Nrowall tapped his finger on the top of his desk, staring at his ashen faced security chief sitting in the chair on the other side.

Nobody was fond of bad news, and some executives might have denied people permission to deliver it first thing int the morning, but Nrowall was a professional and so was Joowan. If he thought something was important enough that he needed to spring it on him first thing in the morning, then it probably was, and today was no exception.

Three of Joowan's people had been brutally killed yesterday, in broad daylight, after they and the security of the other Scrap Corporations had captured someone sabotaging landships at the excavation site. The damage and delay the incident had caused would have been bad enough news.

"The other companies lost people too," Joowan was saying. "At least three crabs and two anemones were also killed, and then they ran off with the prisoner."

Nrowell grit his teeth in frustration but forced himself to remain calm. He would gain nothing by trying to bite Joowan's head off. The fact that Black Steel's landships had been untouched was an indication that his security measures had worked, and they had caught the saboteur. He couldn't be responsible for the incompetence of the other two company's security.

"How did they escape? They must have left tracks."

Joowan shook his head, his expression disbelieving. "One of Chitinin Ironworks' landships caught fire. My guess is that they freed the prisoner in the confusion, and left downwind. We were using sand to try and smother the fire, and that kicked up a lot of dust. If they retreated along that route, not only would we not have seen them but it would have buried their tracks. We did spread out in that direction to look but we didn't find any trace of them."

Nrowall grunted. "So we're dealing with someone clever. Could there have been more than one?"

"I don't know, Sir. Nobody saw anyone but the prisoner to begin with. We did eventually find a motor sled of ours though. When we checked the serial number we found that it was one assigned to our stolen landship."

Nrowall crossed his arms, eye narrowing. "Ah yes. And where is that right now?"

Joowan's posture straightened, his anxiety now obscured by a mask of professionalism. "It's been hidden in a small canyon near Crater's Edge. I had hoped to use it to capture the thieves but, evidently, they have found alternative forms of transportation."

"Obviously. And what might those alternates be? Was it the independents?"

"No, Sir. Most of their landships are west, trying to take advantage of the fact that so many of our own landships are tied up with this excavation project. According to my contacts in Crater's Edge, they aren't sure what we're up to but they're trying to find as much valuable scrap as they can while we're occupied."

"Then you think the means came from the city?"

"I do, Sir. It's no secret that we watch Crater's Edge closely, but keeping an eye on the city is more difficult. Alternatively, I suppose they could have come from the river.

"The stolen motor sled was almost completely out of fuel and had two empty fuel containers on the pannier. I talked to a few drivers and I've concluded that this was a one-way trip for whoever the saboteur was. No motor sled has the range for a round trip, and especially not from the city. It's likely they drove this machine right from the landship and all the way to the dig sight. It wouldn't be a pleasant trip and it would be long and dangerous, but it could be done. With that in mind, we've changed security measures at the site appropriately, but we're stretching our security forces thin."

"And what kind of risk does that pose for us here in Splatsville?"

Joowan frowned and glanced out the window before he answered. "If the clans try to push us, and they might if they find out what we're doing, then I'm not confident we could hold them back, not unless we combine our strength with the other companies. Combined, we'll have over a thousand guards within the city. That's more than ten times what the clans have for city security, and while we might be outnumbered if the Clans throw their full weight behind city security, most of them are shopkeepers, farmers, and artists. The numbers might look scary on paper but not in reality, otherwise the clans would have attacked us by now."

Nrowall dragged a hand over his face, suddenly feeling exhausted. "What's in that vault better be worth all this trouble. Of course, those thieves might have the keys to get in so that is another issue."

"Hence why I haven't recovered the stolen landship, Sir. They're bound to go back to it eventually."

Nrowall nodded and stared up at the ceiling. He tried to get into the thieves heads, wondering what they wanted.

"If they were after the vault, and this saboteur and unknown murderer were two of them, then they must know they can't get to the vault now that we've found it. If we assume they lack resources and numbers then there isn't anything they can do to take it back."

"They might be thinking of trying to take any artifacts as we transport them back to the city." Joowan pointed out. "If I were in their position, that's what I'd try to do, if they're as desperate as I think." He shrugged. "Though, either way, I guess the key won't be doing them much good. Chitinin Ironworks says they have a machine that can get us through the vault door. It'll take time but they can do it."

