Arik stands at attention, with the rest of the cabinet - waiting for the Queen. The raid has already been prepared, as well as the exact location of where Eden resides has been found. A quick, required brief with the Queen before traveling to 497-1174 Arai to raid and capture…his hope is that the Princess is unharmed in the building as well. The only issue is to find a good place to stage without alerting the doctor, as well as anyone else residing in there. For all he knew, the princess could have Stockholm syndrome, and would defend him.  The Queen rounds the corner, Arik carefully watching her. She’s dressed in her usual fancy attire, though the worry for her child is shadowned on her face. Did he water his tomatoes before he had to leave for this? He should probably check in with Ghala and ask after this. They all bow to her, before quickly sliding into the brief, Arik remaining quiet except for the occasional confirmation. It goes quick before she approves, and they’re set to release - the raid aimed for the next week. Set up aimed for a few streets down, and he’s off to his ship to be with his partner before the trip to Midtown vale. It’ll hopefully go quickly and they can go back to just relaxing, he hopes.
“How’d the meeting go?” They’re sitting on the beautiful hardwood floors with their dog, Titan, An old great pyrenees. Arik sits beside the dog and gives him a good pet as the dog whines in pain, the day a bad day for his severe arthritis.
“It went well, thank ye. We shoud be back tae our usual routine i three weeks, A believe.” Ghala takes out the ointment for Titan, gently rubbing it on his knees and paws,”Unrelated, but dae ye remember gin A waterit the tomatoes i ma garden?” They smile and nod,
“You don’t remember? You watered them twice, then put twelve self-waters in the ground for them just in case.” He pauses. Did he? Oh right, the purple glass ones they obtained traveling to the UKR. They just smile at him, finding actually quite funny,
“Richt. Thank ye. Have ye gotten an idea for yer neist exhibit?” They hum for a moment, knowing he enjoyed the last one about the ocean. How could they outdo the last one?
“Do you remember how we met?” They lean on him and chuckle. He does as well,
“Hou coud A forget?”

Bechtel  and a few other...higher ups are actually called into an important meeting out of the blue. Bizarre, however not super unusual, with some of the usual people he's seen file into a meeting room. Though…what’s this even for?  He’s already in the meeting room looking over some papers, the harsh yellow light reminding him of how much he hated these meetings.
”hmm...very well. canae be helpit then...Lieutenant…” Lt. Zypher stiffens before saluting him,
“Sir.” The general  raises a hand, dismissing the solute. As he lowers it, the Lieutenant relaxes,
”Have ye any idea whit this meetin is aboot?” They look concerned, taking a seat.
“Not to be blunt sir but...of all people I thought you'd know...I assumed it was you who called it…” The general shakes his head. If they didn’t know, then who called the meeting?
“No a clue...hmm...surprise us both then it shall…” He looks around, analyzing the situation. A goliath man comes walking in, carrying some papers. He looks scrambled,
"My apologies everyone, they will be here shawtly. They're cuirrently dealin wid th' situashun." He looks young, still in the gray camouflage uniform that most of the soldiers wear. General Bechtel, cheek in his palm, stares at the young fusc orc. Something smells funky, and he doesn’t have a nose to smell with,
“ an this "situation" it is whit now?...A dinnae believe A'v been briefit…” He should have been.
Just as the man begins to speak, a feminine prasin somnium walks in, looking not so happy;
"That is because the project briefing was at noon....but things have evolved rapidly due to...irresponsibility of the project designer." They salute General Bechtel  and the rest, before sighing," Apologies on my appearance ...I was off today." they adjust their button up, and coral themed skirt. They were in the middle of getting to the bakery, trying to order the cakes their dad likes when they were informed. Hopefully they’re not dinged for their appearance.  They walk to the front of the room, turning on the latest and greatest project, bought by the embassy. General Bechtel looks around then whispers to Zypher. The embassy has never had a concrete dress code,
”whit's wrong wi their appearance?...” Maybe she’s just overwhelmed? Ghala clears their throat,
"I understand you are all busy, so I'll keep this short; For those that don't know, I'm Ghala.” They bow,”I was the vice project manager for the new safety program, Elastic. It's to check phones, social medias and other..." They wave their hand," presences for corruption talk and corruption presence so we can get an upper hand." they sigh, "What we didn't know, however, was the original project manager was in cahoots with the infected....and to cut this short, we've dealt with him properly, and I am now running this project." They’re finally able to take a breath. Shit. They weren’t even to have breakfast. This is some bullshit. Maybe she could convince Norra to cook her some scrambled eggs after they return back to the bakery. Maybe…General Bechtel  becomes more serious, leaning forward. He could potentially have some key information,
“Ye executit a kill order without ma authorization?”... She doesn’t have that authorization. They shake their head. There’s no way in hell they’d even think to. Though he’s…with the corruption, he’s still the person they’ve gotten to know over the years. A…previously good man,
"Of course not, sir. We've contained them into a holding cell, made sure all of their devices were contained as well. This is also the meeting for your commands on what to do with them after that. Apologies for the miscommunication." The general nods in approval. He’s never worked with her before, but he’s thankful she’s not impulsive like some of the project workers he’d had the misfortune to work with.
