Once the dropship landed in its designated spot—a secluded corner that was almost entirely empty, save for a few starfighters undergoing maintenance—the door opened and revealed a tunnel exit.

“Agent Pollard, please lead the way.” The Director looked at the man in crimson then turned back to Xaleyp as they began moving down the tunnel. “I’ve secured us a direct shuttle to the Chancellor. He happened to be up at this late hour in the Senate Building, and he was more than pleased to hear of our arrival and wanted to see you as soon as possible.”

Xaleyp didn’t know what to say, so he simply nodded and stared blankly forward. Agent Pollard kept them moving at a brisk pace through the tunnel. It was mostly dark ahead of them until lights activated as they neared and switched off as they moved past, leaving the rear shrouded. Periodically, there were windows in the walls, allowing for brief glimpses out. They were outside of the spaceport now, and the city seemed to stretch on forever, the dazzling lights in the skyscrapers piercing the night sky and casting a distinct, glowing aura throughout.

After five minutes of walking, they finally came to the end of the tunnel and exited onto an outdoor landing pad where a vehicle waited for them. It was a rather ordinary car painted silver, the front coming to a point and the back being the widest point. A pair of wings jutted out from the middle, curving towards the back with an engine on each. No windows were visible from the outside, giving it the appearance of a solid flying block of metal. Xaleyp looked at it with a curious expression on his face, which the Director did not let go unnoticed.

He mistook the curious look for one of disdain, and a scowl appeared on his face.

“It’s top of the line technology,” he said, patting the top of it as if it were a cherished pet. “It can get anywhere on Siatia faster than any other vehicle. Only a handful were made, and each was reserved for the Chancellor’s private fleet.”

“Oh, I didn’t doubt it’s capabilities,” Xaleyp said, his face turning slightly red. “It’s just that I’ve never seen anything quite like it, and it piqued my interest.”

The Director looked at him skeptically, and Xaleyp thought that the man was trying to see if he were lying. Whatever he saw must have pleased him, or at least didn’t anger him, because he turned back to the vehicle and tapped the side, letting the wall slide away and allowing them access. The inside was as pristine as the exterior, with a row of seats running down either side. Behind the seats on the opposite side, the wall was a sparkling metal, the color shifting as light gleamed off it. A small, circular table sat in the middle with empty glasses hanging upside from the ceiling.

Agent Pollard glanced around the area, checking for any threats, as the Director motioned for Xaleyp to enter, which he obeyed and slid into one of the seats on the far side. As he sat, straps popped out from behind and wrapped around him, holding him tight. The agent in the blue vest slid in next to him, followed by Pollard and the Director on the seats nearer. After they were all seated, the door slid shut and the vehicle whirred to life, hovered slightly off the ground as the repulsors underneath activated, and shot out into the night sky. Xaleyp was pressed against the seat from the sudden acceleration, holding on tight to the straps across his chest.

Sections of the walls around them appeared to fall away as the cameras on the exterior activated, allowing them to see their surroundings. Light filled windows flashed by as they tore through the air, weaving in and out of different tunnels between skyscrapers and dodging around slower moving vehicles. Xaleyp tried to take in all of the different sights they were passing, admiring each and every building. Some were wide and tall, taking up entire blocks, where others were narrow and short, squeezing in between others. Glowing, holographic signs were at the top of some, flashing advertisements for everything from haircare to politics. Far below was a chasm leading to the ever-deepening darkness of the lower levels, occasionally broken up by large open platforms.

Within ten minutes, and what was maybe a hundred kilometers flown, the vehicle began its descent into a rather pristine district. The entire area was carpeted by solid metal, creating an immense baseplate for dozens of buildings, some rising into the air like spires while others were shorter and rounded. Dominating the area was a massive building that was cylindrical with a domed top extending over the sides, and it was this one that they were heading for.

Only a dozen or so lights were still on at the late hour, leaving the building largely swathed in darkness. Around the area, the number of vehicles flying had drastically decreased, leaving them as one of the few in the air. As they made their approach, the Director leaned towards Xaleyp.

“Remember, best behavior.” He gave Xaleyp a slight smile, and the younger man couldn’t help but remember the words Ire had said before his first meeting with Seth.

“What does he want to talk to me about?” Xaleyp asked, somewhat nonchalantly.

“He didn’t say, and it’s not really my business to pester him about it.” The Director looked out the front windshield as they neared the ground. “We have an unspoken arrangement: If he doesn’t tell me something, then I shouldn’t ask, and it would be wise for you to take up the same.”

Xaleyp considered the words. What would the Chancellor want to talk to him about that he couldn’t tell the leader of his own secret organization?

As the vehicle landed, the door opened and a trio of guards rushed up to meet them. Each was wearing a domed helmet that obscured their faces and dark gray nanoweave armor with heavy metal plates over their chests and backs. An assault rifle was in all of their hands, and their heads continuously scanned the surrounding areas. The one at the head of the three wore a red sash across her chest and moved forward to give her hand to the Director as he stepped out.

“Welcome back, Director.” The voice was soft and gentle, yet carried a tone that demanded respect. It reminded him of how the Director spoke, in a way that was calming and encouraging.

