Is there a guide for Main Menu design. The desing in question is:
-Only display Title & One option(Possible faded options above & below).
-With control input(Keyboard/Controller) to Move the List of options Up & Down to display desired choice & hide other choices.

Map desing is real reason WHY the evacuation missions vs automatons are so hated, and why a similar objective is fine vs bugs.
The Terminids are primarily a melee faction with limited ranged options. Their heavily armored big threats aren't really a problem all the time because you usually see them way before they actually can hurt you. And their weakspot happens to be at the front and is quite big and easy to hit. The playstyle vs Terminids boils down to hitting weakspots on armored enemies and managing the horde of smaller opponents not not get overran while you do so. Putting players on a small arena like map vs Terminids is thus FINE, because it accentuates this dynamic by removing the ability to just run from the playe
Meanwhile, the Automatons are primarily a RANGED faction. Their heavy armor is a problem at all ranges sans very long range, rocket devastators can be a problem at any range, the Cannon Tank can be a problem at short/medium range, the hulk can be a problem at most ranges depending on the variant. Additionally their frontal weakspots tend to be small and require precision to effectively destroy, while all their shots tend to stagger you to prevent hitting them so you really dont want to get hit. Add to that the tank has NO frontal weakspot, so you just need to flank or use AT, So the playstyle vs Automatons relies heavily on managing range, staying behind cover, either terrain or buildings, and hitting hard and fast before the bots can just overwhelm you with reinforcements and heavy armor.
So putting players on a small arena like map vs Bots, and having them come FROM ALL SIDES is, indeed, NOT FUCKING FINE. It's impossible to stay behind cover, because no matter on which side of the fence you are you are exposed to one flank, it's very hard to aim for weakspots because you get staggered with a shot to the back all the time. You can't flank tanks because the enemies are everywhere and you WILL run out of AT ammo to hit them in the turret because the bots just dropped SEVEN of them at once.
Defense/Evac missions vs bots SUCK because we are not allowed to do the one thing that makes bots manageable and the missions vs them on bigger maps so fun. I can't flank a tank when there is 3 of them coming in a line no matter where I turn Arrowhead.
The maps for these missions vs bots need to be either more open ended where we go to point A, extract 10 guys quickly before we get overwhelmed as long as we don't mess it up, and then fade. Then we do the same at B, and then C etc. OR, make the defense map a line with pre-prepared defensive structures like trenches, dugouts with ammo, emplacements etc. And have the evacuation be done at the end of the line on a timer and then have the Pelican pick us up at the same LZ. Then we can actually have a slow fighting withdrawal where we have to manage the ability to stay at range vs how far away are we from the extract, can flank the tanks by going under them via the trenches etc.
Or for crying out loud just have the bots spawn farther away from the base so we can actually try and deal with them at range.
The current map design for defense/eradicate missions vs automatons is only good for pushing players into situations they should be avoiding at all costs vs bots with no way to really deal with them as they are locked into place by the map.

Acabei esquecendo um detalhamento que coloquei no rascunho mas nao passei pra folha de resposta e perdi ponto👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻

For some context, Genshin Impact is a game where you can occasionally play as children, some of them being Klee (an elf with a rabbit keychain), Nahida (A plant god based off of middle eastern theology), and Paimon (a non-playable floating fairy-like girl that is friends with the main character). Some other (adult-ish) characters that will be mentioned are HuTao (a girl who works as the boss of a funeral parlor), Ganyu (a half-goat secretary/accountant/something), and Lumine (female main character for this game).
also I will bold OP's replies, italicize downvoted replies, and link starting threads
The post
The post is essentially a guy showing off a huge tattoo on his leg with Lumine (the main character) having a flushed face and kind of looking like a hentai drawing with Paimon under her, also looking a bit sus. "My Genshin Impact Full leg got a new tattoo. in addition to Hu tao, Nahida and Klee, Lumine and Paimon have also joined. next is Ganyu"
​
"I have a Genshin tat as well (Yoimiya Koi Fish) but it ain't this blatant (Yoimiya is another playable character)
"Grown man getting suggestive art styles of young presenting and truly young female video game characters on his body.. concerning 💀🤦🏻‍♀️ but of course this is the genshin community so here comes the same type of men downvoting my comment. Again concerning..
> "The fact that 3/5 characters are Paimon, Klee, and Nahida doesn't help"
"EXACTLY 😭 plus they said it’s by the same artist so that means the other tats are just as suggestive.."
> You can blame my choice of character and style fpr sure but blaming the artist to do my commissions are realy not okay. If you see his post on insta you will see it how fcking great he is
> "this really isn’t suggestive at all, and neither are his other ones"
> "Fr, all these people think cleavage existing=porn. Dumb porn addicts telling on themselves fr"
...
> "womp womp"
"found the pedo"
> "You're free as a human to not like certain things, but you weirdos never take even a millisecond to do any sort of research or reflection about this stuff. You don't care, you just want to morally grandstand. Unsurprisingly, when you do an iota of research, just like fictional violence in media and games sexual content in media and games doesn't have some intrinsic, significant link to real world behavior or normalization. If you disagree I'm more than willing to have my opinion changed, just show me the peer reviewed, well respected studies proving such a link..." (not pasting all of that, find the whole comment here.)
"thats a huge essay to say “It’s not weird to jerk my willy to children cus they’re not REAL children, i just enjoy the look of them!” fucking disgusting chomo. get help."
​
"oh boi are you gonna regret that one"
"check their profile. There's more"
"Specially cause Lumine has a really big head and pretty small hands. Also, WHY it’s always so sexualized?""women are only made to be sexualized didn’t you know?? also paimon being sexy is kinda wild too""Its not its just ur mind xD""She is definitely sexualized in your drawing, you're not fooling anyone.""It's not, you guys are insane lol""Well maybe it looks like little lewd bit acutally i dont see it lewd i see it as art"
"Schizo take tbh, lay off the porn bro"
"Maybe if you’re a fucking porn addict and automatically associate certain poses with nsfw activities…"
​
Someone checks the hardrive..."Its fine but not my browser history"
Please just get a picture and put it on the wall next time.... You can look at it Every time you wake up"I see it everyday i shower so its fine
I can't believe all of the people that don't know you and never will commenting on how you feel about a piece you want through the entire process of getting. One mans cringe is another mans treasure, let the dude do what he wants. OP, any worries about this fading? A piece this colorful is going to need a lot of touch-ups. Edit: And the bodyshaming. Holy fuck boys, you're a letdown to the community. OP tries to share something he thinks is cool and we will like and you all go full asshole. Insanity" (editor's note: I did not see any bodyshaming, only people judging his choices)"Haha xD first yes its painfull af. Secondly. The re-piercing is always there with colorful tattoos. especially the white and blue areas. But the fading of the colors isn't that bad. If you carry out your healing process well and I also use tattoo cream twice a day, which also protects the tattoo from UV light. The bigger problem, which is related to luck, is the hope that no spots become infected (I had it twice despite extremely good hygiene) because the risk is higher due to the many layers of paint. and 3. I don't care who people try to finish me off, I find it funny xD"
"Holy fuck some people really really really like this game this much that they would have their leg with genshin art? this looks cool and all but it's such a bully-able thing"It is but im dont care the game is not perfect but i like the character desing alot"
"Why do you worry about bullies ? Are you stuck in middle school or something? Lmao what""I dont worry i enjoy it its kinda fun get attention"
"it’s not about the game at this point. its clear as day that this dude loves minors. 3/5 of his genshin tats are of kids"
"I tattooed what i find cute^ and i enjoy the bulling"
Crazy that people hate on this. It looks good and u wnated it to be like that I'm sure u wouldn't have gotten it. Can I ask how much smth like this costs? Edit: Spelling
4000€
The tattoo artist did the good job but why is um...paimon looking kinda sus
"Well she is just sitting?"
No wonder nobody likes this fucking community. Not talking about OP. Talking about the dickheads who are trying to shame him for whatever reason. Of course this community is toxic af, it's full of immature children who care way too much about the opinions of strangers and being "cringe" to the point they actively bully someone sharing a cool tatoo of the game they like. Cool tattoos OP.
you cover the topic quite well. I knew that no matter what I posted, people would try to make me feel guilty. but this isn't the first time I've posted a Genshin tattoo. I find it very entertaining and enjoy the attention. but thank you for your words
"found the pedo"
'"Tattoo = Pedophilia", apparently. Again, no wonder nobody likes this community with how horrendously aggressive about everything you guys are."
"OP literally responded to someone else who called out his love for child characters and said “don’t check my browser history”Maybe don’t defend the pedo. The sheer amount of Loli fans here is what makes people hate the community.Also if you check OP’s profile he posted a nsfw picture of an 11 year old character. Dudes a pedo, just because it’s an “ANImEee” character doesn’t make it safe. He’s attracted to the idea of children, and I’m sure loved the fact that he can freely sexualize 10 year olds “safely” and weirdos like you will defend him."
"You can dislike something and simultaneously realize it causes zero material harm to society and thus you not liking it doesn't mean fuck all, you know that, right? The moral grandstanding goes wild here, in fact I'm just going to copy paste...You're free as a human to not like certain things, but you weirdos never take even a millisecond to do any sort of research or reflection about this stuff. You don't care, you just want to morally grandstand. Unsurprisingly, when you do an iota of research, just like fictional violence in media and games sexual content in media and games doesn't have some intrinsic, significant link to real world behavior or normalization." (essay man is back and once again, you can find his whole comment here
"Hi also a victim of childhood sexual abuse here. One of the ways I was groomed was by being exposed to lolicon hentai through my groomer who DEFINITELY cranked it to said Loli porn.
Don’t be attracted to children, it’s as easy as that.
Edit: Also people who commit violence are not mentally well, they CAN be influenced by violent media.
People who want to jerk off to children are not mentally well, they CAN be influenced by child porn in hentai.
I’m not arguing with pedo defenders, I won’t be responding to this."
You can find more on the original post, but I'll add in some of OP's other tattoos
Klee, Hutao, and Nahida
Some additional crumbs, "Next plan is no game no life stuff. But first paimon and lumine" (No Game No Life is pretty notorious for being an ecchi that involves sexualizing a 12(?) year old girl
oh yeah also some extra drama on this link plus he already got the No Game No Life tat
as always kids, stay away from the Genshin Impact fandom and avoid posting tattoos of yourself because they are easily identifiable if you wish to stay anonymous

