Everyday Stresses of Kazuki - Sci-Fi Action/Intrigue Webserial

This was a waste of time. Kazuki grumbled to himself, peering out the tall windows of Sparkfall. Shuttles lingered in ever-moving rows far beyond the BCA's airspace.

Exiting onto one of the shuttle pads, Kazuki felt the heated air fall short of sub-zero temperatures. The endless cityscape of the Sub-Levels introduced itself once again. An endless staircase of cascading platforms from one Sub-Level to another, filled with grit and life, hidden alongside the neon lights and pleasure parlours.

Martinez zipped up his coat. He struggled to tighten the zip over his armour, but succeeded nonetheless. "Shit weather," he remarked. "I could never get used to a Sub-Level summer."

Kazuki nodded, walking across the outdoor shuttle bay attached to the building's upper sections. There was only one shuttle left. "Not as bad as Narisa. Archius told me your piss would have frozen before it touched the ground."

Chuckling, Martinez followed on beside Kazuki, keeping his head on a swivel for any threats. "Iris forbid that was a practical experiment..."

The idea of Archius forcing someone to piss in a bout of curiosity to test a hypothesis was… eerily believable. Kazuki could imagine it. Then, he shuddered at the simulated memories of the cold on Narisa.

Approaching the last shuttle, two armoured men exited. The Sigil and trimming on both were different. One had dark cyan hair, the other had auburn, with scars across both faces.

Quinn was smoking a cigarette, whilst Paulus waved away the fumes, coughing slightly. The merc had a Narisan-made coat, whilst the SPTU Captain had a police jacket on. Not practical for this 'weather'.

"Hey!" Quinn called out to the two of them. "That was a short-ass meeting; the others have already left. Did we have to come all the way out here?"

Martinez said, "Epsilon, Seven of the deadliest people in the galaxy were just in that building." He pointed back with his thumb to Sparkfall's meeting spire, hanging out from the jutting fortifications. "You think it's a good idea to refuse their call?"

Kazuki tapped Martinez on the back. "Get on board. We're hauling back to HQ. Paulus, Emiya didn't take it seriously."

The Police Captain grumbled, sitting back down on the shuttle. It was one of the AGENCY's heavy shuttles, two side doors, one movable mounted machine gun.

Behind the tinted cockpit glass was Karl. 'Get the fuck in already, even with radiators on, it's fucking freezing.'

"Freezing... my ass!" Quinn quipped, sitting back on the shuttle, opposite Paulus. Kaz and Martinez stepped on, sitting down. The hover engines ignited, fluttering the shuttle to life as it rose from the landing pad.

Paulus and Quinn closed the doors. The cold air settled away. It allowed for a measure of controlled warmth to permeate between the men. Kaz, Martinez and Quinn were boots-on-the-ground in the Sub-Levels before. This was considered a good day for them in such a time of year. Karl and Paulus, on the other hand, were shivering.

Karl had thermal blankets around his flight suit, whilst Paulus shivered, hiding his chattering teeth from Quinn. Knowing Quinn, Kaz would bet that he'd laugh in Paulus' face if he saw.

"Maybe Emiya's behind it?" Paulus asked. "Maybe he benefits from all this chaos?"

"We all do," Kazuki replied. "More crime, more contracts. Simple as. The six-month period for the Judicial Contract is currently over. It's being renewed in a few days; don't miss us too soon, Paul."

The shuttle took off. Slowly, the shuttle joined the air-ways across the Sub-Level. "I won't be missing this cold... No wonder the Commissioner never lets us into the Sub-Levels. ENFORCErs will get lonely without you guys."

"With or without," Kazuki started. "They're effectiveness remains a constant zero." Quinn snickered at the snide comment from their fellow peers.

Karl turned back in the cockpit, peering into the passenger compartment. 'Arbiter! I got some contacts coming up rear, followed us for a few blocks and still are, unmarked civvie shuttles!' Karl reported. 'First time's happenstance, second's coincidence, but uh… It's the third time.'

'Hostile action.' Martinez looked at Kazuki.

Paulus and Quinn held their tongues. Kazuki responded, "Criminals, most likely. They'll be scared when we shoot back. Just keep flying. I'll alert SEC-COM."

Kazuki ignited his uplink and sent an alert to Sector Security Command, putting them on the radar... in case anything does go down.

