“Marketing trick?” Senjen said. The skepticism was palpable in his tone as he gave another look over the message, and the data that had come with it. “Sending someone a puzzle is unique enough, sure, but I doubt it. That keyword was buried pretty well in the metadata. That’s not a message you send to someone if you want random idiots to understand it. No...I think that’s what you send to someone if you want to make sure they’re not a random idiot.”

Senjen scurried over to Light and stood over him. “Look, I think someone wants to meet us. Not exactly sure who or why...but I doubt it’s a trap. No, it could be an opportunity. What if someone out there has picked up on the kind of work we’re doing?”

Light sighed and placed his tools down. He thought about digging his metaphorical heels in, but it wasn’t like their schedule was jam-packed with job opportunities. His current to-do list for the day included pottering around in the engine room with a cheap beer and a diluted drug bowl. He checked Wurvel House’s web presence quickly but couldn’t see any particular promotion. That didn’t necessarily mean anything though.

He slopped out from under the dash and got up. “Fine! Let’s travel all the way over there and learn about their new menu. I can always bring back takeout.”

---

They took public transport, since short term docking fees were extortionate pretty much anywhere. Light sulked most of the way but did take in interest in the view from the window as they left their urban conurbation and headed towards another.

Bakaran Parkside was a community on the north face of a large mountain range overlooking the city. A diverse range of buildings nestled into copses of old-growth trees. A steady stream of flyers went to and fro, landing on pads surrounded by lush vegetation. It was hot and humid despite the late hour.

The building that housed Wurvel House had been a particularly grand residence Chekeri once. It boasted six integral trees adorned with a maze of platforms and towers. However, it had evidently fallen on hard times. Both wings had been sold off to businesses, its front garden paved for parking and the back terraces overgrown with weeds. The restaurant occupied about 1/3rd of the west wing. A garish yellow sign with a symbol of the Wurvel bird protruded from the roof.

Light looked sceptically around as they alighted from the taxi. Two scruffy Chekeri fought over scraps on the front steps.

“Well this looks…quaint.” Light said.

Upon approaching the entrance, they’d find Wurvel house to be bustling with patrons. Inside was a claustrophobic space full of twists and turns. Diners squatted sociably together in synthetic ‘nests’ dug into the floor. Large platters of succulent roast Wurvel, a prey bird, along with their eggs, steamed vegetables and fried breads descended from the ceiling.

“Ok, tough guy. Who are we looking for?” Light asked as they shouldered their way into the lobby area. No one came to seat them. The chatter was deafening.

This restaurant they were heading to was in the next city over from Setia, about an hour away. Admittedly, Senjen understood why Light was hesitant to get up and spend their time chasing a flimsy lead. Senjen was someone with a lot more free time, compared to Light, so giving up his time did not mean as much to him. Still, he had a feeling that there was something to this, and if that was the case, then it could be worth it for the both of them.

Senjen was a bit sad to see the state of the horticulture around the building. He could have imagined it being beautiful, once, but as it stood, it was getting chaotic and overgrown. Still, he doubted it would get in the way of their business...whatever that business might be.

Senjen idly watched some of the nests as they passed by. He did not go into restaurants particularly often, and frankly, what he saw still felt odd to him. “So you take an animal, kill it, and cook it in its own embryos. I know you like it, but this whole ‘eating’ thing still feels frighteningly brutal sometimes.” He remarked.

In any case, Light got them on task quickly enough. “I don’t know, I saw the same message you did. It said ‘tonight’...is it night yet? What time is it?” He gave another look around to see if he could spot anything out of the ordinary. “I guess we can just do what you would normally do here until something happens.”

“Life is brutal. Billions of years of things eating other things to survive. But at least it has meaning. What is life if you don’t need anything to survive?”

Light checked the time. “I’d say it’s the start of ‘tonight’, yeah. They didn’t specify a time so we must assume whoever might be here going to be here a while, no? I'm not hungry yet, and am in no mood to sit down when we've come all this way to find the person responsible for the messsage. I think we should search the restaurant, look for clues. Maybe if there is a member of staff around here we could ask them…”

He looked around. The paths between nests were crowded with rowdy and low-status Chekeri, with the occasional QV and Tindrel, but no one who looked like they might work here. Though that was difficult to discern. A song about the four horsemen of the apocalypse crackled through speakers overhead.

“Well sure, but it doesn’t have to be brutal anymore, does it? Or...is the meat cloned or something? Still, even if it was, it just feels like a weird way to present it to me.” Senjen shrugged.