As much as Moximous wanted to save Katie at that moment, the thieves had to make a temporary retreat in case more defenses showed up. As the rest of the thieves were formulating a plan, Mona noticed that Moximous’ focus deviating back to the palace. He slowly walks over and asks, “You’re still worried about that girl, aren’t you?” Moximous sighed and answered, “Yes... she is a close friend of mine, and I want to help her any way I can. I can’t stand to think about her getting hurt because of someone else’s actions.” Mona took a deep breath and replied, “That is a very honorable motive. Now I know that we made the right decision by making you into a Phantom Thief.” He then turned to the Thieves and told them that they needed to help free Katie as the top priority because there is no telling what may happen to a human in a place such as this Yo-Kai World. “Will you guys be okay out here?” Moximous asks Whisper and Jibanyan. “I probably won’t be able to use the Yo-Kai Watch in there at risk of being detected.” Whisper merely shook his head and calmly replied, “Not to worry Na-er- I mean Moximous. Me and Jibanyan will be waiting for you at safe spots within the palace,” Whisper responded. “Come back safely Nyate!” Jibanyan called out as Nate turned to infiltrate the palace.
As the Thieves retraced their steps through the palace, they noticed that security was tighter than it was earlier. “We may have to fight our way through if things get too overwhelming,” said Queen. “I’m ready to strike whenever you guys are,” Skull responded. Once the thieves were halfway to the dungeon, a voice echoed behind them. “BADA-BING! I found ‘dem Boys! Let’s take care ‘a dese intruders!” Moximous turned around, noticed the pinstriped Yo-Kai and called out, “We have company from some Ghoulfamily goons.” “Well, so much for going in quiet. Let’s take them out.” Said Fox, collectedly. Once the thieves made off after taking out the goons one of them, still holding on, weakly said, “We couldn’t stop ‘em boss. They’re headed for ‘da dungeon.” “Very well. I’ll be X-pecting them there,” said the voice on the other end.
When they made it down to the ground floor, the entire floor was covered in smoke. “If you want to find your way to the dungeon, you’ll have to find me first,” a gentle sounding voice called out as two yellow eyes pierced through the grey fog. “Looks like Smogmella has gone wicked again. If we want to make it to Katie, we need to rip that wicked mask off,” Moximous explained. So, Moximous wandered the ground floor with Joker following in the rafters above. Just as Moximous found the Wicked smog Yo-Kai, Joker ambushed her from the rafters while calling out, “Show me your true form!” With Smogmella free, the smoke dissipated and revealed three black Yo-Kai that guarded the entrance to the dungeon. “Just one more push and we’ll be there!” Oracle called out as the thieves went all-out destroying those Wicked Yo-Kai where they stand. With the smoke fully cleared, Moximous opened the door to the dungeon and stepped inside, but just as the rest of the Thieves were to follow, green flames blocked off the doorway. The thieves turned around and were faced with a tall humanoid Yo-Kai in a business suit and fedora. “And where X-actly do you think you’re running off to?” the Yo-Kai said. Moximous turned back to them and warned, “Careful you guys. That’s Agent X and he’s not to be messed with.” “We’ll hold him off! Go save your friend!” Noir said confidently. He nodded in understanding and made a mad dash through the dungeon.
Moximous finally found the cell where Katie was being held. Determined to save her, he took out the Ghoulfamily guards in seconds. “Wh-who are you?” Katie asked, taken aback by the mask on her friend’s face. “It’s alright Katie. It’s just me, Nate, and I’m getting you out of here,” said Moximous while taking off his mask to show his true self. “Nate? Why are you dressed up like a hero?” Katie asked both stunned and intrigued by Nate’s sudden transformation from an average looking student to comic book hero. “I became a member of the Phantom Thieves,” he said while cutting the chains that bound her. “Mwee hee hee! How touching. Looks like our friend fell for the trap without fail!” a shrill voice called out. Behind them stood a small, impish Yo-Kai in a violet and black kimono. “Unfairy? Why are you working with them?” Moximous said to his former wicked friend. “Mwee...hee... sorry Nate, but our master has his orders, and we must follow them or risk losing one of our own,” he responded sadly. “It’s just so unfair that the orders must be ending you and taking the Watch for ourselves.” With that Unfairy struck so fast that Moximous could barely see him. He fell to the ground as Katie stood in terror “NATE!” she cried out to him. “Don’t worry about me Katie. Now’s your chance to escape,” he responded. “No! I’m not leaving without you!” she retorted to him. “Then... you will both have to remain here... under the whim of the Righteous One,” the Yo-Kai said slowly, almost as if he did not want to say it.
“NO! Whoever this ‘Righteous One’ is will not take Nate away from me, and I’ll never forgive him for trying to take him away! I... I CARE ABOUT NATE TOO MUCH TO LET HIM DIE HERE!!!” Moximous started to tear up upon hearing those words. The girl he had liked for so long felt the same way. “I’ve kept these feelings hidden for so long,” Katie continued, “but there’s no denying them now! I WILL FIGHT BY NATE’S SIDE UNTIL THE END!!!” Upon revealing her true feelings, a voice stirred from deep within Katie’s soul. “‘No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the masses without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true,’” the voice recited as Katie fell to the floor in distress. “So, show your true face to the masses and no longer confuse your goals! I am thou, thou art I. With your true self revealed, you can strike back against this Puritan society that oppresses you!” Katie slowly stood up as a mask like Moximous’ appeared on her face. As she grabbed at the mask, she slowly spoke, “With this contract signed, I promise that I will stand with you for as long as I can stand, Nate. APPEAR!!! HESTER PRYNNE!!!” She tore off her, mask just like Nate did as blue flames burst from behind her. Upon emerging from the flame, she sported similar attire to Moximous, but with a much brighter pink and cyan color scheme. In her hand, she held a bow that split into two blades. The Persona that appeared behind her was an empty-faced figure adorned in a dark pink dress with a scarlet hood around her head which curled up into an “A” at the end. Suddenly, Moximous felt a lot less fatigued, and he stood up ready to fight once again. He spoke, “I promise to stand by your side, Katie, so let’s finish this together!” The two then took down Unfairy, but as the Wicked general faded to nothing, he managed to squeak out, “I’m...sorry...Miss...tress...Dear...Time...” The two of them then noticed that the Yo-Kai left something behind, a strange key. Katie, relieved for Nate’s safety, hugged his neck tightly, which he returned gratefully after looking surprised. “Nate... what is this place, and what was that thing?” she questioned, still bewildered by this whole ordeal. Nate simply grabbed her hand and said, “I’ll explain it to you later. For now, we need to get back to help the Phantom Thieves. They are the ones who can help us get out of here.” While she was still confused, she trusted Nate, and so they started to make their way back to the Thieves and Agent X.

