I_L: Chapter 2

 

We welcome you to your Orientation. The Private Sector Armada was formed in 328AXI, after a joint agreement by G.H.O.S.T. and A.I.M. to provide better cooperation and trust among Merchants and their corporate contractors. The two petitioned the government for greater security measures and the tools necessary to investigate trade, cargo and shipping measures without the loss of autonomy both enjoyed in regards to their own affairs. After much debate and argument the government finally agreed, and the Private Sector Armada was formed. The Armada is now under the control of the Office of Special Envoy and has been put on full alert status. The OSE's first request was for all the Armada to come together and assist in an important task. As of this moment, the Armada's mission is twofold: protect the Xi Federation's commerce, and assist in tracking any and all hostile alien intrusions within Xi Grand Federation Space that may interfere with its economic prosperity.

As of late, the OSE believes the Xi Federation is under attack. This high alert means that P.S.A.'s time is well spent in this task of protecting the Xi Grand Federation's commerce, since Xi has been under some level of stress in recent years. It believes its time may be well spent in this task since a treaty has been signed with the Xi, granting the private sector a greater share in the governance of Xi Grand Federation. This means that the Kompanie Blocks will be able to enforce laws independently against the free market, and that should the need arise, the Armada will be able to step in to help. The OSE also needs a body to track the many, many incursions by hostile, space invaders in the Xi Federation's space. As a new [Investigative Supervisor], you will be charge of tracking such incursions, both foreign and domestic. And while the Kompanies may not have as many incursions as the government thinks, the OSE believes this could be a big,

big problem for Xi due to increasing Tachyon Cascade activity. They have a tenuous contract with the Merchant's Guild to bring the number of incursions down to a-

The scarlet gazelle on the screen droned on with her dazzling, shimmering, silken tails and silvery latex dress, forming patterns through the airwaves from her screen that couldn't be anything but hypnotic. A woman ran her hands through her dark blue hair, tied up in an uncomfortable bun and going in casual. She wore a light blue, silk blouse with buttons that matched her blue eyes, a dark blue miniskirt that went mid-thigh, red lipstick and high heels. Her bangs kept falling in her eyes, she wasn't used to them being curled this way, or walking in high heels. Without combat boots she felt barefooted. The Xi information-speaker with her enthusiastic monologue became background noise and seemed to fade into the background for the party's special guest as she navigated the crowd brimming for a show.

A show Noelle wanted no part of.

 

She stood hiding her grimace among the crowd of elastic-suited officers, these lavish socialites in cocktail dresses, shrugging off the rustling of their stretch fabrics. She oft had to wear her scowl like a mask and keep herself shielded from the duplicitous presence of social climbers and sharkish provocateurs during occasions like this - some literal sharks. She gently waved in refusal a multicolored waitress offering her some unnamed appetizer on a silvery trey, the lights across her skirt lit up like a Christmas tree and shimmered over the innumerable guests.

The screen speaker announced her commending ceremony would be in 2 hours, her face plastered over the screen like a prison mugshot. A few of the guests sarcastically clapped and whistled. She didn't like the sound of that. She wanted to go home and sit in her quiet living

room with a tumbler of scotch and watch her favorite netvision shows, not mix with the crowd of people with their fake happiness, their inane chitchat, their vapid smiles and their fake flattery.

The woman of the hour made her way across the deck of the luxury shuttle floating gently over Jupiter's moon, finding the odd glares and stares the slightest bit conspicuous. For a newly minted Inspector in mourning of her old humble lot in life, she felt more like a suspect among the suspicious rabble than someone being celebrated for a promotion.

She bumped her way to the corner of the room, tapping on Baron's shoulder with ardent urgency. "This is nerve-wrecking. I don't know any of these people, and it's a pain trying to keep up with this spectacle." She ran her hands through her hair.

"Well it looks like they're all too eager to size up you, chief. An outsider being given an Upper Realms position will do that." The crisp folds of his suit sat flatly against his metallic body with no luster lost for the reflecting silhouettes of innumerable guests staring at them.

The room was a perfect hive of whispering conversations, and Noelle felt every one of them like a rain of darts aimed in her direction.

"That I'm glad you've hired me, and I'm eager to make use of this opportunity for your agency."

