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Unity

By Mantrid Brizon

Episode Two: Brother's Keeper

Looking carefully to the left and right, the nondescript human steps behind a large metallic pillar. Crouching down, he conceals himself between the pillar and the ordinary looking office building which it supports. With a small shoulder bag hidden beneath his long, olive drab coat, he unclips a latch from the sewn-in steel loop, freeing the strap from the bag. With a methodical pull, he draws the pack away from his body and sets it down at the base of the pillar. Cold, emotionless eyes watch his hands burying themselves into the confines of the bag, subtle clicking noises coming from within.

“Hey! What are you doing there?" A voice suddenly and demandingly asks.

The man looks up from the pack and draws his hands from the interior. Clutched tightly in his right hand is an Anelace XR-20 blaster, a common and affordable weapon, both relatively compact and with moderate power. The man questioning him, a uniformed guard for the business beside them, takes a step back and rests his hand on the pistol grip of his own holstered weapon. Without hesitation or emotion, the strange man opens fire. Several well-aimed shots find their mark as the guard ducks down and dashes to his left, quick to hide behind another pillar a short distance away.

Taking a round to the upper arm, the guard cries out in pain as he falls to the hard ground. He scrambles behind the pillar, wondering if his assailant will pursue him.

“Office down! Officer down! Shots fired! Southwest wall!" The guard calls out over his comm.

While the guard frantically adjusts his own position, his opponent doesn't seem to have a care in the world. Setting down the blaster, he reaches back into the bag and continues his work. A loud click is heard, and then a soft, electronic hum. It grows louder with each passing second.

“I've got back-up on the way! Make it easy on yourself and come out with your hands up!" The guard yells.

He waits for a moment but receives no answer. Peeking around his cover, he sees the legs of the man who squats down beside a small object, partially hidden by the pillar across from his. Issuing the orders again, he watches the man and waits for a response but to no avail. With sirens closing in, the unknown man continues unimpeded. No sooner than he's finished, he takes his blaster from the ground by his feet and stands tall. Stepping around the pillar where he's left his pack, he walks calmly and casually toward the security guard, firing slowly and steadily, over and over.

“Ahh! No!" The guard exclaims in fear.

Shards of molten hot metal chip away at the metal pillar that he's using as cover as the man closes in. Putting his hand around the corner, he fires blind at the man and begins to run, eager to gain distance. Luckily for him, his back-up has arrived. A lucky shot digs into the strange man's side. Looking over his shoulder as he runs and fires, the terrified security guard is horrified to see that the wound has no effect on his attacker; he bleeds, but is otherwise unaffected by the pain.

“Oh no..."

Jumping out of their hovercars, more officers take aim and bark orders at the strange man, who coolly reloads his blaster.

“We've got one! A terrorist!" The first guard shouts to his friends. “He's a marionette!"

Hearing those words and seeing the bleeding wound on his side, the other guards open fire just as the silent attacker takes aim with a freshly loaded blaster. Firing a volley as their ally ducks down, round after round blasts into the human's body. He quickly succumbs to his wounds but not before managing to fire a few more shots. One strikes the crawling guard in the upper back. Falling to his face, the guard writhes as he coughs up blood.

“Stay down! We're coming for you!" His friends yell out to him.

“Go... Run... Run!" The wounded guard yells to the others, spewing crimson.

The electrical humming grows louder as they collectively lower their weapons.

“Ahh!" A startled Roku gasps.

Awoken early in the morning to the shrill chirping of her V.I. bracelet, Roku had only just fallen asleep. Months of working long hours for the logistical branch of Project Unity has cost her dearly but that's merely the price of carving out her own place in galactic history. Having already missed her youngest brother Mars's high school graduation, and two planned family dinners, she wonders if this is her family calling to check on her. Rolling over in bed, she takes the device and looks at the little screen. Thankfully, it isn't a video call; it's Roku's habit to sleep almost or completely naked.

“Hello?" Roku asks with a gruff voice.

“Hey sweetheart. Did I wake you?" Her mother, May, asks.

“Yeah, you did."

