Aetheral Space-Chapter 448:15.2: The Invisible Ultraviolets

It was going to hit you.

Ruth Blaine turned the chip over in her fingers, and the words over in her thoughts. She sat on the windowsill of the waiting room -- there were chairs available, but she wasn’t feeling it -- reclining to such a degree that she was almost fully lying down. With the angle and the window, the buildings of Serendipity seemed to rise out of her body, like she was the soil for some metal plants.

That was a weird thing to think, but she was in a weird mood.

She’d watched Dragan’s coronation on the videograph the other night. So he really was Supreme now. That was even weirder. She’d seen that idiot break his own leg trying to jump before, and now he was the strongest man in the galaxy? Well… supposedly the strongest man in the galaxy. The strongest wouldn’t need to win with nasty tricks, if you asked Ruth.

Besides…

Ruth’s grip tightened on the chip as the events at the Arena ran through her mind again. Dragan firing a Gemini Shotgun into Bruno and Serena, into two people who were supposed to be his friends. Ruth’s blood boiled just thinking about it.

Something was off, though. Something was off.

For some reason, those two were still reluctant to talk about what had happened in the Arena, even after they’d finally woken up. Why? Bruno had watched the coronation with her, but he’d been silent, and had stayed silent until Serena took over and had them leave with her usual cheer.

They’ve got a lot on their mind, Ruth finally decided, sighing heavily. It’s the same with me.

To be honest, this entire situation still seemed unreal. They’d gone from fleeing Azum-Ha in the dead of night to walking around Serendipity like they owned the place. The government headquarters of the UAP was a massive building, containing all the bureaucracy needed to maintain a galactic government -- and with them being under Nebula Two’s protection, arranging this meeting hadn’t been nearly as hard as Ruth had expected.

Well… she thought. It’ll still be a little hard, I guess.

She looked up as the doors to the office opened, and a young aside poked his head out. He glanced at the empty chairs and frowned -- before looking up and realising that Ruth had taken up residence in the window like some kind of cat. A well-practiced smile spread across his lips.

"Miss Blaine?" he said. "The Tsarina will see you now."

Miss Blaine, huh? Ruth frowned as she hopped down from the windowsill. Ruth Road really had vanished into the ether, hadn’t she?

As she stepped into the office, Ruth took a deep breath. This wasn’t going to be fun.

A lot of these bigwigs liked to decorate their offices in wacky ways, Ruth found, and the Tsarina of Adrust was no exception. Holographic displays had been set up to make the room seem like a pristine winter wonderland, fields of snow stretching out in every direction. If not for the sensation of solid wood beneath her feet, Ruth might even have been fooled.

She turned her head and looked off into the non-existent distance, past where the wall existed in reality. Far away, perched atop a hill, stood a single thin tree, black branches splayed out like the fingers of a dead hand. A shiver went down her spine.

"Do you like it?"

At the sudden noise, Ruth’s head snapped back to the room’s mistress. Agnes von Frostburn stepped out from behind a frost-covered pillar, hands clasped in front of her. She was wearing a white fur dress and one of those funny tall winter hats. Now that Ruth thought about it, she guessed this office was pretty cold. Was that on purpose?

"Miss Blaine?" Agnes asked, tilting her head slightly, her cool blue eyes impassive. A single lock of immaculate white hair slipped from its position and hung there.

She was pretty pretty, objectively speaking.

"Miss Blaine?" Agnes repeated.

Ruth blinked. "Uh, sorry, what?"

A trace of annoyance trickled into the Tsarina’s voice. "You wanted to see me?"

Ah. Right. Yes.

Ruth slowly nodded. "I, uh… I wanted to see you -- to meet with you, yeah. It’s about, you know, uh… your brother. Rufus."

"I see," Agnes said calmly. "What about him?"

"He saved my life," Ruth said quietly. "He… he gave his life… to save me."

She looked down as she spoke, unwilling to meet the other woman’s gaze. Instead, she stared at her own clenched fists.

"I’m aware. I’ve read the reports."