He raised a single eyebrow, the glint of light and fire casting his metal body in shadow.

 

Baron placed his hand on her back gently. "What is it you'd like to say to them?"

 

"What? Oh," she started, pulling the air with a few short breaths as if she just remembered her voice.

"You're planning on playing the long con huh?"

 

She folded her arms. "The only to find out their con is to play ball, right?"

 

"I know you can handle it, Baron. But I'm no one's fool. This does reek of foul play.

 

Whoever wants you on the Lots as eyes rather than muscle does seem to have ulterior motives." His gaze was like a laser, scanning every face in the room. Hers follow suit in trepidation, soon shifting to the masked woman walking towards the two. The purple swirls of her mask matched the primped out suit and spirals tattoo'd along her paperwhite rubber catsuit underneath, keeping her hands in a foamy soft touch as she reached towards Noelle with a flamboyant wave. Noelle instinctively backed away.

"Good evening ladies." They pulled back a dark cloak from the top of their head, revealing the full extent of their mask and the pearly-white hime cut into a crescendo from behind.

"Congratulations! Our new Cargo Constable. It must be such an honor, being promoted as the watchdog of such, refined corporate interests. As one in a similar position as you I envy your tenacity. Afterall I was raised in the service of industry myself. You know, we always looked after our own." She patted Noelle on the back, her visible trails of sticky perfume almost an eye burn in the air.

"My industry is public service." Noelle said bluntly. The other woman gave pause, before chortling in glee. "Oh, was that a joke? What a funny sense of humour you have."

Noelle lifted a shoulder. "I'm not laughing."

 

"Oh but I'm enjoying it, it's refreshing." Noelle saw the woman wink once again.

"My name is, well they call me The Merchant. Pretty on the nose, right?" She put out her hand, and Noelle gave into civility to give it a firm shake.

"Noelle."

 

"Pleased to meet you Noelle. We'll be working together quite abit soon. I'm the Seigneur delegate of the Merchant's guild. Gotta keep all things fair in love and commerce, y'know?"

"Love and war." "What?"

"All's fair in Love and War. Never really thought of 'Trade' as fair, given the few that can

do

 

it."

 

"That's very confusing." The Merchant fluttered abit. "And if it's not fair, I'll make it fair.

 

That's my prerogative." She took a wineglass from a waiter and gave it a slight playful shake, watching it ripple. "It should be yours too! You're going to make sure every single block and shipment is accounted for, and pursue any that aren't."

Noelle shrugged. "I'll keep an eye out for train barons, thanks." She never really thought too highly of the merchant guild. They were the crumb feeders between the umbrella of ultra wealthy elites and those with wealth who stood for themselves. If she was honest, they weren't her favorite people.

The Merchant chuckled. "Of course you will. I'm happy to have your support, or rather, to have your obedience. What's your story anyway? From what I can gather you're just a young woman who's never had to live by anything but her own whims and wishes. Not entirely unlike myself, I think."

The Merchant was staring at Noelle in a very strange way.

 

"Yes. I suppose you're right" Noelle laughed, noticing a group approaching them from the center of the gala.

"I'm serious. You look like you could run a country, with how you carry yourself. I've had my fill of being told how I should live my life, and how I should live. I wish to change that for myself."

Noelle shook her head, ignoring the slight headache she was getting talking to this wretched woman. "All life has taught me is how to make my own choices. It's as simple as that."

The Merchant clapped. "Good, good. That doesn't make you a monster. And I have a feeling I could trust you to get things done. Atleast, don't want you to think I think of you as a lousy babysitter for some corporate shipments, anymore than I'm a paltry negotiator. I'm looking forward to our partnership.. and, apparently, so are they." She bowed facetiously as others approached Ellie.

A group of six people walked towards her along with Baron. The first to catch her eye, because she was the shortest was a girl with too much makeup and too many pockets on her uniform jacket, gun holders could be seen inside. "H-hope she hasn't talked your ear off." The

girl said, her short blue hair radiant in the fluorescent lights. In an improvised introduction she told Noelle she was Theabelle, having to repeat it twice while looking away sheepishly.

"I follow the money, she is money. What's there not to like?" The gimped woman behind her said, cyan wires and coils around her sleek latex shell. She was masked and appeared faceless, but her mouth could be seen, along with purple boxes by her hips. Every inch of her silhouette was insatiably curvy and seemed suggestive of all kinds of appetites.