“Oh, I'm sorry! I was just wondering if-"

“I'm fine mom. I'm just working a lot." Roku interrupts.

“I know. I was calling about your brother, August." May finishes.

“... Oh."

“It's not that I don't love you to death too!" May quickly adds. “Your dad used a contact in the project to check up on you already, otherwise we'd be worried about you as well."

“But you can't get in touch with August?" Roku asks, rubbing the sleep from her weary eyes.

“No. He's also a part of the project, but everyone we talk to, including the project director, are saying that his status is classified. We can't get a word out of them and we haven't heard from August in over a month. We're getting a little worried. I was hoping you could possibly get in touch with him. Maybe convince him to call us?" May explains.

“I haven't heard from him either, mom. I've been so busy, I haven't made any calls that weren't project related."

“That's not healthy! Believe me, I know!" May chuckles. “You can't work all of the time, sweetheart... Well, thanks anyway. If you hear from him, just let him know that he's still your brother and our son, at least for now... If that changes, Prat will probably adopt him."

“Yeah, okay. I will... Hey!"

“Yes?"

“Did anybody say what branch of the project he was in?" Roku can't help but inquire.

“Something called 'SI9'. Well, I'll let you get back to sleep! Love you!" May chirps.

“Thanks. I love you too."

Ending the call, Roku sits in shock. SI9, often nicknamed 'Psy-9', is a classified branch of Project Unity that revolves exclusively around project security. With the gargantuan hull of the Unity nearly completed, a result of extensive use of Dezonian construction droids, SI9's agents have entered 'Black Mode'. Considered the most dangerous time for the project, the agents of SI9 are contractually obliged to break contact; they may speak only with the director and other superiors. Roku wouldn't have known this fact if her branch, the logistics division responsible for interior construction, wasn't using SI9 agents to protect the more sensitive locations aboard the craft.

Somehow, after meeting scores of agents, she's surprised that she hasn't seen her brother among them. Could he be working somewhere else? Possibly performing a covert mission for the project? Roku can't help but feel somewhat jealous of her twin brother. When they were children, Donovan and Prat were key fixtures in their lives, along with the rest of the Azilian's longest-running crewmembers; some have known George for years, serving on another ship that he'd owned. Though Roku herself gravitated toward Ein, Kira and Rakshasa, her mother often said that August was cut from the same cloth as his father.

This always surprised her; the George that she knows is an affable, peaceful and quiet man. While an avid fan of blasters and target shooting, he rarely uses weapons when he can resort to diplomacy instead. Prat and Donovan are the opposite, though their loyalty to her father ensures that they never act out of turn. It doesn't surprise Roku in the least that SI9 is where her brother found himself. Though, considering their struggles with the Goddess's Children and the Con-Tali, who now actually have aliens to rally against, she fears for his safety. It will take her some time to get back to sleep...

“Wake up!" A squeaky voice chirps.

“Nnn... Tired..." August grumbles.

“Up time!" The voice repeats.

Little hands push his shoulder with considerable force. Rolling onto his back, the being straddles his stomach, putting noticeable weight on him.

“Come on, Draz. I was up late." August whines.

“Not my fault! Up!"

A subtle but jarring beeping emanates from the living room of August's apartment, forcing the young Voeldahn man to open his emerald green eyes. He looks down just as Draz leaps from his body and races out of the room.

“Yaaa!" Draz exclaims excitedly.

“Figures..." August grumbles.

The beeping continues, incessantly nagging August as he rises from his bed. He flexes his toned muscles and runs his hands over his arms and torso, smoothing out his white and black striped fur. Wearing only a pair of black boxer briefs, he pulls back his shoulder length, platinum blonde hair, stumbling as he attempts to ponytail it. Beep, beep, beep, beep, the noise continues.

“Alright, alright! I'm coming!" He yells into the living room.

Walking through the archway of his bedroom, he looks to Draz who jumps up to reach the door's plate, which will scan his palm and unlock it.

“You need the stool, buddy." August chuckles.

“Okay!" Draz chirps.

