Hello. To anyone following Invicta, this is all set on the Vaikuntha System, on the colony of Moksha. I decided to do this, because I felt the world of the GTU didn't feel alive enough without the personal stories of the ones living in it. So, I decided to create this story after adding a little of development to the background that is Vaikuntha.
Anyone on the Discord server of the Templin Instute can find a link to the carpet were all the fanon material the Stellaris Invicta community created in its channel, and I already shared this story there. Now, I'm doing so here, so it will be easier for anyone to find. It's not as developed as I would like, but if it was, I would had probably written an entire novel without intending to. XD
But I hope you enjoy it regardless, and let me know what you think. I will uploading the next chapters from time to time, but they are already written and shared on Discord as I said. So don't worry. This won't go uncomplete. Until next time!
Karma was a city of opportunities in a world of opportunities. Vitus Slane thought about that as he descended from the Shining Districts atop the mountain, to down under the shadow of the giant spaceports that encircled them. His was a luxurious gravi-car, chapped on black silver paint, and provided with its own internal system of heavy processing for tracking and steering. Since recently arriving to this world, he had a lot of luck in job opportunities. Others down there, not so much. But that didn't meant there wasn't any talent among them. Or at least his actual employer didn't think so.
The onboard computer didn't had any problem in guiding him to the area in the Shadow Districts he was looking for, and less in giving him all the available car platforms where to descend upon. As soon as the gravitons under the vehicle made contact with the wireless connections under the platform, the credit sensor in the car activated. After he passed his smart in front of it, the holographic screen on the front window showed him the tariff for minute of parking. His eyebrows went up, and his mouth almost fell open. One would expect the parking down here to be lower.
He just shaked his head, and stepped down from the vehicle before the platform descended, preparing to store the car underground. Vitus then revealed himself to the light of the day that rarely directly touched the Shadow Districts. Everything in his indumentary shouted corporate agent to his surroundings. From the long black leather coat, to the gloves of the same, passing through the black pieced suit underneath, to the strangely fitting black combat boots and, finally, the black sunglasses, even when they weren't needed at the moment. Passing to his physical appearance, he had a slim but probably wiry body, a clear cutted facial structure, and a pompadour haircut, cut to zero in the sides and the back. He was attractive, in a certain way.
Vitus stepped down through the stairs as the glasses informed him of his surroundings. His objective was only a few hundred meters away, but there was a notable presence of Iron Captors in that district. He wondered who could had hired them to supervise this sector. It's not like he or his current boss had any problem with them, but Vitus didn't liked the idea of going through a checkpoint controlled by private guards. He had been well advised about the possible dangers of these kind of situations in the Shadow Districts.
Nonetheless, he gave them no problems. Vitus pulled out his gun and deposited it in the table, before going through the scanner.
"Remain still, please." the armored man in front of the scanner asked him, before an orange warning signal popped on the blue screen. Vitus knew what this was about.
"Souvenir from the last invasion of Faraxia. Subdermal carbon fiber implants."
The man behind the helmet simply nodded, just before the screen turned green giving him free pass. The armored guard watching at the other end of the scanner gave him his gun back, and both mercenaries looked as Vitus continued his way.
"War wounds my ass." shouted the guard at the scanner.
"Why do you say that?"
"He didn't know we had access to the government databanks. This guy is no soldier. Intelligence analyst of deep space relays in Verdun. He has seen no front action."
"He lied? Why did you let him pass, then?"
"His service record is clean. There is no reason to suspect. And remember we are no officers, rookie. We have no authorization to detain people without a cause. But I do wonder to what those subdermal signals could be due to."
The "Moura Roxa" had always been a place full with laughter and drink. Normally filled to the brim with customers, this was a favorite place of reunion for people of the Shining and Shadow Districts of Karma alike. Those of the latter group could find the kind of drinks none of them could permit themselves in other establishments at a very attractive price, and a safe place in where to meet with their contacts from the Shining Districts. Those of the first group, had a place in where to find easy and cheap manual labour for their less reputable businesses, and spots of privacy where to delight in their more private and illicit pleasures without the risk of their friends and family up the mountain knowing.
Given all of this, the appearance of the interior was expensive, but also very roughly treated. Walls of pure white carbon fiber looked sickly yellowed due to the fumes of people smoking and weird experimental new cocktails. The comfortable leather seats of the synthetic plastic couches next to the tables were worn out and cut open in some places, with the stuffing almost coming out. The metallic paint of the stools at the bar had lost almost all of its shine. But excluding those details, it was a very comfortable and visually appealing place. There was an open circular spot at the entrance where most of the tables were located, a couple of steps down the floor level. A hall enveloped this area so people could pass through without bothering the rest of customers, leading to a very long bar counter, with views to a dance platform a floor down, and a discrete hall leading to the private tables and rooms on the other side. Behind the bar counter, there were four young waiters and waitresses serving people their drinks, just under a orange banner with a stabbed heart and two wings, just above the entrance of another hall, behind the counter, covered only by a curtain.
