"So, the thing is…I…I love you."

Marcella let the words hang in the air for a moment. Only the light breeze tugging at the collar of her dusty blue jacket and ruffling the grass she sat on was her answer.

"...I know you probably know - or hell, maybe you don't - but I figured I'd actually say it so...here I am…saying it."

She scrunched her nose.

Spirits, this really shouldn't be this hard.

"Heeey, uh, I love you…!" She announced to no one. "I just wanted to let you know, like, for the record. I know you feel the same way - well, I hope you feel the same way but I'm pretty sure, so…unless, I mean…"

She sighed, letting herself fall back onto the dry grass, arms stretched out above her head and squinting up at the oranges and reds of the early evening.

The grass patch had become her main abode for the past few days, trolling for information and credits by day, hiding in the ruins (or Cas's room) by night. She had grabbed her things and snuck out of The Compound the night after the incident at the bar and had no intention of ever going back. Somehow, she didn't think the locals would cool off no matter how long she stayed away this time. If she had any brains at all she would bribe the first ship off-world and get as far away as she could and start over somewhere else. But she couldn't do it, not yet at least, there were still loose threads to take care of. But there was just so much she would miss. Her garden, the open sky, the feel of dirt beneath her feet. It just confirmed what she already knew, there was no way she could ever return to living on a ship after this. Just the thought of a humming engine made her stomach twist. Not to mention her cushy spot snagging small-time criminals passing through the spaceport, the charming (and dangerous) hustle and bustle of The Slot, and...him.

She squeezed her eyes shut, the grass blades scratching the back of her head as she turned away from the sky and breathed in the smell of the dry soil.

If someone had told her she would end up falling for a glorified security guard that took everything just a tad too seriously she would have laughed in their face. She'd had her share of relationships but 'healthy' and 'affectionate' weren't exactly the words she would use to describe them. She certainly never had any intention of settling down before now either and, truth be told, the thought hadn't even crossed her mind. In her line of work, you didn't exactly retire.

And yet here she was, practicing a certain three-word phrase she had a complicated relationship with.

Of course, he hadn't said it yet, which was a little surprising. She smirked as she recalled him planning out their whole lives together after only their second meeting. Hmm...maybe he had weird qualms about saying it too, though he definitely didn't have any problems saying everything else. She didn't doubt his sincerity. Everything he said and did was coated with such intensity. And she liked it. She loved it. It was really cute.

…Didn't hurt that he was also handsome and strong and...eager to please either.

But still, she wanted to say it. In a weird way, she felt compelled to. She wanted him to know. It just took some getting used to. Soon she would say it, then he would say it back, and everything would just suddenly click into place and magically work out. Just like the vids. Well, not that one, but the other ones. The ones with the happy endings.

Oh well. Someday…

If it ever actually got that far, that is.

She bit her tongue. No, don't go there! If Cas can be optimistic, so can you!

A shrill beep chirped out from under the ratty cloth she tended to use as a blanket gathered around her feet, pulling her from her thoughts. With a groan, she sat up and reached underneath it, pulling out her small, banged-up terminal and propping it open on her lap. A few taps on the holo-keyboard and the familiar cartoon of the elcor rolling a planet that meant the call was connecting popped up. Soon the window turned to static.

The connection buffered. She squinted at the screen and gave the terminal a little shake as though that would do anything. It finally seemed to stabilize, the sounds of ventilated breathing coming from the window of static.

She leaned toward the screen. "Hello? Blaze? Are you there?"

"Blaze...is dead - hhhsk!" A voice announced dramatically, followed by the harsh sound of air being sucked inside a ventilator. "He was...compromised. But fear not - hhhsk - your information is safe...with me."

Marcella scoffed. The voice on the line sounded exactly the same as 'Blaze', unnecessary pauses and everything. Then again, all volus tended to sound the same anyway.

"But...there is something he wanted you to know - hhhsk!" Not-Blaze continued, "As he was found and cornered by the most sinister the galaxy had to offer - hhhsk - they tried to pry your secrets out of him!"

"Oh really…"

"Oh yes - hhhsk - it was - I heard it was excruciating to witness let alone experience...but no matter how much they flayed - hhhsk - and tortured him...not a single one of your precious secrets was revealed to your enemies - hhhsk!"

Marcella was already on her third eye roll. She only half-listened as she rummaged through her bag for a tube of protein paste. "Uh-huh… "

"My new name - I mean uh, my name is ..." There was a pause that took so long she almost thought they had disconnected. "...TechnoRazorLord."

