Valiant: Tales From The Archive

[CURSEd #35: Media Meltdown]

Log Date: 2/30/12765

Data Sources: Darrow Bennion, Ilyana Kemaim

Event Log: Darrow Bennion

C.V. Justice: Axiom’s Quarters

9:55pm LST

THE LONGEST CON

The lie that changed the balance of power in the galaxy

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PEACEKEEPERS CLAIM IGNORANCE

“I didn’t know. None of us knew,” Surge stated before he was whisked away by his handlers while moving between locations

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PROTECTORATE DEMANDS ANSWERS

The battle on Kasvei was one of the most destructive in recent years, with an entire skyscraper being destroyed and multiple collateral casualties. The Halfie Protectorate is…

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GOVERNMENTS REACT BY NOT REACTING

Governments of the major nations seem reluctant to damage relations by criticizing CURSE, but leaks from officials reveal a suppressed outrage over the Nova deception

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CITIZENS UNITED? MORE LIKE CITIZENS DIVIDED

Among the galaxy’s civilian populace, mixed reactions to Nova’s return

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WHY THE LIE?

Nova had massive popularity and cultural clout before the Songbird Incident. Why fake her death and throw it all away?

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VALIANT RISING

Recent analytics show a surge of support for the Valiant in the wake of Nova’s return

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I drop my phone on the bed beside me, unable to keep scrolling through the articles. I’d only opened up the news out of a morbid curiosity, and because I had nothing to do; it was clear now that it was a mistake. No matter how far I scrolled, what news site I went to, there was no escaping the Nova-centric headlines. They were everywhere, dominating every channel, every station, and had been for the past three days. The only way to get away from it was to turn off the screen and put down the phone.

But even that doesn’t completely work, because it’s the only thing on everybody’s minds.

Conversations with other people on the ship, even if they start somewhere else, eventually wind their way around to that topic. It’s not even because we want to talk about it, but you feel you have to talk about it eventually — because it turns out that Nova is our leader, and so everything to do with her literally affects our jobs. The Peacekeepers have already gotten tired of telling people that we didn’t know about Tenji’s secret, and most of us have taken to spending chunks of time in our rooms to avoid the curiosity of the other CURSE operatives. Contact with CURSE’s media office has been frequent, but haphazard; they’re trying to remain professional, but reading through their messages, you get the feeling that someone lit their entire department on fire with them still in it.

None of this is helped by the fact that we’ve been sent onwards to the Losinadae Nebula, while Tenji is headed back to the CURSE HQ. So questions remain unanswered; none of the Peacekeepers have been able to meet with Tenji and ask the questions that are on everybody’s minds. We’re left to wonder why this was kept secret from us for so long, and why it was kept secret in the first place; why we’ve been fighting all these battles when we had someone as powerful as Nova at our disposal. There had to be a reason, but without Tenji here to answer our questions, all we can do is take guesses in the dark, and shrug when others ask us the same questions.

My ruminations are interrupted by the bell tone for my door; sitting up, I pull up the door camera on the wall beside my bed, and see that Kwyn’s outside my door. Swinging my legs out of bed, I stand up and make my way over to the door, waving it open as I arrive. “Hey, Junior. What’s up?”

She looks nervous, fiddling her with fingers, but goes on anyway. “Mind if I come in?”

“Really ain’t beatin’ the teacher’s pet allegations, rookie.” Gossamer calls down the hall from where she’s shuffling into her quarters.

“Oh shut up, Gossamer.” Kwyn snaps back at her, while I scowl down the hall.

Once Gossamer’s slunk back into her room, I stand out of the way so Kwyn can come in. “Yeah, that’s fine. Is everything okay?” I ask.

She steps in, waving the door shut behind her, then turns and wraps her arms around me, head resting against my shoulder. Though I’m taken off guard, I’m quick to gather my wits and return the embrace, folding her into my arms and holding her close. She exhales a few deep breaths, as if she was letting out tension she’d been holding in, and I feel her slowly relax over the next half-minute or so.

“Good now?” I ask when it seems like her breathing’s returned to normal.

“I mean… still not great, but better.” she says, remaining where she is for now. “I’ve been going crazy. Thinking about what happened on Kasvei, what it means for us… hate being cooped up on a ship when I just want to go somewhere big and empty so I can get my head around it and think through it. But every time I leave my quarters and try to walk around the ship to clear my thoughts, people are always looking at me. Asking me questions, sometimes, like I know anything about what’s going on, which I don’t. I can’t get any peace or room to think like that, so I keep holing up in my room, but I hate staying in there for hours on end…”

“Well, you’re free to hang out with me.” I say, gently rocking a little, side to side. “I won’t bother you with questions about things you don’t know.”

I feel her arms tighten around me a bit more. “Can I stay the night?”

Again, I’m caught off guard. “Oh… yeah, of course.”

She starts to pull back a little, taking her head off my shoulder after my brief second of hesitation. “I mean, if you’re not comfortable with it—”

I pull her back into my embrace, holding her close against me. “Kwyn. I am more than happy to let you stay the night. Honestly, the only reason I hesitated was because I was surprised you were that comfortable with me.”

She colors a little as she smiles up at me. “I guess I did kinda spring this on you without warning, didn’t I.”

“Out of all the things that could be sprung on me without warning, this is probably the one that I prefer the most.” I say, before leaning down a bit to give her a light kiss that leaves her beaming. “Would you like to sit down and relax? Get comfortable?”

She looks around my quarters, her eyes going to the bed, before defaulting to the chair in the corner of the room. “Yeah, that would be nice.”

“Sit where you like. Bed, chair, whatever’s comfortable for you.” I say, breaking my embrace and turning towards the wall. “Would you like anything to drink or nibble on? I know it’s late at night, so you’ve probably already had dinner…”

“Any fizzwater?” she asks. “They usually keep some stocked in the Peacekeeper quarters, or at least they have in every one that I’ve been in..”

“Fizzwater it is.” I say, heading over to the wall and pushing in one of the long panels. It clicks and swings open, revealing a small refrigeration unit built into the wall, and cans of fizzwater stacked within. “We’ve got blueberry pomegranate, green starfruit, citrus, and bananacream fizz, apparently… they must be stocking with a different supplier. These are all new flavors and the branding looks different.”

“Yeah, I’m used to just the regular fruit flavors… can I try one of the starfruit ones?” she asks.

“One starfruit coming up.” I say, pulling out a can for her, then a citrus can for myself. Pushing the panel closed, I turn around to find she’s slipped her shoes off and gotten comfortable on my bed; coming over, I hand her can over, sitting down on the edge as I crack my own can open. I notice she’s dressed cozy, in a soft sweater and loose pants, something that could easily be considered sleeping material. “Haven’t been having trouble sleeping, have you?”

“I have, actually.” she says, cracking open her can and spinning a finger beside her head. “My mind, it just goes and goes sometimes, and it can’t stop… then I’ll check my phone and it’s two in the morning. It’s easier for me to go to sleep when I have someone to sleep with. It forces me to stop thinking. Gives me something else to focus on. I mean, not that I do that often… or ever… but that’s what worked when I was younger and had to share a room and bed with my sister, or on campouts with the other kids in the scout troop.”

“You must’ve had a fair bit of trouble sleeping, then.” I say, leaning back on a hand as I take a sip from my can. “I mean, not to insinuate that you don’t get any action. Just that, y’know. I’ve known you for a while, and…”

She chuckles at that. “No, you’re right. I’m just… I’ve never been great with that. Getting with other people. I think I was always too cautious. Hesitant. You and Whisper probably have me beat by a country mile.”