After leaving his coat and weapon at the checkroom at the entrance, Vitus took a seat in the cleanest looking stool in the bar counter, and one of the waitresses approached him.
"What can I get you?"
"Black Acadia. Short on the red partogan juice." Vitus waited to be served before continuing. "But what I really want is to talk with someone."
"That depends on who you want to talk with."
"Your boss."
"Hey! Patch!"
Only then the corporate agent noticed the small table almost hidden in a corner. As if the person seated on it wanted to have a good look to everyone approaching the counter every time they passed by without being noticed. The wessari sitting on the chair let his clandestine sophoxian cigar over the table, and with a grunt, moved his big belly to get on his feet.
"What do you want, young fella?"
Vitus looked at him from up the stool, almost with contempt.
"You are not the one I'm looking for."
"Well, I'm her boss." signaling the waitress.
"Then I want to talk to your boss."
"That depends on what you have to offer." with another head move, he signaled the table he was sitting at just a moment ago.
Vitus simply took his drink after acknowledging the waitress, and went to sit with Patch at his small table.
"Well, I'm all ears." the wessari said picking up his cigar.
"I have come here in representation of another person interests."
"That is obvious. You are not from around here, are you, boy?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Don't worry. It happens to everyone. You have that air. It will disappear after a time. But also, everyone wanting to talk with my lady boss normally does it following another channels. So taking into account you are a newbie that no one can connect with any other, and that the request is being made on person without following any trackable communication channels, I guess this is a matter to be treated with discretion and delicacy."
"... That would be a correct assumption."
"So, in order to make it easier on you, I'm only going to ask one thing: how much is your boss willing to pay?"
Vitus took a look at their surroundings, before getting his gloved hand in the inner pocket of his suit , he slipped an small metallic plate over the table to the wessari. Patch just took it, and after putting his digital eye lense over the ear to examine the piece, he went unexpectedly quiet for a moment.
"How many can your boss get us?"
"The maximum offer is three."
The wessari let slip a small laugh, and called the attention of the waitress.
"Hey, Naila! Tell Sara to come down here."
"Ehm… Are you sure, boss?" the girl doubted. "She was very clear about not interrupting her before..."
"Tell her there are three scratches involved. She will understand."
The girl nodded, and disappeared through the hall behind the curtain. Shortly after, she came back.
"The boss says she will be down here in 15 minutes or so. She had... personal matters to attend now."
Only a few minutes after, two young women of olive skin and dark hair of identical appearance left the same hall, with wrinkled clothes and slightly ruffled hair. Vitus had no idea who they were, but he recognized the family seal on the ring of one of them as they passed by.
"Were those two part of the Mhasalkar clan?"
"The twins? Yes. They are the granddaughters of Kamala."
"Didn't expect your boss to have dealings with the Aurora Trade Company after the rumours I heard about your past encounters."
Patch laughed, as he just had heard a very funny joke.
"She doesn't."
Before Vitus could ask him what he meant, the curtain moved again. This time, the woman to come out of it was well fit, of a red, long straight mane, light orange freckles on her cheeks, and blue eyes so clear that could be noted even from a distance. As she walked towards them after jumping over the counter, Vitus saw her better. She weared a pair of practical old military boots, grey jeans with holsters for her guns under her jacket, and a white undershirt of straps only partly covered by said leather jacket.
Vitus recognized the last one. It was common among many Space Command units to make this kind of personalized gifts to their members as a memento of their military service. The unique thing about this one, is that portrayed the icon and motto of "Ryan's Riders" in the back, and both sides of the shoulder arms.
"Show me." was the only thing she said after stopping next to them.
Patch passed her the "scratch" still on his hands. After examining it, her angry demeanor transformed into a smile, and looked at Vitus with mischievous eyes.
"Ok." she handled the scratch back to Vitus. "Let's go talk to my office."
Vitus moved to his feet, but was surprised to see the wessari and the woman moving in the opposite direction to the hall behind the curtain.
"Oh, my office isn't there." she explained noticing his confusion. "There there's only my dormitory and the rest of my apartment."
He wondered then why would Ferreira take the twins to talk business in her bedroom. The answer came to him alone, as he examined that thought.
Patch let them alone in a comfortably decorated room with views to the dancing floor a level under them, behind a tainted glass. The floor was completely covered in synthetic fur, the walls were illuminated with lights that changed in tone with time, and these were decorated with pieces of illegal faraxian art. The most ostantegous of the collection, one titled "The Plight of the Levitating Gardens", representing an exceptionally cruel moment of the first terran occupation of Faraxia. One even the most xenophobic Marshalls of the union like to pretend never happened. Where others would have a chair and a table, Sara had a very long couch in form of a semi sphere, a small coffee table and a small armchair in front where people on business could sit to talk with her. Vitus took seat on the later.
