Through the Ghost

“Five minutes till we land,” Allie announced over the ship’s loudspeakers. Tal paced the cargo bay, contemplating every possible scenario he’d find when the door opened. Will they arrest her? If so, what happens to Chara? Does she stay with him? If she does, should he tell her he’s her father? What would that even be like? Would she be happy, sad, scared?

His muscles itched, he felt like he needed to fight something, yet there was no suitable outlet for his anxiety. You need to relax, Allie urged him.

“I’d love to, but I might need a little help.”

Allie released a flood of endorphins that signaled his body to calm down.

Better? She asked.

He released a long-held breath, “Yeah, much.”

A rattling thud rocked the ship, they’d landed. He took a deep breath then put on his best poker face and hit the release on the door.

It was night time at the base, a few lights helped illuminate the paths and doorways for personnel without night vision enhancements. As the ramp continued to lower he could spot the pristine buildings making up the facility.

The ramp finished its descent with an echoing clang as it touched down. Standing expectantly at the bottom were three people.

Reis Frontera, a former operative that helped with researching and designing new technology. He was dressed in a white lab coat with the Orothros logo on the left side of his chest. His black hair was pulled back. More significant was the fact that unlike his fellow brethren, he lacked the signature green veins indicative of their organization.

Off to his right was the current drill instructor for new recruits, Griffon Hawke. He had blonde hair that was longer on his right side, and shaved on the left. He stared at Tal with a stone-cold expression that set him on edge. His outfit was more akin to Tal’s casual dress in that he wore a similar black shirt with the orange Orothros logo on the right side of his chest.

Between them both was the man in charge, Colonel Barnabus Rahn. A gruff looking man, wearing a more formal military outfit, one he might be expected to wear during an inspection or gala. His most distinguishing features were his eyes. Bright blue orbs of synthetic material that looked at Tal with predatory judgement.

Neither side said anything, Tal stared down at them, they looked back. Eventually Reis cracked a smile and came running up to greet him. He almost tackled him with the impact of their embrace, forcing Tal back a step.

“What took you so long?” Reis said, a friendly grin on his face. “We were about to send a rescue party.”

“Just a slight detour,” Tal replied with a reassuring grin.

“That’s one way to put it,” Jaya commented, dropping her bag of gear to the ramp with thud as she moved to embrace their friend.

“Griff,” she nodded at the stoic instructor who answered in kind.

She paused when her gaze shifted towards Rahn, his arms were calmly folded behind his back. Robotic eyes stared emotionlessly back at them.

“Hello, Jaya,” he said in a tired, yet fatherly tone before locking eyes on her brother. “Where is she, Tal?” His voice was deep and commanding, but not necessarily angry.

“Who, Jaya’s right here?” the red-haired operative inquired in an attempt to stall the conversation he’d been dreading.

“I’d rather not repeat myself.”

Tal hesitated.

“Calm down old man, I’m right here,” Anna announced, her boots clanged against the cold steel. Chara’s smaller steps trailed in her wake, slightly terrified of the new arrivals. Tal turned to look, and sure enough the little girl was clutching Anna’s hand as tight as possible. “How’d you know I was here anyways?” Anna asked.

“Lanie forwarded the notification a few hours ago.” His mechanical blue eyes remained unblinking.

Tal looked at his sister. “You allowed her to contact him?”

Jaya’s face hardened defensively. “I’m guessing you’d rather it had been a surprise.”

“I would have preferred if you’d told me about it first,” he replied.

“Did you tell them?” Rahn interrupted, his robotic blue eyes were fixed on Anna.

“Not yet,” Anna answered. “Haven’t exactly had time.”

“What didn’t she tell us?” Jaya asked nervously.

“You want to do it, or should I?” Rahn inquired.

Anna nodded her head in his direction.

The admiral cleared his throat. “Tannah West has been accused of the assassination of a Kulrathi Ambassador. Their envoy is expected to arrive as soon as they get Council permission.”

“Then what?” Tal asked, though a part of him had already gone cold from the expected answer.

Rahn said nothing, he didn’t need to.

“You’re not seriously considering turning her over to those things,” Tal said defensively.