Ruth looked up. "Huh?"

"If you’ve somehow gotten the idea that you now owe me or something," Agnes went on, hands still clasped, eyes still calm. "Please don’t worry about it. My brother and I are different people. If you owed anyone, it would have been him -- and obviously that’s not a debt you need to worry about anymore."

Ruth blinked. Could this woman really be so cold? Her brother had died, he’d given his life for an absolute stranger, and she didn’t seem to care at all.

"Oh," Ruth muttered, caught thoroughly off-guard. "Right... I guess so."

"Is there anything else?" Agnes asked, tilting her head again. "There’s a lot I need to turn my attention to."

"No, no, yeah," Ruth shook her head vaguely. "That’s… that’s all, yeah. Great."

"Sebastian will show you back to your quarters, I’m sure," Agnes smiled pleasantly.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, Ruth turned and began to walk from the room, arms hanging limply at her sides. This wasn’t what she’d expected at all. She’d expected tears, maybe screaming, maybe standing there as this woman blamed her for the death of her only family. Not apathy. Not this. This wasn’t something Ruth could understand at all.

You’d get it, wouldn’t you, Skipper? she thought bitterly. You got everything.

Ruth stopped, and turned her head, blinking as if slowly waking from a dream.

"Oh, right," she spoke up, voice cutting through the silence. "There is… I guess there is one thing."

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Agnes had been about to head back to her desk when Ruth called out to her. She turned back, that same pleasant smile still plastered across her lips. "Yes?"

Ruth took a step forward, handing over what she’d been holding onto -- dropping it into the Tsarina’s pale palm. "This is… I guess this is better with you than with me."

Agnes looked down at what she’d been given -- and for the first time, her eyes widened, just a tad. The metal chip of Rufus’ Bastardborn lay in the middle of her palm, so small and so dark that it almost looked like a tiny cut in her skin.

"This is…" the Tsarina whispered.

"I found it afterwards," Ruth explained. "Like I said… it’s probably best with you."

Agnes looked at it for a good long while, remaining completely still -- as if the chip would leap out of her hand and escape if she surprised it. Holographic snow drifted before her eyes, but she didn’t blink. She just stared down at the chip. Given how she’d acted before this, Ruth had expected the Tsarina to just accept the offering and send her on her way… but apparently not.

"Uh," Ruth ventured, leaning forward. "Ma’am?"

Agnes said nothing.

"Miss von Frostburn?"

"I think," Agnes said, keeping her voice very steady. "You should take this away. It’s not something I have any use for."

She thrust the chip back into Ruth’s hands as though it were red-hot, and quickly turned away. For a second, Ruth just stood there, still holding the chip in her own hand… before, as requested, stuffing it away and making for the exit. The words that Agnes said then were so quiet that Ruth barely heard them over her own footsteps.

"Thank you," Agnes said.

"No problem," Ruth replied.

The door slid shut behind her, and Ruth let out a tense breath. Honestly, that conversation had been pretty bad… but not nearly as bad as she’d expected. As she strode out of the waiting room, she could at least take that as a --

"Ruth Blaine."

Ruth stopped. She hadn’t even noticed until they spoke, but someone new was now standing in the waiting room, right beneath the window where Ruth had been sitting before. A little girl wearing a shiny white dress and a spherical helmet that concealed her face. A bunny rabbit formed from what looked like pure light nuzzled against her leg.

Who are you? Ruth opened her mouth to ask that, but…

"Nebula Nine," the girl said before she could get the words out. "Luna. Nebula of Abra-Facade."

What do you want from me?

"I wanted to tell you something important," Luna preemptively replied once again. "Actually… three things you’ll find important."

Why?

"If I don’t tell you these things now," the little girl said casually. "You’ll die later on. It would be very bad if you died."

Finally, getting the words out as fast as she could, Ruth was able to talk. "Fine. What things do you wanna tell me?" She understood that Abra-Facade was all about telling the future or whatever, but this kinda cryptic stuff still pissed her off.

