Valiant: Tales From The Archive

[CURSEd #13: Declaration of Intent]

Log Date: 1/29/12764

Data Sources: Darrow Bennion

Intercepted Communications

CURSE HQ, local text thread, 2 participants

Furball: meeting’s at 12. nazka says uniforms r required

Axe: Yeah, I kinda figured

Furball: dunno y were even having this meeting

Furball: not like the masks r gonna fess up

Axe: it’s not about getting them to admit it, it’s about putting them on notice

Furball: y do we even bother, that’s like writing them a strongly worded email

Furball: they dont give a shit

Axe: political stuff. The Administrator has to at least pretend like she’s addressing the issue civilly. Hence, this meeting.

Furball: waste of time

Furball: whatever

Furball: are u ready 4 the trip back 2 chibundi?

Axe: getting there. Kent’s almost finished repairing the Axiom suit.

Furball: nice. wanna do drinks b4 we go? gonna b a long trip

Axe: sure. Just me and you, or the crew too?

Furball: kwyn and kent can come

Furball: gonna b a while b4 we c kent again

Axe: Gritter’s at 7, then?

Furball: works 4 me

Axe: I’ll plan on it, then

Event Log: Darrow Bennion

CURSE HQ: Administrator Tenji’s Office

12:06pm SGT

The air’s tense.

Whisper and I are standing to the right of Tenji’s desk in our white Peacekeeper uniforms, while Nazka is on the left side of the desk, in his usual black attire. Tenji is sitting behind her desk, while in front of the desk is the Maskling senator for the Colloquium, flanked on either side by a pair of Mask Knights. Normally that would be unusual for Colloquium senators, but Masklings were the focus of more ill will than most other races. Like the Collective and the Viralix senators, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Maskling senator had a permanent protective detail.

“Senator Nikeu.” Tenji begins, speaking past her steepled fingers.

“Administrator Tenji.” Nikeu replies, inclining his dark-haired head to her.

“I am presently quite busy, so I will dispense with the formalities.” Tenji says, waving a hand. “I’m not going to featherfoot around the issue trying to tease an admission of guilt out of you. We all know the Maskling Republic is responsible for the attack on the CURSE HQ. We are going to place the blame on the Republic regardless of whether you admit to it or not. We won’t be hashing out those topics because they’re already been decided. I summoned you here so we can talk about where things stand and how things are going to be moving forward.”

“Not a politician, I see.” Nikeu says, leaning back in his chair a bit. “Very well, then. If we’re abandoning pretenses, let’s get right to it: you’ve been storming our Sanctuaries under the pretense of hunting down rogue Challengers. Keep at it and we’ll continue to retaliate.”

“We are obligated to the protection of the galactic peace. If you continue to harbor rogue Challengers, then only you are responsible for the problems you are creating for yourself.” Nazka says coldly.

“We don’t harbor rogue Challengers.” Nikeu responds coolly. “The individuals you are hunting are members of the Valiant Project, operating with the approval and support of the Republic.”

“The what?” Tenji demands.

“The Valiant Project.” Nikeu reiterates. “It’s an elite taskforce that will specialize in preventing and responding to crises and areas of concern in the galaxy. One might even say it’s an initiative much like CURSE itself… if CURSE actually responded to crises before lives were lost.”

“Oh, you’re a cheeky basta—” Whisper starts.

“Whisper.” Nazka interrupts sharply.

Whisper grits her teeth, but stays silent. Tenji responds once it’s clear that Whisper’s holding her tongue. “Incorporating rogue Challengers into your pet project doesn’t change the fact that they’re criminals and outlaws. You’re just slapping a different label on them and hoping nobody will notice.”

“What you consider to be a fact, we consider to be a subjective and biased opinion.” Nikeu replies, folding one leg over the other. “While some Challengers are guilty of actual crimes, most of them were only guilty of being on the roster. If we’re bandying about labeling accusations, then I’d point out that CURSE slapped the label of ‘criminal’ on Challengers, as if the two were synonymous, and hoped nobody would notice that most Challengers hadn’t actually committed any crimes aside from apparently being employed by the Challenger program.”

“Participation in criminal organization is a felony unto itself.” Tenji retorts.

