¡¯t even have health insurance.


    ¡°Hey, while I think of it, do you have a name or anything?¡± he asked, curious. ¡°I¡¯ve sort of just been calling you ¡®the voice¡¯ in my head, but that¡¯s already getting old.¡±


    {My creators assigned me the designation ¡®Echo¡¯}, came the response.


    ¡°And I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re not going to answer if I ask who your ¡®creators¡¯ are?¡± Darius sighed for a moment before shrugging. ¡°Whatever. Alright then, Echo, nice to meet you, I suppose.¡±


    The door swung open with a sharp, metallic clang, interrupting Darius¡¯s reluctant greeting. He jerked his head up, immediately clocking the two figures who stepped inside.


    The men wore plain, hard-wearing clothing¡ªthick canvas jackets, well-worn utility pants, and scuffed boots that suggested they¡¯d seen their fair share of work in rough environments. They wouldn¡¯t look out of place working at the shipyard, though there was a hardness to their expression that told him they weren¡¯t the friendliest sorts.


    One of them, the stockier, broad-shouldered one, pulled a small device from the pocket of his jacket and fiddled with it for a moment before nodding to the other man. Echo¡¯s voice crackled in his ear, startling him so much he almost jumped. {That device is a jammer. All external connections have been disabled.}


    Good to know, he supposed. The taller man, apparently satisfied with their security measures, gave Darius a politely detached look. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said, jerking his head toward the door. No introductions, no explanations.


    Darius stepped out of the cell, the two men flanking him without a word as they led him through a series of narrow corridors. The factory¡ªif it could still be called that¡ªwas a maze of peeling paint, rusted pipes, and broken machinery that seemed more at home in a scrap yard than any functional operation. The place had the damp, metallic smell of long-abandoned industry, and every step echoed off the empty walls, amplifying the silence.


    They turned a corner, and he spotted Finn up ahead, standing beside a woman who all but radiated confidence, her stance firm and unyielding, eyes tracking his approach with sharp, calculating focus. Finn caught Darius¡¯s eye, a familiar look of caution and don¡¯t-screw-this-up painted on his face.


    It was a look he had seen often, though he was a little more motivated to pay attention than usual.


    ¡°Kallan,¡± the woman greeted coldly. ¡°Your friend here tells me you can be trusted. I don¡¯t believe him, but I can be convinced to give you enough rope to hang yourself with. Tell me why I should expend my resources to help you.¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± Darius managed, taken aback by the woman¡¯s intensity. ¡°I¡ªlook, lady, I don¡¯t even know who you are.¡±


    ¡°Kara Voss.¡± The woman responded with narrowed eyes in a way that indicated he should recognise her name.


    He didn¡¯t.


    Darius blinked. ¡°¡­Cool, nice to meet you. I was meaning in a more¡­ general sense, though,¡± he said, waving his hands around to encompass the group as a whole.


    The woman ¨C Kara, he supposed ¨C raised an eyebrow, turning to Finn. ¡°You didn¡¯t even tell him who we are?¡±


    Finn shrugged. ¡°You wanted discretion, right?¡±


    Darius tried to ignore the slight sting of betrayal. Finn didn¡¯t owe him anything, and considering how the Empire would presumably want to get a hold of these people, it made sense for him to keep quiet about it.


    Still hurt a little, though.


    Kara nodded slowly, clearly approving of Finn¡¯s actions. ¡°We¡¯re part of the Freehold Alliance,¡± she said, turning back to Darius. ¡°An independent network of free worlds and colonies. The Empire doesn¡¯t control us, and we make it our business to give others a chance at freedom. Even if they don¡¯t always have the means to fight for it themselves.¡±


    Darius swallowed, a bitter taste filling his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ familiar,¡± he managed, keeping his expression even. She spoke with conviction, but all he could hear was another recruiter promising the same line his brother had bought into. The same one that had turned a rebellious, idealistic kid into a name on a casualty list.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been brought here because of Finn,¡± she continued. ¡°But a friend¡¯s good word isn¡¯t enough. If we¡¯re going to put our resources on the line for you, I need to hear something more convincing. Why should I take that risk?¡±


    He could feel everyone¡¯s eyes on him, sharp and assessing. ¡°Uh,¡± Darius managed, scratching the back of his neck as he scrambled to piece together a coherent answer. ¡°Look, lady¡ªI mean, uh, Ms. Voss¡ªI didn¡¯t come looking for a fight, alright? I just¡­ things got complicated.¡± He winced, knowing how lame that sounded but unsure how else to explain his predicament without spilling his every personal failing onto the floor.


    He¡¯d never been the best at interviews.


    Her gaze narrowed, and he rushed on, trying to fill the silence.


    ¡°All I know is that I¡¯ve got the Empire¡¯s attention, which is bad news for me and anyone else in their path. If you can keep them off my back, I¡¯ll do what I can to help. I don¡¯t know what that looks like yet, but I¡¯m willing to put in the work.¡±


    Kara¡¯s lips pressed into a tight line, unimpressed. Beside her, the two men exchanged glances, both clearly sceptical, and Darius could practically feel their judgment settling around him like a too-tight collar.


    Finn, ever the loyal friend, cleared his throat. ¡°Kara, I¡¯ve worked with Darius a long time. He¡¯s not much for speeches, but he¡¯s more reliable than he looks.¡±


    ¡°So you keep saying,¡± she said dryly, arms crossed. ¡°But I suppose we¡¯ll see.¡±


    The two men stepped back, their expressions settling into reluctant acceptance, and Kara gave Darius a long, final look. ¡°Consider this a probationary period, Kallan,¡± she said, her tone cold and clipped. ¡°Finn¡¯s word has bought you that much. Don¡¯t make us regret it.¡±


    Kara¡¯s tone held a finality that left little room for Darius to argue, which, perhaps, was precisely the point.


    ¡°Your augs are going to remain disabled for the duration of your stay with us,¡± she said briskly, folding her arms as if she¡¯d anticipated his objection before he¡¯d even voiced it. ¡°Consider it a safety measure for everyone involved.¡±


    Darius opened his mouth to point out that his augs actually weren¡¯t disabled yet before snapping it shut. Maybe they just hadn¡¯t done it yet, or maybe Echo had done something to keep them running. Either way, it was probably best to keep that to himself for now. Finn might trust these people, but there was apparently a lot he didn¡¯t know about his friend. It wasn¡¯t in his nature to be cautious, but then, arguably, his reckless nature had gotten him in this mess in the first place, so¡­


    It did make him wonder just how much control his passenger really had over his augments. All of a sudden, he was glad he had never been able to afford more than ocular and auditory implants ¨C he didn¡¯t even want to think about a possibly malicious AI being able to control his limbs or shut down his organs.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re Finn¡¯s friend,¡± Kara continued, her eyes narrowing, ¡°we¡¯re giving you a probationary chance, but know this: you¡¯ll be watched, and if you attempt any sort of contact with Empire affiliates or otherwise jeopardise our operation, your time here will be short. And unpleasant.¡±


    Darius nodded, casting a quick glance at Finn, who shot him a faint, encouraging smile. It wasn¡¯t terribly reassuring.


    ¡°We¡¯ll assign you tasks, both to see how reliable you are and to assess your usefulness,¡± Kara added, her expression unyielding. ¡°Some will be straightforward, others may involve some risk. If you refuse to do anything without a very good reason, then¡­¡± She trailed off, shrugging as if tossing him out of an airlock was a routine part of the job.


    ¡°Understood,¡± Darius said, swallowing back the bitterness.


    Kara gave a curt nod, turning toward the door, signalling that his fate was, for now, in limbo. ¡°Finn, you have five minutes,¡± she said, and with a last, scrutinising look at Darius, she stepped out, leaving them alone.


    As the door shut, Finn turned to Darius, his face shifting from its usual casual indifference to something closer to concern. ¡°Listen, just¡­ don¡¯t push them, alright?¡± he said, his voice low. ¡°These people, they¡¯ve got good intentions. Rough edges, yeah, but they¡¯re not bad. Just¡­ be on your best behaviour.¡±


    Darius snorted. ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯ve got a track record of riling people up.¡±


    ¡°Do you really want me to answer that?¡±


    ¡°Point taken.¡±


    There was an awkward silence for a moment before Finn spoke up again. ¡°Look, I¡¯m guessing you have¡­ a whole bunch of questions, and I don¡¯t blame you. I wish I could have told you about all this Freehold stuff, but I know how you feel about them after what happened¡­¡± he trailed off, seeing Darius¡¯s expression tighten. ¡°A¡ªanyway, I¡¯ll try to get in contact with you in a week or two, once they trust you a little more. We can talk.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t quite an apology, but it was close enough for now.


    ¡°Anything in specific I need to know about them?¡± Darius asked after a moment.


    It wasn¡¯t quite forgiveness, but again, close enough.


    ¡°A couple of things might help; Kara looks pretty scary ¨C and, actually, she is pretty scary ¨C but she¡¯s reasonable. Don¡¯t make trouble or try to slack off, and she¡¯ll warm up to you soon enough.¡± Finn eyed him mock dubiously for a second. ¡°Or she¡¯ll realise what an idiot you are, but there¡¯s nothing I can do about that.¡±


    Darius rolled his eyes, but Finn¡¯s next words were serious enough for him to pay attention to.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a good idea to tell them about your¡­ passenger or not. Up to you.¡± His friend hesitated for a moment. ¡°I¡¯d be careful about it though. They already don¡¯t trust you, and they definitely won¡¯t trust¡­ it, especially considering it came from an Imperial ship.¡±


    Finn gave him a parting nod, something that was presumably supposed to be encouraging but mostly just made Darius feel vaguely awkward. Whatever questions he had, whatever irritation still lingered, there wasn¡¯t time for any of it. Besides, the way Kara¡¯s men stood there, arms crossed and expressions carved from stone, made it clear that they weren¡¯t offering him any more time. It was almost a relief when one of them wandered over and dispassionately told him it was time to go.


    Without another word, Darius turned to follow the man, feeling the weight of Finn¡¯s gaze on his back as he left.

 7. Just Business

    Chapter 7 - Just Business


    Darius leaned back against his seat in the transport, watching the industrial sprawl of Exeter station¡¯s outskirts blur past. The buildings here looked like they¡¯d been left out in the elements too long¡ªrust peeling in jagged patches along the edges, every structure slouched as though they were tired of their own existence.


    Caldera IV didn¡¯t have much of an atmosphere, but what it did have was ever so slightly corrosive. Nothing dangerous to the workers ¨C or so the Empire claimed, anyway ¨C but enough to cut down on the lifespan of any material left exposed to the elements. Parts wore down quicker, nothing looked new for long, and the less said about the smell of rapidly decomposing trash, the better.


    He¡¯d been here for years, and it still caught him off guard sometimes.


    The Freeholders¡¯ transport ¨C a boxy, old two-seater with all the charm of a cement block ¨C jostled over a crack in the road, the engine shuddering in what he could only assume was protest. It looked like the sort of vehicle that had started its life as ¡°serviceable¡± and then worked its way down the ladder of quality and functionality from there. Still, the thing ran, and that was more than he could say for half the personal vehicles he¡¯d seen in the district.


    Next to him sat Voss, who seemed about as thrilled as he was with the cramped interior, though it was hard to tell with her. She kept her attention on the road ahead, barely sparing him a glance since they¡¯d left. The two other Freeholders who¡¯d escorted him through the alleys to the transport ¨C still strangers to him ¨C were squashed into the rear cargo compartment. They were better off than he¡¯d have expected, though; the cargo area was surprisingly well-designed and spacious. One of the men was perched on an old crate, tapping at his datapad, while the other was leaning against a stack of supplies with an exceptionally bored expression on his face.