Her head swiveled to look directly at Xaleyp, and he felt oddly panicked when he saw his reflection in the clear helmet, unable to see the person that lay beyond the material. Before he could say anything, however, the dome opened, collapsing backwards around her neck and disappearing into the armor, and revealed her face. Striking, familiar green eyes accented her otherwise plain features—regular lips, average nose, normal chin—with the only other detail sticking out being a scar running down her right eye and cheek. She appeared to be several years older than him. Her brown hair, showing just faint tinges of gray, was pulled back tight against her head, going straight down her back. She was the epitome of the standard human—at least, she would be, if her ears weren’t slightly pointed to an elongated tip at the top in an unusual way.

“Xaleyp Vah’Aris, welcome to Siatia.” She bowed to him, and he hesitantly returned it as he stood and walked to the door. She helped him down then glanced at the Director. “I’ve heard lots about you. I’m here to escort you to the Chancellor. Director, you can wait here, or you can collect the other operatives while you wait. It’s up to you.”

She finished the sentence with a shrug, as if not caring one way or another. Xaleyp didn’t ask how she already knew about their mission when the Director told him it was a new change.

“I think I’ll do that, Reaver.”

He gave her a smile and climbed back into the car to sit next to Agent Pollard, who leaned over and whispered something as the door slid shut. The repulsors underneath whirred back on, and the car took off, streaking away into the night sky, with the only part visible for more than a second being the blue glow of the engines.

“Well, if you would follow me.” She turned and began walking towards the large doors of the building. “I’m Elyssa Callahan, one of the Reavers of the Vanguard Ascendancy.”

“Vanguard Ascendancy?” Xaleyp asked before he could stop himself, recalling how he had seen it when looking at the mission profiles. “I’ve heard of it, but I have no idea what it is.”

“Oh, my mistake.” She shook her head and smiled then turned to look him in the eye. “I forgot you don’t know anything.”

“I know some things.” His face turned red, his cheeks burning.

“You know what I mean.” She made a gesture to everything around them. “About this and us. The Vanguard Ascendancy is responsible for maintaining order within Siatia.”

“Like the police?”

“You could say that. Can’t really tell you more about it right now, though.” She gave him a sly grin. “Really probably told you too much already.”

The doors opened as they approached, swiveling in an arc away from them just enough for three people across to walk through. Inside was less grandiose than Xaleyp anticipated. A small foyer greeted them with a reception desk in the center, a bank of lifts to either side, and a set of stairs in the back. The desk was a large circle, taking up most of the room, with a single elderly man lazily working. He gave them a curt nod, which Elyssa returned with one of her own.

They stopped at the last lift, and it opened for them at once. Elyssa and Xaleyp were the first ones on, followed quickly by the other two guards. Where the ones Hyperia and Arcadia used were somewhat basic but practical, the Siatian one was sleek and elegant, almost as if the former two were rudimentary versions. There were no buttons inside, but the door closed and shot upwards all the same.

“The Chancellor is on the top floor of offices, of course,” Elyssa said as her helmet closed again, removing her face from view. “It’s not too often he takes visitors this late at night, just so you know. He usually tries to get out of the office early.”

“I’m honored that he could make an exception for me.”

The rest of the ride up passed in silence, none of them wanting to be the ones to break it. Finally, the door opened and the two soldiers in front stepped out and to the side, allowing Elyssa to lead Xaleyp down the hallway. It was a rather simpler hall than he expected, curving in either direction with doors on either side. Small, silver orbs floated above ornate triangular pedestals at random intervals, gently bobbing up and down in place with a dull glow emanating from them. Paintings of different events and people lined the walls on either side. They came to a stop abruptly in front of a door that looked like all the others, except for a metal engraving in the center.

Chancellor Hayden Irani

5002 -

Elyssa pressed a button to the side of the door, and a faint chime came from within. The door hissed open, revealing the interior. A bright light immediately greeted them, a stark contrast from the relatively dim hallway. To each side of the room were sets of bookshelves covered from bottom to top in row upon row of heavy-bound tomes. At the far side of the shelves was a potted plant growing fiercely in the ceramic containers. A large, rectangular rug dominated the middle portion of the room, leading up to a set of steps that divided the front of the office from the back. At the back was a semicircle desk covered in neat stacks of datapads with a holographic screen appearing out of the center. Two plush armchairs sat in front of it, currently empty. A large window in the far wall showed a view of the city lights across the open platform surrounding the Senate Building.

The man sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the screen folded his hands and deactivated the screen as he looked at the newcomers. He had rather wider shoulders than Xaleyp expected, but they matched the slight protrusion from his stomach that came from inactivity. His brown, turning gray, hair was combed into a loose pompadour but somewhat disheveled, as if it had been a long time since he gotten any sleep. A pair of round framed glasses rested on his crooked nose, which looked as if it had been broken one too many times in the past. When they moved towards him, he stood and straightened his formal robes before walking around the desk to meet them.

“You’re the one that we went through so much trouble to get then?” the Chancellor asked, holding his hand out to Xaleyp. A golden ring gleamed on his forefinger with the crest of a lion engraved on the gemstone. Xaleyp shook the Chancellor’s hand, who nodded approvingly. “A nice firm handshake. I like that in my associates.”

“Thank you, sir.” Xaleyp didn’t know what else to say.

“Please, come have a seat.” He gestured back to the desk with a sweeping arm, the sleeve of his robe swinging gently with the movement. “We have much to discuss.”