“I agree wholeheartedly.” Nikeu concurs mildly. “Which is why your attempt at revisionist history is all the more insulting. I have been around for some time, Administrator; long enough to have witnessed the last half-century of Challenger history as an adult. Do not tell me the Challenger program was a criminal organization; you and I both know damn well that it wasn’t. Did it have flaws? Yes. Was it poorly managed during its last decade? Yes. But a criminal enterprise acts with malice and vice aforethought. The Challenger program did not meet that criteria, even during its final years.”

“Regardless of how you define the Challenger program, the facts are that your Valiant Project is responsible for two kidnapped children and two instances of mass endangerment of the public.” Nazka says tersely.

“The first child was a stowaway; the second one came willingly.” Nikeu answers easily. “And if you are referring to the incidents on Shinobe Kibe and Valcorria, then I would answer by bringing up the storming of the Sanctuaries on Wisconsin and Vinnei.”

“We were not involved in the Wisconsin riot.” Tenji says sharply. “That was a SCORN mob, and we do not condone their actions.”

“And yet one of the SCORN leaders was present in the attacks on both Wisconsin and and Vinnei, the latter of which was led by CURSE.” Nikeu counters quickly. “We could do this all day, Administrator. I’ve got a laundry list of grievances I could air. But that wouldn’t get anything done, so why don’t we talk about the real reason that we’re here.”

“Very well, then.” Tenji says. “The Maskling Republic’s support of this… Valiant Project, if that’s what you want to call it, is not acceptable. For a litany of reasons, but chief among them is the fact that it is a destabilizing force. CURSE has worked to bring order and stability to the galaxy over the last fifteen years, and the Valiant Project threatens that.”

“You may have brought order and stability to the galaxy, but you have not brought progress.” Nikeu replies. “Order and stability are not virtues unto themselves; they are merely a state of existence. The only thing that CURSE has done is entrench the status quo as it was after the fall of the Challenger program. My people continue to be treated almost exactly the same as they were fifteen years ago; the Collective continues to slowly encroach upon the rest of the galaxy; and the authoritarian governments that arose after the fall of the Challenger program are still in power. All of this is very stable and orderly, very much the same as it was fifteen years ago. If stability and order means a diminished society and unnecessary suffering, then the Maskling Republic will place their support behind an organization that will not stand so rigidly by the way things are.”

“The way things are works.” Nazka says tersely. “There have been no wars in the last decade, and galactic unrest has decreased—”

“The way things are works for you.” Nikeu says, cutting him off. “There are no wars because you will not support those that need to fight them. There is no unrest because authoritarian systems stifle and suppress it while CURSE stands idly by. You think the problems do not exist because they do not affect you, and when they do, you act to preserve the status quo. The imperial militancy of the Venusians has only grown over the past decade, yet your operatives prevented the assassination of the Monarchy, allowing an authoritarian government to only grow ever more entrenched in their power.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I should’ve let a mini-nuke go off in the middle of a heavily populated capitol city.” Whisper says sarcastically. “That would fix the problem right up and it would’ve only cost us god knows how many civilians.”

“It seems to me, Senator, that this is your declaration of intent.” Tenji says. “That you will continue supporting the resurgent Challengers despite the damage it would do to the peace we have enjoyed.”

“You have enjoyed the peace. The Masklings have suffered through it.” Nikeu answers. “Just because you are comfortable with the way things are doesn’t mean we are. You embrace order and stability because you have everything you want. We embrace change because we do not get to enjoy the same rights and privileges that you get to enjoy right now. And unless you start working to change this galaxy and make it a better place, we will put our support behind those who will.”

Tenji folds her hands on her desk. “We all have to make concessions in order for society to work, Senator. A stable order may not provide you with everything you would like, but trust me when I say that it’s a much better alternative to a destabilized galaxy at war.”

“That’s a risk we’re willing to take if it means there’s a chance our position improves when the dust settles.” Nikeu says, standing up. “My people have already made concessions aplenty, for which we have gotten nothing in return. It is someone else’s turn to make concessions. And if you will not, then I suppose there really is nothing left for us to discuss.”

“We will consider the points you have raised. And to show we are listening, your office is free to send us a list of changes you would like to see in the galaxy. We will consider them.” Tenji says, leaning back in her chair. “If they are reasonable and feasible, then we will consider helping you with them.”