"The things I tell you will not be wrong," Luna said reassuringly. "’See no evil’, ’Hear no evil’, ’Speak no evil’. Remember this."

Ruth blinked, stuffing the words away into her mind. "Uh, are those the three things or --"

"That’s one thing," Luna said tersely. "The second thing… it’ll reach you on the third clap."

"What’s that mean?"

"If I tell you what it means, it will become meaningless."

"Is that the third thing?"

"No," Luna snapped. "That’s just me talking to you. The third thing…"

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She strolled past Ruth, her sandals thumping on the carpet with a strange weight as she walked across it.

"The third thing…" Luna continued. "...concerns these men."

Ruth turned to follow Luna’s gaze -- and saw the three suited Ultraviolets waiting at the doors. Humourless eyes glared intensely at Ruth. Hidden hands readied their weapons, she knew.

"I’d recommend you don’t resist them," said Luna.

Stuffing down her trepidation, Ruth grinned. "Heya."

Every time they slept recently, Bruno had the same dream.

He was back in the Arena of the Absolute, and he was standing before Dragan again. No, not ’again’. This was still the first time. A memory on an infinite loop. A wound that just wouldn’t close.

Slowly, Dragan would raise that finger.

Slowly, Dragan would spark his Aether.

And, slowly, Dragan would mouth two words…

Fall backwards.

"Gemini Shotgun."

And, after that, the world would go black -- and the dream would end for that night.

Bruno opened his eyes.

He supposed that most people would be caught off-guard by waking in an unfamiliar room, but that had never been too much of an issue for him and Serena. In their wanderings, they’d never had time to get used to the places they slept. Even the Slipstream had exploded every couple of months. There was only one bed they’d ever grown accustomed to… and that had been one they’d been glad to leave behind.

"You dream of anything?" Bruno muttered as he rose up, stretching.

Nope, Serena said smugly. I slept like a light.

"How’s a light sleep?" Bruno frowned.

Really well, actually!

Serena took over as they got out of bed, cracking her neck as she strolled over to the balcony, dressing gown tight around their body. That Aguta guy had done pretty well for them. They were still under observation, of course, but the apartment he’d secured for them was pretty damn swanky.

She hesitated as she was about to open the balcony door. Annatrice was out there already, sitting up on one of the deck chairs with her knees to her chest, a cup of coffee clutched between her hands.

This would be an awkward conversation, to be sure -- but oh well! It was best to have it.

Serena grinned cheerily as she slid the door open, striding out onto the balcony. "Good morning!"

Annatrice’s eyes flicked over to the new arrival in her space, and narrowed suspiciously. Sitting there like that, she really reminded Serena of a cornered animal. Did she think she’d steal her coffee or something?

Finally, though, her suspicion relented a tad, and she shuffled awkwardly in her chair. "...morning," she muttered.

Serena pulled up a chair of her own, sighing as she lay down in it and watched the cars go past outside. On city-worlds, traffic was a constant of life, and Serendipity was no exception. Only… it was a little different here. Some sort of technology on these upper levels softened the ever-present sounds of flying cars rushing by. Instead of the loudest sound in the world, it was something more like a soft breeze. It was nice.

In a place like this, you could watch the world go by.

"Do you like coffee?" Serena asked the younger girl.

"It’s fine," Annatrice mumbled.

"What, so you don’t like it?"

"I said it’s fine."

"So you do like it!"

"Why do you care?" Annatrice growled, shifting away from Serena once again. "What does it matter to you if I like coffee or not?"

Serena frowned at the sudden aggression. "Well… I guess I wanted to know more about you. You’ve got that ability, right? So you can be lots of different people. That Zakos guy I knew. He was a dick, but I knew him… but I was just thinking I don’t really know that much about Annatrice. That’s all."

Annatrice opened her mouth to say something, then closed her mouth. Her expression softened slightly. Then, she opened her mouth again to say something, then again closed her mouth.

Serena guessed it wasn’t that easy. Heck, she remembered what it had been like to barely exist. She smiled kindly at the girl.

