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Breaking the System

There was a silence inside Azure after they washed themselves and changed their clothes (with the Scylla taking one of Dairyu's old armors due to his size being almost the same with the Orient). The reason for that was the presence of a half-naked Scylla when they went into the ship, which was troubling since he was a slave (very evident for both Atho and Capisa after the fiasco they were in) and looked very hardened by combat, especially the prominent scar on his face, running down his eye, and the piercing vertical slit that didn't look like the rest of the crew. Capisa knew some Scyllas during his trader days (though he retired from it just some days ago), and he knew this Scylla was different from the rest of them.

"What are you looking at, Aquros?" said the Scylla slowly. It didn't have any menacing aura in it, but that somewhat neutral question shook Capisa through his mind. In his head, possibilities made up many possibilities the Scylla could do to him. It wasn't uncommon, since Scyllas were known as renowned soldiers throughout the galaxy, even better than the Terrans in term of experience.

"N-Nothing, I was just..."

"Then I have no interest to talk to you. I am thinking."

Capisa didn't want to know what the Scylla was thinking. All he wanted to do was to be closer with someone he trusted the most. Yet, surprisingly, even for him, it wasn't Dairyu, but Atho.

The Rendlok took the gun from Capisa after he couldn't shoot anyone after the shock he got when one of the mercenaries' body parts sprayed over him like an explosion. Despite of not having the strength necessary to use the gun, considering that the gun had very strong recoil, he insisted to try to use it, and as the result, all four of his hands were sore and one dislocated from its socket. The gun was saved by Atho, and was now being cleaned by Dairyu while he also tried to bandage Atho.

The Rendlok could hear his thoughts, and he said, "It's not your fault. I didn't know that a laser gun can have such a knockback."

"But, I'm useless in that siege. If Ryu and the Scylla didn't come, I don't know if those nimble insectoid arms can heal again. You're a Rendlok, Atho, not some other heavier creatures."

"Everyone has something that's their weakness, Capisa. It depends on how you take care of it. Now, don't give out a clouded mind. It will impair your judgment. What you can do now is not fight. Do what you can do."

Atho talked like he had been in much worse situation, and he was talking from experience, or so Capisa thought. For a Rendlok who rarely had time to talk personally about his past, it must hurt. Capisa thought that the Rendlok might be forbidden to talk about it, but he realized that talking about it in his mind couldn't be hidden from Atho, but the Rendlok apparently didn't hear about it. Capisa should also see Dairyu, who had gathered at the table with the others.

"Unless we are able to determine the origin of the slavery ring, we can't find any way to stop this mess and to get out from Alain," said Dairyu. "I wasn't having the right judgement to put you in a danger, Capisa, Atho, so I am sorry."

"It's forgiven the moment you return to get us," said Atho.

"Then...Scylla..."

"Renziletis," said the Scylla. "That's my name, if you ever wonder, and don't say any word about how absurd it is."

"Just who gave you that name?" asked Capisa.

Renziletis grunted. "Are you going to object the name given by your parents? I'm not talking about the length. In Scylla society, it's the name of one of a tribal hero in my planet, or so they say. I don't dwell in history."

"Okay...Renziletis...do you know how to get inside the slavery ring?"

"Like I said, there is all of the information in the remote. First off, you can start with when the auction will start. There are names of the slavers listed there. It won't be much of help, though, since they don't use their real name, so the authorities or federals cannot track them that easily. Then, this is out of topic, Terran, but if you think my name is too long, just call me Let."

Dairyu made a nod, but somehow Capisa could see that the Orient was slightly annoyed by the off-topic talk, apparently since in the ship, Terrans were the only aliens with the shortest name, while the longest was a Rendlok, though it couldn't be pronounced by any other aliens other than themselves.

Despite of that, the Orient stayed calm, and said, "Do you think there will be an auction today? The remote can be giving me a later date auction."

