(A/N: Log 10 intended details some matters that are heavily derived from a log that is a work-in-progress at the time of posting. Due to wanting to avoid spoilers, I decided to skip a number and make this one 11.)

I really don’t have too too much to say this time, other than that I made it all the way out to the Crab Nebula. Yep, CEA4 is underway, and I’ve made my way to the base camp. I went a bit slower this time, as we were still within reasonable distance to the bubble.

And in all honesty, this is my second time at the base camp, because I reached it and then took a detour so I could pick up the money I earned from helping with the Colonia Bridge project. During that time, I got talking over text-based messages with some other Commanders.

Given that not much happened during that brief trip back to the bubble, perhaps I should detail an accomplishment I attained shortly before leaving.

To put it simply, I now own one of each ship that I can feasibly access at this current time-plus an extra Fer-De-Lance for dueling my fellow Commanders.

All in all, I really don’t have too too much to say at this time. Just taking in being out in the black again, doing a bit of soul-searching I guess.

Been a bit since I wrote one of these. And for good reason too-so much has been happening. Unfortunately, some of the biggest things are bad.

I got into some major hot water with the Raiders of StKM 1-442. Did I ever mention that I was actually bought before my escape was made? The ship I escaped from back then was en route to my buyer…who ambushed me with a team at a base in Buzhang Ku to ‘reclaim lost goods’. My ‘buyer’, Nanurjuk, or “Nanurjurkass” as I call him, escaped, but not unscathed, same with myself. Immediately contacted the Chapterhouse Inquisitor (as he claimed), Jubei, which sent the three of us to seek them out. Made a new enemy there too, one that can out-fight me. I have to try harder…

My fleet’s also grown larger, at this time I’m up to twenty-seven ships. Or more accurately, twenty-five ships, one ship in progress, and a ship that I don’t know what to do with at this time. A couple ships of note happened to be an Imperial Cutter and a Federal Corvette. To make a long story short, the amount of time I’ve put in wiping out Raiders has paid off, and I’ve gotten some fairly nice rewards as a result-such as access to these ships. The Corvette was outfitted for mining, while the Cutter is a work in progress, intended to be a ship that allows me to still hunt raiders if I’m sick or injured. In addition, I’m replicating the ship Kezika came in to rescue me, and managed to, while following Kezika on a tipoff, acquire an Imperial Courier that I have no plans for at this time. I’ll hold onto it, after all, it’s free. The same tipoff led to a decent amount of credits and some other goodies.

The expedition that I signed up for is coming up in a couple weeks, but I have less time to prepare, as CEA Psychiatric is currently at war, specifically against the Keltim Empire League. This is the second time we went to war against them, the first time was to take control of StKM 1-442, as Kezika wanted to put an end to the anarcho-slavery problem there once and for all-and I agree with her! The current war is to take one last planetary outpost that we didn’t manage to capture during the last one.

All in all, it seems like a lot is happening, both good and bad-which means I have to be much more careful than before…

Having needed to clear scavengers out of a base in Buzhang Ku, Kazuko found herself walking forward, checking the abandoned settlement to see if any remained. The lithe woman had already cleared out about 20 or so, picking up any goods she found along the way. After all, anything missing can be blamed on prior scavengers, right? With the main area of the settlement gone, Kazuko made her way to the landing pad, easily walking across it as her ship had prior been dismissed to avoid any damage from gunfire.

Once at the power building, Kazuko made her way around, gathering items left behind in containers, and even opening up the locks on a broken SRV to pilfer the components inside. With everything outside nabbed, the lithe woman made her way to the door, cutting the maintenance panel beside it off with her arc cutter. The panel fell with a clatter, and Kazuko pulled out her energy link, overcharging the port inside. With a synthesized hissing whirr, the power building’s doors opened, allowing her to slip inside unnoticed.

The power building’s interior didn’t stand out from any other base Kazuko had been to, nor did the contents of the lockers inside. But still, the woman continued, checking every nook and cranny. Once satisfied, she stepped outside, only for her eyes to widen in shock. A small group of people, easily identified as Raiders of StKM 1-442, were grouped nearby, one of them eyeing her in a way that left Kazuko unnerved. The main group consisted of seven individuals walking down the slope from the landing pad. Another two were also up by the anti-personnel turret, seeming to be tinkering with it for reasons unknown. One person stepped forward from the group of seven and began speaking, transmitting into Kazuko’s helmet.

“Ah, the one that now goes by the name Kazuko Himura if I’m not mistaken,” he asked. “What are you bastards here for, more Buzhang Flatworms? Going to make other people’s lives miserable!?” Kazuko exclaimed, going from annoyed to agitated to furious in the short span of the conversation. “Oh, no we have plenty of stock, we’re just here to obtain others goods; But of course I know your name, I should introduce myself as well, I am known as Nanurjuk Umialittak and I am but a humble merchant, and some goods were stolen from me and ended up here,” he explained. “Let me guess,” Kazuko quipped. “More parasites. Or more slaves.” The lithe woman said no more, she didn’t want to admit about the two higher ups she blew up, one of which led her to the possession of some important data-and some rather appalling files. Nanurjuk paused for a brief moment, “Well, now that you mention it, I suppose it counts as both,” he said as he started walking forward, “See, we recovered the black box from one of our ships that was recently destroyed, and we found some interesting transmissions,” Nanurjuk stated. “Fuck!” Kazuko exclaimed, immediately pulling out her plasma shotgun, aiming directly at Nanurjuk’s helmet. “Leave this place, and leave me be, and I’ll spare your life.” One of the entourage members quickly responded by throwing down a shield projector grenade covering the group as Nanurjuk grinned slightly, “Now now, I’d hate to have to damage valuable chattel, so come along peacefully 1515,” at that moment a few rounds from the turret fired at the ground at Kazuko’s feet.

Once called by her old number, Kazuko felt as if every ounce of fight in her had vanished into thin air, causing her to stumble backwards in shock, coincidentally moving out of the way of the turret shots. The lithe woman then took a deep breath, dropping a shield projector grenade of her own, quickly switching to her carbine, waiting out the duration of their shield projector grenade. The members of the group then began to move out, surrounding Kazuko in her bubble with weapons drawn. A few of them also dropped shield grenades of their own as well, and the turret was clearly adjusted slightly to now be trained on her. “How many of those do you have dear,” asked Nanurjuk snidely. Kazuko choked back an exclamation of shock in response, attempting to fire at one of the members that was outside of the shield bubble, slowly backing away. The leader turned to a guy standing to his left, “Ready the net launcher, her bubble will drop any second now.” Upon hearing that, Kazuko immediately high-tailed it into the power building, huddling in a dark corner away from the doors. Raising her left wrist to her helmet, Kazuko began to speak quietly, more out of instinct than out of any secrecy.

“Jenelle, I’m in a bad situation here. I’m hiding in the power building from Raiders who want to capture me! I need assistance, as soon as possible! They should be a group of seven in front of the front entrance,” The frightened woman relayed the necessary info to her hired fighter pilot, who had taken the opportunity to man Kazuko’s Cobra Mk III, Umbala, in case of emergency. Meanwhile, the flanking circle began closing in towards the door of the power center while another pair of the entourage moved around to the side of the building with the other door. “I’ve got your orders, Commander,” Jenelle responded over the comms as the events outside were unfolding. “I’ll have them cleared out faster than you clear out pizza!” Kazuko’s comms then fizzled out, only for the sound of an overhead ship to be heard. “Shield Projectors! We’ve got a ship,” Nanurjuk commanded. The flanking team responded by dropping enough shield projectors to cover each of them as they began to fire on the ship. The ship fired back with a projectile that exploded just above each of the shield bubbles causing a rain of small knives, some of which managed to penetrate through the shield bubbles and embed into some of the suits. “Flechettes! Retreat to the bar,” Nanurjuk frantically shouted into the comms as they all began running towards the bar on the opposite side of the landing pad, dropping more shields as they ran for cover.

“I’ve got them scurrying into the bar!” Jenelle exclaimed through Kazuko’s comms. “Going to hover nearby to keep them inside so you can make your escape!” With a sigh of relief, Kazuko slowly stepped out from the dark corner, trying to peer out the front airlock door’s windows to see if the coast was clear. When everything looked fine, she stepped outside. The anti-personnel turret from earlier however, was still trained on the door and active as it began firing at Kazuko mere moments after stepping outside, hitting her a few times. A sniper was also lying prone in a small gap underneath the turret platform. Additionally, the turret arc would be just enough to cover both doors. Kazuko got struck by the first shot easily, her shields absorbing most of the blow, but the remaining force was enough to push her back, allowing her to duck to avoid a similar effect with the second blow, which took the lithe woman’s shield’s offline. She was able to dodge all but one of the remaining shots as she scrambled back inside, the final one grazing the left side of her torso. Kazuko didn’t notice this until some of the adrenaline wore off once she was inside, the lithe woman gasping in pain and clutching her side. She then staggered back to the corner she was in prior, curling up against the wall. With her comms raised, Kazuko contacted Jenelle once more. “When I tried to escape, I got shot at by the turret. The arc is wide enough to cover both doors. Jenelle, I’m trapped in here, and I’ve been shot,” The trembling woman’s voice began to waver as she continued speaking. “We have to call for backup. You know very well I can’t stay in this building forever.” Kazuko winced as pain seared from her injured side. “Contact Kezika.” “Stay calm, Kazuko,” Jenelle insisted over the comms. “I’ll contact Kezika right away. If you start feeling like you’re going to lose consciousness, contact me immediately, just like in the plan we came up with for these kinds of situations.” Kazuko’s comms went silent for a brief moment, before sparking to life once more. “I’m contacting Kezika now,” Jenelle’s voice could be heard, before silence fell once more.