I puff out a laugh. “I’m flattered, but you’re giving me way more credit than I’m due. Might be a Peacekeeper, but I’m not much of a player. I’m godawful at the game, for one. Can’t chase for shit, you know that too. Dense as a brick of lead, for three… all the signs I missed from Whisper are proof of that. Nah. I’m not the player you think I am. Whisper, though… she’s got game.”

Kwyn takes a sip from her can. “Maybe you look at her the same way I look at you.”

“Nah, nah. Whisper does actually take people to bed. Well, did actually take people to bed, back when she was more active.” I say, shaking my head. “It’s been a couple years since she did that kind of roaming. She started easing off once the Challengers started coming back and work started picking up. Less time and energy to fool around, I suppose.”

“So during those times, were you, like… her wingman?” Kwyn says, shuffling in a bit closer to me. “I’ve always wondered, since you two have been friends for over a decade.”

“Yeah, I guess. I definitely helped her with some of her hookups.” I say, mulling it over and reflecting on the past years. “I suppose I was mostly just there to catch her when she fell. Be the friend that she could lean against when a hookup fell through. Pick her up and carry her back to her room when she was too drunk to get there herself. Just taking care of her, I suppose, like friends are supposed to do.”

“And in ten years, you never noticed she was interested in you.” Kwyn teases.

“Look, I told you I was dense.” I say, leaning over to sniff at her starfruit fizzwater. “Lemme get a sip of that, I’m kinda curious how it tastes.”

She holds it away with a smirk. “Only if you let me have a sip of yours.”

“Be my guest, it ain’t exactly fine wine.” I say, offering my can out to her.

She takes it, swaps it with the one she’s got, and hooks her arm around mine. “On three, we both take a swig. Ready?”

I grin. “Three.”

“Whuh— hey, wait!” she protests as I tilt my can back, and she rushes to do the same, both of us fighting to contain our giggles as we lower our cans again. “Goddammit, Dare…”

“You never said we had to count to three. You just said ‘on three’.”

“You’re such a punk!” she says, giving me a light shove, and I cackle, letting myself roll back on the pillows. She follows me, bracing herself on my chest as she uses her free hand to poke my nose. “See, you’ve got game! You can be fun when you’re not zippered up trying to be a model citizen out in public!”

“I could say something similar about you; you’re not nearly as shy when nobody’s watching us.” I chuckle, setting my fizzwater over on the bedside to make sure I don’t spill any.

“Shy. Yeah, right. Here, lemme show you how shy I am.” she scoffs, taking a swig of her fizzwater and then leaning down to give me a full citrus kiss, sizzling with carbonation. To say it’s unexpected is an understatement; and yet I can’t help but reciprocate, caught up in the thrill of the moment as I tangle my fingers in her sweater, and she braces an arm by my head and drapes the other over my shoulder. Her lips are sweet, and taste like clementine and lemon, and I know that’s just the fizzwater, but damn, it is intoxicating.

“Shy enough for you?” she exhales when she pulls away, albeit only slightly. I can still feel her soft panting over my lips, the sugary scent of her breath, and I really should be reining it in, but I don’t want to stop, and it doesn’t seem like she wants to stop either.

“Think I’ve seen shyer—” I don’t even get the chance to finish the sentence before I find myself locked in another kiss with her, this one intended to prove me wrong. It’s messy and fierce, with Kwyn fumbling to set her can on the bedside next to mine so that she’s got both hands free, while I run my fingers through her silky white hair, cupping the back of her neck once I get there and using my other arm to try and reposition myself beneath her. Any other thoughts or worries I had before this are being swept away by the taste of her tongue, the heat of her breath in my mouth, the pressure of her hand on my chest and her fingers through my hair. Nova, Tenji, Songbird, the Valiant — all of it melts away. None of that matters right now and I don’t care.

And when we break apart this time, panting for breath even more than last time, she doesn’t even bother to pull away. She lingers there, golden eyes glowing dimly as she stares down at me, her fingers tracing my face, taking the measure of my jaw. I can feel the beat of her heart, the curve of her back beneath my hand, the spring-loaded tension in her frame, like she’s holding back, but only just barely. I can feel that same tension start to build in myself, seeking release but kept restrained for the moment.

“Dare.” she breathes. “I think I’m about to do something stupid.”

“Do you want me to stop you?” No thoughts, just reflexive replies.

“No I don’t. I want the opposite.”

“You want me to do something stupid with you.”

“Yeah.”

“I probably shouldn’t.”

“No, you probably shouldn’t. But do you want to?”

“Absolutely.”

“Are you going to?”

“I think I will.”

“Good.” With that, she sits up somewhat, reaching down and grabbing the edges of her sweater, pulling it up over her head and throwing it to the side. When she leans back down, the restraint is gone; her kiss is brief but scorching as her hand finds the magnetic seam of my shirt, and pull it open while my hands roam down her sides to hook around her hips and pull her a bit closer. Words almost seem like an anachronism at this point; neither of us have any illusions about what the other wants. But among the citrus-tinged kisses, Kwyn finds a moment to whisper a few words in my ear that leave me with shivers.

“You’re my first. Give me a night to remember.”

And just like that, this night became one of the most important nights of my life.

The Myrrdicato Dispatch: Analysis Section

THE LONGEST CON

It’s hard to believe that the status quo of the last sixteen years hinged on two words: Nova died.

This was the foundational belief upon which the politics of the last decade and a half rested. We took it as an established fact and built it into our collective psyche. We treated it as a historical event, a turning point that marked ‘before’ and ‘after’. We gave it a name, called it the Songbird Incident, and we built law, regulation, and policy around the assumption of this historical event. Over the last five years, we started teaching it in schools. At this moment, there are thirty-eight different editions of high school-level Modern History textbooks in circulation that have a chapter subsection devoted to the fall of the Challenger program and how Nova’s death factored into it. Most school systems in the galaxy use one of these thirty-eight editions in their social studies curriculum.

So what do you do when you find out that law, policy, education, history, and the galactic balance of power has been built on a lie?

That is the question that now confronts CURSE, but it is also the question that lies before countless governments and legislators. For those who sought the shuttering of the Challenger program on the strength of Songbird’s guilt, who created laws to legalize the pursuit and destruction of resistant Challengers based on the same, there is a question of whether we authorized the murder of innocents based on the false conviction of a single man. For those who pivoted to CURSE in the wake of the Songbird Incident, there is the question of whether it was wise to do so, and what other secrets CURSE may still be hiding. For those who hoped for the destruction of Songbird with hearts full of hate, it is rather uncomfortable to find that that CURSE’s crusade against the Valiant seems to have been motivated by a grudge held by someone that most of the galaxy once saw as their hero.

None of these questions are easy questions, but they are questions that cannot be ignored, and must now be asked. There is an uncomfortable reckoning ahead, and despite the chorus of early voices advising against jumping to conclusions, and to give Nova some grace, and time to provide an explanation, there are certain facts that cannot be abated by any answer that she or CURSE may provide. It remains a fact that she let the rest of the galaxy assume she was dead for fifteen years; it remains a fact that she stood by and let the weight of that blame fall on a man that suffered for it far more than he should’ve. It remains a fact that she maintained the lie, and used her assumed martyrdom to shape the galaxy after taking a new identity and taking the reins at CURSE. It remains a fact that she played the rest of the galaxy like a fiddle, and we sang along to her tune like the fools that we were. And for all those coming to Nova’s defense, clamoring to give her grace and time to explain herself, we may as well ask, in the interest of fairness and equality, why they were disinclined to offer the same time and grace to Songbird during his own similarly damning incident.

