Aread

Okay, Aread thought to himself as the cold air around him sunk into the pores of his skin. It was very much like the everyday filth of air from other planets that he never wished he had to feel again.

It’s not bad. Not as bad as Tierana, or as good as Zeranos, but it’s… breathable.

This time, he could forgive the ridiculous past meetings and the oblivious troubles and go straight to the point: get in, do the deed, and get out. Of course, much like all troubles, nothing this easy was ever going to be this easy.

Would he lie? Aread couldn’t get the thought out of his mind.

Why would the black figure, the man he was doing the deal with, lie? Maybe he forgot about the deal. Maybe he didn’t seem to use his eyes to see that there were people here?

But to do a deal in a crowded place with people pouring juke, a drug in space, into their nostrils to enhance their abilities to remember, with the radio on so loud that his eardrums could possibly be pierced and never fully healed…

...Galaxy-ridden…

Aread’s seeker instincts were in full play, and it was a good thing. It allowed him to survey the room with close attention, pull back the curtains on the details and ensure himself a quick escape if he ever needed it. Not that the deal would go awry, or the deal wouldn’t be done, or if he wouldn’t ever receive the credits he duly requested for. Not none of the above. Apart from these thoughts, he couldn’t quite dismiss the bar as being anything but quiet.

It was a bustling cafe, filled to the brim with unusual characters with top hats raised almost to the roof and pointed shoes that made them look understandably ridiculous. Aread wasn’t sure why people would subject themselves to such eyesore torture, to others and themselves.

Probably because they only have to look in the mirror once for a few seconds, and the rest of us left with a scar that lasts at least for a few minutes.

Aread walked ahead. The radio sounds penetrated the thick cold air, sending in news about kids learning to build an atomic bomb and navigating with interstellar technology or the like, about distant conventions in nearby planets and the sports game of batterium, a galaxy-favourite, that Aread had tuned out in his head.

There were some other chatter that went around, some other seekers talking about their own trades, some hunters talking about a specific purple-fitted marauder who they weren't really sure which side she was ultimately on. They rumbled and they droned, but their existence was just for someone else, and he wasn’t interested. While the entire galaxy clamored for a shot of fame at being a batterium player or just to listen about other galaxy celebrities, he had tuned it all out. It was just nonsense.

Aread reached the counter, where a stout man with a grand moustache stood wiping the glasses clean. The man had one eye ready on the seeker, and another on the bar behind him.

“What do you want?” The bartender asked, whom Aread had assumed was Fresnic.

“Do you serve coffee?” Aread asked. It was a good question, he thought, since nowadays coffee was homebrewed, no longer served unless cafes and bars decided to. It wasn’t profitable, and the galaxy had turned to more important things like destroying their own lives or the lives of others. And getting a ton of credits, of course.

“Sure, we do serve coffee,” Fresnic said, sliding the cleaned glass to one side.

“Then I would like one cup of coffee, please,” Aread said with a smile.

“Any additional requests?”

“More sugar, please? And, also, if possible, could I get another one in a sort of bag that is opaque and possibly doesn’t look like it contains coffee?”

Fresnic looked at his customer as if he was a toad that could suddenly speak. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but what?”

Alright, Aread thought. Plan A failed miserably, let’s not resort to plan B.

“Just a cup of coffee would do, then. Thanks.”

“That would cost five credits.”

FIVE CREDITS?! GALAXY-RIDDEN…!

Aread's fingers drummed around the table. “Alright, fine,” he said, reluctantly, as he flipped out five little packets that came out from the front pocket of his shirt.

“One cup of coffee coming right up,” Fresnic said aloud.

Who is he talking to? Aread thought. There’s no one else beside him.

Aread watched for a moment as Fresnic disappeared behind the counter and left him alone. The last time anybody ever paid five credits for a cup of coffee was never, and of course, he already knew he was getting screwed. But what would stop him from ever getting a coffee? Nothing. Time and place didn’t matter.

Aread turned back to scanning the rest of the bar, the entrails and the people, and preferably giving his thoughts some space to breathe. Without getting the attention of most people, this allowed him to return to his seeker instincts just before he ordered his cup of coffee.

Okay, I’m looking at a few exits. First off all, the entrance. It’s good, tidy, but double doors means if I should want to leave from there in the expectancy of a kerfuffle, then perhaps it would be good for me to strike the deal close to there.

Empty tables flanked by a few chairs? Great. That’s a solid right there. Now, the other exits are slightly more difficult. Sky-hook to the glass ceiling and beyond, and the backdoor to the bar. Sky-hook is plausible, but since I don’t have a sky-hook, it’s ridiculous. Why am I even thinking of this? Galaxy-ridden, Aread, think about the predicament you’ve landed yourself in! The backdoor is great, obviously, like most backdoors in pubs and bars, but if I do land myself in hot soup or in my case, hot coffee, then surely the backdoor would have to be used by the villain?

The villain, without assuming, would of course be my dealer. He would use the backdoor to come in, and use it to go out, park his little space-mobile there in the parking lot, give himself ample time to set-up a trap and then slink his way out of there like the criminal he was going to be. This is, as a count of all things, if the deal turned sour. Not that I’m betting on it to turn sour, but rather as a precaution.