“Copy that Jenelle, I estimate about a 10 to 15 minute ETA,” Kezika sent back through comms from where she was on Keltim. She stood up and stepped out of the room followed by her equerry Xavier while talking through her Insight link, “Security, I’ll need two specialists to join my ship immediately for rescue duty.” Working with haste through two longer hallways she made her way into the hangar of the orbital shuttle and boarded along with Xavier. Inside already awaited the two requested security specialists getting suited up in their Manticore Dominator suits. “Belt in, launching immediately, finish suiting in orbit,” Kezika stated as she strapped herself into one of the shuttle chairs as well. Once everyone was secure she radioed to the shuttle pilot that they were clear to launch. The launch took approximately five minutes to reach the Kirkbride in orbit and quickly transfer into Kezika’s awaiting Type-10 Defender, named Derecho. Xavier took the pilot seat while Kezika and the other security specialists continued suiting up.

Kazuko’s own suit was able to keep her from bleeding out, covering her until help arrived, but it didn’t do anything for the outright fear consuming the lithe woman. She remained in her dark corner, trying desperately to keep herself calm, but to no avail. “I shouldn’t have said anything back then…should’ve kept my big mouth shut,” Kazuko thought aloud. “If I didn’t run my mouth to Marcus Cleary, I wouldn’t be in this situation…”

After a few minutes more of waiting, Xavier dropped Derecho out of planetary glide mode near the base, but a few klicks out to avoid visual spotting. Xavier got low to the ground and then landed the ship about 3 kilometers out momentarily as Kezika and the two security specialists got out in Scarabs and drove to the far sides of the line of habitat buildings. Kezika and the security officer that also went to the same side stepped out of their SRVs and slowly made their way over to the side of the bar close to them, while the other security officer did the same from the other side of the habitat buildings. They each positioned themselves just around the corner from each of the bar’s two airlocks. “Jenelle, you are clear to pop the turret and block the sniper,” Kezika radioed up to Kazuko’s ship. “You got it, Kezika!” Jenelle exclaimed, firing one of the two beam lasers at the turret, holding fire until said turret exploded. She then carefully angled Kazuko’s ship towards the front of the power building, moving into position in such a way that the sniper present had no clear line of sight to Kazuko’s escape route. All the while Kazuko herself remained still despite the commotion outside, only reacting once her comms sparked to life. “Kazuko, I’ve secured you a clear exit. Quickly, make your escape!” Jenelle’s voice sounded, sending Kazuko running out the front airlock, and scrambling behind the building. The lithe woman, despite her injury, pulled out her trusty Manticore Intimidator so she, too, could take down Raiders. “I’m behind the power building,” Kazuko stated, over her comms to Jenelle and Kezika, fear still present in her voice despite putting on the airs of a fellow mercenary. “Do either of you need anything from me? I’m armed and ready.” Nanurjuk shouted a command as he saw the Cobra begin moving to land behind the power center, “She’s making a break for it and the ship has moved, get over there!”

Entourage soldiers began moving out of the building with their leader following behind. However as the first two stepped out from airlock A they were immediately felled by a pair of plasma shotgun blasts each. Likewise another soldier stepped out of airlock B and suffered the same fate. Kezika swapped over to her Manticore Oppressor along with her guard and moved over to the door, firing the gun at the squad in the hallway, likewise the guard on the other door did that same. Nanurjuk then pulled out his own TK Eclipse and fired back along with two of his guards that remained “Ah I see she called her master did she? Are you who I have to thank for stealing her?” Kezika quickly dropped his shields in response, however, hers also had dropped a moment before, so she stepped back into cover and tossed a fragmentation grenade down the hallway as she did, “No, I came along later when I bought a hospital.”

Once Kazuko had gotten aboard her ship, the lithe woman made her way to the cockpit, standing next to the pilot’s seat. “I got this, Jenelle. These bastards will pay for all of this. Especially Nanurjackass here.” she stated, her bold tone slightly weakened by a faint hint of residual fear. “Are you certain, Kazuko? Even with your injury? I may be your medic, but this is one sticky situation,” Jenelle added. “I’m certain. My suit’s kept me going this long, hasn’t it? Jenelle, prepare for possible fighter maneuvers,” Kazuko ordered as Jenelle moved to the passenger’s seat, allowing the lithe woman to take the helm once more. “We’ve got some raiders to destroy.” Kazuko remained in position for the time being, opening her ship’s comms. “Kezika, I’m out, and both of us are ready to take these fuckers down. What’s our plan?” “We’ve got them pinned in the bar, but I expect them to have incoming backup,” Kezika replied. Kezika and her guards then sneakily moved over to hide in the covered roof portion of a pair of adjacent habitat buildings after a few grenading attempts by Nanurjuk’s guards. So far however, none of them risked stepping out still believing the doors guarded by shotguns. An Anaconda ship dropped above the base after about two more minutes and launched a fighter. The fighter then flew down and shone light around the front of the bar, clearly searching for Kezika and her guards. “Sir, there are no contacts out here anywhere,” the fighter radioed to Nanurjuk. “Hold for Xavier, then engage the fighter,” Kezika communicated to Kazuko as a very large black ship peaked above the nearby hills and began unleashing an absolute storm of bullets and railgun fire on the Anaconda from over 5 kilometers away. Once the enormous black ship appeared and engaged the Anaconda, Kazuko moved the throttle, the pancake-like ship zipping straight towards the fighter. The enraged pilot pressed a button on her flight stick, firing double beam lasers at her target. The Anaconda began moving towards the Type-10 to get in engagement range. Meanwhile Nanurjuk and his team each prepared shield generator grenades to make their own break for it. They moved in a cluster out the bar’s airlock, throwing themselves out a row of shields most of the way to their ship waiting on the base’s main landing pad.

Kezika, seeing this, began making way towards the landing pad with the two guards to attempt to block them off. They reached throwing range as the raiders neared their last shield cover before they’d have to clear a gap until getting under their ship’s own shield. Kezika threw out both a shield disruptor and a fragmentation grenade into the area of the gap. Nanurjuk responded with a shield disruptor of his own towards Kezika and fired shots her way, causing her to move. He then began a dash across the shield gap with his team as Kezika and the guards opened fire into the space. Many shots hit various raiders, taking down some shields and injuring at least two of the entourage members. The raiders however made it under the protection of their Krait Mk II’s shield and boarded with haste. “Xavier, focus fire on the Krait,” exclaimed into the comms channel, and then began running towards the power building. Within seconds the landing pad and the Krait in the process of taking off were being peppered with over 25 multi-cannons rounds and 7 rail gun shots per second. The green hued prismatic shields on Nanurjuk’s Krait Mk II disintegrated each of them while the power distributor screamed to keep up. The Krait lifted from the pad and retracted it’s landing gear, and a massive burst from the thrusters had it moving away at over 400 m/s as it arced up and aimed itself perpendicular to the planetary surface. With a bright green burst the Krait’s shield generator ran out of energy to maintain the shields as the relentless rounds from Derecho began making swiss cheese in the hull around the ship’s frame shift drive.

Upon noticing the shift in fire from the behemoth of a ship towards a smaller Krait, Kazuko, too, redirected her fire, sticking to using the beam lasers for the time being. Once the shields went down, Kazuko pressed a few buttons, before speaking an order. “Jenelle, passing control of the lasers to you. I’ve got some missiles to drop,” The pilot then switched over to missile control, too focused on blowing up her now-nemesis to catch Jenelle’s response. Nanurjuk’s ship, however managed to jump into the supercruise reference frame before the fire from the two ships were able to damage the frame shift drive enough. Meanwhile Kezika’s team surrounded the sniper that was still hiding under the anti-personnel turret. Kezika pulled out her profile scanner and pulled the info for the sniper with a loud “bounty detected,” notification. “Well this here is dead or alive, but I suppose you have a preference, Qimmiq,” she inquired of the sniper. With that the sniper pushed his rifle off the edge of his hiding spot and put his hands up. Kezika then reached in and yanked him out of the thin gap while the guards trained their weapons on him. “Xavier, clear for exfil when you’re finished, with a plus one,” Kezika radioed to her pilot while she watched him finishing up with the Anaconda.

Kazuko was furious when Nanurjuk’s ship escaped, but quickly turned her focus to the Anaconda, firing a couple missiles upon it. The pair of missiles hit the Anaconda squarely in the rear thrusters, causing them to malfunction, as the Anaconda then began drifting out of the banked turned it was performing and drifted hard into one of the hills at over 100 m/s, snapping the already heavily damaged hull in half just before the explosive depressurization ripped apart the rest of the ship. Kazuko pumped her fists in the air and stood up upon the Anaconda exploding, before wincing and clutching her side again. “Ow…forgot about that,” Kazuko remarked, turning back to Jenelle. “I think we’re at a good point for me to get patched up, don’t you think?” “Not just treating your injury, but getting some food as well. It’s been almost three hours since you last ate, and Kazuko, you know I don’t want you missing meals,” Jenelle launched into a slight lecture as the Cobra was set in a flight pattern to simulate gravity, the two pilots heading to the small med bay.