Episode 57 - "Scars"
Est. Reading Time: 25 Minutes
First Previous Support Me
Somewhere in Macre’n Highlands, Dese’de Line, Planet Sindula
Five Days Ago
Daniel leaned his head against the train car window, watching as the world rushed past him at blistering speeds. The world outside appeared blurry - smeared, somehow. All he could see were streaks of green, brown, and gray. Even while sitting in this train car, he could smell the thick, jungle air.
He glanced around his surroundings. Lyara was standing over their shared bed, rummaging through her bag in search of her moisturizer.
After seeing Ari off, the two returned to Macre’n Station. Upon their return, they hopped on the first shuttle back to Silduva Station - Sindula’s largest spaceport.
The ride back was long. They’d both awoken from their overnight train ride a half hour ago. They were due to disembark at Silduva Station in under an hour.
Their accommodations here were cramped. Their room was no more wide than Daniel’s wingspan. Still, the service was adequate, and the food they’d been provided during their trip was good enough.
At any rate, neither of the teens inhabiting the sleeper car had spoken much since parting ways with Ari at Macre’n Station. It was as though her specter seemed to stalk that narrow room, stifling any conversation that could arise.
Her absence was sorely felt. It was as though a void occupied the space she once filled - an anti-person.
He’d been sad to see Ari go.
Daniel knew, deep down, that she was right. He couldn’t fix her. She needed to discover who she was - and her purpose for living - on her own terms.
He was fine with that. It still hurt.
Lyara knew better than to press the issue with him.
Although the nature of her bond with Ari was quite different from his own, she still viewed Ari as a close friend. It’s always bittersweet to see a friend go away, not knowing when - or if - you’ll ever see them again.
Both Daniel and Lyara were also incredibly tired. They’d spent much of the last two and a half weeks stuck on some kind of transportation - whether that be jumping between waystations in a ship, stowing away on smuggler caravans, riding space elevators, or sleeping on trains - all while parting ways with their closest friends. Their voyage across the galaxy was starting to exact its toll on the weary teenagers.
Beyond Sindula, it had never once been discussed where they would be heading next.
Daniel cast a look over at Lyara as she rubbed some sort of cream into her skin. She started on her arms, then her shoulders, and then worked her way up the back of her neck.
She wasn’t leaving him. He wasn’t leaving her. They both knew this. Some things don’t need to be said.
“It’s so fuckin’ nice to have shit like this again.” Lyara commented as she closed the bottle before tossing it back in her bag.
She flopped onto the narrow bed before sitting up. She looked over at Daniel, eyeing his cast.
“How’s your arm?”
Daniel glanced down at his wounded arm. It was still bound so tightly in his chest that he couldn’t move it at all. Still, the bone hadn’t healed. Since leaving the Lixus system, he hadn’t bothered to have his arm seen by a professional.
He probably needed surgery. The bone there had most likely turned to slush when he was shot. At least the pain was more manageable.
“I’ll be fine.” he reassured her.
Lyara stared at him concernedly for a minute before reclining back onto the bed. Laying there, she clasped her hands together over her stomach and kicked her legs up against the wall. Daniel continued sitting in the windowsill, watching the world go by.
“So,” Lyara began, “What are we doing after this?”
Daniel drew in a sharp breath. He sat up straight and turned to face her. She locked eyes with him.
“I don’t know.” he answered honestly. “I guess it depends on where you want to go.”
“And why’s that?” Lyara asked, cocking her head slightly to the side.
“I haven’t had a home for a long time.” he explained. “You, on the other hand… you were taken from yours not that long ago.”
Lyara brought her legs down and sat up on the bed. She shook her head.
“Nah. I was already on my way out when those soldiers picked me up.” she corrected him.
She paused.
“There were people back home who cared for me. They loved me. And I loved them too. They were like family, y’know.” she added reflectively. “But that town was a shithole. Slinging ice - getting wasted - that’s not a life I want to live.”
She met his gaze
“I’ve still got friends there. I’d like to visit them someday. But not right now.”
“Well, if Tezcla’s out of the picture, then where else would you consider going?” Daniel posed.
Lyara released a contemplative huff.
“We can find Kyri and Lakaruch - see what they’re up to.” he suggested.
“No.” Lyara confirmed definitively. “I’m sick of fighting. Not to say their cause isn’t just - it is - but… I’ve had my fill of near-death experiences for now.”
“Alright then. Maybe we can go our own way.” Daniel offered. “Find someplace where we won’t be bothered - where we can blaze our own trail, like the others are doing.”
“But where would we go?” Lyara questioned him. “I have a bad feeling that this war is going to end up swallowing everything. And with you being a Human…” she trailed off.
“I don’t know if there’s any place that’ll be safe for both of us.”
Daniel swallowed. He looked Lyara directly in the eye.
“I can think of one place.” he murmured.
Lyara understood immediately what he was thinking. Her spots quivered.
“The Human Fleet?”
Daniel would be lying if he hadn’t considered heading back there before. Though his home aboard the Los Angeles might have been reduced to rubble, the people living there were still his people. The fleet was isolated, situated far away from the conflict in the Periphery - if war was to come to his people, it would surely be on their own terms.
“Are you sure they’ll… y’know… accept me?” Lyara asked timidly.
“To be honest, I’m not sure.” Daniel answered truthfully. “There are some aliens living there - Rahatnae included. There aren’t many, but they’re out there. There was a guy who lived in my building who owned a deli down the street from my apartment - he and his wife were Rahatnae.”
“My people warred among themselves for a very, very long time. We still do, sometimes.” he continued, thinking back to the riots he watched engulf the Los Angeles. “But being in the position we are, we’ve learned to be more accepting of each other. And - in spite of everything - that acceptance extends to your people as well.”
“We’ll be able to get jobs - find an apartment - we can make it work.” Daniel nodded.
“And you?” Lyara posed, lifting an eyebrow. “You don’t have any… apprehensions?”
Daniel thought for a moment. He shook his head.
“No.” he lied.
Lyara nodded. A slight smirk formed in the corner of her mouth.
“I’m in.”
-----
⁂
-----
Unknown Location
Now
Lyara stared into the mirror. Her reflection stared back.
She was sitting at a table in a barebones room. There was a door in the corner and a wide, one-way mirror directly in front of her.
She swallowed.
This was an interrogation room. She was sure of it.
After being caught in the Alexander’s traction field, Daniel and Lyara’s ship was reeled in and promptly boarded. Men stormed into the cabin, wielding rifles unlike any Lyara had ever seen before. They were covered from head to toe in body armor, concealing their faces. They shouted commands at her and Daniel, obviously slightly on-edge. It was clear they knew about what was happening elsewhere in the galaxy.
Lyara did as Daniel asked - she remained calm. She complied with their orders, placing her hands behind her head and getting on her knees. She was promptly cuffed and led away from the ship.
“We’re gonna be fine, Lyara, alright?! We’re gonna be fine!” were the last words Daniel told her before they were separated.
Lyara did not trust these people. But she did trust Daniel.
She was placed in a small, nondescript holding cell, where she sat for about thirty minutes before being led to another part of the ship. There, she boarded a small, windowless personnel transport - a shuttle of some kind - which promptly disembarked from the Alexander. Her trip was short - lasting no longer than an hour - before disembarking elsewhere. Lyara was led through another empty, unfamiliar hangar, and then through a series of hallways, where she found herself in another cell, where she sat in silence for another hour, with only her thoughts to keep her company. About ten minutes ago, another soldier - clad in full body armor - came to retrieve her from her cell. She was escorted down another series of hallways, before finally ending up here, sitting in this alien room.
She rubbed her wrist. Her cuffs had been removed upon sitting down. She could - theoretically - do whatever she wanted. Still, she decided to remain put.
A deluge of thoughts coursed through her head at that moment. A million hopes - a million fears.
“Stay calm.” she reminded herself, sitting stilly in her chair. She stared directly at her reflection in the mirror. “You’ve got this.”
The door in the corner of the room finally swung open. Two individuals stepped through - both were Humans.
She felt her body tense up.
These Humans looked strange - their appearance was very much unlike Daniel’s. The slimmer of the two was tall - exceptionally tall. Its hair was a striking color - blonde. Lyara had never seen such hair in her life. Creases formed at the corner of its mouth and the skin around its hands and face was beginning to thin.
Because of this individual’s slimmer profile and the presence of pronounced breasts, Lyara surmised this person to be a Human female. She was old, too - she was easily fifty or sixty years old, by the looks of it.
She was dressed in simple attire - black pants and a thin, white, button-up shirt.
Her companion was a male. He was slightly taller than Daniel as well, but even he was considerably shorter than the woman who stood beside him. His hair was dark, like Daniel’s, but his was thicker and longer - more voluminous. He was fairly old as well. He had a sandy complexion and the lower portion of his face was covered in light stubble. His attire was simple and professional, much like that of his partner, with the exception of a thick, black jacket.
There was a sort of iciness behind his dark eyes - he’d seen much in his time. Nothing could faze him.
The two Humans assumed their seats on the opposite side of the table. Even while sitting down, the woman towered over Lyara.
“Good afternoon.” the woman began in perfect Common. Though her tone was severe, Lyara could tell she was trying to sound diplomatic. It probably wasn’t often that these two ran into teenagers.
“I trust that you speak Galactic Common?” the woman continued, bringing up a tablet.
When it took Lyara a moment to respond, the woman glanced down at her.
“You can speak Common, right?”
“Y-yes. I do.” Lyara stammered awkwardly. She was strangely transfixed by the woman’s green eyes. She could feel her spots squirming about her skin.
“Good.” the woman replied.
“I’m Special Agent Miller.” she introduced herself. “My partner here is Special Agent Velasquez. We work with the Department of Central Intelligence, a governmental division within the Federation of Man, ruled by Our Executive Santiago II. You are currently aboard the O.E.S Indianapolis.”
“We mean you no harm. We’d like to ask you questions about your being here.” she said.
“Alrighty then.” she continued. “Please state your name.”
“My name is Lyara.” Lyara responded.
“You don’t have a surname? No… family name?” the woman questioned.
“I don’t know shit about my parents.” Lyara responded, folding her arms across her chest. “So… no. I don’t have a family name.”
She glanced over at the man sitting beside the Human woman. Agent Velasquez hadn’t uttered a word. His hands were clasped atop the table - Lyara couldn’t help but notice a shiny, metal band that wrapped around his index finger.
“What is your planet of origin?” the woman asked.
“Err… I was born on Tezcla.”
“Tezcla.” the woman noted with a nod, jotting down an entry on her tablet. “I hear it’s a gorgeous place.”
“For some.” Lyara scoffed.
“What is your age?”
“I’m nineteen.” Lyara answered. “Though I ought to be twenty pretty soon, if that’s any difference.”
“Are you currently infected with any diseases we should be aware of?” the woman lifted an eyebrow.
“I’d sure fuckin’ hope not.”
“And the passenger you arrived here with - the Human Daniel Reyes - what is your relation to him?” the woman asked dryly.
Her question gave Lyara pause.
“Well…” she reflected. “He’s not my life mate, I guess. But he’s more than a friend, too.”
“He is your boyfriend, then?” Agent Miller suggested.
Lyara frowned. This word - ‘boyfriend’ - sounded reductive to her. What was she to him, then - merely his ‘girlfriend’? Surely they were more than that.
“Boyfriend.” Lyara repeated, hoping to placate the agents. “Yeah. He’s my boyfriend.”
“Good. You two make an… interesting pairing. That’s for sure.” the woman commented. “Why then, are you here?”
“Listen…” Lyara began impatiently. “These past few months have been pretty fucking rough for the two of us. We decided to go here because we knew - he knew - that we’d be safe here.”
“Calm down, Lyara.” Agent Miller tried to reassure her. “All we’re doing is following protocol.”
“Don’t you fucking lie to me about some bullshit protocol you pulled out of your ass.” Lyara spat. “Do you seriously expect me to believe that you have special agents interrogating every single trader and crewmember you come across.”
“Where the fuck is Daniel?!” Lyara demanded, growing more incensed with each passing second. “Where is he?!”
“Stand. Down.” Agent Miller warned her. Her eyes were cold and her lips were pursed.
“I’m not saying another goddamn word until I see Daniel.” Lyara demanded, crossing her arms atop her chest. Her spots swirled wildly about her skin.
Agent Miller glared at her sternly. If looks could kill, Lyara would’ve been atomized then and there. Lyara stared right back.
“Listen, young lady.” the woman tried again. “There’s a war going on. We need to know if we can trust you.”
Lyara remained staunchly silent. She diverted her eyes towards the ceiling in a show of non-cooperation.
Agent Velasquez nudged his counterpart with his arm to grab her attention before tilting his head slightly to the side, suggesting that they speak in private. Agent Miller’s eyes went from Lyara, to Velasquez, and then back to her again.
The two rose from their seats in unison and started towards the door.
“Wait here.” the woman told her before starting out the door.
As the agents passed through the door, Lyara returned her eyes to the withdrawing agents. She sensed an opportunity.
When the two agents’ backs were turned, she immediately bolted from her seat. She vaulted over the table and leapt across the room, charging at the door as quickly as her legs could carry her. She burst through the doorway just before the door fell closed and emerged inside a darkened room.
She froze. Glowing holoscreens illuminated the faces of a half-dozen Human analysts and officers tasked with monitoring Lyara. Agents Miller and Velasquez stood slightly off to the side, about to engage in conversation. They moved to react to Lyara’s escape, but by then it was too late - she was already charging into the next door.
The next door emptied into a long, winding mezzanine that wrapped around a large, open-air, indoor plaza. Hundreds of people - mostly Humans - walked about the plaza floor, all dressed in very professional attire. Engraved in the granite floor, situated between tree planters and benches, was an insignia depicting some winged alien creature, beneath read the words:
“Department of Central Intelligence”
Massive buildings of glass and metal rose around her, striking in their appearance. A large, colorful banner hung from one of the upper floors of the complex, depicting another strange, foreign insignia.
Lyara glanced up, catching a glimpse of the sky. It was a very pale shade of blue, but there was something peculiar about it. Behind that blue sky, she swore she could make out the tops of buildings. There was a city in the sky, protruding downwards towards her. From where she was standing, the buildings appeared to be upside down.
“A cylinder city.” Lyara recalled. According to Daniel, most all of the ships in the Human fleet were designed in such a way.
Lyara returned her attention to the mezzanine ahead. It was packed with people - far more than any other walkway in the building. The Humans were a diverse people - she saw so many different skin tones - so many different hairstyles - so many different facial features.
Agents Miller and Velasquez were hot on her heels. Lyara needed to move. Now.
Lyara proceeded to run through the gathering crowd, pushing and shoving her way through the mass of towering Human bodies. They did not attempt to apprehend her - they simply looked on, slightly perplexed.
Agents Miller and Velasquez continued to pursue her, hurrying through the crowd.
“Stop her!” she heard Velasquez call out, but it was no use - Lyara was already halfway across the building.
Lyara felt in her gut that this crowd wasn’t normal.
“They’re here because of me.” she thought.
“No.” she scolded herself. “They’re here because of Daniel.”
Lyara knew that, at the end of this crowd, she would find Daniel.
She plunged deeper into the crowd in search of the cause of all the commotion, shoving, pushing, and elbowing her way through the mass of people. They seemed to be gathered around a room wedged deep inside the corner of the complex.
When Lyara squeezed through the crowded doorway, which emptied into another, darkened room packed with people, not unlike the one she had just recently escaped from.
Through the one-way window, Lyara could see Daniel. He was sitting at a table.
“Stop her!” came a voice from behind, but before anyone could move to react, Lyara was already approaching the doorway. She barged through the door, stumbling into another interrogation room.
Daniel locked eyes with her as soon as she entered the room. He immediately rose to his feet. Relief flooded her chest.
“Daniel…” she murmured.
-----
⁂
-----
Daniel looked on as Lyara continued to stand there, seemingly incapable of moving. At once, she darted towards him, rushing into his arms. He embraced her tightly. No one spoke. No one needed to.
Two agents - a man and woman - stumbled into the room shortly afterwards. Seeing their close connection, the agents made no motion to apprehend Lyara.
He could feel Lyara’s trepidation. Her body seemed to shudder. She was on-edge. He should’ve expected this - of course she’d be frightened here.
“It’s all right.” Daniel told her as he hugged her. “We’re fine. We’re fine.”
After a while, Lyara backed away from their embrace. Her spots squirmed and wriggled all about her skin.
They weren’t alone in the room. Eight men and women stood on the opposite side of the room, eager to ask him a plethora of questions. Daniel had informed them early on that he’d been involved in the “Lixus Incident,” and would be willing to answer any and all inquiries as to his time there, sending the entire wing into a tizzy.
Daniel was about to begin answering questions when Lyara unexpectedly barged into the room. Now, she stood by his side, still gripping his hand tightly.
He looked back at the men scattered about the room before him. They were all federal agents. In his past life, he’d thought of government workers as slimy, self-serving people that ought to be avoided at any cost. Now, standing in the same room as them - staring at his own flesh for the first time in many years - a sense of duty filled his chest. He wanted to help them. He wanted to help his people.
