(Dustin)
Smoothing his uniform and bracing himself, Dustan sighed in relief as the battleship he was on passed through the jump gate to Ertia. His uniform had only the rank of a lowly private, but everyone on the command deck of Zns grenadine knew that was just for show.
Even the name tag that listed him as Dustin was a lie. But to keep things from confusing himself, he liked to call himself by his new alias for the length of the mission.
Dustin steeled his nerves, pondering the presence of that falcon class fighter. They had been transmitting credentials, but something felt off about that ship.
Dustan shook himself. This was his first mission as the rank Cal for the Devali. He couldn't screw up. In the secretive organization known as the Devali, there were hosts of ranks. But only three were important. The first and lowest ranking member was called Nico, the second Cal. And the director of the entire organization was called the Ra. Dustin thought on his recent promotion to Cal. He was both excited and dreading the promotion. After all, they expected a Cal to take on an partner and train them.
The planet of Etria floated up on to the primary display as the worship approached. The planet was a ball of blue, with a single relatively small landmass on the equator. Even with the planet's size, it held fewer people than a single city orbiting Proxima.
A short, gangly crew member of the ship walked past him, eying his pristine black army coat nervously.
Two warships showed up on the display, and Dustin cocked his head. He tapped his comms.
" Captain, can you link me to that Minsk class battleship?" Asked Dustin, sitting up straight.
He waited several seconds as the light on bulkhead shown red.
" This is captain Lictor of the zns Tallas, how may I help you?" Asked Lictor.
" This is private Dustin on special assignment from the emperor. I was wondering why you only have one cruiser with you while guarding the jump gate? I specifically remember seeing your orders to be posted here with two cruisers, captain." Said Dustin, an obvious challenge in his voice.
" We received word of a downed ship planet side. With the rough coordinates, I sent one of my cruisers to investigate." Said Lictor calmly.
" Very well, captain. We are on route to the city of Ascalon to pick up the prisoners. Give me an update when I return." Said Dustin.
" Affirmative." Said Lictor. Lictor realized he wasn't talking to some private. The fact that the man knew his orders spoke to higher credentials than his own.
A voice blared through the ship.
" Five minutes until entry burn. Fasten your seatbelts and clench them thighs. It's going to be a bumpy ride!" shouted the captain.
Dustan fastened his six foot muscular frame into his chair and braced himself. His dark skin paled as he clenched his armrests with a white knuckled grip. The ship shook, and it slammed Dustin against his seat belts. Through his helmet's display, he could see the ground approach at an alarming rate.
Dustan hated this part of his job. When he got back to Berdant, he would find a better option. Like someone who could fly one of those smaller falcons. They were much more convenient for his duties, anyway.
The ship approached the ground and Dustin rose in his chair slightly, his shoulders straining against the seatbelts.
The engines let out an ominous boom as the ship turned and counter burned. And then he was slammed into his chair as gravity reestablished itself.
The ships decent slowed as the pilot steered the ship through the swirling white clouds. The stunning landscape of green trees and cloud-capped mountains sprawled beneath the ship as the warships thrusters burned on a direct path towards Ascalon.
They reached the city in only twenty minutes, their route flying over the south most edge. The ship passed over several still smoking craters where the Etrian resistance had been obliterated.
Dustin shook his head. He still thought it was ridiculous that the Etrians had declared themselves a separate country. Surely they knew it would only be a matter of a decade before the armies of the empire mustered and retook the planet.
Judging by the craters of military barracks and the smoking remains of a large compound they had known. Dustin sighed. He wished his rank was high enough to make a true difference. But that was still years away. He would one day become the Ra, the empire's spy master. And then he could influence the empire for the better.
But for now, he needed to deal with these Etrian artists. He shuddered. How did they do it? Using the negative art made him feel unclean.
Because of his rank, he had delved up enough information about the negative art to get a taste of the power. It had such potential, too bad the negative art was highly illegal.
The ship jostled for a moment and then settled, dust and swirling leaves crossing the ship's frontal cameras. Dustin unbuckled himself and strode through the ship towards the side ramp. He passed the captain of the crew, nodding his head to the woman.
They walked down the stairs together into a wide open field. Grass billowed as the thrusters of the battleship power down. Dustin took in a deep breath, marvelling in the smells of dirt and grass. A platoon of navy soldiers greeted him on his descent from the ship. These men and women were not here to protect Dustin. They were here to escort the Etrian artists.
The fifty troops funnelled from the rear of of the battleship and marched in file. Each held a pulse rifle strapped to their chests and was covered in black composite armour with a gold raven etched onto their chests.