Regardless of Senjen’s opinions on the matter, the pair did have something more important to worry about. They were here, but now they needed to figure out why they were here and what it was they even needed to be doing. For now, he decided to stick close to Light. If someone wanted to set a trap for them, they would not have encrypted the message, but still, it was safer for them to stay together.

As they headed closer to the back, Senjen noticed something about the restaurant around them. It was getting more difficult to discern what others were saying if he tried to listen in on the conversations around him. The general noise level was staying the same, but there had to be some sort of interference, and Senjen doubted it was accidental.

“You hearing what I’m hearing?” Senjen leaned in close to Light. “I feel like this place is meant for private conversations. Maybe there’s someone wanting to meet us here?”

Senjen kept a particular lookout in the back of the restaurant for anyone that looked like they were paying close attention to them, or trying to get their attention. As Light pointed out, some of the people around were wearing the same shade of clothing, beyond what was likely coincidence. They could have been associated with one another.

“The first bite is with the eye, as they say.” Light replied cryptically.

He shook his head at Senjen when they mentioned the change in sound. He wasn’t as perceptive as the new Myrmidon suit as a rule. His whole body was designed to be immersed in water, and while his gel did a fair job of translating the air-filled environment for him, he still missed a lot of cues. He did point out the colour pattern of clothing within each of the dining groups though.

“One could certainly blend into the crowd in here. Maybe we should ask if there are any smaller parties waiting for people? Again, some service would be nice…”

The Chekeri wearing the amaranth keffiyehs began to take notice of them as they headed towards the back. When one caught Senjen looking directly at her, she left her nest and approached them. She was unkempt and rough-looking, but with a deeply intelligent look in her eyes.

“You fellas look lost. I don’t see any good cause for you stick around. Just say the word and I’ll show you the way out of here.”
Her voice sounded strange, muffled somehow. The noise of conversation around them died off somewhat.

Senjen was on-guard when a Chekeri started to approach, though he kept his posture neutral and tried not to show it. A Utaysi was always going to stand out in a place like a restaurant, but he could at least try to blend in. At the very least, he could give reasonable excuses.

The fact that someone was bothering to approach the two of them to begin with was suspicious. He supposed it was possible they were just territorial locals looking to get rid of outsiders, but they could also be involved with what was going on. Maybe Senjen needed to signal her somehow? Something subtle, with plausible deniability if she ended up not being a part of it.

“Eh, I’m not used to restaurants, myself, but I’d say we are here for good cause. Let’s just say we were invited.” Senjen replied.

The Chekeri didn’t seem satisfied with Senjen’s answer in the slightest. They tilted their head and studied them both on a slant. Their beak hung open a crack.

“Who would have good cause to invite you, fella? We can’t see inside your heart – It may be blackened. Brittle. Maybe you’ve spent too long in the cold water with your friend, eh?”

A couple of other Chekeri with purple scarves exited nests behind them and came up the aisle. It was very plausible they were just looking to squeeze past to go to the toilet, but Light doubted it somehow.

“Senjen.” He warned simply, turning so they were back-to-back and he was facing the newcomers.

“Maybe tell the nice Chekeri more about our very special invite, or I’m about to get pummelled into your back.”

Senjen kept himself relaxed. Light was getting worried, clearly. Perhaps it was not a surprise for a QV, but he had a hard time keeping much of anything hidden. If the Chekeri were trying to intimidate them, though, Senjen did not seem particularly intimidated. He stood his ground, and did not back off a step. “There’s no reason to get off on the wrong foot here. I do like your look, you know. A nice, bold color to contrast over obsidian feathers.” He said, studying the expression of the one who had approached him.

“I know you can’t take my measure like you do to other organics, but you’ve just got to have some faith, like the rest of the species do. I can’t honestly say I know who sent the message, but I know we’re meant to be here tonight.” Senjen said.

The Chekeri relaxed. It seems something Senjen said had satisfied them. A short jumble of staccato notes rattled from their chest. The other two who were approaching Light grabbed some devilled eggs from a patrolling cart of delicacies and left. “Come with me.” The first Chekeri said, turning away and heading deeper into Wurvel House.

"Wait, what? How did you do that?" Light asked, confused.