Daniel glanced at Lyara, and then back at the agents.
“She stays here with me.” he demanded, squeezing her hand slightly.
The agents shared glances with one another in search of a consensus. They didn’t seem to mind.
The foremost of the men - an older black man in a long, gray overcoat - offered a slight nod.
“That’s fine.”
After acquiring their assurances, Daniel sat back down in his seat. Lyara stood behind him, still holding his hand. He felt stronger with her there.
“So,” Daniel began pensively. His eyes flickered between the mixture of agents sitting and standing before him. “Where should I begin?”
-----
⁂
-----
Estate of the Minister of War, Surface Level, Planet Corodon
One Week Later
It was nighttime in the Executive District.
War Minister Alkan Abit sank into his reclining sofa, drink in-hand. He stared out the massive window before him, offering a tremendous view of Corodon’s lush, expansive executive district. In the far distance, the pyramid-shaped Li Muni rose triumphantly into the sky, radiant even in darkness. Ships coursed all throughout the air, bustling about the city even at this late hour.
The ground itself seemed to glow. Deep trenches and expansive tracts cut across the planet’s surface, revealing the uppermost of Corodon’s many sub-levels.
Alkan’s penthouse was among the most coveted in the galaxy.
For as luxurious as his suite was, Alkan’s apartment was relatively bare. The walls were empty and furnishings were scant. Whatever awards and commendations he’d received throughout his long career were tucked safely away in a drawer in his office. Alkan cared little for personal effects.
Bringing the glass to his mouth, Alkan drew a sip of his drink - tinili, an ancient Abgeri beverage. A slight burning sensation engulfed his mouth, filling his chest with warmth. He released a relieved sigh.
He had won.
The war was moving forward. Just an hour ago, he received a memo from an ally of his in the Assembly, informing him that the president’s new war production bill was set to pass. The military’s funding would be tripled through the next ten years.
New intel suggested that the Alliance’s rival states - the Ditnean Empire and the Almerzin Confederacy - were considering entering the war on behalf of the separatists. This war was about to snowball from a police action to a full-blown galactic war - just as he’d planned.
Furthermore, Friya Kava was dead. She and her academy no longer posed a threat to Corodon. While the immense loss of life in the fleet stationed over Lixus-8 and the disintegration of Project Vanguard were all regrettable, Alkan still had reason to hope. He still had many years ahead of him.
In fact, in recent weeks, he’d begun plotting the development of a successor program - Project Speartip.
He’d made a mistake in pulling the sijuan out of their training so soon. This program would last longer. He and the Bureau had also made a mistake in recruiting teenagers. They needed to start younger. Their loyalty to the cause needed to be unwavering.
Alkan took another sip from his tasteless drink. His mouth felt like fire all over again. As he continued to sit there, he thought back to last month’s leak.
Some weeks after the battle over Lixus-8, radicals in the opposition leaked a slew of documents implicating Alkan in the destruction of Albitierre. High-up politicians within the Almerzin Confederacy came forward with similar claims as well. A flurry of discussion followed, which rattled Jakim Kal-Priso’s administration to its very core.
Alkan weathered the storm. He flatly denied before the president that he had any hand in the bombings - a lie, of course, but Jakim was eager to put the whole thing to bed anyway. He later claimed during a press conference that the documents had been forged, either by foreign adversaries or dissidents whose sympathies lie with the terrorists in the Periphery. He even managed to get his allies within the Bureau to fabricate evidence tying the Rim Revolutionary Front to the supposed forgery. The whole fiasco quickly began to fade from public consciousness.
Alkan wasn’t quite out of the woods yet. Whoever had actually leaked the document was still out there, and anyone who bothered to sift through the documents in full would most likely realize that a fabrication of this magnitude would be the most impressive forgery of all time. Indeed, some of his colleagues within the War Ministry viewed him much differently now.
But in any case, even if the documents could be proven to be real, they would prove nothing. All smoke; no fire.
Alkan had won. It wasn’t a perfect victory, or even a good one, but he had survived. Just as he always had. Just as he always would.
Alkan went to take another drink when he heard shouting down the hall. His guards posted outside his penthouse were yelling at someone. His ears perked up in interest.
The shouting suddenly ceased. A period of silence followed.
Uncertainly, Alkan set his glass back on the table before him. He rose from his seat and, cautiously, started towards the door.
The door suddenly slid open, revealing two, young, female adolescents - a teenage Ishiline and a teenage Rahatnae. They were both decked from head-to-toe in tactical gear, wielding rifles and an assortment of other armaments. They waved their guns around the room.
They were not his guards.
Alkan turned to flee.
“He’s getting away!” one of the women yelled. At once, a gunshot rang out inside the penthouse - an energy bolt pierced his shoulder. Alkan yet out a pain cry as he careened towards the ground.
The two girls pursued him, keeping their rifles trained on him even as he tried to crawl away. His heart raced - his mind worked overtime to make sense of what was happening.
More people piled into the room, dressed in the same tactical gear as the two girls. He recognized both of the teens - the Ishiline girl was Kyri Vot-Amejin, Unit 1’s deceased leader, and the Rahatnae girl was Setalasa, Unit 5’s deceased leader.
“Y-you died.” Alkan gasped, stuttering as he struggled to breathe.
The girls paid no mind to his ravings. Kyri began issuing orders to her compatriots.
“Jalepos, cover the door. Kaignan - cut a hole through that window.”
“Aye captain.” came the dutiful response.
“Setalasa, give me I.D.”
The Rahatnae soldiers approached Alkan, who continued to crawl backwards across his floor. She kicked him in his side, shattering a rib and causing him to recoil in pain.
As he struggled there, she pointed a scanner at his face. She thumbed a button and stared at the holoscreen, which promptly flashed blue.
“Yep. That’s him.” she responded, putting away the scanner.
Upon hearing this, Kyri moved closer to Alkan. She placed her boot on his chest, keeping him from moving, while she trained her rifle on his head. She pulled down her mask, revealing her lean features. Her eyes were cold and her scales were dry.
“I wish we could take from you what you stole from us.” she told him sternly.
Alkan tried to plead, but it was no use.
“Death is a mercy you do not deserve.” she continued. “Yet I will bestow my mercy upon you not for your sake, but for the good of the galaxy.”
“The children of Project Vanguard still live. And while we still breathe, no one shall suffer as we once did.”
“Goodbye, Minister.” she concluded. “May you rot in hell.”
Alkan moved to shield his head with his hands, but it was too late. Without another word, Kyri squeezed the trigger, and the world went dark around him.
-----
⁂
-----
8818 Figueroa Dr., Aboard the O.E.S. Los Angeles, The Federation of Man
Now
It was dawn aboard the Los Angeles.
Silence gripped Daniel’s apartment. He lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling.
He was home.
He released a long, drawn-out breath.
He’d been here a week, but only now was the reality of his situation beginning to truly sink in.
It didn’t feel like home. Not yet, anyhow. But he’d find a way to make it work.
Daniel turned to his side. Lyara lay beside him, still deep asleep. There was a small, white patch on her arm, which administered her daily inoculations, boosting her defenses against Human-borne diseases. Her spots slowly wriggled about her face as she slept. Her shoulders rose and fell with the rhythm of her soft breaths.
She was utterly gorgeous.
-----
⁂
-----
After several hours of questioning, Daniel and Lyara were released from detention. They agreed to participate in further questioning at later intervals. The DCI wanted dearly to know what exactly occurred on Lixus-8. He and Lyara divulged any and all information they had pertaining to Project Vanguard, including a copy of the documents Yevin had stolen. He’d already given the agents the broad strokes of what had happened - future sessions would focus on the finer details, including personal testimonies and accounts of the events that took place at the academy.
Due to the extenuating circumstances concerning their arrival, Daniel and Lyara were granted temporary housing aboard a ship of their liking. Daniel, naturally, selected the Los Angeles. It was time for him to come home.
Though the DCI made sure to keep the two on a relatively short leash, Daniel and Lyara made the most of their newfound freedom - freedom from fear.
Lyara’s time aboard the Los Angeles thus far had been short, but eventful. They were too tired to do anything the first day, and they slept through much of the second. On the third day, Daniel took Lyara on a brief tour of the ship. They visited the city center, where she was amazed by the plethora of clothing and lifestyle options at a nearby mall. They ate ice cream, which she loved, and they finished the day at a local taqueria - the same one he and his parents once frequented.
They visited a museum on the fourth day. Lyara learned about the horrors - and triumphs - humanity experienced during The War. She learned about old Earth and got to see relics from mankind’s devastated homeworld, including all sorts of unique artifacts and priceless works of art. Daniel chuckled at what Lyara had to say about a print of the Mona Lisa:
“I hate the way that bitch is looking at me.”
On the fifth day, they visited a zoo, where all sorts of unusual animals from old Earth roamed. She fell in love with lemurs and dolphins, the latter of which she crowned “the most beautiful species to ever live.” Later that afternoon, Daniel had corrective surgery done on his shoulder. He was still in the recovery process.
Yesterday, Daniel and Lyara spent much of the afternoon at a fair in the Ventura district. Lyara rode on her first - and last - thrill ride. After getting off the ride, it took her nearly an hour for her to work up the courage to stand again.
It was there that she made her first friend - a six year-old girl in a princess dress named Arkady, who complimented her on her beauty.
Things had changed aboard the Los Angeles since Daniel was last here. The city recovered well from the riots that precipitated his flight from the fleet - new townhomes were being built every day to replace those that were burned. The city government had changed as well - the new administration was much more willing to make compromises between the ship’s various interests. Poverty was down and well-being was up. His old crew’s hideout - a warehouse in Gran Lopez - had been toppled, replaced by a thriving church.
Things were getting better.
-----
⁂
-----
After some time, Lyara began to stir. She yawned and stretched, grunting softly as she raised her arms over her head. She relaxed back into their bed.
Daniel looked on as she rubbed one eye.
“Goddamn.” she murmured. “What time is it?”
“It’s a little late.” Daniel admitted. “We’ve still got some time to ourselves, though. We’ve got a big day ahead of us.”
“Ugh.” Lyara groaned tiredly, burying her head into the pillow. “Don’t remind me.”
The two lay there in silence for a minute. Rays of warm, gentle morning light streamed into the room, filtering through the blinds, settling on their bed.
“Y’know,” Lyara began as she adjusted the blanket around her. “I just had the weirdest fuckin’ dream.”
“What kinda dream?” Daniel inquired.
Lyara shot him a coquettish smirk. She shook her head.
“I’m not telling.”
“What do you mean?” Daniel chuckled. “You can’t just tell me you had a crazy dream and then proceed not to describe it to me.”
“Well, if I were to tell you, it wouldn’t come true.” Lyara replied, still smiling to herself.
“What kind of logic is that?” Daniel chuckled. “It must’ve been a good dream, then, right?”
Lyara paused for a moment before nodding, struggling to conceal her grin.
“That’s fine. Yes, Daniel - for your information, it was a good dream.”
“Well that’s nice.”
The two simply lay there, staring up at the ceiling. Daniel rested his hands atop his chest. He noticed Lyara staring at his fingers.
“That metal band some Humans wear around their fingers…” she ventured. “What’s the significance? What’s it mean?”
“Humans have this thing called marriage.” Daniel explained. “It’s kinda like the whole… life mate thing, y’know - where two people form an exclusive relationship and decide to devote themselves to their relationship.”
“Wearing that band - we call it a wedding ring - signifies that those two people are married. It’s the ultimate step in any relationship.”
“And that’s it? They’re together for life?”
“Sometimes.” Daniel admitted. “Sometimes it takes people a while to figure out that they’re not supposed to be together. Other times, it’s lasting. Depends on the people, really.”
“Interesting.” Lyara commented. “Would you like to marry me, Daniel?”
Daniel’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He nearly cringed out of his skin.
“What?” Lyara grinned, amused by his reaction. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, it’s just…” Daniel murmured, rubbing his face. “It’s not a question that can be asked lightly. You’re not supposed to propose that way.”
“Propose?”
“And to answer your question: ask me again in a year.” Daniel smiled. “We can’t marry ‘til we’re twenty-one.”
“And in that case, you’ll become Lyara Reyes. Mrs. Lyara Reyes, for that matter.” he noted.
“Fuck no.” Lyara joked, covering her hands with her face. “I take it back.”
Daniel glanced to his side. He picked a tablet up off a nearby nightstand. Displayed on the front was today’s news headline:
SANTIAGO II SIGNS CHARTER FOR RESETTLEMENT OF EARTH
Depicted below the headline was an image of Earth. It was a vast, desolate rock, not all that different in appearance from Lixus-8, sans the dust shroud. Though the seas had mostly dried up, the outlines of all the old continents were still visible.
If one were to peer closely, the oceans were beginning to return. Small, dark spots scattered throughout the planet indicated places where water was beginning to pool up.
Life was returning.
“What do you think about that?” Lyara inquired.
“I think it’s a good thing.” Daniel answered. “Congress will be pissed, given the war and all, but I think Santiago is right.”
“We can’t keep running away.”
-----
⁂
-----
It was noon now. He and Lyara had planned on doing nothing today, but late last night, he received interesting news from the DCI:
Daniel’s parents were alive.
They were listed as living in the San Dimas region, having moved there after their apartment block was destroyed.
Daniel decided that he would visit them today. Neither of them knew he was still alive.
After waking and eating breakfast, Lyara took a shower. As she was getting dressed in their bedroom, Daniel stepped into the bathroom. He slipped out of his nightwear and, turning, took a long look at himself in the mirror.
He appeared thin - shrunken, somehow. His body was covered in all sorts of scars, ranging from blaster burns to deep lacerations. His right arm was covered by a sling, still firmly bound to his chest.
“This is who I am.” he thought as the room began to fill with steam.
Daniel stepped into the shower. The warm water felt good against his skin. His muscles loosened - his shoulders relaxed. He closed his eyes and angled his head towards the showerhead, allowing water to roll down his face and neck.
When he looked down, he noticed the branding on the back his left hand:
2-1
The etched skin was raised and slightly discolored. The lettering was starting to fade - it was nearly indistinguishable from a distance - yet there it lingered, like a scar.
It was at that moment that it all came flooding back:
Project Vanguard.
The Trials.
The Tribulations.
The rivalries.
The fights.
The classrooms.
The cafeteria.
The canyon.
His cell.
The compound.
The airfield.
The Pinov’e.
His reunion with Ari.
The beach.
Daniel slipped. He fell backwards, landing on the shower floor.
He couldn’t move. He couldn’t blink. He couldn’t think. All he could do was sit there as water pounded against his head.
He was here now. He was safe. Lyara was safe.
Relief and regret, hope and fear, joy and anger, love and hate - all these emotions flooded his body. It was as though a dam broke somewhere inside his chest - everything he’d spent the past two years repressing or bottling up suddenly came spilling out.
Daniel - for the first time in a very long time - started to cry.
His face broke apart, quickly becoming contorted and warped with pain. His cheeks became flushed with blood. His eyes watered. Then, he let out a long, pitiful wail. Snot bubbled out of his nose and tears streamed down his face, mixing with the water that streamed down from above.
His chest heaved up and down as he struggled to breathe, sputtering and choking for air.
Outside the bathroom, Lyara’s covered her mouth with her hand, her back to the door. Her eyes were red with tears - she struggled to contain her own sobs.
Daniel tried to rise to his feet, but failed, causing him to break apart all over again. He let out another long, anguished wail before crying so hard that no sound came from his mouth.
It was over.
-----
⁂
-----
After about a half hour of crying, Daniel began to recover. When it was all said and done, he finally stepped out of the shower. He dried himself, got dressed, and splashed some cologne on his neck. After completing his look, he stepped out of the bathroom and glanced at a nearby clock - they had only minutes to spare if they were to catch the next bus to San Dimas.
Lyara stepped into the living room. She was wearing a simple, flowery sundress that caught her eye the other day. It was supposed to be warm today.
Her eyes were still red. Daniel could tell she’d been crying, just as he had.
“You ready?” she asked him as casually as she could while she finished fixing her hair.
Daniel hesitated.
The truth was that he would never be ready. When he first set out for the Human Fleet, he’d hoped to find peace here - purpose. He had thought of the Human Fleet not as another step in his journey, but as a destination. He realized now that the Human Fleet was no destination at all. There were problems here he had to solve - trials he needed to face.
Life itself is a journey. It has no stopping points - it has no destination. It is bound to time much as we are bound to the earth beneath our feet. Life goes on, dragging us all - willingly or not - into the future.
Daniel needed to move on. Perhaps he would. Perhaps he wouldn’t. Perhaps some scars run too deep to ever fully heal. In the past, he might’ve dealt with situations like this by cutting loose and running. He couldn’t do that - not anymore.
He needed to try.
Daniel met Lyara’s gaze. She tried to probe his face, searching desperately for an answer.
“Yeah.” he lied.
THE END