Now, to think about what to say--

“Here,” Fresnic said, sliding our ‘not-criminal’ the glass of coffee he had wanted.

“Thanks,” Aread said, smiling, pulling the coffee closer to him, and then returning back to his internal monologue.

Obviously, I’ve planned it out. It was going to be easy, the old-rodeo, just like always. Say upfront what I have, what he has, what our deal is. Get the deal done, one-hand on the opposite of the barter, and the other on mine, and switch it at the same time. Gives me a lot of time to assess the case or the box, and then decide if I’d made a terrible choice to invest in the coffee because it is… terrible.

Aread looked up at Fresnic, who didn’t bother to look at his customer sitting so close to him, and wondered if he was registered or even qualified to open a bar in the middle of what was nowhere on the galaxy map.

Aread took a sip, and his eyes went blank and his tongue flew out.

WHAT?! This galaxy-ridden ‘coffee’ tastes like soil! Not that I know what soil tastes like, or anyone who deliberately eats or drinks soil would know. Actually, maybe they would. But, that’s not the point.

Aread placed his cup of ‘coffee’ down. It seemed to ruin his train of thoughts, but he was determined to go back to it.

The point was to get it done and over quickly, just like always. I could do it like with Gin Atoma, a dealer from Verditer Lands, with the paramount gems from the mining facility out of the region, preferably with a short stint of words and then a push of the case, tap my feet and out I go. That is ideal, but I definitely don’t want it to end like Miss Ealion Grace. Gosh, that was fettering and ridiculous. Who the hell wants a seeker, of all people, to do escort missions while trying to sneak a gem out of a prison?! You know what? Miss Ealion Grace can eat it. And drink Fresnic’s cup of ridiculous ‘not coffee’.

Aread looked around the bar as his mind went to different places all at once. The people here didn’t help to cure the tension fluttering in the cold air, conflating into a mix of uncertainty. He checked the time that was on the nearby digital clock.

Dealer’s late. Why should I be surprised? He scoffed. Sure, I’ve been late a couple of times, but there’s usually a reason. The ice ring was because I’d been stuck in a stupid hoop with the police, or PEG, and I was fifteen minutes late. You can’t blame me for that! Everyone knows PEG can eat it, along with Miss Ealion.

But he’s the one with the credits, not the gem. He’s the one who’s bringing in the easiest thing out of all the harder ones, and all he needed to do was to bring the correct amount as spoken before on the trade deal. Literally, the dealer’s job is the easiest compared to the seeker.

You don’t see seekers complaining. ‘Oof, I stuffed my toe on the bridge while carrying a ten-ton nuke from Timbuktu’, or the galaxy version of Timbuktu. You don’t hear seekers giving excuses, or trite ‘reasons’ for being late for anything. Every seeker has a code that they stick to and follow. Breaking that code wouldn’t be treason, it would be very much like exile.

And I am a firm defender of not breaking that very code. Once a seeker, always a coffee drinker.

The casual ring from the backdoor perked up Aread’s ears. As he figured, the dealer was here.

Alright, focus, Aread thought, doing just that. He fixed up his unkempt hair, tugged his jacket down and patted his trousers. He wasn’t sure why he did the last two, but he supposed that it must have made him look better because he felt better.

A man, strutting in with a distinct swagger that revelled upon inspection, carried a spiked rod in one hand and a briefcase in another. Aread had looked at the man at such length that he was sure, even swearing on his life -- galaxy knows why -- that the man was indeed the dealer.

And so the dealer walked, his feet lifted up and trotted down, each with precise movements before he caught Aread sitting down by the counter and started towards him.

We can’t talk here, Aread thought immediately. Best to follow the blueprint from earlier. Take him to the entrance?

“You must be, as I recall--”

“I would very much like to not reveal myself here, at this spot,” Aread said, standing up and preparing to leave the disgusting sight of coffee behind. “But, if you don’t mind, we can take a seat there.” Aread pointed to the front of the entrance where an empty table with two seats situated.

Stick to your plans and get it done.

The dealer half-turned a look at the prospects of doing a deal there, away from unnecessary chatter and other nonsense, and nodded respectfully at Aread’s decision.

“Sure,” he said. “Let us make do over there.”

Halfway to perfect.

Aread and the dealer walked over, and the dealer, with his spiked rod stuck out, shortened it just as they both sat down across each other. They had both carried their own briefcases, and their smiles, as unwarranted as their goals were in the moment, didn’t separate from each other very much.

“So,” Aread said, “perhaps it’s best if we can address each other by something. Perhaps by name, rather than occupation?”

“Sure,” the man said.

“Well, I shall go first then, if you don’t mind. I’m Aread. Some people pronounce it differently after they’ve seen my name written, but it’s just very simple pronunciation.”

“I see,” the man said. “Obviously, but my name hasn’t quite left the joke chamber for others as well.” He laughed, and the laughter was a little abrasive for Aread to take note.

There was a pause again, and Aread wasn’t sure exactly what to do.

Then the man spoke.

“You can address me as Bose,” he said. “Bose Litnum.”

A lasting, lingering smile.

