Hiro Kuat

"This is a bit of a tight fit isn't it?" I crack a joke while seated between Sara and Nomi, "Are you sure there's enough space for one more passenger?"

No one bothers to respond, the tension in the car simmering just beneath the surface. The priestess had driven the car to the side of the road and shut off the headlamps, plunging the area around us into darkness. Both Mari and the priestess look forward intently, watching the line of parked trucks in the distance. Armed men mingle about the trucks uneasily, hanging out by the pavement either gossiping or smoking. The city lights of Rais Land shine dimly, barely illuminating the deserted road.

"They should be getting underway soon." Mari comments, breaking the monotonous hum of the car's idling engine, "Madam said she would show herself after her people leave."

"And they're OK with this? Madam's people I mean." I ask, staring out of one of the side windows into a pitch black park, "Being used as a decoy?"

"They don't know." Mari purses her lips contemplatively, "Or rather most of them don't. Madam probably doesn't have the money to pay all of them off. Those thugs probably think everyone is making their escape together."

"Her bodyguards know." Nomi pipes up, "Madam complained to me that it cost her almost all the cash she brought along with her to get them onboard with the plan."

"Good luck to them I suppose." I muse, looking back out of the side window and up into the night sky. High above us, the stars shine bright, with a few of them making a slow circuit around the the area the trucks have been parked.

"Coalition bulwarks." Mari confirms for me, "I noticed them patrolling this area when we arrived. Looks like they've caught scent of the bait."

I nod to myself, feeling my hackles rise. I know that the Coalition is most likely not paying any attention to us, but I can't help but feel smothered under their imaginary gaze. I turn and see Sara swallowing hard as she nervously sinks deeper into her seat, trying in vain to hide from the watchers overhead.

"You OK?" I quiz, trying to get Sara to lighten up a little.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Sara murmurs, looking clearly over her head, "Just wish I was back at the station though."

"You're safest beside me." the priestess says plainly, not bothering to turn her head to address us, "Remember that, Sara."

"Scared that someone's going to abduct her while you're away?" Mari verbally jabs at the priestess, trying to get a rise out of the hooded woman. But the priestess keeps her peace, refusing to rise to the bait.

"That day will come though." Mari continues with her needling, "Both of you are just delaying the inevitable."

"She said no to your offer already." Nomi rolls her eyes and grumbles, "Just give it a rest. Nagging about it is getting annoying."

"We can take care of ourselves." the priestess answers, "Thank you for your concern."

Before Mari can get back into the conversation, a black limo emerges from a side street and cruises towards the line of parked trucks. Upon seeing the limo, the loitering muscle immediately pile into the waiting vehicles and start firing up the engines. The limo halts as the trucks get into motion before smoothly getting into formation with them. The convoy then drives off into the distance as fast as they can go. In the sky high above, the drifting constellation of bulwarks silently follows the departing convoy.

"Now where is she?" Mari mutters, casting her eyes about the road for any sign of Madam.

"Look." Sara whispers as a woman wearing a drawn up hoodie and sweat pants emerges from the park, walking towards our car with barely concealed desperation. I see a flash of the woman's face beneath the hoodie as she glances about nervously and realize that its Madam, completely out of her environment. Gone is the finely tailored suit and refined appearance. Tonight Madam resembles a hobo or a homeless tramp. A surprisingly well groomed tramp, but a far cry from her previous incarnation.

Madam pauses outside the passenger door and raps on the window urgently. Nomi quickly opens the door and squeezes even more tightly against me to make room for Madam in the car.

"Ugh, like I said, its a tight fit." I grunt as Nomi's body presses hard against mine. As Madam settles into the car, her weight forces Nomi even further to the side and I feel myself being compacted against their weight.

"This is fine." Nomi says back while making herself comfortable.

"Let's go." Mari simply orders the priestess who shrugs in return. The car sputters from all the weight packed inside it but takes to the road with some coaxing. The priestess then begins navigating the silent streets of Rais Land, as we begin sneaking our way past the soundless stares of the stars above.

....

"What a disaster this trip has been." Madam complains as the city blurs past us, "I expect the Citadel to compensate me for my losses when we get back."

"We are helping you escape as well, you know." Mari shoots back from her seat.