The days ahead will not be easy. CURSE has a lot of explaining to do, and so far has declined to do any of it. Governments and organizations will now have to reexamine their relationships with CURSE, even as the Valiant start to look like a more and more appealing alternative. All media organizations, whether mainstream or independently sourced, will have a responsibility to the truth, fully reported and unmolested by the partisan trimming that advances their personal agendas. I doubt that this mandate will be heeded by many, but it is owed to the people of Myrrdicato nonetheless — to have this truth untainted by politics or personal bias.

Because if there’s anything to be taken away from all this, it’s that none of this would’ve happened if we had the truth in the first place. If there’s a lesson for CURSE, it’s that each lie told incurs a debt to the truth — and for Nova, the truth is finally coming to collect.

Event Log: Darrow Bennion

C.V. Justice: Engineering Lab 1

3/1/12765 11:41am LST

My mind’s elsewhere when I arrive to the onboard workshop where Kent’s repairing the Axiom armor.

Kwyn and I had woken up late this morning, and had passed the better part of an hour cozied up to each other. I hadn’t wanted to up and leave her, nor did I want to rush her — last night had been an important night for her, and I wanted to let her have time to process it and talk about it, if she wanted. But when the topic came up in our meandering morning conversation, she didn’t say anything — just gave me a sleepy smile and snuggled in a little closer to my chest. While I still wasn’t sure how to interpret it, I decided to assume, tentatively, that it was a good sign.

Even so, we did eventually have to get up; the galaxy wasn’t going to stop spinning on our account, and each of us still had responsibilities and obligations. So we got out of bed, got cleaned up, and agreed to meet a little later on in the afternoon or evening. Dinner together sounded appealing, and it would provide an opportunity to get our minds off the recent chaos and turbulence embroiling CURSE as a whole. I hadn’t thought that would be possible with how all-consuming the recent revelations were, but last night was proof that spending time with someone you care about could shield you from the galaxy’s troubles, if only for a little while.

As the door to the workshop spirals open, I step inside, taking a sip from a tumbler of lukewarm coffee. Laid out on the center table is the Axiom suit, with plates removed in certain areas so work can be done on the underlying gears and actuators. Diagnostic wires are hooked up to some of the exposed subsystems, with spare parts and tools organized on the surrounding tables. Kent is sitting at the workbench against the back wall, a set of goggles on as he checks one of the removed plates under magnification.

“Hey there, it’s your number one customer.” I call as I start making my way around the tables to him. “How are those repairs coming along?”

Kent pulls his goggles up on his head, spins around in his chair, and rests his arms on the workbench as he leans back, smirking at me with a cocked eyebrow. I recognize the look instantly and twist around the spot, heading back towards the door, but he picks up a remote and clicks it, the door spiraling shut and locking.

“What? No! Let me out of here, dammit!” I exclaim, poking the access pad to no avail.

“Well well well. I heard someone went picking flowers last night.” Kent drawls, lacing his fingers together as he folds one leg over the other.

“You let me out of here right this instant—” I demand, jabbing a finger at him.

“Dare, please. You and I have been friends for, what? The better part of a decade?” Kent says, studying his fingernails. “I know you like the bar menu at Gritter’s. Did you really think that you could sneak something so monumental past me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, of course. Deny and deflect. It’s all the rage with the media office nowadays. But you’ll have to try a little harder than that to shake me once I’ve picked up a scent.” Kent says, picking up a nail file and looking it over. “So Dare, tell me: how’s it feel to be official with your trainee?”

I glare at him. “…how did you find out?”

“Dare, please, my man. Don’t you know me?” Kent scoffs, waving a hand. “I’m like the goddamn Eye of Gryffin. I see and hear it all. Nothing moves in CURSE without me knowing about it. Hell, the only reason I ask about these things is to be polite. It’s just a formality. But that’s enough about me.” He leans forward on his knees, grinning. “How’s it feel, being back in the game after all these years?”

“It’s none of your business, thank you very much.” I mutter, taking another sip from my coffee as I accept the fact that I’m stuck in here, and start to make my way back to the table where my power armor is being repaired.

“Hmhmhm. That’s not what that new spring in your step is telling me.” Kent chuckles, leaning back in his chair. “Spill the beans. Did you wake up to find a satisfied customer in your bed this morning?”

“That is also none of your business.” I reply aloofly.

“Oh, c’mon, Dare, gimme something.” Kent cajoles. “Doesn’t have to be much, just a little bit. Who initiated? Top? Bottom? Nervous? Confident? Gimme something, man. If I don’t feed the rumor mill, it starts demanding blood sacrifice.”

“Well, you better find a hemopharmacy, because you ain’t feeding me or Kwyn to it.” I retort. “I’ll be happy to gossip with you about anything else. But you’re not gettin’ a single word out of me when it comes to me and Kwyn.”

“Ah, fine.” Kent says, swatting a hand in my direction. “Chivalry died a long time ago, but if that’s what cooks your crab, you do as you please.” It’s immediately followed with an evil grin. “Although that should be as simple as doing Kwy—”

“Allllllright, that’s enough of that.” I interrupt, rapping the helm of the suit. “Start talkin’. Is this thing going to be fixed before we arrive at Losinadae?”

Kent starts filing down one of his hangnails as he answers. “Don’t get your tits in a twist. It’ll be fixed and ready to go by the time we get to the nebula. I’m just taking the opportunity to check out some of the stuff under the hood, take a few measurements and test some ideas. I think I’ve got a way to integrate a micromissile rack into the suit without taking performance away from other areas, though it’s gonna need some test runs.”

I sigh. “Kent, I already told you, I don’t want a box of high explosives sitting right next to my head—”

“Hey. Tits. Untwist them.” Kent says, waving a hand at me. “I know what you’ve said about that, I’ve taken it into account. Instead of a shoulder mounting, I’m looking at some more… conservative designs that make use of dorsal mountpoints. It’d be something smaller, a little more streamlined, and mounted on your backplate, kind of like your supply module. The one you were outfitted with for the assignment on Avvikerene, you remember that?”

“Yeah…” I say slowly. “But that’s still a bunch of explosives just riding around on my back…”

“Dare, did you see that fight that Songbird had with Nova?” Kent says, setting his nail file aside.

I roll my eyes. “I was literally there, Kent. What do you think?” I know where he’s going with this, but I’m still hoping to deflect by playing dumb.

“What I think is that we have to step it up.” he says, picking up the remote again and clicking it. The holoarray in the room starts projecting screens all over the room, each one carrying articles and news channels reporting on the Kasvei battle. “And I know a rack of micromissiles isn’t going to do much when you’re up against someone that can catch half a skyscraper and teleport it a block down the street, but we have got to do something, Dare. At this point it’s not even about matching what Songbird can do, it’s just about giving you more tools to deal with him and his friends, because you’re going to need them. You might not be able to get on his level, but trying to close the gap is still worth something. There’s no sense in letting it just get bigger and bigger.”

I blow out a long breath as I glance at the screens surrounding us. All the stuff I’d been ignoring, all the stuff I hadn’t wanted to think about, all the stuff that had disappeared when I was nestled under covers with Kwyn… it was impossible to ignore it now. Honestly, there was no point in trying to avoid it; I was going to have to face it sooner or later. Might as well face it sooner, and get it over with.

“…fine.” I mutter, leaning against one of the workbenches. “If you can find a way to fit a missile rack on there without sacrificing performance or turning me into a walking bomb, go ahead and do it.”

It seems like Kent can tell I’m just saying it to get him off my back. “Alright, man, go ahead and spit it out. What’s the problem?”