“Bose? That’s a cool name,” Aread said, leaning forward in his seat. His fingers clutched tight to his briefcase. “Well then, Bose, let's get down to business.”

Klara

Klara was late. Distinguishably late from a perspective outside of her occupation, but late nonetheless. Being late generally meant one of two things: that the target had been given enough time to take charge and flee even if they are flat-footed; or that the target may not suspect a thing and still be left stranded when hunters had come for them. Klara was counting on the latter to be true.

The jet had managed to catch Bose’s ship just before it left off from the tail of it’s radar, and Klara was sure with her own eyes that she had indeed seen Bose land his ship down on a random slab of rock, separated by no other planet, on Fresnic’s Bar.

Weird, she figured, how a reputable gem collector and curator like Bose would come to Fresnic’s Bar for any reason at all, rather than open his house so that everyone else could come in and sit on one of those big red couches.

It wasn’t a random attempt at getting back on the hunter, she was sure, but when Bose would decide to land in a place that wasn’t his home planet or a neighbouring planet that had been scorned to death by him, then there was a problem.

Klara liked juicy problems, only if they didn’t detract from the main mission. They usually entailed at length the risks she’d have to make prior to capturing or assassinating a target, but now it wasn’t just. Klara also liked that there would be complications to adapt to. It had made her a better hunter, a better sworn killer, and for the most part, being able to conquer most unconquerable missions.

Her mentality was that as long as there was a mountain, it had to be climbed. That’s why a mountain was there in the first place. The resources were there to be had, the height was there to be scaled. She just needed to put her heart, soul and time at it and before long, she would get there just like anybody else. While she had indeed placed her heart and soul into it, time was always hard to factor in. Sooner or later, she was going to run out of time. Sooner or later, she was going to lose the last ever attempt at getting at Serro, and her revenge plan would have been for naught. All this while and all this time, like a sandcastle built upon what she thought was solid bricks, crumbling into the pile just like before. All the effort, drained like blood being extracted from a syringe, dumped into the waste.

That’s why she had made such a good pair with Czyrian, or as she thought, a good pair in her head. Czyrian was the burning star for Klara, and on missions like these, where firm ideals and strong decisions had to be made, it was the only way to sort out the weak and stick to the plan. But with her gone, she was starting to feel the essence fleeting.

No, Klara told herself. I’m not going to fall like everyone else.

The jet had landed safely and into an empty space of the parking lot at Fresnic’s Bar. She had made sure that nobody had seen her, whether with her Purple Thorn outfit on or her face out in the open, and ducked her way out from the backdoor of the jet.

Klara wasn’t going to be reckless. Czyrian wasn’t here anymore, and she was left alone to deal with a predicament that needed the two of them.

No worries, Klara thought. The dichotomy between dealing with a predicament of two people rather than one was that it was always more likely for the other party to mess up when dealing with any situation. That wasn’t why Klara always went solo on her missions though. She was just focused on getting to Serro Crane and nobody else, she knew had the same kind of hatred for the abusive leader in the upper regions of the galaxy. Czyrian being here would have been a major help for Klara. It would have been what they both wanted, what they both needed to deal with.

Can’t keep working at it. She's safe, or so she thought. Czyrian was one of the best hunters that Klara has ever known. She passed her tribunals with almost perfect scores, nabbed more targets than a majority of hunters, but no more than Klara, and she had the same burning determination. It was a no-brainer that Czyrian was going to be safe. She knew how to defend herself, and in this galaxy, where ships can bring out guns whenever they wished, it was a good skill to have.

In order to get her mission back on track, she needed a solid plan.

Klara snuck out from the jet, and into another ship that had been parked at the lots. Her eyes roamed like hyenas searching for food, and then widened when she saw what she was looking for: Little Numb. The small jet-sized ship that packed a hell of an engine sat near the end of the parking lot.

No mistakes.

Klara shifted through the darkness, dashing from cover to cover in fear of being spotted from inside Little Numb. She had surveyed the ship up close. Other than the front windows, Little Numb had two other windows on both sides of the ship. Fortunately, there weren’t any rear windows. Klara had done her homework against Bose. It was needed to take him down, and any other fool that tried it without doing the necessary work would have gone down in the galaxy history books as a failure and an idiot. Her name would have been in one of them had she not done it.

From far, Little Numb seemed like a normal ship. Slightly larger than a few scout ships combined, and with wings that enabled easy endeavours when going into a debri-filled space. But when Klara had managed to come within touching distance of the ship, she could see that there were engaged touch sensors throughout the ship. Bose was careful with intruders. After all, he dealt with special gems and crystals that could fetch for insane prices. Any thief would walk away with big money even if he were to collect only one of them.

But, as Klara could read with her hunter instincts, those sensors were switched off.

How...

Klara tiptoed around the ship, still avoiding the windows and potential cameras if there ever was one. It was hard to tell if a person was still inside a ship or not, but Klara had her own ways of figuring it out.

For example, touch sensors being immediately on and being used as a way to detect for intruders was a clear sign that someone had left the ship. Not this case. Next, it would be the windows, but Klara was sure that some people used it differently. For some, their windows would be closed and shuttered well, discouraging people from peeking and possibly locating items worth of value and then shattering the clear glass to get to it. Little Numb’s curtains had been pulled back, this proved to be a head scratcher for Klara. She was sure that a dealer with as big a reputation like Bose would have thought of every possibility to not have his special Little Numb broken into like every other normal human being who ever owned a spaceship.

