Stellarforged - Ch4 (Bastion+)

Note: In light of the recent Patreon update and the post-Mob hiatus, I'm posting these at the Bastion level. There won't be any new chapters past these first six for a while with the upcoming hiatus.

Ethan found himself enthralled by the unicorn’s voice and eyes. Although he did wonder when his last name had changed to Folimai, the same as the Rim’s.

Then Sai let out a bestial snarl and broke the spell, “What is that thing doing here?” She continued to recoil away from Heafi, but pointed at her with a shaking arm.

Reacting to their commander’s terror and implied direction, the Void Hounds raised their sidearms. The front line of the Association soldiers did likewise, if with far less dexterity. Heafi blinked in shock.

“Stand down!” Yany snapped, swing an arm out.

Red lights blinked along the armored collars of the Hounds’ breastplates, where their helmets would normally be. As quickly as they’d raised their guns, they lowered them. Except Kiel, who stared at the barrels of the Association soldiers still prepared to open fire.

“Weapons down,” Heafi called out, her eyes widening as she realized her soldiers remained ready to shoot. She waved her hands around in a panic, and Ethan noticed a large data tablet in her arms for the first time. “We’re here to collect our new Administrator, not shoot him!”

Union security gathered around them, thick as flies. The relatively small number that had been here earlier had multiplied by a factor of ten already, hefting taser rifles. Heavier duty security rushed out from the hangar bay checkpoint with lethal weaponry, including actual rifles.

Sai looked around with a frustrated expression. “<Fuck me.>”

Given his module rarely translated curses, he suspected it got misunderstood as a literal request for intercourse. Amusing, even if it suggested she didn’t want the attention of Union security.

A small part of him wanted that attention if she didn’t. Then he quickly realized he wouldn’t either.

If the Union investigated his situation, they’d discover he didn’t get selected to take control of the Rim legitimately. After potential years of investigation, he’d be sent back to his old life. Except he’d lose his ship, as it would be repossessed by then thanks to his lack of income.

Yeah, he’d stick to the deal he made with Sai.

The fox shot him a wan smile. As if to say, “Now you’re stuck with me.”

“The situation is under control,” Sai said, straightening up and patting down her uniform. Her face remained pale. “This was merely a misunderstanding. An involuntary reflex when I stumbled across a powerful psychic null.” She shot Heafi an annoyed look. “Return to your stations.”

Some of the security guards began to peel away, but those from the hangar hesitated. They eyed the two groups of soldiers warily.

“Executor Sailiferia—” a security officer began to say.

“You may report this,” Sai said, exasperated. “I’m not telling you to cover this up. I’m telling you that we’re not going to start shooting each other. My current investigation involves the Folimai Association.”

The officer saluted, then ordered the rest back to their posts. Within a few minutes, the situation returned to normal.

Or as normal as it could be with these two groups staring each other down.

Heafi pulled up her tablet and glanced at it. She then smiled at Sai, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Executor Sailiferia of the Sixteenth Era, I thank you for escorting the Administrator from Sol. It is a system beyond the reach of the Association. We will take him from here and see him to his rightful place in the Rim.”

“I don’t think you understand.” Sai’s voice had a saccharine note to it. “I’m undertaking an investigation into Ethan’s appointment to Administrator. Until it’s finalized, he can’t leave for the Rim.”

“You can send us the results.” Heafi’s smile didn’t budge. “The Rim has waited long enough for the Union. I’m sure you can send for him if you find any anomalies.”

“You don’t make that decision. You’re not even the official delegation I asked for,” Sai said. She thrust a finger at Heafi. “So go back to your dated cruiser and wait until you’re needed.”

Confusion flickered across Heafi’s face for a moment before she schooled her expression. Sai didn’t appear to react to it, as she rubbed her face with her palm, and her assistants cooed over her.

But a strange feeling began forming in Ethan’s gut.

He took a step forward. Kiels and the Void Hounds matched his motion and the Association soldiers flinched, while the others merely looked at him.

“Why don’t we take this somewhere private?” He raised his arms and gestured at the open area, which included cleaners and station security. “We’re making a scene.”