“Glad to see you have my best interest at heart,” Anna commented sarcastically.

“I know full well what the Kulrathi are capable of,” Rahn replied. Robotic eyes twitched and scanned every muscle movement.

“Why wouldn’t The Council take care of it?” Jaya interjected.

“They’re afraid of starting another war with the Kulrathi. We barely made it out last time,” Rahn answered.

“Surely the Kulrathi don’t want a war either,” Jaya added.

“I’ve been assured they don’t, but their codes and laws are very important to them,” Rahn informed her.

“I can leave,” Anna announced, garnering the attention of everyone around them.

“Not with that little girl attached to your hip,” Rahn said nodding towards Chara. “You really want her to grow up on the run, with the Kulrathi and Council agents chasing you?”

“I have contacts.”

“If you’re talking about Maya Gaige, or any of those other criminals on the outskirts of Council space then you’re definitely not leaving. Boca Alacran is not exactly a place for children,” Griff argued.

Rahn sighed heavily, rubbing his temples, his judgmental eyes close for just a moment. “We’re not going to decide today. For now, you’ll stay under watch here. Griff, Reis, help them all get settled in. I have to make some calls.”

Jaya picked up her bag and followed Griff to the eastern side of the facility. Not surprising considering Anna and Griff had failed to get along even before she was branded a criminal. Reis escorted Anna, Chara, and Tal towards the guest quarters on the opposite side of the courtyard.

Chara shifted uncomfortably, one hand still tightly grasped Anna’s. “I’m all sticky,” she remarked.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it,” Tal replied encouragingly.

“No I won’t,” she pouted under her breath.

Cool relief washed over them upon entering the buildings. They traveled down a long hall with doors on one side and a glass panel on the other. Through the glass, they could see the ornate fountain at the center of the courtyard.

They passed five rooms before stopping. Reis informed Anna this was where she and Chara would stay. Reis pressed his hand against the darkened pad beside the door. A blue glow outlined it then turned green. The door slid open, Chara curiously inched forward to poke her head into the room. Anna instantly ushered her into the room. Chara looked back at Tal and Reis, her hand opened and closed slowly as the door shut behind her.

He and Reis stopped three doors down from Anna’s, Tal pressed his hand against the pad. Just like at Anna’s the blue lights turned green and the door parted. Tal stopped within the doorway.

“What if she’s right?” he asked, in reference to Anna. “What if having her here is more trouble than we can handle?”

Reis had already begun to walk away, but stopped in his tracks. Reis hesitated, his slender eyes rolled back in contemplation, his head turned to the side.

“Are you asking because you want to go with them, or because you’re afraid she’ll leave again?”

“Both?”

“We’ll make it work, we always have,” Reis replied optimistically.

Tal smiled meekly back at him in appreciation. “Thanks,” he said with a wave of his hand. Reis reciprocated then left. Tal stepped inside and the door clicked shut behind him.

The first thing he noticed about his room was that it was certainly cleaner than his ship quarters had become. Access to cleaning droids tended to help a lot in that regard. The bed was made neatly, the room temperature was set just the way he liked it, but it felt off, lonely even.

He turned to his left and slid open the bathroom door. He shrugged off his clothes so that they were nothing but a pile on the floor. His bracer he set on the counter next to the sink. He took a moment to look at himself in the mirror. The fiery, orange mohawk he’d had since before he’d joined Orothros, had begun to fill in around the sides. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten it cut. There were scars along his body that he had difficulty remembering their exact origin.

Shaking his head, he turned to slide open the shower. As he stepped into it warm water shot out instantaneously. Water droplets quickly began to coalesce on the glass frame. A wince of pain escaped through gritted teeth as soon as he came in contact with the scalding liquid. He quickly relaxed as the water quickly adjusted to a more accommodating temperature.

“Thanks, Allie,” he said.

You are quite welcome, she responded.

The warmth of the shower slowly washed away the sweat and grime instilled by the tropical heat. He tried his best to clear his mind, he wanted to let the soothing sensation of the water relax him, unfortunately the tension in his shoulders remained. After a few minutes he’d had enough and called out to the A.I. “Allie, bring up the news headlines concerning Anna and the Kulrathi ambassador.”