Still, she wasn’t complaining, but it was confusing for Klara. She followed the next trail to figure out if Bose was still in the vehicle, and so she looked before she darted to the entrance of the ship, careful not to kick up dust or leave a trail for her enemies to find.

When Klara had reached the closed doors, her thoughts of Bose being present had fled her mind. He wasn’t there, but…

Something else was. Or rather, someone else.

The footprints found along the floor had yet to be covered. With the breeze, as she felt along her skin, the hard prints would have definitely been overturned when the dust had landed causing it to cover the tracks so it wouldn’t reveal much of Bose’s location.

He hadn’t left very far.

Klara had known too much about Bose, probably even more than the dealer knew about himself. She knew that Bose was probably right in the bar, his hands to his lips or hands to a separate briefcase that wasn’t him, handing cold hard cash to the seeker that he would purchase a high quality gem from, and be on his way. After all, in the galaxy, Bose was known as a rare gem collector. But to those who knew him, knew that he manipulated prices and resorted to cheap tactics to get the gems. He had his own convention, and Klara was aware. She had initially thought that Bose would be heading there, right down on Calderac, but instead he seemed to be dealing with one more gem or treasure before heading to the Scarlet Skies.

And that’s going to be his galaxy-ridden downfall. The arrogant, gem collector of the-

CLINK.

Klara heard bottles as they fell to the ground from inside the ship.

Could it be…? Impossible.

The hunter wielded her claw-hook gun and approached the doors. She had been trained to adapt to situations on the fly. If an enemy ambushed you, or if you sense an ambush anyway, she would be prepared to fight. Now was the moment.

She stepped closer towards the doors of the ship, slightly pushing it open, revealing dark rooms, a darker cockpit, and rumbling lights from deeper inside the ship.

Klara wielded her dagger on the other hand, and stepped closer and closer. From inside, she could see that the light was pulsating from within a room. She grabbed her dagger tight and her gun tighter. She tapped the gem on her neck, and it burned softly in the dark room.

Klara half-turned to look inside the room, and her eyes immediately went to the figure standing in the center. And she had recognised immediately who it was.

Czyrian.

“What the galaxy-ridden?!” Klara said as she stopped raising her weapons.

Czyrian, her cloak turned and her eyes wider than the other hunter’s, gave Klara a disappointing look.

What the shit?! She was back on the ship? What was she doing here? And why didn’t she tell me?

“Klara?” Czyrian said, stopping to drop the bag of whatever it was that she was holding. As clearly seen by Klara, Czyrian was in a room full of gems and crystals, and her partner was now the thief.

“What the hell are you doing?” Klara asked. “You’re, no, we’re supposed to be chasing Bose!”

Czyrian nodded helplessly, but Klara knew exactly what her partner was trying to do.

Take no shit, take no prisoners. Screw any betrayers, screw any idiots who think that they can try and get away with it. If they live, they will do it again.

“Explain yourself!” Klara said, training the gun on her, the dagger reflecting what little light there was to her partner.

“There’s no easy way to say this,” Czyrian said.

“Then just galaxy-ridden say it anyway. What, didn’t the academy train you to be firm and steady in your approach? Or was that an excuse for you to not be better?”

“That’s not the point.”

“You’re just a coward, that’s what you are.”

Steady. Now you’re losing your shit. You give her the upper-hand and it’s all over.

“I’m far from a galaxy-ridden coward,” Czyrian said, her voice growing louder. “And I’m not taking shit from you no more.”

Czyrian unsheathed her pistol and grabbed whatever crystals and gems she could that were lying around.

“And you’re just leaving, calling it quits just like that? That’s why you’re a coward,” Klara said. She wasn’t going to back down.

Czyrian scoffed. It was a first for the hunter.

Pathetic smile.

“You’re going after the biggest piece of shit in the galaxy, the conquerer of planets, and you think you and me alone is enough to stop him? You’re brighter than a lightbulb. You should know this more than anyone,” Czyrian said.

“Right, so you’re ditching this shit because whatever you said was a lie after all,” Klara said.

Lie after lie, full-speed without stopping.

Czyrian walked straight up to Klara, their chin barely touching each other.

“Killing Serro was your big plan, not mine. I came along because I thought you were determined to get what you want. What I now know is that I can get much more here.” Czyrian pointed to the bag of gems and crystals that she was holding. “See this? This is the prize, not Serro Crane. Not Bose Litnum. This is enough to get me through years and decades of my next life.”

Klara grabbed her partner’s arm tightly. “When the sunfire war comes, you’ll suffer too.”

“You speak about this ‘sunfire war’ as if it’s going to happen.”

“It will.”

“Then let it. I’m not afraid.”

Czyrian pulled her arm away. Klara watched for a moment, her mind caught in two places at once.

You’re going to go, just like that? What am I, if nothing for someone that can’t even stand up for herself? Shit. Galaxy-ridden shit.

“How about this?” Klara said as Czyrian continued walking. “We take down Bose inside, and you can have everything else you want.”