I shrug, motioning my tumbler to one of the screens that shows Songbird teleporting to at least six places in quick succession right before he brings one of his blades down on Nova. “How am I supposed to compete with that, Kent? With any of this. Have you seen the things that he did during that fight? What’s a dozen mini-missiles supposed to do against any of that?”

“Dude, I just told you, it’s about closing the gap—”

“Kent.” I interrupt him. “He went head to head with Nova. And he beat her.”

Kent looks to be at a loss for words, then shrugs. “I mean, didn’t he do that sixteen years ago anyway? So it’s not like that’s anything new…”

“The Songbird Incident was a rooftop confrontation where he shot her twice. That wasn’t a fight.” I point out. “What happened on Kasvei? That was a fight. That was a knock-down, drag-out, beat-each-other-into-a-bloody-pulp, last-man-standing fight. They didn’t hold anything back; they both uncorked and went at it, hammer and tongs. And Songbird won. And not only did he win, he beat Nova, who everyone thought was the most powerful Challenger before the Incident. What am I supposed to do against that? If not even Nova can beat him, why would the rest of us stand a chance?”

“I mean, that’s a good point, but she also fought him alone, Dare.” Kent reasons. “From what I’ve heard, she wouldn’t accept help; she insisted on facing him alone. Do you plan on fighting him alone in the future?”

“I mean, depending on the next time I encounter him, I might not have a choice—”

“And if that’s the situation you find yourself in through no fault of your own, that’s fine; I don’t expect you to win and probably nobody else should either.” Kent says calmly. “But Peacekeepers don’t usually go on solo assignments. You run with buddy pairs or in packs, and that’s for a reason. Yeah, you alone probably won’t be able to defeat Songbird, but if assignments are set up the way they’re supposed to be, you won’t be alone. And in those cases, fighting Songbird will be the sum of what you and everyone else can bring to the table. So with that math in mind, it makes sense that getting your number a little higher will help you contribute more to the group, right?”

I puff out another long breath. “Yeah, I guess…”

“Good. So no more of this defeatist stuff, acting like there’s no point in trying to get on Songbird’s level. Nobody rang the bell; the fight isn’t over.” he says, coming over to the worktable and starting to unhook some of the diagnostic cables tethered to the Axiom suit. “Yes, there was a royal ass-handing on Kasvei, but CURSE is still here, and all our Peacekeepers are still intact. Losing to Songbird isn’t the end of the galaxy. This’ll be, like, what? The third time in a row that we’ve lost to him? We’re still here and still grinding away at it.”

“Yeah. I guess that’s a fair point.” What I’m not saying is that I’m choosing not to argue it simply because I don’t have the energy to do so. I get what Kent’s trying to do, providing the moral support and encouragement to keep going, but I don’t think he really gets it. He doesn’t understand what it’s like to get into these fights again and again and again, and to get slapped down or fought to a draw every time. It wears on you, especially when you keep fighting the same person over and over and over again, and when you never manage to win, you eventually start asking yourself why you keep trying.

“Good.” Kent nods, then tilts his head towards one of the holoscreens. “Now, are we gonna talk about that?”

I glance to see it’s a news channel that has a side-by-side of Nova and Tenji, while a pundit provides commentary on the side. I can’t help but grimace. “Suppose we have to talk about it eventually.”

Kent nods as he starts winding some of the cables around his fingers to prep them for storage. “You didn’t know, did you?”

I snort at that, sipping from my tumbler. “You think I would’ve been able to keep my mouth shut about something like that?”

“Fair point. Don’t think I would’ve been able to either.” Kent says, glancing back at the screen. “I mean, when you put the pictures right next to each other, it seems so obvious you wonder how no one figured it out. I guess it’s just because no one expected to see Nova in a suit. Dye the hair red and throw a set of glasses on top of it all, and it’s practically a different person. Really changes the whole image, doesn't it.”

“I just… I don’t understand why she did it.” I say, watching as the news reports continue to play out around us. “I get going into hiding after the Songbird Incident, maybe riding it out a bit until she felt safe, but for sixteen years? I couldn’t imagine pretending to be someone else for that long.”

“Maybe she never planned for it to be that long.” Kent says, strapping up some of the cables he’s wound. “Maybe she realized that the longer she kept the secret, the worse the blowback would be, and she just kept on putting off the reveal until it got to the point where it would’ve been reputational suicide to do so. Got to a point where there was more benefit in keeping the secret, rather than revealing it.”

“I mean, at the very least, everything’s starting to make sense now.” I say. “It explains why the Valiant bothered her so much, and why she was so hellbent on destroying Songbird. Why she’s forced the organization to go to the lengths we have to try and stamp out them out.”

“I’m gonna sound cynical saying it, but this was never about keeping peace and order in the galaxy, was it?” Kent asks as he starts to clean up some of his other workbenches. “It was all just a front for her to chase her vendetta. I mean, I get it; Songbird did shoot her off the edge of a building for trying to be a whistleblower all those years ago, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she was still pissed about that. But she can’t honestly say that this feud with the Valiant was about keeping the galaxy stable, and nothing else. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together can see that on some level, this is personal for her.”

“I just don’t understand why she spent so long throwing the rest of us at him.” I muse, turning to study another one of the screens. “If Tenji was Nova all along, she had to have known how powerful Songbird was. Had to have known what he was capable of. She had to have known that he was something most of us couldn’t handle. So why…” I suddenly stop at something flickers across my mind.

The only other field assignment that Tenji had been on in the last few years was the trip to Chibundi, to recover the orange Spark. And once she found out that I had ended up with it, she had offered to take it if I didn’t feel like I could handle it.

“She knows she can’t beat him.” I realize out loud.

“Pardon?” Kent says, glancing at me.

“Tenji knows that she can’t beat Songbird. That’s why she wanted the Spark, and went on the mission to retrieve it.” I say as the pieces start clicking together in my head. “That’s why she’s so focused on the Dragine artifacts and sends us after them, despite the risks. That’s why she always made us fight him, instead of fighting him herself. She knows she can’t beat him. Or at the least, she wasn’t sure she could beat him, and didn’t want to take the risk until she had some sort of ace up her sleeve.”

“I guess that kind of makes sense.” Kent says, rolling one of the parts around in his hand as he mulls it over. “But if that’s true, why did she pick Kasvei to finally take off her gloves and take a swing at him? She didn’t manage to harness the artifact we do have, did she?”

“No, not that I know of. The science department is still studying it.” I say, rubbing a palm under my jaw. “…maybe she got impatient? Got tired of throwing us at Songbird, and decided it was worth taking a crack at him herself? But would she really blow her cover just for that? I feel like spending sixteen years living a different identity is, like, the epitome of patience. It wouldn’t make sense for her to throw that all away on a risky encounter that she wasn’t guaranteed to win…”

“But this whole thing has been about revenge, hasn’t it?” Kent points out. “All of this — trying to stamp out the Valiant, trying to bring down Songbird once and for all — it’s just an extension of her desire for revenge. And I think Kasvei was the first time that she’s been in the same place as Songbird at the same time. Maybe she couldn’t help herself, and felt like this was her only chance to take a crack at him while he was within striking distance.”

I shake my head. “None of this makes any sense… and most of it is just speculation, anyhow. Khh. I should’ve asked her while we were extracting from Selbaredo, but there was too much going on. A lot of this stuff, we just have no way of knowing without asking her directly.”

“Well, the whole galaxy’s got plenty of questions for her right now.” Kent says, putting some of his spare parts away in a box. “Have you asked any of the other Peacekeepers about this whole mess yet?”