Kezika’s team moved back up to the landing pad as the giant Type-10 landed down on the pad and lowered the ladder to the rear access hatch. She had the prisoner ascend first with the guards continuing to train their weapons on him. She followed next, then her two guards who all proceeded into the ship together as it took off to head back to Keltim.

Kazuko soon found herself in the passenger’s seat of her own ship, quietly eating a couple ration bars that were intended to tide her over for the time being. Jenelle requested to fly the ship back so the injured pilot could rest after she was bandaged up and had some food in her, which Kazuko agreed to. She only agreed due to the fact she was exhausted after everything that had transpired, letting Jenelle take control of the Cobra once more so it, too, could return to Keltim.

Kazuko sifted through the different options on the mission board, looking for decent opportunities. Now that CEA Psychiatric is in expansion, she knew that there was going to be high demand for basic minerals-enough so that by securing large amounts and delivering them to the proper station, she could make massive amounts of credits-and share the riches with friends. The lithe woman certainly wasn’t hurting for money, but having extra certainly wouldn’t hurt.

A sudden ‘itch’ in her trigger fingers led Kazuko to check the combat postings as well, most of which were for taking down notorious members of Eurybia Blue Mafia. Stifling a chuckle at the fact that the infamous anarchy faction was still meddling in CEA’s affairs, Kazuko continued her perusal of the postings, until a particular mission caused her heart to leap into her throat.

The posting was simple, CEA needed a terrorist known as Marcus Cleary to be taken care of in order to proceed with their expansion plans, and his location could be discovered by connecting to a data link in Lavrador Depot in Alit. But what prompted the lithe woman’s reaction-and to immediately take on said mission-was that Marcus Cleary was one of the Raiders of StKM 1-442. Neither influence, reputation, financial, or material reward was Kazuko’s reason for taking this mission, her reason was vengeance. If Marcus is this notorious, he must be fairly high up in the chain, and thus his demise would cut the head off one of the snakes in the festering pit of a faction that formerly enslaved her. And perhaps he might have some information that Jubei would find useful. The pilot, now filled with a tranquil fury, disembarked her trade vessel, and hopped into her combat Fer-De-Lance, Phoenix, practically gunning it out of the station.

The trip to Alit was a bit longer than expected, due to the shorter jump range, but she made it all the same. Locating Lavrador Depot, however, was quick. Kazuko made her way to the third planet in Alit, carefully angling herself for a swift descent.

After the disorientation of dropping out of supercruise and her suit having to accommodate the high g-forces during the glide, the seething woman slowed down to land. Or so she thought.

“You are trespassing, pilot. Please leave this settlement at once,” The voice of a flight operator came over Kazuko’s comms. She ignored the statement, flying closer-close enough to quickly scan the data link. But before she could answer the message sent to her, Kazuko’s ship was swarmed by security forces.

“I have no time for this!” The agitated pilot exclaimed, setting her throttle to max and zipping out of the settlement. Hearing and somewhat feeling the shots of the security ships hitting her shields, Kazuko punched the button for supercruise, leaving the planet behind. A quick check of her shield’s status reveals that it was merely depleted by a fifth-Kazuko took the recharge time to read the message she got from the data link.

“This informant is…sketchy,” She trailed off. “But at least I have my target’s location. Fucker’s in Coqui Xee.” Kazuko punched in the system’s coordinates, and initiated the hyperspace jump. Upon arrival, the determined pilot began signal scouting. “Jackpot,” Kazuko remarked, smirking. “Bastard’s got two of his goons with him, ganging up on some poor patrol ship. They’ll be sorry for even attempting that shit!” The vengeful woman locked in the signal and set her throttle to maximum, her Fer-De-Lance zooming ahead.

“If only I had my fighter equipped ship out, Jenelle and I could have double teamed them.” she mused, shortly before dropping out of supercruise. The sight before the pilot was clear as day-A goon in a Sidewinder, a goon in an Eagle, and Marcus Cleary in a Python, all shooting at a Federal Navy Ship. Kazuko immediately pressed a button, turning on her comms.

“Hey, bastards! Three against one isn’t fair at all,” the furious woman announced. “Why don’t we even the playing field?” A few more button presses to deploy hardpoints, and Kazuko’s hands were firmly on her flight stick and throttle, having aimed at the Sidewinder. Upon firing, all three ships were now focused on her. Kazuko deftly twisted and turned, keeping the Sidewinder in her sights as she continued firing, keeping an eye out to make sure the damaged Federal Navy ship had a clear path to safety. Soon, the provided-by-ship-speakers boom echoed that signaled the destruction of the Sidewinder. And not a moment too soon! Kazuko sighed in relief as the Federal Navy ship had just jumped to supercruise.

“You’re next,” Kazuko remarked, turning on the Eagle and firing at it. She kept it in her sights, all while the Python still shot at her. She did take some hits, but her shields were still holding strong as the Eagle was destroyed. Kazuko then opened her comms, and turned to face Marcus Cleary’s Python, hardpoints still deployed. What she didn’t expect, however, was that her adversary was the first to speak.

“I know you,” the gruff, sinister voice of Marcus Cleary rang out through the Fer-De-Lance’s comms speakers. “You’re that do-gooder that’s blowing up all of our ships! What is your problem with us? Why do you hate us so much?” The questions Kazuko heard only caused her right hand to shake as she mentally restrained herself from pulling the trigger on her flight stick.

“You don’t know who I am!?” the scorned woman retorted. “I am Commander Kazuko Himura…or as you depraved bastards referred to me all those years ago, #1515. I don’t think an explanation is needed as to why I hate you and the rest of you fucking Raiders.” With her restraint dropped, Kazuko opened fire on the Python, rage consuming her, and the pocket of space lighting up with the trading of lasers, cannon fire, and missiles. The battle lasted for much longer than the previous two goons, but the enraged pilot came out victorious with a well-timed shot to the Python’s power plant.

Once she came to her senses, Kazuko looked around for escape pods, frowning when she didn’t see any. Something else, however, caught her eye. A data core, floating amid the wreckage. The thin woman carefully maneuvered her ship through the pieces, as her shields were recharging and her hull had some dents in it, and deftly scooped the data core.

“Now to get the contents of this.”

After returning to Keltim, refueling, and swapping from her Fer-De-Lance to her trusty Krait Phantom, Kazuko was tucked away in a pocket of space in Eurybia, awaiting the results of the grey-market data core slicer. Bits and pieces of data trickled in, forming full coherent blocks over time. At first, the contents were inconsequential, things like operational manuals, media and entertainment, and firmware. But as time went on, other, more useful things came in.

First came a roster of prisoners and slaves-Kazuko couldn’t bear to open it herself. Then came weapon inventory, slave acquisitions, harvesting of ‘slave control’ means, even associates. The unnerved woman couldn’t do it. She couldn’t open up any of it. Even with the means to take down anyone who comes her way, Kazuko was scared that she wasn’t as safe as she thought.

The final pieces came in, making Kazuko visibly recoil. Marcus Cleary was an idiot who left his ‘dirty slate files’ out in the open, and contained things that would make most sane humans feel physically ill.

“Such a disgusting person deserves death,” She remarked, transferring the data of consequence to her slate before jettisoning the slicer. “I’ll probably destroy this core if I can’t get someone to wipe it clean when I sell it. And now I have some people to deliver this information to.”

CEA finally has amassed enough support to build facilities in other systems, and I’m pretty happy for Kezika to have made it this far. More support means more people helped…and more jobs for me and other Commanders. At first we could take it easy while resources were allocated and plans were made..but upon our first day, I had an additional task to take care of.

I’ve mentioned in previous logs about my on-ship medic, who was originally expedition staff. Well, she was actually hired on as a ship medic after I got my own ship. As annoying as her being overly doting can get, she’s still done an amazing job. And as of recent, a new position has opened up-expansion has required the on-call nurse (that I admittedly hadn’t met yet since they were hired on AFTER I last was at Kezika’s mansion) at my place of living was needed either to fill a position left behind by someone going to a new facility, or at a new facility, not sure exactly which. I personally felt that Dr. Elena Kulinskey fit much better as my personal medical staff for my civilian life instead of while I'm on duty, thus she’s been promoted. So now I have to hire a new on-ship medic. And given my shift to destroying The Raiders, one with ship combat experience could help.

A few things happened when I was searching. First off, I got my second Elite rank, in trade (First is in exploration). In addition, I’ve been able to acquire quite a bit of funds due to the expansion assisting tasks given. It was during these funds that I made my choice, hiring Jenelle Tyler as a fighter pilot, who flew a medical supply ship in the past. Discussion during the interview unveiled her extensive knowledge of emergency field medicine, which got her hired on the spot. And the best part is, she’s already a supporter of CEA. I’ve already written up a list of duties for her, given that if I’m riding in someone else’s ship, I’ll be in their care.