Nrowall stared at him. He wasn't entirely satisfied. A part of him wanted total victory and justice on the thieves. Maybe that would come with time but having to force their way into the vault was going to take longer than he'd like, giving the clans more breathing room, even if they didn't know it yet.

"What do you think the likelihood is of them using the landship again?"

Joowan shrugged. "I honestly have no idea, but if they're using the navigation system right, it would be a lot easier to find the vault again if they used it than another vehicle. Just following our tracks to and from dig site is possible but unreliable and we would easily see them coming. If I were to attack the dig site, I would come at it from a completely different direction."

Nrowall nodded, smiling with satisfaction. "So you have also considered the possibility the clans and even the Outlanders might attack the dig site."

"Of course. I still expect them to. To be honest, I hope the thieves use our landship again. It will allow us to track them more easily. If they gather together a fleet, we'll be able to track it, at least as long as the emergency beacon holds out. That'll only be another week or so but I think I can have some of my people sneak in a fresh one."

"You do that," Nrowall said. "If they do attack the site then the Kingdom will have all the justification it needs to bring in troops."

"But so will the other nations," Joowan pointed out.

"That was going to happen regardless. The point is it was our landship that was already stolen, and if they're going to assemble a force to attack the vault, we'll know about it, and we can get the word out before they even reach the vault."

A cruel smile split Joowan's face. "Meaning we might have army troops in the city before their forces even get back, win or loose, and with most of their forces out in the desert, the troops will have an easier time pacifying the city. It's perfect."

"Or as close as we're going to get. I'll make preparations for when the ball starts rolling, you just make sure it knocks down all the pins when it arrives."

"Oh don't worry sir, I've always been a good bowler. I'll get us a strike for sure."

Shiver, Frye, and Big Man all met up outside Tahlm's apartment, arriving within minutes of each other.

Tahlm had phoned Shiver that morning, telling her that he and Neo had returned. She had half a mind to bite his head off then and there but she would save that for later. Besides, yelling at home would risk revealing to much, so she'd told him instead that she would come and see them later. After that, she'd told Big Man and Frye.

Shiver didn't bother knocking, she simply unlocked the door with her key and stepped inside.

There was a snort from the living room and she saw Tiyes sit up with a start, his head swivelling side to side until he spotted the three of them and he paled.

"Would you grow a pen and stop inking yourself every time we show up?" Frye spat. "Seriously, you'd think we were dune ghosts from the way you react."

Frye might have dampened her disdain for the inkling boy since he had joined their crew and proven himself useful, but like Shiver, she was not in an especially good mood this morning.

"Where's Neo?" Shiver demanded.

Tiyes gulped air. "Uh… sleeping. She came back after midnight. She was badly hurt."

"Then where's Tahlm? I know he's up."

"I'm here."

Tahlm was standing on the kitchen counter. Despite his tiny size and the fact that he was obviously in a lot more trouble than Tiyes, he didn't wither but faced her squarely, though his anxiety still showed.

Shiver marched up to him, standing so close her torso was nearly touching the counter, and stared down at him. "What do you have to say for yourself? Do you have any idea how stupid what you did was?"

From behind, Frye remarked, "I thought Neo was the one being stupid and he was just along for the ride."

Shiver gave her a glare, silencing her, then stared back down at Tahlm. "Well?"

"I have no regrets," he said firmly. "If I hadn't gone, she would have died. I know what she did was foolish but she was just trying to do something. She's used to people doing nothing and letting things fall apart; she isn't used to people like you who actually try to solve problems."

Shiver grit her beak. Tahlm was playing on her sympathy and ego at the same time. Not a bad tactic, if a bit transparent. In the end, it did help to simmer her temper and it was obvious berating him would accomplish nothing.

"Just… tell us what happened." She sat on a stool next to the counter while Frye and Big Man joined them. "Don't leave anything out."

So Tahlm told them about how they managed to reach the site without a landship, how they'd sabotaged the landships of the Scrap Corporations, and how Neo had gotten caught. More disturbing than any of that was this mysterious Maiya who had, without ask of reward, gone and rescued an injured Neo at Tahlm's request, then brought them back home and helped nurse Neo before putting her to bed.