"Blackbox." She gave a curt shake of the head, refusing to put out her hand.

 

The girl next to her with mint-toned fur, a ripped glamorous snow-jacket and antlers scoffed. She eyed Noelle cautiously, almost in a protective stance. "Can twink of ah few th'ngs.." Her eye twitched, Noelle could see her sweaty palms clamping back and forth by her sides. "A'hm.. Meeks."

The three behind them were two large men and a larger woman, standing in noticeable size contrast to the three in front. At around 7-9 feet each, they stood side by side as if trying out for a contest of who could be the representative brute. One had a large axe in back with a dyson halo attached in back and was wearing hockey pads and an old fashioned wrestler's helmet, he introduced himself as Vengeful. The Osprey pin on his vest seemed to indicate he was Ex- military. To the side, chisel-jawed muscle belonged to a man with aging grey hair, clearly augmented with more cybernetics by far, who went by Brick. He wore strange black gauntlets.

The largest of the three was covered in thick rivulets of scars across her body, but despite the harsh appearance, her expression was kind. Her head, while not as cybernetic as her partner Brick's, had an eye lens, and a headpiece that went to the sides of her ears and met in the back with two radios. When she shook Noelle's hand and introduced herself as Ragnor the girl had to

gasp from the girth of her pecs. Like Brick, she had a tattoo over her shoulder Noelle recognized, the type of trendy ink that old Renegade Lyfe security wore.

Ragnor was followed by a young man, barely a man at all. He was shorter than the last and he had spiky brown hair. While not the smallest of the group, he was clearly a man that never grew up. An old-school punk kid, he wore leather gloves, a leather vest, his jeans were tattered and ripped all over, and he had on a scruffy black leather jacket. "That's Hawk.. He's not an official member of the team yet." Ragnor said leaning over. "Who then?" The Merchant saw vigor in his eyes.

"My assistant, or I let him be. He's kinda a fanboy of mine, long story."

 

Noelle tried to contain herself, she never was good at judging people. "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you all."

"I would hope so, toots. You're our new boss." Vengeful said. Noelle folded her arms. "Well, unless you're here for an autograph or something?" Hawk, the young kid smiled at her. "No, we're here for you."

The incredulous look on Noelle's face turned to a flat wall of denial. "Uh huh." Noelle rolled her eyes. "Oh really? Give us a moment." She grabbed Baron the ears and dragged him off.

"AHA HA hahaha, NO! You're joking right?"

 

"No...we're not." Theabelle said, standing behind Noelle and saying it in such a way that the Inspector feared to ruin her innocence.

She took a small step towards Noelle, her mouth in a thin line. So cute, Noelle thought to herself. "So you're not here for an autograph then. Where are you even from?"

"Umm...I'm from the...I'm from..." Theabelle couldn't finish. "I don't remember." Noelle paused, thinking about that sentence for a moment. She leaned over. "Really?"

Hawk interrupted. "Hey! Theadork. What're you doing? She's our boss, we need to be respectful!" Noelle glared at him.

With a sigh, she turned back to Baron. "I didn't agree to any of this."

 

"You can't escape this. You're an honorary servant of the Upper Realms now." He replied. She shot him her furrowed brow, something felt purely wrong with that term and her. Servant.

She didn't want any of this, and every catch of her breath attempted to reconcile what'd been thrusted on her. As a Security chief she protected people, she kept the lots safe and ensured in this turbulent world of worlds she provided some stability to those going about their workdays. But this? The thought of chasing after some Megacorp's luggage, and spending her days chasing petty crooks with a team of mooks rendered her bitter.

"I won't." She replied simply, her lip quivering slightly as she realized how her words could make Baron look in front of the new group. She just meant it, the whole thing was wrong. "What happened to playball to find the pitcher?" He scratched his head, apologizingly lightly as his arm bumped into one of the guests. "That was when I was doing this solo.. or with you. I don't know, any of them." She looked over his shoulder, Ragnor waving back. One was missing.

Blackbox appeared behind Noelle, almost giving her a heart attack.