Sai grimaced but nodded. She straightened. “Yany—”

“I booked a private room at the Janus Gardens,” Yany said. “Our usual one. I’ve extended the booking time and we can head there now.”

“Then let’s go there.” Sai scowled at Heafi, who gave her an imperious look in return. “You can’t take your little army into the Superior Union Stratum. Pick four bodyguards and I’ll get them clearance.”

Heafi looked at the thirty Void Hounds standing behind Sai.

“I’ll be sending most of them away, too,” Sai lied.

Or at least, Ethan was pretty sure she was lying, given they were staying with them. He’d find out soon enough.

The tall unicorn nodded, selected four soldiers seemingly at random, and sent the rest away. Surprisingly enough, Sai did the same to the Void Hounds.

“Lieutenant, get our accommodation ready,” Sai ordered. “You have my permission to adjust the work schedule to include current events.”

The Hound Lieutenant saluted and was about to leave with most of the Taer elites.

“Wait,” Ethan said. “I want Kiels with us.”

The lieutenant shot Sai a questioning look, but pair of wolfgirl didn’t bother waiting for approval to double-back to Ethan’s side. While he’d gotten to know most of the Void Hounds by now, he’d found it easier to get closer to Kiels.

If Sai asked the girl to shoot him, he hoped she might at least hesitate before doing so.

Rolling her eyes at him, Sai waved her arm dismissively. Red lights blinked on the Hounds’ collars as they negotiated who had to leave, before the lieutenant barked an order at them and one dashed off with a dark look at Kiels.

“Nice.” Kiels bumped Ethan’s shoulder with her fist.

Yany eyed the exchange without words, while Euressa rubbed her boss’s back. When Heafi strode up to them, Sai’s face paled further and she stumbled.

“Holy shit,” Ethan said. “I guess size does matter.”

Kiels and the other Hounds roared with laughter, and even Yany allowed herself a flicker of a smile. Sai’s body shook with rage.

Heafi tilted her head at him. “I don’t quite understand.”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t realize nulls could get strong enough to affect a psychic just by being near them,” Ethan said. He held his hand out. “I’m Ethan. Nice to meet you.”

She stared at his hand for several long seconds, then looked at her tablet. Her face turned into the sun when she smiled before shaking his hand.

The force she put into her handshake nearly shattered every bone in his hand. He felt the cybernetics at work. A gasp escaped her and she pulled away.

“I’m so sorry!” Heafi’s eyes teared up. “I’m not used to touching people who aren’t heavily enhanced. I just assumed… Are you alright?”

Rubbing his bruised hand, Ethan nodded. “I have had far worse. Trust me. You didn’t even break a bone.”

“Oi. The crew medic fixed it up fast, didn’t she?” Kiels muttered, looking away with a blush.

Thank fuck for advanced medicine. A lot of the same technology used for cloning also worked for medicine, including healing bones and scrapes. Although as a male, he had to be careful with how much he took.

Too much, and he’d experience firsthand the reason nobody cloned men.

Now Heafi pouted at Kiels while rubbing Ethan’s hand. “It is an honor to meet you, Administrator. I do wish it had been under less… exigent circumstances. You don’t need to worry about the Executor’s health. I understand psychics adapt quite quickly, especially once they have something sweet.”

“I’d prefer that sweet thing to be your blood,” Sai muttered as she began walking away, as if trying to put as much distance between her and Heafi. “Yany, how the hell did you miss her?”

Ethan wondered how Sai had missed her. But he had heard nulls could actually hide their presences from psychics if necessary. If they always acted like the psychic black holes they were feared to be, they’d be far too easy to detect.

“I knew there was an Association detachment moving around on the station, but didn’t realize they’d gotten so close. We spent too much time in security,” Yany said.

They stayed away from the main area of the station. Lots of Union security here, and everyone wore uniforms. Presumably a military area. After they went up a series of ramps, they took an elevator large enough to fit a tank battalion into. He wondered if it was a cargo elevator.

Surprisingly, Sai didn’t read his thoughts and answer him. She stood on the opposite side of the massive chamber, while Heafi hovered by Ethan’s side.

Kiels grinned. “Wow. I’ve only heard stories, but you’re a strong enough null to block out psychics around you.”