"It’s fine," she said reassuringly. "If you don’t wanna tell me, you don’t have to tell me."

"I…" Annatrice began hesitantly.

"Hold up just one sec, okay?"

In one smooth motion, Serena grabbed the arm of the deck-chair, turned it into a short sword, and pointed it directly at the throat of the man sneaking up behind them.

"You want something?" she asked him pleasantly.

A dark suit and sunglasses. A concealed pistol and two subordinates hiding in the apartment. Stealth training that had almost escaped Serena’s notice. Off-world these people would surely have come in disguise, but there was no doubt about it…

The Ultraviolets -- the Unified Alliance of Planet’s central intelligence agency, their answer to the GID. If Serena understood the situation correctly, these guys had helped them escape from Azum-Ha. Why exactly were they trying to pull a fast one now?

"Well?" Serena said, poking the man’s neck. "What do you want?"

The man looked down at her stoically. If he was wary of the blade at his throat, he didn’t show it -- but Serena guessed they were probably just trained to be spooky like that. At the third poke, he finally spoke.

"Serena del Sed?" he said. "Our boss wants to see you."

"Sure thing," she said, flipping the sword and sheathing it in her waistband. "But the kid stays."

"Of course," the Ultraviolet smiled thinly. "Orders are orders."

How many times… Morgan wondered. …have I been in this situation now?

Atoy Muzazi, lying in a hospital bed. Atoy Muzazi, hooked up to life support. Atoy Muzazi, on the edge of death…

…and Morgan Nacht, watching.

Morgan sat next to the bed, watching Muzazi cling to life, listening to the heartbeat monitor provide its steady beeps. The UAP had gone all out to keep Muzazi alive, but he supposed that only made sense. They’d gone to a lot of trouble to get Muzazi off of Azum-Ha… now, they had to make sure that investment didn’t go to waste.

All because of Gregori Hazzard.

Morgan tightened his fists. If it were up to him, they’d have killed Hazzard the second they brought him down… but Aguta had insisted. He hadn’t said why, but Morgan knew the reasoning. If Muzazi died, Aguta wanted to make sure that they at least brought something home for their efforts.

The door slid open.

"Oh, Mr. Nacht?" said a voice from behind him.

Well… it wasn’t as if Morgan hadn’t expected this. The Unified Alliance of Planets had a need for Atoy Muzazi -- their actions back on Azum-Ha had made that perfectly clear. What they didn’t need, however, was Morgan Nacht.

Slowly, Morgan rose from his chair, flexing his fingers against empty air. If it came down to it, he was fairly certain he could use Fog to create a sword or bow and arrow in about two seconds. If he went for the bow, M would probably be the best option -- and then he’d sweep the room in the resultant confusion. Not ideal, but a plan. So long as he had that, he could make things work.

Finally, he turned his head. "What?"

A man leaned against the doorway, a sly smile on his lips as he looked down at Morgan with his dark green eyes. His teal hair was tied back into a short ponytail, and the suit he wore was loose and relaxed, the holster of his pistol -- which surely should have been concealed -- clearly visible. Two other suits were standing in the hallway behind him, altogether more professional than their apparent leader.

Ultraviolets.

"Sorry, were you in the middle of something~?" the Ultraviolet asked, flicking his sunglasses further up his forehead as he addressed Morgan. "Ah, I didn’t mean to interrupt, only you’ve been in here for a while already. Days, even, you know? That’s why I thought it’d be fine to come bother you now. So sorry~."

I don’t like him.

Every word the man spoke dripped with insincerity. His unpleasant smile looked like he was in on some private joke -- and even that didn’t reach his eyes. He was looking at Morgan like he was something wriggling under his boot.

"Who are you?" Morgan asked seriously.

"Well, now. Here’s a man who wants to get right down to it!" the man scratched the back of his neck. "Kinda anxious to get to it, are ya~?"

Morgan just glared.