Honestly? I need to write these more. I keep getting busier and busier these days, what with getting my ships engineered-13 as of this log, working with tech brokers for additional modifications, gaining the Empire’s favor, and working on doing the same for the Federation, despite not being too pleased with what they are doing. Better to have them as possible friends than enemies, though.

Speaking of the Federation, I fought both for and against them in the recent conflict regarding Yuri Grom. Again, better to make friends than enemies. I consider myself more of a mercenary and a contractor towards most-I keep a few imperial factions close, and I only have one sole enemy-the Raiders of StKM 1-442, whom I’ve been trying other tactics to demoralize and intimidate. Whoever made blood stains easy to get out of passenger cabin carpets, thank you.

My activities with the Raiders (common term used among my acquaintances due to the whole faction name being a mouthful-though me calling them “Fucking Raiders” tends to get the point across rather easily) has not gone unnoticed. At the end of last month, I had received an unexpected visitor-a Chapterhouse inquisitor whom apparently the Raiders mistook for me (and that was the last mistake those particular members made). He had come to warn me that they were after me. I was not surprised, but the shock that they’d go that far affected me greatly. Said inquisitor managed to accurately unearth the two secrets-my past of being a slave and my Buzhang Flatworm infection shortly after as well! I’m grateful I was able to keep myself together and not break down completely like I did when I found out who was behind my enslavement.

And finally? I’m back in the bubble for the foreseeable future. There is a future expedition coming up at the beginning of next year, but it doesn’t stray too far from home. As fun as it is going out ‘into the black’, I don’t want to leave home for that long again so soon. And by home I just mean civilized space-I’m not the type to spend days cooped up in my apartment! And honestly, even though my apartment is technically in the lap of luxury, I prefer sleeping in my stateroom in Amaris, my Krait Phantom. Or any of my ships-though the staterooms in Amaris and Roca are just right.

Jubei Himura took his credentials back from the customs agent and nodded curtly. The warrior must have rubbed the agent the wrong way, because it took much longer to filter through the gauntlet of questions than at any other station. Once through, Jubei walked to the nearest information terminal and punched up the public address book. He scowled when the information he sought didn’t immediately present itself.

The warrior turned his attention to the terminal’s code console and entered a few commands. Soon enough, his top Imperial clearance allowed him to access the exploration records and transactions. Kazuko’s name appeared recently at a terminal in Fire Opal, an island city that hosted CEA’s flagship facility: the Wylair Verdure Center. With a smile, he rented a hover-bike and made for the island.

Kazuko had returned to Fire Opal a day ago from a three month expedition hosted by CEA Psychiatric’s president and founder, called Celebration of Early Astronomy 3. Now back to the human-populated bubble of space, she was early by a couple of weeks and needed some rest and relaxation. In the brief time she was back in the bubble, the lithe woman had dealt with both the post-expedition routine, and some personal matters that involved local raiders. She hadn’t gotten a chance to spend time in her new living quarters yet. So, her plan for the time being would be a few more hours of just resting and playing early 21st century games that used a primitive form of today’s holo-net. They were easy to get engrossed into, at least for Kazuko, as she found it a good way to relax and take her mind off of things.

Jubei stood outside of the CEO’s house thinking about how to best approach the situation at hand. He wasn’t there to apprehend a suspect, hunt down an enemy, or face some unknown terror. Jubei was here to get some background information as to why he was being harassed by raiders looking for someone with the same last name. Thankfully, Jubei stopped and changed into a more suitable attire for the more upscale island. The warrior now sported a pair of dark slacks and a nice buttoned up, sage coloured, dress shirt. However, he still preferred to have the first couple of buttons undone.

The ‘house’ was a veritable mansion, sporting the latest in security devices from cameras to weapon defence systems. For a moment the warrior considered making his way past the security undetected, but quickly reminded himself that he wasn’t here for infiltration. The simple act of ringing the doorbell and announcing his presence would suffice. Thus, he walked up to the obvious front gate and pressed the call button.

“Yes? State your business.” a firm, gritty voice came through the speaker.

“Hello? Yeah, I’m looking for Kazuko Himura.” Jubei replied, matching the firm tone of the guard.

“And who are you?” the guard shot back.

“Jubei Himura, former Imperial agent under the Emperor.” the warrior spoke with authority. “I’m looking for information regarding some unsavory individuals that are mistaking her name for mine.”

“Look sir, I don’t care if you’re the Emperor’s secret lover. Former agent Jubei Himura. There’s a lot of workers on the grounds and none of them go by that name.” The guard’s voice was harsh, challenging any ‘authority’ Jubei had. “Now leave. The CEO is a very busy woman, and won’t be disturbed by the likes of you.”

Jubei smiled dangerously and brought his wrist computer up to his face, tapping a few keys as he did. There was a brief ringing sound before the call was answered.

“Please let your superior know that the Chapterhouse calls.” Jubei stated calmly. “I’m outside the front gate.”

It was a gamble, using his old status as an inquisitor, but every top executive in the Empire knew about the Chapterhouse’s existence. Such knowledge was vital to continue operations in a safe and Imperial maner. If an inquisitor arrives and announces their presence, you were on their good side, for the moment.

A few moments later the gate opened and a suited man in a nearby kiosk stepped out, motioning along the walkway to the mansion, “This way good sir.”

“Thank you.” Jubei replied with a smile. The warrior followed the man in the suit, taking note of every security device, and the layout of the grounds.

“The mistress has been informed by the majordomo of your visit and has already notified she is ready to receive you in Drawing Room Gold right up ahead,” the steward said as he lead the guest to large double doors at the end of a hallway, opening them for Jubei to enter.

Inside, sitting in a black leather chair in a central sitting area was a woman clad in a black and golden gown. She stood as Jubei entered the room, “The visiting Chapterhouse Inquisitor I presume? Patron Kezika Turiel Wylair, it is a surprising pleasure.”

“Likewise.” Jubei nodded. “I assume that you know why I’m here? I’m sure the front guard would have mentioned my asking about Kazuko Himura.”

“Indeed, that was mentioned shortly after Majordomo Amaleigh informed me of your call, is there a concern regarding Kazuko?” Kezika inquired.

The warrior considered making up some cover story, but decided that being direct would be more effective. His gut told him that this CEO was possibly protecting a friend. “I’ve been harassed by a group of raiders looking for her. They think we’re related, or just don’t care which Himura they nab. I believe that her life, or at least her well being, is in danger.”

“Mmm, yes, probably a particular anarchy faction nearby, warning would be prudent indeed, I shall let her know to meet you in one of the private meeting rooms in the estate library. Same steward can show you where, and I shall inform Kazuko,” The CEO explained, standing up and heading towards the door where the steward from earlier awaited.

“Please show our guest to one of the library’s private meeting rooms, and then Kazuko when she arrives, to meet him,” she instructed the staff member.

The grand opulence of the mansion bothered Jubei. The warrior lived a very spartan life, even at the best of times, usually living out of his ship. He shook his head and put that to the back of his mind as they entered the surprisingly small room, where he was to wait for this other Himura.

Kazuko, having finished with her prior activities, had fully intended to get herself a small meal, only to be interrupted by a call from Kezika-she has a visitor in one of the estate library meeting rooms.

“What for?” She thought, half-curious, half nervous at who, or what, could be waiting there for her. Throwing on a simple black dress, a basic flight suit underneath to help keep her warm, and a pair of combat boots, the thin woman practically darted out of her apartment, attempting to find the way to the meeting room herself. She made it to the library on her own without issue, opening the door and coming face to face with one of Kezika’s stewards.

The steward was slightly startled, he had expected to at least make it out the door to wait for Kazuko to arrive before she showed up, “Oh, right this way miss!”

Kazuko gave a small nod, slowly following the steward into the meeting room. A small smile formed on her face, but it seemed partially forced-underneath everything, she was a clear bundle of nerves.

Jubei stood with his arms crossed, looking out the window. Hearing the short interaction, he turned his head. “You Kazuko Himura?”

Kazuko’s eyes fell upon the man who had addressed her as she heard his inquiry. She took a deep breath before answering.

“Yes. I am.”

“Good.” he almost grunted. The warrior turned to face the lithe woman properly, his face stern. “I’m not one to beat around the bush, so I’ll get right to it. There are people looking for you, dangerous people. Unfortunately for them, they found me instead. I need to know why they’re after you.”

Kazuko felt her heart leap into her throat upon hearing Jubei’s statement, the attempted smile vanishing from her face, replaced with an expression of fear. The lithe woman gasped, attempting to explain her situation as best as she could, but no words would come out. The most she could get was an occasional stammer.

“Easy, darlin’, I’m not gonna hurt you.” Jubei said reassuringly. His face softened a little and he sighed. “I may not look it, but I’m one of the good guys. So, take a breath and start from the top.”

The lithe woman took a deep breath, quickly wiping tears from her eyes.

Calm down, Kazuko. She thought. Fear means weakness, and you know what weakness means. Another breath, a firm look on her face, and then she spoke.

“They’re likely after me because I have their blood on my hands.” Kazuko explained. “I don’t like discussing my reasons for killing them, as they are personal.”

