Standing on the small stone landing strip, Akio took a moment to observe the sandy region. Heat from the five closest stars had already begun to beat down upon her, making the itchy dark blue and red robes she wore stick to the skin of her back. A loose fitting fabric of similar texture to the robes sat upon her head, concealing the oi'ek, and most of her face. Only her magenta and emerald eye were visible.

According to the pieces of the briefing that Hao sent to her holopad, this was how merchants typically dressed. At least it would be easy to spot who was in which class based off of what they wore. Unless there were more like her, hiding in plain sight.

Akio shielded her eyes with her arm as a warm breeze sent sand spiraling into the air.

"Pretend everything is fine. But watch your back, Akio. It has a target."

Hao's warning message echoed in her head, vague, unclear, and concerning.

What was happening behind the commander's closed doors? Did this have to do with the Delic? Who wanted to get rid of Akio? The Commander, perhaps. But then why test her?

She shook the thoughts away. If Akio stayed lost in her head, she'd be more susceptible for attack. Being distracted could mean her demise.

As the sand settled onto the grey platform, Akio walked forward, taking her first step into the town. The buildings to the left were carved into a grey and brown cliffside, stone steps weaving between them all as the structures reached up into the sky. On the opposite side, multicolored stones decorated intricately buildings with swirling towers, and other designs carved into them. There was an obvious difference in the two sides of the town, with a worn stone path separating them from each other. It might as well have been a river of fire, based off of the speciest warnings Hao had given Akio with her notes on the briefing.

The monkek lived in the small homes on the cliff side, each one only a few steps apart. A quarter of the homes had jagged holes in the sides, and large chunks of rock missing off the top. Most of the structures were burrow-like, probably housing Gebul.

When Akio refocused her attention on the merchants dwellings, a loud dong rang, like a gunshot.

Akio's body trembled as she saw Lemk's head explode, his body falling into the snow. Again and again with each dong. Then the face changed as the screams of the failed weapons rang in her head. Each one exploding at the end of her gun.

Akio grasped her chest, her breathing ragged when the noise finally ceased. Innocent. They were all innocent. She killed them. She murdered them.

Akio's stomach rolled as she fought to root herself in the moment, to silence the wails in her mind. She focused on the discomfort of the robe, the heat of the suns, the harsh sand that flowed into her face.

Breathe. Just, breathe.

Tears threatened at the edge of her eyes, but she held them back.

You're a weapon and weapons don't weep.

Several species immediately flooded the worn stone pathway. A maze of blues, reds, whites, and sandy browns robes filled every available space in the street, as though they were connected to each other by an unending chain.

The dissonance of the chatter aided in blocking out the screams in Akio's head, though it wasn't any less overwhelming. All she wanted was to be alone.

Akio's destination was past three buildings on the right, with some odd turns. Maybe if she reached it quickly, she could have the solidarity she sought. Cocking her head to the side she looked at the confusing mess of lines that the holopad displayed. Just finding her checkpoint was going to be an adventure in itself.

Surveying the landscape a final time, Akio closed her natural eye to focus with the cybernetic one. It roamed over the houses, checking rooftops and hidden corners for suspicious activity.

If Hao's claims were true, it was fully possible Akio would encounter an assassin at some point. She'd need to be vigilant. Rummaging through her satchel, she assured herself that the pills were there. Without them, even mild wounds would prove deadly..

But why save myself when I deserve death for the things I've done?

No. She couldn't think like that, not now. If Akio was being targeted, it wasn't far-fetched to consider that the rest of her troop was equally in danger. They were family. She needed to survive, if not for herself, then for them.

After one more sweep, Akio opened her natural eye and proceeded down the stairs on the landing pad and to the busy street. Fabrics, trinkets, and various foods were being offered from crudely assembled stands. The murmur of constant conversation and the shouts from those hoping to gain a customer were so loud it was near impossible to hear the directions on the holopad.

Roasting vegetables and meats wafted through the air in a glorious blend. Akio's stomach grumbled. When was the last time she ate?

Then, among the combination of smells, one in particular stood out. "Emi!" Like an excited child, Akio followed the scent to a small wooden stand run by Se'li dressed in a plain, tan monkek robe.