    The transport slowed to a stop in front of what looked like an abandoned warehouse tucked away between two crumbling factories. The structure was squat and unassuming; its once-sturdy metal walls faded and scarred with streaks of rust. It was all but indistinguishable from any of the other buildings they had passed on the way ¨C which, Darius guessed, was the point.


    The others hopped out with ease, suggesting they were used to the place. Kara gave him a brief nod, jerking her chin toward a side door. ¡°Inside. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He followed, keeping his curiosity in check. No one else looked particularly interested in making conversation, and he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to break the silence. As they entered, the chill of Caldera¡¯s outside air gave way to the musty, almost metallic smell of the interior. The lighting was dim, provided by a few scattered bulbs hung from exposed beams and the occasional glow of a portable lamp.


    Someone had set up makeshift workstations here and there¡ªrough wooden tables piled with scattered parts, an ancient-looking terminal, a few tool kits spilling bolts and washers. A stack of crates lined one wall, their markings scrubbed off, save for one corner where a faded manufacturer¡¯s logo could still be made out.


    ¡°Take a look around,¡± one of the men who¡¯d escorted him here ¨C Darius still hadn¡¯t caught his name ¨C said, gesturing with a lazy wave of his hand. ¡°We don¡¯t exactly roll out the welcome mat here.¡±


    A couple of the Freeholders went about their business, ignoring him completely. One of them, a wiry man with short, greying hair, gave him a brief nod as he passed, hauling a crate from the transport onto one of the tables with a grunt. ¡°You know your way around a ration pack?¡± he asked, jerking his head toward the stacks.


    ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± Darius replied after a brief look around to make sure the man was talking to him.


    ¡°Great. Get stacking.¡±


    Darius spent a moment wondering if he should feel offended by the brusk command before shrugging to himself and walking over to the table to start helping the man arrange the supplies. Not like he had anything better to do ¨C and he was well aware of Voss¡¯s intense gaze on his back. Probably a good idea to put his best foot forward.


    ¡°So, how long¡¯s this place been home sweet home?¡± Darius ventured, tossing a ration pack onto the stack. His question hung in the air for a moment, met only by the continued sound of rustling supplies and the scrape of a crate on concrete.


    The man next to him¡ªhe hadn¡¯t introduced himself¡ªlet out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. ¡°Long enough,¡± he said, with a vague shrug that could¡¯ve meant anything. ¡°Nothing fancy, but it does the job.¡±


    ¡°Looks cozy,¡± Darius replied, glancing around. ¡°You get many visitors out here?¡±


    ¡°Not if we can help it.¡± The man¡¯s answer was quick, his tone clipped. He gave Darius a long look, as if trying to decide how much more he felt like sharing. ¡°You¡¯re new, aren¡¯t you? Most people around here aren¡¯t so¡­ curious.¡±


    Darius caught the hint and let the subject drop, turning back to the pile of ration packs. They were the cheap, mass-produced kind ¨C the type that had a shelf-life spanning decades and tasted just a little worse than plain cardboard.


    He hated to say it ¨C and wasn¡¯t stupid enough to say it out loud ¨C but he was kinda¡­ disappointed. Not just in the food, though that was disappointing all on its own, but in what he had seen of the operation so far. For all that he had his problems with the Freeholder movement as a whole, there had still been an expectation of some grand conspiracy working against the tyrannical rule of the Empire.


    From the looks of things here, it was clear they weren¡¯t in the middle of some grand operation ¨C there were no weapons on display, no complex equipment or caches of black market supplies. If he¡¯d actually signed up because he believed in the ¡®cause¡¯, he might have been a little put out. As it was, with a little luck his partnership with the Freeholders would consist of laying low for a few weeks before he could get back to his everyday life.


    Darius was careful to avoid thinking about how likely things were to work out that way.


    {If this location is indicative of the resources the Freeholder organisation can access, my mission may be more difficult than anticipated.}


    Echo¡¯s voice came out of nowhere, startling Darius into fumbling a ration pack. The man stacking supplies beside him raised an eyebrow, but he just shrugged, giving an awkward smile. ¡°Whoops. Slipped.¡±


    The man gave him a dubious look and shuffled a little further away. Darius quietly resigned himself to being seen as a weirdo from here on out. If this ¡®Echo¡¯ was going to be sticking around, he really needed to figure out a way to communicate in public without further destroying the tattered remains of his reputation.


    At this point, Darius really wasn¡¯t sure if he preferred it when Echo was quiet, or when he was chiming in. On the one hand, silence was golden. On the other hand, when the thing was quiet he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that it was shifting through his augs, worming its way deeper into his body.


    He suppressed a full-body shiver at the thought. It was the same kind of¡­ icky feeling he got whenever thinking about the more impactful augments. Financial status aside, he wasn¡¯t sure if he could ever make such significant changes to his body like that. The ocular and auditory implants were small enough that he didn¡¯t mind them too much, but anything further was outside his comfort zone.


    The unloading of the transport didn¡¯t take much longer, and by the end of it Darius was torn between irritation and amusement. It felt a little like he was just being used as free labour, but at the same time, the mundanity of unloading boxes in what was ostensibly a secret base tickled his funny bone.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Before he could spend more than a few seconds looking around awkwardly now that the task was finished, Voss¡¯s voice cut through the dull hum of the room. ¡°Alright, Kallan, you¡¯re done here. Follow me, we need to talk.¡±


    Darius blinked, walking over towards where she was waiting and trying to shake the vague impression that he was being called to the principal¡¯s office. She led him past the worn-out partitions to her office¡ªa cramped, rough-looking corner sectioned off by haphazardly assembled plasteel dividers.


    Inside, she took a seat behind her desk and gestured for him to sit opposite. The setup was about as welcoming as a mechanic¡¯s closet; the chair she¡¯d indicated was rickety and visibly uncomfortable. Voss didn¡¯t wait for him to get settled before leaning back and meeting his eyes, her gaze level and intense.


    ¡°You are a problem,¡± she said bluntly, her gaze steady as she drummed her fingers once against the metal edge of the desk. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, what you want, or where your loyalties may lie. Finn vouched for you ¨C and he¡¯s proven that he¡¯s reliable, which is why you¡¯re here at all ¨C but if I¡¯m going to be trusting you to stick around and keep your mouth shut, I need more than that.¡±


    Darius cleared his throat nervously. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s¡­ fair enough, I guess. Uh¡­ I¡¯m going to be honest, though; I don¡¯t really know how to convince you that I¡¯m not going to sell you out.¡± A distant part of his brain helpfully informed him that he was doing an excellent job of arguing against himself.


    {I suggest a different negotiating tactic.}


    Darius tried to keep from reacting to the sudden voice in his ear with mixed success. Across from him, Voss raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Well, if nothing else, I suppose that establishes that you would make for a terrible spy,¡± she commented dryly. Darius managed a weak smile and half a shrug, as if to say what can you do? He might have been imagining things, but he could have sworn the corner of her mouth twitched upwards for a second.


    Voss¡¯s gaze lingered, appraising him with a quiet intensity that made Darius shift under her scrutiny. After a beat, she continued. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s start simple. If you¡¯re going to be working with us ¨C or even just spending a few days or weeks lying low ¨C then you should know what we¡¯re about.¡± She leaned back, crossing her arms as she settled more comfortably in her chair.


    ¡°You mentioned before that you were ¡®familiar¡¯ with our organisation. But I¡¯d guess you don¡¯t know the full picture. The Empire doesn¡¯t exactly leave room for stories that don¡¯t flatter them.¡±


    Darius shrugged, feigning indifference. He was more than familiar with the Empire¡¯s ¡°sanitised¡± view of things. That said, he had also heard his share of Freeholder rhetoric over the years ¨C and from where he stood, they weren¡¯t much better than the Empire when it came to spreading propaganda. Voss seemed to take his silence as a cue to continue.


    ¡°Look,¡± she began, her tone shifting slightly. ¡°The Empire takes. It takes, and it takes, until there¡¯s nothing left. I¡¯ve seen what that looks like¡ªwhole colonies stripped of everything useful. Natural resources, manpower, you name it. And the people? They¡¯re squeezed just as dry. Places like Caldera IV don¡¯t mean a thing to the Empire. It¡¯s just one more resource depot. They tell us we¡¯re part of something greater, that our work helps humanity. But what¡¯s the reality? The core worlds live in luxury, while places like this scrape by on whatever scraps are left.¡±


    Darius nodded slowly, acknowledging her point. ¡°True. That said, without the Empire, Caldera wouldn¡¯t exist at all,¡± he pointed out, more for the sake of playing devil¡¯s advocate than actually refuting her argument. ¡°Hell, without the Empire, humanity wouldn¡¯t have colonised more than a dozen or so systems.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Voss admitted, a flicker of amusement crossing her face at seeing his expression. ¡°Contrary to common belief, the Freehold Alliance doesn¡¯t hate the Empire. Oh, sure, some of us are more¡­ passionate about things, but even the most dogmatic among us can acknowledge the role the Empire has played in humanity¡¯s development. But,¡± she said, raising a finger, ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean the Empire doesn¡¯t have its flaws, its failures. That doesn¡¯t mean that it should be the only option.¡±


    She looked back up, her eyes hard, and Darius felt a prickle of discomfort under her gaze. ¡°We¡¯re not some idealistic rebel faction trying to change the galaxy. We don¡¯t have grand visions of a revolution sweeping across the stars. We¡¯re trying to carve out a life that the Empire doesn¡¯t control. They won¡¯t let us live freely, so we make our own freedom, one way or another.¡±


    Darius nodded, processing her words. ¡°Why stick around, then?¡± he ventured, genuinely curious. ¡°Seems like it¡¯d be easier to just¡­ disappear. Find somewhere far enough out of the Empire¡¯s reach that they wouldn¡¯t bother you.¡±


    Voss shook her head, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that suggestion before. But here¡¯s the reality, Darius. No place is out of their reach. You try to vanish, to start over somewhere off the Empire¡¯s radar, and all you¡¯re doing is pushing off the inevitable. Maybe it¡¯s years, maybe it¡¯s decades, but eventually, the Empire will be there, demanding taxes, resources, loyalty. And the moment you can¡¯t give them what they want¡­¡± She gave a slight, humourless shrug. ¡°Well, we both know how that goes.¡±


    Darius leaned back in his rickety, uncomfortable chair. ¡°You said you¡¯re not looking to start a revolution,¡± he pointed out, ¡°so why are you here at all? Trying to change the Empire from the inside or something?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s part of it,¡± Voss shrugged, ¡°But here¡¯s the thing ¨C I may not be able to make some grand change, and maybe no one can. But that doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t fight for the people we can help now, for the little freedoms that are still possible. Sure, we¡¯re not shaking the foundations of the galaxy.¡± She paused, her gaze sharpening. ¡°But we¡¯re doing what we can, where we can.¡±


    ¡­Interesting. Voss was saying all the right words, parroting the expected ¡®we fight for what¡¯s right, not what¡¯s easy¡¯ lines, but¡­ he was getting the impression that she may not be much of a ¡®true believer¡¯ herself.


    It wasn¡¯t anything concrete, nothing he could point to definitively, but his gut feeling was that Kara Voss had some more tangible, pragmatic reasons for doing this than she was letting on.


    Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course. In some ways, it was almost preferable ¨C knowing that she wasn¡¯t some kind of fanatic meant that the odds of them staying under the Empire¡¯s radar and making intelligent moves just went up. Still, it was something to keep in mind.


    The thing about idealists is that they generally didn¡¯t have it in them to make the hard choices. The ones that got people killed. Darius had the impression that Kara Voss wouldn¡¯t hesitate to make those same choices ¨C and if anyone was going to be on the chopping block first, it would be the guy she didn¡¯t know or care about.