“You can take him down yourself,” Czyrian said, leaping off Little Numb.

Galaxy-ridden shit, Klara thought as she followed Czyrian.

Outside, the cold air still took embrace on the hunter’s skin. She watched as Czyrian boarded her nearby mini scout ship that she must’ve stolen from Bose’s ship. After all, that must have been how she got to him. Not only that, she must’ve also stolen the remaining gems and crystals she could on Dieragon.

But all of that didn’t matter for now. Czyrian betrayed her trust, betrayed their working relationship, and didn’t give a shit about Serro at all.

Things come at a cost. And I need to be able to do it. Shit.

Klara raised her gun and trained it on Czyrian as she opened up the doors to her ship.

I can’t kill her.

Klara struggled.

What do you mean you can’t kill her? Of course you can! She just betrayed you!

She lowers her gun and raises it all at once.

But she was a partner. She was a good partner! She allowed me to escape from Dieragon!

Klara shook her head.

But now she’s no longer a partner, she’s no longer a friend, and she never had a vested interest in killing Serro at all. Leave her around and she’s going to come back and haunt you. You’ll regret not killing her. You’ll regret it.

Klara primed her gun even more closely. Did Czyrian deserve to die? Probably. But was it worth to cause a ruckus?

As Czyrian entered into her ship, Klara made up her mind. She primed her gun closely on her partner, and then with a quick trigger just as the doors were closing, she pulled the trigger.

SHOT!

The claw-hook flew forward and fast, striking into the bag that Czyrian was holding. Immediately, the gems and crystals spilled out from the cut and flowed out onto the ground.

CLINK!

The claw-hook shot itself out of Czyrian’s ship and back to the handle that contained it with Klara.

As the doors shut, Czyrian’s eyes widened at the flowing gems and crystals, and then back at Klara, who had a slight grin on her face.

Klara stepped forward, towards the gems and crystals, and raised her feet up high.

SMASH!

The gem cracked open like a split melon as her foot came back down. Czyrian’s eyes popped even wider, about to burst out of her very own eyes. Klara could even hear her partner’s wraith-like cry.

Not enough.

SMASH! SMASH! SMASH!

Klara stepped on all of them, and like blood and ooze, the crystals cracked a silver glow and spilled out even further.

The engines on Czyrian's ship turned on anyway as she prepared to leave.

That’s right. You better galaxy-ridden run. Run away from here like the little coward you are. Run towards the sun, run towards--

Up above, blinking lights began to form from a nearby sector. Klara squinted her eyes.

It can’t… be? Klara thought. It had to be, but why are they here? Why are they here now?

“Shit,” Klara said under her breath. There was no choice, and time was running out. She turned towards the bar. Her mind running on fumes, picking up where she was supposed to continue, and equipped her claw-hook gun.

Now was the time to face Bose.

Aread

Follow the plan, Aread, the seeker thought to himself. Follow the plan.

“So,” Bose said to Aread. “Must’ve been a hard task, wasn’t it?”

He knows exactly what he’s doing, but I don’t know why he wants the stupid information. Is he trying to delay me? Is he trying to play some mind games that I hadn’t played before? Shit. He’s looking at me like a sly fox.

Let’s smile at him, then. Smile wide.

“Anything that’s worth a few grand in credits is always a hard task, and honestly, this crystal was no different. In fact, this crystal is probably worth a few hundred combined. Though, I must say that I still don’t understand why you’ve got an infatuation with this crystal?” Aread asked.

My turn to play the game.

“Things have complications,” Bose said calmly, “and in my area of expertise, that’s how we deal with complications.”

“With gems and crystals?”

Bose laughed. “Of course, to make this a less of a jumbled mess, by complications I mean when my gems and crystals go missing.”

Missing?

“Well, aren’t you a terrible collector if that’s the case," Aread said, swiping to an invisible cup.

Shit, no coffee. Alright, act cool. Act cool.

Bose laughed again, this time slightly louder and coughing right at the end.

What a good show he’s putting on.

“See, I’m not just a collector. I’m a curator as well. I have a show, in fact, that if you’re interested you could come down and see for yourself the gems and crystals that I have," Bose said, calm and collected.

The curator placed one hand into his pockets, fidgeted around and pulled out a name card and placed it on the counter.

Aread squinted to look at it. He couldn't make out the words so he picked the card up to read it.

BOSE ERATTON LITNUM

Gem collector, curator

Other details include his contact number, his temporary address to find all of his wares, and most importantly, his next and upcoming parade where he will be showcasing his new set of gemstones: The Great Gem Convention at Luberium Gardens. Though, the location of the convention was what made Aread look twice.

Calderac.

...

Home.

What a galaxy-ridden coincidence…

“So, how about it?” Bose said, smiling brightly.

He thinks he’s gotten his points across. He thinks he’s gotten it all. He’s not wrong, though. His alibi is straightforward, and there doesn’t seem to be anything discrediting him as a collector or as a curator.

But something still seems off…

Aread placed the card into his jacket pocket. He wasn’t sure why he’d keep something like that, but a sign of gesture was a sign of gesture. “So, you’re going there to set-up this convention? You’re doing this alone? No helpers, nothing?” he asked.