The female Se'li smiled broadly at Akio's approach, the tip of her mid back length oi'ek visible beneath her covering. They danced in the yellow glow of excitement.  "I have Emi, H'shi, and several different desserts made with recipes that my Grammu passed down through generations in my family." She gestured to her cart with one royal blue hand, while cradling a small child in her other arm. "Feel free to try a sample of any before you make your purchase."

Akio browsed the variety of tasty treats native to her homeworld. It had been far too long since she tasted properly prepared Se'li cuisine. There were the seedy sweet rolls with a nectar in the center, multi-colored candies with petals preserved inside, soups, and a variety of vegetable plates crafted with care and wrapped in a symmetrical bow. "You made all of this yourself? I'm impressed."

The Se'li nodded, her magenta eyes sparkling. "This is my passion." Her expression fell for a moment, the lines in her face accentuated. "I only wish it made more. Seems the merchants are the only ones who make enough to keep a roof over their heads."

Several other Se'li children peeked out from behind her, dressed in rags, and thinner than they should have to be.

Akio frowned. "Are you saying you don't have a place to stay?"

The woman nodded sadly. "I didn't make enough to pay the fees for living in our house, and we got kicked out. After my mate--" She stopped herself. "Well, I shouldn't be concerning you with my affairs. I'm sorry. Would you like to purchase anything? This is the last batch I'll be making, I'm afraid."

Akio took the sack coins from her satchel that she had been given to use for the duration of this mission. It was supposed to last her an entire turn. Her heart ached to see a family hurting like this. What kind of a creature would just buy food and walk away?

"How much is your rent?" she asked gently.

The Se'li woman furrowed her brow, adjusting the sleeping infant. "No more than two trili for a single room, why do you ask?"

Akio took out ten drexis coins, each equivalent to ten trili and handed it to the Se'li woman. "Find a nice place, use the food you made for yourself and your children, and start that food business. When you do, I'll be your first customer."

"I-- thank you." Tears slid down the woman's face as she clutched the coins in her hand. "We're forever in your debt, fellow Se'li."

Shaking her head, Akio turned to leave. "No. You owe me nothing. I'm simply giving what I can to those who need it. I hope we meet again."

In a world full of suffering, the least Akio could do was alleviate it with the blood money the commanders thrust in her hands.

Akio walked forward, glancing down at her holopad to double check the directions. In the instant her eyes were down, she collided with a giant fluffy object, causing her to stumble.

The creature whirled around, barring razor sharp teeth. It's black fluffy fur was a stark contrast to the dangerously sharp teeth and midnight claws that protruded from its hand-like paws.

A figure in a black cloak stretched out a wooden cane, halting the creature from attacking. "Down, Fluffy. I don't think the otherworlder means us harm," the woman cooed gently.

Fluffy's four black eyes narrowed before it pointed to them with its paw and back to Akio, as if to say, "I'm watching you."

The woman patted the creature's side, stroking it with her gloved hands. "I'm sorry, Fluffy is suspicious of all strangers. It's best to be careful around a mamock, they don't trust easily."

The mamock leaned it's short snout into the woman's hand, reverberating several clicking noises.

She responded to it with similar clicks and the pair did this back and forth as though they were conversing, and perhaps they were.

Akio observed silently, unsure if she should stay around to talk to the stranger or simply move on after an apology for knocking into Fluffy.

The woman was covered entirely, even her eyes were concealed beneath the thick cloth mask on her face. Surprisingly, she was shorter than Akio, by quite a few inches. The mamock beside the woman made her appear as though a child wandering the streets with their pet. It was strange, but endearing.

"Be careful not to knock into any other mamock's, most of their companions are not as forgiving as I," the woman declared, placing one hand on the creature's side and tapping her cane in front of her with the other. "And otherworlder."

"Yes?" Akio waited politely, not wanting to cause the woman further inconvenience.

"Don't trust the governing, and watch out for the secret force. . ." The woman paused, gently stroking the mamocks side. "And never wander after dark, you won't see the rising suns."

Secret force? Hao had mentioned nothing of that in her briefing.

Before Akio could ask for clarification, the woman and mamock were gone. Perhaps Sarff would know. Akio's contact would surely offer more information from experience. Letting out a breath, Akio weaved through the rest of the crowd, finally arriving at her destination.

