[6:37 PM, Saturday, September 3, Year 2531 Galilean Era, Jahannam Crater, Territory of Al-Quadra, Al-Nour Federation]
In a dimly lit pub in Qamidad, a small town in the first quadrant of Halaphon, Jahannam, the air hung heavy with the smell of cheap beer mixed with a touch of desperation. A petite woman, barely able to carry the massive sniper rifle slung over her shoulder, sat at the bar. As she nursed her drink, her face twisted in displeasure.
"The drinks here taste like ass!" she exclaimed, cringing at the harsh flavor that lingered on her taste buds.
At the counter, a flimsy guy wearing eye glasses, attempted to diffuse the rising tension with a placating smile on his face.
"Language, Hailey. Your little sister's right next to us. Also show some respect in our very own turf. I am sure Alisha will be saying the same." His eyes flickered towards the girl beside him who was perched on a barstool, arms crossed, ready to argue.
The girl, seemingly Holly, narrowed her eyes, "Jerome, are you treating me like a child again?" she retorted,
He sighed, "It's because you are. I wouldn't hate it much if it weren't for the Consul's precepts, and Alisha's... menacing looks. She told me to keep an eye on you two, and that includes not biding for foul language.
"It's not like Big Sister cares about it all," replied Hailey, "I even heard her cussing someone inside her room yesterday. It must have been the issue with the Ahmar again"
Jerome nodded, "It's understandable,"
"Ahmar has no strong hold in here. Halaphon is under their control for quite some time, until Prince Hakim shifted the borders, and now, conflicts are erupting everywhere. With most of the Royal Army's division were under Princess Aisha's command, we find ourselves outnumbered; Alisha and the Ahmar has already lost many men during the attack at Central Square months before, and Commander Jamal is still recovering in the hospital."
He paused, taking a breath before continuing, "The only thing giving us an advantage at the moment is Emperor Al-Malik's concordat with the local populace here. This is why we haven't had to worry too much about being in direct danger here just yet, thanks to the King's intervention—"
Just as Jerome raised his glass for another sip, the unmistakable sound of a rifle being cocked sounded, abruptly halting his thoughts. A chill traveled down his spine as the hard iron barrel was pressed against the back of his head.
"'adir muakharatak bibut'i!"
Jerome slowly turns around and sees four Alnabil soldiers, pointing their guns and sneering at the customers, threatening to shoot, and the ones at his back looks like their officer, a Naqib
The officer sneered, his voice a low growl. "This is our turf!"
"The Alnabil? Ahh… ahmm… Sir.. no.. Syid?" Jerome stammered. He immediately raises both of his hands "Uhmm… would you mind not causing trouble for us this time? We're literally just here for a drink. We'll be leaving soon enough, eh?" He tried a weak chuckle, glancing at his captain for reassurance.
"Please! No fighting in my place! Ya 'iilahi! You're scaring the customers!" shouted the Barkeep,
But before he could utter another word again, a bullet met his shoulder with such force that he recoiled backwards, crashing into the back bar. The customers immediately panicked and rushed outside while the others are being held by the soldiers, scaring them by firing several warning shots in the roof.
"Father! No!" The woman in apron beside the Barkeep immediately rushed to help him with tears flowing in her eyes, "You bastards!" she shouted.
"Holy shit, dude... is there even any plausible reason for doing that?!" uttered Jerome, but he tensed up immediately as soon as the officer pointed the gun back at him.
"Shut your fucking mouth or you'll be next, Aetherian dog!" screamed the officer, then his gaze swiveled towards his underlings and orders them to cuff the three.
He looks around the bar, scattering the utensils all around, and destroying the bottles and glasses. He looks back at Jerome and grabs him by the neck which then he pulls out the knife and sticks it near his right eye.
"'Ayn hy? Where the fuck is it?!"
"Dude what the fuck are you talking about?!" replied Jerome
The officers' companions forcefully opens the cabinets and storage barrels but finds nothing of their specific interests
"Look, if you don't tell me where the Medusa is right now, I will kill your companions one by one, starting with that little girl over there!" the Naqib points at Hailey who is held down by one of the officers and is struggling.
