Nothing quite described the freedom of walking amongst a crowd of strangers on a foreign planet that Blake would probably never visit again. After spending such a long time in such close quarters with the Blackguards, she finally felt like she could let her guard down. Completely relaxing was out of the question - especially in a city where nearly everyone was involved in some type of illicit trade - but, for a few blissful hours, she was anonymous rather than the 'new girl' or 'grunt.'
Unfortunately, anonymity only went so far while wearing the trademark Blackguard armor. She would love to blend in as just another space-weary traveler; instead, she stood out as a potential threat to the people she passed. With Yang's warning still front of mind, she kept a firm grasp of her surroundings in case someone had an issue with the criminals she represented. So far, however, everyone kept a safe distance.
A sense of power emerged from the glances sent her way, but she tried not to let it go to her head. While intoxicating, their reactions stemmed from fear, and using her training to scare or intimidate others was something she'd sworn not to do.
To the best of her ability, she ignored the looks and maintained a lackadaisical pace along unfamiliar streets. Her rendezvous time had passed a little while ago, but rushing through the city would draw too much attention. So she meandered her way through the crowds and picked up the pace only when she made it to a residential area with fewer pedestrians around.
Command's message specified a time and address but nothing else. Though a commonly-used precaution against intercepted communications, the lack of detail left her in the dark as she hurried along tired, worn-out streets.
Compared to Maria's neighborhood, which was strong and new, this section of the Drideter had been left to wither away. The homes were rotting, weather-faded, and in dire need of repairs, but she doubted the residents had the means to accomplish such a project. At least, the residents who still lived here probably couldn't afford the upkeep, but their numbers appeared to have dwindled over time.
With so few people around, this was the perfect place for a meeting. Movement and voices filtered from within a few of the houses, but most seemed either temporarily or permanently empty.
Just when she thought the disrepair couldn't get worse, she turned onto a street that looked wholly abandoned. Thick patches of weeds grew between the wooden planks underfoot, piles of dead leaves collected in the gutters, and the houses - if one could call such meager structures that - would probably collapse upon the next stiff breeze.
Midway along this derelict road, she reached her destination - a shabby, beaten-down building with a nearly illegible number carved in the doorframe. After glancing around to make sure the street was still devoid of life, she walked to the front door and hesitantly tried the handle.
Locked.
Confirming one more time that this was the right address, she took a deep breath and knocked twice. A shuffling sound in the room beyond sent her hand towards her blade, and she stepped back when footsteps approached.
Moments later, the door unlocked and opened a fraction of an inch. But that was it. Whoever was inside retreated without making themselves known, and Blake struggled to hear anything besides the breeze rustling leaves on the street and her suddenly-elevated heartbeat.
Caution winning out, she slowly pushed the door open with her non-weapon hand while keeping her other on the handle of her blade. Sunlight streaked the dusty room beyond, slipping through cracks in the boarded-up windows, and dead leaves covered the floor - such a thick pile of them that she had to pick up her feet to avoid making a ruckus.
"Badge one-six-five-eight," she whispered while taking another step forward. "Identify."
When a laugh filled the room, she spun towards the familiar sound and - the moment she spotted Sun hiding behind the door - leapt into his arms for a hug.
"Sun!" After briefly pulling away to confirm it was him, she hugged him again. "How the hell did you get them to send you?"
"Kissed a whole lot of ass. You miss me?"
"You have no idea."
While he hugged her, she closed her eyes and savored every bit of familiarity about him. After spending the past few weeks surrounded by people who might try to kill her at any second, the company of someone she trusted more than anyone in the universe was an indescribable relief.
"Have long you been here?" she asked, finally pulling away to give him a good look. He looked happy, healthy, and every bit like the boy who tried and failed to hit on her during their first day of training.
"Just a couple hours."
Waving off her concern, he led her over to the only pieces of furniture in the house - a small table and accompanying chairs that had already been cleared of leaves. Various Alliance devices sat on the table, but what captured her immediate attention was the food.
"Brought some of your favorites."