They led the pair of them through the winding passageways for an inordinate amount of them. Light was beginning to think they were playing some kind of practical joke when they turned off seemingly at random into one of the nests. It was occupied by a party of five, and then he noticed all of them wearing variations of the same amaranth keffiyeh. They stared at Senjen & Light as they passed, and their guide opened a secret door in the mossy wall. It closed and locked behind them.

The quiet barrier hit them like an invisible wall when they entered. They’d both feel their senses dampened, and difficulty memorising any details which weren’t meant to be recorded. They might recall they were in a larger version of the nests, very dark and smelling of incense. A private kitchen and bar abutted it, lit with sconces. Light gasped. At the bar mixing a large jug of murky juice stood Ruknar. She turned at the sound; she had a hard to read expression on her face. One filled with sparks of relief, apprehension and fear. She made to greet them, then something rustled within the pitch dark of the far corner.

Light’s vision adapted exceptionally quickly to the low light. He could see an unusually large and impossibly old Chekeri nestled into a bed of fibres taking up about a third of the whole nest. They wore a cloak that obfuscated nearly everything about them apart from their four beady eyes, two on each side.

“So, you have come. Ruknar was right – you can solve a problem. But that doesn’t mean I can trust you. Do you know who I am?”

Senjen had a feeling that would do it, and maybe they would appreciate his discretion. In any case, it felt like they were being led on quite a journey through the halls just to get to where they were going. Frankly, it felt like a bit much, but that could probably describe most of what they had been through so far. An encrypted message, a clandestine meeting location, a password...why not have a winding walk into the backrooms too?

Stepping into that last room was disorienting with how it affected Senjen’s sensors. Looking around...he wondered if they weren’t in need of a good reset, given what he saw. Out of everything he had expected he might see, which was not a short list, Ruknar was not one of them. He did not know what to say to her. Should he say anything to her? He never would have thought she would be involved in business like this. Granted, he did not actually know what this business was just yet.

The large Chekeri was obviously the centerpiece of this meeting. They seemed to be someone who felt they should be recognized, but Senjen was drawing a blank from any angle he thought about it. The only thing that stood out was a symbol, four claws grasping a heart, that he could just barely see through the Chekeri’s cloak, but that was not enough for him to know. “I can’t say I recognize you. All I can say is that I keep my word.”

“Your word? Good, the first thing I’ll need is your word. Your word that this meeting remains secret until the final dregs of life force eke from your bodies. There’ll be no recording of what I’m about to say, understand? It incriminates us all, including your friend.” They tilted her head gently towards Ruknar, who held the jug with lightly trembling claws. She approached the nest of fibres and poured the murky liquid into a circular trough which the old Chekeri then slowly lapped up.

Light didn’t know who this was either. But a few fragments of street rumours and half-remembered history swirled around his head. It seemed like Ruk may have been there as insurance against any potential treachery. Both himself and Senjen would obviously agree not to record to protect her. But the fact that this mystery person had access to Ruk at all prompted a link between these fragments in his head.
“Are you someone high up at For Good Cause? Is that what this is about?” He asked.

The Chekeri raised their open beak like a chick being fed by its mother and set forth a dry, rustling laugh.

“So the reef-dweller is the brains of the outfit. Very good. I helped found this organisation back when it was called ‘Four Good Causes’. Vitality, Plenty, Innovation and Peace. The Quadrarch of Peace proposed we change the name nearly two centuries ago; turns out that was just to place a claw on scales of power in his favour. But that matters not now. Ruknar, my voice tires. Show you listen and tell them what I’ve told you.”

Ruk had fled the presence of the Quadrarch now and lingered by the bar. She glanced nervously at them before looking back at the other Chekeri.

“I don’t know if I’m the best person to tell them-“

“OBEY ME!” They cawed. Their Voice nearly sent Ruknar reeling backwards. Every muscle in her sinewy body tensed and untensed as one. It took a moment for her to recover, but eventually she became still, looked at Light and Senjen, and began.

“You’ve probably seen in the news about the planet Veppecantel. A prosperous and respectable world on the Darkling Plain, its been under an inter-system naval blockade for over two hundred cycles. The official reasoning is that separatist elements have threatened to export a deadly poison to other planet in the Plain. That is a load of cack. The real reason is because the planet has fallen victim to a touch-virus residents of Veppecantel are calling the Holophage. The Quadrarch of Vitality wants us to figure out what it is, and how to stop it.”