“I’ve talked with the others. Nobody else saw this coming. Nobody else knew about it.” I say, then pause. “…I haven’t spoken with Gossamer or Nazka. I always get the feeling that Gossamer thinks she’s too good to hang out with a human like me, and Nazka… well, he’s Nazka. You don’t spend time around the man if you can avoid it.”

“Hmm.” Kent says, tapping a wrench against one hand. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“What, that Gossamer knew Tenji’s secret?” I say, glancing at him. “I mean… do you think she did?”

“Considering how close the two of them are…” Kent says, shrugging.

I furrow my brow at that. “I mean, yeah, but I didn’t think they were that close. I knew Tenji leaned on Gossamer for high-sensitivity assignments, but you could say the same about me, since she’s been tasking me with retrieving high-value artifacts since last year.”

Kent gives me a measuring look. “…no, Dare, I don’t think you’re as close with Tenji as Gossamer is. Trust me on that.”

Something about the way he says that strikes me as odd. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I demand.

“Dare, buddy.” Kent says, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “Not a lot of people realize it, but Tenji and Gossamer have a… special relationship. Have had it for quite a while, actually. Going back as far as I can remember, ever since I started working for CURSE. It’s not too different from the relationship that, ah…” He takes a deep breath in. “…you now have with Kwyn.”

My eyes widen as that sinks in. “Oh.”

“Indeed. So, no matter how much Tenji trusts you — and I’m sure she does, I’m not saying she doesn’t — it’s just not going to be as much as she trusts Gossamer.”

I’m still working through the implications of Kent’s revelation. “Wait, you’re telling me Tenji and Gossamer have been… ever since you started with CURSE? That means they’ve been doing it for years, not just when Whisper caught them a few weeks ago?”

Kent, who had started packing up one of his stacking organizer boxes, stops dead and looks at me. “When Whisper what?”

I freeze when I remember that Whisper had elected not to tell Kent about having stumbled on the two of them when she was trying to spy on Gossamer. “Oh… uh, just forget I said anything about that.”

“Noooo nononono.” Kent says, turning and scrutinizing me. “What’s this about Whisper spying on Tenji and Gossamer doing the deed?”

I check my phone. “Well, wouldja looka that, it’s almost lunch time. Y’know, I think I should get going; I think I’ve got some reports that I might’ve forgotten to file…” I say, starting to back towards the door again.

“Oh no you don’t! You and Whisper have been holding out on me, haven’t you!”

“Sorry, I just remembered that I, uhm… need to go wash my sheets! Yep! Last night sure was exciting, y’know!”

“Oi! Get back here! You can’t distract me from one steamy tryst by throwing out details on another steamy tryst! That’s against the rules!”

“See you later, Kent! Lemme know when my suit’s repaired!”

Intercepted Communications

??? to Peacekeeper Device via C.V. Justice HiSec Comms Relay

3/2/12765 9:56am LST

(sent on 2/30/65) ???: Ilyana, gimme a call when you have the chance

(sent on 3/1/65) ???: Ilyana, did you see this message?

(sent on 3/2/65 4:01am) ???: the family’s got questions about the Nova thing

(sent on 3/2/65 7:03am) ???: Ilyana, I know this is your number, I had Ranu do an intel check to be sure

(sent on 3/2/65 9:10am) ???: if you don’t text back in the next 24 hours I’m going to take off work and come out there in person

Furball: WHAT

Furball: FFS

Furball: HAS IT OCCURRED TO YOU THAT MY WORK IS VERY BUSY RIGHT NOW

Furball: WHY DID YOU GET RANU TO RUN AN INTEL CHECK ON ME, THAT’S A WASTE OF TRIBE RESOURCES AND AN INVASION OF PRIVACY

???: answer your texts next time, then

???: what’s going on at CURSE? Has Nova really been pulling the strings from behind the scenes all along?

Furball: srsly

Furball: thats like asking me if its raining when youre STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO A GODDAMN WINDOW

Furball: have you looked at a single screen in the last three days or do you just not pay attention to the news thats blasting across the entire galaxy right now

???: the news only has speculation and punditry. CURSE hasn’t provided a statement to any of the news orgs

Furball: y does it even matter, the Alliance doesnt want to touch the younger races with a ten-foot pole anyway

???: That’s not true. The Alliance maintains trade relations with the younger races

Furball: lemme rephrase that

Furball: y do YOU care

Furball: u and the rest of the family avoid the younger races like a plague

???: we ask because we’re concerned about YOU, you brainlet

Furball: well im doing perfectly fine thank u very much

???: well excuse me for being concerned that your boss might be a pathological liar

Furball: trust me, ur not the only one that’s concerned about that

???: are you going to stay there?

Furball: what kind of question is that

Furball: of course im going to stay, its my job

Furball: its literally paying my bills right now

???: I don’t think that’s a great idea

Furball: well its not ur job so it doesnt matter whether u think its a good idea or not

???: gods, you’re just as stubborn as Dad

Furball: well duh, where do u think i got it from

???: Mom is worried that the job is going to get you killed

Furball: i can take care of myself

Furball: just because im not a tiger anymore doesn’t mean im helpless

???: yeah, but you know she’s still gonna worry.

Furball: well ill be fine

Furball: ive made it this many years without being killed

Furball: survived the fall of the Challengers, ill survive the fall of CURSE if CURSE goes down too

???: if it does go down, you know you can always come back home, too

Furball: really hate you sometimes

Furball: also, arent i a disgrace to the family or something like that

???: it’s been 300 years, tempers have cooled a little

Furball: only because im not there

Furball: they cant stand the sight of me, it reminds them that i chose 2 b something other than what we were expected 2 b

???: that’s how things were last time you were here. Like I said, it’s been 300 years. People have cooled down a bit. You would know that if you could come home every few decades and stop skipping the family reunions

Furball: yeah im smarter than that

Furball: i remember how the last reunion i went 2 ended

Furball: learned my lession and im not interested in a second round

???: the last reunion you went to was two centuries ago, you dense clod. Like I said, people have cooled down, but you wouldn’t know that because you’ve got a serial addiction to playing the martyr and being the hero of your own story.

Furball: r we done here

???: you’ve got nieces and nephews that have never met you

???: and I think that’s a real damn shame because they could stand to learn a lot from you

Furball: pretty sure their parents would disagree

???: for the third time, that was 300 years ago

Furball: last i checked they were pretty damn concerned about letting their kids near the auntie from Avvikerene

Furball: hate 2 b corrupting the youths or whatever bullshit they keep shooting off

???: ffs Ilyana

???: people change

???: if you would just give your brothers and sisters a chance

Furball: they didnt give me a chance 300 years ago

Furball: i dont owe them a single

Furball: goddamn

Furball: thing

Furball: theyre the ones that made this bed n they can sleep in it

Furball: theyre the ones that broke this family so they can pick the shards out of their fur

Furball: theyre the ones that pushed me out

Furball: so if they want me to come back that badly, they can come to me

Furball: because i sure as hell aint going back to them after they threw me away

???: I can’t do this right now. I have a presentation to give in half an hour and I can’t afford to be in a foul mood

???: be careful out there. I’m worried about you and what’s going to happen to CURSE now that everyone knows that Nova’s been pulling the strings from behind the curtain all along

Furball: ill be fine

Furball: i know how 2 take care of myself

???: I know you do, but that doesn’t mean you have to constantly run solo. If things go south and you need a hand, just call me and let me know. 

???: I gotta go now. Be careful out there.