Marcella blinked, mandibles slacked in disbelief. "I...yeah, alright, sure." She went back to tearing the top of the tube off with her teeth.

"As for your profile…" The volus-formally-known-as-Blaze continued, "I have been brought to speed on your target...one Eidor Alfantus, current leader of the Wraiths... and raider of multiple colonies - hhhhsk. Yeees, notorious indeed and scarce! Hasn't been seen since ..."

Marcella languidly sucked the paste, barely registering the voice as he went on and on, pretending to not know her, regurgitating information she already knew, the needless and infuriating pauses. She tried to think about all the money she had paid this agency. She silently wondered how difficult it would be to put a hit on this volus so she could collect it herself.

"...no leads anywhere near your chosen location. Information on this target is...limited. But fear not - hhhsk - I am the best and I will find him…...!"

There was another long pause, periodically punctuated by his ventilated breathing. It took Marcella a second to realize he was probably waiting for some kind of enthusiastic response. "...Mmmf." Marcella answered, mouth full of paste.

"...Erm...yeah - hhhsk." There was another pause as she heard the volus shuffling something around, wheezing a little sadly as all the bravado eked out of him. "...In - in the meantime, there are a few bounties passing through your area if you'd like me to list them - hhhsk. There's Auarin Sivictus, turian, smuggler scheduled for a meet-up. Tir Galak…."

Marcella leaned back, tossing the empty tube behind her head and letting her arms fall to her sides. If she wasn't already so drained and used to disappointment she would've been furious at him for wasting her time. Bounties got her by, but it just felt like mindless distractions. She was stuck, spinning her wheels in the middle of nowhere. And to think she thought she'd only be on this planet until she got back on her feet. What a joke.

Cas's face swam into her mind's eye. Well, staying on this planet wasn't all bad after all.

"...someone known only as 'Indomitus' will be making a scheduled stop, a Loris Qu-"

"Indomitus!?" Marcella shot up and grabbed her flimsy terminal, feeling it creak in her hands. Her stomach leaped and her heart caught in her throat. It couldn't be…! "Did you say Indomitus? Indomitus is coming here? Are you sure…!?"

"What? I mean - hhhsk - er, yes! Ah, see, I knew you'd be privy to this information so I saved it especially –"

A growl from Marcella's throat silenced him. "Tell me everything."

Indomitus was a mercenary known by name only. He usually stayed far away from turian space, only rumors of his work coming up deep in the terminus systems. The vague nature of his dealings seemed to be more for a desire to stay anonymous rather than any sort of notoriety.

And he was known to work exclusively for the Wraiths.

"Um, well - hhhsk - if you really needed more - I might need a bit more time - and few extra credits would sweeten the-"

She practically throttled the terminal. "Just tell me, Blaze!"

"Y - yes - hhhsk - of course!" The hissing of the volus's ventilator became almost deafening, followed by the sounds of banging and clattering echoing out of the window of static. "Ah - here- I'll send you the register - !"

As the file transferred, Marcella tried to keep her breathing steady, staring through the screen as her thoughts whirred and buzzed.

This could be it, this could really be it…! It was too much to hope that Indomitus could provide any truly significant lead but…maybe if she just played her cards right…The skin under her plates began to prickle.

The terminal chirped and she popped open her omni-tool, tapping it furiously. "Thanks, Blaze, I got it."

"Uh - yeeees! An excellent transaction. I am the best after - wait - hhhsk - my name isn't Blaze anymore it's - "

She flicked off the terminal and the hologram winked out, leaving her staring at her omni-tool, mind racing. According to the file, Indomitus would be in port within the next month and she needed to be ready. She still couldn't believe it. After years of no leads…!

Okay - game plan. She'd find Indomitus, corner him and…somehow force him to tell her where the Wraiths are headquartered, where Alfantus is...and then...and then

Well, the details could come later. It wasn't much but it was something. All she had to do was not screw this up.

She drummed her fingers on the terminal nervously, her stomach twisting.

Come on, think positive! I know that's hard for you.

She tossed the terminal on top of her blanket. She couldn't wait until tonight, she had to tell Cas everything. Though, she doubted he even remembered her convoluted 'mission', or why something as innocuous as a guy supposedly making a pit stop was the most exciting thing that's happened to her in a long time.

Her nerves started to settle as she thought of their coming meeting, feeling a slight tingle up her spine just thinking about it. She gathered her things in a bundle and headed to the ruined skyscraper that served as her storage, a slight bounce in her step.