“I’m a politician, Administrator; I know the value of vague offers.” Nikeu says, buttoning his suit jacket. “Unless we see material action from CURSE, the Maskling Republic will continue to support the Valiant Project. If you elicit to continue attacking or obstructing the Project, then we will take that as a declaration of your intent.”

“We do only what we must for the safety and stability of the galaxy, Senator.” Tenji replies evenly. “That stability is worth preserving, even if it comes at a cost.”

“It comes at a cost, but you are not the ones paying it. And the Masklings are tired of being asked to foot the bill. If you want stability, it’s time for you and other nations to start coughing up your share of the tab.” Nikeu says, turning and heading for the door. “If that’s all, we’ll be excusing ourselves now. We understand you’re very busy and we’d hate to take up more of your time.”

“We are not looking for a fight, Senator.” Tenji calls after him. “But if the Maskling Republic stays on this path, we will be forced to take action.”

“Then we should have plenty of time to prepare, since CURSE never responds until after a crisis has reached a tipping point.” Nikeu replies as the Mask Knights follow after him. “Have a good day, Administrator.”

None of us say anything until the door to the office has closed again. And when it does, Whisper’s already fuming. “So we’re just gonna let him walk off like that? After one of his people rammed a transport into our HQ and killed a couple dozen of ours?”

“There’s no point in trying to wring an admission out of him.” Nazka says. “He would not admit the Republic’s involvement in the attack. Even if he did admit that a Maskling that had carried it out, he would write it off as a lone wolf, not someone that had orders from their Council.”

“It still feels wrong to just let him walk off like that.” I mutter, speaking for the first time since the meeting began.

“Nikeu is a politician, not a military official.” Tenji says, unlacing her fingers. “He likely had no involvement in the attack, either in its planning or giving the order. Yet, as the face of the Maskling Republic in the Colloquium, he has to answer for it all the same. In that regard, he does have my sympathy. It is not an easy position to be in.”

“You are kinder than I would’ve been.” Nazka says, turning to look at Tenji. “This at least clears up the question of whether we can bring the Masklings around to our side. We should start factoring them in as an opposition variable.”

“Do you know what their demands are?” I ask, relaxing the stance I’d held for the entirety of the meeting. “I know they’re not really the galaxy’s favorite, but it seems like it went further than that. It sounded like they felt like they’ve been backed into a corner.”

“They’re kinda like the Viralix.” Whisper says, wandering over to one of the chairs on the side of the office and slouching down in it. “Suuuuper sensitive, really quick to retaliate if they feel like they’re getting bullied. Thinks the galaxy is out to get them when we really just want them to take a chill pill and ease up.”

“That is somewhat inaccurate.” Nazka says. “The problems of those two races are quite different. To summate what would otherwise be a long lecture, the Masklings pursue equal rights and protections for their race enshrined in galactic law, as they have frequently been the targets of lynchings and racial cleansings. This is complicated by their past culture and history, which involved taking involuntary Maskbearers, and their current modus operandi, which involves infiltrating the organizations of other nations to give them an edge that they otherwise lack due to a small population. They are not happy with the status of their race in the galaxy and their inability to do anything about it in the Colloquium, though their current plight is due, in some part, to their past and current actions.”

“It’s a complicated topic.” Tenji says, somewhat redundantly. “Unfortunately, they seem to think that helping the rogue Challengers will get them what they haven’t been able to achieve, and they seem to have made that decision based on the Colloquium’s decades-long gridlock. Honestly, I cannot blame them, given the Colloquium’s dysfunction.”

“Hence their intention to disrupt the status quo.” Nazka concludes. “Creating chaos tends to force the Colloquium to action. Unfortunately, the manner in which they’re going about it—”

“Yeah, yeah, we know.” Whisper interrupts, thumbing through her phone. “We’re going to have to square off with them and put them in their place eventually. Everybody knows it; it’s not a surprise anymore, and this meeting didn’t change that. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, are we gonna go follow up on that Spark thing?”

