Through the Ghost

El Dorado, the city of gold, lived up to its name. It was a forest of gleaming towers, advertisements everywhere you looked, and hundreds of tourists eager to strike it rich in the sprawling metropolis. It was the crown jewel of Council Space, a sign of its ability to prosper in the outlaw fringes of the universe.

Upon arrival at their destination, they were forced to relinquish their weapons, and while this made Tal feel naked walking amongst the throngs of visitors exiting the space port, it paled in comparison to the fixated stares of the humans and the suspicious leers of the non-humans.

“I forgot how annoying that is,” he muttered as they pushed their way through the crowd.

“At least you don’t have to hide on the ship like a common criminal,” Anna’s voice filtered in through his ear piece.

“I’m starting to wish I was,” he answered as the line moved another three feet.

A guard dressed in red and blue, with a badge resembling a golden city held up his hand when Tal finally reached him. Just as the operative was about to pull up his credentials the guard’s eyes widened, whether out of fear or awe Tal had no idea. The guard hurriedly waved him through.

Perks of the trade, Allie commented as he stepped out onto the bustling streets. They had only seconds to enjoy the temperate warmth of the sun before the stench of unwashed vagrants and open sewer systems drifted over them.

Tal stifled a cough as the scent hit him. A moment later Jaya walked up alongside him and had a similar reaction to the stench.

“Where are we headed?” Jaya sputtered.

“Hjalmar’s Hall.”

Marking a waypoint on your bracer now, the AI confirmed.

He turned toward Jaya, “You good?”

She nodded, her eyes blinked away the sensory overload. The walkway was dense with people from all walks of life. Fortunately, the crowd gave them a wide berth upon recognition. Unfortunately, everyone else suffered from tunnel vision as they single-mindedly pushed towards the next restaurant, the next casino, the next store, the next bank to withdraw their life savings. The few people that did notice them froze for a moment before being carried away by the current.

The streets weren’t any better. Cars, hovering a foot off the ground, pushed their way in and out of traffic. Horns and sirens mixed with the audible advertisement videos on the sides of the buildings. Pedestrians walked blindly into stalled traffic with complete faith no harm would come to them. That didn’t stop some from nudging the occasional tourist that decided the center of the road would be a great spot for a photo however.

There was a strange order to the chaos of it all. Everyone seemed, despite their lack of rational judgement, to get to their destination in one piece.

Eventually they neared a small, wooden bar. The sign over the entryway read: Hjalmar’s. A couple of tipsy patrons stumbled out, one looked Tal up and down then snorted.

Tal tried to squeeze past, but the man’s inebriation caused him to move with the urgency of molasses. Frustrated, Tal’s hands gripped the drunk’s clothes tightly. The color drained from the man’s face.

“I really, don’t have time for this,” Tal remarked pushing the patron to the side. Surprisingly, the man was able to mostly keep his balance before scurrying off as fast as his tiny feet would carry him.

The moment they entered the bar, the noise of the city faded away, to be replaced with a roar of laughter and the sound of drinks clanging together. The place was packed. A squad of soldiers cheered merrily as the youngest in their group hastily chugged down mug after mug only to spit it back up onto the floor. A cop sipped somberly from a pint at the bar, completely closed off to the raucous world round her. Off to the side, a mixed group of humans and non-humans cheered on a friend as they belted out their rendition of Drowned Unicorn’s “The Stars of Decay”.

“How are we supposed to-,“ Tal began to ask.

“Found him,” Jaya announced, pushing past her brother.

He followed her to a booth where a man sat beside a petite teenage girl. He had a faded brown jacket, a salt and pepper beard, and a shaved head. The girl looked annoyed yet disinterested at the same time when the operatives sidled up to them. She had a curved nose and amber eyes. Her left hand was gloved, while the right had a skeletal tattoo that ran all the way up her forearm before being cut off by the fabric of the clothes.

“Tal,” the man nodded in the operative’s direction.

“Braden, you look to be enjoying yourself.”

The grey, scarred man nodded in response. “Just trying to keep my head down until the next bit of action.”

“I’m Jaya.” Tal’s sister reached her hand out to the bounty hunter.

“Who’s the girl? I thought you worked alone,” Tal inquired. The girl continued to glare suspiciously at the operatives.

“Well, I did, until about, a week ago?” He looked to his companion for confirmation. The girl shrugged indifferently so he continued.

“I ran into Gren here while on a job, she proved herself useful so she’s been tagging along, learning the trade and whatnot.”

“I’m not sure I feel great about bringing a kid along on this mission.”

Tal looked at the girl, she had dark hair that’d been shaven along both sides then tied back in a loose pony tail, but it was her eyes that drew his attention. They hid a repressed anger. An anger he knew all too well.

Wulff laughed. “She’s tougher than she looks, trust me.”

“Great, now where can we find the Rising Sons?” Tal asked.

“I looked into it and this Daneel Swann fellow is quite the character. He’s throwing some sort of get together for a bunch of their members at a local casino called Selkie’s Cove,” he replied.

“Thanks,” Tal complimented the bounty hunter. “I’ll let you know if we need anything else.”

Gren nudged Braden in the side. The grizzled bounty hunter yelped in pain.

“Well, there is one thing you can do for us,” Braden admitted.

Tal looked at them skeptically.

“You see a while back I was on a hot streak at one of the casinos and it went sour.”

“He lost the ship,” Gren muttered grumpily.

“Right, so I was wondering if we could hitch a ride with you guys until I can purchase a new one.”

“Okay,” Tal announced.

“We don’t have room,” Jaya argued.

“We don’t need much, hells Gren here barely sleeps.”