"Thanks for receiving me, Miss Ferreira. My name is of no relevance. But my employer…"
"Is he an idiot, or is he desperate?"
"... I beg your pardon?"
"Do you know how much anyone would give for a quarter of what you hold in your jacket?" she signaled the pocket where he holded the scratch. "Yet your employer has let you walk among the Shadow Districts unprotected and alone. So, he is either desperate for help, or an idiot. Which is it?"
Vitus looked down, pulled out his shades, and started cleaning them with a handkerchief.
"There is a third option you haven't considered." he put them again before looking up. "Maybe he just trusts me that much."
Sara Ferreira laugh.
"Taking into account no one on world has any idea of who you are, I'm to suppose that this is not because of personal confidence, but of professional one. So you might have made a name of yourself outside. A name big enough to make you find job among the Shining Districts with the rich, but not big enough to make yourself known here."
"I'm not here to make myself famous."
"Oh. Then it's just than you don't know how to be conspicuous. Put the sunglasses down, man. You don't need them here. Is almost as dark as night."
"I'm afraid I can't."
"Oh. Mysterious."
"Like I said, I'm not here to talk of myself. My employer needed of your services to help locate someone."
"And do I get to know who and why is paying me this? Don't answer. It was a rhetorical question. But I do need to know who I'm looking for, and the nature of what he has, knows, or has stolen."
"I'm not sure I'm authorized to provide with everything you ask."
"Of course not." sighed. "Do I get the name of the culprit, at least? I need something to work from."
"I'm here for more than to contact you to hire your services. I'm here to supervise the search, and make sure that the secrets of my employer do not spill. And I was asked to talk with you, because my employer says you are the better option for anyone looking either for information, or for people."
"Mostly I dedicate myself to help others preserve their heads, or to lose them. But yes. I'm also good at that."
For her manner of speaking, Vitus was convinced that by "good", she was forcing herself to be modest.
"He said you knew in what kind of shadow market look to find the culprit before he sells to other party what he has."
"Hmf. There are lots of those on this city." she reclined on the couch. "More in the planet. But the fact that your boss is worrying so much about keeping every secret from absolutely everyone, including his or her own identity, makes me think this is something in the black list of dangerous goods of the Customs Office. Those considered so dangerous, not even the Marshalls would risk to get caught with or approve of, and that would immediately create a planetary crackdown on Moksha the moment the secret spilled. Correct?"
He made no sign of agreement.
"Tsk. Well, let's assume that. Being the case, most probably the person we are looking for is also worried about that. So, it's probably looking for a buyer or distribution group the stupid or ambitious enough to risk purchasing that kind of stuff. That shortens the list immensely."
"It doesn't matter how you lead us to it. Just that it's done."
"Have it your way. But thanks for confirming my theory."
"I haven't said anything."
"No. But taking into account the emergency of your proposal, had I been wrong, you would have corrected me immediately, wouldn't you?"
Vitus didn't answered. But this time, because he was left exposed.
"So, don't tell me anything else. It will be fun to guess myself." said moving to her feet. "Come back tomorrow morning, and we will begin following my first hunches."
"We can't wait to tomorrow. I don't think you understand the emergency."
"Believe me. This kind of things move slower than most assume, and more with forbidden materials. In fact, the longer we wait, the higher are the possibilities of them uncovering themselves. So now go back to your house, hotel room or whatever, and take a good night of sleep. We will see eachother in the morning."
Vitus waited before moving. But when he did, he didn't seem annoyed or angry by her words. Instead, he silently took his leave, and left her alone on the room.
Then, an holographic screen over the coffee table appeared. There were security images of every movement of Vitus since he entered the local. There was something severely off putting about him. Even for a corporate agent standards. When someone knocked on the door, she closed the screen.
"Come in."
Another wessari entered this time. Tall and broad like a wardrobe, and with the physique of a culturist. He had appearance of bouncer or bodyguard more than anything.
"We checked his things in the checkroom before he left, as you said. Nothing unusual. No documentation in any pocket. But for some reason, his gun was completely empty."
"What?" Sara looked at Xabarín weird. "That's ridiculous. What kind of person carries a weapon he is not going to use?"
"Maybe because he was afraid of coming down here, but had no guts to do it like that."
"No. I highly doubt it." Ferreira leaned forward holding her chin. "He seemed too composed and professional in his way of moving around people to be that. He has made this before. But then, why worry with the gun?"
To her mind, came various ideas. The more she liked, was that the gun was a possible distraction. To put the attention of people were they shouldn't given the situation. But, to distract them from what?