"You're my favorite." Grabbing one of the tuna rolls and taking a bite, she confirmed it was even better than she remembered. "You have no idea how much I've missed these…"
"Probably not as much as you've missed me."
"Right now, it's hard to decide."
Sun laughed at the response, and Blake devoured the first roll before starting another. Up until this moment, she had forgotten that she skipped her last few meals in favor of worrying about Zimon. Now that Zimon would soon be on his way home with Maria, her ravenous appetite reared its head.
"Are they not feeding you or something?"
"They are, but typical space food. Nothing good."
"Then I should've brought more."
"This is more than enough," Blake assured him before reaching for the salmon spread - her second favorite thing in the universe. After grabbing a fork and eating the first few bites straight from the tin, she noticed him staring at her.
"What? I'm hungry."
"It's not that." He shook his head, but his gaze returned to her with a growing level of concern. "What happened to your neck?"
"Oh." Wishing she had a way to hide the bruising, she cleared her throat and shrugged instead. "It's nothing."
The bruising was better but still looked like exactly what it was. The last thing she wanted to do, however, was make Sun worry about something beyond his control. And she didn't want to remember the look in Adam's eyes as he strangled her to within an inch of her life...all because she hesitated for a split second too long in taking a stranger's life?
To a psychopath, that was more than enough of a reason.
"Are you ok?"
Realizing that her desire to not worry him was destined for failure, she nodded and forced an assured smile.
"I'm fine, Sun. It's a hard life, but nothing I can't handle."
He looked like he had a lot to say to that, so she focused on the food rather than hold his gaze. She wished that she could explain what it was like - the ever-present fear, worry, and loneliness - but she couldn't possibly put those feelings into words in what little time they had.
"They're pretty horrible, huh?" he said after a few seconds of silence, but she looked up and shook her head.
"It's more complicated than that."
"Come on, Blake," he replied with a scoff. "They're criminals."
That argument used to be good enough for her. Today, she bit her lip and thought about Yang. Yang was a criminal - Blake had watched her do things that fell squarely outside of the law - but...she was different. She saved those people on the Riol's ship. She risked her life for Zimon. She listened to Blake. How could Sun understand that when he hadn't witnessed it for himself?
"They are," Blake agreed. "And most of them are horrible, but some of them aren't there because they want to be…"
The longer she spoke, the more worried his expression grew, so she gave up and shook her head.
"But you're right - they're all bad."
She couldn't expect him to understand the complexities of the Blackguards. Without talking to them, spending time with them, living with them, how could he? It wasn't as simple as branding them all evil; they had their own reasons for joining. Some had a penchant for violence and crime, but others were...different. At least, one of them was different.
One day, when they had all the time in the world, she would try to explain. Until then, she had to accept that her firsthand experience gave her insight not learned through the Academy. Still, she couldn't think of Yang as 'horrible' no matter the circumstances.
"Alright," Sun acquiesced after letting her finish a second tuna roll. "They only let me come out here if you gave me the dirt."
"Right." Brushing off her hands, she pulled out the memory file she hid in her suit prior to leaving the ship. "Pictures of the Inferno," she explained while sliding it to Sun. "Lots of drugs, but they're mostly dealing in weapons and munitions - high grade, too. You should see the stuff they save for themselves."
"That good?"
"It makes ISA's armory look pedestrian."
He scoffed at the claim, but the pictures would prove her right.
"And that's just their regular business," she added. "But they're up to something else."
"The diplomats?" he asked, and she nodded.
"The people they went after were targeted for their knowledge." Picking up the memory drive, she plugged it into his computer and opened the first photos of the maps. "That led to these."
"Old, crinkled papers?"
"Maps," she explained. "Stolen from the Riol family's archives on Lurus."
"Lurus? Wait - Blake, were you there?" When Sun gave her an incredulous look, she pointedly turned away. "Holy shit," he breathed out, but she rushed on.
"They only brought me in...after," she explained as if she needed to justify her presence at such a crime scene. "They're having me translate the maps, which supposedly lead to Valerian steel mines."
