Serion was also nearby. The street was flooded with various creatures, so he went practically unnoticed. He didn't put much thought into which direction he was heading. He wandered through the streets for at least half an hour, and then randomly entered a bar.
The wall was black, but it was illuminated in a purplish light. There were several people here, mostly at the tables. To the side, a bar stood, with a tall man behind it, and two waitresses were swiftly carrying out the ordered drinks.
Serion had been contemplating why places like this didn't employ robots, but as he had recently learned from one of the owners, many guests found it more enjoyable to chat with live creatures and not have to listen to the annoying buzzing of robots. He had to admit they were right.
At the back, there was a visible stage with purple curtains on either side. Four dancers performed on it, hailing from different species. Serion couldn't discern what type of dance it was from the moves, mainly consisting of arm gestures and spins, nor from the style of their clothing. Each of them wore a sparkling top with one sleeve tight on their upper arm, flaring out at the elbow, and it hung down to their wrist. The other arm was entirely bare, allowing it to protrude from the shoulder. Their midriffs were exposed because their pants clung to their thighs and flared out from the knees, only starting at their hips. Their colors matched the ambiance of the bar, with the two dancers on the sides wearing purple, and the two in the middle wearing deep blue dresses.
He decided that these women might have heard many things, so perhaps they could help. He singled out the closest one, who, upon noticing this, began to smile faintly and moved closer.
Serion stared at her thoughtfully. He found her attractive, especially her turquoise eyes, but not enough to break his oath, which he had sworn to a woman he was engaged to. He had no desire for anyone else, and he was confident that the woman hadn't broken her promise either. He knew that for her species, an oath wasn't as critical, while for his people, it was strictly adhered to. Throughout history, except for one exception, they had perhaps never broken their oaths, and everyone knew that. Once spoken, anyone could safely assume that they kept it. This was one of the reasons it was immensely difficult to get them to make an oath in the first place.
Serion only snapped back to reality when the girl leaned closer. It seemed like the song had ended, and new dancers had come.
"May I know why you looked so intently? Can I help with something?" she inquired.
Serion replied softly, "Yes, you can help. I'm looking for a girl named Solar."
"For information like that, there's a nice fee, I hope you know."
"I'll pay for it."
The woman cautiously jumped off the stage and headed toward one of the back doors. Halfway there, she whispered that this was the best option because almost no one was paying attention to them in that area. They emerged into a narrow alley, where the music and distant clamor could be heard, but there was no one nearby. The dimly lit signs of a few abandoned bars were visible, but apart from that, there wasn't much other illumination.
"I'm asking for five thousand, alright? Solar is associated with the local gang. I know her, but they're quite hard to locate. Look for a large warehouse with no lighting. If Solar isn't on a mission, she's usually inside."
With a sudden movement, Serion drew his palm's hidden dagger from his sleeve, which he had used to deliver a strike to the dancer's temple. Following that, he reached into his pocket, retrieved some coins, and scattered them on the ground next to the unconscious woman. The coins emitted a blue light that illuminated the girl's dark hair.
"Thank you. Unfortunately, I don't have more money on me. Perhaps I could have mentioned it earlier."
As he walked down the road, after a long walk, he spotted Angron. The pilot leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and had the most profoundly calm expression on his face since their encounter. Serion couldn't decide if this calmness came from the silence or the cigarette he was avidly puffing and exhaling smoke.
Serion also noticed movement coming from the other end of the street. A figure was approaching. When the person entered the nearby sign's light, it became clear that it was a young girl. She appeared quite young, by common reckoning, definitely not more than twenty years old, so she hadn't even reached adulthood. Perhaps she was still seventeen or even younger, though Serion wasn't sure how years were measured in her species.
The girl approached with cat-like grace. She had short, dark green fur with spots and stripes on her arms. Her form revealed a predatory sleekness, with three-fingered paws for both her legs and arms, which she retracted her claws into. Her nose, mouth, and sharp teeth all resembled those of a big cat, but her ears were round and flat. She had no hair, and a long tail peeked out from under her clothing. Her eyes were green. All in all, she appeared too slender to be threatening. She looked like she'd been starving.
She wore a brown, deep-cut outfit that clung tightly to her entire body, although there wasn't much to show. A wide, thick belt adorned her waist, with tiny chains hanging all around it. The entire attire looked rather flashy, to the point where Serion pondered for a second or two about the girl's occupation until he noticed the small ray gun she was twirling in her paw.
He saw that Angron and the girl started a conversation as if they were negotiating something. Serion approached and waved at them. The girl regarded him with suspicion, but the pilot reassured her.
"No problem. He's my companion, the one I mentioned. Serion, this is Solar."
"Indeed? Surprisingly young," he remarked.