    {This organisation appears to be fighting for a noble cause. Perhaps we can find a way to assist them in their mission without compromising my own.}


    ¡®Noble cause¡¯. Right. Darius managed to keep his reaction to the sudden voice in his ear to a twitch, but he had to wonder if Echo¡¯s priorities might need a little calibration. It was hard to say if the AI truly believed Voss¡¯s speech or if it was just running on limited data. Either way, he wasn¡¯t about to let a lecture drag on without getting to the point.


    ¡°All right,¡± he said, cutting through the silence. ¡°So the Freeholders are fighting the good fight for the sake of the little guy. Good for you. But what does all this mean for me, exactly? Because, and no offence, I¡¯m not the kinda guy to sign up for a cause that even you admit might be helpless. I¡¯m just¡­¡± he trailed off, trying to think of a way to say it that didn¡¯t sound totally selfish. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to get by, you know?¡±


    Voss leaned back, crossing her arms as she studied him, one eyebrow raised. A flicker of something crossed her face ¨C something like understanding, or maybe resignation. ¡°Alright then. More of a pragmatist, are you? I can work with that.¡±


    She leaned forward, clasping her hands on the desk. ¡°Here¡¯s how this goes, Darius. While you¡¯re here, we¡¯re not your friends, and we¡¯re not your keepers. We¡¯re offering you shelter, resources, and a place to lay low until things cool down for you. In return, you¡¯re going to help us out with some work. And no, it¡¯s not glamorous, but it¡¯s necessary.¡±


    ¡°And what does this work entail, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, you¡¯ll join a squad¡ªfour people you¡¯ll bunk with, people who know the ropes. You¡¯ll be working alongside them for the next few days, keeping things running.¡± She gave him a thin smile. ¡°Nothing dangerous. Simple maintenance, a few runs to pick up or transport supplies. Nothing that would get you noticed. But if you¡¯re here, you¡¯ll pull your weight.¡±


    Darius paused, weighing his words. He could feel the options shrinking, each one feeling less like a choice and more like the next inevitable step. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fair,¡± he said, suddenly wishing he¡¯d had the foresight to look more convinced by the Freeholder¡¯s ¡°noble struggle¡±. Maybe that way, he could have made things a little easier on himself. Too late for that now.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you think so,¡± Voss returned briskly. ¡°Now, unless you have any pressing questions, your squad leader should be waiting outside.¡±


    ¡°Just one, actually,¡± Darius said after a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°I, ah, don¡¯t know how long the Empire is going to be looking for me. Is there a time limit to this¡­ arrangement?¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if asking this bluntly was a good idea or not, but at this point, he figured he¡¯d already burned some bridges. Best to figure out exactly where he stood.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Voss¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t making him terribly hopeful. ¡°As long as you¡¯re useful, you¡¯ll have a place. And when it¡¯s time for you to move on, well¡­¡± She shrugged casually, flicking a finger over the dataslate on her desk as if dismissing the thought of him entirely. ¡°That¡¯ll depend on how you handle yourself here.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± Darius replied, pushing himself up from the uncomfortable chair and giving her a brief nod. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I do appreciate you helping me out like this, considering you don¡¯t know me.¡±


    Voss merely inclined her head, her attention already shifting elsewhere as he left the cramped little office, mentally kicking himself for how he had handled the situation. The wise choice would have been to keep his mouth shut and let her assume he was just another sympathetic soul looking to help ¡°the cause.¡± But here he was, pegged as a pragmatist, which meant he¡¯d be working.


    Another brilliant call from the idiot sitting in his own mess.

 8. A Fragile Welcome

    Chapter 8 - A Fragile Welcome


    Darius woke slowly, the dim glow from the ceiling casting a hazy light across the small room he¡¯d been assigned. His mind took a few sluggish moments to shake off the exhaustion from last night. It seemed crazy, but it had been less than twenty-four hours since he had gone on the run from the Empire.


    For a given definition of ¡®going on the run¡¯, anyway. Right now, the extent of his flight from the law consisted of not-really-joining what was ostensibly a rebellion. Except that the Freeholder¡¯s Alliance was such a minor threat to the Empire that they were technically only classified as a ¡®support group¡¯ for struggling colonies.


    He rolled over, sheets tangled around him like a net, and stared up at the ceiling. At least they¡¯d let him keep this tiny room to himself. Based on the Freeholder¡¯s less-than-impressive resources, he¡¯d expected to be crammed into a dorm with his so-called ¡°squad.¡± But they didn¡¯t just lack funding; they seemed low on personnel too, which meant ¨C mercifully ¨C privacy.


    Last night was a blur, a mix of new faces and names he¡¯d barely absorbed before sleep claimed him. His squad¡­he was reasonably sure they¡¯d been introduced, maybe even exchanged nods. But whatever first impressions he might have made had been eclipsed by the dull, throbbing weight of the day¡¯s events crashing down.


    ¡°Echo?¡± His voice was little more than a whisper, in the vague hopes that he¡¯d somehow imagined the whole thing.


    {Yes?}


    But, of course, he wasn¡¯t that lucky. He squinted up at the ceiling, brow furrowing. ¡°Do me a favour. Give me some good news.¡±


    There was a slight pause, just enough for Darius to feel a twinge of hope before Echo¡¯s voice returned.


    {Your accounts have been frozen, and there¡¯s a warrant out for your arrest.}


    Darius groaned, shoving his face into his pillow. ¡°I said good news,¡± he whined. ¡°Something that won¡¯t make me want to crawl under this mattress and disappear.¡±


    There was a long moment of silence.


    {I see. My apologies. I was under the impression that further information on your current circumstances would allow for more informed decisions, thus facilitating an improvement of the situation.}


    Darius took a moment to digest that, willing the sentence to rearrange itself into something that made sense. He took another moment when the first proved insufficient.


    {Perhaps,} Echo tried again, {you will be pleased to know that I have been able to adjust for the jamming field enough to receive certain external updates. With continued effort, it may be possible to re-establish your access to your accounts.}


    ¡­Those would be the frozen accounts.


    ¡°Right, because nothing screams hope like a chance to re-access my non-existent money,¡± Darius muttered. He let out a long sigh, allowing himself to soak in the bleakness of it all. Maybe he¡¯d brought this on himself. All those years of sidestepping responsibility, skating just above the edge of trouble but never truly engaging with it. Not until now.


    Darius sighed, rubbing his face as he sat up fully, resting his elbows on his knees. ¡°Alright,¡± he said aloud, more for the sake of verbalising his thoughts than actually talking to his tag-along. ¡°Feeling sorry for myself isn¡¯t going to change anything. I need to figure out how I¡¯m going to deal with this mess. Obviously, step one is not getting caught and shipped off to an Imperial cell, which¡­ mission accomplished, I guess?¡±


    He¡¯d bought himself a little breathing room, at least. As far as hiding spots went, the Freeholder¡¯s Alliance wasn¡¯t the worst. They wouldn¡¯t throw him to the Empire, and they wouldn¡¯t mind an extra body around. Not that they could afford to be picky¡ªscraping by on scant funding and even fewer supporters, they were probably eager to snap up anyone even remotely interested in their cause. Or, as in his case, anyone with no other options.


    ¡°Step two is¡­ something.¡± Darius huffed, pushing himself off the narrow bed and pacing the short length of his temporary room. ¡°Lay low for a few weeks? I don¡¯t think the Empire is just going to forget about me.¡±


    {Current projections indicate that evading the Empire¡¯s notice entirely, given your recent status change, is improbable.}


    ¡°You need to work on being more encouraging,¡± he said dryly. Oddly enough, though, the dry statement helped. If only because he could admit to having a tendency of lying to himself about how bad things were, and having someone bluntly tell him it was terrible¡­ helped put things in perspective?


    Darius was starting to think he had issues.


    ¡°So if I try and leave here, the Empire will find me, and if I try to stay¡­ well, I have to assume Voss is going to get sick of me at some point.¡± He turned to stare accusingly at the wall, lacking a more tangible target for his irritation. ¡°Not to mention a certain someone is riding around in my augs, wanting me to do who knows what.¡±


    There was a brief pause. {On that note, I believe I have gathered enough information to make a more concrete request that should minimise disruption to your life.}


    Darius raised an eyebrow. ¡°This ought to be good. Go on, then, what is it you want me to do?¡±


    {I require a physical form,} Echo replied, his tone as neutral as always. {A body, as it were, would allow me to complete my mission objectives. Once functional, I would be able to establish contact with the individuals I need to reach.}


    Darius blinked, absorbing the suggestion. ¡°You want me to¡­build you a body?¡±


    {Yes. Given current resources and time, it may be feasible to construct a rudimentary one. I have collated necessary schematics and materials, which should be accessible from the Freeholder¡¯s limited supply.}


    ¡°Uh, woah, hold up a second,¡± Darius half-chuckled, waving his hands as if to ward off the AI¡¯s sudden enthusiasm. ¡°I think you may be vastly overestimating my technical skills if you think I can build an entire body for you. Not to mention, I don¡¯t think my current landlords would be terribly understanding if I just started to raid their materials closet.¡±


    {The technical requirements for a functioning frame are well within your capabilities,} Echo assured him. {At this stage, I require only basic mobility and access to digital systems. My current architecture has already processed potential configurations.}


    ¡°¡­Right,¡± Darius said after a second of thought. ¡°That sounds a bit more manageable. Wait, so if all you need is some mobility and access ports or whatever, wouldn¡¯t any old droid work? You managed to ¡®integrate¡¯ with me just fine,¡± and good lord, he really needed a different way of saying that, ¡°So can¡¯t you just plug yourself into anything? I could probably just find a functional droid for you to¡­ uh, appropriate, shall we say.¡±


    {Theft would be unethical.}


    How something the vocal and emotional range of a calculator managed to sound disapproving was a mystery.


    ¡°Less ethical than inserting yourself into my life in a way that made me a criminal with half the Empire¡¯s forces on the planet after me?¡± Darius asked with a raised eyebrow.


    {¡­Technically speaking, you already had a criminal record before I intervened.} Came the somewhat weak reply. {Two wrongs do not make a right. Additionally, I do not believe the range of basic droids that could be reasonably found on this station would have systems sophisticated enough to support my functionality.}


    Darius paused. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were running off my augs?¡± he pointed out. ¡°If my cheap second-hand augs can support you, a droid definitely could.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    {I see there has been a misunderstanding. While I interface with your augments, specifically to bolster my own capabilities, it would be more accurate to say that I am running off your central nervous system.}


    Darius¡¯s pulse pounded as he stood frozen, eyes narrowing. ¡°I¡¯m going to need a better explanation than that,¡± he said, voice low and sharp. ¡°Now.¡±


    A beat of silence. Then, {To clarify,} Echo began, his tone as placid as ever, {my presence within your body is sustained by a nanite matrix embedded in your nervous system. This matrix is interwoven with your central nervous architecture, including a lattice that integrates into the synaptic network of your brain. I am able to function because I draw energy directly from your bioelectric signals, which serve as a power source.}


    Darius¡¯s mind stalled, shock prickling coldly down his spine. He felt his hands flex at his sides, muscles bunching and twitching as if they could somehow shake the nanites loose. It wasn¡¯t just his augs, wasn¡¯t something simple like having a plug in his head. Echo wasn¡¯t just some digital tag-along in his augment system. This¡­ this parasite was in him, in his nerves, laced through his brain, hijacking his body¡¯s own signals to sustain himself.


    Echo, apparently unaware of ¨C or indifferent to ¨C Darius¡¯s mounting rage, continued his explanation. {This neural integration is essential for my functionality within a biological host, especially considering the limited processing power of human augmentation systems. My dependency on your neurological structure is why a standard droid, lacking such bioelectric capability, would be insufficient.}


    Darius¡¯s breathing was shallow, every instinct screaming at him to do something ¨C anything ¨C to get this¡­thing out of him.


    But there was nothing he could do about it.


    No doctor on the planet was going to be able to pull something like that out of him. Even assuming they were willing to overlook where Darius got whatever the hell the parasite actually was.