"What's Valerian steel?"
"I'm hoping Command can find out. The only thing I know is that it's some legendary metal Adam wants to use to create new weapons. I don't know if it's real or not, but if it is, we don't want him getting his hands on it."
"Got it," Sun replied with a nod. "Drugs, weapons, even better weapons. Sounds like standard bad-guy stuff."
"Mostly, but these maps are almost...mythological. And Adam's not the type to believe in that stuff, so I'm worried he actually found something."
From everything Blake had transcribed so far, she couldn't understand how Adam hoped to find something so obscure. Even if he knew the entrance to the mines, he needed a key to enter. At least, that was her assumption considering the 'key' references on each and every map.
Being so late to this mystery, she didn't even know if the maps meant one key, multiple keys, or an allegorical 'key.' All she'd gathered was that the Valerians locked the mines in a way that prevented anyone other than the frequently-referenced 'worthy' from entering. Of course, the information was probably thousands of years old - a lot had changed in the past thousand years.
"But he hasn't found it yet, right?"
"Right." Coming out of her thoughts, she nodded and pushed that concern from her mind. "But the sooner Command can make sense of it, the better."
"I'll mark it as extra, uber important," Sun joked before taking one last look at the screen. "And what about, you know, how they work and stuff?"
When he waved a hand, Blake sat forward to recount what she'd learned so far.
"It's bizarre, Sun. A lot of how they're trained is similar to how we were."
"Really?" He scrunched up his nose at the thought - even more so when she nodded. "But they're just a group of criminals."
"An organized group of criminals," she stressed. "And disciplined. They have a training center just like ISA does. They run similar drills, use similar commands...you can't even join one of the squads unless you passed their training. They're taking already-dangerous people and teaching them how to be even more dangerous."
Sitting back in his seat, Sun mulled over the information before shaking his head.
"Well, we kinda figured that, right?"
"Yes, but seeing it in action is..." Trailing off and thinking back over her time with the Blackguards, she sighed. "It's terrifying. I don't even want to think of what they could do if they keep growing unchecked."
"That's why we're going to take them out."
Sun's certainty was reassuring, and Blake smiled while imagining that goal coming to fruition. Adam and Cinder would spend the rest of their lives in a maximum-security prison cell. The rest of the Blackguards could join them, although life sentences for the entire crew were unlikely. Especially for people like Ret, whose only crime was making the ill-advised decision to join.
Then there was Yang…
"So are you gonna join the squads?" Sun asked, pulling Blake's mind away from that topic.
"Not yet. Yang asked if I wanted to, but Adam won't let me. Pretty sure he's worried I'll die before finishing the maps."
"They realize you're like...one of the top knife fighters in our class, don't they?"
"I really hope they don't," she replied with a laugh. "And it's fine. I'm happy figuring out the crew for now."
"You'd pass their training so easy though."
While Sun waved off the claim as indisputable fact, Blake wasn't so certain. She might have been one of the best fighters in their class, but she hadn't stood a chance against Yang. Considering Yang and Adam were in charge of training...it might be harder than imagined.
"I'm not so sure…" she mused, replaying the memory of her spar with Yang in Yang's room. If given another chance, she would do better...she hoped.
Thinking about Yang, however, reminded her of a personal request she made quite some time ago.
"Ruby Rose…"
As soon as she said the name aloud, hesitation bloomed in her chest. Even though she still strongly believed that Yang was an integral part of this mission, her interest in the answer felt personal now, and that scared her. Still...she had to know.
"Have you found anything?"
The moment he gave her that look - the one that preceded bad news - she wished she never asked.
"Nothing yet…" When her expression fell, he hurried to add, "But I'm still trying. It's just...the universe is big, you know?"
"I know." Swallowing her disappointment, she forced a smile instead. "Thanks for looking though."
"No problem," he said before giving her a thoughtful look. "Why're you looking for her?"
"I think she could be helpful." Sensing he had questions that she couldn't answer without getting into the topic of Yang, she shook her head. "It's just a hunch."
"Want me to put out a bulletin?"
