“We need a distraction.” Uwu was checking his power-pistol when he glanced over at me.

“Astute fucking observations there, Uwu.” Captain Yeti huddled down with us. “Just one grenade tossed in here and we’ll all be real intimate. The guts mixed together type of intimacy where we all interlope in a sea of fluids type of intimacy.”

Uwu ignored Yeti, “Walter said you had that new upgrade?”

I smiled at him. “Ghost mode.” It was my time to shine.

“You’ll sneak out of here and cause a distraction on the main stage. The rest of us can sneak out. Mama.”

The big bear snapped to attention, “Yessir.”

“You keep the Missionary busy while Speck moves in for the kill.” Uwu turned to Speck, who was still in the corner, cradling his pistol. “You down for this.”

“Always.” Specks tail flicked with delight.

“And Echo, you take out as many Deacons as you can.”

The bat flipped his cloak aside and pulled a pair of auto-shottys to bare. I could see several more weapons attached to his flak vest inside the cloak. He was ready for a war. “Aye, Cap.”

“And everyone.” Uwu paused for a short moment, making sure to look all of us in the eyes. “Keep the civies alive. We don’t need any deaths on our hands due to negligence.” His eyes landed on Speck as he finished the sentence. The jaguar sneered at him.

“And Meowtlaw Stars!” Yeti shouted into the VIP room. Everyone shot him a look of death, like he was going to bring the wrath of the Gellys down on us. “You know what to do.”

I rolled my eyes as I stood by the door. I gave one last look at Captain Uwu. Our reunion was short lived, but I was hopeful that we’d be together again soon, terrified about going out into a room full of Gellys, but still hopeful.

“Ghost.” I whispered to my suit. I looked down as the purple skin suit started to fade away, leaving nothing, just a transparent image. It started at my feet and worked its way up until everything was nothing. I pulled my hands up to my face but there was nothing to see.

“Right on, here I go.” I opened the door slowly and dipped out.

Echo whispered after me, “Good luck.”

I glanced back to see his face plastered with worry before the door shut and everything was behind me now. It was my mission now. I need to cause a distraction so the others could open hell up on the Gellys and swallow them inside. I just hoped we could get them all without any loses of our own.

The Deacons shot up the speakers, cutting off the bumping music. Sparks burst forth, illuminating the club in unreliable light.

I walked slowly and tried to keep my breathing under control. The smell of sweat, perfume, and stale air was now accompanied by fear, piss, and the occasional waft of incense coming from the Gellys. Anthros were hiding wherever there was cover from the Gellical Colective. Some were crying, others were praying, and a few were looking for some way out.

I couldn’t help them, at least not yet. They just needed to sit tight until we could all do our thing. Once we dealt with the Gellical Collective, they could all go their own way and keep safe until Yeti and his crew could take back the moon.

I crept in between the otter from before and a cat, ducking down behind one of the side stages. I had to place my feet just right. Broken glass was splattered across the floor from the explosion. The Gellys were now moving into the club. The Deacons went first, scouting the way for the Priest and Missionary. They moved like clockwork, checking corners and lines of sight, while watching each other’s backs. There was a reason the Gellys were able to cut a small swath of the galaxy to themselves. They didn’t mess around.

As I side skirted a wall, I couldn’t help but let the doubt creep in. How was Yeti and his crew going to take the moon back from an Ascension ship full of these zealots? That was something more portrayed on movies or books, not real life, and now, the Yiffin II crew was signed up for the fight. What was Uwu thinking?

I paused when I noticed a familiar face in the crowd. It was one of the slut-cats from the VIP room. She creeping behind the bar, a look of defiance in her eyes. I wanted to scream for her to stop, to just wait a few more seconds for the plan to kick in, but I couldn’t jeopardize the mission and my crewmates.

I watched in horror as the slut-cat popped up over the counter and yelled out at the nearby Gellys, “To the stars!” She blasted the closest Gellical dead center of his neck. The Deacon’s armor couldn’t stop such force at point blank and his head was severed from his body, spraying blood outwards across the club. Her victory was short lived. She blasted off a few more rounds, missing as she was quickly cut down by the rifles of the remaining Deacons. Her blood painted the bar in a deep crimson; she fired off one last shot as she went down as a lifeless husk.

I froze as a shotgun blast landed a foot from my head, stripping the wall of its decorations and paint. Brick crumbled down around me as I tried to sidestep away. I may be invisible, but I’m still here, and brick and mortar will stick to the skinsuit. Something I didn’t need.

The Father walked deeper into the club, making a show to avoid getting close to any Antrhos. “You are all lucky to be here, in this place, at this time.” His attention landed on a human nearby. The Priest ran his hand across the man’s head, “We are here to offer those worthy of salvation the opportunity to seek out repentance.”

I’ve heard this talk before, unfortunately. By those worthy, the Priest was just talking about humans stuck out in the stars among anthros. The rest of the people here without muzzles or furry skin were fucked. Soon to be a stain on the floor.

Father Brigum bent down to the human, pulling his chin up to stare him right in the eyes. “You can ascend to the highest form of yourself possible. All you must do is accept our Lord and Savior and pledge yourself to our prophet.”

The man whimpered a bit before a lone Anthro-sheep stood, “To the stars! Fuck you psychos!” He charged the Priest with a pistol and tried to flatline the Father, but the Missionary was too fast. The armored giant crossed the ground with inhuman speed, ironically, and pushed the Priest behind him, his head was quickly covered by his automatic helmet. The bullets just pattered off his power armor, bothering him like flies in fall. The bullets ricocheted off into the club, breaking glasses of booze on the wall.

The Missionary lunged forward, a large blade protruded from his gauntlet, and he plunged it deep into the sheep’s gut, hoisting him high for all to see. The sheep got a few more rounds off before his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his body went limp.

Blood dripped from the blade and power armor as the Missionary held the sheep high, “Any other villains want to make a name for themselves?” His voice bellowed out with a metallic pang from his helmets voice module.

This was it. I had to make my move now. There was no time left before this place became a bloodbath. I crawled up onto the main stage as quietly as I could, looking around for anything to cause the distraction.

“Wait.” The voice of Father Brigum caught me off guard. “There is one villain out there, one willing to make trouble for us righteous flock.” He walked around the Missionary, his eyes closed and his hand held up to his temple. He was pressing against his brain implant, only this one was larger than the basic Gellys. “His mind is clouded with doubt and fear. His body is a desecration to God, and he must be cleansed.” His eyes opened as he stared right at me on the stage.

“He is there, upon the stage. Invisible to our eyes.” He pointed right at me.

This time my heart raced faster than FTL. My hand shot down to my pistol. This motherfucker called me a he. My fear quickly turned to anger. I fought long and hard, went through so much pain just to be who I was today, and no Gellical asshole was going to take that away from me.

I aimed my pistol at him and whispered, “Ghost.” The invisible shroud dropped, and I stood on the main stage of the strip club in a purple skin suit, my piece aimed right at the Father. “Cleanse this, asshole.”

I pulled my trigger, hoping with all my might that this motherfuckers head would pop like virgin’s cherry. I guess I could be the distraction.