"Then you have to try waiting until the auction date comes. They will instruct the place where you'll attend. You can take me with you, along with these two, so long as they were identified as slavers, not civilians."

It was another problem for both Atho and Capisa. Both of them knew the powerhouse of the group were both of them. If they stayed in Azure, not only they would be attacked relentlessly by some mercenaries (or slavers, now that they knew the problem), it would be bad for the Azure to sustain damage. If the Azure's broken, they would lose any chance to get out from the planet after Dairyu got the Areolian.

Aside from that kind of deep thought, though, Let grabbed the remote Dairyu put on the table, and quickly tinkered with it, then pointed it to both the Aquros and the Rendlok. There was a sound. At first Capisa thought it was the sound of an alarm, but it wasn't very loud, and it was from the remote.

"Both of you are now identified as slavers trying to find a new one," said Let to them. "Now you can go to the auction without any problems."

After that, Dairyu took the remote and started picking some things from the hologram projection, and he found something.

"The auction will start tomorrow afternoon, Alain's time. The four of us are eligible to get into the auction."

"Never thought they make another auction after only three days."

"It could be a trap," said Capisa after thinking a while. "What is the regular time for auctions, Let?"

"Usually once a week."

"Doesn't this a little bit of a coincidence? Our actions might've been known by the Areolian and we won't be able to get into the auction as unknowns. If that's the case, we can't even get into the ring, and will be in a stalemate. Dairyu can't get out of this planet, we don't get the bounty, and the slave ring still goes on."

"That's what I wish to happen," said Let, clenching his three-fingered Scylla fist. "Imma smash the ringleader into a pulp, and all of you get the prize. Two birds with one stone, right, Terran?"

"You got that." Dairyu then made a sigh. "There's nothing else we can do tonight. Let's get a little rest. I'll prop up the weapons..."

Capisa stared at Dairyu with a piercing shark glare, which made Dairyu said, "Alright, I'll give you a less gory one, Capisa. Atho has his own pistols, so Let, you're grabbing the laser rifle, and I'll take this positron gun."

"A positron gun? Where the hell did you get that thing?"

"Oh, let's just say...a trophy from the war. It's what they always say. Old and reliable."

Capisa couldn't sleep that night. Aside from being insecure about any night attacks, he was dreaming about the gory deaths he encountered during his travel with Dairyu. He had seen so many dead aliens before, and he didn't think about it, but ever since he met Dairyu, he felt sympathy over the death, something he never thought about. This deep thinking manifested into a nightmare and it kept him awake.

Since there weren't any room doors, he could see how the others slept. Atho slept normally with his four hands put over his chitinous chest part. Dairyu slept while sitting at the pilot seat, carrying the gun that was the source of shock to Capisa earlier that day. Yet, he didn't want to see his comrades sleeping; he wanted ice refreshment since his aquatic enviro-suit had started to heat up due to the heat of the planet.

Then he saw the Scylla, sitting at the chair in the kitchen while drinking a can of Terran soda. Let didn't notice Capisa at first, but when he did, Capisa felt sharp sensation piercing through him, only because of Let's reptilian eyes, a prismatic greenish eye that's a lot different than Dairyu's golden eyes.

"Aquros, you can't sleep?"

"Y-yeah, a dream's bugging my mind," said Capisa hesitantly. "How about you?"

"I'm a little thirsty, but I can't sleep, too," said Let. "By the way, we haven't properly introduced ourselves, right? You know my name as Renziletis, how about you?"

"I'm Capisa."

"How do you end up in this ship? Are you being forced by that Terran? You don't seem to be a fighter type, and that Terran isn't very kind, either."

Capisa took a glance at Dairyu. He was still sleeping, apparently. Thinking that there were only the two of them awake, he said, "I...act as his pilot, but the truth is, I need to remind him of his actions should he passed his own limits. Ryu can sometimes be more than violent."