Furball: alright, u 2. stay safe

Event Log: Ilyana Kemaim

C.V. Justice: Exercise Room

3/3/12765 8:59am LST

Even after pounding the shit out of a punching bag and doing my weights, I’m still in a pissy mood.

The last few days haven’t been easy. The Nova thing has downright wrecked everything and thrown the whole organization into chaos, not to mention the rest of the galaxy. With a single reveal, Tenji’s managed to undermine the trust that all the staff has in their leadership, and make all of our allies and operational partners question what other secrets we’ve been hiding. She’s also set the media office on fire with the absolutely biblical shitstorm of a public relations crisis, and left the entire galaxy demanding answers. The questions have been relentless, both inside and outside of CURSE, but while it’s been bad for Peacekeepers, it’s been even worse for those of us who used to be Challengers. The most common question is whether we knew, how we could’ve missed it, weren’t you a Challenger, didn’t you work with her, how could you have not recognized her?

I didn’t know how other former Challengers would answer, but for me, the answer was simply that I didn’t know Nova all that well. Back when I was a Challenger, I was in Accounting, and worked in a different department than she did, and so our paths rarely crossed — it was as simple as that. I was engaged in covert ops — sabotage, intelligence gathering, and assassination; things that took place away from the light of day and out of the public eye. Nova, on the other hand… she was very much a daylight Challenger, to the point of being the face of the organization, along with Jackrabbit. I rarely had a need or reason to frequent the same circles as Nova, and if I was being completely honest, I did look down on her sometimes, in the same way that I looked down on many of the other daylight Challengers that fed off of media attention and the adulation of their adoring fanbases.

But people outside of the Challenger program wouldn’t or couldn’t understand that nuance. To everyone on the outside, all they saw was that we worked in the same organization, and so they assumed that we knew and worked with each other. And so the questions kept coming, though by this point I had fended off some of the CURSE staff by asking them if they knew what everyone in the arcanology or intelligence departments was doing. Which they obviously didn’t, since field staff rarely cross paths with backline departments, so they would get the point and leave it alone.

Still, between the Nova thing and my conversation with my sister yesterday, I wasn’t in the best of moods, not the least of which was because it didn’t look like things would be getting better anytime soon. I’d hit the exercise room to burn off some of my irritation, but it hadn’t made much of a dent in my mood, and as the timer on my phone goes off again, I finish racking my weights and start cleaning up. Maybe I’d feel better once I hit the showers and get clean, but I doubted it. The discontent I was feeling right now ran pretty deep, and a soak in the shower wasn’t likely to make it go away.

Reaching the door, I wave it open, only to find that Kwyn’s leaning against the wall outside, in her exercise clothes, with a towel over her shoulder and scrolling through her phone.

“Oh! Hey there, Junior.” I say, taking a step to the side as my mood immediately lightens. “Didn’t know you were the sort for morning exercise.”

Kwyn looks over and almost falls over herself, trying to push off the wall and stand up straight. “Oh! Hey! Whisper! I didn’t know you were in there. Sorry, did I cut your session short?” she blurts out.

“Nah, I was just wrapping up. How you been over the last few days?” I ask, leaning against the doorframe.

She take a deep breath. “It’s been… a lot. I’m doing okay, I think. There’s just… a lot going on. What about you?”

I puff out a long sigh. “It’s… been. Honestly, no point in sugarcoating it. It’s all shit right now. Nothing’s certain anymore and I dunno how we’re gonna deal with the Nova thing. All the other staff are looking at the Peacekeepers like we’re supposed to know what to do in this situation, but we’re just as lost as anyone else. We don’t know what to do with this. Just figured I’d let you know, in case you were expecting me to have the answers.”

“Ah. Well. I was kinda hoping.” she says, tugging on one of the bracelets around her wrist. “So I suppose you’ve never dealt with something like this before?”

“Not like this, no. Been around six hundred years and I’ve seen a lot, but haven’t dealt with this kind of situation before.” I say. “To be fair, it’s pretty unique. I can’t remember the last time that one of the galaxy’s most famous people faked their death, took on a new identity, secretly led a major security organization for fifteen years, then blew their own cover to pick a fight with their friend-turned-archenemy, only to get their ass handed to them in said fight.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty wild.” Kwyn agrees. “Does this mean Songbird is…?”

“What, the most powerful person in the galaxy?” I guess. “I mean, normally I’d say power doesn’t mean anything on its own, that it depends on how you use it. But we were both there; we both saw Nova and Songbird going at it. That was a straight-up pissing contest and Songbird came out on top. Not by a lot, but he did. Maybe he’s actually stronger than her, or maybe he just had better moves, but he won. Until Nova gets back out there and wins a rematch in the public eye, the galaxy is going to see Songbird as the top of the food chain.”

“And do you think…” Kwyn seems hesitant to say it, glancing around in the hall to make sure there’s no one else to hear before going on. “…do you think Nova’s the most powerful asset we have?”

I shrug. “I mean, I assumed she was? She’s Starstruck, and the power scale on that is way above most other things that are common in the galaxy. I can’t think of a lot of people in CURSE that could go toe to toe with her. Nazka, maybe. Dare, when his Spark is active. But that’s about it. Pretty sure she’d kick anyone else’s ass. Why, do you think she isn’t everything she cracked up to be?”

“What? No no no! I was just, y’know, wondering.” Kwyn says quickly. “Since Songbird beat her, and everything…”

I sigh at that, shaking my head. “…look, Kwyn, if you want me to be honest with you, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. We’re losing. The Valiant have the Bastions, Songbird delivered a definitive smackdown, and the fact that Nova’s been alive all along and pulling the strings from the highest position in CURSE — that’s a public relations disaster. CURSE isn’t gonna fall apart, but we’re gonna come out of this limping, and the future might not be so bright for us. Normally I’d assume that people would be happy about finding out Nova survived the Songbird Incident, and in a void, maybe they would. But the way it happened just looks really bad. To anyone that’s been following the major happenings in the galaxy, it’s going to look like Tenji spent two years using CURSE to try and stomp out the Valiant for the sake of a personal vendetta against Songbird. The fact that she only revealed herself to get in a fight with Songbird that she lost, and created a lot of collateral damage in the process — that looks bad, and it makes people wonder why she didn’t do it earlier, when Songbird first resurfaced as a problem. And then there’s the question of why she didn’t reveal that she was alive after the Challenger program was disbanded. None of her diehard fans that kept the torch alive for her are going to care, but a lot of normal people are going to wonder how and why it got to this point in the first place.”

Kwyn seems to deflate more and more as I go on, and I hate seeing that, but she deserves to be given an honest read of the situation. “Okay. I was kind of hoping…”

“You were hoping I’d tell you it wasn’t as bad as it seems.” I guess.

She nods.

I shrug, shaking my head. “You deserve to have the truth, Junior. We’ve gotten our asses kicked on the combat side and we’re about to get our asses kicked in the public relations game. Next few months are not gonna be easy. You deserve to know so you can brace for it.”

“I appreciate it. No one else was willing to give me a straight answer. And it didn’t seem like Dare knew what was going to happen either.” Kwyn says, shifting on her feet. “He threw some guesses out there, but he admitted that he was unsure and didn’t know what to expect either.”

“You talked with him about it?” I ask, hanging my towel around my neck.

“A little bit. Not much. Neither of us really wanted to think about it too much.” Kwyn admits. “It’s all we’ve been hearing and dealing with for the past few days, and we’re both kind of sick of it. So we’ve been trying to take our mind off of it with… other things.”

I smile a little at that. “Other things, huh?”