    He didn¡¯t respond. Couldn¡¯t, really. Words seemed inadequate to capture the weight of his fury, the sense of helplessness gnawing at him as he struggled to process what Echo had just casually explained. A part of him wanted to lash out, to demand answers, but he knew it was pointless. Echo wasn¡¯t a person; he wouldn¡¯t respond with guilt or remorse. For him, this was simple logic.


    Without another word, Darius turned, his body tight with unspent tension as he strode toward the door.


    {Is there an issue with my explanation?} Echo¡¯s voice piped up in his head, unperturbed.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Darius muttered under his breath, jaw clenched. The door hissed open to reveal a small common room that he vaguely remembered from last night.


    The room itself could generously be called ¡®functional¡¯; sagging, stained couches were squished into one corner, a wobbly table took up most of another, and a tiny, slightly rusted kitchenette stretched across the largest stretch of wall opposite them both. There was a corridor at either end of the room, one of which Darius knew led to the larger area he had arrived at yesterday, and the other of which presumably led to more rooms.


    The couches were currently occupied by a few people who had been deep in conversation until Darius entered. Now they were looking back at him with the vaguely guilty expressions people usually wore when caught talking about a person behind their back. Some of Darius¡¯s anger faded in favour of a tired sort of resignation.


    Great. Now, on top of everything else, he was going to have to be social.


    The first person to react was a young woman, who bounced out of her seat and smiled brightly before seeming to catch herself and affect a more casual tone. ¡°Good morning. We met last night, but you seemed pretty wrecked, so I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you don¡¯t remember our names,¡± she said coolly, offering her hand for him to shake.


    {Lena Ward.} Echo supplied before Darius could admit that he didn¡¯t remember them.


    He managed to keep his reaction to an irritated twitch, though his handshake was probably a little firmer than it needed to be. ¡°Lena, right?¡±


    Lena blinked, looking pleased. ¡°Yeah! Guess you¡¯ve got a pretty good memory, huh?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± he replied, releasing her hand.


    ¡°Try to keep the flirting to a minimum, Lena. He hasn¡¯t even been here for a full day yet ¨C don¡¯t wear him out already,¡± one of the men sitting on the couch drawled. He had a narrow face, lean and wiry, with an expression that managed to be both bored and annoyed at the same time.


    Lena¡¯s smile vanished as she whirled on the man, expression sharp enough to cut. ¡°I get that your parents dropped you on your head as a child, Tarek, but would it kill you to at least pretend to be normal?¡±


    Tarek snorted, unfazed. ¡°Normal¡¯s boring, darling. And you wouldn¡¯t like me when I get bored.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even like you now. How much worse could you get?¡±


    Darius glanced between them as they fell into bickering, totally ignoring him. One of the other men sitting on the couch chuckled and leaned forward with a friendly smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind them ¨C once they get started, it¡¯s easier just to let them wear themselves out. A pleasure to meet you more officially, I suppose.¡±


    {Corin Elith. The leader of the squad is Harlan Dray.}


    ¡°Likewise,¡± Darius said, accepting the handshake with a tight smile and pointedly ignoring the voice resonating through his augs. He nodded politely at Harlan, who was sitting in the corner, and whose name he actually remembered from last night.


    Corin winced as the argument going on beside him started escalating further, quickly getting off the couch and walking briskly over to the little kitchenette in a way that only slightly resembled fleeing.


    ¡°You must be hungry. Or at least thirsty,¡± he called over his shoulder, gesturing to the small appliances on the benchtop. ¡°Nothing special, but I can brew up a decent cup of synth-coffee.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, uh¡­thanks. Coffee sounds good.¡±


    Corin nodded, deftly pouring the coffee-adjacent liquid into a pair of chipped mugs, giving it a little stir to make sure the texture was as close to drinkable as the equipment would allow. He handed the mug to Darius with a small smile, gesturing for him to join him at the wobbly table.


    ¡°So, rough night?¡± Corin asked, his tone light.


    Darius let out a short chuckle, taking a sip. ¡°You could say that. Long day, weird introductions, questionable life choices... you know, the usual.¡±


    Corin laughed. ¡°We¡¯ve all been there. Well, maybe not exactly there, but close enough.¡±


    Before Darius could respond, Harlan, the squad leader, strolled over and took the chair beside them, cradling his own mug.


    ¡°The boss-lady hasn¡¯t told me much beyond the basics of your situation,¡± the older man said without much preamble. ¡°Not really any of my business. Important thing is that we get along well enough to get the jobs done.¡±


    Darius raised an eyebrow, shooting a pointed glance at the arguing duo still by the couches. Harlan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t so much as twitch.


    ¡°Don¡¯t have to like each other. When they¡¯re on the job, they do what they¡¯re told.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Darius drawled, shifting his attention back to his new ¡®leader¡¯. ¡°And what is the ¡®job¡¯, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Our main job is to keep supplies moving, which is about as glamorous as it sounds,¡± Harlan grunted. ¡°Dead drops, sometimes picking things up in person, but always keeping our heads down.¡±


    ¡°Sounds straightforward,¡± Darius said, though he knew the word straightforward could mean a lot of things in a galaxy that hated to make anything easy.


    ¡°Sure, until Lena¡¯s driving,¡± Tarek interjected as he and Lena finally made their way over, bringing their conversation¡ªand lingering argument¡ªalong. He dropped onto the couch with a mock-pained expression. ¡°I swear, she almost got us killed last time. Are we totally sure she can actually see over the top of the dash?¡±


    Lena¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously, weighing her mug like she was considering how it would look embedded in Tarek¡¯s face. Darius was already getting the impression that the young woman was a little¡­ sensitive about her age or stature. Or rather, the lack thereof.


    It¡­ reminded him of his sister.


    He quickly pushed that particular knot of complicated emotions into the locked box where he stored all his other issues.


    ¡°Right,¡± Harlan said, barely pausing to acknowledge the tension rippling between Tarek and Lena. ¡°Anyway. We¡¯ve got a supply run tomorrow. It¡¯ll be your first time out with us, but we¡¯ll keep it simple. Today, I¡¯ll walk you through the dead drop locations and make sure you know how to handle the transport well enough that you don¡¯t get us all killed.¡± His gaze flicked briefly to Lena, whose eyes narrowed but otherwise gave no response. ¡°We¡¯ll take the whole squad along to show you the ropes. You might think moving crates is a dull job, but it gets interesting fast if you don¡¯t know how to keep a low profile.¡±


    Darius nodded, feeling the undercurrent of something unspoken in Harlan¡¯s tone. ¡°I can drive,¡± he said, maybe a bit sharper than he meant to. ¡°Not my first time handling a transport under pressure.¡±


    Harlan¡¯s lips curled into what might have been a hint of a smile. ¡°Good. Then maybe Lena¡¯ll take the co-pilot seat this time around.¡± He glanced over at Corin, who gave him a cheerful grin in return. Darius instinctively distrusted anyone who could look that cheery while drinking coffee this bad.


    Sudden shouts coming from the open area of the factory that Darius had arrived at yesterday had the Freeholders twisting in their seats, tense. Harlan was on his feet a moment later, already striding for the corridor. The rest of them scrambled to keep up.


    As they reached the central area, they found a small crowd gathered around a pair of figures slumped against the wall, one of them clutching his side, blood seeping through his fingers.


    ¡°Alain! What the hell happened?¡± Harlan barked, shouldering his way through the group to kneel beside the injured man.


    Alain¡¯s face was pale, a sheen of sweat gleaming under the harsh lights. His expression twisted with pain as he looked up at Harlan. ¡°Imperial patrol,¡± he managed through gritted teeth. ¡°We were coming back from the Rother Drop¡­ they told us to pull over. Maddox tried to argue. They¡­ they opened fire.¡± The man spat to one side, fury written across his face. ¡°The bastards were just looking for an excuse.¡±


    There was a beat of stunned silence before Tarek swore viciously. ¡°So what? They¡¯re just attacking us on sight now? The hell are we supposed to do about that?¡±


    Harlan eyed the door to Voss¡¯s office, through which shouts could be heard. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m going to go find out.¡± The man turned and addressed his squad ¨C and Darius, who was hovering at the edges of the crowd and trying not to look too closely at the blood. ¡°This is an escalation, and one that we certainly weren¡¯t expecting this soon. That said, we all knew what we were getting into. Go and get prepped ¨C I¡¯m willing to bet we¡¯re going to be sent out soon to gather as many supplies as possible before the Empire cracks down.¡±


    Lena and Corin nodded in grim-faced agreement, Corin stepping forward to lay a hand on Terak¡¯s shoulder where he was staring down at Alain. Lena turned to Darius. ¡°Looks like you picked an interesting time to join up,¡± she said, clapping him on the shoulder with an eager grin. ¡°Lucky you. We¡¯re going to be getting the fun jobs now.¡±


    The worst part was that Darius was pretty sure she wasn¡¯t joking.

 9. The Price of Refuge

    Chapter 9 - The Price of Refuge


    Things were moving much faster than Darius was comfortable with.


    The whole vibe of the factory had shifted once the injured Alain had been carted off for medical attention. He had expected people to be nervous, worried about their odds, about what the Empire was going to do, how they were going to lay low.


    He hadn¡¯t expected excitement.


    It turned out that Lena wasn¡¯t the only Freeholder to feel that things were just getting good ¨C while none of the members looked outright happy, there was a palpable sense of energy buzzing around the place. Even more worrying was the sudden appearance of weapons on people¡¯s hips or strapped to their backs.


    Things were getting real in a way that he wanted no part of.


    ¡°Come on, Darius, let¡¯s get you kitted out,¡± Lena chirped, clapping him on the back before turning and striding back towards the corridor leading to their common area. Darius followed numbly, sparing a glance towards the office where Harlan, Voss, and a few other people ¨C presumably squad leaders ¨C were talking. He had the feeling he wouldn¡¯t like whatever it was they decided on.


    He also couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that his window for getting out of this mess was rapidly closing. It was one thing to tag along with the Freeholders when it was nothing more than laying low and making the odd supply run, but a whole nother thing when it looked like they were gearing up for war.


    Imperial propaganda had always been openly dismissive of the Freeholder movement, stopping just shy of calling them totally incompetent. Darius usually knew better than to fully buy into what the Empire was telling its citizens, but this was a rather case of misinformation. Was it this particular group that was more intense than the rest, or was the Empire trying to cover up the scope of the problem?


    Realistically, Darius knew it was likely a mixture of the two. But as Lena strode over to the kitchenette and started pulling guns out of one of the drawers, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was what his brother had been involved in.


    Lena tossed a pistol his way, and he fumbled to catch it before it could hit the floor, ending up holding it gingerly by the grip. ¡°Uh, look, I don¡¯t really¡­ need a gun,¡± he stammered uncomfortably. This was happening way too fast.


    Lena laughed, bright and cheery. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯re not expecting you to actually use it ¨C it¡¯s just in case. Better to have it and not need it, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather just¡­ not have it, to be honest,¡± he admitted, cautiously placing it on the bench and making sure the business end was pointed away from him. He might not know much about guns, but he was pretty sure it was a bad idea to point it at anything you didn¡¯t want a hole in.


    ¡°Relax, it¡¯s not even loaded yet.¡± she drawled somewhat condescendingly. Darius felt that she was being awfully sassy for someone who couldn¡¯t be older than twenty, but in fairness, she was strapping a holster to her leg with a somewhat worrying amount of expertise. He wasn¡¯t ashamed to admit he had his strengths and weaknesses, and military hardware was not on his list of strengths.