There was a lot about this that felt conflicting to Senjen. This...large Checkeri was apparently a leader of FGC. With all the cloak and dagger, Senjen felt like he was about to learn some dark, seedy secrets about the organization’s true intentions, or something of that nature. Yet, this job that the Quadrarch was describing sounded actually perfectly in-line with the FGC’s usual goals. Frankly, the amount of secrecy seemed like it was a bit much. Although, thinking about it, they were talking about something that would almost certainly require running a blockade, at the very least. That probably was not going to be legal, but like everyone else on Korit, the FGC probably had to get used to bending the rules if they wanted to get anything done.

“Well, I suppose having a machine and a QV in a sealed suit makes a lot of sense to help investigate a virus.” Senjen remarked, looking more at Ruknar since she was the one talking. She was the last one Senjen would have expected to be involved in any sort of clandestine affairs, but if it was for the greater good, he supposed it was not too far from how he saw her. Actually, if she was willing to take these kinds of risks to do the right thing, then he supposed that was even more admirable.

“It doesn’t sound like any kind of work I would be opposed to. You want us to help stop it; what exactly would you need us to do? What is your plan?” Senjen asked.

Ruknar seemed troubled. “I have been…selected as handler for a new type of automata containing advanced AI. Seraphim. She has the best virology credentials of anyone we’ve seen before but she’s…temperamental. Your job, should you choose to accept…”

Vitality clicked her bill and Ruk froze again.

“Your job is to get us through the blockade and onto the surface of Veppecantel, to the site of Patient Zero. Seraphim will do her thing, and then hopefully we get out of there again to formulate a vaccine. Or she might be able to make one on-site, who knows.”

Vitality sprayed murky juice everywhere and coughed.

“You are dancing around the problem, stupid girl! The blockade is very severe, only the most skilled smugglers will make it through unaided. However, my sources tell me that the makers of that fine suit of yours…” She raised a gnarled claw above the fuzzy nest material and pointed to Senjen.

“…Are still running mining operations on the planet. They have bought passage through the blockade for their transports because they require no organic crew to operate, and are continually cleaned with liquid and fire. All ships dock at a terminal in high orbit. Someone wearing one of their suits could go there, steal a ship ID and then sail straight through the blockade!”

Light wasn't liking the sound of this. “But if Senjen is caught stealing from Myr-“

“DON’T SPEAK THAT NAME” Vitality turned the Voice on him and his suit rippled. It didn’t have the same effect on QV within their suits but still served to make him pause.

“Ok! If he’s caught stealing from his maker, then they will seek a heavy punishment for him. Who knows what kind of kill switch they might have hidden away.” He looked at Senjen. “Sorry buddy, its true right?”

Senjen paused a moment with a glance aside to Light. “Well, that would be a violation of their contract if they did. I went over it with Jess. Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re not willing to violate their contract. I could have Jess give my frame an in-depth examination, just to make sure. Maybe come up with a countermeasure if they have anything.”

Regardless, Senjen did still agree with Light. He was not particularly enthused about the prospect of stealing from Myrmidon, though the job as a whole was not something he was opposed to taking. Curing a virus would do quite a bit of good for a lot of people. More than most people accomplish in their lives, really. It was not like Senjen would feel bad about stealing from a corporation like Myrmidon, but that was a huge step up in risk compared to what they had been doing.

“I think I do want to help you, Quadrarch of Vitality. This is a good cause, and I’d love to be a part of it. But, my friend is right about the risks. Are you still amenable to looking for alternatives, if there are any to find? Something that doesn’t require stealing from...a powerful corporation? If they still do mining on the planet, maybe I could get legitimate authorization down to the surface? They have a job board I have access to; if there’s any jobs associated with that mining operation, then that could be an in.” Senjen speculated. Even if it worked, it wouldn’t be without challenges. They would have to smuggle the others on the ship somehow, sneak away on the surface, and Senjen would actually have to do the job he signed up for to avoid suspicion, but it could be less risky than a theft.

Vitality paused to consider this for a moment. “Perhaps that will work. There is one other matter we must consider though. My sources are clear about one thing – the surface of Veppecantel is extremely dangerous now. Even if you are resistant to the virus itself, its…effects still pose great risks. To protect my investment in this mission, I have made arrangements for a security detail, of sorts.”

Light flashed surprise at this statement. It was notoriously difficult to gain access to protection through FGC, for any sort of mission. The large Chekeri seemed to notice this reaction.