Bose burst into immediate laughter at the question. “Why ever would I want helpers, Mr. Sears? So that they could have a chance of leeching off the profits that I make? I’m living the dream that I have built for myself. And last I checked, it’s my dream, I’m the architect,” he said.

“Well, then you must be quite the architect, wouldn’t you say? Surely carrying all these gems with you must be a pain in the ass. I’m sure I know, after carrying all sorts of different gems for other people,” Aread said. “It’s fine, I’m not judging you or anything, really. After all, I just want to get this over and done with.”

“You and me both, Mr. Sears,” Bose said.

“Really, just call me Aread.”

“Sure, Aread. If you don’t mind, perhaps you could show me the crystal.”

There! Aread thought. I galaxy-ridden knew it. All clients with their ‘seeker show first policy’. What a load of galaxy shit!

“See,” Aread said, shaking his head, “we’re going to have to do this together, or it’s a big, big no go. You understand? I'm not in the meddling business, and I suppose you've brought what we've dealt.”

“Of course,” Bose said. “I’m sure if I was in your shoes I would like to see the credits too, and I’m being a little not-so impartial here. I apologize.”

Damn right.

“But so far,” Bose continued, “it seems that you’re a trustworthy seeker.”

“Am I?” Aread said.

Puckering? Don’t make me laugh.

“You’re early, you seem to know how the seeker game works, and you’ve probably got what I want. I think my deduction would be rendered correct.”

Sucker.

“I think that you, too, have the credits I’m looking for,” Aread said.

“Yes,” Bose said, tapping his briefcase on the table. “Cold, hard credits.”

I prefer saying ‘cash’ instead of ‘credits’ in that phrase, but whatever.

“How about this? Since we trust each other, we could both pass the briefcases at the same time over. Wouldn’t that make sense?” Aread said.

Bose thought for a moment.

Wait. Did I just shoot myself in the foot with an invisible gun? My future is on the line here, and I may have just passed up an opportunity to make sure that it was tangible, and that it was real.

Aread still had a lot to lose from this exchange if done blindly. But, something had told him that perhaps it was the best way.

Trust, Aread thought. He was so close to getting there. Just this deal, the last one, to get him through and live his life back on Calderac. With his mother, with his younger brother, with…

…Rosie.

“Are you sure?” Bose asked.

Aread nodded, having made up his mind. “We’ll do it together.”

Bose nodded. “Fine by me.”

Both men waited, and then, simultaneously pushed their respective briefcases to one another. The exchange was quick, and in a matter of seconds they were both holding the other’s briefcase now.

Big breath, Aread told himself. Hold it in. Hold it.

And…

Aread cracked the briefcase open.

...Release.

Aread watched as the stack of 500,000 credits lay there silently in the contents of the suitcase. It was here, it was bright, it was his future. He’d dreamt it and dreamt it, and now it was here. The risk of being a seeker, leaving home a young individual to chase a dream that had shoved him back time and time again, and it was here. He couldn’t quite believe it.

Though, the price had increased. The crystal that Aread stole was worth more because of how difficult it was to both enter, steal and escape with the crystal from the jaws and traps that Dread King had placed in his ship. He deserved top dollar for his efforts, and he got more than he deserved.

Bose sat agasp as well when he had opened up the case to reveal the white crystal and the white brimming essence. The crystal sat firmly in the briefcase that Aread had carried. Unlike the seeker, it seemed that Bose was the only one who was actually able to feel it. It was indeed tangible and raw.

Gems, gemstones and crystals were, after all, Bose’s specialty. He could always see whatever it was behind the curtains of the powered gem, and from there, allow himself a grasp or a touch. Of course, this crystal is different. He wasn't the one who was going to ultimately end up with the crystal. He was just there as a service for the man at the very top.

“The Cadellite Crystal,” Bose said, decidedly hovering his fingers around it, gently feeling what could have been had he decided to touch it.

Aread watched as his client slowly pushed his hand closer towards the crystal. “You don’t want to touch it with your bare hands,” he said. “The crystal can melt it.”

“But this is it, isn't it?” Bose asked, his mouth hanging wide open that a squirrel could probably fit through. “No fancy games, no rudimentary paint, no way for it to be…” Bose softened, searching for a word he couldn't quite form at the top of his tongue.

“Fake?” Aread said, completing the sentence for him.

“Yes,” Bose said, struggling to get the words out. “Fake. But it's not, is it?”

“I’m sure you’re not the only man with a reputation to lose between us, Bose. You do realise how detrimental this would be to me if I decided to paint it in white and lie to you? It would do no good to me.”

Bose nodded. “But this is good. It’s real.”

Aread seemed confused. “Well, that’s because it is real.”

“I believe it,” Bose said.

“You don’t have to, it’s real.”

“Sure,” Bose said, finally letting it settle within him.

There was a pause, and the seeker wasn’t sure if it was right for him to speak. So he just did it anyway.

“I guess that’s it then,” Aread said, still dumbfounded at the amount of credits now hanging in his pockets. “Pleasure doing--”

“--Pleasure doing business with you,” Bose interrupted, nerves shaking. “Perhaps you won’t ever have to dabble in this business again or even deal with it anymore, do you?”