Heafi nodded. “It’s why I was chosen as Steward once we received word the Union had chosen a new Administrator. It’s dangerous enough for a male to rule a small empire, but someone from a race I’d never even heard of…” She looked at Ethan with a strange expression. “Until you receive psychic shielding implants, you’ll need to remain near me at all times.”

“Implants…” Then something more important occurred to him. “Wait, you were appointed Steward that recently? Are you basically my secretary?”

The Faecrim unicorn pursed her lips. “Yes, but no. The position of Association Steward is equivalent to…” She checked her tablet. “It would be CEO by Earth standards. And you are chairman and owner of the company.”

That made matters even more confusing. That strange feeling from earlier grew, but he kept his suspicions a secret.

Especially now that he actually could keep secrets from Sai.

“Why do you use that tablet?” he asked her.

Kiels answered for Heafi, “Nulls can’t use some of the more advanced modules. Lots of theories, especially given psychics are fine.”

“Some modules use technology developed from psionics,” Heafi said, puffing her cheeks out at Kiels. “Much like psychic shielding is developed from our understanding of psychic nullifiers. Psionics proves that psychic abilities and nullification is science, not magic, and it is only a matter of time before technology eventually takes its place.”

“In tens of millennia maybe.” Kiels rolled her eyes. “The Vaelix are thousands of cycles old and I bet the Faecrim have been saying that the entire time.”

“Perhaps that’s the problem,” Heafi said cryptically.

The Hounds eyed her without another word, and Kiels gave her a short nod. Some wordless communication had taken place.

They arrived on the Superior Stratum, and Ethan added another item to his list of space wonders.

Expansive gardens stretched out before them, extending along towering buildings made of crystal. A dome arched over them and displayed fake weather that looked so realistic Ethan could be fooled into thinking they’d teleported onto a planet. Especially as actual weather accompanied it.

A rain cycle was underway, drenching the level in a fine mist. The lights of the space station created rainbows.

Special umbrellas sat in stands beneath covered areas. When Yany retrieved one, it deployed a transparent shield above her. She tapped the black tube a few times and the shield enlarged so that it encompassed Sai as well.

Heafi’s eyes lit up and she dashed over to grab one, then back. She activated it and beamed as it protected both herself and Ethan.

“Stay close to me, Administator,” she chirped.

Her tail swished happily behind her, sometimes bouncing against his leg, as she kept step with him. He more than happily kept close to the adorable unicorn.

But he did spare a glance at the Association soldiers. She’d picked four, and they were all Taer. All four gawked at their surroundings.

Evidently, for all the Association’s wealth, it lacked anything like Dominio. Or these soldiers hadn’t seen it, given Heafi barely spared the place a glance.

Ethan had noted that most of the soldiers hadn’t been Taer, however. In fact, he didn’t recognize most of their races. They’d been humanoid, but of the lesser races. Very few races could make the difficult choices the Taer and Yinil made to become galactic superpowers. The Taer imploded in civil war, which they were still reeling from centuries later, while the Yinil turned themselves into living machines.

Everyone else accepted their lot and the scraps they received. It’s part of why Ethan didn’t bother with the spark of rebellion.

Getting angry at what the Union had done to Earth was pointless. It was shit, sure, but nothing worse than what each race did to themselves. And humanity would commit even greater atrocities if it ever tried to become a great power in the future.

The Gardens turned out to be a restaurant. Except the private rooms weren’t ordinary rooms.

His eyes nearly popped when he stepped through the wooden door and entered a forest. Birds chirped, butterflies fluttered past, and snow-capped mountains soared in the distance. For a moment, he thought he’d returned to Earth.

“Wow. It actually looks like the <duskwoods> of my childhood,” Kiels said. “Never thought I’d see them again, outside a vid or drugs.”

“Duskwoods?” Ethan repeated in confusion.

Everyone else appeared as enamored with the room as he was, except for the unicorns and Sai. They walked to the center of the room and sat around a stone table. Various containers and jugs sat on the table and he saw Yany pour the milky juice she favored. That prompted a sinking feeling in his stomach, but he ignored it.