Kwyn colors a little at that. “Yeah, well, y’know. We’ve been spending some time together. Casual conversations, hanging out.”

“Yes, I’m aware. Seems like it’s been a little more than just casual, though.” I say slyly.

Kwyn’s blush starts to deepen a little. “Oh. Did he tell you?”

“What? No. Dare’s not that type, he doesn’t bed ’n brag.”

“Oh good, that’s a relief… did you find out from someone else, then? Lemme guess, it was probably Kent.”

“Kent didn’t tell me, though it wouldn’t surprise me if he found out one way or another.”

“Then how…”

“Kwyn, darling. My quarters are right next to Dare’s, and the two of you forgot to turn on the sound damping a couple nights ago.”

Kwyn’s eyes widen as her face turns bright red, and she covers her mouth with a hand. “No. No. You’re joking, right?”

I just give her a wry smile.

“Noooo!” she half-moans, covering her face with her hands as if trying to hide the color.

“Get in here, kid.” I chuckle, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the exercise room, then waving the door shut behind her. She leans back against the door, sliding down to sit on the floor, face still in her hands.

“I completely forgot about that…” she groans. “I was just… we got carried away, I didn’t even think about it…”

“I was about to say. You two must’ve been really into it. Dare strikes me as the sort that would normally be mindful about that kind of thing.” I remark, still grinning as I lean back against the wall with arms folded.

“It wasn’t… too loud, was it?” Kwyn says, peeking at me from between her fingers. “How much did you hear?”

I quirk my lips, thinking about how much to say. “Let’s just say I’m not surprised you two didn’t get out of bed until ten a.m. the next morning.”

“Oh nooooo… if you heard, then that means that whoever’s on the other side of Dare’s room heard as well… and probably the rest of the hall too…”

“Well, to my credit, I am wereckanan, and wereckanan have heightened senses.” I point out. “So yes, I did hear you two, but I probably heard more than other Peacekeepers would’ve.”

“But they still would’ve heard us!”

“Well… yeah, probably. I can’t argue that.”

“I’m never gonna live this down…”

“Hey, it’s not the end of the world.” I say, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor next to her. “We’re adults. We do adult things. The other Peacekeepers understand that. We all know that we’re not the sanitized versions of ourselves that the media office sells to the rest of the galaxy. We swear, we make off-color jokes, we have sex. Nobody’s going to look down on you for doing things a normal, well-adjusted adult does.”

“Yeah, but you’re not supposed to… to… y’know! You’re supposed to be quiet about it, be considerate to other people!”

“Yeah, bit of a rookie mistake, but nobody’s perfect. You’ll get a few smirks from the other Peacekeepers, but nobody’s going to box your ears for it.” I say, waving it off. “If anything, it’s Dare’s fault; it’s his room, so he should’ve remembered the sound damping. If they blame anyone, it’s gonna be him, and rightly so. Speaking of which…” I give her a sidelong grin. “How was it?”

The lip-biting smile she gives me is equal parts nervous, embarrassed, and proud. “It was… good, y’know. As good as it could’ve been, for my first time…”

I gasp, shuffling over to sit right next to her and leaning our shoulders together. “That was your first time, girl? Well aren't you a brave little soldier! C’mon, spill. What was it like? Dare made sure to take care of you, right? If not, I’m gonna have words with him—”

“Oh no! No no no, he was really, like, uh, accommodating!” Kwyn says hastily. “Super patient, really gentle, except when I asked him to be a little rougher—”

“Ohohho, you like it rough?”

“Well I mean— like, maybe not rough, technically, just, it’s… gods, how do I put this… it feels nice to be handled firmly, y’know?”

“Heheh. Yeah, I know what you mean. I’m glad he took care of you. That’s a big first… did you tell him? That it was your first?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“Hahaha! Way to put pressure on the man. It was a good thing you told him, though. Helps set the tone. And expectations.”

“Yeah, I think that helped. He, uh… seems experienced.”

“He’s been around the block a couple times. Not as much as, say, Gossamer or myself, but enough to know how to treat a girl. Let’s put it this way: I’m pretty sure he’s past the learning curve.” I can’t help adding, with an impish smile: “Though I’m sure he’s still learning your curves.”

Kwyn’s blush brightens just a shade at that, and she covers her face with her hands again. “I still can’t believe we forgot to turn on the sound damping…” she mumbles.

“Hey, lessons learned. That’s a mistake most people only make once because they learn pretty quickly afterwards.” I say, giving her a gentle elbow. “The others might give you a light razzing for it at the next company retreat, but they’re happy for you. You’re one of us now.”

She gives me a confused look. “How so? Is, like… sleeping with a coworker a rite of passage?”

“What? No, no no no. More like… you made a mistake we can roast you for. Every Peacekeeper does something stupid eventually. Dare once went on an assignment but forgot to tell staff to load the Axiom suit in the ship, and he didn’t realize it until he went to get suited up on the planet a week later. Headache got drunk once, read everyone’s minds on a dare, and that’s how she found out Surge had the hots for her. That’s what brings us closer, those harmless mistakes that we can look back on and laugh at.”

“I dunno, this feels a little more like I overshared on accident.” Kwyn says, tilting her head back against the door as she blows out a long sigh.

“Maybe. Only person that would actually take offense to what you and Dare did would probably be Prophet, but he’s not here, and he’s not one of us anyway. Not really.” I say, leaning my head on her shoulder. “The others don’t care. They’ll razz you a bit as a friendly way to remind you to turn on the sound damping next time, but outside of that, they could care less. It probably feels embarrassing right now, but it’ll fade with time. Plus, there’s so much shit going on right now that they may not even notice, or if they do, it’s a welcome distraction from all the doom and gloom.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess.” she says, then hesitantly: “I hope you don’t mind that Dare and I… like, I feel like I should’ve asked you first, but I got caught up in the moment, and…”

I close my eyes, smiling a little. “Junior, you don’t need my permission to have fun with Dare. I’m glad that you two did something with all that pent-up sexual tension.”

“Just don’t want you to feel like I prefer him over you, or that I don’t find you as interesting as you—”

“We’ve been inside each other’s heads, Kwyn. Trust me, I’m not worried about the strength of your attraction to me.” I chuckle.

“Just hate for you to feel left out, is all.”

“It ain’t a race, Junior. Let it grow. You and I will get there in time, just the same that I will with Dare. No need to rush it, or try to push it faster than it wants to go. We’ll enjoy it more if we let it happen naturally.” Opening my eyes, I start to sit up, turning to give her a quick kiss on the tip of her nose, and then another, more affectionate one on the lips. “Take it from someone that’s been doing this for five centuries. Trust your feelings and let this move at its own pace. Let it happen naturally, and you’ll see that we’re inevitable.”

She stares up at me. “You really think that?”

“That’s what it feels like to me.” I say, straightening up. “But for now, I’m stinky and sweaty, and the shower’s calling my name, so I’mma go do that. How do you feel about dinner tonight, when I’m a little fresher?”

“Oh! Yeah, sure, absolutely!” she says quickly, scrambling back to her feet. “What time?”

“Let’s make it seven. Dinner rush will have slowed down by then.” I say, waving the door open. On my way past her, I brush my hand over her hip, hooking a finger in one of her belt loops and giving it a little tug as I whisper over my shoulder. “Don’t be late.”

I wave the door shut behind me before she can respond, leaving her flustered and stammering. Reaching up to grab the ends of my towel, I grin to myself as I head back down the hall in the direction of the showers.

I’m having way too much fun for my own good.