“Hm.” Jubei raised an eyebrow. The woman looked like she weighed ninety pounds soaking wet, and the warrior started to question the validity of her killing hardened raiders. However, Jubei knew better than to judge purely based on appearance, he himself was underestimated multiple times due to his height.

“We’ll get into the ‘why’ later,” he continued, “Right now, I’m more interested in the ‘how’. No offence girly, but you don’t look like you’d have an easy time with a two hundred pound fighter.”

“What, you haven’t heard of ship combat? That’s how I did it.” Kazuko stated. She knew very well what Jubei meant in his last statement, but she didn’t wish to discuss that, hoping that her own statement would change the subject enough.

Her statement earned her a smile and a chuckle from the hardened fighter. Even he was not expecting such a simplistic answer. “Fair enough! They never approached me ship-to-ship, it was always face to face.”

“But,” Jubei’s face turned serious once again. “Now the ‘why’. You don’t look like someone who would get caught up with such monsters willingly. So, that leaves the possibility of previous enslavement, and not the Imperial kind. Am I knockin’ on the right door here?”

Kazuko was initially relieved that her answer seemed to have satisfied Jubei, but that relief was clearly not to last since he changed the subject back. Her nerves started to build a bit again, but then the warrior had accurately guessed that she was previously enslaved. The lithe woman didn’t even notice that tears were falling from her eyes until the statement turned into a question.

“I….I….” she choked out, hanging her head and trying to pull herself together. “....yes…”

The warrior nodded. He understood. His eyes narrowed, jaw clenched, and fists balled up tight. It was never enough for the owners, a loss of property had to be found to at least recover the cost of inconvenience, or payback for an upstart. Jubei hated slavers, about as much as he did pirates, and he enjoyed every opportunity he got to end a slaver’s reign of oppression.

It was then that he finally connected the dots, and saw Kazuko’s form for what it was. She wasn’t just thin and lithe, but her body bordered on emaciated.

Jubei spoke again, but his voice was noticeably softer. “Kazuko, you’re very thin despite currently living in such luxury… did they do this to you?”

“Yes…” Kazuko trailed off, whimpering a bit. “I’ve been like this as long as I can remember…”

“As long as you can remember...” he repeated, lost in thought for a moment. Jubei turned to look directly at the woman in front of him, his normally deep blue eyes glowed a soft turquoise for a time. The warrior’s face hardened once his bio-organic eyes completed the scan. “That thing in your guts, that’s the source of your physical issues, isn’t it?”

Kazuko gasped, not having noticed the glow of his eyes, and as a result, unable to determine that she had been scanned. To her, it’s as if Jubei made another ‘wild’ guess and succeeded.

“It’s a Buzhang Flatworm… the first memory I have is swallowing it.” she meekly admitted, sniffling a bit.

“And let me guess… it’s booby-trapped.”

“Altered my genes. Remove it, I’ll die of liver failure. My body produces a toxin, and the parasite produces the antitoxin.”

“Well, ain’t that a bitch.” he said, mostly to himself. “I suppose this is common practice for these slavers?”

“I think it might be…” Kazuko trailed off, wiping additional tears from her eyes. “I was able to find out the exact group behind my enslavement by not just my found location, but by the parasite itself, or at least the exact type.”

Jubei again nodded. “You know that the higher-ups aren’t gonna be flyin’ the ships, right? You shootin’ these ships aren’t gonna mean much to them. They’re just gonna count their losses and get some other sucker to haul their cargo.”

He thought for a moment before continuing. “So, if you want them stopped, you’re gonna have to give me the information you have so I can pay them a… visit.”

Kazuko sighed, finally glancing up at Jubei, her eyes red and puffy from crying. “I just realized that they have their expendable goons flying their ships. I took several of them out, enough to lure out the higher ups. Part of me does want that, so I can go after them, but I don’t think I’m ready to take anyone out on my own outside of ship combat.” A brief pause and a slight wince. “And I’ll gladly hand over any information you wish. I may pay them a visit myself once I’ve got someone to accompany me.” As Kazuko spoke, the frightened look on her face turned into one of determination, a small smirk forming on her lips.

“Oh no, kiddo.” he said with some firmness. “Look, I’m not talking about a fly-by mission here. I’m talkin’ about going in and gettin’ close and personal. No hull to protect you. No void in between to stop you from seeing them die. This is gonna be messy, and make no mistake, this is gonna be murder, pure and simple.”

“I know you’re not talking about a fly-by.” Kazuko replied, her expression hardening. “And I’ve done what you’re talking about, to a degree. Several times, in fact.” The lithe woman was starting to feel like they were talking past each other, so she began to quietly formulate a precise explanation. Kazuko winced a second time as a pang of hunger began to gnaw at her stomach.

“The parasite, eh?” the warrior asked, noticing her wince. His voice was somewhat monotone, but there was a slight pitch to it.

Kazuko didn’t answer, at least not immediately. She only vaguely heard what Jubei asked, completely due to being deep in thought. A low grumble escaped her stomach, easily heard by her-and anyone closeby her-causing her to lose her train of thought and glance up at Jubei, her face tinted rose with embarrassment.

“Can you say that again?” She asked. “I didn’t hear you earlier. Lost in thought.”

“Nevermind, I got my answer.” he said, attempting to suppress a grin. “I take it that the parasite takes a portion of your food for itself and makes it known when it’s wantin’ more.”

“Yep, you guessed correctly.” She bitterly remarked, the blush on her face darkening since it was now apparent that the warrior had both heard and called attention to her stomach’s earlier outburst. “I’m eating for two and I’m not even pregnant.”

“Pfft- heh heh ha!.” Jubei’s stern expression cracked and he chuckled. Whether it was meant as a joke or not, the choice of words got through his normally gruff exterior. He sighed and smiled. “Well, I don’t suppose if I told ya to piss off and eat, I’d be able to take off without you sneaking aboard my ship or following it out. So, I guess you’d better take care of that and I’ll wait here.”

Kazuko smiled slightly upon hearing Jubei chuckle at her quip, feeling a little more comfortable at letting her guard down around him. “Honestly, I can’t do much of anything on an empty stomach, even if I try to seem like I can. You’d be able to leave while I’m eating. As for just waiting here for me? I could have food brought down here instead.”

The warrior raised his chin with a twisted smile. “Oh, pardon me, your majesty!” he replied in a half-mocking high imperial accent.

Now it was Kazuko’s turn to chuckle. “Oh, please. I’m not that high up in society!” She exclaimed. “Excuse me for a moment.” The lithe woman headed for the door, peeking out to see if a steward was around. She glanced around, not seeing anyone other than a librarian, before coming back in. “There’s no one there other than one of the librarians-looks like we’ll have to head to the dining hall. I don’t wish to keep you waiting, so please, come along. Was intending to get myself a meal when I was alerted to your presence.”

“I’m not one to say ‘no’ to food.” he said as he followed the lithe women. It had been some time since he ate, so it couldn’t hurt to have a little pick-me-up.

Kazuko made her way down several hallways, heading straight for the nearest dining hall. Her somewhat melancholy expression lifted upon spotting Kezika already seated at a table, to which she headed straight over.

“Hello to the both of you, joining me for some lunch I presume,” Kezika asked.

“Yeah…we are…” She trailed off, voice a bit sullen.

“News wasn’t too shocking was it,” Kezika said upon noticing Kaz’s eye regions were a bit red.

“I think she took it well enough.” Jubei replied with a shrug. “Kid’s got some fight in her.”

“Indeed she does, anyhow take a seat a waitstaff shall be by shortly to take orders while we chat,” Kezika stated.

“More the fact I was read like an unlocked data slate.” she quipped.

Jubei raised an eyebrow and grinned. “I think I should inform you that it was my job, once upon a time, to punish dishonourable Imperial slave owners. Such was one of my many mandates at the Chapterhouse.”

“Very good, too many of my peers try to game the system for free labour and not put their own return in with skill teaching, etcetera,” the CEO replied.

“Sheesh, Kez, your peers suck.” Kazuko remarked, shaking her head at the fact that some Imperial Slave owners are like her own former masters at worst, and at best, what Kezika said prior.

The warrior smiled dangerously. “Don’t worry Kazuko, punishment was swift, efficient, and effective.”

“Good.” She stated, the firm look on her face giving way to another wince.

“Well, if I’m having company for lunch, might as well modify my order and take you over to the buffet hall then,” Kezika said before making a few hand gestures while her right eye AR lens glowed slightly.

The group moved to the buffet hall, following Kezika’s lead. Imperial hospitality was certainly present and taken seriously in the CEO’s home. The buffet hall was large, with beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. A long table sat in the middle of the room, topped with all sorts of food from all around the Empire. There were accents of fruit and sweets at one end as well, allowing guests to either be healthy or indulge their sweet tooth.

“Sweet Space-Christ!” Jubei exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Kez, I’m not sure if you got this arranged because of our visitor, or because his visit interrupted a normal mealtime for me, but wow…” Kazuko trailed off, giving an awkward smile as her stomach let out another grumble. She chuckled slightly at Jubei’s exclamation, half genuinely and half attempting to mask the sound of her stomach, a slight blush forming on her face once more.