What had she been doing out there? Was she spying? For whom and why risk that to save Neo? Someone with unknown allegiances and motives was a dangerous factor because there was no way of telling how they would act.

"And where is this Maiya now?"

"I don't know," Tahlm admitted. "Somewhere in the city, I think."

"And you have no idea where she came from?"

"None. Since she was spying on the dig site I thought she might be with the Onaga?"

All eyes turned to Frye who shrugged, flashing grey. "I don't know. Gran has people doing all kinds of things. She doesn't share everything with me."

"I didn't recognize her accent," Tiyes commented. "And all her equipment, even though it was a bit dirty, looked pretty new."

"Her motorcycle was pretty fancy as well," Tahlm remarked. "It looked new and I've never seen anything like it."

Tiyes shook his head. "Motorcycles might work in the city but not in the desert. They'd sink in the sand and get stuck too easily. Or, so I thought." He held his chin, his eyes intensifying as his mind worked. "I suppose with wide enough tires the surface area would be more than enough, in theory, but then, why not use four wheels?"

"Never mind that." Shiver crossed her arms and looked at everyone assembled. "The fact is we have an unknown we have to deal with. We need to know what her motives are."

"You could always ask her," Tahlm said. "She said she was going to come back today to check on Neo."

"Is that so?" Shiver brought her fan up to her chin, tapping it lightly. "I suppose I don't have anything else to do this morning." She smiled wickedly. "I think I should take the time to properly thank her for saving a member of our crew. That's only natural isn't it?"

She would meet this Maiya and show her just what she was dealing with. With close relations of all three Clan heads present, that should be more than enough to intimidate them into loosening their tongue. If not, there were other forms of persuasion.

They waited over an hour. It was well past ten o'clock when Tiyes returned from watching the sidewalk from the stairway window.

"She's coming!"

"Alright, positions!"

Frye jumped to hide behind the kitchen counter. Big Man hid in the coat closet next to the door, ready to block a potential escape. Tiyes stood ready to answer the door while Shiver sat in the armchair that had been moved into a position directly in line with the door, making sure to adopt a sitting position and facial expression that was both confident and dominant yet relaxed.

There was a knock and with a nod from Shiver, Tiyes answered the door.

"W-welcome back, Maiya."

He stepped aside, revealing the girl to Shiver for the first time.

On the surface there was nothing impressive. Her clothes were clean but little more than a simple tshirt and shorts beneath a large, brown cloak. She had equipment tied to a belt but Shiver couldn't quite make out what they were. The thing that actually impressed Shiver were her eyes.

Red met red as their gazes locked. Maiya's only reaction to Shiver's presence was a slight raising of the eyebrows and shrinking of the pupils. She showed no fear, no sign of apprehension, she just stared back at her, unflinching.

Shiver wondered what kind of girl could possibly perform the kind of feat Tahlm had described but she was beginning to understand.

Shiver was a shark tamer. She had learned to read sharks from their body language, they way they swam, and the look in their eyes. She could tell when a shark was agitated, when it felt threatened, and when it showed no fear. Sharks like Master Mega didn't need to be afraid, despite potential threats around them, because they were the biggest, scariest thing around. That was the sort of feeling she was sensing from Maiya right now. She was no ordinary inkling, she was a predator and well aware of her own lethality.

She removed her boots without a care and stepped into the apartment.

Shiver made sure to wear her most charming smile. "Maiya, I assume? I'm Shiver. I wanted to thank you for saving Neo yesterday. She did something quite foolish, but perhaps it is serendipity that you should come to our attention."

Annoyance was written all over Maiya's face. Clearly she wasn't interested in any pretenses. Shiver needed to get to the point.

"I want to know what you were doing out there. Perhaps we could help each other."

"Neo first," she said, and walked past Shiver to the bedrooms without a second glance.

Frye poked her head above the counter and asked. "Is that it?"

Shiver grunted. This girl was much more formidable than she anticipated. She wasn't intimidated by Shiver at all. Was that out of ignorance or did she know who she was? She would have to change tactics.

