They waited by the front portside airlock as the onboard automated computer brought them in for docking. Violet and Haru heard a loud bang as an umbilical tunnel connected with the airlock and made a low hiss as the pressurization process began. Violet tugged on her leather jacket, which she retrieved from her confiscated items, straightening it out and pulling the three-inch diameter diamond. Then the hissing stopped, and Violet mentally opened the airlock and walked into the umbilical, leaving Haru behind.

The umbilical tunnel had titanium walls that felt ice-cold, with small lights illuminating the path to the station. Once they reached the other side of the umbilical, the airlock opened, and Violet saw sleek, black guns with glowing blue highlights shoved into her face. She slowly raised her hands and looked past the ten men holding the guns, ignoring them for the most part, and saw Okiri standing in the airlock door wearing a grey yukata.

“Hey, Okiri! I brought the goods as promised,” Violet chirped.

“I need to confirm that for myself,” Okiri said in Japanese after one of the men beside him translated.

Before the translater could relay what Okiri had said, Violet cut him off, “Of course, you may confirm the cargo, but I would like to discuss some business beforehand,” she said, revealing the diamond between two fingers.

“What kind of business?” Okiri asked.

“Just some simple repairs and cleaning to my new ship. Overtaxed the life support, you see, and I’m not sure I got all the bodies out of here. Plus, since this was a federation vessel, the onboard tracker will give away our position if we travel without a check-in before long. Would that be agreeable for the price you’re already receiving?”

Okiri shook his head, “No, I would not. Life support repairs are expensive, and your diamond doesn’t cover all the labor either.”

“Well, there are plenty of weapons on the ship. That’ll cover the rest of the expenses.”

Okiri fell silent for a moment as he stared at her, deep in thought. Then Okiri raised one hand, signaling his men to lower their weapons, and said, “Fine, we’ll do that as well.”

“Excellent! Oh, Hana!” Violet exclaimed and yelled back down the umbilical.

A minute later, Haru walked up the umbilical, the lights failing to do her justice. She wore a black yukata with green flowers, a golden obi around her waist, and arms crossed in front of her, concealed by her long sleeves. Her hair had been tied in a bun with two green yaazi hairpins sticking out the back of her hair. Okiri’s smile grew so wide as she approached that he looked like he should be committed to an insane asylum.

Once Haru made it to the end of the umbilical, she gave a polite bow and said in Japanese, “Hello again, Okiri-sama.”

“Hello again, Hana-san. Let us go,” Okiri said, then walked into the station.

Haru followed him, and Violet followed her but got stopped by one of the guards. “Hey! The hell, I’m with her,” Violet protested.

Haru stopped and turned around to look at Violet, then back to Okiri and translated. Okiri turned around and said, “You are not allowed on my station. That is a rule I intend to keep. Besides we need someone to oversee our workers. Wouldn’t want them stealing anything now, would we?”

Violet crossed her arms, “Fine. Just make sure the work gets done.”

“I will,” Okiri said, then opened the airlock door and walked through it. Haru followed, but not before pulling one arm out of her sleeve and flipping Violet off as she left.

Then several groups of people began filing into the umbilical forcing Violet to return to the ship. She cursed and made her way back to the bridge. A few people wearing hazmat suits followed her unbidden to the bridge, and as she took a seat, they got to work cleaning up what blood had been spilled around the room.

While they cleaned, Violet thought about what she would have to do. All she knew had already been told to her. Start a war with the alien races. She needed more details, so she stood, picked her way past the hazmat team to the short-range communications console, and called Okiri.

The man who translated for Okiri answered, “Hello, Okiri-sama is currently indisposed. May I take a message for him?”

“No, I need to talk to the woman he’s being indisposed by right now. Put her on,” Violet asked.

“Uhmm, okay. I don’t think-”

“Do it!”

The man sighed and said, “A-alright,” then walked off-screen.

A moment later, Haru came into view with her yukata haphazardly wrapped around her like a bathrobe, exposing the partially unzipped leather suit underneath. “What do you want!?” Haru snapped in hushed tones.