"That doesn't anything," the girl replied unfriendly. "What guarantees me that you are who you claim to be? I have no certainty that the admiral genuinely sent you."
At that moment, Angron took out his badge and showed it.
"How many could counterfeit one like this?"
Solar leaned closer, remained silent for a while, and then straightened up, nodding.
"It's authentic. All right, I'll believe you."
At that instant, an explosion disrupted the silence, and they all turned their heads. While the sound seemed to come from a distance, the flash that accompanied it made it clear that something was happening on top of a building.
Angron looked visibly alarmed. "That was our spaceship!"
"Are you sure?" Serion asked.
"Yes!"
At that moment, the pilot reached for his wristband and tried to contact the admiral, but there was no connection. However, a message arrived from the girl moments later, specifically for Angron. She explained that as soon as they had left, a part of the rebel fleet had shown up, and because they were overwhelmingly outnumbered, she had surrendered while ensuring the safety of the crew.
Solar looked at them with a sense of unease. "Rebels...? Look, I have no desire to get involved with the rebels. I've taken a huge risk reaching out to you as it is."
"Just give us what the admiral requested, and we'll be out of your hair."
The girl adjusted her belt. "I didn't bring it with me. I hid it until I was sure who I was dealing with. I'll take you there, but there's still the matter of payment."
"Just tell us how much you want."
Solar hesitated. "I... I didn't want money. The admiral promised to get me out of here. You see, I've lived here since I was a child, and the conditions are terrible. I managed to steal enough money from my boss to buy an illegal spaceship, but if they find out, they'll kill me. I want to leave, but I can't fly it. The admiral said there would be an excellent pilot in the team. It was more than worth it for me to give up what we found."
"What is it?"
"I don't know. It's some green piece of metal. I have no idea what it's for. I've never seen anything like it, but the admiral was determined to get her hands on it."
Angron looked at his partner with a questioning expression, but Serion similarly turned to him in confusion.
"Alright... Look, Solar, I'm offering a deal! I am the pilot mentioned by the admiral, but our spaceship was destroyed. So, if you give us that thing, I'll take you anywhere you want in your spaceship, but we need to help the admiral first. If she's really been taken captive, we can't leave her there."
"What's your plan? Are you just going to sneak aboard the starship? That would mean angering the rebels."
"Yes, but you can evade them more easily in space than the gangsters here if you stay. I'm sure you can help us."
Solar nervously twitched her nose, causing her whiskers to sway. She was clearly weighing her options.
"Besides, the admiral is incredibly wealthy," Angron added casually. "She could definitely assist you financially."
The girl glared at him.
"Do you think I can be bribed?... Well, you're right. I don't have much time before the boss figures out I swiped a bunch of money from him. Let's go!"
The three of them ran in the direction indicated by the girl. Above them, on the rooftop, a boy lay low. He perked up his pointed ears, raised his arm, and whispered something barely audible into his wristband.
Up in space, on the rebels' starship, the Captain was attentively listening to the message and responded almost immediately. Following orders, another boy stealthily infiltrated the gangsters' base, killing anyone he found, covering his tracks, and then hiding.
Meanwhile, the first boy leaped from the roof, following Solar and her two companions.
"Is there a chance your friends will wait for us?" Serion asked the girl.
"I hope not. Usually, they go hunting at times like this. There might be a couple of guards around, but we can avoid them."
The girl led them to a seemingly abandoned building, which stood almost unnoticed amidst the colorful, vibrant city. She opened one of the back doors, glanced around, and then sneaked inside. Her companions followed suit.
Inside, everything was filled with stacks of crates and bags piled on top of one another. It was clear that someone had recently been there, although they didn't see anyone.
Solar led them to a small, enclosed hangar, where a white spaceship was parked. Angron circled it both inside and out with an unsatisfied grunt.
"This is a wreck."
"I apologize for not having the funds for a luxury spaceship..."
"It's not that bad," Serion tried to appease them. "The key is that it's spacious, we can fit in it, and it's operational."
The spacecraft had three bedrooms, a central area, a storage room, the cockpit, and the engines. Fortunately, it was capable of jumping, which visibly reassured Angron.
"Okay, it'll do. Where is what the admiral wanted?" Angron asked.
Solar led her companions two rooms further, with two boys sneaking behind them onto the spaceship.
The fact that they hadn't encountered anyone unsettled the girl, but at least she didn't have to offer any explanations. She retrieved an oddly shimmering green metal piece from a locked safe and handed it to the two men.
"This was it."
Angron took it and checked the object with a peculiar expression. It looked like a broken shard.
"This? We had to come all the way down here for this piece of junk?!"
Solar raised her arms without the slighest care.
"I have no idea what your admiral wanted with it, but she really needed it."
"Alright, then. We'll take it. Let's go. We need to get out of Darella and find her!"
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