Kezika chuckled for a moment, “Nope, his visit was a surprise to me as well, I thought I showed you in the move-in tour, this is here every day for staff and residents to peruse,” She said while leading them over to the buffet table.

“Might’ve slipped my mind, given that I was distressed at that time. I’ll probably be here quite often, then,” The lithe-and hungry-woman headed straight for the buffet, piling her plate high with as much food as it could hold, sampling just about everything at the table before finding herself a place to sit and eat.

“I’m also having them bring out what I had ordered as a share plate as well by the way, some locally caught fish and ‘chips’,” she let them know.

Jubei’s stomach rumbled, reminding the warrior that it had been some time since he had a decent meal. “Well, if you insist…”

He gladly fixed a plate with a sizable chunk of meat and made a small bowl of salad before taking a seat to feast.

Kazuko glanced up briefly, giving Jubei a brief wave once he had a plate fixed for himself, as if to invite him to sit with her.

Kezika then sat down with a plate containing a few odds and ends from the buffet and some of the tea, “I figure based on the earlier discussion, there were some issues with the Raiders faction?”

“Yeah, no shit,” Kazuko mentioned, angrily taking several more bites of food before continuing. “I’ve always got issues with them. But it seems like things are escalating more than I thought.”

"The fact that they're coming after me shows that they're getting desperate," Jubei's said, "... and stupid."

“Anarchists seem to just love throwing spaghetti at walls to solve their problems,” Kezika replied with a tone of underlying frustration.

A slight chuckle from Kazuko at that particular euphemism. “Good to know they’re complete idiots.”

“The three of us, plus another ‘partner in hunting’ I managed to ally with, could probably deal with them easily.” she continued. Her expression then changed to something a little more formal. ”With that said, I believe more formal introductions are needed. You may know my name, sir, but you don’t know me. I’m Commander Kazuko Himura, and I am an Imperial Citizen, despite spending more time on my ship than in Imperial luxury.”

Kazuko held her hand out to reveal a medallion, engraved with the Pilot’s Federation ranking emblem-specifically the emblem for Elite rank. Her listed callsign is literally how she introduced herself earlier.

“Ah well, I suppose a Chapterhouse agent is trustworthy enough on this, not like they couldn’t find out if they wanted anyways,” Kezika added after, pulling her own medallion from a pocket, engraved in the coveted ‘Triple Elite’ version of the Pilot’s Federation ranking emblem, and her callsign CMDR Kezika.

The warrior looked up from his plate with a glint in his eye. During the meal he was dignified with his eating, but there was an obvious measure of restraint. Now, there was a hint of that primal instinct deep in his eyes as he smiled. "Impressive baubles, ladies. You've done well. I'm sorry to say that I've not achieved such milestones. However, in my line of work, one cannot advertise achievements."

“Thanks.” Kazuko remarked, having caught the hint in Jubei’s eye, a slight matching one in her own. The lithe woman’s own eating speed was a little rushed, but she, too, was holding back. “I honestly don’t like to advertise my own achievements, either. But I wanted to show I wasn’t as defenseless as you think.”

The medallion was once more pocketed, and Kazuko’s full attention returned to both food and company. “Anyways, I haven’t gotten your name. If I’m going to be giving you information regarding the Raiders, I’d need to know exactly who it is going to.”

“Indeed, if we’re to potentially work together on the matter, this…” Kezika stated while tumbling the insignia in her hand, “is more just to let you know I often handle business a bit more in-person than my public persona would lead people to believe.”

“Didn’t I provide my name already?” Jubei asked, genuinely. “My name is Jubei Himura. Former head of the Chapterhouse of Inquisition. Presently, I’m back to being a field agent where I’m much more comfortable and free to work without the public light on me.”

“Well that explains why the Raiders were after you!” Kazuko exclaimed, smirking slightly. “Same last name, probably thought we’re related. Although I doubt we are, ‘Kazuko Himura’ is not my birth name. I was born as #1515, and chose my name during my rehabilitation with aid from my therapist. And no, I didn’t get your name, but you asked mine.”

“I had a gate guard enter a log shortly after my majordomo informed me of the visit request through the Chapterhouse back-channel, hadn’t read it quite yet though so wasn’t sure if your full name was in his report or not. More personal to ask and all that; any case I believe I introduced myself earlier but if not I am Patron Kezika Turiel Wylair of the Keltim Empire League as well as CEO of C.E.A. Psychiatric Institutions Ltd,” spoke Kezika, “But I also often fly under my Pilot’s Federation registry, my fellow political peers tend to be a bit… vapid for my tastes.”

“Yeah, most politicians can go fuck themselves.” the warrior said without a second thought. “Pompous assholes who should learn that they’re nothing without the people, not above them. …lest they be shown just how weak they really are.”

Kazuko couldn’t help but laugh at the remark, and nod in agreement. She then stopped both actions upon realizing she was in the presence of a politician- Kezika. “I’d have more to say if I interacted with other politicians. The only one, as far as I know, that I’ve met in person is Kezika. I didn’t even know she was a CEO until a couple days after I started flying!”

“Too many of my Patron peers simply hide away, failing to ever even interact with their clientele, business or political,” Kezika added her input.

There was a long pause afterward. Talk of politics had soured the mood for everyone present. Jubei, accustomed to such situations, spoke first. "So, what do we know about the Raiders? Who's in charge?"

“I wish I knew…” Kazuko trailed off. “I have no idea who their leader is, or much of any of the higher ups. All I know is where they’re at and how they’ve treated me. I could check my medical records to see if any additional clues lay in where my escape pod was found all those years ago.”

“Sounds like as good a start as any.” the warrior said as he stood up to leave. “While you do that, I’m gonna do what I do best.”

“Well we could take a few days of research and then reconvene afterwards, see what’s been uncovered,” Kezika suggested.

“Sounds good to me. Got another connection that could help as well,” Kazuko added. “Shall we exchange comms for the sake of easy contact?”

A staff member came by with the fish and chips dish Kezika ordered earlier for the group, and passed a plate to each person.

“Ah thank you,” Kezika said to the staff before turning to Jubei.

“You wish to take some to-go, you seemed a bit hungry earlier,” Kezika asked, remembering his stomach growls from earlier.

Though Kazuko was far enough away that she likely didn’t hear said grumbling, she did nod in agreement with Kezika. “Always good to have food for the road,” she added, keeping her embarrassment on Jubei’s behalf hidden.

"No thanks," he replied as he stopped at the door. "I've had my fill. You'll find secure comms codes already sent to your devices. Happy hunting, ladies."

With a quick wave of goodbye, the warrior left the two women. He made his way back to the front gate thanking the guard as he passed, and headed toward the highway.

Kazuko then turned to Kezika. “I’ll take that extra fish filet if you don’t want it.”

Everything has been insane these past couple of weeks.

First off, Neomedical Industries announced that they’re going to be distributing a strain of Onionhead, due to its medical properties. Around the same time, Kezika made a statement, on behalf of CEA Psychiatric, expressing interest in utilizing it. Given that I owe a lot of my current lifestyle to CEA, either due to my prior stay in what eventually became one of their facilities, or due to them paying well for various needed tasks that a CMDR can do, I immediately opted to follow her back to the bubble.

To be honest, my personal thanks is less of the reason why I’m going back, and more that I’ve just been following Kezika. My end goal in life was always to become a space pilot, but now that I’m here, what do I do? I’d just been blindly following her. Trade, Combat, Exploration, I’ve done it all as she showed me the ropes. I’ve enjoyed all three equally, at that.

The two of us opted to rest in her mansion, as it had been a while since we slept in anything other than a ship bunk or a station bed. While there, those dark thoughts about who enslaved me returned, greater than ever, and came to a peak when I retrieved my medical records to give to Kodiak later, as they are necessary to assist in closure for what happened two and a half years ago.

With the question of who did this to me at the front of my mind, I asked Kezika about it. She made a call to the doctor that treated me all those years ago, and had an answer-The Raiders of StKM 1-442. The eponymous system was only 11 light years away.

After a complete emotional breakdown, Kezika let me move into one of the staff apartments in her mansion, to give me some extra peace of mind. Once that was complete, I went straight to Shinrarta Dezhra, building one of the ships I had planned before, to act as an impromptu combat ship while Phoenix, my combat Fer-De-Lance, is transferred back here.

By the time I was able to think a bit more clearly, and less of vengeance, the initial request for delivering supplies to Neomedical Industries had been completed. Whoops, I let my heart overtake my mind again. But I could still assist them, as due to their actions, they’ve encroached on the Kumo Crew’s territory of distributing Onionhead, and now there was all out war. So I fought for them.

I still didn’t neglect clearing out Raiders, and it’s paid off a little-I got myself an ally. I’m not completely sure what he has against them, but the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Thargoids ended up attacking a system called Cornsar right when the war ended in victory for Neomedical’s ally group. That night, I joined Kezika and another CMDR to assist in the fight-as she felt it was the right time for me to learn how to take on Thargoids in a ship of my own, instead of as someone else’s fighter pilot, like I was doing before. Which was fine-I did tell Kodiak I’d be out there, after all.