First / Previous / Next
 
Memory Transcription: Ilkam, Krakotl Pirate, Captain of "The Scarlet Drake" Date [standardized human time]: October 17th, 2097
 
Pressed against the bulkhead wall, the cold chill of the metal sneaking its way through my feathers, I see Terlid standing across from me in the dim light, leaning against the same wall. Between us lay an unassuming door, much like the many others we have gone through over the past several hours, clearing through these crew compartments. Locking my eyes with his, I lift my offhand off of the foregrip of my rifle and hold it upwards and hold 3 fingers out.
One finger falls, and my breathing slows, cooling my resolve.
Another, and the spines on Terlid’s back begin standing on end, as he places a paw on his holster.
Finally, the last finger drops, and I throw myself off of the wall, aiming my gun’s barrel directly at the doorway. Terlid slams a mechanical fist against the door’s control pad, and the screen cracks slightly under the impact before giving an affirmative bw-EEP.
The door hisses open, and I confidently make my way inside the common room, sweeping my gun barrel across the various furniture and appliances, eye’s peeled for any twitch of movement under my rifle’s flashlight. Slipping in immediately behind me is Terlim, his pistol drawn, followed a few moments later by Rilzev and Jarkil, their own weapons scanning over every inch of the space.
“Room clear!” I called out, giving a series of signals with my wing, directing the squad to search the other rooms in the cabin. Rilzev returns to the door we just entered through, taking a knee and pointing his honestly kind of absurdly large plasma carbine towards the hallway outside, watching for anyone following us, with Jarkil and Terlid moving towards the bedroom and kitchenette, respectfully. I, meanwhile, quickly jump towards the cabin’s bathroom, behind yet another closed door.
Keeping my rifle leveled at the entrance, I snap my offhand at the button set in the center, stepping through as it opens. Swinging the light first at the far wall, then towards the shower to my left, before a quick look upwards at the ceiling for anyone hiding above me, awaiting to ambush. Seeing nothing of note, I step back out into the darkened common room, calling out once more as my squad replies in kind.
“Bathroom Clear!”
“Kitchen’s clear, Cap’n!”
“Bedroom clear, Sir!”
As the three of us return to the center of the cabin, I look over to Rilzev as he comes back to his feet. “Nothing in the hallway, sir.” He declared, standing at attention, eyes still facing the corridor.
I remove my rifle from my shoulder, easing the tension from my feathers. The others do the same, with Terlid placing his gun back into its holster, and Jarkil lowering his pair of pistols. “Any of you find anything valuable?” I ask.
Jarkil pulls his pack off of his back, and thrusts his wing into one of the pouches, retrieving a basic datapad and a small, ornate box. “I, um, I found this tablet and a jewelry box in one of the bedroom drawers, but not much else.”
Nodding at his answer, I turn my head over to Terlid, who simply flags his tail in a negative. A tired sigh escapes my beak. “Almost four hours going through these quarters, and the most we have to show for it is some knick knacks. I think it's time we move on to the real fruit in this basket.” I muse aloud, to general agreement.
“Well, gettin’ ‘dere ain’t gonna be no great crusade, if ye catch my meanin’!” Terlid proclaims, voice full of mirth. “'Dese Farsul pups all wet ‘emselves cryin’ for they mama’s, soon as we's walk 'n tha room! 'Be a bit sad, if it weren't so damned funny!”
“Wish you could say the same about those damned swamp walkers…” Jarkil mumbled under his breath, rolling his bruised shoulder where one of the Kolshian guards got a cheap tackle in. Wow… Didn’t see that coming from him. The three of us turn our heads to look at Jarkil, and he stiffens. “Wh-I-uh, I mean-I, uhm-” He sputters, pupils flicking between the three of us as he tries to make himself small, all but sinking between the floor panels.
Suddenly, Terlid breaks out in a howling laugh. “Hahah-HAA! Aye, lad, ye got me there!”
I let out a stifled laugh myself, before speaking. “Jarkil is right, though. The Kolshians aren’t going to let us take this ship without a fight. If these scientists are going to try protecting anything, it’s going to be those research labs, and the bridge. We should be on our guard when we try to take it, they're bound to have defensive positions. Be ready.” I declare, authority seeping into my voice.
Speaking of the bridge…
I pull up my radio, turning my gaze towards it in my hand. “Team Two, what's your status, over?”
A hiss of static emanates from the radio for a moment, before a voice begins to speak, still garbled under the white noise. ”Goin-…-ood so far, captain. -lowly making our way to the bridge. Encountered so-e occasional resistance along the way, but it’s nothi-…-an’t handle, over.”
“Good to hear, Team. Don’t get too comfortable though, you’re likely to end up getting a lot more resistance at the bridge itself, so keep an eye out.”
”Aye sir, we’ll-...-areful. You don't have to worry about us out here..”
“Copy that, team. Also, seems like we’re getting some pretty heavy interference over here, keep that in mind for future communications.”
"Aye, sir. We've notice-...-ver on our end too. Probably the damaged-…-ternal comms from the ship interfering with ours. Will keep you posted on our situation. Over and out." Kzzt-
The radio cuts back to silence, and I clip it back to my belt before turning back to my crew. "We should get a move on. Don't want to give those Kolshians any more time to prepare."
"Well, let's git goin' then!" Terlid shouts, as he throws a paw around Jarkil's back. The two step out into the darkened hallway, Terlid boisterously talking to Jarkil about the mission, with the boy listening intently, head cocked in amusement.
Rilzev and I make our way out ourselves, lagging slightly behind the pair. As we walk, I turn my head towards him as he pulls up beside me. "What's your opinion on the job so far, Rilzev?" I ask, watching his eye flick over to mine.
"It's…" He pauses for a moment, before turning gaze forwards again, an impassive look flowing over his face. "It's been going pretty smoothly sir. As you said, the labs should have some good money in them, and the guards haven't given us too much trouble yet."
I hear a slight creaking of plastic when his hand twists against the carbine's handle, and see his jaw clench in repressed anger. "^{...get back at the damned ectolans…they did to me…} " he mutters through grit teeth, low enough that I only barely catch it. Oh no…
"...Rilzev?"
He stiffens, his shoulders straightening as he pushes out his chest. His face acquires a stony expression, and he stares forwards at nothing. "Nothing, sir. It's nothing." He responds curtly, throwing the words out like they were burning inside him.
Worry grows in my heart as I turn to face him directly. I look at him, even though he does not return the gaze, as I question what best to say.
He wanted to wait until after the mission… would he even accept anything I said right now?
My mind whirls with "what-ifs" for a moment, making me hesitate, as the sound of the ship's klaxons fade to the background. Finally, I bite my tongue and force back my apprehension.
No. I have to help.
I take a few steps closer to him and place a wing on his shoulder. I feel him jump slightly at the touch, and we both stop walking as he meets my eyes. His face remains inscrutable, but their eyes roil with a myriad of emotions, like an overflowing river crashing against a crumbling dam, ready to burst at any moment.
"Rilzev…" I pause, searching for the right words. "...I said that we would talk about all of this once this job was done, but… I want to make sure that you know that we're all here for you. I'm here for you. I know you've been through a lot, even if you haven't told us what, yet… but you don't need to face it all yourself anymore. You can talk to us."
We look at one another for a moment before Rilzev turns his face away, his blunt snout pointed down towards his feet and his hands falling to his sides. He closes his eyes and takes a deep, shaky breath. I can feel his shoulders drop slightly as the tension in the muscles fade. Without lifting his head, he begins to speak, his voice once again barely a whisper above the alarms.
"...ok…I…I understand…"
His head stays slumped as he takes another breath, before he raises it towards me once again and opens his eyes. Unshed tears glisten lightly under the dim red glow of the hallway, and I feel the rough scales of his tail brush against my leg.
"...thank you, Ilkam. For listening…for caring."
Lightly squeezing his shoulder, I feel my own eyes begin to sting as we look at one another. "...It's the right thing to do."
Blinking away my tears, I move my wing to pat him lightly in the back. "Come on. Let's go catch up with the others," I say in a quiet, reassuring voice, "We've got a job to finish."
He waves his tail lightly as he stands back straighter, and his hands return to the carbine slung at his chest. "Yeah. Let's go."
As we walk down the corridor again, grouping up again with Terlid and Jarkil just ahead of us, no more words are spoken between the two of us, as no more needs to be said. We move towards our destination, as a team. Together.
 
Rilzev has been through so much, and he's been battling these demons of his for stars knows how long.
I refuse to make him fight alone any longer.
 
First / Previous / Next
 
So. It's been a hot minute, eh? Even ignoring the IRL stuff that hit me over this past week, I've spent like 6 days just trying to work out how to handle that ending. Especially considering this chapter is definitely shorter than the last few, but I feel like splitting the plans for this chapter into two worked better. With that, means next chapter is where the real action happens!
No not that kind of 'action' dummies. I know I'm shipping these two just as hard as y'all are but c'mon.
Once again, Thank you to SpacePaladin15 for the NoP universe, all of the fellow writers on Reddit and Discord for helping me make this, and to all of you for your kind words!