An important aspect of shark taming was making sure not to show the shark fear while also showing it respect. That balance was most delicate with great whites like Master Mega. They were proud creatures who didn't like not being feared; therefore, conveying an appropriate amount of respect was key.

There was a rattling from the entrance. Big Man wasn't able to get himself out of the closet.

Frye sighed and climbed over the counter to come to his aid. "Did you lock yourself in?"

Shiver felt her chest tighten. She'd been so engrossed in Maiya's eyes that she hadn't been watching her hands. The closet was close enough that she could have locked the door while barely moving her arm. But if she had locked the door herself then that had to mean she knew Big Man was inside it, and whatever flaws he might have, he was good at staying quiet.

It seemed she was dealing with someone even more dangerous than she imagined.

Neo yawned and stretched her arm. Her body still ached but she had passed a better rest than anticipated. The bed was the most comfortable thing she had ever slept on and she was reluctant to leave it.

She opened her eyes and saw a blurry outline enter the room and come beside the bed. A hand fell gently on her head and rubbed her mantle.

"You're a little warm."

Neo smiled, recognizing Maiya's voice. "Yeah, I guess. I heard fevers sometimes happen when you lose a limb."

"Fighting off potential infection. I need to change your dressing."

Neo groaned but knew better than to argue with Maiya. The girl helped her sit up and then guided her to the bathroom where she cleaned the wound and applied fresh bandages.

"It should be sealed up by tomorrow but you have to stay hydrated and rested."

"Okay." Neo didn't even want to argue those points. She was tired, tired enough to sleep most of the day if she could. She was done with adventures, for now anyway.

Neo's stomach grumbled and she grunted. Healing, as it turned out, required a lot of food.

Maiya helped her up and guided her to the living area where she found everyone else.

The furniture had been rearranged, now crowded into one side of the room. The coffee table had been placed where the couch had been with Shiver sitting on the floor, seiza style, on the other side.

Shiver and Maiya locked eyes and the whole room seemed to hold its collective breath. Neo wondered what was going on.

Maiya said, "Neo needs to eat."

There was another drawn out silence, neither Shiver or Maiya averting their eyes from each other.

Shiver then said, "Frye, you take care of it."

Frye's mantle flashed with surprise, then her ears flattened and irritation rippled with incredulity through her mantle before she turned and headed into the kitchen as ordered.

Maiya brought Neo to sit next to Tiyes on one of the couches then sat across the coffee table from Shiver.

"Are you feeling alright, Neo?" Shiver asked, briefly turning her eyes away form Maiya.

"Oh… yeah, I guess. Little feverish. Arm hurts a little."

"I see. I'm glad to hear it."

She looked back at Maiya who hadn't moved. She was practically a statue, sitting tall with a straight back. Shiver did not intimidate her.

"Let me introduce myself," Shiver began. "I'm Shiver Balt Ralok of the Balt Ralok Clan. May I ask who you are?"

"Maiya." Came the simple reply. If Shiver was annoyed by the curt response, Neo couldn't see it.

"I see. Would you tell me then, Maiya, what you were doing so far out in the desert?"

"Following the Scrap Corporations. That many landships moving meant something."

"It would be hard to miss, one would think," Shiver said, with a slight barb, though not directed at Maiya. She wondered who it might actually be directed at.

"Do you know what they found?"

"A Precursor vault. I don't want them to get what's inside."

"Nor do we. It seems then, Maiya, we have a common goal. Would you care to cooperate."

"Maybe. What do you want?"

Shiver lightly fanned herself. Neo wondered if she was actually getting nervous.

"I assume that whoever you represent wants the Precursor artifacts inside, maybe even the vault itself. You can have it; however, we would like to be suitably compensated since we originally found it and we have the key to get in."

"Could be arranged," Maiya said. "But the problem are the Scrap Corporations outside. They need to be taken out."

"That is the sticky issue," Shiver agreed. "On our own we don't have enough strength to take the vault from them."

"You can't ask for help from the clans?"

Shiver's eyes narrowed slightly. "No. If we could we would have done so already. Besides, we were hoping to handle this situation more independently. An open conflict between the Scrap Corporations and the clans would create larger issues beyond our control."

"Like the independent scrappers in Crater's Edge?"