"I know. He's manipulative, and smart. He's good at talking, something I'm not very good at, yet he can be amoral at times, like when he bought me out from my previous slaver. His actions made him a slaver himself, but I know he doesn't care."

"Yeah, maybe I don't know him that much to understand his state of mind."

"Well, your decision to be his voice of reason is right. Only by looking at his ship do I know that he suffers more than any of us here. I have my own story, too, but the Terran...he's hardened himself to the harshness of space, and he's embraced the system."

"Embrace the system?"

"Considering how he pulled me off, he's no longer playing against the rule or maybe a hero type," said Let while taking another gulp. "He may not be honorable, but he's still someone who'll finish a job regardless of what happens."

"How do you know all of this? Do you know him in the past?"

Let made a grunt while standing. He then said, "We both know the suffering of losing those we love."

Capisa talked with Let for a while, but he tried to avoid personal questions. They mostly exchanged cultural knowledge, and it went on until late at the planet's hour that they decided to go to sleep.

At the morning, Capisa woke up fairly early, and found Dairyu had been waiting in front of the open door leading to the outside of the plane, carrying the pistol Capisa scorned. Capisa wanted to talk to Dairyu not use the pistol in front of him, but the way Dairyu held it wanted to suggest otherwise. He didn't carry it by waving it around, but he just held it tightly with both hands.

"Morning, Ryu," said Capisa, which prompted the Orient to turn his head.

"Do you sleep well enough? Atho and Let are buying some foods for us, and I am guarding my own ship."

"Yeah, if someone come running with a gun, you can shoot them back with that...gun, right? But why are you holding it with both hands? I thought you always use one hand for a pistol."

"For me, it's very different with this positron gun. Unlike lasers, it has a very big knockback that can be disastrous if I don't use it carefully."

"So...it's not because you want to protect me from...you know?"

Dairyu stared at Capisa for a while, with the shark alien briefly thinking that he was trying to find a reason. Yet, at the next moment, Dairyu moved closer to Capisa and said, "Look, I'm sorry for getting you into the trouble yesterday. I know you have some problems with violence, but it was for protecting yourself when the others are not around. I also owe Atho an apology. Giving a Rendlok a positron gun could be painful."

"No, I should apologize to Atho...and partially to you. I owed him my life when I can't do anything, but of course, you're right. I shouldn't be so selfish with my choice of actions. But...I don't mind seeing mild violence, not some bloody mess."

"I understand. Just...don't get tensed up. We'll be close together so you won't get into a problem and forced to kill anyone."

Capisa nodded, knowing very well that Dairyu had taken him out from being killed in Pascoforta. He wanted this chance for him to return the trust the Aquros had in the Orient.

In the afternoon, the four of them walked to the coordinate given by the invite, after a little briefing on what they should do and what to expect. The coordinate led them to a door leading to a basement, conveniently put behind the same vintage bar where both Let and Dairyu first met. They gave the password and went inside, with Let trying to conceal one of his braces so he couldn't be pulled up as a slave, and Dairyu had noticed that. If Dairyu refused, it would make an even bigger problem as they were very deep inside the slavery business now and making wrong moves could end up horribly.

Capisa tried not to be separated from Atho and Dairyu, since he needed to stay within their line of sight if he wanted to be safe, especially since his physical appearance was weak and he wasn't carrying any guns. Dairyu occasionally turned his head to see Capisa behind him, while Atho...he somehow could sense the Aquros' presence pretty well, but not very aware of his surroundings.

The four of them managed to be together behind a group of Aldoons. Capisa felt very out of place when he realized that he was the only Aquros in that room. Aside from that, there were no other draconians, either, except a green scaled Western who kept trying to find a seat, before finding one beside Capisa.

He then turned his head to face Dairyu and said, "What the hell are you doing here, Orient? I thought you wanted a lead about your bounty, not putting a bet on auctions."

"That applies to you, too. You're a bartender upstairs, why should you be here?"