 

She leaned in and pressed her rubbery finger to Noelle's chest. "I know we don't exactly know you but there's no way I'd follow an unknown stranger, even with a fancy rank or whatever story she's about. I don't trust any of you. What could be the point in this? Know I'm keeping my eye on you." She dabbed Noelle's cheek and then sauntered off, hips swinging.

It took a moment for Noelle to regain her composure. "See what I mean?"

 

"Look I'm not asking for you to do some group bonding exercise. Finding one's way thru the Lots. Requires a lot of resources and skills."

"I used to watch those lots." Her nose curled up abit.

 

"As a glorified security officer.. this gig's different. You're rolling with the flyboys now." "Well I-" She was cut off.

Everything rumbled and shook.

 

Theabelle nearly fell over, prompting Elllie to catch her onto her waist, her hair buried in Noelle's chest. "What was that?" She let out a short eep, watching the lights of the ship's gala foyer blink with red sirens. "Baron, check the ship's infometrics." The mechanical man tapped into the diagnostics systems and turned towards the exit. "Left wing was breached." "By some sort of asteroid? To get past the shielding would be-" "No. By a boarding vessel" He added. The entire room turned into hostages. From the side panel-doors, blasters swept through met like hot burning cinder, and from the ensuring smoke, patrols of grisly warthog-faced raiders swiftly surrounded marched in and surrounded the crowd.

A porcine pirate with a british stiff-upper lip, long oak-shaded coat and technicolor tricorn hat. "What dour guests. So much color and such a high budget for these partys, and you snooty rich snots cannot be bothered to smile or live it up a little? How poetic. It proves to be too much for you assholes. Luckily, we've arrived and generously will take the liberty of depriving you of that. I'm Captain Grimsworth, disgusted to meet you all." She gave a toothy grin, revealing a gap in her teeth. A three-eyed raven sat atop her shoulder.

The council stayed seated. "Security!" They yelled. No one arrived, prompting absolute confusion from the wealthy guests and Upper Realms elites around the dining ring. The centerpiece of the Xi totem pole, the Elder Dragons sat without response. "Ah, Councilor member Melicia. And is that retired army major Patience next to you?" Grimsworth waved.

"What kind of stunt do you intend to pull here?" Melicia buttoned her collar that'd become undone in the duress.

"Take what will be properly ours. Every top ranking member of G.H.O.S.T. is here tonight, and the 6 more important crowns of the empire is a killer bonus." She took out her blaster and aimed it forward, tilting it at the Elders once.

Melicia furrowed her brow. "That's preposterous. There's no possible way all 6 would meet physically in such a public spectacle."

Lying on the floor nearby the centermost ring were 6 pure-golded suited woman in bondage, their projections sparkling like glitter.

"Mhm." The hoglady shrugged.

"If you know that then why are you raiding- wait better yet, how did you get in? The access codes for the barrier would've bee-." A pink flash seared a flash of smoke by her right side, quieting her thusly.

"I'll have no more talk. This is not a negotiation, it's a robbery."

 

The councilwoman cleared her throat. "You think we'll give anything to petty thieves? I'd rather not give up on my position on the Council by making such an error."

She laughed. "Oh, we'll put you at the bottom. Sevron!" A roided alligator at her side started to go around the room at gunpoint with numerous pigmen, taking valuables and jewels wherever they could into sacks.

⍟

 

 

 

 

The gang of pigs approached Noelle's squad and began to raise their guns. "Put'em up girly." The pirate eyeing her looked back at the Info-screen replaying its earlier recording nonstop. "Wait a darn, you're the girl of the hour huh? Just goes to show doesn't pay to be in the spotlight." He attempted to reach towards her hair, and Noelle promptly kicked him over. The rest snarled, and Baron bashed two heads as one, their tusks intertwined. Three rushed towards the Inspector in the chaos, only for Theabelle to reach for her electron pistols and rapidly fire away with a speed and agility that took her attackers by storm. While the squad wrestled with the volley of blasters raining their way, Vengeful pulled their axe and swept it along the marble floor with a grinding shower of sparks. Him and Ragnor shielded the group with the uplifted foundation, holding up the massive tile as Noelle started to make her way around the edges of the

room, dodging shots and rolling between the outermost tables. A dozen grunts began slowly approaching and cornering the Inspector. Brick and Meeks raised their hands together and their guns began to levitate, the table swelling in size while its mass intensified. Noelle kicked like a horse and sent it flying at the group until it crashed right in front of Grimsworth's feet, her men ragdolled underneath. "Tsk.." Noelle eyed her, and the pirate met the Inspector's stare back. She fled, heading the other direction leaving the remaining grunts in a state of confusion. While Noelle chased after her through the hall and pursued, Sevron grabbed hold of Melicia. The Councilorwoman kicked and struggled as the reptile held a gun to her head, looking at the ill- fated interceders. Brick, Ragor, Vengeful, Theabelle and Hawk stood together, looking behind him.