For the first time since she'd sat down, Maiya's expression changed. Her eyes narrowed, her brows furrowed, and the corners of her mouth dipped a little.

Shiver replied "the people of Crater's Edge don't want a conflict, otherwise they would have fought back a long time ago."

"And the clans?"

"Their reach is limited to the farmlands along the river and the city itself. Events in the Outlands have rarely concerned them."

"Then what makes you different?"

Shiver folded her fan and pointed it towards the table, letting it tap against the surface.

"The Scrap Corporations are causing wide-spread suffering, not just in the Outlands but in the city too. The clans have been so worried about themselves they've forgotten about the people trapped in the middle. Those are the people we advocate for, but there's been little we can do for them with our own resources."

"Is that why you want the money?"

Shiver nodded. "Indeed. Does that not seem like a noble cause?"

Maiya's mantle darkened, and her eyes seemed to become harder. Did she not believe Shiver?

"It seems like it, but nothing in Splatsville is what it seems. From the perspective of the Scrap Corporations and the people from their nations, you're the evil ones."

Neo gaped in surprise, wondering how Maiya could possibly suggest such a thing. Shiver looked similarly startled.

"What do you mean?"

Maiya crossed her arms. "Birgus wanted freedom of access to the sea, the clans refused. Your coast guard even forced ships to pay bribes in order to get through. Lanc wanted reasonable prices for materials after you established your mines, the clans refused. The Urchin Kingdom wanted to be able to search the desert for artifacts, instead of scrappers taking and wrecking priceless historical objects. They were met with hostility."

"For good reason," Shiver replied darkly. "The Urchin Kingdom always hordes its technology and whatever secrets of the Precursors they find."

"I know that, but you were actively hostile to them, harassing even independent researchers that came into the desert. Even if you're right to be suspicious, harassment and exploitation is different. Now, you're complaining about them doing the same to you."

Neo bit her lip, wanting to ball out, to tell Maiya she was wrong, that the Scrap Corporations were pure evil, but she couldn't. She hadn't known about all those things, never knew that the clans had antagonized the other nations so much that it was the reason the Scrap Corporations had come in as hostile as they had.

"I acknowledge our past mistakes," Shiver said, slowly, "but we had stopped those things by the time the Scrap Corporations came in, and while I won't argue they may feel a sense of poetic justice, things were never as bad as what they're doing. Besides, that is irrelevant to this discussion.

"We found the vault, we have a claim to it, and we have the key to get in. We would be willing to sell it to you, for a suitable price."

Neo winced. She knew that they were trying to make money off of this to help the slummers but demanding some from Miaya at this point seemed wrong. Shouldn't they be trying to work together?

"Why should I have to buy it?" Maiya asked. "Besides the Scrap Corporations, who else here would want to pay for it?"

"The clans, of course. We could easily sell it to them and they would have the opportunity to sell it to the highest bidder on the international market."

"If they could get to it before the Scrap Corporations."

"They have the strength, but I suspect your benefactors would rather it fell into their hands instead. Am I wrong?"

Maiya's eyes narrowed and the surface of her mantle adopted a hostile swirling pattern. Neo wondered who this benefactor might be. What kind of person would someone with Maiya's prowess work for?

Maiya stared at Shiver for a long time, and Neo wondered if she'd figured out Shiver was bluffing. Shiver hadn't been able to get the clan's cooperation to begin with so it was doubtful anything would change now, but did Maiya know that? Whole minutes passed before she uncrossed her arms and let her hands sit on her lap. "You assume my benefactor has the strength to overpower the Corporations?"

"I do. You aren't from the Onaga, you aren't from Crater's Edge, you're not even from the Splatlands. I think you're from Inkadia."

Maiya didn't react but Neo was baffled. Inkadia? Where was that?

"And?"

Shiver shrugged casually, a confident smile returning to her face. "The custom bike, your new gear, your weapon, your speech, even your dialect is different. You aren't even trying to fit in. You might fool the foreigners but not us, and clearly you have someone backing you with a lot of money."

She leaned back and opened her fan, using it to cover her mouth. "You have money, we have the key to get into the vault and the means of helping you find it again. You obviously want what's in the vault and want to keep it out of the hands of the Corporations. Is this not a mutually beneficial exchange?"