I was introduced to the concept of renting a ship at the time, as well, since my soon to be Thargoid hunting ship was still out in the black aboard Kezika’s carrier. Our small team of 3 ended up killing four of them. Ended up having to rent a trade ship after hearing that the mysterious individual or group called Salvation made a request to deliver ‘medicine’ to one of the rescue ships in Cornsar. By medicine, they really mean disguised weapon components. I made sure to deliver actual medicine as well, of course-turns out delivering both really makes a pretty penny. I did this for a few hours before bidding my new ‘partner in crime’ farewell, as I headed off into the black again.

As I’m writing this, I’m resting aboard Kezika’s carrier at the current basecamp. The expedition is almost at a close, and after that short taste of a visit, I’m ready to be back in the bubble again.

When she heard rumors of a new weapon that could be used against the Thargoids, Kazuko immediately got to work on confirming them. Sure enough, there was indeed a megaship parked out in a system neighboring Cornsar, selling tons of basic medicines for rather cheap. To her, it was a win-win-win scenario. If there are weapon parts in the crates, then those would be given to Salvation, whoever that is. Any actual basic medicines can be used to help the survivors of the attacks aboard the rescue ship she’s delivering to. And finally, Kazuko makes a massive profit as a result, which was a tossup whether it went to ship related matters or food. Since she had plans, and was sure she wasn’t going to take long, Kazuko requested that her ship staff remain at Sitterly Orbital until her return. Now alone, she flew her Krait Phantom, Amaris, out to the system in question. It was only a few runs before some other tasks she needed to complete would be finished, hence why she took her exploration ship despite its relatively small cargo hold size.

Upon seeing how many credits delivering just 32 tons of ‘medicine’ made her, Kazuko’s eyes widened a bit, and she immediately began to undertake more transport runs.

It was on one of those runs that everything turned sour.

The blaring of her ship’s COVAS that she was being interdicted was the first thing. The second was feeling the sudden ‘tether’ attaching to her ship. Tightly gripping her control stick, Kazuko began to fly in twists and turns, attempting to escape, but to no avail. A loud bang erupted as she dropped out of supercruise, and she immediately began looking around to see exactly who was behind this interdiction. Was it a random pirate after her cargo? Did a scout from the Raiders of StKM 1-442 tail her here and see an opportunity? Was she selected for an inspection from system security? Or was it something more sinister? Turned out to be close to the last answer-it was one of those pro-Thargoid nutjobs, armed with packhound missiles.

Before Kazuko could even get away, several missiles fired, immediately heading straight for her. She immediately pushed the throttle to max, and tightly gripped her ship’s control stick to attempt to maneuver away from them-only for it to be all for naught. Those missiles were seekers! The first wave completely took Kazuko’s shields out, only for another wave to follow suit. The first shot from the second wave hit, completely obliterating her unable-to-keep-up point defense turret, and sending an impact that knocked her ship partly off-kilter. Another hit Kazuko’s frame shift drive, causing it to malfunction. Several more blew holes in her hull, thankfully none compromising the cockpit. Emergency warnings were going off around Kazuko, slowly becoming more muffled as her seat became encased in a hard shell, everything fading to black.

Kezika had her ship computer set in wing mode with Kazuko’s ship as she was also running the shipments between Salvation’s megaships and Cornsar. Both of them tended to run at the opposite pace from the other, one would be in Cornsar, while the other was at the megaship in the neighboring star system-as is the case currently.

“Wing member under attack!” Kezika’s COVAS alarm blared, catching her attention immediately.

“Aw, crap,” Kezika thought as she went to open the mic to ask what was happening.

“Wing member destroyed!” the COVAS blasted just as Kezika was about to open comms. Waves of worry washed over her after hearing that so suddenly, and before she could even contact Kazuko. Having been the first person that Kezika was really comfortable lowering her guard around, she had grown to care greatly for the thin woman. Her first thought was that a Thargoid had hyperdicted her exploration vessel and fired upon Kazuko afterwards. Pushing that thought aside, Kezika pressed a button on her ship’s control panel, activating the comms.

“Medical bay, prepare for emergency,” Kezika shouted over the comms as she made an abrupt turn, pointing her ship in the direction it came from. She then targeted the system that Kazuko was last reported in-specifically Cornsar, and initiated the procedure for hyperspace jump.

Upon the Cutter’s arrival in Cornsar, an acutely worried Kezika began to track down the SOS signal from Kazuko. Upon spotting it, she slammed the throttle to max and hastily maneuvered towards its location as noted on her HUD. The flight towards it felt like hours as multiple potential outcomes swarmed her mind, many of them not good. The Cutter dropping out of supercruise and the resulting bang that came with it jolted Kezika out of her thoughts.

The sight before Kezika was horrific. Bits and pieces of a now-destroyed Krait Phantom floated in the black, interspersed with dented storage containers, likely full of either the ‘basic medicines’ the two of them had set out to deliver, or the vast quantities of food stores Kazuko kept aboard her ship. What remained of Amaris was a large metal lump so filled with holes that it hardly even looked like a ship anymore-the damages in question looked to be from packhound missiles. The fact that someone deliberately did this to her closest friend made Kezika feel physically sick.

Fighting those feelings back, Kezika immediately checked the rest of her surroundings-and hit the jackpot. Slightly above the hole-filled shell of a Krait Phantom was a single escape pod. Even better, it was occupied and in good condition. Kezika carefully maneuvered around the wreckage to find a straight shot to the escape pod-the only one she could find was an incredibly narrow fit. Gingerly adjusting her controls, Kezika slid the massive ship in between what looked like two massive hull pieces, deftly scooping up the escape pod. With Kazuko’s pod secure, Kezika paged her ship’s butler, Xavier Hampton, to the bridge.

“Take the controls, I have to attend to this. Scoop any of the remaining intact cargo, too.” Kezika commanded.

With Xavier now at the ship’s helm, Kezika bolted towards the ship’s cargo bay, throwing the doors open once she reached it.

Ship Doctor Niamh Masamba was ready in the cargo bay to receive Kazuko’s escape pod and was already working through the opening sequence.

“What’s the situation‽” Kezika urgently requested, her voice laced with worry.

“System statuses showing normal at the moment, we shall verify vitals as soon as she’s out of the pod,” Niamh assured.

Kezika immediately jumped in to assist Niamh with the pod’s opening procedure, allowing said procedure to be completed in a timely manner. Both doctor and executive lifted a still-in-cryosleep-Kazuko onto the awaiting stretcher, despite Kazuko’s light weight making assistance barely necessary. The two began to pull the stretcher through the zero-gravity halls of the Cutter, heading towards the medical bay. It was then when Kazuko began to stir.

The first thing Kazuko was aware of was the feel of the stretcher. The second thing she was aware of was the fluid in her lungs. Clapping a hand over her mouth, she began to violently cough in an attempt to expel the offending substance. Once she felt like she could breathe again, Kazuko wearily glanced around, her eyes briefly setting upon Kezika’s face-or what she thought was it. Everything blurred in front of her eyes, sounds not able to be easily connected to their proper sources, both forms of stimuli and even several others not able to be comprehended. The halls of the Cutter rushing by began to fade away, once more replaced by the blackness of unconsciousness.

“Kaz! Kaz!” Kezika shouted in the brief moment Kazuko was stirring.

“Oh no! She’s back out!” Kezika shouted to Niamh.

“Fairly standard just out of the pod,” replied Niamh matter-of-factly.

Niamh and Kezika pulled the stretcher around the corner, and into the official medical bay. The doctor then pulled over a diagnostic device, plugging it into a small interface on the back of Kazuko’s flight suit. An array of options showed up on the device’s screen, Niamh swiftly pressed through a menu before hitting a button labeled “vitals readings”. Whirring sounds could be heard in parts of Kazuko’s flight suit as a result.

Readings soon began flooding the screen, most of the highlighted green, considered normal acceptable values by the software. When the readings were complete, one value was yellow-considered a caution zone by the software. That specific value was for blood sugar.

“Little low on blood sugar, but otherwise fine.” Niamh explained upon looking at the reading. The doctor continued to speak while floating over to the cabinet. “You can calm down now, Kez, just make sure Kazuko tunes the nutrient intake settings on her next ship’s escape pods.”

“Thanks, I was worried for a bit there, will she be conscious soon?” Kezika asked, breathing a sigh of relief as she floated over to a nearby seat, strapping herself in.

“Indeed, just passed out from exhaustion, the ejection process, as I’m sure you’re aware, isn’t the most gentle thing in the world,” Niamh replied while preparing an IV bag for Kazuko.

“Point, point,” Kezika commented as Niamh brought over the IV, inserting it into Kazuko properly.

“Little low on blood sugar from the hypoglycemic effects of the parasite, should be in order with this soon.” Niamh explained. “I’ll be in my quarters across the hall if anything else is needed,”

Kezika nodded and waited patiently with Kazuko in the medical bay.

Kazuko eventually stirred, her eyes shooting open almost immediately. Frantically she glanced around, not sure where she is now, given being disoriented prior. Slowly, Kazuko pulled herself to a sitting position once she had at least a grasp of where she was at.

“Okay, this is the medical bay of a ship,” She thought. “Who brought me here?” She soon glanced over, noticing Kezika, prompting a small smile on her face.

“Kez…?”

“Got in a pickle with one of those crazies I presume?” Kez inquired.