Chuckling, the man pushed himself out of the doorframe a little. "Ah, well, I hate to get right down to business, but… Ultraviolet Agency, Zep Koel. I’ve been asked to come fetch you, you know? So if you have to get mad, don’t get mad at me, okay~? I’m just the messenger. Gimme a break~."

Morgan’s eyes flicked between Koel and his subordinates. "What if I don’t want to go with you people?"

The Ultraviolet sucked in air through his teeth. "Ah, there’s the question~. Right, right, right. You make a good point. You’re no pushover, after all, are you? Even if I popped you in the head with this --" he tapped his holstered pistol. "-- I’m not sure it’d kill you straight away. Ah, you’re such a scary guy~. Of course…"

His empty gaze slid past Morgan, looking behind him.

"...I’m not sure that’s true for your bed buddy there, is it~?"

Morgan gritted his teeth.

Damn it.

"Well," said Jaime Pierrot. "This brings back memories, doesn’t it?"

"How’s that?" Morgan Nacht asked, glaring across the desk.

Pierrot ignored the question, instead glancing up at Zep, who was still lingering in the doorway of his office. "Thank you, Mr. Koel. You may leave us."

"Roger that," Zep grinned lazily, offering a one-finger salute before sauntering out of the room. The door slid shut behind him. Pierrot smiled slightly: the Iminant’s depravity and dedication made him as useful a resource to draw upon as ever.

The smile faded quickly, and Pierrot looked back to the three -- or rather four -- people sitting across from him at the desk. Morgan Nacht, Ruth Blaine… and the del Sed twins who had come to be known as the Ventriloquist.

Blaine folded her arms. "He’s talking to us," she said to Morgan. "We’ve met this guy before, on the UniteRegent."

The del Sed… Bruno, Pierrot supposed… nodded tersely. "Around half an hour before the place went to hell."

"That was coincidental," Pierrot said pleasantly. "At any rate, I’m glad to see you’re all still doing well after three years." He let the smile drop from his face. "My condolences for Skipper."

Bruno narrowed his eyes. "Noted. What do you want from us?"

Morgan’s hand was still ready to receive a sword, Pierrot noted. If things went badly here, there was the potential for violence to erupt in this room. Pierrot didn’t doubt his ability to defeat one of these people in combat if it came down to it, but all three at once…? If it were up to him, he wouldn’t have put this situation together in the first place…

…but, of course, it wasn’t up to him.

"I wanted to discuss your accommodations here," Pierrot said.

Bruno’s expression softened into Serena’s. "Oh no!" she said, distraught. "Do we have to give the apartment back?"

She played innocent, she played the ditz, but Pierrot could see that it was partially an act. She was playing it up, at the very least, to try and lower Pierrot’s guard. It was a good effort, but Pierrot hadn’t let his guard down in decades now. It wouldn’t let him.

"Nothing so horrible," Pierrot smiled thinly. "It’s just that… my superiors believe you are volatile elements to keep ahold of, understand? All four of you are wanted criminals in the Supremacy -- three participants in the Elysian Fields Incident, and the right-hand man of a usurper Heir. Us harbouring you here brings unwelcome attention upon us."

"What about Muzazi?" Morgan asked quickly.

"For an asset of Atoy Muzazi’s worth, we’re willing to eat that scrutiny, but for yourselves?" Pierrot sighs. "I’m afraid you’ll need you to earn your supper, so to speak."

Ruth cocked her head. "How’s that?"

"Nothing special -- just a gesture to show the top brass your utility," Pierrot said, tapping a button on his desk. "We’d like for you to conduct an inspection of one of our facilities near the border. It’s been shut down for quite some time, but recently we’ve noted activity there -- most likely pirates commandeering it for their own ends. We’d like you to pay a visit, assess the situation, and report back. Nothing more."

The hologram of their destination appeared on the desk. The reaction was immediate. Serena’s mouth drew in a sharp breath, and Bruno’s eyes widened to their utmost. Well, that was basically what Pierrot had expected -- so when he spoke next, he did so to Ruth and Morgan.

"How much do you know about the facility called the Sed?"