“The walls of the room are lined with a psychic material that generates a personalized appearance of your homeworld,” Sai said. She appeared angry for some reason. “I worried it wouldn’t work, thanks to a certain interloper.” She glared at Heafi. “Now I wonder how it does work, yet not for me.”

“I have been trained since birth to control my nullification abilities. I am more than capable of allowing a trick like this through,” Heafi said, puffing her impressive chest out.

Sai’s expression turned murderous, and both Yany and Euressa bared their teeth. The Void Hounds grimaced and squared up.

Even Ethan understood the problem.

“I will allow you a moment to correct your mistake,” Sai ground out, cold fury echoing within each syllable. “Or else I will consider your actions to be assault on a Union officer and have you summarily executed.”

Heafi frowned. A moment later, Sai relaxed. Color returned to her face.

Unfortunately, Ethan also lost sight of his vision of Earth. The room became a simple, if sleek, wood and metal box with some nice engraved art.

“My apologies, Ethan,” Heafi said. “I will need to protect you more directly.”

Ah. So she’d been smothering Sai’s psychic abilities, and now smothered his mind instead. Given the unicorn’s attitude toward him, he knew why she’d made Sai’s life a living hell instead.

“You could let him enjoy the view,” Sai suggested, her usual smug look returning.

Heafi stared at the fox for several long seconds. “How much can we talk about in here?”

Sai’s smirk vanished instantly. She glanced at Yany.

“Leave us,” Yany told the Void Hounds. “Euressa, have the staff accommodate everyone in a separate room. Bill everything to the same account. It’s on the house.” She glanced at the soldiers. “Alcohol included, so long as you’re sensible.”

The jaws of the Association soldiers dropped.

“Define sensible?” Kiels asked.

“Don’t get drunk. Don’t order anything that you think your lieutenant won’t care if I take out of your pay,” Yany said. “Same rule for them, so use your judgment.”

Kiels nodded. “Gotcha. You’ve got the generosity of Baerin in you.”

“I <fucking> hope not,” Yany muttered as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

Sai shot her assistant a wry smile.

“Not enough tits?” Ethan asked Yany.

Yany nearly spat out her juice, then glared at him.

“Is that your preference?” Heafi asked, eyes wide and cheeks red.

“It was a joke about the Taer goddess,” he said. “Don’t worry about it.”

Once the others cleared out, it left him alone with Heafi, Yany, and Sai. A dangerous combo.

Ethan leaned forward, drawing the attention of woman vastly more powerful and experienced than him. But he needed to take charge here. If he didn’t, he worried Heafi and Sai would tear each other to pieces.

Plus, what was the point of becoming an administrator or emperor or whatever if he just sat back and did nothing. Even if it felt unnatural, he needed to take action.

“Heafi, what do you want to talk about that needs to be private? I have my own suspicions, based on what I’ve seen and heard,” he said. “But if you’re going to be my Steward, I need you to be honest and straightforward, or else I can’t trust you.”

Sai shot him an assessing look, while Heafi nodded. Yany merely sipped her juice.

“I know you just asked me to be honest, but after hearing that, I believe it might be best if I leave it,” Heafi said. She frowned at Sai. “I feel it may only complicate matters. Assuming this investigation is effectively over?”

“What are you implying?” Sai asked.

“I do not believe you would have summoned me from the Rim with a warship if Ethan wasn’t the true Administrator. The investigation was a formality. Or… perhaps something else.”

“I didn’t summon you,” the fox spat, leaning back on her stool with her arms crossed over her cleavage. “I summoned a battleship. Something worth taking out to the Rim with its new ruler and capable of shrugging off any challenges from Mortami Extraction.”

“Mortami are currently in negotiations with the Yinil and Taer to extend their mining licenses near the Rim. Their warships are currently incapable of doing much without being blown apart by interstellar powers,” Heafi said.

Ethan shook his head. “Mortami?”

“A mining megacorp that the Taer use in its pioneer territories,” Yany explained. “The Yinil started hiring them, which caused political issues that led to the Taeran Empress executing the entire board twenty cycles ago. They’re active close to the Rim, as the Taer and Yinil slowly expand toward it.”

“Competition, in other words.”