“Heaven forbid we should explore the intricacies of astropolitical tensions.” Nazka mutters. “But yes, this does mean we can now turn our attention to the Spark initiative. We have scheduled a trip back to the Gnist System, of which both of you have already been apprised. We will, of course, be taking Operative Resquill with us, but we will also be bringing several other Peacekeepers along. I myself will be going on this assignment.”

“As will I.” Tenji adds.

That gets my attention. “Both of you are coming along? Are you sure?”

Whisper straightens up in her chair. “Really? Okay.”

“The importance of this assignment cannot be overstated, and failure is not an option.” Tenji says. “To that end, both Nazka and I will be coming along to ensure its success.”

“Who’s going to be in charge while you’re gone?” I ask. “Isn’t it a little dangerous for CURSE’s first and second in command to be going on the same mission?”

“SCION will manage things in our absence.” Tenji answers, standing. “And while it is inadvisable to put two command figures in danger’s path, it is a necessary risk here. Besides, our presence will raise the chance of success on this assignment. And it will be nice to shake the rust off after so long.”

“There is a dual purpose to committing so many of our elite resources to this assignment.” Nazka explains. “After the trip to Chibundi, some will be returning to the HQ. The others, myself and yourselves included, will be proceeding further into the Vorcrueshen Abyss to ambush the Valiant Project and hopefully deal with them permanently.”

“Wait, we know where they are?” I demand. “Or I suppose — where they will be at that point?”

“We recently gained the benefit of a high-ranking informant within the Dussel Mercforce, courtesy of SCION’s intelligence work.” Tenji explains, adjusting her glasses as she makes her way around her desk. “We cut a deal with this individual whereby they stand to benefit greatly if they would help us stay ahead of the Valiant Project and help us eliminate them. They agreed, and have been keeping us apprised of the Mercforce’s movements ever since then.”

“Sweet.” Whisper says, pushing up out of her chair as we start to follow Tenji to the door. “So we go snag a Spark, then head over to crush the resurgency once and for all. I’ll enjoy seeing the look on Jackrabbit’s face when she realizes we’ve got a Spark of our own.”

“The Masklings won’t be happy.” I point out.

“The Masklings have chosen their side. If they don’t like the outcome, then they should pick their allies more carefully next time.” Nazka says as the door opens for us. “At any rate, it is time to prepare. Embarkation begins at nine a.m. tomorrow morning. Departure is planned for ten a.m. We will see both of you then.”

“Understood.” I say, giving both Tenji and Nazka a quick salute as they head the other way down the hall. “Have a good day, Administrator, Deputy.”

Whisper and I start heading in the other direction, Whisper already tugging at the collar of her uniform, loosening and unzipping it a little. “Finally. I can’t wait to get out of this thing.”

“Looks like we’ve got packing to do.” I say, pulling out my phone. “I’ll text Kwyn and let her know she should start prepping for departure tomorrow. We still on for Gritter’s tonight?”

“No better way to start off a big assignment than with a hangover, right?”

“I’d say you shouldn’t get shitfaced the night before, but I have a feeling you’re going to ignore me.”

“Hehe. You know me too well.”

“I do. See you then, then.”

Intercepted Audio

CURSE HQ: Administrator’s Quarters

Accessed through room systems

???: Do any of them even know what a Spark is, ‘Ji? What it does?

Tenji: What, like you know either?

???: I don’t know what it is, but I’ve seen what it can do, and that’s enough. I don’t even want to think about what it could do in the wrong hands. And that’s another thing, why are we taking so many Peacekeepers on this trip? The more people we bring, the less likely the Spark will pick you.

T: We need it to pick someone. I’d prefer that it be me, but if it won’t do that, I’d prefer it be one of our people, rather than nobody at all.

???: Whoever gets that Spark is going to be a match for you. You know that. You will not be the strongest person in CURSE anymore.

T: Just because they have a Spark doesn’t make them stronger than me. And if they are, I’ll find other ways to get stronger. Again.

???: That’s not gonna work this time, ‘Ji. A Spark is the end of the line. That’s as high as you get. You can’t go beyond that; once you’ve got a Spark, you’re at the top. And the shit you can do with it…

T: I don’t believe that. They’ve got benefits, but they’re not invincible. Sparks have died before; that’s a fact. If I don’t get one, I’ll survive. And I’ll find other ways to get stronger. I don’t need power handed to me on a silver platter; I’ll claim it, take it, and make it mine, just like I always have. Just like you taught me to.