Aread nodded. His lips went wide, about to open, before he realised that there was no point in speaking to Bose about his plan, or what his future held. The crystal was the final piece in the puzzle, one large piece, really, but a puzzle piece nonetheless, and he could finally fit it in where it belonged.

“I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I hope I don’t see you ever again,” Aread said, smiling as he gathered his thoughts.

“Me too,” Bose said, lowering his top hat and making his way out of the populated bar and to the backdoor. He had disappeared as fast as he entered.

Aread held the briefcase close to his chest as he sat a second longer. Never before had there been such a rush of overwhelming relief and comfort. This was a career and life first for him, and he wished it would never end. Everything was better now. The lights were brighter. He didn’t mind the cold. Everything is better.

He stood and stepped towards the entrance, jogging his memory of his life back on Calderac, and anticipating a new arrival back home. It was all coming to him. Being a seeker was the risk after all.

It was the only way to live the life that I’ve wanted.

Aread grabbed the cold handles of the door, ready to step outside and return home.

It was the only way--

SLAM!

Aread braced for a large kick as the door swung inwards, sending him flying and crashing into nearby tables and chairs. The briefcase tumbled around him, cracking open as the credits spilled out onto the floor.

“What the?!” Aread said aloud, getting up to defend himself but feeling his back bent like a backward ballet dancer that couldn’t quite bend back. He caught the briefcase that was given to him, and the credits, and then --

WHAT?! Aread’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Not only were there not 500,000 cold hard credits, but the credits of tiny pieces were now instantly shimmering from just the reflection of the barlights.

Impossible! Aread had checked it, he had opened it, had scrutinised it. But he made a mistake, a rookie one. A seeker should’ve always inspected the briefcase and the contents clearly before shaking the shaking of hands.

It was the future, he thought. The future lead him to believe that it was okay. The future pushed him into acquiring it. Now, the same future was… gone.

Bose had cheated him of his money and walked away with the Cadellite Crystal. The crystal that he had risked his entire career to get, and yet he was on the end of the short-stick.

Galaxy-ridden shit!

The purple figure, standing in the doorway ignored Aread as she ran past him and straight to the backdoor. Even as she ran past him, it was enough for Aread to get a clean look at her. The glow in the necklace, the cloak, the claw-hook gun that resided in her hand.

Shit, Aread thought. It's the Purple Thorn.

Klara

No, no, no, no, no!

Klara was late. Again! She raced past the fallen figure whom she didn't even try to look at and headed for the backdoor, but when she tried to forcefully break open the knob, she realised that it was locked. The small window on the door allowed her to see Bose walking away, once more, like it had never been easier. Like there wasn’t even anyone chasing him. Like Klara wasn’t even there.

She watched him, unable to do anything as he entered into Little Numb, as the doors closed behind him. Once again, so close and yet so far…

Shit. Shit, shit, shit… shit!

Klara turned back towards the figure now, her eyes staring right into his soul, intent on getting answers. She ran back, gathering pace, leapt off the ground and slammed her knee right into his chest.

JAM!

The man managed to get one word out. "OUUUCHH!"

In a swift strike, Klara pulled him over and threw him right down onto the floor.

Broken back, meet floor.

“Tell me,” Klara said, keeping his hands pulled with one stomping foot and another right on top of his chest to limit any movement, “where the hell did Bose Litnum go?!”

The man, as she could see much clearly now with the weapon and the rather despondent look, was a seeker.

Made sense for Bose to be in contact with seekers. That was his job after all.

The seeker looked lost or in pain, and Klara couldn’t quite decipher which based on his lucid expression. She let off on keeping him tied down on the ground.

But not too much.

“Galaxy-ridden…!” The seeker yelled when she gently pulled back her feet. “What the hell are you trying to do?! You’re attacking the wrong guy!”

“You just made a deal with him, didn’t you? Tell me, what the hell did you trade for all these fake credits?”

The seeker was struggling even more, which made less sense with Klara’s knee eating off on the pressing. She allowed a little more room for the seeker to breathe. After all, he was giving her the answers she needed.

“A Cadellite Crystal!” The seeker shouted.

“A Cadellite Crystal? What is that?”

“Now,” the seeker said, barely holding on, “if you want to ask questions, you can always do it the easy way…!”

Klara waited for an answer, but the seeker didn’t answer.

If I just let him off all the way… perhaps he’ll talk, Klara thought. After all, right now, he is the only one capable of leading me to Bose.

Klara slowly let the seeker recover, letting his hands loose slightly. Thereafter, he managed to crawl back up from the floor to a sitting position, staring back with one hand on his chest.

“Spit it, seeker. The crystal. What the hell’s it for?” Klara said, swinging out her claw-hook gun and then lowering it beneath his chin.

“It’s a powering crystal,” the seeker said. “I don’t know what’s it for, but you could use it in any dangerous situation. Powering up your gear, your vehicles, a superweapon. All kinds of shit,” he said.

“Where did you get it?”

“I’m not supposed to reveal that kind of information. I’ve got seeker’s code.”

“Screw seeker’s code,” Klara said, giving him a generous tight slap across his face. “I need galaxy-ridden answers now!”