Through their clear masks, Dustin met the hard eyes of the captain at the front.
" Captain, any updates on the prisoners?" Asked Dustin. The Captain snapped up her visor and saluted, one hand clenching over the golden raven.
"They are being held in the prime minister's estate. We will need to walk several minutes through the streets before arriving." Said the captain of the soldiers.
"Lead the way!" said Dustin, straightening his standard issue private uniform.
" Yes, sir!" said the captain, saluting him once again.
" And cut that out captain, the Etrians are no doubt watching. I don't wish to be shot by an enemy sniper." said Dustin.
" Of course, sir. If we get attacked, I will be sure to lecture them about attacking a superior."said the captain saluting again. Dustin shook his head in bemusement at the woman. His fellow Devali winked at Dustin, cracking a grin.
They marched down the paved street. The roads in the area were empty of transport cars, and the very few Etrian civilians on the streets ran back inside at the approach of the platoon. Other citizens stared back with hate and fear in their eyes from their windows.
Dustin glanced back at the patrol of fifty empire soldiers. He would be scared as well if these men and women invaded his home. Their dark black composite armour and automatic pulse rifles were scary as hell.
These were the elite navy soldiers of the empire, each with weapons that utilized the art to devastating effect. However, even under the protection of these soldiers, Dustin didn't relax. The Secari were known for assassinations, not frontal assaults. As they marched, his eyes roved the buildings, over every window and across every roof.
Dustin reached for his left thigh, finding nothing there. Because of the political nature of this visit, it was deemed too aggressive to meet the prime minister of Etria carrying a visible weapon. Dustin patted his side, feeling the small ceramic knife tucked against his back.
They marched through a wide metal gate bracketed by two guards, each holding pulse rifles. Dustin strode up the path and all fifty soldiers fanned out behind, facing outwards on the lawn. From there, Dustin took in a deep breath, eying the aid waiting for him at the top of the marbled stairs.
"Good afternoon sir, I am Tony, the secretary to the prime minister. Please follow me." said Tony as she whirled on her heel. The Woman was dressed in a white blouse and tailored grey pants fastened with an embossed black belt.
Dustin eyed the belt for a moment. While on planet maybe he should buy a belt? The words of the secretary were spoken too fast and Dustin paused, trying to translate what she said. His Etrian wasn't as good as he would have liked.
" Sorry, mam, my Etrian is not not quite fluent."said Dustin sheepishly in poor Etrian. Som Cal he was. He wasn't even fluent yet. To be fair, he wasn't even close to fluency yet. Much like the vast majority of Zrixians, he hadn't learned the language growing up.
" Dont worry about it, the prim minister can speak fluent Zrixian." said the woman. Her words were respectful, but her tone was bordering on hostile. Like how someone would talk to an unwelcome visitor.
Striding down the halls, Dustin admired the carved wood panels and leather upholstered chairs. On Proxima, a single chair made of leather would cost more than a transport shuttle. Dustin himself couldn't even afford that belt the secretary Tony wore because of the difficulty of getting the materials.
His musing was cut off as the secretary halted in front of large ornate wooden doors. Dustin took in a deep breath and subtly tapped his reservoir. He wrapped his body in a faint invisible layer of energy, using his positive energy to make a hardened layer around himself.
Some might call him paranoid, but those people were probably dead. Dustin put on a false smile and once Tony opened the door, he strode into the Prime Minister's office.
When he entered, he was met with the sight of an older woman. He would think of her as a kindly grandma, or that aunt everyone loves if he didn't already know she was ruthless and cunning.
" It's a pleasure to meet you prime minister." said Dustin, the door behind him shutting with a click.
"Call me Brianne. It's an honor to meet one of the Devali. Please take a seat." said Brianne, her calculating smile making Dustin's hair rise on his neck. The woman spoke in fluent Zrixian, her accent rolling with less enunciation than Dustin was used to hearing.
"Call me Dustin. Because of the delicate matter we have here with the prisoners, the Ra sent me. She is weary of the Secari prisoners." said Dustin.
" Well, I'm happy to get rid of the Secari. They have been nothing but a curse to our country." said the Prime Minister.
"How have you been settling in? Or has your party been giving you problems?" asked Dustin casually..
" I have been settling in just fine. The previous prime Ministers' abrupt removal from office isn't helping my stance but i am winning the public over." said Prime minister Brianne.
" Thats good. We are pleased you kept up your end of the deal. Taking over the country was much easier with your cooperation."said Dustin.