All of thirty-inches-tall, the blue and yellow furred alien of a race known as 'Skahlzunian' dashes from the front door to collect a stool from August's kitchen.

“Never mind that. Come here." August says with a smile.

Draz races up to him, leaping from the floor and reaching his shoulders. At over forty pounds, the still drowsy August takes a step back as he struggles to maintain his balance.

“Easy there." He chuckles.

“Sorry." Draz lowers his head.

Smiling at the creature, an arm wrapped around his slender form, August pets Draz's head with his free hand. With a thin body covered in blue fur and spindly little arms and legs, August cradles Draz like a child, his four-toed, plantigrade feet dangling. Draz's long and thin tail, time and a half the length of his body, swishes through the air. Yellow fur speckles his body, with thin rings at his ankles and wrists, and also capping his ears and tail. Small hands rest on August's shoulders, each with three fingers and a thumb for a total of sixteen digits. Two, big blue eyes stare back at August.

Draz's rounded head is about the size of a medium-sized dog's, with a short snout that's somewhat rodentesque. Tall, thin, elflike ears are placed at the sides of his head, each bearing two points like a fork, the rear point shorter than the other. Draz's race almost has the appearance of a strange genetic experiment melding human, Voeldahn and Kanorakus DNA.

“It's okay. Let's see who's at the door!" August chirps.

Pressing his hand to the plate, the door slides open. There stands his entire team, their expressions a mixture of surprise and amusement. Among his team are, Ayanda, Fizona, Drayusa, Sihl'Ahzen, Kellan McKinley, and Stefan Artino.

“Oh... Good..." August sighs.

“Well, you look busy." Fizona smirks.

“Don't start." Kellan turns to her.

“I didn't say anything." She chuckles.

“We all know you were about to." Ayanda growls. “May we enter?"

“Sure." August says, stepping back from the doorway.

Ayanda, Fizona, and Drayusa enter first, already standing before the others. As all three are female Kanorakus, it's not entirely unexpected behavior. Kellan looks to Sihl'Ahzen and extends a hand, presenting the door to her. The tiny Irakus, all of four-foot-six, nods her head and steps inside. Her soft feathers are a burnt-orange color, with the fur ringing her neck and crowning the spearhead of her tail a deep, ruby red. The bronze colored hide of her feet and black claws provide a mild contrast to her pattern. Irakus rarely use footwear except when donning EVA suits.

Two of the three males present are both humans, one light-skinned and with naturally red hair, while Stefan has a tan complexion, brown hair and a trimmed goatee. August sets Draz down, allowing the excited creature to scamper about the apartment, happily greeting the guests.

“I see that you still have your friend." Sihl'Ahzen comments, staring at Draz with her black eyes with golden irises.

“Oh, you thought that was temporary?" August raises a brow.

“I suppose not, though I still don't understand it. Forty years is a long time to care for something. Besides, the Dezonians said not to bring them." She replies.

“You're new to this project and these people. This isn't Ir, and we don't obey the Dezonians..." Ayanda explains to Sihl'Ahzen in a rather dry tone. “Compassion is a hallmark of the Solakus." She adds.

The older, pine green and crimson striped female glances toward August, her lips curling into a little grin, one that August returns in kind. Turning his head, he glances back toward Draz who hops up and onto a comfy chair. Looking back, Draz flashes a toothy smile. His omnivorous teeth and four oversized canines, two on the top and two on the bottom, glisten in the amber light flooding in through the balcony window. Discovered by the Solakus several years after encountering the Kanorakus, they are beings not capable of advanced technology.

Though able to form some abstract thought and use rudimentary speech, the typical Skahlzunian is a primitive being. Their smaller brains are unable to advance beyond the intellect of a typical eight or ten-year-old Solakus, though they can still reach the emotional maturity of many adults. Unlike the Kanorakus, who were given their species name based on Dezonian tradition, the Skahlzunians were dubbed solely by the Solakus. Technologically primitive and intellectually inferior, the small beings are of no use to the Dezonians, who wouldn't even bother to name them.

