The scent of sulfur made Indra gag as they stepped out of the tunnels. She hated sector five. Explosions and overwhelming scents made it difficult to detect anything else. It took away everything but touch. Even that was dimmed from the heat radiating from the active volcanoes.

"Does the contact use a voice modulator?" Akio asked, her voice crisp and business-like.

Indra cleared her throat. What a stupid question from a stupid woman. "Do you think an anonymous contact would use their authentic voice over a signal that could be interrupted and traced back to them by vocal match?"

"Well—"

"No. The answer is no, you starshitted lizzass," Indra spat. Her hands trembled as they clenched around her cane. Akio tricked her. She pressured her into sharing something she hadn't wanted to. Clenching her jaw, Indra forced all other emotion beneath the surface, keeping only her rage visible. She didn't appreciate being manipulated. This had been intentional. All of it.

Akio shifted her stance, pulling out her gun and clicking off the safety. "Just in case they stab us in the back with the Commander's presence on the planet."

"I thought you didn't kill anyone, Akio. Or is that just a rule that applies only when convenient or when it's your girlfriend drawing blood?" Indra asked, drawing her cane sword from its sheath. "How dare the blind girl be violent and defend herself, the horror."

Heaving a sigh, Akio stepped further away. "Indra, now isn't the time."

"And today wasn't the time to pry into a past I wasn't ready to talk about yet, but here we are with me pissed at you for pressuring me into giving that information," Indra said with a tight smile. "Why don't you just ask me more questions, why don't you ask me what happened on day thirty, or three-hundred, pull a little more, see if I snap and kill you."

"Indra. Stop," Akio hissed.

"Why should I? You didn't. You never do. Because it's all about Akio. All about your miserable past, your vows, your feelings."  Indra swung her sword to the side, pressing the tip into Akio's neck, careful not to draw blood. Anger rose, towering over her logic, taking over her tongue. "You're no better than Jacque. You just want me like a possession."

"That's not true. None of that is true," Akio said quietly. "I need you to take a deep breath and put the sword down."

"Make me."

"No, I don't want to hurt you," Akio whispered, defeat echoing hollowly in her voice. "If this is really what you want, to kill me, to take over my position, then do it. All you'll prove is that you're no better than the weapon before you."

The temptation to push the blade forward, to end the danger before it had a chance to rise flashed sensations of daggers on Indra's skin. Anger seeped into every part of her being like a poison intent on drowning out everything else, suffocating the adoration she felt toward her girlfriend.

Akio clicked back on the safety of her gun and holstered it. "You're not well, Indra. It was foolish of me to bring you out here. It was wrong for me to make you tell me what you weren't ready for. If this is what you've always wanted, I won't stop you. But, if it's only fueled by this hurt, this anger that's rotting you, killing me will only bring regret."

Fluffy leaned against Indra, clicking his tongue in a varied pattern. "She's right. Don't do it."

Indra growled, stabbing her sword into the ground between Akio's feet. "I am still very angry with you."

"That's fine. You're allowed to be," Akio said coolly. "Let's get this exchange dealt with, then we can go home, okay?"

Not saying anything, Indra retrieved her sword, putting it in the shealth. This wasn't like her. To compare Akio to the man who ruined her life, who messed up Akio. It would be best to avoid interaction for the rest of the week at least until she could compose herself and move forward. Coming to the meeting had been a mistake. Agreeing to this outing had been a mistake.

Fluffy clicked words of comfort, assuring Indra that they would get home soon. His words halted and he tensed. Indra felt it too. Something wasn't right. There was a tension rising in the air.

Indra took a step towards her girlfriend. "Akio. . ."

"Get down!" Akio cried, grabbing her by the arm and diving forward as the sound of laser fire filled the air. "Starshit. They betrayed us."

Indra winced as a burning pain traveled up from her wrist. "What a surprise. I wonder who else will stab us in the back. Is it pin the laser on the Akio?" She snickered.

"Not funny," Akio spat. She pulled away in a crouch, returning fire. "Take fluffy and get out of here."

"Fuck no. I'm not leaving you to die. You have one starshitted arm. What do you expect to do with that?" Indra asked, retrieving her sword. "I'm going to help you."

"With the hazards and unfamiliar terrain I don't think that's a good idea," Akio said ducking down again. "Stars, we're outnumbered. I think they recruited all the enforcers in this sector to pin us down."

Indra clicked a command to Fluffy. He lowered himself down and she hopped on his back. "Be right back."

"Indra!" Akio called as Fluffy took off toward the direction of the laser fire. "Indra!"

Blood. Indra needed to spill blood. She wasn't weak. She would prove she was strong when she splattered the ground in the life force of trained soldiers. Ducking to the side, she narrowly avoided getting shot in the head. Sweat trickled down her back as they got closer to one of the active volcanoes. Of course the cowards were hiding behind it. Breathing to the left. Indra slashed, replacing the sound with gargling. Movement to the right. She attacked, bringing silence. Leaping from Fluffy's back, she cried out, stabbing through two enforcers and yanking her sword out in time to block another.

Warm liquid dripped down her sword and arm. Indra panted, attempting to still her breathing to hear the next approach. Nothing but bubbling lava sounded around her. Wait—lava. A loud splash shattered her world as the substance splattered her back, and tips of her oi'ek. Indra screamed, falling forward from the intense, burning agony that ripped through everything it touched.

Fluffy clicked nearby. "We're trapped." His familiar sounds grew distant. "They can swim in the lava." Fluffy let out a loud howl, and grew silent.

Indra gasped as an arm wrapped roughly around her neck, smothering her face with an intense smelling cloth. Starshit. Her limbs gave out as the noise around her faded. They were fucked.