“As Quadrarch of Vitality, I cannot access mercenaries through normal channels accepted by non-profits such as ours without raising undue attention. So instead, I found another person who needs to get onto the surface but needs a skilled pilot. They have agreed to protect you all, in exchange for your help in extracting a very important person from a Myrmidon facility on the surface and getting them off-world. Senjen, your frame could provide useful cover in this gambit. If you are registered on their system as a worker that may no longer be an option, hmm?”

Oh sure, he’s allowed to say it. Senjen thought to himself.

“You are probably right about that.” Senjen nodded in agreement. “I just want to make sure to consider every approach before committing, with how dangerous this sort of job is. I may need some time to make some preparations. Like Light mentioned, the makers of this frame could have put some surprises in it, and I would like to have it examined.”

There was another thought that came to Senjen’s mind as they were talking about the virus itself. That was not the sort of risk he had ever had to worry about, but with friends and allies around, it was now more than himself who he needed to worry about. “If it isn’t any trouble, I would also like to ask if we could borrow some equipment for this job. Specifically, I think it would be a good idea to have some decontamination equipment in our ship. We need to be able to sterilize ourselves completely to make sure we don’t risk bringing the virus off-planet.”

“I’ll allow it. Just don’t take long! You must get going as soon as possible. The situation is already delicate and is poised to get worse!
Vitality coughed with a wide open beak, tongue out. Light wondered if there might be a limit to what medical science was supposed to do, and that this elderly Chekeri was reaching that limit. Ruk took her another drink, of water this time, that she turned her nose up at.

“Yes yes, Seraphim will set you up with all the necessary equipment. It is imperative the Holophage does not make it off Veppecantel. You will use all means necessary to protect the galaxy, is that understood?”

“Yes ma’am. I think we understand. There are lot of conditions to this mission, and a lot of risk. What do we get out of it?” Light asked. This seemed in a totally different league to their regular FGC work.

Vitality laughed and coughed again. “You mean you’re not doing this from the goodness of your heart? No, of course not. Your arrangement with my organisation is one of necessity. We fix you up and this is how you repay me? Pah!...Well, I have none to offer you here, but on the planet? Well, let’s just say a little birdie told me of a bank vault with BILLIONS in gold and silver completely unguarded. The location is locked In Seraphim’s head. Help her complete her mission and she will tell you where it is. Do we have a deal?”

There was some noticeable hesitance from Senjen. The job was dangerous, sure, but the reward also gave him pause. How could he justify stealing from a bank vault? Sure, he had helped to smuggle things into Korit before, but he was no thief. Technically, he supposed, those devices they had helped Jess find did belong to another corporation, but they were rarely paragons of virtue, so it did not feel so bad. So...maybe it would not be so wrong to raid the vault if it belonged to some group that deserved it? Or perhaps if it was simply abandoned and there was no one left who would miss it? Thinking about it, there were few other reasons he could imagine for why something that valuable would be unguarded.

Regardless, just because he could imagine justified scenario, that did not mean he was going to just jump eagerly into it. With a glance to Light beside him, he sent him a message. ”It sounds like a fair deal and everything. Risky, but well-paid, and it’s for a good cause. Stopping a virus could never be a bad thing. What do you think about that reward, though? It could be okay, depending on who it belongs to. If you are fine with it, then I agree too.”

Light shivered at the thought of a bank vault that was open for the looting, and the series of events that must have happened to make it so. He was curious as to how the surface of the planet looked now that tragedy had befallen the citizens there. He could only conjure up a few pretty pictures from tourist adverts pinned to various lavatories offered for free around the city.

Then he received a surreptitious message from Senjen and honestly didn’t know what to reply. Eventually he thought: “There is nothing about this that I’m completely ‘fine’ with. But it doesn’t feel like we have much of a choice. This lady could terminate our contract with FGC today if she wanted; then where are we? We can’t survive just waiting for Jess to come up with another job.”

Finally, after a few moments of contemplation he returned to face Vitality. “We’ll do what you ask, ma’am. But your drone has to give us the location of the vault once we are safely on the surface of Veppecantel. It may take some time for Seraphim to complete her mission, and it seems to me that conditions on the ground could change quickly. We need time to plan how we extract our payment before we leave.”
Vitality harumphed, before consulting Ruk.

“You vouch for them?” Their friend hesitated. This really wasn’t anywhere near her comfort zone. She stared at them both in turn for a second.

“Yeah, I do. As vagabonds go, these two are good.”

Vitality nodded. “Very well. It is agreed. Go and get checked out. You leave in two days.”