" And I'm happy you held up your end of the deal. Those Secari were a menace to the country and I think we are better off without them. Our previous prime minister couldn't see it, but I could. Splitting off from the empire was a bad idea. I think we can prosper under neath the Emperor's rule."said Brianne.
" I'm not here to listen to pointless speeches. Save that for when you are speaking to the crowds of worried people in your country." said Dustin, traitors like this woman were the worst of the worst. If he had a choice, he would avoid her like the plague, but this was his job, and so Dustin put his personal feelings on the matter aside.
The Prime minister smiled, folding her wrinkled hands in front of her straightening in her large wood framed chair. Her fierce grey eyes flashed with amusement, clearly catching onto Dustin's dislike.
" We have been keeping the criminals in the cells below. Once you collect them, they are your responsibility. Do with them as you please." said Prime minister Brianne.
" Of course, once they are in my hands you don't need worry anymore."said Dustin.
"What will you do with them?" asked Brianne after a long pause, her eyes tightening slightly.
Dustin reclined in his chair and examined his callused right hand.
" That is none of your business. Once i take them from the holding cells then what i do with them is my business." said Dustin.
" Are you going to try to recruit them? Or are you going to kill them?" asked Brianne, worry crossing her face.
" Whatever we choose, you need not worry. You have Zrixian armed forces helping you uphold your parties hold on the seat of Prime Minister. For you, I would be worried about the citizens. If they discover it was you who let us past your Planetary defences, then you may be mobbed."said Dustin.
The older woman's face soured and her eyes narrowed in anger. Dustin smiled and rose from his chair, straightened the golden raven's badge on his chest. As Dustin strode towards the door, he glanced over his shoulder at the woman.
Dustin opened the wooden doors and stepped through into the waiting room. Provoking the woman might not have been smart, but he absolutely hated traitors. Even if she was on his side, Dustin knew that once a traitor, always a traitor. He strode to the secretary, Tony nodding his head to the woman.
" Please, lead me to the prisoners." said Dustin, speaking Etrian, hoping he didn't butcher his request.
" Oh course right this way." said Tony smirking but looking away to hide it. Clasping his hands behind his back, Dustin followed the young woman through the large estate until she reached the left wing of the mansion.
Four soldiers in black armour and holding pulse rifles saluted as Dustin approached.
" How are the prisoners holding up?" asked Dustin, tensing as he noticed the lack of soldiers here.
" They are lethargic and sleep most of the day. Those shackles are keeping the Sacari on the edge of falling unconscious." said the Sergent his rank denoted by one star on his chest next to the golden raven.
" How many do we have in there?" asked Dustin.
" We have four in custody." said the Sergent shifting nervously.
"Where are the others? And why do you only have four soldiers guarding this room?" asked Dustin.
" Well, yesterday, several of them escaped. We had to put them down." said the Sergent.. Through the man's clear face shield, Dustin could see sweat beading on the man's face.
" Did any escape?" asked Dustin.
" No sir, we killed three before they could leave the building."said the Sergent.
" How many did we lose?" asked Dustin.
" We lost five soldiers, sir!" said the Sergent. Dustin grimaced, feeling like a dick for his challenging words.
" I'm sorry for your loss." said Dustin, saluting the four soldiers as a sign of respect.
" Thank you, sir." said the Sergent his voice mournful.
"Can you open the door? I also need your help to bring these four out to the front lawn." said Dustin.
Through the soldier's visor, he could see the man grin. Dustin stood on the front lawn, all four remaining prisoners lined in front of him.
Dustin paced in front of the four Secari as the Platoon surrounded them. He glanced up into the sky, grumbling at the media shuttle hovering several hundred feet in the air. Dustin smiled. It was all for the news. The people of Etria needed to see the Sacari were being taken away by the Zrixians. Well, Dustin himself wouldn't be on the news. His image would be blurred, but that news shuttle would televise everything else for the entire country.
Dustin started from the left and halted in front of a diminutive figure in tattered pajamas. The mans face was bloody and bruised, his lips purple from a serious beating.
" What is your name?" asked Dustin in Etrian.
" You think we are criminals? We just wanted freedom."said the young man in Zrixian.
" That is not a name." said Dustin.
" The last Zrixian posy that I gave my name to, I turned into a pile of burning slag."said the young man glaring. The young mans bruised face scrunched in pain as the captain of the soldiers slammed the butt of his rifle into the man's leg. His shoulder length hair fell around his face as he stumbled to the grass, unable to catch himself as they shackled his hands behind him.
" What is your name?" asked Dustin, pointing at the next.