In the midst of shaking her head, she paused and considered the offer. Alliance bulletins were normally useless. With countless planets in the universe, they only worked if the person being searched for stumbled onto a planet under Alliance dominion. Even then, that person had to miraculously spot the bulletin and self report to ISA - something not everyone was willing to do. Effectively, it was a shot in the dark, but why not give it a shot?
"Sure."
"Want to add a message?"
When Sun prepared to note down the message, Blake tried to think of something that would convince Ruby to respond. Something that unquestionably linked the bulletin to Yang...
"How about 'I don't drive skives anymore.'"
"Aren't skives those super-fast metal things people race dunes with?"
"Yup."
"When have you driven one of those?"
"I haven't."
Again, Sun had more questions, but he chuckled and kept them to himself.
"Ok," he said while copying the cryptic message down. "Anything else?"
Blake didn't think she had more to ask until she remembered a young Zitovian hidden on the other side of the city. If she couldn't take Zimon home herself, the least she could do was have ISA follow up and ensure he made it there safely.
"Actually, yes. Can you do me a favor?"
"Lots of favors these days," he replied with a grin. "Almost like you don't have access to ISA resources anymore."
"It sucks sometimes," she admitted before getting to the crux of her request. "But there's a little boy named Zimon who will be leaving Drideter soon with a woman named Maria. I'm sure they'll use aliases, but can you try to put a tag on him and make sure he makes it to Zitovia?"
"Uh, sure. But...a kid?"
"It's a long story..." she sighed and, fortunately, he accepted the response with an easy smile.
"We'll have to go through everything over a few drinks when you get back."
"That sounds like a good idea. You're buying."
"Pretty sure I can scrounge up enough credits for that…" he joked before glancing towards the door. "When're you taking off?"
With the reminder that she couldn't sit here and talk forever, she looked at the time and sighed.
"In a couple hours…" Remembering that she also made plans that she shouldn't bail on, she sighed a second time and met his gaze. "I wish I'd known you were here...I'm supposed to meet someone before heading back."
"Don't worry about it." If she was worried, the feeling disappeared with his easy smile and wave. "I'm just happy I got to see you, even a minute would've been worth it." When she raised her brow at that response, he laughed. "Ok, ok. I did suck up a lot to get here, so I needed at least a few minutes to make it worth it."
"Glad to see you're learning how to play the game."
"Not just play, Blake - I'm the master. You'd be so proud of me - I finally figured out what I got the smile for."
When he flashed a bright, charming smile, she laughed and shook her head. Once she quieted down, however, silence hardly settled over the room before he spoke again.
"Any idea where you're headed next?"
"Honestly, no idea. Someone mentioned Ursa Nebular, but I usually don't know until we're already there - why?"
"I'm getting Command to transfer me around," he replied with a grin. "Trying to stay close in case you need me."
The kindness wasn't lost on her, especially after spending so long cooped up with people who couldn't exactly be called nice. His inherent goodness was the breath of relief she needed and, even though the last thing she wanted to do was leave, she stood and reached for a hug.
"Not to be rude," she said while wrapping her arms around him. "But I hope I don't need you."
"I hope you don't either, but you know how much I like to be the calvary."
Smiling at the response, which was so like him, she tightened her arms and wished she didn't have to let go. But she had a job to do, and she was determined to see it through.
"It was so good to see you," she whispered while steeling herself to leave.
"It was good to see you too." After hanging on for a few more seconds, Sun pulled away and smiled. "And good to see you haven't changed."
The comment put a dent in her smile, but she hoped he didn't notice as he patted her shoulders and moved away. In many ways, she felt the same - same morals, same values, same goals. But in other, more subtle ways...living as a Blackguard didn't come without some measure of sacrifice. She couldn't put a word to it yet, but she knew that she had changed, whether Sun wanted her to or not. The real question was...had she changed for better or worse?
"I'll head out first?" she asked while gesturing towards the door. When he nodded, she backed towards it and smiled one last time. "Take care of yourself, ok?"
