The sun had set beneath the mountains that stretched out over the horizon. When the two moons that peacefully coexisted rose to a certain height, the churning of cogwheels and gears momentarily increased in speed. A loud clang was heard in the distance, followed by the tick of a clock.
The night was awfully quiet, as usual. A series of footsteps echoed across the mosaic-tiled floor, and in them was the reflection of a lone puppet. It had two eyes, as black as obsidian. Neither was there a nose nor a mouth. It was as though it were a person wearing a wooden mask.
Oddly enough, the puppet had silver hair. Its strands were swaying on the side. The hair glowed under the warm light of the hanging lamps.
He was walking through an empty corridor, the same one he had taken on his first exploration. I thought I'd never have to go this way again after discovering that it would be easier to go through the records office. Unfortunately, I don't have much of a choice; I can't risk being caught.
No. 44 passed through the west engine and the ongoing construction, then headed to the train station. It was the same as before, with little change, bustling with activity. He waited for a long time for the train to get to the east station while leaning on a corner.
Finally, a woman's voice announced the arrival of the train, and he was able to board it. As he stepped on the train, a person had come out of the door, just a wagon away.
Time seemed to slow down as they passed; the background seemed blurry, filled with bokeh lights, broken lines, splashes of different colors, and unmoving puppets. It was only for a brief moment, but their eyes met.
Spphsss!
The doors of the train closed, and soon enough, it left the platform, leaving a trail of smoke.
Click!
Upon arriving at the station, the person opened a pocket watch. Finally, right on time. He thought, and before he closed it back, it seemed as though the clock was going counterclockwise instead of clockwise.
Even as he closed it, the image of the clock and its fast-moving arms remained vivid. As it reversed, the background seemed to match it. The train came back, No. 44 walked backwards and so did every other puppet. The lights flickered, the train left, went back around, the puppets left and boarded the train. It went on for a few seconds until the clock stopped when it hit twelve, and a bell sounded.
The day after the attack.
Knock, knock, knock! A series of knocks was heard outside of the door, followed by a loud yell, "Oi, Silas!" She paused, waiting for a response. She continued after receiving no response: "The group leader's calling. What in the world are you doing inside? You're already supposed to be there thirty minutes ago!"
"Go out right now and come with me!" Before she could continue knocking, the door was unlocked and opened. "There you are. What took you so long?" She didn't wait for him to speak. "Don't you know the punishment for tardiness? Besides, everything's been hectic lately; you get called out for being weird, you can get suspected as a spy for every move, and I couldn't even eat in secret without alerting the guards."
"…right." Silas awkwardly laughed as he scratched his head. "Sorry, I was sleeping. I didn't get enough of it yesterday. Oh, what's going on, by the way?"
"Let's talk while we walk, 'Kay? Can't have the leader waiting for long," she said as she watched him close his door.
They were in a corridor, resembling the one in chamber I. Since there was only one way, they didn't need to worry about which direction to go. Hailey began her explanation, "Since you retired early last night, you didn't hear about it. According to the section head, the Artificer wants to investigate everyone in the eastern section. The supervisor for living quarters II has informed us about this."
"They suspect that there are spies? Why? It's not like the location of the mothership is a secret," Silas stated as he fixed the iron pauldron on one of his shoulders. He buttoned his leather vest, which had the insignia of the Andromeda Empire, an elaborate symbol of a crown. He casually asked with a curious tone. "Why are they so shocked that they were attacked?"
"We, Silas," Hailey corrected. "We were attacked." Hailey glanced at him once before turning her head towards the hallway. Although she was looking away, she was paying attention to him using her peripheral vision. "Yes, I admit, it might not be a strange thing that we were ambushed, considering so many people know where we are. However!" She raised her voice. "Who has the guts to point their sword at us? Who gave them the courage? Why did they do it, and most importantly, how did they know which parts of the ship to target?"
She continued, crossing her arms beneath her bosom. "The Artificer isn't stupid; we aren't either. It can only be an insider. It can't be former members because of a simple reason: none of them are alive. Once you're a member, you're always a member. If you don't like it, then you'll be killed." Her eyes shifted back towards him. "You should know."
Silas fastened his belt. "Of course I know," he confirmed with a smile. "But don't you ever wonder why people still join despite knowing that this is such a dangerous place?"
Hailey frowned at his question, and in return, asked him, "Why don't you recall why you joined in the first place?" She stopped crossing her arms, and they fell to her waist instead. "The most obvious reason is money. Second is protection. The influence that Artificer has scares even empires; it's like people consider Andromeda empire as an actual kingdom. He's the overbearing type too; he protects his members like they're his kittens. Offending a mercenary of his group is like stepping on his tail. Everyone wants that kind of protection. Protection from someone who has power."
"He protects his members like they're his kittens," he repeated with a hint of mockery. "More like his belongings. He doesn't treat people like living things, Hailey. My opinion of him is that he's childish."