" Instructor Herath." said the man, he was in his forties. He swayed but keeping his steely eyes firmly locked on Dustin.
" Meris."said the one on the fair right. She was the youngest of the group, only perhaps fifteen years old.
" I'm jerry."said the last, the boy was perhaps sixteen not even a full adult. Dustin gritted his teeth. They didn't look like the Dreaded Secari. All he had now after yesterday's failed escape were two trainees and two Secari.
Dustin turned back the first as the young man rose to his feet.
" Why is he beaten so bad?" asked Dustin.
" He is the only one still alive of those who tried to escape." said the Sergent tasked with guarding the Secari.
Dustin stare into the young mans intense hate-filled eyes. He felt a chill run up his spine. He could see calculation and cunning.
" Alright, let's move out. Back to the ship!" shouted Dustin. Once they were in privacy, Dustin could get more information out of them. Maybe he could even track down the missing members? Three higher ranking prisoners dead were a setback, but from the information he had, there were still three others missing.
Once back on the ship, Dustin separated each of them. He needed to question the one with the broken up face first. That one had fled with another and the other had escaped. If he got the information soon enough, he might find the other Secari.
Dustin strode into the small cabin and faced the prisoner. They strapped the man to a chair. This was so the prisoner wouldn't be injured when they left planet and so he couldn't escape.
" Thirty minutes until take off!" shouted a voice over the speakers.
" Well, I have some questions for you. Peyton was it." said Dustin. He eyed the man's restraints. The military grade cuffs were some of the empire's new tech. Disturbingly, they would drain the Artists reservoir. Dustin shudder he had gotten curious one time and tried them out. The sensation had felt like ants crawling on his skin.
" It was jerry wasn't it?" asked Peyton, seeming unfazed.
" Yes. He gave me your name. Now that we have that out of the way, I need to know where your friends went." said Dustin.
" We don't have friends."Said Peyton coldly.
" Where did your comrade go? The one you fled with."said Dustin.
Peyton grinned. The action was disturbing as the young man's bruised face scrunched up. His deep brown hair fell around his eyes.
" That is the real question. I wonder if you will see them coming when they strike?" asked Peyton, his Zrixian perfect.
" If you cooperate, maybe we can strike some sort of deal. You give up your comrades' location and I will see too it you don't get executed for your crimes."said Dustin, with his rank he could do that but it was clear Peyton didn't believe him.
Peyton rocked back in his chair and looked away.
" We are done here. I don't betray my comrades." said Peyton softly anger flashing in his eyes.
Dustin asked more questions, but Peyton refused to say anything. Frustrated, Dustin turned away. It appeared this one was a better person than the prime minister. He would need to try again later.
" Five Minutes until launch!" shouted a voice over the loudspeaker. Dustin sighed, the worst part was he actually respected this young man. Even in the face of execution, Peyton was refusing to tell Dustin anything about the one who had escaped.
Dustin locked the door behind himself the large metal bolts clicking into place. With just under a week until their trials, Dustin would have some time to question them before handing them over to the Ra.
Once fastened in his chair, Dustin's thoughts wandered. The ship rumbled as it took off. Dustin closed his helmet over his face and attached his heads up display to his chair.
" Captain, can you link me to the Zns Tallas?" asked Dustin.
" Yes sir."said the Captain.
" Captain Lictor, this is Dustin. What did you discover?" asked Dustin.
" We found the downed ship. The pilot was dead. However, we also found an empty safe house and the remains of two enemy ships." said captain Lictor.
" Has anyone passed through the jump gate in the past two days?" asked Dustin, his stomach clenching in concern.
" There was a Falcon class fighter that passed through just before you arrived. But other than that, no." said Captain Lictor.
"Do you have their files?" asked Dustin. The silence extended as Dustin tapped his finger on his chin nervously.
" Sir, it looks like their files have been erased. I can't find anything. I swear it was here." said Lictor, sounding rattled.
" Affirmative Captain, as you were." said Dustin, massaging his temples. Today was turning out to be a shitty day. He really needed a drink. The Ra was going to give him so much shit for this. As for how the information was deleted, that was known as hidden malware. With the right tech, you could send a file to someone and then, after they read it, the malware would erase all the information within.
Dustin bit his lower lip. How was he going to find the Secari now? They had taken the jump gate. Finding three assassins in the empire was like finding a needle in a haystack. With no idea where they went, he would need to wait until they struck. Dustin grumbled. He hated reacting. Well, at least now he would have time to train his new partner, well that was if he could find someone competent. Dustin chuckled humourlessly, running his hand through his curly black hair..