"Not a single movement, if I hear a fucking whisper than I-" Blackbox tapped behind him. He went silent.

There were no words. No thoughts. No movements, his senses were cut off and he saw

himself in a vast sensory void. Outside, his eyes were bleeding pitch-black oily drips. "Not a whisper. Got it." She smiled, although it could've been easily missed while she

 

raised her arms and danced her squeaky fingers, dark swirling misty orbs appearing around several of the pork ruffians.

Baron threw two physical attackers to the ground and paced into the halls.

 

"I'm going to cut her throat, I swear that bitch.." Grimsworth checked a device on her wrist, and a pod ahead opened up. Four hogmen jumped out, aiming their guns at Noelle.

"Don't move! Unless you wanna see a lightshow." The woman started to back away, eyeing the pod and snarling at the Inspector. Noelle stopped and reached for her gun with quick triggerfingers, the woman fired her weapon and it flew backwards when another shot interceded first, one of the hogs shooting it right of her hand and sending it flying. She folded her arms as they pressed closer.

Noelle eyed the pirate once again. "Hold up! For someone so eager to run, you must've put in ages of work to arrange all this."

Grimsworth unchecked the safety on her blaster. "What's it to a dog like you? Already getting into the new role, detective?"

The Inspector rolled her neck and eyes abit. "I mean, security encryption for a top-level event, knowing the flight path and layout.. security was suspiciously absent aswell." Her tone turned accusatory. "Sounds like you must've had quite a bit of help from upstairs pulling this heist, if basic deduction serves me right."

The pig woman scowled. "Maybe." She approached Noelle, raised her gun to her chest and intended to shoot. "Not like you're gonna do shit about it."

Noelle pulled out a spare blaster from her bag and fired two shots into the pig woman's stomach as the pig woman fell back on her rear. She made her way towards their body, aiming down slowly and cautiously. The woman's skin was cracked and dry looking, with scabs here and there on her bare belly, almost as though she had been tortured by slavers. Digital ripples twisted where Grimsworth had been shot, forming hexagon patterns around her skin. Her eyes opened and she smiled, firing into Noelle's chest on the spot. "Digital heat-absorption implants,

cya twat." Noelle was blown back into a wall, a huge hole in her chest. She winced and looked down. The bullet had passed through her ribcage, exiting on the other side of her back scapula. The heist leader and four grunts stood in front of her with daunting smiles watching the smoke clear.

"Got'em boss." One of them said, only turning away when the Inspector's body twitched, a small flicker sparking from her. "Hm?"

The four stood back.

 

Noelle's eyes were bright and full of light, the electrical cyan crackling of the air serenading the fabric of space-time with molecules of an otherly nature not bound by the universe's physics. Her body started to rise up and emitted a glow that grew denser by the second, until it consumed her and spread out in both vertical directions, levitating the silhouette of her body upwards.

They began to back away, feeling a powerful suction from the growing tower in front of them. "That's- not possible. Tachyon activity?" Grimsworth panicked, the grease on her cheeks sizzling and melting before her while particles heated up her body. Her and her remaining crew were consumed by the light, and sent away from the scene in an electrical splash.

While the bright beam continued to fire up like a waterfall inside the ship, Noelle felt like she was floating. She saw things, some things she wasn't sure she understood and others that definitely seemed familiar to her. The prehistoric world. Her getting dressed this morning. The first space ages. Learning to fly an emergency shuttle. Scenes of the new teammates she just met, in events that hadn't happened yet. Soon she was floating in space like a phantom, watching the

Gala unfold before the untimely heist. It was a sensory indulgence she wasn't sure she could have ever imagined.