???: I taught you how to get enough power to get to the top. That’s where you’re supposed to stop. You’re Administrator now; you control all of CURSE, yet you keep searching for more power. There’s nothing above this, ‘Ji! There’s no rank to climb up to; you’re already at the top.

T: I know that.

???: Alright, then why do you keep on searching for power? You don’t need more than what you’ve already got—

T: I do. It’s not about being the Administrator; it’s not about rank, or titles. It’s about becoming stronger. For my own sake. Becoming the strongest person I can be. Not for anyone else’s sake, not to rule over anyone else, but simply for my own sake. Simply to know that I’m strong.

???: And if you happen to able to thrash anyone that gets in your way…

T: Just a convenient side effect of being the strongest person I can be.

???: I don’t know that I’ll ever understand it. That I’ll ever understand you. I don’t see how all the power you have right now is still not enough for you.

T: Because I’m not the strongest person I can be.

???: Where does it stop, then? Does it ever stop?

T: Maybe it doesn’t.

???: …

T: …I need to finish packing. You should go do the same.

???: You gotta learn to stop somewhere, ‘Ji. You know what happens to the people that can’t stop, that keep pushing, that always want more and more and more. People like that are the reason CURSE exists.

T: Taken under advisement. Now if you don’t mind, Gossamer, I’ve got a lot of packing to do.

Gossamer: Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Event Log: Darrow Bennion

CURSE HQ: Gritter’s Bar

6:47pm SGT

“Good crowd tonight.” Kent says as he slides into the booth where the rest of us are. “Didn’t think there’d be this many people here.”

“It’s the snapback after the lockdown.” Kwyn observes. “After being stuck in their quarters for a week and a half, they’re getting out and doing all the things they missed doing.”

“Honestly, I’m glad. It’s nice to see this place lively again.” Kent says, pulling up the menu on the table so he can put in his order. “The repairs for your suit are done by the way, Dare. Command put a rush order on it, so I got in my overtime today.”

“Good to hear, because we’re leaving tomorrow.” I say, playing with one of the salt shakers on the table. “We’ll probably be gone for a while, so you’re going to have to find someone else to pay for your drinks for the next month.”

“Breakin’ my heart, Dare.” Kent says, shaking his head, finishing his order.

“Could always try paying for your own drinks.” Kwyn suggests.

“Me? Pay for my own drinks? The heresy!” Kent says with faux indignation. “Now why would I, being of sound mind and skinny wallet, pay for my own drinks while in the presence of two vastly overcompensated individuals? It would be depriving them of a chance to do the sort of charity work that’s so desperately needed in this galaxy.”

Kwyn raises an eyebrow. “The charity work of paying for other people to get sloshed?”

“It’s as noble a cause as you can claim.” Kent declares. “And with your recent promotion, you too will have the chance to contribute to this saintly tradition.”

“Hard pass.” Kwyn says, folding her arms and leaning back on her side of the booth.

“That’s a good point, though. We haven’t gotten the chance to celebrate your promotion yet.” Whisper says, locking her phone and putting it down. She grins at Kwyn. “Dare and I will cover your drinks tonight.”

Kwyn colors. “Really, you don’t have to—” she starts.

“Nah, Whisper’s right.” I say. “It’s a big step up, Junior. It deserves a little celebration. Don’t worry about your tab tonight; Whisper and I will cover for the group. Hell, maybe we can even guilt Kent into covering a round for our newest Peacekeeper.” I elbow him at that.

“What? Why I should be covering a round, she’s the one that’s getting the pay raise!” Kent protests.

“Because even if you’re deathly allergic to paying for your own booze, you should be able to get your head out of your ass and congratulate a friend.” Whisper says, giving him a squinty look.

“Fine, fine. I’ll cover a round.” Kent says, waving her off. “So it’s official now, I suppose? You’re running with the big dogs?”

“Sort of. I’m not a full Peacekeeper yet.” Kwyn says, shuffling in her seat. “I’ll be a junior Peacekeeper, and I’ll be doing training stints with other Peacekeepers. I’ll be cleared for high-priority assignments, but nothing solo yet.”