Colors: Ya ever seen dat shiny gold an' dat snazzy blue on dem humies? We thought, "Oi! Dat's propa snazzy!" So we slapped it on us! Proper stylish, we is.
Da Symbol: Tried makin' it look like dem humie birdies, da Aquila, but it ended up lookin' more like two squigs fightin' over some fungus munchies. Still looks ded killy, if ya ask me.
Da Start of It All: So, da boss, Big'Ed "Flashgit" Klawgabba, nicks dis sparkly pendant thing. Ever since, we's all been feelin' a bit...thinky. Not sure why, but it’s propa fun.
Our Stuff:
Da Emprah's "Holy" Gubbinz: We got dis thing for collectin' shiny humie junk. Even da tiniest shooty shell is like gold to us! No pinchin’, tho.
Waaagh!-sades: Ain't just lootin' anymore! We's got strategies and big plans. Goin' on real missions for da best loot, we is!
Shiny Loot Piles: Piled up all da fancy humie bits we find. Even stuck up a sign sayin', "No Pinchin’!" to keep da sneaky gits away.
Da Bestest Boyz:
KlawMarinez: Dese boyz! Stole some humie armor, painted it up all fancy, and now they’s bashin' heads in style.
Golden Boyz: Nobz all decked out in da shiniest paint. They think they's untouchable. Haha!
Hymn-Shoutaz: Got Gretchin yappin' out songs, but Orkified! "For da Emprah and da shiny loot!" Ha! It’s a riot!
Da Weirdboyz Sacrifice: Oh, dis is da best bit! Anytime we find dem Weirdboyz, we offer 'em up to power dat big humie chair, da Golden Throne! We reckon it's helpin' da Emprah, but between us, it ain't doin' zog all. Still, it's da thought dat counts, right?
Sumthin's Up: Da whole tribe's gettin' smarter, not just actin' like humies, but really thinky. Dunno what's goin' on, but it’s a right laugh.
Da Humies? Humies can't make heads or tails of it. From afar, reckon we's jokin'. Up close, they scratch their heads wonderin' why we's chattin' and not just smashin'. Proper fun to watch 'em squirm!
Da Point? Look, if ya see us Emprah's Boyz comin', join da Waaagh! or get outta da way. We's still Orky, but with a touch of da old noggin' workin'. An' if ya got shiny loot, best hand it over, or we's comin' for it!
TL;DR: We's da Emprah's Boyz. Shiny colors, fancy loot, thinky plans, and we sacrifice Weirdboyz to da big chair. Join us or get krumped. Also, got shiny stuff? Gimme!
Right, now dat I've giv'n ya da lowdown on me tribe, let's 'ave a chinwag with dem new humie pals of ours!
[Pict-feed Transmission Begins]
The screen flickers to life, revealing a makeshift studio fashioned from scavenged Imperial equipment. The backdrop is a roughly painted version of the Aquila, though it seems more reminiscent of squig wings. Lucius Veridius, a well-dressed human journalist, sits across from Warboss Big'Ed. Sweat pools around Lucius's collar, his complexion ghostly pale.
Lucius: (voice shaking) "Greetings, noble viewers of VoxNet. Today, we are...graced... by the presence of Warboss Big'Ed 'Flashgit' Klawgabba of Emprah's Boyz. Warboss, your... invitation is much... appreciated."
Big'Ed: "No worries, lil' Humie! We's all pals here, right? For da Emprah!"
Big'Ed grins, revealing golden teeth - each engraved with an uncannily precise Aquila, displaying craftsmanship no Ork should possess.
Lucius: (gulping hard) "Quite. Warboss Big'Ed, please explain your...bond...with the Emperor."
Big'Ed: "Snagged dis shiny Aquila," he flaunts the pendant, which emanates a soft, ethereal glow, "an' it showed me stuff. Proper visions, not da ones ya get from bad fungus brew. Saw da Emprah, and he says we’s his fave."
Lucius: "And your tribe’s...activities?"
Big'Ed: "We grab da Emprah's loot. Like that hat you got. Hand it here."
Lucius, teary-eyed, resigns his hat to the table.
Lucius: "Your relationship with the Imperium?"
Big'Ed: "Dey’re just a tad mixed up. Soon, dey’ll get it. We’re da real deal."
Lucius: "I've heard unsettling talk of a... Space Marine endeavor?"
Big'Ed: "Ah, da Emprah's Boyz Marinez! We nicked some Humie power armors, and da Mekz are Orkifyin' 'em. Big, green, and all shiny! Emprah's special Boyz!"
Lucius: "A parting message for the galaxy?"
Big'Ed: "Hop on board, or face da Waaagh! We're da Emprah's chosen. If ya ain't believin', you'll soon."
Lucius: "Thank you, Warboss. May the Emper—"
Suddenly, a gargantuan squig barrels into the frame, snapping its jaws around the unfortunate cameraman. Blood obscures the camera view, and horrified shrieks intensify.
Amid the turmoil, a chorus of Ork voices booms, "Oi, bad squig! Spit 'im out! That ain't food!"
As the feed crackles and fades, the haunting glow from Big'Ed's pendant remains, with a mysterious, un-Orky whisper echoing, "For the Emprah."
[Pict-feed Transmission Ends]

Part 1
Therese's voice trembled as she spoke of La Bête du Bayou. "It's a dive bar," she muttered, "I never knew Gabby was working there..." I could see the confusion and hurt in her eyes, the realization that her daughter had a secret life she was not privy to.
There were clearly many layers to Gabby that her mother was unaware of. A knot formed in my stomach, an unsettling mixture of empathy for Therese and an investigator's curiosity. This new lead was too compelling to ignore. We decided to make La Bête du Bayou our next stop.
As we drove through Bellefontaine, an eerie quiet engulfed the town. Dusk had cast long shadows that danced with the flickering of dim streetlights, adding to the sense of unease. It felt as if there were unseen eyes peering out from the darkness of every corner, from every silent alleyway, from behind every shuttered window.
La Bête du Bayou loomed ahead, a weathered two-story relic with a creaky wooden door. As our headlights lit up its flaking façade, a jolt of recognition surged through me. I pulled out Gabby's sketchbook – there it was, the same building drawn in charcoal, right down to the uneven windows and precarious sign.As we stepped through the entrance, the lively chatter and raucous laughter came to an abrupt halt. The air, heavy with the tang of beer and fried food, was suddenly charged with tension. Conversations stopped midway and the notes of a blues song lingered, choked by the sudden silence.
Our presence disrupted the atmosphere like a drop of ink in clear water. Faces turned, eyes narrowed, and stares lingered just a touch too long. Their disgust was palpable, barely hidden beneath layers of southern politeness. The hostility was subtle, yet not unexpected.
The chill that spread through the room was familiar. We were no strangers to disapproving stares. We'd faced such stares in places closer to home. We understood without saying it aloud.
Ash's arm came to rest protectively around my waist. His touch was a quiet reassurance, a promise of solidarity that bolstered my resolve. In response, I gave him a slight nod and squeezed his hand, murmuring, "We've got this, Ash."
We moved forward towards the bar, taking in our surroundings. The light hum of conversation gradually picked up again, though now peppered with furtive glances and hushed whispers. Their vile comments cloaked in French.
We saw a young man around Gabby's age clearing a table nearby. His name tag read 'Lucien,' matching the style of the one we found in Gabby's hidden box. Seeing an opportunity, we approached him.
"Excuse me, Lucien," Ash began, flashing him a reassuring smile. His eyes darted to us again, a hint of fear in his gaze.
"We're looking for the owner," I added, my voice steady.
"Remy," he stammered, "The owner, he... his name's Remy." He hesitated for a moment, glancing around, as though afraid to be seen talking to us. "I'll get him," he finally said, scurrying off towards the back.
Minutes later, a man emerged from behind the curtains that separated the bar from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a greasy rag. He was in his late forties, with a grizzled beard and eyes that had seen a lot of life. He was built like a wrestler, every inch of him radiating an intimidating presence.
"Y’all the ones askin’ for me?" His gruff voice echoed through the now quiet bar. He didn't introduce himself, but there was no need. This had to be Remy.
"Yes, we are,” I responded, attempting to sound assertive.
I turned to the busboy. “Thank you, Lucien," I said with a smile, trying to ease the tension. He flashed a quick, hesitant smile back, which faded as soon as his eyes met Remy’s disapproving gaze.
"What y'all want?" Remy asked.
Falling into our well-practiced routine, Ash slipped into the role of the good cop, his voice taking on a soothing tone as he addressed Remy, "We heard about the fine establishment you got here, Remy. Thought we'd come and pay a visit."
Remy eyed Ash skeptically, lips curling into a smirk. "Well, ain't y'all kind," he drawled in a thick accent. "Y'not locals, eh?"
My role was starkly different. As the bad cop, my tone was steely, my gaze unwavering. "We're from New Orleans," I answered in, my voice a bit more stern. "We're private investigators."
The smirk fell from Remy's face, replaced by a guarded expression. "Oh, Nouvelle Orléans? Now, ain't that somethin'? What y’all investigatin’ so far from home?"
"A girl, Gabrielle," I replied, pulling out a photo of Gabby from his pocket and sliding it across the bar towards Remy. “She’s been missing for two weeks. Her mother’s worried sick.”
Remy barely glanced at the photo before shaking his head. "Don' know her."
"Are you sure?" I said, leaning on the counter to narrow the space between us. "That's funny, because we have reason to believe Gabby worked here."
His gaze darted between us, irritation flickering in his eyes. "Who's feedin' y'all dese stories? Ain't no Gabby workin' here. I know my staff."
"Remy," I started, my voice firm, "I don't appreciate being lied to.”
“You callin’ me a liar, chère?” He scowled at me with pure disdain.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m calling you, " I retorted, reaching into my jacket and pulling out the name tag we had found, sliding it across the bar to him. The badge rested on the counter, its plastic surface catching the dim light of the bar, ‘Gabby’ emblazoned across it.
Remy glanced at the name tag, his lips forming a thin line. "This don't mean nothin'," he grumbled.
"Actually, it means a lot," I countered, "It means you've been hiring minors to work at a place that serves liquor."
I tutted, shaking my head with feigned disappointment. "The sheriff might be very interested in that."
Remy smirked with confidence. "You gonna call 'em? Go ahead. I ain't hidin' nothin'."
The smirk was a challenge, a dare. I knew he was testing us. In my heart, I knew the sheriff would do nothing. This was a small town where secrets were kept and outsiders were viewed with suspicion. The police had already turned a blind eye to Gabby's disappearance.
"Alright," I started, "Let's cut the bullshit. We know Gabby worked here. Now, she’s gone missing. We have her name tag, and we have her sketches. She drew this bar, she drew you." I lied about the last part, but he didn’t know that.
Remy's face creased, "A lotta girls come through here, chère. I can't be keepin' track of 'em all."
"You know, we're just trying to find a missing girl. But your denial, your defensiveness... it does make me wonder…" I began to say.
"Wonder 'bout what?" he spat, clearly rattled.
"About your involvement," I stated, staring him down. "Gabby had a secret life here. One that her own mother didn’t know about. Then, she goes missing. Can you blame us for connecting the dots?"
He held my gaze, his eyes flaring with defiance, boring into mine. "Yer barkin' up the wrong tree, chère. I ain't got nothin' to do with no missin' girl."
"Then why lie about knowing her?" I demanded. "Why claim she never worked here when we have clear evidence that she did? You've got a lot of explaining to do, Remy."
“I ain’t gotta explain nothin’,” Remy said.
“Okay, but you’re acting awfully suspicious,” I responded.
"What’re you gettin’ at?" Remy’s voice was sharp and defensive.
I gave a nonchalant shrug, maintaining eye contact with Remy. The tension between us was palpable, the air so thick I could almost taste it.
"I’m not getting at anything. I’m just saying that maybe you know more about Gabby's disappearance than you're letting on.” I bit my lip and added, “Maybe you had something to do with it.”
Ash squeezed my thigh, as though to tell me I had gone too far.
“You fuckin’...” Remy started, his face flaming red with anger.
"That's enough," Ash interjected, his voice low and steady as he stepped forward, placing himself between Remy and me. He held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "We're not here to cause trouble. We're just looking for Gabby."
Remy's gaze shifted from me to Ash, his anger turning to contempt. His broad frame stiffened, and his fingers tightened around the rag in his hand as though strangling it.
"You're steppin’ into a world that ain't yours, boy," he said to Ash, his voice a deep, menacing rumble, his words sliding out like a snake in the grass. "You and your lady here better learn your place, or you'll find yourselves on the wrong side of the Mississippi."
I watched as Ash took it in stride, his expression unchanging, his eyes steady. But I couldn't just stand there and watch this brute belittle my husband. My fingers clenched into tight fists, nails biting into my palm. I felt a prickling heat rise to my cheeks, a sign of the fury stirring inside me.
Without hesitation, I slipped in front of Ash, closing the gap between me and Remy. "And what world would that be, Remy?" I said, my tone icy, matching the hardness in his gaze. "The one where you exploit underage girls, or the one where you turn a blind eye when they disappear?"
He leaned within inches of my face. He was so close that I could see the scars criss crossing his knuckles, evidence of countless brawls. His voice dropped to a low rumble, the words a chilling whisper between us.
"Y’know, this here's gator country, and they don't discriminate between a meal and an intruder,” he said, a deadly undertone to his voice. "Gators, they like a nice, fat tourist every now and then. Shame if a couple go missin' in the bayou, hein?"
The scrape of chairs against the wooden floor behind me sent a shiver down my spine as I realized that the other patrons were getting up and slowly making their way towards us, forming a tightening semi-circle around us. I was well aware we were treading on dangerous waters. This wasn't our turf, but my pride and our mission overshadowed the alarm bells in my head.
"Well, I appreciate your concern," I responded, a sharp edge to my voice. Terror was coursing through me, but I couldn't show it. “But I’m not a fucking tourist, and your threats don’t scare me.”
Ash made one last attempt to defuse the situation, his voice steady, "Look, buddy, we're not looking for trouble. We’re just having a friendly conversation here."
At Ash's words, Remy's tense expression softened into a chilling grin. It wasn’t warm or friendly, but rather like a bared-teeth warning from a cornered animal. The aggression veiled beneath his smile made my blood run cold. This man was clearly not to be taken lightly.
"You know what? You're right, mon ami," Remy said, his voice heavy with forced cheerfulness. "Where're my manners? Let me offer you two a drink on the house. It's the least I can do for such...distinguished guests."
The tension in the room mounted as Remy's heavy hand slid under the counter, and I felt my heart pound against my chest. Time slowed as the air grew thick with anticipation. My trained eyes caught the minute twitch of his muscles, a telltale sign of his intentions.
I could almost feel the icy grip of the weapon Remy was reaching for. A bat, maybe, or more likely a shotgun. Something kept for troublemakers and unwanted guests.
I felt a bead of sweat trickle down the back of my neck. I had kicked the hornet’s nest one too many times and was about to get stung.
My mind ran calculations, considering how fast I could draw the Glock tucked into the back of my jeans. I had to also consider the dozen other barflies who were also likely armed. If I drew now, it could escalate the situation beyond the point of no return. It would be a bloodbath.
Ash’s hand tightened around mine, the reassurance I desperately needed. A silent conversation passed between us in the span of a heartbeat.
I knew I only had one card to play, and I had to do it quickly. I took a deep breath, and then... I dropped the facade. I spoke in flawless Cajun French, the language of my youth, the language of the place I used to call home.
"Écoute-moi, mon frère, s'il te plaît," (“Listen to me, brother, please”), I began, my voice steady, authoritative, yet filled with the familiar drawl. There was an audible gasp in the room as my heritage was laid bare, my words hung in the air like a declaration.
"Tu n’as pas besoin de faire ça," (“You don’t have to do this”), I pleaded, my eyes fixated on whatever weapon he had hidden.
“Putain de merde…” (“Fucking hell…”), Remy uttered, his jaw dropping.
"T’es Cadienne?" (“You’re Cajun?”) He asked me in disbelief, his eyes narrowing.
"Ouais," I nodded, "Cadienne, née et élevée." ("Yes, Cajun, born and raised.") The admission was like a shockwave through the room. Remy's hand, which had been reaching under the counter, froze in place.
The room held its collective breath as Remy slowly withdrew his hand, empty. I felt a sigh of relief catch in my throat as Remy straightened, regarding me with new interest.
"Pourquoi tu ne l'as pas dit plus tôt?" ("Why didn't you say so earlier?"), he asked, his tone no longer aggressive but genuinely curious.
"Parce que tu ne m'as pas donné la chance." ("Because you didn't give me a chance."), I replied, my voice strong.
Remy studied me with a new intensity. "Where are you from, petite?" he asked, reverting to English, though his tone was softer now.
"Assumption Parish, a small place called Pierre Part," I replied sheepishly. My past isn’t something I like talking about.
Remy's focus shifted from me to Ash, his eyebrow raising in a silent question.
"Et toi, big man? You know French too?"
Ash met his gaze with a good-natured shrug. "Only the curse words she spouts off when I piss her off."
The barflies, most of whom had been eyeing us with suspicion and hostility moments ago, broke into chuckles.
Remy shook his head with a wry grin. "Well, ain't you two a pair?"
He turned his gaze back at me. He was silent for a long time, scrutinizing me, as if trying to piece together a puzzle. Eventually, he sighed heavily, the animosity in his gaze finally receding. "Okay, chère," he said, resignation lacing his voice. "Let’s talk."
"Take a seat," he offered, his voice lacking its previous hostility. Ash and I exchanged glances before cautiously accepting his offer. He took a couple of beers from the fridge, popping the caps off and sliding them towards us.
"Gabby," he began, his gaze steady as he glanced at the photo I'd shown him earlier. "Dat girl played a mean fiddle, could charm the birds from the trees. She was a part of my staff. A damn good one, too. Sweet as pie, and harder workin’ than anyone else here."
He took a swig of his own beer, his gaze drifting off. "She said she needed the extra cash, but who doesn't, right?" Remy's fingers played with the rag he'd previously held, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.
"But somethin’ changed these past weeks. The girl seemed… tense, worried. Like she had the world's troubles restin' on her mind."
Remy leaned back in his chair, the creaking noise mirroring the weariness in his eyes. "Y'know, this place... ain't always easy on the young folks. More often than you'd like, they up and disappear. Poof, like a ghost in the wind."
His eyes went back to the picture of Gabby, a look of regret briefly crossing his face. "Folks 'round here, they just shrug their shoulders. Say they got tired of the bumblebees an' the crawfish, yearnin' for them big city lights."
Remy shook his head, his fingers drumming a mournful rhythm on the counter. "Truth is, we don't know why they leave, really. Maybe it is the lure of dem tall buildings and fast cars. Or maybe, just maybe, it's somethin' more. Almost like the bayou swallows them whole."
As I listened to Remy, I noticed in my periphery that Lucien kept glancing at us, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and curiosity. As he cleared my beer bottle, his other hand quickly reached out, grasping mine. A jolt of surprise surged through me as he pressed something small and folded into my palm. I managed to keep a straight face as I curled my fingers around the paper, feeling the texture of a hastily written note.
---
Our conversation with Remy wrapped up soon after, the lingering silence of the bar echoing the gravity of our discussion. As we got back in the car, the cooling night air was a sharp contrast to the heated interior of the bar.
I settled into the passenger's seat, feeling the car's familiar worn-in grooves against my back. I slammed the door shut, harder than I intended, earning a sharp look from Ash.
"Reine, you've got to stop doing this." His voice was calm, a contrast to the charged silence that filled the car.
I shot him a defensive look. "Doing what?"
He sighed. "Acting like a loose cannon. One of these days, you're going to get us both killed."
"Please," I scoffed, "I handled myself just fine back there."
"Did you?" He challenged, his sharp gaze never leaving mine. "Or did you just get lucky this time?"
I couldn’t answer that. He was right, as much as I hated to admit it. "Yeah," I said, finally breaking eye contact and staring at the winding road. "Yeah, you're absolutely right."
"Wow, did I actually just hear that?" He teased, but I could tell he's relieved.
I reached into my pocket, pulling out the crumpled note I'd received earlier from Lucien. "But I got something." I smoothed it out on my lap to read and held it up for Ash to see.
‘I know what happened to Gabby. Meet me at the pier at midnight.’
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
X