"No," she replied flatly.

Shiver frowned. "You do not think this a suitable exchange?"

"No."

Shiver waited, probably for Maiya to elabroate, but the other girl stayed silent until Shiver, with just a hint of strained patience, spoke again.

"What would you consider a fair exchange then?"

"You give me the keys and I don't tell the clans you stole that landship and almost brought Splatsville into a war."

Shiver twitched just a little. Neo marvelled at her control, but even from the side she could see the octoling's eyes glaring across at Maiya and was glad she didn't look in her direction. Who else but her or Tahlm could have told Maiya about that?

Great, now I'm in bigger trouble.

"You have no proof we stole the landship."

"You have the key."

"They would only have your word for that." Shiver scoffed. "That wouldn't convince anyone."

"They also tracked you and that's how they found the vault in the first place. I'm sure someone noticed you were missing during the days between the theft and the corporations finding the vault, even though you were the one finding the clues."

The members of Deep Cut all grimaced. Neo suspected Maiya's threat was all too likely to succeed were she to carry it out.

"That's circumstantial evidence!" Big Man blurted.

Maiya didn't even flinch. "Courts are for those who break the city's laws, not the ones who cross the clans, especially not its own members."

Neo saw Shiver's hand under the table clench tightly. "It would be more advantageous for you to come to a mutually beneficial compromise," she argued. "It would lead to a longer lasting and better business relationship. You do not want us as enemies."

Maiya flashed red. "But I'm not afraid to either." An uncomfortable pause stretched out between them. Shiver's eyes were hard, her tentacles curling inwards. Finally, Maiya asked, "what do you want?"

"A guarantee that you won't go back on your word the minute we give you the key, or failing that, give us something worth making us believe you'll keep silent."

Maiya's brows furrowed, her mantle turning the colour of muddy water. "You want me to pay you to believe me?"

"You'll do it if you want to continue any kind of relationship with us. I can promise you it will be worth your while."

Maiya stared at her for several moments in silence then said. "I'll let you hold onto the keys until we need them. It will require mutual trust then, right?"

Shiver touched her face with the edge of her fan, considering.

Neo knew that technically, Maiya could just snitch after that point too, but at least this way, she was showing faith in them as well by letting them hold onto the keys.

"Fine," Shiver said in a grudging voice. "I'll be generous for now."

Apparently satisfied, Maiya stood up, glanced at Neo, then turned and headed for the door. Halfway there, she hesitated then reached into her pocket and tossed something at Frye in the kitchen.

Frye yelped and caught whatever it was in both hands. Maiya then put her boots on and left without another word.

Everyone's eyes lingered on the door then looked at Frye who was staring at the objects in her hands with open mouth and starry eyes.

"I don't believe it! Shiver, Big Man, look!" She held up two dangling trinkets, each roughly in the shape of a person. She didn't get it, but Big Man and Shiver's eyes went wide as saucers and the manta dashed across the room to get a closer look.

"It really is them! Callie and Marie key chains! I've never seen these versions before!"

"I know! And look at how clean and new they look! I don't have any in such nice condition! Come and look, Shiver!"

Shiver stared but Neo could only see the back of her head and couldn't tell what expression she wore. After a moment she stared back at the door and said, "no, it's fine. You two can have them."

The other two Deep Cut members frowned at her. "Are you sure?" Big Man asked.

"I'm sure."

Shiver's voice was calm but Neo could hear the ice in her tone as she focused on the door, no doubt imagining Maiya.

"O-okay," Frye said softly. She handed one of the key chains over to Big Man then signalled Neo to come over. Her meal was ready.

As Neo stood and went over to the kitchen, she thought about what had just happened, what Shiver had tried to do, what Maiya's objective had been and why she needed the keys. Obviously, there was more to her than she knew but she couldn't imagine what it could be. Did it have something to do with this Inkadia place?

She did end up learning one important thing that day: Frye was an amazing cook.

Author's Notes:

Maiya and Shiver clash, Neo watches on like someone watching a house fire, and the corporations continue scheming.

Writing Maiya and Shiver interact was fun. They're two stubborn personalities and are opposites in many ways. Will these two manage to work out their differences for the greater good? Stay tuned and find out ;)