The three women nodded.

“Regardless, I didn’t ask for you,” Sai repeated.

Heafi frowned, and her expression appeared quizzical once more. This time, she looked at Ethan for support.

But his mind latched onto something from earlier in the conversation.

“I asked you to be honest,” he said. “I think you know something important. Say it.”

Sai glared at him. “Ethan.”

Heafi hesitated, then shook her head. “We can discuss it in private.” Her ears twitched, and he caught her surreptitious glance at Sai.

“You know that I wasn’t chosen legitimately,” he said.

Heafi’s eyes widened, Yany nearly choked on her juice, and Sai hissed at him.

“You idiot!” Sai’s tail tried to slap him, but her subordinate got in the way.

“She already knew,” he said.

Heafi slowly nodded, but her wide eyes suggested she couldn’t believe he had.

“Sai brought me into this eyes open,” he said. “Even if she is a bitch.”

“The Mistress’s personality takes time to get used to,” Yany said.

The fox glowered while hunching her shoulders. She appeared childlike now, rather than the dangerous manipulator she truly was. Probably because her greatest asset had been taken away by Heafi.

Also because Ethan had a strong feeling something else had gone drastically wrong for her plans.

“If you are aware of what has happened and are fine with it, then it is fine with me.” Heafi heaved a deep sigh, then smiled. “It was a heavy burden to bear. But that does confirm the investigation is merely a formality.”

“There’ll be paperwork to handle. Discharges to take care of. Requisition forms, leave forms, tours of duty—all sorts of nonsense to ensure I can head to the Rim with Ethan for tens of cycles and not be bothered. But first, I want that Association battleship, little null.” Sai glared at the unicorn opposite her.

Once again, Heafi looked at Ethan in confusion.

That feeling in his gut become rock solid. She was waiting for him to give her permission to spill the beans.

“Heafi, your cruiser is the only ship coming, isn’t it?” he asked.

She nodded.

Sai spluttered. “What? The Association has its own fleet. It controls multiple solar systems. A dynasty that goes back 700 cycles, more people than there are humans, and a bustling industry that provides immense wealth to the union. A mere cruiser can’t be the best it offers a new Administrator.”

“That was true,” Ethan said. “Fifty cycles ago.”

Yany’s eyes widened, and then they glazed over as she dove into her modules.

Heafi grimaced, but nodded. The fox looked between everyone, confusion filling her beautiful face. Her usual confidence vanished utterly.

“We lost our leadership,” Heafi said. “Then the Union cut us off entirely. We couldn’t trade anymore. Even our previously indisputable right to the Rim became questioned, as all records to it were wiped from Union databases. While the planets still thrive, the Association is a shell of itself. The Rim exists, but it needs a firm hand to guide it. That is why it is imperative you return immediately Ethan. We’ve waited long enough for you.”

“But… But…” Sai’s eyes bulged from their sockets. “I checked our records months ago when I organized Ethan’s ascension to Administrator! They said you had multiple battleships. And I just checked. They were last updated a month ago, and still say you have a battleship.”

“No, they weren’t. We thought they were, but I dug deeper and found the truth. Those records actually date back forty-three cycles, to the last communication we received from the peacekeeping fleet,” Yany said, her expression tight and frustration glittering in her eyes. “Because the Union suppressed the Rim and Association, low-level staff simply rolled over the old records every month. I missed this. Mistress, I’m sorry.”

“Forty-three cycles…” Sai gawped at Yany. “What happened to the peacekeeping fleet? There were multiple Taer battlecruisers out there!”

“I… don’t know.” Yany hunched her shoulders and looked away.

Heafi looked at her tablet and frowned. She glanced at Ethan.

“Tell us what you know,” he told her.

God, it felt good to have caught on to this before Sai had. Watching the fox’s plans fall to pieces was a memory so good he might recall it the next time he drank that psychic wine of hers.

Even if it meant he wasn’t taking over the empire he’d been promised. Not without a little work.

“There are records of a fleet like what you’re referring to,” Heafi said. “It scattered among the Rim many cycles before I was born.”

Before she was born? 43 cycles was around 30 Earth years ago. Ethan was around 40 cycles, but it sounded like Heafi was even younger.