“The pro-Thargoid people? Yep. Fucker had packhounds and everything.” Kazuko explained. “What the hell even happened? Last I remember was several hull breeches.”

“Critical damage, headed to scoop your escape pod as soon as the message popped up,” Kez informed her.

“Critical damage…? Shit, the food stores-!”

“Xavier’s flying the ship, scouring the wreckage for any salvageable items, anything else we can get replaced,” Kez replied.

“And for my… actual ship? We have to get to the base camp in a few days, after all.” Kazuko added.

“Pilot’s Federation shipyards are already working on a reconstruction with the insurance, that shouldn’t be an issue,” Kez reassured, “Might take a day or two for such a standard build exploration Phantom, very modular.”

“Whew, I’m sure I can make it back in time, then…” Kazuko trailed off. “I hate to ask, but do you have anything to eat?”

“Indeed, shall I pull you along to the mess?” Kez inquired.

“Oh, please do!” Kazuko exclaimed. “I only just realized how hungry I am.”

Kezika pulled herself around to the back of Kazuko’s stretcher, pushing it along the zero-gravity hallways towards the crew mess hall. Upon arrival, she parked the medical bed near a table, pressing a button so it would reconfigure into a seated position.

“Anything in particular?” Kez inquired.

“I’m not restricted to synthetic chicken broth, right?” Kazuko asked.

“Not at all, might want a little more sugar than normal though, you were a bit low on sugar,” Kez explained.

“It’s more complicated than that…” she trailed off, sighing in relief a bit at her first statement. “3 synth meat burgers then. And a slice of brownie cake.”

“Sounds good, oh by the way before I forget, Doctor Niamh said to make sure you adjust your escape pods’ nutrient supply settings for next time,” Kez suggested.

“Noted,” Kazuko chirped in response. “I’ll get to that when I get my ship back-AND on all my other ships when I get to them!”

A single question had been weighing on Kazuko’s mind for a while-who was behind her enslavement? That question was mostly pushed aside, as she often had more pressing matters to deal with, such as the expedition she was on, or a goal that Kezika was supporting, since Kazuko semi-blindly followed her in a way. Such a goal was what brought both of them back to Keltim prematurely, at least for a short period of time. But before they were to deliver much-needed supplies to Neomedical Industries, the two were taking a much-needed break in one of Kezika’s mansions on Keltim A5, specifically the one in Fire Opal. The two of them were walking through one of the hallways when Kazuko broke the silence between the two.

“I’ve been thinking for a while-for a long while, to tell you the truth.” Kazuko confessed. “Who did this to me? Who enslaved me? Who put this...this parasite in me?” The thought of not knowing practically suffocated her. She was highly certain that it was some group from somewhere halfway across the bubble that she had little chance of encountering again while ‘off-duty’, per se.

“I wouldn’t be able to tell you off the top of my head, especially since I need more information to go on.” Kezika explained, a little stunned by the question. “I do know where we can start, though. While I can certainly access them myself, I would like to know if you have your medical records on you.”

“I had to get them for something unrelated earlier.” Kazuko explained, handing over a media card for their slates. Kezika then inserted the card into her slate, reading over the data it showed.

“Buzhang Flatworm, huh?” Kezika remarked. “That could be any number of-Oh! The doctor that made the diagnosis is still employed at one of my facilities. I can ask him. Hold on a moment.” Kezika then ducked into a nearby room and closed the door.

A few moments passed, with Kazuko waiting patiently outside the room, before Kezika emerged, handing the card back to Kazuko, whom pocketed it.

“I just finished calling your doctor from all those years ago. As I suspected, there are several different groups of slavers who use that particular parasite. Despite that, we were able to narrow it down further, based off of where your escape pod was found. This parasite, the location you were found in, and the ship wreckage nearby all point to the Raiders of StKM 1-442.” Kezika’s words piqued Kazuko’s curiosity.

“Wait, how far away is that system again?” she asked.

“About eleven light years from Keltim.” Those words, on the other hand, deeply unsettled Kazuko. Eleven light years!? That’s right next door, not halfway across the bubble! Fear of being found and captured by them welled up in her, but she couldn’t show it.

“E-excuse me.” Kazuko stammered, before darting into a small door nearby. Once inside, she noticed it was another hallway, which she sprinted down for about a few seconds before drawing her arm back and punching the wall in anger. Shaking out the hand that took the impact, she half-slumped against the wall, closing her eyes while silently crying, trying to keep herself together.

A few moments later, she could see the shadow of the door behind her open, and a figure peek in.

“Kazuko?” Kezika’s voice rang out, a tad concerned. “Are you looking for a specific room? This is a staff hallway.” Upon hearing Kezika’s voice, the last of Kazuko’s metaphorical walls completely crumbled to dust as she sank to her knees, trembling and choking back sobs. Everything she’d worked for over the years almost melted away, and she was back to the scared girl found in the escape pod, all due to the fact her slavers were based out of a system that most ships could get to from Keltim with one jump! That was all she could think about, was them finding her and capturing her again. Even with everyone she knows-and everything she has-at her disposal, none of it could shake that intrusive thought from her mind, that same thought which drug old, long-buried memories to the surface. Memories of long hours in harsh working conditions, of endless hunger, of tasteless powdery supplements made of sawdust, and of being forced to swallow that accursed flatworm. Each and every one hit her like shots from a plasma shotgun as she took gasping, shaky breaths.

The feeling of one of her hands being gently gripped dragged Kazuko straight back to reality, and through tear-filled eyes, she could see Kezika sitting next to her, holding her hand.

“Kaz, would you like to talk? Or do you need a moment?” Kezika asked. Kazuko initially did not respond, but spoke up after a few moments.

“...The first thing I remember was swallowing that parasite…” she whimpered, her voice small compared to before. She initially paused to let Kezika speak, but given that Kezika was just listening for the time being, Kazuko continued to speak.

“I never knew what it was like to not be hungry because of that-we only got enough rations to keep us working-and we were almost always working. I...I’m shocked I even lived long enough to escape…” Kazuko dissolved into sobs once more, just barely managing to speak through them. “Some days I couldn’t..couldn’t even...even muster enough strength to work...and lost consciousness...only to wake up to agonizing pain…” By that point, Kazuko was nigh-inconsolable, crying hard enough that she couldn’t even speak.

“Kaz? Kaz, it’s okay. It’s alright, you’re here in my mansion on Keltim A5. You’re safe now, you’re safe here.” Kezika reassured Kazuko, squeezing her hand a bit. For the first time since this all began, Kazuko finally looked over at Kezika, tears streaming down her face. She was still trembling quite a bit, but that gradually slowed.

“But will I be safe back home…?” she meekly asked. “There’s so many other patients, and one of them could pose as a visitor and and and…”

“The staff wouldn’t let anything happen to you, all CEA facilities are secure. The staff wouldn’t let anyone come in that would hurt you. But if it gives you extra peace of mind, I have living quarters available here at this mansion-I will let my security staff know, and they can keep a lookout for anyone suspicious. In addition, this particular mansion isn’t in a generally well known area outside of the Wylair Verdure Center, granting extra security through obscurity.” Kezika continued reassuring Kazuko, whose sobs soon quieted.

“I have other residences that you could select from as well, if desired, not just limited to Keltim.” Kezika offered. Kazuko then took a deep breath before speaking once more.

“...I weep for the lost, scared, and sick child I was when I exited that escape pod all those years ago.” Kazuko stated, shifting to a more comfortable seated position. “As a CMDR now, I feel the time for tears is over. I accept your offer to move into this mansion here. And after I’m settled in, I have some slavers to destroy.” Before anything more could be said, Kazuko darted out of the hallway, heading to catch transportation to her soon to be former apartment.

Kazuko soon arrived at Kezika’s mansion once more, this time with a single crate of cargo, containing all of her belongings. One of the house stewards took care of that as Amaleigh greeted Kazuko.

“Welcome. Come, follow me, Kezika is waiting for you.” Amaleigh led Kazuko inside the mansion and through the familiar halls once more, towards the drawing room Kezika was waiting in. A new-wave style song could be heard over speakers built into the ceiling, piquing Kazuko’s curiosity a bit.

“In a room in a house in a dream No one's too sure whose dream it is we're living in If it's real, that's a brand new deal Ricochet days welcome to reality”

“This song….” Kazuko trailed off. “It almost perfectly fits me, it knows how I’m feeling. What is it?”

“Not too sure.” Amaleigh replied. “Something Kezika put on a bit ago while waiting. She said something about, uh… modern, I think. Doesn’t seem very modern, though...” Upon hearing that answer, Kazuko simply opted to ask Kezika later. For the time being, they’ve reached the drawing room in question.

Kezika then led Kazuko down another hall, specifically to the ‘apartments’ within the mansion that were vacant. Everything was pretty similar size and amenity-wise, but the real difference was in the window view and the decor-but for Kazuko, the former was the most important. Not just for peace of mind, but out of personal preference as well. She finally decided when one of the window views was that of the sky over a grassy field.

“I believe I’ve found the one I want.” Kazuko confidently stated with a slight smile.

“I’ll have the steward bring your belongings up to this unit. While we wait, care to join me for some tea?” Kezika asked, to which Kazuko nodded in agreement.