The colony police station was a dilapidated three storey building that had used to be a high end department store. Holes for electrical cables and office desk fittings had been haphazardly drilled through the high ceilings, once decked with chandeliers.

Cedar slumped down at his desk and rubbed his hands wearily over his face. The ass-kicking they had received from the captain had gone down as expected. Jones wanted results and he wanted them yesterday. A murder of the highest government official on Umbudu could only spell bad news for everyone.

Cedar opened his top drawer to see if he had left a packet of cigarettes in there, the pressure behind his eyeballs was mounting again. It was empty though, except from a half eaten protein bar and a faded photo of himself and Aster.

She was smiling in the picture, wide and gap toothed, she must have been about nine as she was wearing the shooting star necklace Cedar had given her for her birthday that year. Besides, she had never reached the age of ten.

“Hey, Tanaka, Lin!” Calvin, a red-headed and freckled tech guy ran into the room precariously carrying a large data tablet. “You’re not going to believe this!”

“No way,” Saorise sat up excitedly, “we got eyes on the crime?”

“Uh huh!” Calvin nodded enthusiastically. He had always seemed like an overgrown puppy dog to Cedar. “One of the cameras wasn’t running on the mainframe, it was an old analogue security one from way back in the day, it got your perp’s face clear as day!”

“Well luck be a lady tonight,” Cedar whistled and grinned at his partner as they both leaned forwards to take a look at the grainy shots on the screen.

“Confirmed android,” Saorise nodded, pointing to the assassin’s eyes, which were lit up a bright yellow, identifiably artificial despite the picture’s low quality.

“Male, early twenties, about 170cm, hair… what colour would you call that Tanaka? Is that a lavender?” Saorise murmured.

“I think it’s amethyst,” Calvin piped up, nodding seriously at the shot of the android.

“It’s fucking purple you weirdos,” Tanaka shook his head in disbelief, “and I highly doubt the exact shade will matter on the suspect report.”

“Too light to be just ‘purple’,” Calvin muttered petulantly.

“He’s an android!” Cedar exclaimed. “That’s all we need, just zoom in on his serial number.”

“Yeah, this is where there’s less good news,” Calvin sucked in through his teeth. “He doesn’t have one.”

“Shit,” Saorise sword, thumping her hand against the desk in irritation. There was only one reason why an android wouldn’t have a serial number – they had been constructed illegally from black market tech.

“Are there any traceable parts to him?” Cedar asked.

“Nope,” Calvin shook his head dejectedly. “Sorry guys, you’re gonna have to track this one down the old fashioned way.”

“We’ll start with the tech shops,” Saorise stated, reaching over to grab her jacket.

The afternoon had trudged on miserably as Cedar and Saorise spent their time questioning every single contact they could think of in the tech shop world, especially the ones they knew were dodgy.

But no one had any answers, either the parts for the AI really hadn’t been sourced on ship or everyone was remaining incredibly tight lipped for one reason or another.

Cedar groaned as he walked up a wrought iron, spiral staircase leading to a gallery of apartment doors. He was too tired to go to the local bar but still too buzzed on the case to sleep. He drew out his key card from his pocket before pausing.

There was a figure sitting on the floor, waiting by his door at the end of the walkway.

It wasn’t unusual to have homeless sleeping on the promenade but they didn’t normally bother haunting the residential galleries.

“Can I help you?” Cedar frowned, making sure his gun was easily reachable, unfastening the holster and tensing his fingers.

“Detective Tanaka?” came a soft, quiet voice. The figure was hunched over, a black hood covering their face and knees drawn up to their chest.

“That’s me,” Cedar replied, moving more cautiously now.

Pale hands with thin fingers moved jerkily to pull the hood’s fabric down.

“You!” Cedar exclaimed, whipping his gun free and taking aim at the android.

The AI’s mauve hair was pushed back from his face, revealing large yellow eyes. Three small but dark freckles were dotted across his left cheekbone and his full lips were drawn back to reveal teeth that were too white to be anything but non-bio.

“I’m hurt,” the android coughed, a black slick oozing from his mouth and dribbling down his chin.

“What the hell are you doing on my doorstep?” Cedar snarled, still aiming his gun square at the android’s forehead.

“She said to find you, she said you’d help me,” the android let out a wheezing hiss as he tried to sit up, more black goo trailing from his lips.

“You’re wanted for murder, of the damn governor!” Cedar shouted, moving forwards to wrench the android up to his feet, pressing the gun under his chin. “We’re going down to the station.”

“Wait-“ the android coughed again, choking on bionic blood. “She said I had to find you.”

“Who?” Cedar cried.

“Y-your sister,” the android spluttered, his yellow eyes fading as he slumped back down.

Cedar stared in shock as the android’s hand fell slack and open, revealing a silver pendant of a shooting star.