“I saw your interview on Good Morning Myrrdicato.” Kent says. “The media loves you. If you don’t already have a fanclub, you’ll have one soon.”

Kwyn looks up as our drinks arrive, and helps pass them out. “I doubt that. There’s plenty of other idols out there for people to go crazy for.”

“You’d be surprised.” Whisper says, nodding to me as she takes her drink. “Dare’s got a proper horde of fangirls.”

“Don’t remind me.” I groan, taking my drink.

“Wait, you have a fanclub?” Kwyn says, looking at me.

“Oh yeah.” Kent grins, sipping from his drink. “They set up a website dedicated to discussing all things Axiom. It’s like this online shrine. Pictures of Axiom everywhere. In his power armor, in his pilot plugsuit — man, they love the plugsuit pics.”

“And they send him emails.” Whisper grins, nudging Kwyn with her elbow. “All the love notes. You should see some of the stuff they write.”

“Ughhh, don’t remind me.” I say, slouching in the booth. “Personnel Resources has changed my email address at least twice now, but somehow they always find my new one. I’ve set it to filter out everything that isn’t a work-related email coming from a CURSE domain.”

“Axiom, you’re so inspiring! You’re so brave!” Kent trills in a fake falsetto. “You light up my life! I would do anything for you, Axiom! Hit me up if you ever pass through my home system—”

“Alright, alright, she gets it.” I say, cutting him off. “It’s a little annoying, but it’s unkind to make fun of their feelings.”

Kent rolls his eyes. “It’s not like any of them are here to hear us making fun of them. And let’s be honest, some of them go way over the top.”

“Thankfully PR handles all the gifts and stuff now.” I sigh, massaging my brow. “It was starting to get a little out of hand.”

“Yeah, didn’t one of them send you tickets for an all-expenses-paid luxury cruise a few years back?” Whisper asks. “Inviting you to come with her and all that. Talk about awwwwwkward.”

“Seriously? People do that?” Kwyn says, sipping on her drink.

“There’s some crazy people out there. Idol worship is a real thing.” Kent confirms. “Honestly, it’s not the crazy people that are the problem. We’ve always had crazy people and there will always be crazy people. It’s the crazy people with money to burn that are a problem. ‘Cause they’ll use their money to express their crazy.”

Kwyn looks at me with a bit of concern. “Am I gonna get a fanclub?”

I shrug. “You probably will once you get more field exposure and if more clips of you in action start making it onto the ‘net. But it’s okay; PR’s got entire protocols dedicated to dealing with that kind of stuff. Everything from managing responses to fan mail to taking legal action against the more… dedicated fans. The Administration knows that Peacekeepers can’t work if they’re distracted, so part of PR’s job is keeping the fans off our backs and regulating the amount of contact we have with them.”

“Hey, tell her about the fan art.” Kent grins, elbowing me.

“Oh god, no.” I say, shaking my head. “Don’t even bring that up here. I wanted to enjoy my night, thank you very much.”

“Fan art?” Kwyn repeats.

“The art community loves themselves a hero. And sometimes a villain.” Whisper says, lacing her fingers behind her head. “All the way from kids’ scribbles to high-quality productions, in a number of genres, some of them more… adult-oriented than others. There’s an abundance of Axiom fan art out there.” Whisper grins at me. “Some of it quite spicy.”

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose before gesturing at Kwyn. “If there’s one piece of advice I have for you going into the Peacekeeper rank, it’s to never search your name on the ‘net with search safeties turned off. After you become a well-known name, it can be a real minefield out there.”

“I guess you found out the hard way?” Kwyn asks with a nervous little smile.

“No, actually!” I exclaim, wheeling on Kent. “Kent searched my name and then decided to scar me for life with what he found. I had no idea any of that shit existed until he decided to brand it onto my retinas!”

“Hey, look!” Kent says, throwing up his hands. “If my pure virginal eyes must be sullied by Axiom kink smut, then you ain’t escapin’ it either! You’re gonna suffer with me, bucko!”

“You’re the one that went looking for it in the first place!”

“I didn’t go looking for it on purpose!”

“Even if you did find it on accident, why would you keep looking for more of it?”