"The Medusa?! A Medusa?! Whose Medus--" before Jerome could finish, he was smacked in the face.
"Do you think that I have time for such bullshit, waghid?!"
"What the fuck man?!" he spits blood, "I have no fucking idea of what you're talking about!"
thud
Another punch landed on Jerome's face, and he was knocked down to the floor, groaning in pain.
Finally, the officer makes a final glance at the two girls before ordering his companions to execute them.
"YOUR ASS SMELLS LIKE A STINKY PIECE OF SHIT DOWN HERE!" screamed Hailey while she was being held down by the soldier.
"You kiss your mother with that motherfucking mouth of-- AGGH!"
The soldier screamed in pain and immediately rolls to the floor to the officer's surprise. A stiletto blade from Hailey's shoes punctured the soldier's fatigues and right straight into his anus, causing intense pain and bleeding.
The commotion caught the attention of the other three soldiers to Hailey including the officer, a diversion enough for her sister, Holly, to throw a spinning back heel kick at the distracted soldier in front of her. The blade underneath her shoes immediately dug straight through the soldier's helmet, killing him instantly.
The officer and the other soldier caught wind of this and started blasting their guns towards them.
"aqtulhum!" screamed the officer as he fired his rifle aimlessly to Holly which she immediately rolls backward on the bar top and hid herself behind the counter.
The soldier behind the officer fearfully makes his way back at the entrance in hopes of finding a way out but instead, he found his way in front of a gun barrel.
bang!
The Naqib fired off the last few rounds from his magazine, his movements frantic as he fumbled for another in his pouch. His steps edged him closer to the entrance, nerves fraying with every backward shuffle. But before he could reload, a cold hand clamped around his neck, and immediately he realized. Panic surged as the figure behind him seized his right arm—the one clutching the rifle—and, with brutal precision, snapped it. A sharp, agonized scream tore from his throat as the weapon clattered to the ground.
He was yanked toward the counter, his neck pinned down, and his head slammed against the tabletop. As he struggled to focus, his gaze landed on the Barkeep's daughter standing before him. She gripped a hefty four-by-four timber, her teary eyes burning with fury. Slowly, she raised the timber above her head, her trembling hands ready to bring down her vengeance. The Naqib's face twisted in panic as he began to wail for mercy, his voice desperate and pleading—but it was already too late.
splat!
The rumble of engines and clanking machinery filled the air outside the bar. The Ahmar had shown up with their ATTVs and soldiers, all decked out in red-tinted armor and ballistic helmets. Inside one of the vehicles, Jerome sat slumped, his face battered and bruised, as paramedics worked on him. Holly and Hailey, the twin sisters, were by his side, along with a stranger— a young woman, an Officer of the Ahmar. Her blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, and she had her arms crossed, staring at Jerome with a look of confusion.
Jerome winced as he spoke, every word making his cheek throb. "What? What are you looking at?"
"That Naqib that was killed, My superior spared that man's life back at the Central Square. Who would've thought he wouldn't hold up his end of the deal?"
"Well, your men should've killed him before. My face wouldn't look like this if you had just done it! Ouch! Ouch!"
"It bothers me, why do people still choose their own path to ruin, even when given the chance to escape it?" she frowned
"Oh, you know, some people just love their self-destructive habits, who knows?" Jerome leaned forward, his gaze fixed on her.
"Let me tell you something, "It's not about fulfilling a deal. It's more like being told to drink a glass of uranium waste, and instead of thinking, 'Maybe I shouldn't,' you just drink it because someone told you to—wait, you're a field operative, right?"
The woman tilted her head, "No? I am a rookie Intelligence Officer. Still receiving my training..."
"Ah, that explains the naivety," Jerome muttered. "They're soldiers. They have this weird loyalty. Even if it's to a cause that's already dead."
He glanced at the woman dressed in a pitch-black trench coat and hood, speaking with the Barkeep, who was being tended to by his daughter outside the bar. Then, his eyes shifted back to the Intelligence Officer.
"And if they do get the chance to live, they'll strike back or the system will haunt them," he added, leaning back with a weary sigh.
"That's kind of tragic," She whispers
"It is. I hope you get used to it though,"
Then several Ahmar soldiers quickly arrived in the scene, moving with urgency as they began dragging the Alnabil soldiers' lifeless bodies away.