“You’re telling me an entire fleet of Taer capital ships went rogue? And nobody notice?” Sai pulled at her hair. “How the <fuck> does that happen?”

“I imagine because we cut off the Rim, and the clones realized nobody cared what they did,” Yany said wryly. “They’re young and naïve, not stupid. I bet the Taer found out ages ago. It’s probably why they’ve been expanding so rapidly toward the Rim. One of those battlecruisers probably went home.”

“Maybe I can make them regret keeping that a secret,” Sai muttered. “I know a friend who knows a friend in the Empire.”

Now that the cat was out of the bag, one big question remained.

What the fuck did they do about it?

“Are you going to bail on me, now?” Ethan asked Sai.

“<Fuck you,>” Sai spat at him. Her tail lashed the ground. “I told you. We’re in this together. Partners. You don’t get any crazy ideas to put a bullet in my head, and I won’t pop your brain…” She shot an annoyed look at Heafi, who preened. “Or have somebody else put a bullet in your head.”

“Then we need to deal with the fact I only have a cruiser, plus whatever we find in the Rim,” he said. He held up a hand to forestall Heafi, who held up her tablet. “I’ll deal with the situation report later. So long as we won’t be jumping into a system that will try to kill us.”

“The main planet, Rylamis Prime, is still loyal to the Association,” Heafi said.

“Great. Then it’s more a matter of what can we take from Dominio to Rylamis.”

Sai grimaced, then sighed and nodded. “I hate that you’re calmer than me. I suppose picking a privateer did pay off.”

“It’s hardly the first time my expectations have been shattered,” he said. “So what can you actually bring, Sai?”

“I can’t bring the cruiser, if that’s what you’re asking. It’s a registered service warship, not a peacekeeping vessel. It’ll be noticed if it vanishes for a long period of time. Peacekeepers are mostly spare ships and clones the major powers lend to the Union, but the service warships are for serious affairs, like taking out rogue AIs or precursor tech.”

“And you used one for me,” he said drily.

She smiled. “Aren’t you all warm and fuzzy inside? Of course, it was for good reason. I can’t take the ship, but I can take the resources. The Void Hounds, naturally. And the Faecrim soldiers. Otherwise, I’ll need to rustle up what peacekeepers I can on short notice. Likely small ships. Destroyers at best. If the Union didn’t notice that it lost a fleet of capital ships, I can make some escort ships vanish.”

“I won’t say no to extra ships. What about expertise?” he asked. “I expected to arrive at the Association and be surrounded by a bunch of…” He nearly said old men, but corrected himself. “Wise women who managed the Rim for fifty cycles themselves. Except they appointed Heafi when they heard I was coming. I’m doubtful there’s much to rely on.”

“Yany is an expert in fleet combat,” Sai said. “And I have no shortage of contacts within the Union and Protectorate, or even beyond. Give me a few weeks and I’ll have a general, quartermaster, and admiral ready to support us. Cover story is that the peacekeeping fleet needs new hands, and we’ll be shocked when we arrive to find them missing. Requisitioning a powerful Pathbuilder is harder.”

Ethan hesitated, even as Heafi nodded.

“The cruiser has a Pathbuilder already,” Heafi said. “But a better one would be appreciated.”

It was a great offer, but his mind screamed danger. Not about Yany. His fuzzy memories of her nursing him during the foldspace jump made him trust her, at least a little.

Rather, filling his inner circle with Sai’s allies and friends sounded absolutely insane. Before, he’d figured he’d have a bunch of allies loyal to him once he arrived in the Rim. That ceased to be true. He only had Heafi.

Except he also had the choice to build his own inner circle. One that he trusted.

“Actually, I think the sooner we leave, the better,” he said.

Sai blinked at him. Yany raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

“There are always experts to be found,” the less-well-endowed unicorn said. “And the fewer people we risk our secrets with, the better.”

Sai relaxed.

“I do need someone with combat experience that I trust, however,” Ethan said. “The Void Hounds are good, and I believe you about Yany. But someone who can handle combat of all kinds, and who I trust, is vital.”

The skeptical look from Sai spoke volumes.