Upon their first discovery, many Skahlzunians mistook the travelers for deities. Their world, a tiny planet not even a quarter of the radius of Earth's moon, was dying of natural causes; a weakening atmosphere, the result of a solar flare combined with a polar shift, was leaving them with a soon-to-be moon. Ever logical and calculating, the Dezonians urged the Solakus to simply ignore the plight of the Skahlzunians. They will never develop beyond what they are, and will only be a burden and potential annoyance. However, many simply couldn't bear it. How could they sit back and allow such an innocent race to become extinct?

Being part of the cluster with Earth and Kanor, the Skahlzunians have similar dietary and temperature requirements, which made relocation simple. Though there's now an untouched colony on Enceladus – now terraformed, it's virtually identical to their home world – and many living wild in the jungles of Mars, quite a few Solakus keep Skahlzunians around as companion creatures. August met Draz relatively recently, when a simple flier explained that several of the beings were found wandering as strays in a city on Mars.

After deciding to visit the shelter, he was heartbroken by the sight and adopted Draz right away. Though his job has a high potential for danger, he enjoys the little being's company, and the modest conversation that they can share.

“Yeah, we're a touchy-feely race. Besides, Draz is my friend." August remarks.

“Yaaa!" Draz exclaims.

“If you needed a friend, I could be that for you." Fizona coos, taking a step closer.

“... What?" A confused August raises a brow.

“I like friends." Fizona continues.

Standing within arm's reach, the orange, yellow and red female with bronze bristles looks down at August. She reaches out a clawed hand, brushing his left pectoral muscle with the backs of her fingers.

“Okay! I need to get dressed now!" A nervous August remarks, stepping backward.

He quickly walks into his bedroom to collect his clothes and sidearm, soon finding a pair of black pants lying beside his combat boots. Hearing him shuffling about in the next room, Fizona watches with narrowed eyes, her lips curled into a strange grin.

“Don't..." Ayanda suddenly growls.

“What?" Fizona feigns ignorance.

“You know the rules. SI9 forbids friends, family and lovers from sharing a unit, as it might cause a conflict of interest."

“But you and August are friends!" Fizona whines.

“Correction. August and I know each other, but his father and I are friends." Ayanda replies.

“And how is that different?!"

“Because it is, and I said as much when he was placed into my unit." Ayanda snaps.

“Whatever..."

“You are part of Clan Unity. SI9 is part of Unity. Must I remind you? ... Again?" Ayanda steps closer.

Looking down at the floor, Fizona shakes her head. Having pledged herself to Project Unity with the Kanorakus ritual of loyalty, she is both legally and, more importantly, culturally bound to obey. Though she doesn't want to, she stands down.

“Is she always that dramatic?" Sihl'Ahzen quietly asks Drayusa.

The black female with purple swirls and gold frosted bristles glances to the short Irakus with her purple eyes.

“You will grow used to it." She answers after a pause.

Stepping out from the bedroom, a now dressed and armed August cracks his knuckles.

“So, what brings all of you to my humble home?"

“Our contact came back early." Ayanda answers.

“What?!"

“It seemed important when I picked him up." Drayusa adds.

“He wasn't due for another week! What's going on?!"

“Something you may be familiar with..." Ayanda says in a low murmur.

“This is a big deal, August." Kellan assures him.

“We're all headed to HQ right now." Stefan adds.

Glancing back to Draz, he can see a hint of worry on the creature's face. For a brief moment, August feels badly for bringing Draz into his home, already knowing that he was a member of SI9; it isn't fair to Draz, but the damage is done. Thankfully, he has a contingency plan in place.

“I need to take him to Invar's. He's a low-level engineer, and he's off for the next few days."

“Acceptable." Ayanda nods her head.

“Invar?" Sihl-Ahzen turns to Drayusa.

“He's my half-brother, and feel free to ask me directly." August smirks.

“Apologies. I felt it would be too forward; I didn't know if you were close to the man I replaced." The Irakus woman bows her head.

“It's fine. Let's get going."