She watched as the beam traveled, through the Gala and past the new world she'd just created. The beam of light then started to come from the bottom of her world and traveled back to its origin point. In the few seconds it took Noelle to observe what was happening, the beam had consumed the space ahead of the ship, and the ship was being sucked into the beam, which would travel a few hundred million until it reached the rings of Saturn.

She continued to travel it seemed, Noelle feeling like her presence was being carried by a blank white canvas. A metallic figure appeared in the distance with a visor, casting her reflection like a deadly premonition. The figure, bulky and armored, reached out for her, but dissipated into the great white void, leaving Noelle to her temporal travels.

When it all faded, a small flicker was left the size of a lamp, like a crack of pure color. Noelle was spit out, coughing and catching her breath, the trickles of discharge still sparking. She caught herself on her knees, her attackers from earlier nowhere to be found. Standing in front of her was Baron, who looked out the window to see a different planet in view, and the pirate leader gone. It took her a few moments to catch her bearings, Baron scratching his head.

"Noelle.." He looked around at the crack, watching it slither through steel until it turned into a pitchdark space and was merely a damaged fault along the wall.

⍟

 

 

 

 

"Did you do this?" He asked, the voice of genuine concern peering through the question.

"Did I..?" She looked at her hands. Shaking, and blinking pale-white with small blurs of color faded around them, until they faded of color or brightness.

She stood, brushing herself off, looking back at the damage on the wall. A slight trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth started to drip out. Baron stepped towards her, helping her sit down.

"Tell me everything.." He watched her for a while, making sure she's alright. The world was back in its proper place, and there was a party was saved. A crowd could be heard rushing to the scene. In a panic, Baron slammed his hand into a wall, digital injector from his palm starting to rewrite entire footage from the surveillance field.

The group approached as he retracted his wire. With councilwoman Melicia eyeing the two, The Merchant behind her shrugged. Two masked assistants were scanning the area and reading from a glass tablet, their goggles fogged as they breathed through metallic masks.

"These scans are Tachyon activity. The only ones capable of these readings are primed." Even the scans and footage showed Baron dispatching the attackers with the role Noelle had performed. Everyone looked at the duo, suddenly suspect. Baron stood up swiftly and bounced ahead, raising his fist. "Found me, shit. Guess the gig's out, no point in explaining what I'm doing here. We stick to the script right?" He aimed his volt gun at the crowd and took a few steps forward, before dropping it, and raising his hands.

"So what do we do with him?" The Merchant asked.

Melicia's eyes turned back to The Merchant, who still didn't react. There was no emotion on her face, just a blank look, like that of an empty shell. She didn't bother herself, as she knew that she wouldn't be the one to take care of this one.

"Arrest him. Bring him in for questioning. We cannot take any risks."

 

The aids in metallic masks took out handcuffs of pure light and cuffed him. As they took him away, he looked at Noelle, who had a sad expression as if to say But you didn't..

The Merchant shook her head and threw her arm around Noelle, giving a look of reassurance as her partner was carried off. Every single emotion she felt at once. Confusion, relief, betrayal, guilt, baseless deductions and all manners of regrets. He'd been arrested, they'd have the right to keep a prisoner afterall. But why any of this was happening to Noelle, she didn't know.

Merely that less than an hour later, the same room that had turned into a shootout was now a dazzling party again, maintenance drones already fixing the tables and chefs setting up new dishes. When the highlight event finally arrived, Noelle stepped up to the centermost ring with no fanfare. The imagery of the 6 Elderdragons in a ring, and every Councilmen of the Upper Realms watching her like a birdcage while she placed her hand on her chest, pledged her service as an Investigator of the Lots and finally saluted. She eye'd one of the six, coughing and sitting frail, even if he wasn't physically here the action didn't go unnoticed.

The Elderdragon at the center nodded. Looking at the other five, he sighed a wordless sigh and turned to her. She had an idea of what was about to happen. She was to be placed under investigation by Council of the Upper Realms in secret, even if she was on the clock. If she could keep the others around her guessing, then she could keep them quiet and not bring too much

attention to her own actions. Noelle received a golden tablet, containing an assignment of sorts. A job that would allow her to do whatever she liked, as long as it was not against her Oath.

She swore privately to herself that she'd make the most of this opportunity. Or atleast, most of it anyway.