The ship’s new lawyer, a Haitian women who had filled the role of Death in the ship’s four horsemen inspired roster of lawyers, was not happy to see Gato and Alwen in an SS lockup.
“You two weren’t even apart of the chaos crew.” She admonished, as she stood before them.
Gato shrugged. “Guess they didn’t really need a good reason to tase and arrest innocent bystanders.”
The two of them had woken up cuffed to a table, both in two separate brick rooms, with an interrogator before them. They only knew this because Alwen and Gato later confirmed the details with each other when the interrogators realized that they weren’t going to get anywhere with them and threw them into their current cell.
As cavalier and callous as the Union seemed there were a set of well established rights granted to all individuals. The right to refuse questioning and request legal council being just a few. The only words out of Gato and Alwen’s mouth besides “Where the hell am I?” “And fuck you!” was the name of the ship they worked on and how to get in contact with the ship’s lawyer. Several hours of interrogation had simply boiled down to Gato and Alwen saying the word “Lawyer” over and over again.
“So they finally called the ship to request a lawyer. Took them a whole day.” Alwen muttered bitterly.
The new Mrs. Death tilted her head, her beaded earrings jingling as she did so. “They did not. Your subordinates reported you missing and we tracked your personal devices to this building. Have you really been requesting a lawyer all day?”
“It was the only thing we would say.”
“Gate San!” Mrs. Death growled.
Alwen glanced to Gato for a translation, but he just shrugged helplessly. She looked back to the dark skinned woman “Are we free to go?”
“Not yet, these bastards seem to think you’re behind a string of kidnappings that have been going on for months. They don’t seem to think the fact that we only arrived a week ago is a good alibi.”
“It was probably that gang of Chimps.” Gato muttered.
“Gang of Chimps?”
Alwen nodded “We found a girl who got separated from her mother so we decided to help find her mother. Got ambushed by the Chimps who had tried to take the girl. Scared the Chimps off, and then got tazed by ten officers.”
She tilted her head to the side “Where?”
“Uh, Chion park.”
She put a braceleted hand up to her chin “Hm, plenty of cameras there.”
“Think that’ll help corroborate our story?” Alwen asked hopefully.
She shook her head “Oh no, ‘Dese SS bastards wont listen to even the most airtight alibi. Been like beaten my head into a wall. Dey arrested Limey for sweet talking some Bone’woman bar tender. Said it was a gross display of indecency since they were two different species. They wont listen to a single thing I say, but de news is a different story.”
“You want to take our story to some news agency?” Alwen asked in disbelief.
“Depends on the optics” she muttered “If the cameras got your good sides then it’ll spread like wildfire. Two Hellworlders on a date spy a helpless young girl and bring her back to her mother after fending off a gang of Chimps, if the SS try to hold you after that then they’ll have to fend off a mob. Maybe we can even get an interview out of the girl and her mother.”
“Are you sure this is all necessary?” Gato asked. “I thought we were trying to keep a low profile.”
She scowled “Fuck dat, keeping quiet only helps the assholes who put you here. I’ve spent the last two days dealing with the swine of this station’s police force and I’m tired of all the bullshit. They arrested a Crewmen for jaywalking. jaywalking! On a station with flying cars and highway sized pedestrian walkways! ‘Sides dey got two spooks in robes out there looking into your case. I heard horror stories about them that make the average officer look reasonable and trustworthy by comparison. If they take you we might never find your bodies.”
Alwen looked to Gato “Ready for our two minutes of fame?” she asked.
“I don’t see a better option” he grumbled in defeat.
Mrs. Death gave them a feral grin, “Good, give me three hours and I’ll have you out of dis hellhole.”
She left right after that and Gato stared at the place where she had been standing “I feel sorry for those poor bastards out there, I can tell she’s at the end of her rope.”
Alwen nodded “Yeah, I think plan chaos relied a little too heavily on the SS not being complete assholes.”
Gato sighed “I’ve been to at least a hundred Union Stations and they’ve never been this bad. Somethings up here. It’s like they don’t need a good excuse or anything.” He stepped away from the bars and sat back down on the too short bench that was bolted onto the floor.
“Yeah, well, at least we were doing something good right.”
“And ruining our date in the process.” He mumbled.
Alwen frowned “What do you mean ruined. You and I had a fun day at the museum, rescued a little girl, and now have some good quality time with each other without our responsibilities getting in the way. I’d call that a win.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly memorable. Did you see how cute Nila was? It took every ounce of willpower I had not to squeeze her too tight.”
He looked at her and tilted his head “you really like kids don’t you?”
Alwen smiled “hard not to, did you see how fluffy Nila looked?”
“She…” he paused “looked fragile. Like a stiff wind could break her.”
Alwen tilted her head in contemplation. “That too. But that just makes me want to shelter her from that wind.” She looked up to Gato “I take your not a fan of kids.”
He shook his head. “Sorry no. You?”
“Of course. I’ve always wanted to be a mother; you know after my career was on a good track and I found the right person.” She smiled to herself at the mental image, and was surprised to see that the big house she had always imagined now looked like one of the Temples on Pandemonium.
“Is menopause not a concern for your people?” he said breaking her out of her fantasy.
“Not in the same way, technically Terran women experience it a lot later in life due to life extending medicines. But when compared to our lifecycle Torweni woman don’t experience it until we start to go white.” Alwen explained.
“Your hair is already white.” He pointed out.
“Not our hair, our skin loses its hue as we get older. It gets whiter.”
He stared at her agape “So you’ll turn white when you get old?”
“Not in the way your thinking, I’ll still be a shade of purple, just a very light shade.”
He still looked shocked by the thought of her skin changing in color. She just shrugged to herself. Kids were born with a slight shade of their parents skin, but it wasn't a very deep shade until they grew older, and their bodies started to produce certain proteins. The Torweni body just stopped producing that protein as they entered their final years.
A thought occurred to her. “You said you didn’t like kids, does that include your own?”
He gave her a raised eyebrow “I don’t have any kids, I’ve been smart about that.”
She rolled her eyes “I mean, in the future. Do you never want to have kids?”
He shook his head “No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. An old sergeant of mine retired a few years ago and found herself a nice man. She invited some of us to see her new kid after it was safe for visitors. Seeing that small, frail little thing made me scared it would break in my hands. That’s when I realized I never wanted kids.” He had been staring at his hands before he jerked his head up and gave her a suspicious look “Why are you so fixated on this whole kid thing? Its not like you and I could ever conceive.”
Alwen leaned back, a little crestfallen. “Well, maybe. My current research is about why our biologies seem to have some sort of base compatibility. It might one day lead to cross compatibility between our species.”
He snorted “I don’t think that’ll happen. There’s just way too many hoops to jump through for that to happen.”
“You’d be surprised.”
He gave her a piercing glare. “Are you saying that your actually confident in crossing the species divide.”
She shrugged and gestured to him “Its been done before.”
“With species that shared the same evolutionary heritage.”
She titled her head, “you know, for a man who only learned to read and write well into his adulthood you have a startling broad knowledge of a lot of subjects.”
He turned his head. “Just things I picked up.”
She watched his uncharacteristic display of bashfulness and scooted closer “You also seem to retain those things very well.” She said with a slight croon to her voice.
He shuffled away. “What are you getting at Vi?”
She laughed and leaned back. “It just occurred to me that despite the gruff meat head exterior your actually a very cunning man.”
“What do you mean by actually?” he growled turning back to look at her.
Despite the glare sent her way she could tell that there was no anger behind it. “What I mean is that your always downplaying your intelligence. Actually that seems to be a common trait amongst you Terran Males. Do you think that’s evolutionary or cultural?”
His glare softened. “Cultural.” He said after a while.
Alwen made a contemplative noise. This revelation certainly explained a few inconsistencies in Terran behavior.
They sat in silence, Gato glaring at the door, while she was thinking hard about her research. She wasn’t sure when, but at some point as the viability of cross compatibility between Terran and Torweni seemed a more likely outcome she had begun to imagine a future with her and Gato beyond the here and now. She had never really thought that far ahead in their relationship, but at some point she began to imagine her and Gato settling down. But his reticence about kids sort of threw a wrench into that idea.
She was wondering if that changed anything about the ‘here and now’. Did this future complication change how she currently felt, or could she put the issue off until later.
Her contemplation was interrupted by the door sliding open to admit two black cloaked officers. Gato’s glare intensified.
The two boogiemen of the ADCU stepped forward, and Gato gave them a warning growl. “I’ll only give you warning.” He said in a voice hardly more than a whisper. “If you’re here to torture us we wont go down easy. So think long and hard before you step through those bars.”
They stopped and the tallest one spoke “The Union does not torture prisoners.” The voice as heavily modified and Alwen could just barely stop herself from shuddering.
“Wouldn’t surprise us if you did.” Alwen said icily. “You people attacked us out of nowhere and then kidnaped us.”
The shorter turned their head towards Alwen, the staticky field obscuring her vision. “We had reason to suspect you of illegal activity.”
“Oh I see, well that justifies everything. Glad you cleared that up, now I can tell my bruised ribs and concussion that you guys had a good reason to tase us out of nowhere.
The shorter officer made a hiss that was distorted by the voice modulator. “Not even a proper member of the Union and your species is already affiliating with the most criminally deviant species in the galaxy.”
Alwen rolled her eyes “Yes, and if the way I was treated today is how the Union treats all its citizens then I be informing my world that a Union membership is only a ticket to violent oppression and injustice.”
“That wont be necessary” a new voice said as a towering and stick thin figure emerged through the door.
Alwen had met Zxx’thi before and had been left with the impression of a venerable yet congenial species. But this one had the slimy polished look of a politician.
She focused on the newcomer and noted how quickly the two officers changed their attitude as the tall Xeno shuffled in slowly. Terrans often related Zxx’thi to a tall sloth with the head of a turkey, and while she was only passingly familiar with those two animals the description was spot on. His movements were impossibly slow, and every little jostle caused a loose flap of skin to shake. Some deep predatory instincts within Alwen couldn’t comprehend how a species like this had ever survived, let alone built a civilization capable of reaching the stars. They didn’t even look strong enough to smack rocks together to make fire.
The man shuffled forward with all the speed of a geriatric patient and arrived in front of the cage Alwen and Gato had been thrown into. “You two are being released, and these officers are here to escort you to your ship.” He said, the two side facing eyes trying their best to look Alwen in the eye.
“Why?” she asked cautiously. “Last I checked these people thought we had some connection to a gang of Chimps?”
The Zxx’thi’s features shifted in what Alwen guessed to be mirth. “There has obviously been a mistake, your ship only recently called into port, and has never visited Unity before today.”
“We already told them that a day ago, they didn’t seem to care.” Gato accused.
He gave Gato a glacial glance before laboriously turning back to Alwen. “It took some time to verify that statement. But now that it has you are free to leave. But before you go, I had some questions.”
“We’ve already been interrogated.” Alwen snapped.
“This is not an interrogation, I just had some personal questions I was hoping you could clear up.”
Alwen crossed her arms “Like?”
“Like what is the daughter of a Torweni diplomat doing abroad a Terran cargo vessel?”
Alwen’s eyes widened unconsciously. “Who are you?”
“I am Councilmen Ozzath. I currently serve as the Unity station’s council representative.”
“Stations get councilmen?”
“When they’re as large as Unity it would be unfair for them not to be represented.”
“And why do you care about what I do or where I go?”
“A passing curiosity. You see before I became a councilmen I did a lot of work in the Femeri sector, I initiated Earth, Balter, Kaydo, and even Icaban into the Union as member worlds. The sector was given my family name to honor how much work I put into making it. Your world is the first to be discovered since my time there, and some lingering sympathies have caused me to keep an eye on the negotiations.”
The gravity of who she was speaking with suddenly hit her. This was the being responsible for the subjugation of Earth, the Terraforming of Mars, and likely the creation of the Mammaloids and Earth’s decline.
She cleared her throat “I see,” she said lamely.
The Zxx’thi councilmen tilted his held “And-?”
Alwen frowned “-And?”
The mirth faded a bit from his face. “my earlier question.” He said patiently.
Alwen blinked “Oh, right. Um, a bunch of off world Visas were offered to us, I got one a joined a Terran starship as medical personnel.”
“Yes, we really expected to see more Torweni coming through after those Visas were issued, but so far you’re the only one to make it as far as Unity. In fact a lot of the Torweni who accepted those Visa’s have seemed to have vanished.” He said with a hint of accusation in his voice.
Alwen knew that almost everyone who took one of those Visa’s eventually found their way to Pandemonium. The Hellworlders couldn’t colonize the whole world on their own and had sold off one of its continents to the Torweni military to further build their illicit alliance.
But she couldn’t tell this man any of that. A blasé shrug of her shoulders would likely make him more suspicious, so Alwen blinked as if in surprise and forced a concerned look onto her face “Really, where are they disappearing too?”
Ozzath looked slightly taken aback if Alwen was reading his expressions correctly. “That was what I wanted to know.”
She shook her head “I haven’t seen any other Torweni while I was away. Beside my shipmates.”
“Did you not think it strange?”
“No” she said honestly before meeting Modius and his half Torweni half Terran crew Alwen hadn’t been wondering about the other Torweni. “It’s a big galaxy. I figured it was natural to not see such a rare species very often. There’s only a few of us out here.”
The councilmen looked suspicious but nodded his head “I see, a shame then. They might have met with an unfortunate end. Officers Punisher and Edict will escort you to your ship, please try not to cause anymore trouble during your stay Miss Djani.”
“We didn’t cause any trouble, if your officers had talked to us before shooting then their wouldn’t have been any issues.” Alwen said pointedly.
The councilmen gave her puzzling gaze before turning away. the two officers opened the cage, gripped them both firmly by the arms, and escorted them out of the SS precinct and too a waiting shuttle that flew them over the city and directly back to their ship. The two officers then stood at the gangway until they had seen Alwen and Gato enter the safety of the Astaroth.
Only then did she and Gato relax.
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Im not sure if I gave it the right flair but Im really baffled by the lack of information on this and I really want to know more. I posted in another sub with fashion, but got no to little follow up information so I hope the right person reads this and helps me. I have this plan, black, short sleeve t-shirt that is the most comfortable clothing article that I own. It is amazing desing, cotton, and the color doesnt wash out. So I wanted to maybe buy/order more shirt like this. I got this shirt from my bf, one time I spilled something on my shirt and he gave me his (this) shirt to change. I loved it so much that I obviously kept it. After a few days, when I became obsessed with how good it was, I asked my bf where he got it. He said that he mistakenly took it from his roommate while he was working seasonal job in England. The roomate and him werent friends, they were just workers being set up in the same apartment who washed their clothes together. Anyway, I thought to myself thats no big deal since the shirt had a brand label on it. So i stared googling. The label said "pakka stuff". And to my surprise, there was NOTHING. Ok, there were...some stuff.. the only few "useful" and related links were some random ebay shirts labeled as "pakka stuff vintage". That got me confused-what clothing brad dosent have an online store nowdays? I deducted that it was maybe a discontined line, so I just wanted to find out more about the brand "pakka stuff". For the life of me, I cant find ANYTHING on google about it. Whats more confusing for me is that the shirt I have does not look...vintage? Its basic black shirt, but it looks somewhat new...the color didnt fade at all, the fabric isnt stretched.... So the point is, even if its discontined, I dont mind, but I really REALLY want to know more about the brand. As I sad, my bf "got" it in England, but im not sure from where his roomate was from...maybe its some internationl brand that is so random that google doesnt pick it up? I really want to know more about the brand and maybe buy more shirts from them if the did rebrand. Please help me!