Taking Draz into his arms, the crew prepare to leave August's apartment. Exiting in nearly the same order that they entered, Fizona stops at the doorway and turns to August. She looks between him and Draz for a moment, an awkward silence settling around them. Reaching up a hand, she takes hold of a bristle, pulling the nearly six-inch-long strand from the back of her neck. She hands August the strand, not saying a word. As he takes the bronze strand, he glances back at the Kanorakus female. Her thin lips curl up around her sharp teeth. After a moment of silence, she simply turns and steps outside, leaving August and Draz in the apartment.

“Okay..."

“Her strange." Draz remarks.

Leaving the apartment, he slips the bristle into a jacket pocket before locking his door. While the others return to their headquarters, Ayanda orders Drayusa to join her as they accompany him to drop off Draz at Invar's apartment across the city. After a quiet flight to his complex, they walk toward his modest apartment.

“I saw it." Drayusa suddenly says.

“What?"

Ayanda and August both look to her.

“I saw the bristle. You put it in your pocket when you left your apartment." She elaborates.

“What about it?" August asks.

“She gave you a bristle?!" Ayanda stops them in the hallway.

“Yeah. So?"

“From where on her body?" Drayusa presses.

“Her lower neck, I think. Why?" He raises a brow.

“Location is important. The closer to her head, the higher the urgency." Drayusa explains.

“She is showing genuine interest, beyond the mere desire for sexual intercourse." Ayanda interjects.

“... Interest?"

“As you know, our race has no stigma about mating at will, and only females pick their partners to mate with." Ayanda continues.

“The bristle is a sign of a desire to link, when a female wishes to choose a single male as her own. She wants to claim you." Drayusa says with a little smirk.

“I'm not property."

“You have the right to refuse." Ayanda assures him.

“I do?"

“Yes. Our males serve us, but they are not property."

“She will wait three days before she approaches you again. You have that long to strengthen your resolve." Drayusa chuckles.

“Kanorakus females can be somewhat... Assertive." Ayanda grins.

“Instilling me with confidence... Can we keep walking, please?"

“As you wish." Ayanda nods.

Continuing their walk, they traverse the apartment complex to reach Invar's home at the far end of the building. August takes a moment, then slowly rings the bell.

“Hey, buddy!" Invar exclaims as he opens the door.

Standing eye to eye with the five-foot and ten-inch-tall August, they share a striking resemblance. The only son of Kira, Invar is a twenty-four-year-old canine Voeldahn. Covered in a soft but thick coat of solid, snow-white fur, his bushy tail sways. With jade green eyes and medium-length, platinum blonde hair, he shares many traits with his half-brother, August.

“What's up, bro?!" August chirps.

“I should be asking you that. Leaving Draz here while you do some covert, secret agent stuff?" Invar asks.

“You know the routine. I'm sorry, bro. Maybe when we're on Unity and it's no longer classified, I'll tell you all about it."

“Yeah... Well, hand over the package!" Invar smirks.

August carefully passes Draz to Invar, petting his head briefly as Invar holds him.

“I'll be back soon, buddy."

“Okay." Draz sighs sorrowfully.

“Until then, I have some video games you can play." Invar swiftly interjects.

“Yaaa!"

After saying their goodbyes, the SI9 agents take their leave. Walking down the hallway, both Ayanda and Drayusa can see the worry on August's face.

“Fearing for his safety?" Drayusa asks.

“Huh? No... I just wonder what he'll do if I never come back..."

“Don't think that way. Focus on the mission. Think only of the clan's needs. You are a skilled warrior, and he will be safe with your half-brother." Ayanda adds.

“What is a 'half-brother'?" Drayusa turns to them.

“Same dad but a different mom."

“Oh. Did his first mate die?" She wonders.

“No. Our moms are both still alive." August answers.

“I don't understand."

“His mom is friends with both my mom and dad and works with them on the Azilian. She wanted to have a kid, but she doesn't really... Like men... So, she asked my parents if my dad could help her." August explains.

“I cannot believe your mother would allow her male to mate with another female." Drayusa shakes her head.

“When I was old enough, they explained it; he was a lab baby."

“No mating?" Drayusa raises a brow.