“Then its settled, you can find The Amaryllis at docking bay Fifty-Four.”

Wulff nodded in understanding. Having completed their business Tal and Jaya headed back out onto the streets.

“What were you thinking?” she berated him upon exiting the building. The buzz of the city swarmed around them.

“I saw her eyes, she’s in a place much like I was before I joined Orothros. Braden’s great, but if she stays here, it’ll be trouble. If they come with us I can give her an outlet, or at least a family, that will lessen that pent-up aggression.”

“Did it work for you?”

“I’m still working on it,” he admitted. They made their way back through the throngs of civilians, mindful of the hovering surveillance drones that drifted by.

They returned to the ship to find Adrielle waiting for them at the top of the ramp. The mysterious alien girl looked so helpless in the shadow of The Amaryllis. One would never guess the power that lurked within her.

“Go ahead, tell Anna and Reis I’ll meet them in a moment,” he told his sister.

The junior operative gave him a curious side eye before casually walking past the half-Kulrathi girl. It still felt weird knowing she was of the same species as the chrome-armored monsters that destroyed Praga and nearly killed him. They were always so powerful and intimidating, yet she could barely stand to look him in the eyes.

“I’m sorry, I thought I had my abilities under control, I never meant for anyone to get hurt.”

“No one got hurt.”

“That time, but what about next time. Do you even know what I can do? Because I don’t. I once disintegrated an instructor on accident because I hadn’t gotten enough sleep one night. My father was always there, telling me we’d figure it out. Now he’s gone. I just don’t know what to do.”

“You can stay, we’ll figure it out,” he tried to reassure her.

She shook her head. “No, I appreciate it, but I can’t risk hurting anyone else.”

“I promised him I’d take care of you.”

“I think we both know I’m capable of doing that on my own. You have your own family to protect.” She hefted her small bag over her shoulder. Her feet clanked lightly as she began her trek down the ramp.

There was a moment of silence, then he asked the question that had been on his mind since she revealed her powers. “You saw something, didn’t you, that night you grabbed my hand?”

She looked at him apologetically then shrugged. “I don’t truly know what I saw. They were images and emotions, nothing more.” Then she disappeared into the central building, amongst the masses entering and leaving the world of wealth and prosperity.

Tal walked back up the ramp alone. When he found Jaya, Anna, and Reis they were sitting around the dining hall table. A holographic map of the Selkie Cove casino was displayed before them. Lanie, Jaya’s Artificial Companion, ran through the possible scenarios as she paced the table. When she proved why the situation would fail, the trio came up with another course of action.

“So, any ideas?” he inquired.

Jaya shook her head. “Where’s Adrielle?”

“She left.”

“You just let her go?” Anna asked worriedly.

“She wasn’t our prisoner. I wasn’t going to stop her if she truly wanted to leave.”

“Okay then, Lanie, cancel any plans involving Adrielle,” Jaya commanded.

“Done, our chances of success have dropped by fifteen percent,” the A.C. replied.

“What’s that bring it to?” Tal asked.

“Fifteen percent, unless we can find a way to get Miss West into the city for assistance,” Lanie responded.

“I believe I can help with that,” Braden announced from the nearby hallway. “Thought I’d let myself in seeing as your door was open.” Gren silently stalked behind him, carefully evaluating her surroundings.

Anna stood up to welcome the grizzled hunter. “You seem to have found us without any problem.”

“Not many people arrive in a dingy Sparrowhawk.”

“Don’t insult my ship old man,” Anna threatened with a smirk.

“It’s my ship,” Tal reiterated. “And how exactly are you going to get her into the city?”

“Well, as a professional in my line of work I’ve gotten to know a few people capable of pulling a few strings here or there. I could work something out that should help Anna get by with minimal harassment.”

“Okay, but she’ll be recognized the moment she sets foot in that casino,” Reis argued.

“Not if she never enters the building,” Allie interrupted, her green projection stood peacefully next to Lanie’s blue one. The holographic map zoomed out. “There is a building approximately the same height, 300 meters away.”

“EDPD will be on us the moment she opens fire though,” Jaya added.

“Correct, she will not be able to assist for long, it’s preferred she wait until the most opportune moment to strike.”

“Well that’s one problem down, what next?”

“Getting yourselves into the casino could be easy enough, we just need to access the staff entrance.”

“I can help with that,” Gren’s raspy voice cut in, catching Tal off guard.

“How?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“You saying that doesn’t exactly reassure me,” he commented.

“Fine, now how do we get to Swann?” Anna said, moving the conversation along.

“I should do it, I look the least like an Orothros,” Reis suggested. “I can go in as a new recruit.”

“You haven’t done field work in six years, and you’ll be screwed if things go sideways,” Tal responded.

“We use me as bait,” Anna announced.

The room looked at her incredulously.

“If their goal is to pick up where their father left off, then they’ll be salivating for a chance at his killer.”

“Lanie?” Jaya asked. The artificial companion looked contemplative then turned to her operative. “I suppose fifty percent will have to be acceptable.”

“Way to boost morale there Lanie,” Tal remarked.

As everyone went their separate ways Reis pulled him aside. “I can help, I’m almost better”

“Almost, isn’t good enough. Besides, if things go wrong, I need to know Chara’s safe. Promise me that if none of us make it back, you’ll take her and go.”

“You want me to kidnap your daughter?”

“I want you to protect her. From Devlin, The Sons, The Council and whoever else might look for her. Understand?”

Reis nodded apprehensively. Tal started to walk away when Braden called out to him. “Hey, Tal so about getting Anna into the city.”

“Am I going to like this?” he replied.

Braden smirked and clasped Tal around the shoulders. “That depends on how much you like fighting.”