“ A'd like tae have a word wi thaim first...thank ye...Ghala wis it?...whit is yer designation miss ghala?” They bow and nod. Misgendered noted, but he didn’t know,
“Doctor. But please feel free to just call me Ghala.” He prefers designations, but noted. 
“A see...sae then doctor...tell me aboot this project.” They groan internally. They didn’t want to be the front runner, but…that’s life. College was a waste just to spy on people. Eugh.
"Of course. We have agents that monitor all types of communication for corruption. The program then alerts us and our agents scan for context and alert us to anything of that nature. It's very interesting." Shit. Interesting; sure. Will the people like it, no. How did the Queen sign off on this? They truly didn’t like this project, but to carry on dad’s legacy, they guess.
“A see...A'm sure A neednae tell ye the public outcry thon will occur gin this gets oot.” No shit. Even they had to stop and put their feelings aside just to work on the project,
"Mhm indeed sir. That's why I'm personally vetting all our agents... especially after this incident. Along with more security measures." Hmm. He’s not comfortable with this...not entirely…
“Has the queen  signit aff on this?”They nod, motioning to the papers the guy originally brought in, making the general sigh; muttering something about "of course they did". He can’t help himself…after the original outbreak of Driftera, she’s been doing overkill to avoid another one.  “very well...A tak it then we will be workin very close then...have ye an office doctor?” They nod. Oh good, the general will be around. At least then they’ll be just a little less paranoid about everything now….and he’s cute. Shit. Nope. Focus on work, and work alone.
"East corridor, room 12. It'd be a pleasure to work with you." they smile,then look at the rest of the people,"Any more questions or concerns?" There's a few, but it's mostly just...repeat things. Ghala answers them all, internally groaning. They really should have just…let someone take over their dad’s work, ,"Well...after those, if there's any more, you're more than welcome to come visit my office. I'm sure the rest of you are very busy, and I've taken up a bit of time. Thank you all for coming." They bow, and nod as a lot of people leave. Though, the general doesn't stand, instead remaining and staring at Ghala....or it seems that way. Adena Incoquos don’t have faces or expressions.They don’t notice him  seemingly staring at them, as they watch people leave, but feels his gaze suddenly, looking around to see who’s staring. It’s the general.  They look over at him,"... do you have more questions, sir?" They tilt their head , and come a little closer. It’s always hard to tell what exactly the general is thinking, though he’s fairly blunt. He's silent a moment longer, making the room somewhat awkward with only four people just…staring,
“...Prasin…Somnium Prasin.” Zypher tilts their head. The..fuck? What’s he on about now?
“Sir?” They can’t help the confusion in their voice. He continues, ignoring the confusion,
“yer father wis a unique somnium prasin variety, wasnae he? ”  She nods,"He was, yes." she smiles a little. Their dad was so well known for being an intelligent dork with so much love to share. They’re surprised that they weren’t immediately clocked as being related to him,
" You may know him. He also worked with engineering new technology here as well before he retired." Really? Wow. She’s grown up. He tilts his head.He would have never guessed,
“... Ye're dr. Sullivan's girl?” Ah yes…femme presenting always nudges people that way. It’s quite alright though; it can’t be helped.
"I don't identify as a woman, but yes." They nod a little, "He's a great man." General Bechtel  tilts his head. Oh. Well this is… something else. Greeeat. Perhaps a bad impression already.
“Apologies, whit dae ye prefer then?”They wave him off. He didn’t know, and they didn’t say anything previously. It’s a little disheartening, but nobody needs to apologize.
"No apologies needed. I prefer they/them, but I understand that sometimes i do give off a femme air..." they shrug, then look to Zypher,"I'm not sure we've met, by the way..." Zypher stands at attention, boots clicking as they lock their legs together and salute,
“Lieutenant Zypher, doctor.” Bechtel  nods, and motions with his head to them,
“ They’re i a similar situation tae ye . ” Oh. They’re not the only nonbinary person here, or…at least the only person using non-binary pronouns. Ghala nods, and smiles a the general. That was…a fairly sweet motion. At least he’ll accept them for who they are.
"I see. Thank you. At ease.” They pause,”well, it's a pleasure to meet the both of you, truly." General Bechtel  nods and stands. They seem like someone he won’t mind being around,
“ likewise...shoud ye be i neit o me, ye can feel free tae come tae ma office…”

Ghala has ended up snuggled up with Arik, shaking their head as he teases them,
“Richt richt...ma biggest fan.” They push his head away and laugh, thankful they have him,
“Look, I only did all the fanpages about you online. That doesn’t make me your biggest fan.” They joke as he full force starts laughing, shaking them as his chest vibrates. “I also meant after that meeting. With the stars and such. Maybe space?”