“My mom would've killed them both." August chuckles.

“A shame. Mating is fun." Drayusa winks.

“Or maybe May didn't kill them both?" Ayanda teases.

“What do you mean?" August raises a brow.

“Perhaps they have a secret life that you don't know about?"

“I doubt that. My parents don't keep secrets."

“How do you know? They had lives before yours." Drayusa retorts.

“Because they're just explorers. Before that, they worked freelance, hauling cargo for years. After years of tedium, some pirates blew up their ship. That's all the action they've ever seen, and they wouldn't lie to me." August sternly answers.

“If you insist." Ayanda smirks.

A chirping catches his attention, interrupting the conversation that's quickly becoming uncomfortable. Lifting his wrist, he glances at his V.I. bracelet to see that Roku is calling him once again. He already missed a call while he was asleep, only disturbed by Draz's exuberance.

“Damnit..."

“What's wrong?" Ayanda asks, glancing to him.

“It's my sister. Roku's already called me twice today. Something must be wrong."

“You know the rules. Until we're out of 'black mode' no contact. I'm sorry."

“... Yeah." He sighs.

After missing her call, he highlights her contact info and blocks her number. It crushes him as he presses the button, her name oscillating in red letters. Returning to their hovercar, they make their way to the SI9 headquarters. It's only a matter of minutes before they're back and walking through all three sets of high-strength doors. Stepping into the office, the agents find their comrades sitting at a table, a plainly dressed civilian sitting in a chair at one.

“Finally!" Kellan exclaims.

“We were considering worrying." Stefan adds.

“We're fine." Ayanda says.

“Have you been keeping busy?" August asks as he takes a seat.

“Yes. Our friend Bran has kept us enthralled with his knowledge." Sihl-Ahzen answers.

“Then by all means, Bran... Enthrall us."

Sitting at her workstation, Roku struggles to continue with her duties. Looking at her terminal, she finds it hard to focus. Two calls to August have failed to go through, but perhaps he'll finally get the hint and answer a third? Roku's certain that he would violate the rules to make sure that his family is safe, if he were certain that they were in danger; it's what she would do. She glances down at her V.I. bracelet, checking the time yet again. It doesn't go unnoticed.

“You got a hot date or something?" A coworker asks.

“No. I'm just a little worried. I haven't heard from my brother in a while; I'm going to call him again as soon as this shift is over." Roku explains.

“If it's family, you should go take care of that right now." Another voice interjects.

Turning around in her chair, Roku's supervisor stands a few meters behind her, a hologram in hand.

“Really?!" Roku asks, her eyes lighting up.

“Well, after that face, I'd be an asshole to change my mind. Get going." He says with a smile.

“... Are you sure?"

“You're one of the best employees we've got. You've logged more hours here than anyone, even me, and I take my work home... Take care of your family. Even this project can't replace that."

“Thank you, sir! This means a lot!" Roku happily exclaims.

Bolting up from her seat, Roku collects her few belongings and steps outside. Walking down the hall, she lifts her arm, bringing her V.I. bracelet to her face. Pressing a few buttons, she initiates her third call to August. Unlike before, she's is immediately disconnected; a synthetic voice politely requests that she leave a message. How could her twin brother block her like that? Her heart sinks, but at the same time, she knows that he's still alive and using his equipment.

“Hey August. You know who this is. I know you've got rules, but just send me or mom something. Use a code or whatever but ju-"

A loud explosion shakes the very floor she stands on, her ears ringing from the incredible volume. Falling forward, she lands with a hard thud as metal creaks and wails. Looking back, over her shoulder, she stares with horror as the closed door of her work area glows a bright red.

“Oh no!" She exclaims, scrambling to her feet.

The red turns to orange as parts of the door begin to melt, succumbing to the infused elements in the explosive device. Her entire team inside could not have survived. Her brush with death causes her stomach to churn. Resting her hands on her knees, she wretches on the floor. Leaning forward as she gasps for breath, spitting the acrid taste from her mouth, she sees that her V.I. bracelet is still active; August's recording will have heard everything...