A small shop tucked away in the corner stood out among the other buildings, for it was painted in gold, black, and silver. Sarff's Rare Antiques was written in a bold shade of red and yellow to create a three-dimensional effect.

Akio turned off the navigation and put her holopad in her satchel. Luckily, the crowds of species milling about seemed to have calmed for the time being. The same dong that had sounded earlier went off again.

Jolting, Akio tried her best to convince herself that it wasn't a gun. But she couldn't separate it. The screams. The harrowing cries. She covered her ears, as if by doing so she would stop them. But they were in her head, never to leave.

Then all was silent. Eerie quiet.

The few species that had been wandering rushed into buildings, closing the shutters and windows. Those who didn't have a building hid in alleyways and buried themselves beneath trash, as though they were burrowing into the ground.

What was that about?

Akio's oi'ek thrashed about, casting purples and oranges as they freed themselves from beneath her head covering. Never would she forgive herself for what she did. She kicked the ground, sending dirt flying. They were children! And she put them down like feral beasts. Lemk was innocent and Akio let him get killed.

No, focus.

Yes. By doing my job and killing more innocent people.

Swallowing, Akio inhaled deeply and let it out until the tight pain in her chest subsided.

What was done was done. There was no changing it. The blood would be on her hands. Forever.

Continuing to the shop, Akio slowly opened the wooden door. "Sarff?" Akio peeked her head inside the cluttered space, noticing the patrons hiding behind shelves.

A Lizz looked over the counter. Her blue and orange scales alongside the eye patch were easily recognizable. "Welcome, Helma, my long lost child. Take cover. You don't want to be seen."

Following Sarff's command, Akio quickly went behind a large piece of furniture. "Why are we hiding?"

"The nobles are journeying through the town. If anyone looks at them wrong, the special force has the authority to kill them. Sometimes they attack without prompting, it's best to stay hidden," Sarff stated, peeking over the counter to glance through the front window before ducking down again. "Besides that, how was your trip?"

No wonder that woman warned Akio about the special force. It was lucky she was this close to her destination when the bell tolled. Nothing in the briefing had prepared her for this. Just how many more pieces were missing? Was it intentional? Did the commanders cut the amount of information Hao sent?

Glancing over at the counter, Akio offered a smile. "It was pleasant, thank you for asking."

A few more moments passed before the bell tolled again and everyone came out of their hiding places. At least this time, the thick walls of the shop muffled it enough that Akio's mind wouldn't flee to another time.

Sarff stood up, stretching her long scaled arms. Her light blue robes swished, the silk overlay reflecting in the light of the suns. Unlike Akio's robes, this one had quarter sleeves, and looked far more comfortable. Golden detailing on the bodice and down the hips was in the shape of galaxies, though it was more surreal in quality.

"Alright! Now that they're gone, we can eat," Sarff declared, clapping her hands together loudly. "Evi and Rena, you can stay for super if you like."

A Gebul with a reddish brown fur covered face stood up from behind the shelf, not much taller than Akio, and adorned in black robes. Their big brown eyes sparkled with excitement. "Yes, please! Your cooking is the best, Sarff."

Another Gebul who appeared around a similar age nodded, fidgeting with their matching black garments.

Akio flinched when Sarff placed an arm over her shoulder casually, but forced herself to relax. This was her cover, she didn't need to blow it with the first two Gebul's that she encountered. "Hello, I'm Helma, and you are?"

The talkative Gebul gestured to themself with their black paw. "I'm Rena, and this," it pointed to the shy one, "is my sister, Evi. We're twins, but you can't tell, because she's so quiet. I have to talk for both of us," Rena declared with a roll of her eyes. "It's nice to meet you Helma."

The four of them ventured to the living quarters that was above the shop, and eagerly ate the delicious vegetable stew Sarff had prepared. Compared to The Wanders cooking, this was a gift from the stars.

Akio enjoyed every bite, simply observing the other three, rather than engaging in conversation with them. Apparently Rena and Evi were Sarff's assistants and helped her keep the store in order. They would be training Akio on her duties in the morning.

After the meal and saying goodbyes to the Gebul twins, Sarff led Akio to a small room set up with a bed, a wash basin, and a dresser. "Make yourself at home. I am glad to be in service to my government, Six. Whatever you need while you're here, let me know and I will fetch it for you."