“Okay,” the seeker said, his expression grimacing. “You’re really pissing me off.”

“Good, because I’m not leaving here until I’m done with getting everything I need,” she said.

“Well, have you gotten that thing off from the floor behind you?”

Klara stopped. She turned to check what the seeker had said, and just as she figured, there was nothing.

She turned back to him.

“Listen here, you little-”

BAM!

The seeker delivered a solid right hook to Klara’s face, and now she was the one sent tumbling.

CRASH!

Klara picked up herself off from the ground.

No, I can’t lose to this galaxy-ridden seeker.

Klara caught herself before she fell to the floor and recovered right back to face the seeker.

“Watch out, chairwoman!” the seeker yelled as a chair was hurled straight at Klara.

With a full move, she swung her claw-hook upwards and sliced the chair apart.

SHING!

The halves of the chair flew behind her and crashed into the counter of the bar. It would’ve been easy, Klara thought, if there was only one. But there wasn’t.

The seeker had thrown three chairs in quick succession, and after dealing with the first chair, Klara couldn’t quite have the strength nor the stamina to deal with them all. She ducked out of the way before one of them could reach her, but when she did, it was possibly the worst mistake she ever made.

Oh no.

With the seeker’s rocket-powered boots, he flew like an old-time superhero and collided into Klara, taking her and himself right through the window.

CRASH!

The window crashed right open as the hunter and seeker both rolled out into the dirt outside. The smoke from the dust and the broken window pieces formed around them.

Before Klara could see properly what the hell was going, she could feel a heavy grip tightening around her arm and rolling her over, face-down, as her arms were pulled together into a cross before she could feel the cuffs grabbing hold onto her.

Shit. What's happening?!

When Klara cleared up her eyes, she could see the seeker being cuffed too, and what seemed to be four red-suited men walked around with red plasma guns. These men looked like an argument away from killing her and the seeker, but she wasn’t going to let that slide.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Klara shouted as she was pulled violently off the ground. “Let me go!”

Two red men in masks, which looked more and more like troopers of a mafia gang, proceeded to bring up the seeker and bring him up on his feet.

These men looked to be in bad business, but Klara wasn’t afraid. She had dealt with men like them before, and now, it was no different. Except, she wasn’t able to fight properly after getting her hands cuffed.

The troopers carried the hunter and the seeker together, and they met eye-to-eye.

Disgusting.

“You called the Dread King’s men?!" The seeker yelled. "Galaxy-ridden shit! I thought you were a lone wolf!” During that yelling, Klara could feel spit dripping from her face.

“Wow,” Klara said. “You really think I’d call in Dread King and tell him about you failing at your job, at being a galaxy-ridden seeker?! Maybe I should’ve.”

“Maybe if you caught whoever the hell you were trying to catch, you’d be an expert at answering your own questions!”

A trooper entered between them. “Both of you shut up,” he said. He gestured to his men to bring the two troublemakers inside.

Before them, a big ship sat in the parking lot. The ship itself probably took up more space than three other ships of its own size, but Klara was in awe of what the hell she was looking at. When she had a closer look at the sides of the ship, she then realised that it was a convoy ship. And then, beside it, two other smaller ships flanked it.

Among them, what seemed to be a highly decorated personal ship was being carried in red lantern lights.

Galaxy-ridden… Klara thought. Prisoners.

“Really?” the seeker said to one of the guards, being dragged inside the ship as soon as the door opened. “You sent the big ship for me?”

“For you and her,” the trooper said, throwing them down onto the floor. There were two rows of benches lined up on either side of the interior, but he couldn’t care less whether the hunter and seeker did find a seat or didn’t. The only thing he cared about was that his job was done.

Klara couldn’t believe her luck. It seemed as though each moment was getting worse and worse, and there may never be a ceiling for her stupid situation.

Galaxy-ridden Bose..

Galaxy-ridden Serro...

“We’re going to do a clean sweep and get everything, valuable or not. All you two need to do is to hang tight, and think about what you want to say when you meet him,” the trooper said.

“Him?” Klara said, looking up at the leaving guard.

“Dread King. Who else would it be?” the trooper said.

“I was thinking more of your father, but--”

The trooper scoffed at the seeker before he could finish and slammed his fist twice on the side of the ship. The doors proceeded to slam shut, and the last sight of the outside stars was the trooper and his red rotten mask and the black blanket behind him.

Now, Klara was alone with the seeker, and no matter what she did, she couldn’t shake off the fact that Bose had gotten away.

Again.

“This is your fault,” the seeker said as he got up and took a seat by the side.

“Really? I see that you’re still acting like a big boy,” Klara said as she took a seat across the seeker.

“Don’t you ever call me a galaxy-ridden big boy,” he said.

“I’ll call you whatever the hell I want,” she said, “big boy.”

A voice spoke through the speakers from the cockpit.

“Yeah, this is the guy from before. Just wanted to give you a heads-up: Dread King’s awaiting your arrival with much anticipation. I’ve got a call that he’s going to offer you two something you can’t ever refuse. Not because there’s another choice for you, but because genuinely, there isn’t. Bye!”

Klara stared at the seeker as the convoy ship prepared for take-off. This was going to be a long ride.