It stayed in the back of her mind for the rest of the afternoon. A bundle of thoughts and scenarios and ideas rolled around her head as she hid her things behind the crumbling pillars, changed into something clean, and made that incredibly long and boring walk on foot toward the fort (Damn you, Sulla). By the time she finally reached Audax she was practically bursting, the excitement flooding her senses. Cas had become more lenient about sneaking her into the fort, an odd change but hey, she wasn't going to complain. She almost floated as Cas ushered her unceremoniously into the quiet fort, its dim halls silent with no sign of anyone else, especially his large, loud friend. Cas's responses to her queries about him seemed clipped so she didn't push it - not that she minded his lack of intrusions. The only time her thoughts weren't elsewhere was when they finally managed to reach his room and she was able to put her hands on him.

And as they both lay on his tiny cot, limbs entwined, a streak of light from the window laying across them, she couldn't hold it in any longer. She went on and on excitedly, playfully tugging at his fingers, though careful to downplay a few of the more risky aspects of confronting a notorious stranger. But she's handled worse…not that he needed to know that.

"Honestly it's mostly rumors. I don't even know if he's turian. Could be an elcor for all I know." she chuckled at the thought. "Wouldn't that be funny? Certainly would make my job a little easier" Marcella rumbled a little smugly, dragging her finger in little circles on his chest.

Castis was quiet, obviously mulling over what she had just said. His mandibles twitched slightly.

Oh, here we go.

"...What, you don't think my totally-genius-fool-proof-plan will work?" she laughed half-heartedly, as though joking about it would make the whole thing sound less convoluted.

He remained silent, jaw set, eyes fixated on the ceiling. She could practically see the gears of his mind turning.

"...Let me guess, you're worried about me getting hurt?"

"Yeah..." Castis finally answered, but his voice trailed off and he laced his fingers together across his chest.

"And….you don't think I should be relying on information from random people on the extranet…?" She poked him teasingly in the side.

"...That too…" His mandibles twitched a little more erratically.

That wasn't it.

"Annnnnd…" she screwed up her face in mock concentration, her eyes following his gaze to the ceiling. "...You're afraid if I don't get hurt, I'll just wind up in some other kind of trouble?" She turned to smile at him. "Is that it?"

"It's all those things but…" He sighed, bringing a hand up to rub his eyes. He took a deep breath and turned his head toward her. "...Mar. You shouldn't be doing this."

She leaned in and bumped his nose with her own. "Cas, I've told you a million times, I can take care of myself–"

"No, I mean…have you ever thought about just…moving on?"

She paused, mouth still open, the weight of his words settling over her.

"'Move…?" She tasted the phrase in her mouth and couldn't finish. Something stirred in her stomach but she pushed it down and smiled in a way that must have looked forced. She hoped the tone of her subvocals was enough to make him reconsider where this was going. "And why would I do that...?"

Castis looked almost pained. His hands twisted and squeezed from atop his chest. "Just - all this time, all this money– "

"Ah, what do I need any of that for…?" Her chuckle came out a little strained.

"– coming out here, dealing with all…this ." he made a vague gesture around them.. "That horrible bar - those people - they wanted to kill us! It's hard and it's dangerous and you're right in the middle of it. All this just to try and kill…." he made a soft noise in his throat. "Is it really helping?"

"Helping me find Alfantus? Absolutely." She smirked. "I know it's a stretch but I am getting somewhere–"

"No, I mean…" He hesitated, tightening his jaw and emitting a low hum of uncertainty. He seemed to be navigating the conversation as though it were a minefield. "...is it really gonna make you feel better about what happened?"

Her mandibles drooped a little and she bit back a scoff. Would she feel better if the man that killed her family was dead? Obviously. But it wasn't about that - it was about making sure a man like that was wiped off the face of the galaxy. "...Does that matter?"

"Well…yes." Castis propped himself up on his elbows, his subvocals slowly revving up like an engine. "Yes, it does."

She groaned and rolled fully onto her back, rubbing her forehead. She knew a classic Castis Vakarian Lecture brewing when she saw one.

He sat up, shoulders squared, voice stern, hands gesticulating. Full-steam ahead. "You're on this awful planet, at the mercy of these - these delinquents, you sleep in dirt and you eat food out of a tube. You're sacrificing your well-being over this." He opened his mouth then snapped it shut with a sigh. His tone became softer. "...It's already taken so much from you. I don't want to see you give up the rest. Maybe if…you could…let go of some of that anger…you could move past it…?"