Akio set her satchel on the bed. "Thank you very much, Sarff, I appreciate it."

The Lizz nodded, closing the door behind her as she stepped away.

Sitting down on the edge of the small mattress, Akio reviewed the briefing that she had recorded, though there wasn't much information before it cut off. If she had recorded Hao's warnings, there was a chance the commanders would gain access to it.

Who put a target on Akio's back? Was it aimed at more than just here?  It must have been someone within the mid rankings, otherwise the Commander would have ended her life on Frelim. He was so fast, strong, he could've done it in the blink of an eye. That meant he wasn't the one who wanted her dead.

Akio doubted that the Commander would care if she mentioned subordination within the ranks. What proof did she have? Hao's word? Lost memories? That wasn't substantial enough. What was the word of a weapon against a commander?

"You better pray to the stars that we don't meet again."

Don't worry, Commander, if I don't manage to die, you can be your Lizzassed beak that we will never cross paths again.

Taking out her holopad, Akio examined the list of places the vigilantes had been sighted. There were no clear images of the group, only blurs of dark outfits. It seemed that there was suspected to be five of them, but that was the most evidence the first investigator had before they disappeared.

Akio flicked out the map, zooming in on the location of their most recent sighting. A little ping sounded with a pop-up, alerting her that a barracks for Lizz enforcers had been burned down there the day before her arrival. The scene was fresh and barely investigated.

Glancing out the window, Akio observed the five suns. They were low, but it wasn't night yet, she'd have time. Besides, what was the issue with being out after dark anyway? She was a living weapon, surely if problems arose she'd be fine.

Akio draped her satchel around her shoulders and input the coordinates to the last sighting of the vigilantes. Going down the stairs, she weaved through the store and to the door.

"Where are you going? It will be dark soon," Sarff's voice drifted from behind the counter.

"I was going to do a quick sweep of the recent crime scene. It's not too far from here, I'll be back before dark," Akio promised.

Sarff sighed, wiping a rag across the countertop. "There's a curfew. If you're caught outside after hours by the enforcers, they have full authorization to kill you. This is because the vigilante activity always happens at night, and well. . ." She paused, her eye downcast. "You're a Se'li, which is a species us Lizz have had trouble with in recent turns. Just, watch your back, Helma. If you see a sign of an enforcer, turn around and come back. Don't engage with them."

With a nod, Akio opened the shop door and stepped out into the vacant street. She replaced the face covering, then did a sweep of the nearby buildings with her enhanced eye. All shutters were closed, no movement or noise disturbed the stale air. It was as if she were standing among tombs.

Since she didn't have to weave through crowds of other species, Akio was able to get to the crime scene swiftly, but the suns had still fallen, bringing about nearly pitch black darkness.

Blinking twice, Akio engaged the nightmode on her enhanced eye, and put an eyepatch over her natural one to alleviate the distraction.

Ashes and crushed stone decorated the ground. A good amount had been blown away, but the pieces that got caught in the remains of the foundation were still visible in the corners. A small object glowed delicately on the far left.

Akio made her way toward it, careful to walk with light feet and not disturb things more than she had to. Squatting down, she retrieved the object. It was a necklace with a glowing orange stone and some words engraved that she didn't understand.

Taking out her holopad, Akio scanned it. Her brows shot up when the information started pouring in. "This is a crest of the leading royal fam--"

Footsteps sounded behind her.

Akio immediately put her holopad and the necklace in her pocket, before grabbing her pistol from her thigh and whirling around. The energy hummed gently as it charged. Nothing was there. Regardless, her hand trembled, recalling the last time she used it.

She checked her head-covering, to make sure it was still covering her oi'ek. If this happened to be enforcers, she had no intention of letting them know what she was.

Surveying her surroundings, Akio clenched her teeth when energy signatures were detected. Lizz, they were able to camouflage themselves, blending in with their surroundings. If they lowered their breathing enough, they'd become invisible.

Starshit.

Akio counted over ten heat signatures, but there could have been more she wasn't seeing.

Fire shot toward her.

Akio dodged, her head cover falling off as she rolled.

"What's a Se'li doing out after curfew?" A voice hissed in the darkness.