The draconian took a glance around, before whispering, "We may have the same trouble, but both of us have different reasons. You're a bounty hunter, while I'm--."

"You're a spy, aren't you?"

The draconian quickly closed Dairyu's maws while asking him to stay quiet. Capisa didn't know what he would be expecting, but somehow, Dairyu had considered this interaction as one of his plans.

"How do you know? I thought..."

"Do you ever see my color or are you pretending to be ignorant?"

The draconian stared at Dairyu for a while before saying, "Wait...what the fuck are YOU doing here? You're the Black Orient, right? Are you telling me that you're trying to take back your past glory by getting in here?"

"I'm merely trying to reach for my bounty, that's all. But knowing that the Feds have someone seeing into this, I guess it can't be helped. In fact, I need him dead or alive, so if you happen to kill him, be my guest."

"Damn it, drake, you're a cold one. Is this how you treat your opponents during the war? But you haven't answered my question. How do you know?"

"No official agent would be willingly caught by this planet's problem, especially if you're waving around your tail bracelets with runes written all over it."

"That's from my grandpa."

"Did I ever mention that Westerns are also with the Federation? Orients might've backed off, but the other draconian sub races had their own influence, one of them is becoming an agent."

The draconian went silent for a moment, while Capisa tried to grasp what the two Terrans were talking about. When the Aquros was still thinking, the draconian said, "Okay, you win! I'm the Federation agent stationed here, in Alain. My name is Amhyr Rithola. I'm investigating the same thing you're trying to- I mean, about your bounty. Let me tell you an advice. You can't get to your bounty until you help me. Deal?"

"Is there money in it?"

"I'll make sure the Federation helps you in your...generous help."

"Okay, I'll help you, though I don't go into politics. Do you have some sort of contact from the inside?"

"I have, but he's recently freed from his previous slave..."

"I am his contact," said Let. Dairyu then turned towards him and said, "You? But you're with me all the time."

"Not when you're sleeping." Let then leaned and made a small smile to Capisa, where the Aquros shook. He almost caught their discussion head-on.

"So, Let, now I know about your 'second' job, so which plan do you want to follow? Mine or his? There's no time to talk about it."

Capisa could see that Let was indecisive, and Dairyu wasn't helping, either. Atho then telepathically talked to Capisa, saying, "Do what you must do, Capisa."

"You mean, tell him to..."

"Let is a double agent for two different sides. You have to tell them that it isn't the way quarreling about it now. If we delay, the plan will go up in smokes."

Though reluctant himself, Capisa wanted to tell Let that he needed to follow the plan he believed the most. He then stood up and said "Let, take Dairyu's plan."

This sudden decisive comment had made the three draconic aliens to lost their own words, but Let quickly made a small chuckle and said, "Yes, the Aquros is right. Between the two of you, the hairy one is the best one. I'm sorry Amhyr, but he knows something you don't."

"And that is...?"

Amhyr was surprised when the bracelets circling his wrists were released, including both Let's and Dairyu's. He pondered about it before saying, "But...how?"

"Just don't get in our way, then we'll talk. Change of plan. Capisa, Atho, go with Rithola and let both of us finish this our own way."

"Your own way? How..."

Capisa didn't have time to finish his talk. Both Let and Dairyu quickly stood up and walk disappeared behind a red curtain at the back row of the seats. There wasn't anything weird happening then, as Capisa expected. Instead, a surprising thing happened when all of the bracelets in the room were released. This came as a surprise to all of them, but there was more. It didn't make the aliens in the room merely surprised; it made the slaves quickly revolted, and it erupted into a chaos.

"What the fuck is going on?! What in Leviathan are the two of them doing?!" exclaimed Capisa when chaos started.

"Those fucking assholes...they broke the system."

"The system?"

"That Scylla claims he becomes a slave merely because of his strength. I should have known he's not an ordinary meat loaf!"

"You mean..."

"Renziletis is...destroying the sytem...with technology."