“Which console is the long-range communications console?” Violet asked, smiling.

Haru stared at her dumbfounded, then rubbed the bridge of her nose as she asked, “So, you stopped me from this shit deal so that you can ask me that question instead of looking for the console yourself?”

“Yep.”

Haru sighed, “It’s the same console you’re on now. Just access the communications setting to long-range in the options menu. Now, I got to go and get this thing over and done.”

“Okay, by the way, how’s it going in there?” Violet asked, then Haru hung up. She then turned to look at the hazmat team, who all stopped to watch the conversation. “What? It’s not like the rest of you know how to operate the equipment,” Violet said, then turned and began tinkering with the console while everyone returned to work.

After a few minutes of tinkering, Violet set up the long-range comms, and the hazmat group left, the bridge spotless and blood-free. And she dialed the number for the commanders of the central order. An old phone symbol came on screen and began shaking as a ringing sound came from the console. Violet took a pair of headphones from a hidden compartment on the console and put them on. The console’s speakers turned off, and the ringing went to the headphones.

After about thirty seconds of ringing, an elderly woman answered the call. She had dozens of wrinkles on her face, wore a black dress that showed no skin, and had glasses so thick that her green eyes looked magnified. “Hello, thanks for calling Sol federation military core console. My name’s Kati, and I’ll be assisting you today. How may I help you?” the old lady Kati asked in a bored tone.

“You can’t,” Violet answered immediately.

“Please hold,” Kati said, then a ‘please hold’ picture came on screen, and Fantaisie-impromptu in C-sharp minor, opus sixty-six by Fredric Chopin, began playing.

After three renditions of the song, Violet felt sleepy and hungry. Then a man answered the call with no video, and he also used a voice changer to give himself a deeper voice, “Hello, Violet. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for a while now.”

“Yes, I figured,” Violet said, making her voice as deep as possible to mock him.

“Stop mocking me. Anyways, why have you called?”

“Well, I heard about the job you want me to do and need details,” Violet answered, still using a deep mocking voice.

“What would you like to know?”

“I would like to know what I’m up against and where I could do the most damage? I would also like to know how much I’m making with the job and what the end goal will be for you?”

“Will you stop talking like that!”

“I will when you do.”

Violet heard a voice changed sigh, followed by a click, “Fine. I’ll tell you what you need to know,” the man now sounded like a computer nerd who never went outside or cared for himself. “I’ll answer the questions in chronological order. Ask if you need anything for the job, and I’ll get it. Plus, I’ll make a private account for you to withdraw money from and for the expenses. The end goal is to weaken both the S.F.M.C. and the aliens to gain control of them. And as for when and where you can do the most damage. It will take about a year, and I don’t have all the details yet.”

“A year for what?”

“A year till the meeting happens. That has been set, but not the location. It will happen on the fourth of July, thirty-one forty-one.”

“HAHAHA!! The independent year of Pi!” Violet guffawed.

“Yes, yes, very funny. Will you be able to do it?”

“Yeah, I can do it,” Violet said, recovering from her mirth, “I’m going to need some people, though.”

“Well, you know I don’t have many people to spare, but-”

“None of your people are needed,” Violet interrupted, “I need specialists. And specialists are hard to find.”

“Ah, I see what you’re getting at now. Who do you need to find?”

“Well, for starters, I need someone good with tech. Zander would be perfect for this job.”

“Zander died three years ago.”

“What!? What happened?”

“Caught in a burning building. But his apprentice is now the best in the known galaxy. Her name is Alexandra, and she’s working for Okiri right now.”

“Oh, good to know. I’ll have to track her down then. Is there a faster way to get in contact with you? So, I can get the account and track down everyone else.”

“Of course, I’ll send it all to Haru. She’s easier to contact than you.”

“Thanks,” Violet said, then ended the call. She spun around in her chair excitedly as she threw her arms in the air and screamed, “BEST JOB EVER!!!”