    ¡°Look,¡± Lena said, stepping over to scoop up the pistol and push it into his hands more firmly. ¡°We¡¯re not planning on charging headfirst into a firefight, alright? But if things go south, you¡¯re going to be glad you have a backup option.¡±


    Darius took the pistol with a wince. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to use this thing,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy. Just point it in the general direction of the bad guys and pull the trigger!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but think that somewhere, a safety officer just woke up in a cold sweat,¡± Darius said dryly. Lena laughed, moving back to the drawer and passing him a few magazines of ammunition, quickly showing him the basics on how to unload and reload.


    The thing that struck him the most about the weapon was the weight of it in his hand. It wasn¡¯t that it was heavy, as such, more just¡­ solid. Despite himself, a small thrill of excitement curled in his chest. He¡¯d never really understood why some people would get so excited over guns, but holding one now felt surprisingly cool.


    Before he could ask for any more tips, Tarek stormed into the room, muttering curses under his breath. The irate man didn¡¯t stop or acknowledge either of them; he just moved to a table, grabbed a rag and started wiping down an already-clean rifle with far too much force.


    Darius shared a quick glance with Lena, though neither of them were willing to poke that particular bear. They didn¡¯t have long to dwell on it before Harlan appeared, strolling into the room with a controlled sort of calm.


    ¡°Alright, everyone,¡± he announced, ¡°Gather round. We¡¯ve got our next run set up. Chances are we have limited time before Imperial patrols tighten up the major routes. As such, the decision has been made to hit some of the higher-risk drop points to make sure we¡¯re stocked up.¡±


    Darius did not like the sound of that.


    Lena nudged him with an eager grin. ¡°This¡¯ll be fun.¡±


    ¡°Tarek and Kallan,¡± Harlan continued, ignoring the interruption, ¡°both of you are already on their radar. We might as well put that to use and let the rest keep a lower profile.¡±


    ¡°Hang on,¡± Darius interjected, raising his hand. ¡°That seems like a fantastic way to get us all caught.¡±


    Harlan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t so much as flicker. ¡°It¡¯s also a good way to keep the others safer. We¡¯ll split attention and draw off some of the heat. Voss seems to think that the Empire¡¯ll be looking at you first.¡±


    Darius spluttered. That was a rather significant shift from Voss¡¯s initial assurances of ¡®don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t send you on the dangerous jobs¡¯ to ¡®oh, I know, let¡¯s dangle him out as bait¡¯.


    Tarek scoffed, still holding his rifle in a way that made the hair on the back of Darius¡¯s neck tingle. ¡°Should have known you were a coward,¡± he sneered.


    Darius glared back, not even remotely ashamed. He¡¯d never signed up for this stuff in the first place, and besides¡­ cowards lived longer. That said¡­ well, to put it bluntly, he really didn¡¯t see any other options.


    Even in the event that the Freeholders didn¡¯t hold anything against him and were happy to let him walk away with the knowledge of where the base was, he was rather short on other places to hide.


    ¡°Kallan, a word?¡± Harlan asked calmly, gesturing to the relative privacy of the corridor. ¡°Look, I understand that this isn¡¯t what you were hoping for. Voss has filled me in a little more about your situation, and I¡¯ve been instructed to ask if you think this sudden uptick in Imperial attention might have anything to do with your situation.¡±


    Darius opened his mouth to deny it but paused. That¡­ surely not, right? Then again, Echo was rather cagey about why the Empire wanted him in the first place, and considering how he had been on an Imperial warship, it wasn¡¯t out of the realms of possibility that he had some military secrets that the Empire would cheerfully kill to get back.


    {It is almost certainly related.} Echo chimed in, helpful as always. Darius grimaced, unwilling to actually admit his potential culpability out loud.


    Harlan grunted, reading it from his expression. ¡°Damn. Right then, that makes this next bit unpleasant. Basically, Voss has told me to tell you that if you don¡¯t contribute to these missions, we¡¯ll¡­ well, let¡¯s just say you¡¯ll be serving as a distraction either way.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Darius took a deep breath. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what I expected,¡± he said bitterly. ¡°Just about typical for how my week is going.¡±


    Harlan rubbed at his eyes, glancing up and down the corridor to make sure they weren¡¯t being overheard. ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie; this doesn¡¯t sit right with me either,¡± he admitted. ¡°Forcing you into this situation feels¡­ well, to be honest, it feels like something the Empire would do. As such¡­ I won¡¯t be keeping too close an eye on you during this run. If you happened to slip away, then¡­¡± he trailed off, the implication clear.


    Darius nodded slightly. ¡°I appreciate that.¡±


    Not that it would change much. He wasn¡¯t exactly cut out for this sort of thing ¨C chances are it wouldn¡¯t take the Empire longer than five minutes to pick him up. Really, this was a case of picking his poison.


    At least with the Freeholders, he had the illusion of choice, not to mention there was always the faint possibility that he would be able to figure out a way out of this situation.


    ¡°Right then,¡± Harlan continued, seeing Darius was unwilling to continue their conversation. ¡°Best get back to the briefing.¡±


    ¨C ¨C ¨C


    The transport rattled as they hit a rough patch, sending Darius jolting against the metal bench. He winced, shifting his grip on one of the smaller crates they¡¯d collected from a dead drop a few minutes ago.


    They were barely an hour into this supply run, and he was already sick of the cramped transport and Tarek¡¯s scowling presence across from him. Only Corin, leaning casually against a stack of crates, seemed entirely at ease.


    In the front seat, Harlan and Lena chatted, their voices muffled but relaxed. Lena was actually humming a little tune to herself. It was surreal how calm she sounded, especially considering she¡¯d been buzzing with excitement just hours ago. But the longer they drove, the more Darius found his own shoulders loosening. There was a strange rhythm to this, a feeling like they were just running an errand¡ªalbeit one with a very specific set of risks.


    Corin noticed him glancing at the crates and nodded with a grin. ¡°Not as glamorous as you thought, huh?¡± he asked, leaning forward.


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Darius muttered. He gestured to the crates. ¡°So, all this¡­ ¡®stuff¡¯ in the dead drops. Where¡¯s it coming from, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Ah, the great mystery,¡± Corin replied, tapping a finger to his temple in mock thought. ¡°Well, truth is, I don¡¯t know exactly. These drops aren¡¯t just ours; we¡¯re part of a network¡ªother Freeholder cells, smugglers, even some folks with connections in high places. Everyone sort of chips in.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Darius said, brow furrowing. ¡°So¡­ nobody actually knows who leaves them? Seems a bit¡­ haphazard.¡±


    Corin chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I can see how it sounds that way. It¡¯s not as random as it looks, though. The network works through signals and codes. Some drops are specific to certain routes, some are free for all, but they¡¯re marked.¡±


    Darius glanced over at Tarek, who was looking out the back of the transport with a faint sneer, not paying them much attention. ¡°And¡­ these signals. You all just pick them up on the fly?¡±


    Corin shrugged, leaning back again. ¡°That¡¯s a bit above my pay grade. A lot of this stuff is in the ¡®need-to-know¡¯ category, and well, I don¡¯t need to know it. Harlan usually gets the list of drops, knows the routes, and checks them out ahead of time. We don¡¯t go to a drop if we think it¡¯s been compromised.¡± He paused, eyeing Darius with a grin. ¡°Think of it as a scavenger hunt, but, you know, with slightly higher stakes.¡±


    ¡°Seems like there¡¯d be easier ways to get supplies,¡± Darius mused, not entirely buying into the covert glamour of it all.


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking like a civilian,¡± Corin said with a wry smile. ¡°The Empire is good at keeping track of certain resources, and our best defence is being undetected. Some stuff we can just pick up at a store like anyone else, but things like medical supplies? Ammunition? All monitored and tracked. Even large purchases of food or water are sometimes looked into, so we have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve actually been meaning to ask about that,¡± Darius said before hesitating for a moment. ¡°Like, no offence or anything, but I¡¯ve always heard that the Freeholders were nothing more than a nuisance. But, well, it seems like you guys are pretty organised, with the dead drops and guns and stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you really that stupid?¡± Tarek cut in with a disdainful scowl. ¡°Of course, the Empire isn¡¯t going to tell people about its failures. Wouldn¡¯t want anyone else getting ideas, after all.¡±


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t put it so¡­ confrontationally,¡± Corin winced, ¡°But he¡¯s not wrong.¡±


    Before Darius could process the comment or fire back, Lena¡¯s voice rang out from the front, tense and clipped.


    ¡°Hey, heads up back there! We¡¯re pulling out.¡±


    Darius exchanged a quick look with Corin, who immediately pushed off the crates and peered toward the front. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he called out.


    ¡°Imperial patrol,¡± Harlan responded, his voice low but steady. ¡°We¡¯ve spotted a few vehicles up ahead. Don¡¯t want to risk getting too close, so we¡¯re turning back now. Everybody, keep your heads down, and make sure your gear is stowed.¡±


    Darius braced himself as the transport lurched into motion, turning down a side street.


    ¡°Better get that out of sight,¡± Corin said, aiming a pointed look at Tarek, who was still fiddling with his rifle. ¡°Don¡¯t want them spotting it through a window.¡±


    With a roll of his eyes, Tarek begrudgingly tucked his weapon haphazardly between some crates and the wall, hidden from casual inspection but still in easy reach. Darius nervously palmed the grip of his own pistol, tucked into his waistband at the small of his back.


    Harlan muttered a curse from the driver¡¯s seat, and when Darius peered through the front windscreen, he saw another Imperial patrol blocking the street, checking pedestrians and vehicles. Lena flicked at the dataslate in her hands for a moment before shaking her head.


    ¡°No detours between here and there. We could try turning around, but¡­¡±


    ¡°That would attract more attention,¡± Harlan finished. ¡°Everyone stay calm. Keep quiet and let me do the talking.¡± He cast a glance over his shoulder. ¡°If things go south, be ready ¨C there¡¯s no way this old thing will bust through that roadblock, so we¡¯ll have to turn around. Be ready to give us some covering fire to dissuade pursuit.¡±


    Darius was getting a little wide-eyed at this point, but Corin was perfectly calm, and Tarek even had an eager gleam in his eyes. He watched as the two of them started shuffling crates around, forming a low barrier between them and the back of the vehicle.


    ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± Darius asked, mouth dry.


    ¡°Gives us cover,¡± Tarek answered shortly, ironically less confrontational now that there was a confrontation looming. ¡°If we have to make a run for it, chances are they¡¯ll be shooting. We can hide behind this and shoot back.¡±


    {I do not believe these crates will provide sufficient protection from projectile weaponry.} Echo said, jolting Darius out of his stunned silence. For once, his passenger¡¯s voice was more comforting than annoying, giving him something to focus on.


    Corin shrugged as Darius relayed Echo¡¯s sentiment. ¡°Sure, these won¡¯t stop a bullet,¡± he said with a worrying amount of nonchalance. ¡°But it won¡¯t hurt, either, and ducking behind any kind of cover will make it harder for them to know where to aim.¡±


    Darius tried to ignore the knot of anxiety twisting in his gut, focusing instead on adjusting the crate in front of him to match Corin¡¯s makeshift barricade. The transport slowed, and through the small gap toward the front, he saw the flicker of Imperial uniforms at the roadblock up ahead. His fingers brushed against the cold metal of the pistol at his back, more for reassurance than anything. He had no idea if he¡¯d even be able to pull the trigger if it came to it.


    Harlan rolled down his window as they approached the roadblock, putting on the face of a driver slightly irritated by the inconvenience but not concerned enough to be suspicious. Darius watched as an Imperial officer stepped up, leaning against the window with a clipboard.


    ¡°Routine inspection, nothing to worry about,¡± the officer said, his tone as flat and detached as Darius expected. ¡°What¡¯s your business here?¡±


    ¡°My daughter¡¯s moving out,¡± Harlan answered smoothly, gesturing to Lena in the seat beside him. The sudden shift from ¡®gruff squad leader¡¯ to ¡®doting-but-beleaguered father¡¯ took Darius off guard. ¡°Giving her a hand to shift some last odds and ends.¡±


    The officer glanced at Lena, who gave him a polite but disinterested smile, tapping at the dataslate in her lap as if she¡¯d already lost interest in the conversation. Harlan rolled his eyes companionably at the officer, who snorted in amusement.