You think she is innocent? her voice sounded oddly surprised by the request.

“I’m not sure, just bring it up, okay?”

I do not think this is a good idea, Allie pointed out.

“Just do it.”

On the glass pane of the shower, a set of images appeared. News articles, videos, and photographs covered the barrier in a mosaic of reports. One showed a blurry video of Anna fleeing the scene of the crime. Another clearly showed her sipping a beverage at a nearby café. Articles stating eyewitness accounts all pointed towards a woman of Anna’s description fleeing the scene of the crime. Another blurb mentioned three more bodies at the spaceport. His hand hovered over the video containing the assassination.

This will not make it easier, Allie warned him.

A graphic content warning popped up, he swiped it way. The image changed, showing the Kulrathi delegates exiting their vehicle. Faceless, chrome-masks hid their identities from the crowds of news teams. Suddenly one dropped to the floor, then another, and another. The crowd immediately dispersed in panic, security personnel rushed the remaining survivors to safety.

Tal’s heart seemed to lodge itself in his throat. He stopped the video and roughly slammed the button to turn off the shower. Residual water made putting his clothes on even more troublesome.

Tal, wait, Allie pleaded.

Ignoring the pleas of his companion, he exited his room and crossed the hall towards Anna’s room.

He stopped in front of Anna’s room, knocking aggressively. He heard her footsteps moments before the door slid open. Anna stood in front of him, wearing the same outfit she’d worn twenty minutes ago, her eyes were tired. He spied Chara at the back of their room desperately trying to get a look at who was at the door.

“Tal, I don’t really want to talk right now,” she stated.

Before she could close the door however he pulled her into the hallway. The door automatically slid shut behind her. Immediately, she took a swing at him. He dodged, grabbed her by the arm and forced her against the glass wall causing a series of vibrations throughout that side of the hallway. This close he could smell the shampoo she used.

“Tal, what-”

“Why?” he inquired.

“Why what? What’s wrong?!”

“Why’d you do it?”

“I didn’t!”

“Stop lying! I saw the articles, I watched the videos. I know only a handful of people that could have made those shots. You’re right up at the top of that list. Did Maya put you up to it?”

“No,” she responded.

He spun her around, his hands tightened around her shoulders. She met his angry gaze with every inch of equally repressed frustration. “Why are you protecting her?” he growled.

“I’m not! She had nothing to do with it!”

“Then why would you do something so stupid!”

She laughed. “Because I’m a killer!” she fired back at him. “We’re both killers! It’s what we do! It’s what we were always augmented to do, whether Rahn, or you, or Reis, or anyone else admits it!” His grip weakened, she pushed him away from her.

His demeanor relaxed, the initial adrenaline rush subsided and he found the world returning to focus.

The rage remained behind Anna’s eyes for a moment longer, then the fight left her and she slumped against the window. “I’m not proud of what I did. I was offered the job, the colony and Chara need the money, so I took it.”

“You’ve only put them in more danger,” he argued, a modicum of frustration returned to his voice. “You could have found me.”

“And what do you think The Council would do if they found out about Chara? Can you honestly tell me she’d have been safe?”

Tal searched for words of reassurance. Any amount of belief that she didn’t have a point. The problem was, she did.

She shook her head slowly. Her eyes focused on the floor, her arms crossed over her knees. “We’re monsters.”

He crouched in front of her, tilting her chin up to look at him. He looked into her emerald eyes, for the first time since they’d been reunited he didn’t divert his gaze. She lunged forward. An electric surge shot through him as their lips touched. She started to pull back, he leaned in keeping the moment for a second longer. When they finally pulled apart he found himself gasping for air.

“Mommy?” Chara’s voice whispered softly.

Tal whipped around to face Chara.

“Y-yeah sweetie?” Anna asked as she stood up from the floor.

“Can you tell me a bed time story?”

“Of course, sweet pea.” She calmly walked back towards her room, one hand easing Chara back inside. She tossed one last uncertain look over her shoulder then closed the door.