"Big sister always comes through when we need her the most!" grinned Hailey and she was met by Jerome's glare
"And you... could you… stop being so reckless just this once, Hailey?! We almost got killed because of you!"
"They were getting on my nerves. This is exactly what happens when you push people too far." Hailey shrugged nonchalantly.
"Great, I'm surrounded by psychopathic dumbasses. Oh, Ny̟͎̭l̥ͯha͇̱̪̖̭̗ͅ ̙͔̣̫̝̀ͯͬ̓͗N̪̲͖͓̮̣͉̂̈̑̈ͥ̓̚ẏ̻̮̳̥͒̉͊h̭̟͑ͭủ̹̦̜̙͇̥ͤ̆͑̆ͭk̲̰̉̓t͙̘̰̠͈͗̆̏͋͌v͒ͥ͌ao̞̹̖l̏̈́ͨ̈́͊̃y͇̗, why would you do this to me?"
Jerome turned just in time to see the woman in the hood pushing the Barkeep in a wheelchair, the two engaged in a quiet conversation as they passed by. Without intending to eavesdrop, a snippet of their words reached him. He caught the tail end of their exchange, hearing her softly murmur, "Brother," to the Barkeep.
"Wait... did she—did she just call the Barkeep 'brother'?"
"Big Brother Mercurio was Night Kin long before the Order of the late Consul Minerva, and Big Sister Gresha established the contract with the Ahmar months before we arrived here in Jahannam," Holly said, peeking outside the window. "So he's that old, huh? He's probably the oldest Night Kin the [redacted] has!"
"So there were one of us Night Kin and your Sisters sent here before us? I've heard about Gresha and other three of your Sisters... where are they now?"
"They were never found," the woman in the hood suddenly spoke, her voice cold and calm. She appeared in front of them without a sound, making her presence almost ghostly. Jerome and the Rookie Intelligence Officer got startled by her sudden appearance.
"Oh fucking... It's you, Alisha! You're giving me a heart attack!" He frustratedly sighs,
"The Ny̟͎̭l̥ͯha͇̱̪̖̭̗ͅ ̙͔̣̫̝̀ͯͬ̓͗N̪̲͖͓̮̣͉̂̈̑̈ͥ̓̚ẏ̻̮̳̥͒̉͊h̭̟͑ͭủ̹̦̜̙͇̥ͤ̆͑̆ͭk̲̰̉̓t͙̘̰̠͈͗̆̏͋͌v͒ͥ͌ao̞̹̖l̏̈́ͨ̈́͊̃y͇̗ has long severed Gresha from our order, and her chapter was dissolved," Alisha continued, her stare bland, and her voice steady. "We were placed here in her stead. It wasn't in the best interest of the [redacted] to find them, but I will seek out the reason for our Sisters' deaths."
Alisha adjusted her hood and walked toward the front of the ATTV, climbing into the vehicle. The door clicked shut behind her, and she pulled out her phone, glancing at the time for a moment before swiftly powering it off.
Meanwhile, another Ahmar officer approached the rookie intelligence officer, engaging in a brief conversation. After a quick exchange and a curt nod, the rookie officer turned to leave. The paramedics followed closely behind her, and the other officer joined Jerome and the others. The doors of the ATTV shut closed, and the vehicle's engine rumbled to life.
Alisha stared out of the window, a faint frown crossing her face. "So the signal interceptor was wrong... the package wasn't here..."
"Where are we off to, Alisha, Milady?" asked the driver,
"Malik'r,"
"The surface? We'll need to take the long route at this rate. The short passage near Hamza is under the supervision of the Alnabil. They're building a communications tower there. Must be a new encampment." he warned,
"Our new intel says the package is holed up there in a town called Ta'idis" Alisha said, "We'll race for it against the Alnabil. They're already making their way there fast. We cannot afford any delay."
The driver hesitated, weighing the risks. "Err... Uhmm... as you wish, Milady. It'll take me one to two hours, but like you said, expect a heavy company of Alnabil soldiers in the area."
"I am well aware," Alisha replied, her tone cold and determined.