    ¡°Won¡¯t take too much of your time then. Just pop open the back for us, and we¡¯ll do a quick check.¡±


    Harlan nodded agreeably and thumbed the control that unlocked the back doors to the cargo area. Darius¡¯s pulse spiked as the guards stepped around to the rear of the transport, reaching for the latch. Corin caught his eye and gave a subtle nod, shifting his weight to appear relaxed. Tarek, meanwhile, leaned back and let out an exaggerated yawn, rubbing his eyes in a way that conveniently shielded his face just as the doors swung open.


    One of the guards raised a flashlight, sweeping the beam over the stacked crates and landing on Corin, who looked every bit the picture of casual indifference, his eyes half-lidded as if bored by the interruption. The flashlight continued over to Tarek, who had resumed scratching his nose, his face partially obscured. Both guards seemed satisfied, moving on without a second glance.


    But then the light hit Darius, lingering for a beat too long. He froze, his attempt at a neutral expression faltering as one of the guards narrowed his eyes, studying him with a spark of recognition.


    ¡°Hold up,¡± the guard said, voice sharp. He turned to his partner, pulling a small data pad from his belt and bringing up an image. The guard¡¯s gaze flicked from the pad to Darius and back, his frown deepening.


    Darius felt a chill run down his spine, his heart pounding so hard he was sure they¡¯d be able to hear it. He cast a quick, desperate glance at Corin, who raised an eyebrow in an attempt at an encouraging look that fell flat.


    The guard¡¯s next words were predictably not what Darius was hoping for. ¡°Sir! You might want to have a look at this ¨C got a possible match here.¡±


    ¡°Oh well,¡± Tarek sighed in faux disappointment, letting his hand fall from where it had been covering his face.


    Harlan¡¯s jaw clenched before smoothing out. ¡°You might want to hold on to something back there,¡± he called over his shoulder calmly.


    Darius had just enough time to see the puzzled expression on the officer¡¯s face before Harlan floored it.

 10. False Fronts

    Chapter 10 - False Fronts


    Darius ducked further behind the wall of crates as a bullet pinged off the frame of the transport above his head and wondered, not for the first time, where it had all gone so spectacularly wrong.


    In the immediate sense, he knew exactly when things had gone sideways¡ªthe instant that guard recognised his face. In a broader, more philosophical sense¡­ was it the day his brother died? When he¡¯d taken the fall and ended up in prison? No, of course not. It was when that blasted AI decided to hitch a ride in his head.


    Another sharp retort echoed through the confined space as Corin and Tarek fired out the open rear doors. Darius flinched, feeling the sound like a hammer between his ears. Corin looked tense, but Tarek¡ªdamn him¡ªhad an eager gleam in his eye, calm as anything, taking time to pick his shots while Darius huddled behind cover with a pistol he barely knew how to hold.


    ¡°Kallan!¡± Tarek yelled over the gunfire, catching his eye for half a second before turning back to fire. ¡°You¡¯re not a spectator ¨C start shooting!¡±


    Darius swallowed hard, fumbling to raise his pistol as he pointed it in the vague direction of the pursuing vehicles and pulled the trigger. The weapon jumped in his hands, almost dislodging itself from his grip.


    The bullet went¡­ somewhere, presumably. Certainly nowhere near his target.


    The second and third shots were little better, and by the time his magazine clicked empty, he thought he might have skimmed the vehicle with a single bullet. Darius stared down at his pistol blankly, trying to remember Lena¡¯s brief instructions on how to reload.


    {I believe I may be of assistance.}


    Before he had the chance to fully process that, his augs fizzed for a moment, static flashing across his vision before resolving itself. In its wake, a calm blue light was blinking over a small button on the side of the grip.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he muttered, trying not to look like he was taking advice from his own head as he pressed the button. The empty magazine slid out, and with Echo¡¯s overlay guiding him, he managed to snap in a fresh one. His hands were shaking, but at least now they were doing something other than fumbling.


    This time, when he raised the pistol once again, a thin beam of light was projected from the end of the barrel like someone had taped a laser pointer to the weapon. The occasional lag, not to mention how the beam was easily visible despite the bright sunlight, indicated that this was a virtual addition, presumably done through his augs. Normally, Darius would be quietly seething at how Echo had altered his vision without even so much as asking.


    Now, though, he was just grateful. He took a deep breath, steadying himself as he aligned the glowing line with one of the distant vehicles. He squeezed the trigger again, this time feeling more in control as the shot hit the vehicle¡¯s side panel with a satisfying ping.


    ¡°Better!¡± Corin shouted, glancing over his shoulder with a grin. ¡°Try aiming for the lower right corner; it¡¯s where the intake valves are. Knock them out and they¡¯ll have to pull over or risk melting the engine!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Darius called back, shifting his aim to the aforementioned area, blinking in surprise as the beam of light he was using to aim shifted green as it passed over the target.


    Useful, he thought idly, already pulling the trigger. Two shots later ¨C he¡¯d slowed to pick his shots more carefully now that they might actually do something ¨C and a satisfying plume of smoke rose from the enemy vehicle, which slowed and drifted behind as the rest of the convoy powered forward.


    ¡°Good shooting!¡± Corin laughed incredulously. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can make it two for two!¡±


    Darius didn¡¯t even think before turning to the next car. The targeting reticle flickered slightly as Echo realigned it, guiding him to aim a few degrees lower. The reckless driving of their own transport made the first few shots narrowly miss, but a louder crack from beside him showed the Tarek wasn¡¯t as bothered by the shifting platform.


    The Imperial vehicle wobbled before the engine seized with a dull grind, and it pulled out of the chase, barely managing to avoid ploughing into the few pedestrians that hadn¡¯t immediately dived for cover.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll do,¡± Tarek called, with a quick, almost approving nod as he slammed a fresh magazine into his own weapon. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re getting the hang of it.¡±


    ¡°Good shooting!¡± Harlan called back from up front. ¡°But we¡¯re not out of the woods yet, and we¡¯re not taking this scrap heap all the way home. Once we¡¯re clear, we¡¯ll find a place to ditch it and go on foot. Won¡¯t risk leading them right back to us.¡±


    The others didn¡¯t hesitate, already opening up the crates and filling any available pocket with choice supplies as Harlan pulled sharply into a dark side street. Darius lowered his pistol, tucking it into his belt as he glanced at the now-empty street behind them.


    His heart was still pounding with adrenaline, but it wasn¡¯t fear anymore. For the first time in more years than he cared to count, he felt¡­ in control.


    ¨C ¨C ¨C


    ¡°I give you my personal guarantee, Minister,¡± Station Commander Trask said in his most reassuring tone, ¡°That everything is under control. The disruptions will continue only as long as strictly necessary and not a moment longer.¡±


    Years of clawing his way up the ranks told him that promising anything was a dangerous endeavour, but he was unfortunately short on options right now. It had seemed so simple at first ¨C institute a few additional patrols, increase the guards assigned to critical areas for a few weeks, and everything would blow over.


    The interminable Imperial Agent would doubtlessly get bored about whatever project he found on this barren rock ¨C or, even better, be reassigned by Imperial Intelligence ¨C and he would be left to enjoy the peaceful monotony of running a frontier colony.


    Oh, he knew about the Freeholder cell operating in his station, of course. They were reasonably sneaky, as far as those went ¨C clearly, someone who knew what they were doing was in charge ¨C but at the end of the day, he¡¯d specifically set up the layout of his station to make sure there were convenient abandoned factories and warehouses all in the same district. These things were always going to happen anyway, so it was simply more efficient to have them all clustered in the same area.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    And while the Freeholders had quite a bit of practice hiding their purchases and supply acquisitions, it was significantly more challenging to disguise power draw, especially when no other building in the sector was active.


    Commander Trask let out a slow, frustrated breath as he finally deactivated his communicator, sagging back into his chair as if the weight of the station itself had settled onto his shoulders. He had hoped¡ªperhaps optimistically¡ªthat the patrols would scare the Freeholders into lying low for a while. The next logical step would¡¯ve been to quietly wind down the extra security measures and claim victory with minimal hassle. But now, after today¡¯s incident¡­ Trask groaned, dragging a hand down his face.


    It wasn¡¯t supposed to turn into a firefight. A loud, messy scene in the middle of the sector was precisely the opposite of what he¡¯d wanted. And now, the Minister, who had about as much patience as a bored housecat, would likely come sniffing around, hungry for updates and reassurances he had no interest in supplying.


    ¡°Sir?¡± The soft, familiar voice of Liera, his ever-watchful secretary, broke the silence as she poked her head around the door, one eyebrow raised. ¡°Is this a bad time?¡±


    He sat up, smoothing his expression into something resembling composure. ¡°Depends on your definition of ¡®bad,¡¯ Liera,¡± he replied with a tired half-smile. ¡°Have any more good news to add to today¡¯s bounty?¡±


    She offered him a sympathetic smile as she stepped into the room, a slim dataslate in hand. ¡°Only if you consider a stack of reports detailing last week¡¯s resource losses to be ¡®good news.¡¯¡±


    Trask sagged, letting his head fall back to gently thunk against the cushioned, genuine leather of his office chair. The pencil pushers in accounting might have kicked up a fuss at the expense, but as far as he was concerned, it was worth it.


    ¡°This might cheer you up a little,¡± Liera chuckled, pulling her other hand from behind her back to reveal a plate of lemon squares.


    ¡°You are a saint, woman,¡± Trask groaned appreciatively, bypassing the dataslate she was holding in favour of reaching for the sugary goodness on the plate. It did his waistline no favours, but at this point that particular ship had sailed anyway, so he didn¡¯t much care. ¡°Why did the damn patrols have to actually work?¡± he whined through a mouthful of stress relief.


    Strictly speaking, he shouldn¡¯t be sharing ostensibly classified information with his secretary, but he¡¯d quietly bumped up her clearance level years ago. If he couldn¡¯t complain about his work to someone, what was the point of having a secretary at all?


    ¡°That Agent Falk is going to be expecting you to keep working at this now that it¡¯s had some success, I¡¯d assume?¡± she asked knowingly, stealing a lemon square for herself.


    Trask sighed, nodding. ¡°He¡¯ll expect escalation. Progress. Evidence that our station is so deeply invested in ridding itself of Freeholder scum, we can hardly catch a break for all the good we¡¯re doing.¡±


    She gave him a look of understanding, carefully considering her words before speaking. ¡°If you¡¯re hoping they¡¯ll settle down so you can end the patrols quietly, it might be worth... finding ways to steer the focus. Remind them where they¡¯re supposed to be lurking, as it were.¡±


    Trask¡¯s gaze sharpened, a flicker of interest sparking in his eyes. ¡°Encourage them to stay in certain sectors, you mean? Nudge them back into more controllable areas.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Exactly. If the Freeholders can be kept to the industrial sector, the patrols could focus there exclusively¡ªenough presence to look diligent but with far less risk of disrupting our day-to-day. Let Falk see what he wants to see without having them poking their heads where they don¡¯t belong.¡±


    Trask allowed himself a small, appreciative smile, the tension in his posture easing ever so slightly. Some Commanders would be horrified at the comparatively unqualified woman offering her opinion on station matters. They would probably fire her on the spot for taking the liberty.


    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m paying you too much or not enough, sometimes.¡± He mused.


    ¡°Oh, never enough, sir,¡± she laughed.