“I dunno, morbid curiosity? It’s not every day that you stumble across porn of your coworker!”

“Then you had the nerve to collect it all in one place and show it to me!”

“I thought it’d be funny!”

Whisper smirks over her glass. “I mean, it is kinda funny.”

“Don’t encourage him!” I hiss at her.

That just gets a shrug out of her. “I don’t have to worry about any of this shit. I’m covert ops, so people don’t even know I exist. No gift baskets, no fanclubs, and no fan art for me.”

“Oh, the bliss of anonymity.” I lament, sipping from my glass again. “I didn’t know what I had until I realized I didn’t have it anymore.”

“I dunno, I’m pretty sure people know you exist.” Kent says, leaning an arm on the table and giving Whisper an apprising look. “How much you wanna bet I can track down some fan art of you?”

“You kiddin’ me? I’m a ghost.” Whisper scoffs. “I’m scrubbed. There’s not a trace of me on the ‘net. But hey, if you wanna give it a try and go looking for something that doesn’t exist, be my guest.”

“Challenge accepted.” Kent says, leaning back with a smirk.

“Sorry if this ain’t exactly your cup of tea.” I apologize to Kwyn. “These two get like this sometimes.”

“No, it’s okay.” Kwyn says quickly, and I can see now she’s been hiding a smile behind her drink. “It’s kinda funny, actually. I just don’t hear people talk about this a lot.”

“Clearly someone failed to school you on the life education you really need.” Kent says, sweeping a hand through the air in a grand motion. “Life! Love! Rrrrromance! Good times! The pursuit of art! These are what gives life its meaning.”

“Calling smut ‘art’ is a generous stretch.” I say with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, you think that just because it’s a little spicy, it doesn’t take effort?” Kent counters, stubbing his forefinger against the table. “It still takes skill, Dare, perhaps even more so than other art. Because you have to master the form, know the body, represent it truthfully in the medium! And that’s harder than a lot of people realize.”

“Kent Conletch, everyone: professional porn apologist.” Whisper snorts into her drink. “Gods, I don’t know who’s gonna keep you in line while we’re gone.”

“Keep me in line? As if. They never had me under control in the first place.” Kent says, tossing his head dramatically, before chuckling and slouching again. “I am gonna miss you guys, though. Can’t y’all at least tell me what part of the galaxy you’re headed to?”

“No dice.” I say, shaking my head. “This one’s high priority and mission critical. Hell, you’re probably not even supposed to know when we’re leaving.”

“So don’t go blabbing it to everyone on the station.” Whisper follows up quickly. “Nazka will bite our heads off if he finds out we leaked information.”

“I’ll keep it under wraps until y’all are gone. After all, Nazka can’t blame me for noticing my drinking buddies are missing.” Kent says, then looks at me. “You’re gonna have to be careful out there, okay? I won’t be there to fix up your suit if it gets damaged.” He tips his glass towards Kwyn. “No throwing plasma grenades at him, even if he tells you to.”

“No promises.” Kwyn says with a bashful shrug.

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on both o’ them.” Whisper says, hooking her arm around Kwyn’s neck and mussing her hair. “Nothing safer than having a black cat watch your back. If either of them get into a tight spot, I’ll get ‘em back out again.”

“We’ll be fine.” I assure him, smiling as Kwyn giggles at having Whisper muss her hair. “We’ll be going together, and there’s not a lot of things that are more dangerous than a bunch of Peacekeepers that got each other’s backs.”

“I’ll drink to that.” Kent says, raising his glass out to the rest of us. “Here’s to the wolf, the warrior, and the whisper. I’ll keep the fire burnin’ while y’all are gone.”

“That is pretty catchy.” Whisper says, letting go of Kwyn so the rest of us can clink our glasses to Kent’s. “Maybe we should run that by the media office. Talk about a branding opportunity.”

“Yeah, but that’s work, and we don’t need more of that on the night before we’re leaving on a long assignment.” I say, leaning my elbows on the table. “Save it for when we get back. Tonight let’s just… chill. Have a good time.”

“Amen to that.” Kent agrees. “So, I heard that the HQ is putting together a spaceball tourney for the staff. I was thinking we should all sign up when you lot get back…”