"Same to you," he said with a nod and much sadder smile.
Feeling her throat constrict, she quickly opened the door and slipped outside. Greeted by the unfamiliar landscape - a sharp contrast to the familiarity and comfort of her closest friend - she sighed and briefly considered staying. Would the Blackguards even look for her if she didn't show up at the Inferno tonight? Or would they assume she joined another ship or suffered some unfortunate fate at the hands of another traveler?
Yang would look for her.
She was so certain of that, she gave up the idea of staying and walked away from the small, dilapidated house. Leaving Sun behind etched another crack upon her heart, but they both knew she had a mission to complete. Once she'd gathered enough information and Command recalled her, the two of them could spend time together like they used to.
That time wasn't now. And, after Yang took such a big risk for Blake's sake, repaying that kindness with desertion would be wrong. Besides, she wanted to see Yang again, even though Yang was inextricably tied to the Blackguards.
That connection caused a great deal of conflicting emotions, but Blake pushed past them while heading towards Drideter's bay. From their walk earlier in the day, she knew exactly how to get to the marketplace, which bustled with activity as the sun set.
Darkness would arrive soon, but that hardly deterred the travelers stopping by for the night or on a mission to get off the planet as soon as possible. The organized chaos brought back memories from her first foray into such lawless territories, which had nearly ended badly. This time, she knew she didn't smell like a cop.
And this time, she learned what it felt like to be here as a Blackguard. While moving towards the south end of the square, keeping a lookout for Yang, she noticed how passersby took one look at her armor and slid out of the way. Others glanced at her out of the corners of their eyes before turning away or trying to remain unnoticed. And some actually turned around and walked away rather than cross her path.
Again, a sense of power and pride tickled at the edge of her mind, growing stronger with every step. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to fear her, but it was too easy to convince herself that their reactions were a show of respect, not fear. After spending so long treated as someone with no skills outside of her knack for languages, respect felt all too welcome.
Now she understood why the Blackguards joined, and why they stayed. For vagabonds searching out status and purpose in a galaxy with very little, the sense of importance must be addictive. To Blake, however, it was yet another lesson in the danger of such criminal groups, especially those allowed to fester uncontrolled.
The more prominent the Blackguards became, the more people would want to join, and the more soldiers Adam had to do his bidding. She couldn't let that happen, so she couldn't leave with Sun. She couldn't run home. Instead, she searched for a dash of radiant blonde hair.
The closer she drew to the south end of the plaza, the more her anticipation grew. After what happened with Zimon, she wondered where her and Yang's relationship stood. How would Yang treat her now that they'd done something against the Blackguard way? To Blake, it felt like they'd ascended to a new level of closeness, but she needed Yang to confirm if that was true.
The thought disappeared when she passed a dark alcove and someone suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into it. Instinct immediately took over, and she landed an elbow in her attacker's stomach before struggling to break free. When an arm locked around her wrist, she swung with her other but missed and ended up with both hands caught and pinned to her sides. Without use of her arms, she stomped her heel down on her attacker's foot.
"Ouch! Damn, you're feisty."
The moment she recognized Yang's voice, she froze. And, when Yang released her, she spun around and glared.
"You deserved that."
"I probably did."
Not at all bothered that she just got elbowed in the side and had her foot stomped on, Yang smiled. And, just like that, Blake's annoyance evaporated. Instead, a pleasant surprise returned when Yang's smile became almost nervous and shy.
"I was kinda worried you wouldn't make it," Yang admitted, unleashing the first butterflies in Blake's chest.
"Sorry. I got caught up, but...I'm here now."
Blake motioned towards the dark alcove near the market, which she hadn't noticed in the shadows cast by the setting sun - a mistake on her part. Disappointment in herself would have to wait, however, as Yang gave another timid smile.
"I'm glad you are."
In just a few words, Yang implied more than Blake could have imagined, and she suddenly felt anxious for whatever would happen next. Based on Yang's expression, she felt the same anxiety or nerves, but she put on a smile while gesturing towards the marketplace.
"Want to take a walk with me?"