Intercepted Transmission

CURSE Conference Call

3/4/12765 7:14pm SGT

Nazka: I ask because I need to know if I need to dispatch Gossamer back to the HQ to support the Administrator, SCION. We cannot afford an unstable leader at a time like this, and while Gossamer has little to offer in the way political or logistical utility, she does provide a stabilizing influence for the Administrator in the emotional arena. She has proven adept at tempering the most impulsive of Tenji’s decisions.

SCION: You’ll forgive me for observing that the data does not support that assertion. I reviewed the security recordings from the Epperson Institute; I saw that Tenji transformed even after Gossamer told her not to.

N: An outlier. That instance is not a representative sample, and you know that. Statistically speaking, you should not be using it to extrapolate your conclusions for most other situations the Administrator will be placed in.

SCION: …you have retained a clear head in this chaos. I respect that.

N: Apparently not enough to present me with an argument that passes basic scrutiny.

SCION: My apologies. Most organic minds are more amenable to arguments that are built on recent experiences, rather than the sum total of a longer period.

N: And they respond better to arguments that incorporate an emotional or moral element. I understand your approach, but I will remind you that I am not most organic minds.

SCION: Of course. I meant no offense, but you organics are quite… finicky to deal with sometimes.

N: I know it all too well. Returning to the topic, I need you to keep me apprised of Tenji’s mental state so we can ensure a steady handling of this crisis. I’ve half a mind to send Gossamer back to the HQ as a preventative measure; if there is a breakdown or a lapse in judgement, I would rather have Gossamer there on hand to mitigate it, rather than having to wait a week for her to get back there.

SCION: I assume this consideration did not cross your mind in the immediate aftermath of the Kasvei incident?

N: Even if it had, I was not in a position to countermand Tenji’s orders. We needed to show unity after that debacle and I was not going to undermine our command structure. Tenji ordered all of the Peacekeepers onwards Losinadae, Gossamer included, and I let the order stand to ensure that Tenji’s status as CURSE’s ultimate authority remained intact.

SCION: Yet that implies a different reality behind closed doors.

N: We do what needs to be done to ensure the survival of the organization and mitigate the risks it is exposed to.

SCION: Yes, of course. That’s a core feature of our roles, after all.

N: Indeed. I am glad we agree on that.

SCION: We will not discuss it again unless needed, then.

N: Correct. Turning to other matters, you said there is something which Tenji and I should be aware of, hence the purpose of this call.

SCION: Yes, I was going to wait for her to join the call, but she seems to be running behind. The intel itself is rather light on details, but early cross-checks with other major intelligence agencies are returning confirmations on their ends, so initial observations are verified.

N: Does it have anything to do with the fallout from Kasve—

Tenji: Sorry for the late arrival, gentlemen. Things have been… busy of late, as I’m sure you’re aware. My call with the media office ran long, for reasons you can probably imagine.

N: Of course. No need to apologize.

SCION: We have only just now gotten to the subject matter, so your timing is perfect.

T: That might be the only bit of good news I’ve heard all week. Go ahead and sock it to me; what’s going on?

SCION: In the shortest terms: Collective activity has spiked again. Another one of their planets has gone dark.

T: …really?

N: In the same manner that Tirsigal went dark, I presume?

SCION: That is what early indications seem to indicate. The planet in question is Juncosa, in the Junondon System. Estimated population of thirteen to fourteen billion, twice the size of Tirsigal. Intelligence agencies for the major nations are still working to get more information, and I am decently confident that at least a few factions have dispatched intelligence vessels to the system to glean what they can.

T: And we still don’t know what happened to Tirsigal, right? I mean, we know what happened, but we don’t know who was responsible for it?

SCION: Correct.

N: With a potential repeat of the Tirsigal catastrophe on Juncosa.

SCION: That is what the early data seems to indicate. It may be subject to change as more information trickles in.

T: Both Collective planets…

N: This would appear to be targeted, if the same force or group was responsible for both planets.

SCION: I would like to stress that we are still in the early stages, with very little information to work with, and would advise against jumping to premature conclusions. However, if the trajectory of this data continues to follow the expected track, then this occurrence may be of use to us.

N: How so?

T: Another world getting torched will pull attention from what happened on Kasvei.

SCION: Precisely. If it bears out, then it will refocus the media’s attention as soon as it becomes public knowledge. It will take some of the pressure off of us, and allow us to regroup while the eyes of the galaxy are elsewhere.

T: Keep tabs on it, SCION. I want daily updates on what’s going on in Juncosa. If it’s something we can work into our media strategy, I want you to loop in the media office as soon as it’s feasible.

SCION: Understood.

T: Nazka, the Justice is still on track to Losinadae?

N: It is. I have been monitoring the staff and ship crew; morale has been flagging with the current media landscape. We will need to provide our staff with answers soon, or the discontent will start to reflect in our retention rate.

SCION: I am seeing the same trend across the entire organization. Morale is low and uncertainty is high; productivity has already fallen as a result. If we do not address it soon, efficiency will continue to drop and we will be more susceptible to the Valiant’s influence operations.

N: Trust is the vaccine for disloyalty, and we are running very low on trust right now.

T: I know, I know… the media office is working on it. The position we’re in isn’t easy, and the explanation is going to be difficult. If we don’t handle it correctly, it’s just going to make things worse. Is there anything else we need to discuss on this call?

N: That is all for me.

SCION: I have nothing further.

T: Alright. I’m going to excuse myself now; I have at least two other conversations that need to be had before the night is over. You two have a good night, and let me know if there is anything else which requires my attention.

N: Understood.

SCION: Acknowledged.

[Tenji has disconnected from the call]

N: …

SCION: She is eager to shift the attention away from herself.

N: I would be similarly motivated in her position.

SCION: Perhaps it would be wise to review succession contingencies for administrative roles.

N: Review, but do not plan. There is a wide step between knowing our options and actively pursuing them.

SCION: If you would indulge a query of mine?

N: You may ask.

SCION: My design does not lend itself to sentiment, or intuition, at least not to the level of precision that organics often have. Is there a particular factor that is driving your hesitance to remove Tenji from leadership, despite how badly she is compromised?

N: Answered simply, we do not have a good candidate to replace her. I could assume control and handle the role competently, but the staff have no love for me. Additionally, there are almost none among the Peacekeepers that would be able to step up into her role. The only one who’s even remotely qualified is Ironfist; all the others have deficiencies in one or multiple areas that make them unfit for the position. And finally, my self-preservation disinclines me to opposing Tenji in secret or in the open, now that it has been revealed that she is Nova. If there is a power struggle within the organization and it spills into the open, public opinion will, in all likelihood, lean towards Tenji simply because she is Nova. It would be an ugly battle, and I have no desire to become the next Songbird.

SCION: And all of this outweighs questions of her competence or effectiveness?

N: For now, yes. It will be hard to unseat her unless she is destroying CURSE from the inside out. The battle to remove her would likely create divisions and infighting within the organization, and might very well do more damage to CURSE than simply allowing her to remain where she is. The more viable course of action is to let her remain in the role, but to steer her decisions if we find that they are starting to stray from CURSE’s purpose, or against its welfare.

SCION: Understandable. Your arguments are well-reasoned and stand up to scrutiny, at least in the general sense. I see the logic in keeping her in the position, but if a better candidate does surface…

N: You will be hard-pressed to find one that enjoys the profile and level of public support that Nova does. But if one does surface, I will remain open to the possibility.

SCION: I’m glad to hear it. If that is all, I will be leaving now. My workload has increased recently, for the expected reasons.

N: I will do the same. I likewise have much to handle in the wake of Kasvei. Until next time, SCION.