After a few weeks, and a lot of meetings about ELASTIC, ghala is on their way to the kitchens late at night...as per their usual work schedule. Along the way standing out on a balcony in one of the larger halls they can see General Bechtel,  just...staring into the sky. Ghala pauses, and decides to head to the balcony, looking up at the sky themselves. The balcony is…not much to look at, admittedly. No chairs, no decor. More a shelf, probably more for snipers than skygazing - but the general makes due,
“...missing home, are we? " They've gotten to know each other more, but not by much. General things, scheduling, hobbies. He continues to stare at the sky, not turning to face them. He knows that voice,
“Yay..but thon's no whit A'm focusit on…” he scratches his neck mindlessly,
"Oh? Mind to enlighten me?" They look up at the sky to try and pinpoint what exactly he's looking at. Most people don’t know where Incoquo come from exactly, unless they’re Natiiv or Dolus. The general is known to have been made in space, but…nobody knows why or how exactly. They just watch, waiting for a response. 
“North star...tae the richt o't.” Something’s there. Another star flashing”...annnd...gone.” It completely disappears from the night sky,”and back…” It’s back. Somehow,”and gone...and back.” They hide their smile, finding what he said somewhat goofy. They stare at the “Star”,
"Hmm...interesting..." they squint at it, and put their chin in their hand,"when did you first start noticing it?” If he doesn’t know what it is…well, maybe that’s racist to assume that,”What do you think it is? An observational ship for a planet or something?" Maybe it’s another ship?
“Years ago A first saw it. It keeps comin back. A have a number o theories...but they're aw juist theories…” It’s all a theory. A game th-NO.
"I'd like to hear them if you're open to that." They smile, cringing at the stupid joke in their head,
“Hmm...gin it is i fact a star then it may be a monolith hval o some variety...it coud also be some sort o local satellite... possibilities are endless truly.”
" Maybe the satellite is more likely because of the monthly sightings... especially if it's a planet and it's orbiting but... That makes a lot of assumptions.." they stare up at it quietly, the general nodding in agreement. Good ideas, but not quite correct unfortunately. Who knows what it is, but none of them would move like this does,
“gin it's a star then it's movin erratically. It couldnae be possible tae show up ivery month.” He’s right. Erratic stars, you’d see a station move more frequently, and that’s…really it. 
"mmm so that rules that out, but...even so, we're moving right now. So many variables. I should bring out a telescope sometime and take a better look at it. Maybe that’d lead to some answers.”
The general looks to them, then shrugs. That was the first thing he thought,
“Triit it...it looks like a licht...na real form tae it…”Ghala lets out a disappointed noise, 
"That's disappointing …but hm." They continue to look at the dot, the wheels turning.
We'll figure it oot some day...until then...wis thare anythin ye needit from me doctor?”
“Not at all, sir. Was just curious on what you were looking at." Fair enough.
“Ah A see. An gin A may be sae bold as tae speir. Whit is it ye're doin here sae late?” Right. They forget sometimes that most aren’t aware that the interwebs are more alive at night,
"Burning the late night oil as per usual. Just a lot of things left over to comb through. You?"
“A'v nothin better tae dae sae A use the nicht time tae get more done, or tae relax gin A'm caucht up.” They get it. It’s also why night shift is usually better than day, except those stupid meetings,
"Quieter as well. Not as many people up and about so you can usually freely do whatever..." they shrug," Apologies for intruding on that. " They bow. 
Oh it's na intrusion at aw. Ye,however, neit sleep... Sae whan dae ye accommodate for thon?“ he needs to charge as well, but with the special cord that was made specifically made for him just two hours are enough. 
"Of course. I normally sleep around 4:30 am…ish so...that and things shift..." Or, more than likely meetings are held without briefing them on it, and they run on two or less hours of sleep.
Hmm. Fair enouch. As long as ye're takin care o yourself, doctor.”
“Thank you. Well... You're more than welcome to come by my office if you're up some nights. I'm sure Zeus wouldn't mind." Neither would I, but that’s just weird for everyone. 
“And Zeus iiiissss…” The general adjusts himself,
"Ah! Apologies again. Zeus is my dog. Retired pup from the police force." They smile,"he's a good boy." All dogs are good boys. Regardless of what anyone else thinks. 
“A love dogs. A'd love tae meet him…” How has he not seen this so-called dog in the office? "He's still in my office if you'd like to meet him now...Though he does have arthritis and a bit of hearing loss so he might not get up too fast."
“no an issue...let's gae.” He stands.

“Which reminds me...are we still on for game night this weekend? Or are we rescheduling for the group?”he shakes his head,
“A think we can carve oot some time before the raid tae be wi the group.” They fold their arms,
“You just want to demolish the group again, as you always do.” He laughs,
“Guilty as chargit.” he laughs, raising up both hands.