Secret Banquet 1
As the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, ushering in the twilight hour when night began to fall, the Errant soared through the skies for the first time in ages. Plasma spewed from its thrusters, scorching the air as it propelled forward.
Whooooom—
Destination: Kairen Island. Five minutes to arrival. Operation commences.
We were preparing inside the ship, which was on autopilot. Ian was his usual stoic self, but with a large bag slung over his back.
"That's got our firepower, right? Better make sure it's all there."
"Don't worry. I've infiltrated places like this hundreds of times."
Luca was dressed in a sleek black suit, complete with a stylish tie pin and polished shoes—par for the course for someone as fashion-conscious as him. He had an in-ear piece in one ear and a high-end watch on his wrist.
"I can hack with this." He tapped the watch face, and a hologram flickered to life. It was a custom device he'd built himself.
Roena and Seriana wore dresses in shades matching their hair—purple for Roena, red for Seriana. The deep V-necks and exposed waistlines were a far cry from their usual looks.
"Suits you both."
"Ahaha, thanks, Lea. You look pretty too."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Here." Roena handed me a small pistol—a concealed self-defense weapon to tuck inside my dress. I wore a black casual dress adorned with blue gemstone embroidery. Inside the flowing skirt, I strapped the pistol to my thigh with a belt.
"Best not to use it, but you should have it just in case." Once the pistol was secured, Luca handed me a small earring and choker.
"These are for comms and vital signs monitoring."
The earrings and choker blended seamlessly with my dress, adding an air of allure. I side-eyed Luca.
"Why a choker, though? Couldn't it have been a wristwatch like Roena or Seriana's?"
"No... You said to leave it to me, Lea? You weren't listening to my explanation?"
I think he did say something... I tried to recall, but it was fuzzy.
"Next time, make 'em uniform."
"You said you'd wear gloves, so I went with the choker."
"We're here."
Ian's flat voice drew our eyes to the window. He stared impassively outside.
Kairen Island. A small patch of land off Sakar, the stage for tonight's op. The sparse trees blended with nature that seemed to mask an undercurrent of decay.
We landed smoothly in the designated area. From there, we'd take an internal shuttle car to the banquet hall.
"You know, Lea—gotta pretty up that speech."
"Yeah, I got it. I'll nail the mission perfectly, so don't sweat it."
Getting into the banquet was straightforward. Posing as reps from Calypso Corp, we were already on the guest list. With high officials and tycoons in attendance, there were no rigorous checks—just mafia goons disguised as security dotted around.
We passed through the expansive garden to the banquet hall. Inside, it was dazzlingly opulent, screaming money. Classical vibes with geometric chandeliers dangling from the ceiling. In one corner, an orchestra played stately tunes.
Luca's comms crackled, and we took our positions in the hall. Soon after, the banquet kicked off.
A young man stepped up for the opening remarks.
"Honored guests, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. I'm Kevin, your host for the evening. This gathering is for harmony and prosperity among us all—"
"That's Sakil Cartel's number two. Keep an eye on him," Roena whispered.
I studied him closely. Nothing particularly standout about his face.
"Lea, stay here. Gonna scout around."
I nodded in response. Instead of enduring the dull speech, I scanned the room. Everyone was decked in immaculate suits and gowns, exuding elegance, but I didn't recognize a single face. My world was the Empire's core—mostly military ops. No wonder. And even the big shots here were just frogs in a well compared to the Empire.
"Still, it's been a while since I've been in an atmosphere like this."
I picked up a champagne flute from the table, swirling it to savor the aroma.
Luca's handling the hack for control once the speech ends. Plenty of time left.
The booze wouldn't even get me tipsy. I was about to sip leisurely when someone spoke up.
"Best not to drink that, lady."
I turned without tasting it. A cybernetic arm and eye exposed, neat suit, short hair slicked back—clean and no frills. Shockingly, I knew him.
Erich von Stein. Zealous imperialist. I'd devoted myself to the Empire too, but this guy was on another level. High rank, yet always meddling on the front lines. I'd avoided him because running into him was awkward, but seeing him here? A pleasant surprise.
Instinct kicked in with natural acting and lines flowing effortlessly.
Time to shine.
"Not drink it? What do you mean?"
He smiled thinly. His unmasked cybernetic eye strained to mimic the expression as it fixed on me.
"Pleased to meet you, lady. Name's Stein."
Alias here... Stein? No effort on the surname.
"Likewise. I'm Lea."
"Lea—a beautiful name."
I played it cool. "Heard that one before. But you didn't explain why."
I extended the flute slightly. He narrowed his eyes at it.
"It's not ordinary booze. They've pulled a little prank."
He took my glass and set it neatly on a nearby table. Secret banquet for elites, illegal slaves, isolated island, tampered drinks.
Obvious without looking. Shadier than expected.
I crossed my arms. "Is that so? Thanks for the heads-up."
"Haha, no trouble."
"Curious, though. Out of everyone here, why tell me?"
I rested a hand on my chin, striking an elegant pose on purpose.
"Nothing much. You just caught my eye first. If I may guess—Calypso Corp?"
"Oh? Spot on. Sharp eyes."
I covered my mouth lightly, widening my eyes. At the same time, I read between the lines.
He couldn't know every invitee. There was subtext. Truth in lies, lies in truth—his style.
Colonel Erich often claimed to have "seen" people he'd only read about in reports...
So, I'm off his suspect list. Errant Mercs probably too, but he's approaching me anyway.
I feigned ignorance. "And you, Mr. Stein? What brings you here?"
"Checking on a job I assigned a colleague."
"Here?"
"Yeah. Big deal—needed a gathering like this."
This loose cannon's scheming again. Play it safe? Or lean in...
I pondered the unpredictable wildcard. A simple gig was getting tangled.
"Sounds like me."
"You too, Miss Lea?"
"Hehe, secret. Business, you know."
He gestured subtly toward the crowd, where Kevin droned on with his speech.
"Hm~. If you're not here to enjoy, watch your step. Things are about to get interesting."
A variable. An unpredictable new one.
"Got it. Good luck."
"Thanks. Pleasure meeting you, lady."
We parted ways.
Big score right off the bat. If he's here, might need to tweak the plan.
"Thank you all for enduring my long speech. This has been your host, Kevin."
The speech finally wrapped. Time to move.
The scattered mercs regrouped into pre-assigned teams. Roena approached me; Luca and Seriana had slipped off together.
I whispered to Roena, "You didn't drink the champagne, right?"
"...Lea, sorry about last time I got sloppy. But I don't drink on missions."
"Not that. They tampered with the booze. Luca and Seriana bailed before touching it, so just checking with you."
"Tampered? How? You didn't drink any, right!?"
She reflected on her past booze slip during a job.
"Ahem. Got something to say about that. Comms only."
We pretended to chat amiably, fingers brushing our earrings. The devices activated, linking the channel.
I walked beside Roena, crossing the banquet hall corridor.
"Lea, let's move."
"Yeah."
"Focus from here on. Watch your tone!"
"Got it, Roena... nuna."
A small chuckle escaped Roena beside me.
She's enjoying this. That fun, huh.
"We'll chat up the brass to buy Ian time to snag the data."
We exited the corridor back into the hall. The place buzzed with schmoozers oiling each other up in false camaraderie.
Pigs.
Lea despised them. Back in the military, she'd clashed with their type countless times climbing from the bottom. Greedy scum who couldn't hide their hunger, snatching even the bones from starving dogs.
She glided past them toward Kevin, the speech-giver.
Or rather, midway there.
We halted at Luca's tense voice.
Dissonance. A subtle discord crept into the orchestra's harmonious play.
Lea had a hunch why.