First and foremost let me just say that I love this game. I truly do. So much.
Everything about it is amazing, from the art direction, to the overall designs, to the variety of weapons, spells, incantations and enemies. The characters we meet are incredible. The stories they tell are not only amazing but also truly emotional (recently seeing Master Hewg fading away after watching Melina burn one more time made me feel a knot in my throat for real).
Yet I think that this game has a problem in terms of progression and balancing, and I do think is the most important thing FromSoft can improve going forward. Or, well, going backwards actually. I'll get there in a moment.
First a comparative example. I was recently doing a Bloodborne run to show the game to my girlfriend, and we found ourselves breezing through the game with very minimal farming. I reached Micholash at level 70 and found myself amazed at how "correct" the game had been throughout the run. I remembered it much harder than it actually was. Now to be fair I played Bloodborne over and over for years, and I know it extremely well. I can parry-visceral pretty much everything in the game and know most bosses like the old friends they are. But still, even if I made a mistake and got hit I found that the damage output of bosses was much more than fair. So was their moveset, speed and overall mechanics.
That got me thinking. Today I was going through Malenia for the first time in my new playthrough in which I got a literally busted character. Dex mage level 300 for NG is kinda crazy. Moonveil 10, Rennala staff 10, Fingerprint shield 25 to tank when I fuck up. Her first phase is easily doable (especially so with powerful summons to take some of the pressure off you) though I got two-shotted by one of her combos a few times. Second phase I tried three times, each being one-shotted instantly by her first scarlet bloom plunge. Definitely need to get the timing right to dodge that one.
Anyhow my lvl 300 character with 60 vig gets killed with riddiculous in both phases of Malenia, so quickly at times that I feel like I might as well be at level 80. I know they made her this way precisely because a character level 300 in NG is possible in Elden Ring, and they had to make her challenging even for a character this overleveled. But at the same time I don't feel like this is a fair or fun way to design a boss.
Which brings me neatly to why I think Sekiro had the better progression system and combat mechanics overall. I absolutely love how Sekiro does not require you to grind, ever. If you grind enemies, and god knows I did, is to perfect your skills and have fun. Bosses drop items that allow you to get stronger or helathier so that you are pretty much forced to fight them at a certain power level. Also the parry mechanic in Sekiro is the coolest, most fair and most awesome instrument FromSoft has ever graced us with. It makes you feel like you can go toe to toe with the enemies and bosses. This is why I think that Sekiro is the pinnacle of FromSoft games mechanically speaking. It's just perfect, it's never unfair and it has you learning and progressing on such a smooth curve.
Elden Ring goes backwards in this respect, which is the one thing I was disappointed about with this game. The combat goes back to the DS style dodging even Bloodborne. Silly things like equipment weight are back, limiting our souls-fashion and rolling possibilities, and the stat based rpg system reintroduces nobody's favourite game trope: grind.
Elden Ring also has crazy spikes in difficulty, having enemies that can eat up a 60 vig life bar with one single attack. The way the difficulty ramps up makes players want to abuse the most meta and overpowered spells/weapon arts/summons to balance things back. And it's cool that this possibility exist, I just things it shows a lack of balance. They throw things at us that can be riddiculously tough, powerful and fast, with crazy hp pools, stupidly far reaching aoe attacks and one-shotters all over the place. So they also give us crazy abilities and super powerful summons to balance things, at times making something that should be incredibly cool and satisfying into a trivial matter.
To me it seems like this is a battle of extremes which is by defintion unbalanced. This was FromSoft first open world game and I get that is very very hard to desing something on this scale and with this depth for the first time. Which is why they reverted back to what they know best and that in turn showed the flaws of such a design better than in any other of their games.
I would love to see them trying a different route in their future open world titles (and there will be more of those, mark my words). A Sekiro-like progression system wit comparable combat mechanics would kill the tedium of grinding while leaving all the exploration, story, quests and secrets intact, allowing for more balanced and satisfying boss encounters I think.