That one struck deep somewhere deep. She chewed her tongue, feeling anger bubble up in her throat. "Well, we all have to make sacrifices to achieve our goals." She sat up, turning away to look out at the slit of night that poured through the small window above the bed. "Don't worry about me. I've made my choice and I'm okay with it."

"There are other ways to deal with this. Report it, put it on record. Maybe join a cause, work to rebuild the foundation of –"

"Yeah, yeah, laws, the system, procedural whatever. Sorry, Cas, but I'm not you."

Cas looked dejected. "...Well, even besides that - it's just a vague promise it's not even a sure thing, are you sure it's worth–"

"Yes." Mar snapped. She took a breath that turned into a sigh. "...Look, I know you don't like it. I know you believe in doing things 'right', and…not shooting people who might deserve it."

Cas flexed his mandibles a little at that.

"But...if someone took everything from you, left you with nothing, wouldn't you want to hunt them down? Wouldn't you throw everything you had at finding them…wouldn't it be worth everything you have for the chance to make them pay?"

"...I don"t know" he answered honestly. "But I don't like the idea of someone having that kind of control over me."

Marcella almost laughed, shaking her head incredulously though she dug her nails into one of the seams of his pillows and felt it start to tear. "...Says the guy who's also stuck here being General Asshole's errand boy."

Behind her, Cas stuttered, "It's not like that –"

She continued, a little more heated. "At least my way is more efficient. But go ahead and keep jumping through hoops for a man that's just as bad as anyone I've met out here if it really makes you feel like you're making a difference."

Cas was floundering. "I don't - I do not approve of his methods, but he's trying to help me–"

"Oh? By making you polish guns? Run in circles? Abide by every stupid whim of an old, washed-up, soldier past his prime? Trapped on this planet hassling loiterers instead of actually doing something?"

"I'm here by choice."

"Well, so am I." She countered, "You like bringing people to justice and that's exactly what I intend to do. I know you're worried but believe me, I have no intention of dying. And if - when I find him, it will finally be over. He'll be dead, everyone will be better off, and…so will I."

Castis's voice was soft, almost pleading. "...Will you? Will killing him bring you the peace you want? Would anything ever make you feel better about what happened?"

Mar just sat, still staring silently out the window. "...You've never been hurt before, have you?"

Castis fully deflated. "Mar…" His mouth opened and closed and opened again. "I'm not going to pretend I understand what you're going through. It's…terrible...but I still stand by what I said. The only way to heal is to let go. Don't let this consume you."

Marcella swallowed hard. She knew, deep down somewhere, that he wasn't wrong. And that's what was so frustrating. It would have been easier to walk away. To mourn the life she could have had but still obediently play the hand she was dealt. Join society, head down, eyes forward. To deal with what happened in the 'right' sense: silently, discreetly.

Cowardly.

Being angry was loud, it was abrasive, it was hard to ignore. It made people uncomfortable. It made them look away. Or worse, look at her with pity. It was why she didn't have any markings. It was why she made her home in these backwater places and looked people unflinchingly in the eye. As if to say. 'Look. Look what they did to me.' To fight back. To teach a lesson. To prevent it from ever happening to anyone ever again.

Marcella looked away in an attempt to hide the annoyed twitch of her mandibles.

"You're right. You don't understand."


Castis sat, deflated and empty and feeling about as foolish as he usually did after one of his dumb speeches.

He knew she didn't like to talk about it, she knew she always danced around the topic and he knew it was a privilege to even be privy to this aspect of her life. But he pushed anyway. He just never knew when to stop.

She was always so flippant about everything. She was always the one comforting him, making a sly comment, brushing off awful, life-threatening situations like they were nothing. But beneath it all…

That first night in her grass patch was the only time he had ever gotten the full story. She had never mentioned her past again, recent or otherwise. He had never seen her sad or wistful or melancholic about anything, about anything. But he had noticed her toss and turn in the nights. He had felt her wake with a start, chest heaving, cool with sweat. He had seen the way she used to finger the knife at her thigh, and how she still touched the spot even when it wasn't there. What was it about the knife? What did it mean? He had tried to give it back but she insisted he keep it until she was ready to give back the rifle. 'It's only fair.' But he caught her eyeing it when he undressed, placing it on his desk. As if to take her eyes off it would make it disappear and it would be lost forever.