"I got into this mess because of you lot." Madam scowls, "Don't think I've forgotten about that. And you're using my staff to facilitate this getaway."

"Can we not quarrel?" I try to calm things down before they get too heated, but Mari refuses to back down.

"And you need us to bring you to safety in the concrete desert." Mari points out calmly, "Both sides are getting something out of this arrangement."

"I'm not going to eat the loss of my staff and all those vehicles just because you say so." Madam snorts, fire rapidly rising in her eyes.

"Things are what they are." Mari sighs, her temper fraying from the stress and previous confrontation with the priestess, "Just try your best to deal with it."

"Deal with it?" Madam demands, "That's your big idea? Dealing with it?"

"Yes. Its what the rest of us are doing." Mari shoots back, "You should try it as well."

"Alright. I'll deal with it." Madam says with a tone of finality before abruptly opening her side's passenger door while the car is still in motion.

"What are you doing?" Nomi cries out and quickly pulls Madam back into the car.

"Let me go. Like your friend says, I'm dealing with it." Madam growls.

"How is jumping out of a moving car 'dealing with it'?" Sara asks from her corner in a small, nervous voice.

"That's not anyone else's problem but mine." Madam snaps, "Will you let me deal with it or not?"

"We can't let you go, not now." Mari says dangerously, "Ever heard of operational security? We're travelling together until we reach safety, understood?"

"You can't stop me." Madam dismisses Mari's threat breezily, "What are you going to do, start a fight and draw the Coalition here?"

"Everyone, please shut up." the priestess grouses from the driver's seat, causing Mari to shoot the woman a dirty look before getting back to the issue at hand.

Mari bites her lip unhappily before pulling out a single gold coin from her jacket and tossing it to Madam. The fashionable hobo's hand shoots out with surprising alacrity and easily snatches up the coin.

"There, half payment now, the rest once we receive safety." Mari says, "The coin is made out of real gold and should compensate you for your losses."

"Its something at least." Madam huffs, somewhat mollified as she pockets the coin, "I expect a full accounting between us later though."

"Yes, of course." Mari concurs sourly, "But remember, you can't hide behind the Yellow Roses on this mat -"

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" the priestess roars as she slams the car's brakes hard, causing it to buck and throwing us about. Just as I am about to demand what is going on, the roar of jets overhead drowns out what anyone might have wanted to say. I look through the window and see metal figures darting in between the buildings, heading towards us, flying low.

A squadron of Coalition bulwarks. They settle into a loose encirclement around our car, trapping us squarely in the center of an intersection.

"They didn't take the bait?" Nomi asks no one in particular, her face flush with anxiety.

The bulwarks wait calmly for our response, daring us to rush through them. The priestess looks wordlessly at Mari, waiting for further orders.

"Keep driving." Mari instructs, "They're just trying to psych us out. The Coalition don't have the authority to arrest us here."

"Sure." the priestess complies and the car begins edging forward again. Sara and Madam cower in their seats, dreading the moment the bulwarks draw their weapons. But nothing of that sort happens. The bulwarks just keep watching as the car crawls forward at the speed of a snail.

"No one's attacking us yet." I comment, rubbing my deployment ring for luck.

"Its a scare." Mari postulates, "The Coalition wants to bait us into acting foolishly."

Then we hear the roar of another set of jet engines and a new bulwark lands in front of us, this one with its sword drawn. The priestess immediately stops the car again as the new bulwark, a Stormer-Kai, approaches.

"Its a really good scare. Ha ha." Sara laughs nervously, "That's all this is right?"

"Yes. Keep driving." Mari urges the priestess.

"That bulwark." Nomi observes as she licks her lips, "Its not in Coalition colors."

"Is that a Citadel auxilia?" I blurt out, recognizing the heraldry stenciled on the machine.

"Damn it." the priestess curses, slapping the steering wheel in frustration, "Too soon. Too soon."

The Stormer-Kai raises its sword in challenge and charges right at us, its weapon gleaming in the light of the street lamps.

"We need to fight!" Nomi shouts, her deployment earring blazing in anticipation.

"No!" Mari commands at the top of her voice, "They're trying to fake us out! Hold your position!"

"Sara. Out of the car now!" the priestess yells and immediately bails, opening the driver's door and leaping through to safety.

Just before the tip of the Stormer's sword pierces the windshield.