Hailey stopped walking, "If you're the spy, then you're making it way too obvious."
Silas laughed, "That's the thing, a real spy wouldn't say that, would they? Is it that bad to have an opinion? What, I can't even share my thoughts now? Alright, sorry, sorry, I wasn't informed that freedom isn't so free anymore."
"Okay, I get your point, but you better shut up once we get there. If anyone were to hear you, they'd definitely take you in custody." Hailey started to move forward again. "Look, I think you've been misled by the rumors. I don't believe that the Artificer is as they claim he is. Rumors are rumors; I won't believe it unless I confirm it myself."
"Do you think you're some female lead in a romance novel, Hailey?" He smirked as he mocked, "Oh, he isn't like this; oh, I can fix him; he only needs a bit of love; he just doesn't understand—let's stop with all the nonsense, alright? Sure, rumors are rumors. However, if everyone's saying it, that has to mean something, right?"
Hailey glared at the taller man. She didn't need to express it in words; anyone who had eyes could see her annoyance. She didn't bother to talk to Silas and instead walked ahead of him. She didn't turn back even as she heard him say, "He doesn't like you back, babe. He doesn't even know who you are; stop dreaming with your eyes open."
"Asshole!" She mumbled beneath her breath, "What's gotten to him? He was just so sweet, and suddenly, he's back to being a total buffoon." She went through a towering arch and made her way to the assembly hall. "Seriously, I can't get through him at all."
On her way, she noticed a man with a bronze gorget with a black and tattered coat. He wasn't running, but he was walking at a fast pace. Hailey slowed down in order to avoid colliding with him, but the other person didn't care and proceeded forward, disregarding her presence. Hailey noticed his indifference and moved away from the other's path, being careful with her surroundings.
Hailey looked back, only to see Silas confronting the man. Seriously, this man! She quickly retraced her steps to step in between the two. "What's going on here?"
"Ah, nothing. It's just that this fella isn't very nice." Silas straightforwardly pointed. "You don't think that you're the only one passing through here, right?"
"Oi, Silas, don't start." Hailey pressed her hand on his chest to stop it from escalating further. "Let him leave; he might be heading somewhere; it could be urgent. Stop being so aggressive."
The man didn't want to converse with the two and merely left after a few seconds. He bumped into Silas' shoulder, but he didn't stop to apologize, as though he did it on purpose.
"That guy!" Silas roared, but Hailey pulled on his shirt, preventing him from chasing.
Silas finally gave it up and faced Hailey. His expression turned slightly serious. "Hey, Hailey. You remember everyone here, right? Do you… ever recall seeing that person before?"
Step, step, step… The person with the bronze gorget headed to living quarters II, passing through groups of people on the way. He retrieved a folded piece of paper from his chest pocket and inspected its contents. His green eyes turned grim, darkening as he read the words.
He tucked the paper into his pocket again before making a turn towards the living quarters I instead.
Hailey's voice was heard in the distance. "Now that you've mentioned it, he doesn't have the Andromeda Empire badge." Hailey's hands shook. She fixed her brunette hair and shook off the uncomfortable feeling. "You know what? Maybe we're overthinking it. This whole situation is causing me mental distress."
"Oh look!" Hailey pointed at the seats on the third row. "There's the group leader." The hall was full of people who had different gears and outfits; it was difficult to spot the group, but the leader's green hair stood out.
She had a tall build and a robust physique. She wasn't overly huge, but she carried an intimidating aura. Her hair was thick and braided; it reached below her waist level. She only wore a simple sleeveless shirt topped with a brown vest, which revealed her long arms filled with scars. Her skin tone was darker, and her features appeared more refined and sharper.
"Leader!" Hailey called out as they approached. "Any news?"
The leader waited until the two got close enough and gestured for them to sit down. She replied in a casual tone, "We gathered here for nothing. The investigation's going to be delayed. There was a power outage in the entire living quarters I; the whole cafeteria is a mess, and some groups are protesting against the investigation."
Silas got comfortable around his seat before raising a question. "So what happened? There was a commotion in the west. I heard the 'Crimsons' attacked, what's with that? Who are those guys? Never heard of them before."
"That's probably because they've recently changed their name into that. If I were to call them 'Red Pirates,' I'm sure you'd have some idea." She explained, "Red pirates separated into two groups earlier this year. The first faction remained as red pirates, while the other took up the offer of Luminor empire and became part of their military force. Their original name was 'Crimson Light' but it changed to 'Crimsons' later on."
She continued with a serious expression, "As for the reason why they did this, it's currently being discussed. According to the rumors, the leader of Crimsons seems to want to dethrone Artificer from his position as the mercenary emperor, and take his seat. Others suggest that…"
Silas leaned on his chair, and cut her off, "It's the Luminor Empire's desicion."