He had wanted to talk to her about it. Not like this, not clumsy and berating and impertinent. To be by her side. To support her feelings. To let her know he was there if she needed him at all. But it was all just jokes and misdirection. Until now. Seeing this side of her was devastating. Her anger, her determination, and the accusation in her eyes. Stupid fool.

Would that he could take it away.

Finally, he spoke, hands squeezing painfully. "...I know. I'm sorry."

For a terrifying second, she said nothing, just staring out at the tiny slit of a window, a stripe of yellow light across her eyes. With the tiniest movement, she brought a hand back, resting it a little behind her, but closer to him. An open invitation.

He took it eagerly, entwining their fingers but staying still, letting her sit.

"...I know you're just trying to help me," she said, finally. "But I need to do this."

"...Okay." he didn't know what else to say. His chest burned and his eyes stung. In one motion he scooted forward and swung an arm around her, placing his head over her shoulder. A bold action that surprised even himself. But it needed to be done. "...I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."

He felt a hand lightly touch the arm around her chest. "...Hey, I made it this far." she teased.

"If you find this guy…" he swallowed hard, trying not to think of her going back into the underbelly of the planet. "...and he leads you somewhere else…what about…" he couldn't finish. He didn't want to know the answer.

What about us?

"Don't worry." she turned her head, lightly brushing against his cheek. "You'll always be a part of the equation."

He shook his head against her, his subvocals thrumming with determination and vibrating her shoulder. "...Once I get out of here, once I'm done with Faldos, you can come with me. I'll help you. Whatever it takes."

He felt her purr back, his eyes closing at the sensation on his chin and cheekplates.

"Honestly? I think I might already have it locked down."

"Oh?"

"Oh yeah - once I get to Indomitus the rest will just slide into place. It'll be easy. Look - I walk up to him, show him the goods–" Her subvocals buzzed excitedly as she mimed holding a rifle in her hands. "–the second he sees me, he'll be quaking in his boots. We're talking pants-shitting-in-terror. I won't even have to touch him."

"Hmm." Castis rumbled in amusement despite himself.

"Naturally, he tells me exactly where Alfantus is. I fly over there. Tell them I want to sign-up, I'm a shoo-in of course - then bam I say I wanna talk to the big man in charge boom I walk up–" she mimed pulling the trigger, "-pop pop! Dead. I'm not one for speeches. I give you a call. You, freshly promoted, swing by on your new ship, we take a detour to somewhere warm and tropical," she turned and looked at him pointedly, "I want a beach wedding."

Castis's stomach fluttered violently and he buried his head against her shoulder.

"-and then we zoom off - me conquering the systems one bounty at a time and you rewriting the laws of the galaxy...wherever life takes us. Together."

Castis couldn't contain the contented purrs pouring out of him and vibrating through her body. He had never heard her be so optimistic before. "...I'd like that very much."

She turned her head until her nose and mouth brushed his cheekplate, the suggestion in her subvocals not lost on him. "I knew you would… "

He gently dragged a talon up the sensitive sides of her waist, feeling a slight rush at the bold action and her enthralling subharmonics. "There's…other…things I would like…"

Marcella suddenly turned fully to face him, placing her hands onto his shoulders and roughly crawling into his lap. She made a dramatic show of looking at the clock. "Hm, lil late for another round, you think...?" She pulled him closer and purred against his mouth. "But if you insist… "

blink blink

Castis instinctively jerked his head toward the light emitting from his omni-tool. He almost considered ignoring it and turning back to Marcella, so he could truly make the most of the brief time he got to spend with her. Almost.

"...Sorry, I need to check this."

"Of course…" Marcella's subvocals thrummed in irritation as she slid off him, rolling onto her back.

Castis sat up and swung his legs off the side of the bed, tabbing his tool open. For a second he thought it might be Fedorian. In the few times they had run into each other since their...discussion, he hadn't seemed to carry any animosity. He was all smiles and noise as usual. But he also hadn't called or sent a single message since. And that said it all.

Castis's heart sank a little. If he just got to know her…

He squinted at the orange screen. From General Faldos, of course. Something about a meeting with him and Fedorian about the comm buoys in a few days. He skimmed the message and tabbed it off, his mind elsewhere. Why did work and his time with Marcella have to be at constant odds? He was so tired of sneaking around.

"Everything okay?" He heard behind him. "Someone dead?"

Castis rubbed his eyes and slid back into the cot beside her. "Just the general. More meetings, nothing...important." His mandibles tightened against his face. A phrase he would even dream of saying mere months ago

"Ah, yes…" she growled, "General…what's-his-name. "

"Faldos."

"Right, whatever."