Pulling a taunt smile, Akio looked between the energies. "I'm sorry, I didn't know there was a curfew. Just here visiting my mother and realized I dropped something on the way over."

"Are you working with the vigilantes?" Another asked, materializing beside her with an black baton that sparkled with electricity. "Coming back to finish what you started?"

Akio recognized the golden Lizz on the Lizz's black sparkling robes, she'd seen it in the briefing. Enforcer.

Perhaps if she cooperated, they would offer grace to the poor, lost off-worlder. Reluctantly, Akio put her pistol away slowly. "No, I am not." She took a few cautious steps back.

If they hit her with the sort of things they carried, it could permanently break her jerry-rigged enhancements. Then Akio would lose. Hauling around a metal leg while faced with ten or more enforcers wasn't a battle she could win. But she wouldn't attack unless prompted to. Unless. . . what if they were paid by whoever wanted her dead?

"Visiting? Are you the off-worlder?" the one with the baton questioned, his red and black scales nearly blending in with the darkness before he disappeared from sight.

Akio's three hearts began racing. The off-worlder? Did they know? Were they hired? Paid off? It wouldn't have been hard.

Another Lizz materialized, coated in gold and green scales, their emerald robes declaring them the leader. "Yes, that's her, that's Six. Kill her."

Starshitting well. . .fuck.

Akio pulled her pistol out, immediately taking down five of them with calculated precision.

The enforcers were paid off, Akio would have no choice but to flee, to hide out and figure out what her next steps would be. She expected an assassin to come after her, not the government she was supposedly working a job for.

Taking out another three, Akio rolled, avoiding the fire sent her way. She'd need to keep her distance. All it would take was a spark of the electric baton and her right leg would shut down. If that happened, she'd die.

Her gun whirled as she attempted to shoot it again, but nothing came out. "Come on, come on." She whacked it a few times to no avail.

Ducking she avoided another hit and sprinted for cover behind a small building. The shock of the scenario made her chest heave, though this sort of exertion wouldn't ordinarily be a bother. Without her gun, she'd have no choice but to get close.

Akio prayed to the stars that she'd continue to have their blessing as she flicked the knife blade from her arm.

"Akio, what's wrong? Sarff is panicking because you aren't back yet," Hao's voice echoed in her head.

Someone paid off the enforcers. They're trying t--

Akio cried out as blinding pain tore through her shoulder, each barb of the knife shredded through her flesh and dripped lavender blood down her clothes.

Gritting her teeth, Akio tripped the assailant, screaming as the blade ripped out with their fall. She slit their throat, and narrowly avoided another hitting her with a baton.

Agonizing pain throbbed through her torn shoulder. Akio couldn't move it. She couldn't move her arm.

"Akio! What in the stars' names is happening?" Hao screamed, making Akio's ears ring.

Shut up Hao! I can't talk!

The rest of the Lizz enforcers materialized, either having run out of energy, or no longer saw her as a threat.

Dizziness hit Akio in a wave, making her stumble slightly. She needed to take her pills. When she reached for her side with her bloody knife, a harrowing realization hit her. The satchel fell off after her first evasion.

Her satchel was behind an army of enforcers.

Five more came forward, attempting to corner her.

Akio slashed, and evaded, stumbling over her own feet as it became harder to focus.

Two more down.

More footfalls echoed through the streets.

Reinforcements.

Several batons raised, coming toward her body, and by reflex, Akio blocked the arms of those who aimed at her. But in the flurry of the hits, she miscalculated.

Her metal arm came directly in contact with the electric baton.

The electricity traveled into her arm, tearing at her circuitry, eight more batons hit.

Akio screamed as smoke, burning circuits and flesh became the only thing she could smell, the agony the only thing she could focus on. Scrambled numbers and static overtook the vision of her enhanced eye.

Then it stopped.

She fell to the ground with a resounding thud, clanging uselessly like a discarded weapon.

Lavender blood pooled beneath her body. Her metal arm and leg were immobile, while her partially flesh arm was unusable because of the severe injury. The enhanced eye flicked on and off, the distance between the darkness and light growing further and further apart.

The sounds of fighting ceased.

A figure dressed in black knelt down beside her.

The woman from the marketplace.

Then all was dark.