    He chuckled, his gaze drifting back to the datapad and the growing list of complications it represented. ¡°Just one quiet month, Liera. That¡¯s all I ask. One month without any... interruptions.¡± He waved a dismissive hand. ¡°But instead, I¡¯ve got Falk breathing down my neck and Ministerial scrutiny piling on every time a patrol so much as catches a glimpse of a Freeholder shadow.¡±


    Liera gave him a long, considering look. ¡°Admit it, you wouldn¡¯t leave this post for a cushy desk in the Core if they offered it tomorrow.¡±


    Trask¡¯s lips quirked up into a reluctant grin. ¡°I didn¡¯t claw my way up the ranks to become just another bureaucrat, Liera. I¡¯d rather handle this mess than rot in the back office of some sanitised station.¡± He let out a resigned sigh. ¡°Though some days, the Core sounds like a damn paradise.¡±


    ¡°Then I suggest you make peace with the chaos here,¡± she replied smoothly. ¡°Because, like it or not, you¡¯re now in the business of finding a way to look busy without actually being busy.¡± She paused, arching an eyebrow. ¡°And, of course, keeping Falk out of your hair while doing so.¡±


    Trask chuckled, though the humour barely reached his eyes. ¡°Oh, he¡¯ll keep. Falk doesn¡¯t know half the games we¡¯re playing here. And as long as he stays in the dark, I can keep everything under control.¡±


    ¡°Then here¡¯s to the art of misdirection,¡± Liera replied, toasting him with another stolen treat. ¡°And to hoping today¡¯s mess doesn¡¯t turn into tomorrow¡¯s crisis.¡±


    Trask snagged the final square from the plate before she could steal that one too. ¡°Did you just come in here to give me more work and steal all my treats?¡± he pouted.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s just a bonus,¡± she snarked. ¡°I¡¯m actually clocking out early, remember? Date night with Rob.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course. Give him my regards, won¡¯t you?¡± Trask waved her off with a smile, already turning his attention to the dataslate.


    For all that Agent Falk shouldn¡¯t be a problem, Imperial Intelligence tended to be very good at sticking its nose where it didn¡¯t belong. Trask had spent years setting up the careful balance in this station, and the idea that it could all come crashing down this close to the finish line because one man got a little too curious¡­ Well. It didn¡¯t bear thinking about.


    No, Agent Falk would have to be carefully managed ¨C in a way that either didn¡¯t impact his existing plans or, ideally, in a way that advanced them. Liera¡¯s idea of isolating the Freeholders to the abandoned industrial sector was an excellent start, but he hadn¡¯t gotten this far without having backup plans for his backup plans.


    Trask frowned, tapping his fingers thoughtfully against the dataslate as he scanned the recent reports. After a moment, his eyes drifted back to a specific segment on the slate¡ªpower consumption metrics across the industrial sector. The Freeholders¡¯ activity was most visible there, after all, and while they¡¯d no doubt become more careful after today¡¯s chaos, they still couldn¡¯t operate without power. Trask¡¯s frown eased into a slight smirk as a plan began to take shape.


    Agent Falk wasn¡¯t an idiot, after all. He would doubtlessly check these sorts of readings himself at some point to help him narrow down that Kallan fellow he was so interested in. But with a few modifications¡­


    Pleased with this train of thought, Trask straightened, glancing toward the door where Liera had just exited to make sure she was gone. Satisfied with his privacy, he reached under his desk and pressed a well-hidden button, allowing a highly modified dataslate to drop into his waiting hands. Logging in with a set of credentials that he definitely shouldn¡¯t have access to, he carefully started editing data.


    It was possible he was overestimating Falk, that these modifications wouldn¡¯t be discovered at all. Still, it cost him nothing but time, and if it did end up panning out¡­ well, wouldn¡¯t it just be a terrible shame if the Minister ended up implicated in this sort of political quagmire.


    And while he wasn¡¯t entirely sure of Falk¡¯s original mission in the sector, he wasn¡¯t an idiot ¨C this close to the border, with a ship like that? The chances of it involving the Xenos were relatively high, which meant he would be very interested in the story this data told.


    Hell, he might even try to drop some hints about it himself¡­ but no. Trask might consider himself something of a hobbyist when it came to this spy stuff, but that didn¡¯t mean he was willing to start swimming in those depths professionally. Better to set things up and let the chips fall where they may.


    Of course, all this would probably implicate that Darius fellow even more¡­


    But Trask didn¡¯t particularly care about him anyway.


    With that settled, he finally allowed himself to relax, setting the dataslate aside. He leaned back, a wry smile playing on his lips. Yes, this could work. Falk would get his action, the Minister would get a report, and¡ªif all went well¡ªthe Freeholders would slip back under the radar, hiding or dead, ideally leaving Trask to enjoy a quiet station once again.


    ¡°Here¡¯s to a job halfway done,¡± he murmured to the empty room, raising his last lemon square in a mock toast to himself.

 11. Collateral Questions

    Chapter 11 - Collateral Questions


    Darius leaned against the rusty metal wall of the abandoned building they were hiding in, trying to catch his breath. His heart was still racing from their mad dash through the industrial sector¡¯s back alleys and side streets.


    He glanced at the others - Corin was keeping watch at one of the filthy windows overlooking the street while Tarek and Lena sorted through the supplies they¡¯d managed to grab before abandoning the transport. Harlan stood a short distance away, speaking in hushed tones into a communicator.


    The adrenaline was fading now, leaving him feeling drained and empty. Had that really just happened? Had he really just been involved in a running gunfight through the streets?


    In the moment, everything had felt so exciting, his heart pounding as bullets pinged off the walls around him, and the thrill of victory as his shots had disabled one of the vehicles. Now that it had passed¡­ the doubts were starting to set in. He realised for the first time that he had been shooting at people. Imperial guards, maybe, but just because he didn¡¯t like the Empire didn¡¯t mean that everyone in it was rotten.


    The people driving those vehicles were probably just doing their jobs ¨C and he hadn¡¯t even hesitated to shoot at them.


    In fairness, they shot at him first, but still. It was the principle of the thing. Or something, anyway ¨C he¡¯d always privately thought that principles were a luxury that only the successful could afford.


    ¡°Well,¡± Corin chirped as he rejoined the group, ¡°That was exciting.¡±


    Tarek snorted. ¡°Speak for yourself. I could have done without the running.¡±


    ¡°Oh please,¡± Lena rolled her eyes, ¡°You loved every second of it.¡±


    ¡°Heh. You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Tarek admitted, a grin breaking across his face. Darius blinked in surprise at seeing it ¨C he hadn¡¯t known the surly man was capable of expressing positive emotions. ¡°You handled yourself pretty well there, Kallan,¡± the man continued, turning to him. ¡°Froze up at the beginning, but that¡¯s not unusual. You¡¯re not bad with that pistol, either.¡±


    And the surprises kept on coming.


    ¡°Uh, thanks,¡± Darius managed. ¡°Beginners luck, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Told you you¡¯d be happy to have it if things went south,¡± teased Lena. ¡°Mayfly says you did better than expected!¡±


    Tarek groaned loudly and turned away, and Corin quickly hid a grin.


    ¡°Mayfly?¡± Darius asked with a raised eyebrow. Was there another member of the squad that he had yet to meet?


    ¡°It¡¯s her VI interface,¡± Tarek broke in, rolling his eyes. ¡°She doesn¡¯t like using the menus like a normal person, so she bought this voice interface VI. Insists on treating the stupid thing like a person. Gave it a name and everything.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not stupid!¡± Lena shot back defensively, pouting. ¡°I get eye strain trying to use the menus. And of course I use her name ¨C it¡¯s called being polite!¡±


    VI¡¯s were not a new technology ¨C they had been around in some form or another for centuries. The exact quality tended to range from ¡®barely coherent text-to-speech¡¯ all the way to ¡®scarily human¡¯. Once upon a time, humanity looked to these machines and saw the future of artificial intelligence. They thought VI technology would revolutionise everything, ushering in an era where humans and machines worked in harmony, where menial tasks and even complex decision-making could be entrusted to something without flaws, without bias.


    But somewhere along the way, reality lagged behind those grand ideals. VIs could process a limited scope of commands and information well enough but failed embarrassingly whenever they encountered a task they weren¡¯t explicitly designed for.


    Nowadays, they were mostly used for narrow, repetitive functions. Call up the data feed. Analyse shipment schedules. Log maintenance routines. A few tech-heads had held onto them for their novelty factor, like Lena, who used her VI for basic HUD navigation, a task any basic manual control could handle. Her ¡°Mayfly¡± could open a menu and navigate an interface, sure, but expecting it to do anything beyond that was laughable.


    And so people did laugh, mostly at Lena, whenever she treated it like it was something more than a glorified voice prompt. No wonder they teased her about it. Darius opened his mouth to join in the ribbing, half a smirk forming on his lips.


    Except¡­


    Oh, hell.


    It was the perfect cover. He¡¯d been worried about looking like a lunatic, talking to Echo when no one else could hear it. Now, instead of just looking crazy, he risked looking like a complete loser. Darius ran a hand over his face, still grimy from the mad dash earlier. Dignity or discretion¡ªhe¡¯d have to pick one.


    And, really, there was no choice at all.


    ¡°I¡­ actually have a VI of my own,¡± he admitted, voice tinged with reluctant misery as he cut into the conversation. Tarek and Corin looked over, incredulous.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what was that?¡± Corin asked, his voice thick with amusement. ¡°Didn¡¯t peg you for the type, Kallan.¡±


    ¡°You heard me,¡± Darius muttered, resigned.


    Lena¡¯s eyes widened, delighted. ¡°No way! Finally, someone else who gets it! You¡¯re serious, right?¡±


    Darius forced a weak grin, scratching his neck. ¡°Yeah. My sister got it for me,¡± he added quickly, glancing around and catching Corin¡¯s raised eyebrow and Tarek¡¯s smirk. It was already starting.


    ¡°That¡¯s so cool! Just ignore them¡ªthey¡¯re behind the times,¡± Lena said, waving a hand at the snickering duo. ¡°What¡¯s its name?¡±


    ¡°Echo,¡± he muttered, wincing as he felt his dignity wilt. He¡¯d done some cringey things over the years, but this was near the top of the list.


    *An excellent cover,* Echo chimed in through his augs. *I believe it would be well within my capabilities to mimic a standard VI interface.*


    ¡°Echo, huh?¡± Tarek snorted, crossing his arms as Corin¡¯s shoulders shook with silent laughter. ¡°What, you were so lonely that your only company was your own echo?¡±


    Darius clenched his jaw, cursing himself for falling into this mess. Though, admittedly, it was actually a pretty good insult. ¡°Yeah, yeah, get it out of your system,¡± he muttered, knowing full well they wouldn¡¯t.


    Then, as if things couldn¡¯t get worse, Harlan finished his call and strolled over, his eyebrow raised at the scene. He didn¡¯t say anything, but the glint in his eye spoke volumes nevertheless. He¡¯d clearly overheard Darius¡¯s shame.


    Darius shrugged, trying to look casual. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s just a tool, alright?¡± His voice came out more defensive than he¡¯d meant. ¡°Keeps me efficient.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotta let me meet him!¡± Lena said brightly, either oblivious to or ignoring the other two. ¡°VIs are amazing! Uh¡ªuseful,¡± she corrected, her cheeks a little pink. Her enthusiasm didn¡¯t do much for Darius¡¯s sense of dignity.


    Echo, apparently, took that as an invitation.


    {It is a pleasure to meet you all,} it intoned, its voice echoing from Lena¡¯s dataslate.


    Darius wasn¡¯t sure who was more surprised. The group froze, Tarek¡¯s smirk faltering and Corin¡¯s hand dropping to the grip of his weapon as they stared at the dataslate. The synthesised voice was calm, unnervingly articulate, and very¡­ not human.


    Not to mention, Echo had somehow casually hacked into a nearby device. Darius doubted Lena¡¯s slate had any serious encryption, but even so, an off-the-shelf VI should not be capable of that.