"Pride of Palaven…" Castis mumbled, the title now feeling a little empty.

Beside him, Marcella turned on her side, lifting a talon to slowly trace up the side of his carapace and onto his shoulder. "...I just don't get it."

"Hm?"

"If he's so great, what's he doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he's apparently this big war hero or something, right? If he's so renowned, why the hell is he stationed in this tiny fort in the middle of nowhere training little jerks like you?" she gave him a playful pinch on the arm.

Castis frowned, staring up at the tiny cracks in the ceiling, illuminated by the yellow light of the window, his hands slowly coming together to pull at his fingers.

Why indeed.


"He killed somebody, you know."

The words filled the silence between the two travelers of the tiny shuttle as it rattled and jolted, jostling bags and buckles lying unused in the metal seats. The hum and constant beeping of the monitor had been the only sound for half an hour.

Fedorian didn't move from his seat, waiting in anticipation for some kind of response to the overly-dramatic statement.

Castis didn't even look up from the footlocker he was organizing, reorganizing, and re-reorganizing. "...um...I should think so, he is a general who fought in–"

"No - I mean - one of his own men."

The shuttle began to groan and jerk more violently as it began its descent into the atmosphere of Kaeus, their home for the foreseeable future. The tiny windows became covered by a vast planet of yellow and brown.

"Friendly fire?" Castis didn't look up but he tilted his head, betrayed by his own curiosity.

"...On purpose." Fedorian voice was dripping with theatrics. "One of his soldiers apparently pissed him off and he just…" Fedorian balled a fist and pounded it into his other hand.

Castis's mandibles tightened to his face and he finally looked up at the larger turian. General Faldos did have a bit of a reputation. He was ruthless, formidable, cunning...but a murderer? "...No. He wouldn't do that."

Fedorian held up his hands in a mockingly defensive manner, subvocals humming mischievously. "I mean, supposedly it was an accident, so he didn't get court-martialed. But they all know he did it."

Castis just shook his head. "Nonsense."

"He did that - no mercy, no reprimand, just–." Fedorian mimed punching the wall of the shuttle but a bout of sudden turbulence made him stumble. He clambered back onto his seat though still chittering excitedly. "Completely remorseless, all just for not following an order." He lowered his voice, albeit minimally, and hissed. "And that's why they set him to the ass-end part of this system."

"Highly unlikely."

"Okay, don't believe me!" Fedorian shrugged, a wide smile in his yellow mandibles. "Go ahead and get squashed for not mopping the floors correctly."

Castis tightened his mandibles to his face and huffed. "If I give my life in service of the Hierarchy then so be it.'"

"...Okay, you really need to stop watching those war vids."

"I can watch whatever I want!"

"Plus, I mean...he's a biotic." Fedorian raised his brow plates and splayed out his hands as if that fact said it all.

Castis scoffed and went back to his footlocker, but his hands just hovered motionless above it. Biotics weren't seen as trustworthy among other turians, they were usually sent away to separate facilities and used for espionage. He had only a vague knowledge of the cabals but from what he gleaned from the rumors they were...brutal. It all seemed a big price to pay for a power you didn't ask for.

But from the many articles he had read on Faldos, he had only been described as upstanding, valorous, a paragon of his species. He was made general, even as a supposed loathed biotic, surely that counted for something. He had saved countless lives. He served his people. Whatever he had done to deserve this 'retreat', it couldn't have been that. Fedorian must have been repeating the drivel he overheard at the barracks.

"And how did you hear about this?"

Fedorian paused, a sheepish look flashing across his face. "Oh…you know…around."

Castis rumbled impatiently. "Fedorian… "

"Okay, it may have been mentioned by one of the Brigadier-general's officers…And I might have been asked to keep an eye on him...And I also might not be entirely supposed to tell anyone else so…" Fedorian winked, while his subharmonics rang loud and clear. Hush-hush!

"Uh-huh…" Castis clasped the footlocker shut, pushing it under the seat and got to his feet, clutching the wall to brace himself from the constant bumps and jerks of the shuttle. He gazed up at the blue screen above them, showing their slow descent to the desert planet below. His stomach twisted and churned. In just a few hours the real work would begin. He couldn't wait.

"But, yeah, just so you knoooow…" Fedorian leaned in, interrupting Castis from his thoughts. He waggled his fingers teasingly in his face. "Don't get on his bad side…!"

Castis's mandibles flicked and he stifled an annoyed hum as he shoved him away. "I'll try to keep that in mind."