“You keep talking about partnership. Maybe prove it,” he said. “You organize the destroyers and get the paperwork sorted so we can leave. I’ll find someone I trust. If they turn me down, we can talk about these generals and admirals of yours.”

She pursed her lips. “Very well. I’m keen to see who you’d choose over the cream of the Union’s military crop.”

He suspected she’d be disappointed, but didn’t care.

While they ate, he confirmed that the woman he wanted to see was even here. Unlike the aliens, he relied on a small handheld device made of a transparent but indestructible crystal. Without a chip in his head to handle all his wireless comms, he had to be a neanderthal by galactic standards.

His friend appeared to be on the station, going by his messenger apps, station records, and a message she sent him the moment he stepped foot on Dominio. She’d evidently been waiting for him to get back from Sol.

That told him that Aklati needed money or a favor. Probably a favor that involved money. She never proactively reached out to him otherwise.

“I’ve leave you be, but stick close to your bodyguards,” Sai warned him.

She crept close and fiddled with his collar, her tail swishing behind her. Heafi pouted at them and her own tails and ear bounced.

“I’ve been on Dominio countless times by myself,” Ethan said.

“Yes, but you weren’t worth billions of credits then.” She ran a finger along his jawline and smiled sweetly. “My investigation files are restricted to certain Union officials, but they aren’t top secret. This isn’t Sol. Anyone may know who and what you are. And at least carry a sidearm.”

She unlatched the holster of the handgun she’d carried since first arresting him on Earth and forced it on him. Nodding, he placed it on his belt. He’d used pistols like it before, even if it looked like a different model. Probably a more expensive one, too.

Kiels and one of the Hounds peeled away from the others to follow him. Heafi tried to accompany him, but he forced her to leave him be, and the Association soldiers to escort her rather than him.

“If we know where we’re going, another pair of Hounds can join us there,” Kiels said.

“A seedy bar down in the inferior stratum. We’ll need to take a train,” he said. “It’s near a docking bay used by privateers.”

The Taer grimaced when he told her the specific stratum and didn’t stop even as they got closer. Both Void Hounds kept their hands on their sidearms at all times and Union security was scarce outside the checkpoints. Even a station run by the Union had an underbelly.

Their destination lay near a scrapyard. It might be a privateer den, but it catered to a specific type of clientele.

Towering women with charcoal skin and scales, foot-long horns, and bare metallic cybernetics lurked inside and out. Wings jutted out from their backsides. They appeared to be made of bone at first, but a closer inspection revealed them to be steel connected by sinewy cables. Almost every woman had a cable showing somewhere. Visibly cybernetic eyes glowed and Ethan didn’t see a single person with matching eye colors.

All of them were Yinil. Sometimes called dragons thanks to their wings and horns, they’d become a race of tech-worshipping humanoids that sacrificed their humanity—or whatever they called it—to ascend to the level of the other great interstellar powers. He’d heard they once had natural wings and were actually short, but every Yinil he’d met stood as tall as the Taer and possessed cybernetic wings.

Yinil splayed across the interior of the bar. They glared at the Taer with Ethan, but smiled broadly at him. He ignored them, and none dared to approach with the Void Hounds gripping their guns.

He found a particular Yinil in the back with her silver hair tied up in two buns. Her wings lay on the table in front of her, and she’d removed one of her cybernetic arms. Her other held up an oily beverage. She’d kept her legs organic, and the same went for most of her torso. Except for her belly, as she’d taken a gut shot on a mission with him and had it replaced. Her huge bust was natural, and shiny black cleavage shined in the warm light of the dingy bar.

A massive railgun leaned against the wall beside her, and Kiels narrowed her eyes at it. Heavy weaponry was illegal to bring into the station. But given the arsenal most Yinil built into themselves, Ethan wasn’t surprised.

The woman somehow only noticed him when he stepped up to his table, her mismatched red and orange eyes spinning to look at him. Seconds passed as she opened and closed her mouth like a fish.

“Aklati,” Ethan said, hands in his pockets.

“Uh, hi, Ethan,” she said, voice higher pitched than most would expect. “Do I owe you money? I thought I paid you back for that loan you gave me after the last job.”