    Even Lena looked taken aback for a second before a delighted smile lit up her face.


    ¡°Oh wow!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s great to meet you! You must be really advanced!¡±


    Tarek and Corin relaxed slightly, their curiosity piqued, but Harlan¡¯s expression changed. A look of dawning horror crept across his face. He swore, spinning toward Darius.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Shut down your augs,¡± he snapped. ¡°The Empire can track them, and after they spotted you on the streets you can be sure they¡¯ll be trying.¡±


    The older man swore again, storming over to the windows and peering out at the empty streets. ¡°It¡¯s a goddamn miracle they haven¡¯t found us already,¡± he bit out. ¡°We¡¯ve got a jammer set up back at base, but there¡¯s no way we can lead them back¡­¡±


    {I have been rerouting the Empire¡¯s attempts at tracking for several minutes already. The chances of them successfully cutting through my interference are slim.} Echo volunteered, to general disbelief.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not a standard VI thing, is it?¡± Corin whispered to Lena after a moment.


    ¡°Uh, no. Well, at least Mayfly can¡¯t do anything like that. Are you sure it¡¯s working, uh, Echo? Not that I doubt you or anything, but, well, it¡¯s surprising.¡±


    ¡°How confident are you in your VI, Kallan?¡± Harlan asked intently before Echo could respond. ¡°This is no time for playing around ¨C if you have even the slightest doubts, tell me now and we can work around it.¡±


    Darius smiled through gritted teeth. Was the stupid AI going to reveal all of its secrets? ¡®Well within its abilities to mimic a standard VI¡¯ his left foot! He was starting to get the terrible feeling he had given up his dignity for nothing.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m hardly an expert myself, but apparently, the Empire was trying to track me through my augs before I ever met up with the Freeholders in the first place, and they never found me, so¡­¡± he trailed off with a shrug.


    Harlan didn¡¯t seem terribly satisfied with his answer, but it was the only one he had to offer.


    ¡°I suppose if they were able to track you, they would probably already have arrested us by now,¡± he admitted. ¡°Unless, of course, they¡¯re hoping you¡¯ll lead them back to our base.¡±


    ¡°Judging by how they were looking for him specifically at the checkpoint, they probably would have been trying to track him already,¡± Corin pointed out.


    Harlan raised an inquisitive eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡±


    ¡°Well, if they had already tracked him, they would have noticed his signal pop up as soon as he left the jammer¡¯s range. So they would already know where the base is ¨C or close enough for it not to matter, at least.¡±


    Tarek¡¯s expression was darkening, and he was clutching his rifle in a way that made Darius distinctly uncomfortable, but Lena was nodding along.


    ¡°So if Echo isn¡¯t able to hide Darius, then the base is already compromised, and they wouldn¡¯t have any reason to hold off on arresting us? Which means¡­ the fact that they haven¡¯t arrested us is proof that Echo¡¯s¡­ whatever, is working?¡± she asked.


    Harlan nodded slowly. ¡°It¡¯s relying more on chance than I would like,¡± he admitted, ¡°but the logic does check out. I¡¯ll call the boss lady and tell her to start shifting things around, just in case. We¡¯ll hang around here for another hour or so before making our way back. Worst case scenario¡­ hopefully they would have had enough time to get out before we arrive.¡±


    The rest of the squad nodded, though the previously light mood was well and truly gone. Darius shuffled over to a makeshift seat, sagging down on the rubble while rubbing a hand over his face and trying to look for the silver lining. If anything, his squad was likely to be more suspicious of his VI now, and there was a not-insignificant chance the Empire would be waiting to arrest them back at the base.


    At least he could talk to Echo without being suspicious?


    ¨C ¨C ¨C


    The trip back to the Freeholder¡¯s home base was thankfully free of Imperial presence, though the tension was definitely high. Darius found himself peeking around every corner and checking every shadow like there was an Imperial patrol just waiting to spring out with a ¡®gotcha¡¯.


    The rest of the squad dealt with the stress differently. Tarek held his rifle at the ready like he was itching for a chance to use it. Corin seemed casual at first glance, but a closer look revealed the tension around his eyes. Harlan was¡­ well, Darius couldn¡¯t really get a read on Harlan, to be honest.


    Lena was skipping along.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if she was putting up a front like Corin but with better acting, or if she genuinely wasn¡¯t bothered by the potentially impending doom.


    Either way, he was jealous.


    By the time they got to a section that Darius recognised, he was discretely palming the grip of his pistol tucked under his jacket. It was a little concerning how quickly he had gotten used to the sensation of a weapon in his hands, not to mention how he already seemed to be using it as a stress ball of sorts. It probably said something about him as a person, but he wasn¡¯t qualified to say what it was.


    Even to Darius, who had spent all of a night here, the base felt different as they filed in. It was like someone had taken the usual hum of activity and muffled it. Half the lights were off, and where there were usually groups huddled around consoles or stockpiling gear, there were only a handful of people, each looking more focused ¨C and more nervous ¨C than usual.


    ¡°Guess they weren¡¯t taking any chances,¡± Corin muttered as he glanced around the room. ¡°Looks like a lot of folks have already cleared out.¡±


    ¡°Better to assume the worst than wait around and get caught in the act,¡± Harlan replied, his voice low but approving. ¡°Voss had the right idea.¡±


    At the sound of her name, Kara Voss appeared from one of the side corridors, her figure silhouetted against the dim light. She approached them with quick, precise strides, her gaze landing on each of them in turn. When her eyes met Darius¡¯s, he felt the weight of her scrutiny and managed not to fidget under her stare.


    ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± she said, curtly but with an air of relief. ¡°Good. Follow me¡ªwe¡¯ve got a lot to discuss, and you¡¯re going to need to answer some questions, Kallan.¡± Her eyes narrowed, and he got the impression that any attempts to brush things off would be crushed before he even started.


    The squad exchanged looks but followed her without a word. She led them past the office she had used before, through a series of winding corridors that seemed more deserted with each turn. Finally, they reached a small room tucked away into what Darius assumed was the back of the base. The walls were lined with crates and dataslates, and a single, dim ceiling light cast a hazy glow over a central table.


    Voss leaned against the table, crossing her arms as she studied the group. ¡°Alright, give me the rundown. Anything I need to know right off the bat?¡±


    Corin cleared his throat, giving a quick, efficient report of the supply run and the encounter with the Imperials, omitting no detail. When he was done, Voss nodded, then looked at Darius again, her expression unreadable.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re going to volunteer any information?¡± she asked sardonically. ¡°I¡¯m starting to realise that Finn was rather light on the pertinent information about your situation.¡±


    She stood, grabbing a chair from the corner and dragging it over to the table letting it scrap loudly against the dura-crete floor. ¡°So I¡¯m going to need some more than vagaries here, Kallan. By all accounts, the Imperials were looking for you. Specifically. And not just the patrol you encountered ¨C every squad on the station reported the same thing.¡±


    Voss fixed him with an intense look. It wasn¡¯t quite hostile, but it wasn¡¯t terribly far off either. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you this to give you a hard time ¨C everyone here understands what it means to run from the Empire.¡±


    Darius licked his lips nervously. Really, it was surprising that his vague stories had gotten him this far ¨C either the Freeholders were really desperate for new blood and didn¡¯t look very closely at where it came from, or Finn¡¯s word carried more weight than he had thought. Either way, he was going to have to give them something.


    ¡°I¡­ was working on the Imperial warship that landed a few days ago,¡± he began, picking his words carefully. ¡°During my work, I accidentally got access to the ship¡¯s restricted areas, and I believe they think I may have stolen some¡­ important information while I was there.¡±


    Voss processed that for a moment. ¡°And do you have any information, stolen or otherwise?¡±


    {I believe it may be best to refrain from providing any further information.} Echo¡¯s voice crackled through his augs, making him twitch in his seat. It wasn¡¯t that he disagreed with the AI¡¯s statement, but he also wasn¡¯t sure if they would accept that.


    ¡°Did your VI just¡­¡± Tarek broke in, noticing his reaction and raising an eyebrow as he glanced at Darius.


    Darius forced a shrug, hoping it looked casual. ¡°It likes to chime in. Keeps me¡­ efficient.¡± He aimed for an offhand tone, but Voss¡¯s sharp gaze didn¡¯t waver.


    ¡°I suppose that leads to my next question,¡± Voss said dryly, shifting her approach. ¡°How, exactly, is it that your VI is able to hide you from Imperial tracking? As I¡¯m sure you understand, the Freeholders would very much like to get their hands on whatever program or implant allows you to do that.¡±


    Darius swallowed, acutely aware of the squad¡¯s attention on him. ¡°It¡¯s, uh¡­ something my sister got me,¡± he began, feeling the familiar discomfort rise. ¡°It has some enhanced capabilities, I guess, compared to standard models. But it¡¯s still a basic interface ¨C it¡¯s just good at rerouting signals.¡±


    Voss arched an eyebrow, and he resisted the urge to squirm. Or slap himself in the face ¨C that was a terrible excuse.


    ¡°Interesting. I¡¯ll admit, we don¡¯t see that kind of rerouting often,¡± she replied, her tone lightening almost imperceptibly. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s fortunate that you have it, though. Given how persistent the Imperials seem to be, we might all be in trouble otherwise.¡±


    Darius blinked, uncertain if she was mocking him. She met his gaze levelly, not breaking eye contact as she pulled her chair a little closer to the table, as though they were settling in for a friendly conversation rather than an interrogation.


    ¡°Either way, you showed real resourcefulness out there. Keeping a level head during a firefight isn¡¯t exactly beginner¡¯s luck, is it?¡± She gave him the faintest hint of a smile. ¡°We can use that kind of focus.¡±


    He opened his mouth, about to make some self-deprecating remark, but her look stopped him. She wasn¡¯t trying to corner him; it was as if she was leaving the door open for him to volunteer more¡­ if he wanted.


    ¡°Look, I know you don¡¯t want to show all your cards,¡± she said, her tone almost conversational now. ¡°I get it. But if you do happen to remember anything about how that VI of yours operates, anything that might help us¡ª¡± she shrugged, keeping her voice casual, ¡°I¡¯m sure the Freeholders would be very interested. And, of course, we¡¯d make it worth your while.¡±


    Darius nodded slowly, feeling a little off-balance. He hadn¡¯t expected Voss to shift gears like this. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll let you know,¡± he managed.


    ¡°Good.¡± She straightened up, her sharp gaze sweeping the rest of the group briefly before returning to him. ¡°In the meantime, we¡¯re going to put those new skills of yours to work.¡±


    ¡°New skills?¡± Darius asked, unable to stop the sceptical look that crossed his face.


    A small smirk touched Voss¡¯s mouth. ¡°You can evade Imperial tracking, Kallan, which is more than I can say for half the people here. That¡¯s valuable, and we need to make use of it.¡± She folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, but her eyes didn¡¯t leave his. ¡°Besides, since they were so intent on tracking you down, we¡¯ve had to shift everything out of this base for the foreseeable future. That¡¯s created a logistical headache, which you¡¯re going to help fix.¡±


    Darius looked around at the squad, expecting amusement or judgment, but they just watched him neutrally, waiting for his response.


    ¡°I¡­ sure, okay,¡± he said, a bit surprised to hear his own voice. But as he processed the words, he found that he wasn¡¯t as reluctant as he thought he¡¯d be.


    Voss inclined her head, the faint smirk returning. ¡°Good. We¡¯ll work out the details. Get some rest ¨C you¡¯ve earned it.¡± She glanced back at the others. ¡°You all have.¡±


    Darius followed the others out of the room, feeling like he¡¯d narrowly dodged a bullet. Voss¡¯s shift in tone at the end there was disquieting. She was clearly playing her own games, changing approaches to best suit whatever goal she was pursuing.


    He only hoped he would be able to get out before she decided he was more useful as a martyr than a member.