Criminals like easy targets. This shuttle is not an easy target. Quinn smirked. "I wonder how they'll feel, highway robbing us only for us to blow them to smithereens!" He grabbed hold of the interior machine gun. "Send them all to Sari and back!"

Quinn was maintaining proper gun safety. Nothing aimed at the others, whilst his fingers remained off the trigger. Kazuki will allow this bout of foolishness.

"Still, we should proceed with caution, don't know what's ahead, and I certainly don't want to get blown out of the sky by some... Kanrasan-Artigonal doohickie rocket system," Martinez advised. Kazuki nodded. "We have flares... right?"

Karl placed a thumb up. "If you think some doohickie shit is going to shoot me down, you should have seen the videos from two decades ago!"

"Yes…" Kazuki trailed off before sighing. Karl's battle honours and gloating were only balanced out by how good his stories were. Yuki and Kaz were always the first to listen. Last to leave. Just get us back."

A holographic array activated from the ceiling, projecting a visage of a pair. They were clearly in different places. Archius and Sato... The former had a hoodie on, whilst the latter had her Command uniform on. "Kazuki, how'd the meeting go?" asked Sato. "Please don't tell me you made more enemies for us."

Sato glared at Kazuki for a moment. She then rubbed the brim of her nose, anticipating annoyance.
Archius turned to Sato. "Not like anymore will hurt, will it?" he suggested, playing devil's advocate. "Plus, if Kaz makes enemies, there's probably a reason for it... Right?"

"Of course," Kazuki replied. He then realised that the snide remark was directed at him, not Sato. "Nothing of importance happened. We're being tailed by a bunch of criminals, Archius. Can you get some eyes on them?" Kazuki placed a burnt hand up to his face, feeling the chemical burns beside his lips. Scars littered around his eyes, too.

Archius nodded. "You think I haven't got eyes on them already?" he asked. "I'll alert you guys if anything happens, they'll probably scare away when you reach the highway."

Paulus looked towards the holograms. "Crime's been on the uprise ever since you guys came back," he said. "The 31st SPTU was called out on three missions last week. Three! We only get called when the best of the police can't break in."

"More paperwork?" Martinez crossed his arms. Paulus nodded.

Sato placed her hands on her hips, turning her blue eyes towards Kazuki and narrowing them. "No point crying over the past, what should we do now?"

"First... celebrate six months," Kazuki said. "We'll need more information to work this out... Recall Hosea's teams to Anagora. The Old Man will be a valuable asset."

Hosea, the commander of the Old Guard. They were once Seekers, selected by the old man himself. Hosea was one of the most respected members of the AGENCY and the oldest commander in Kazuki's arsenal.

That old man had no special exospine, no special tools or gadgets. He was simply an old man in a galaxy where young men are doomed to die.

"He'll be back within the week," Martinez said. "Already recalled him after he finished up the training contracts."

Archius chimed in, "Yeah, hope he'll get back by the time we celebrate." The dark green eyes shifted across the shuttle, glancing at the passengers present.

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Sato scratched her head before nodding to Archius' statement. "I guess we can talk more about it in the reservation?"

"Reservation?!" Quinn raised his voice. Kazuki's eyes were fixed on Archius; after all, he was the one who enabled Sato...

We're having a dinner reservation for the forces on Anagora," Kaz said. "That includes your Gunrunners."

Martinez turned to Sato. "You need to keep your lips shut... That was supposed to be a surprise, you know?"

"Hey, at least it's not me who told everyone. I'm sure Quinn can keep his yap shut." Sato grumbled and placed a hand to her face, before slowly giving Archius a side glance.

"Hey, it's a surprise party, so I guess Quinn was... by definition... surprised?!" Archius suggested, placing a hand on Sato's holographic shoulder.
Placing the machine gun down in its gun pod, Quinn turned to Kazuki. "Heh, Lilly still doesn't like them, but she's finding them useful. You think she's just being hard to get?"

"Of course she is!" Archius said. "Don't let her scare you, Quinn, or your friends, I heard they were a good addition."

No shit, this whole thing was Archius' idea from the start.

Quinn nodded. "Yeah, yeah, being second in command gives me some access to info and the Gunrunners helped out a lot with logistics or whatever... Hell, we even have more choco-rations to gamble with!"

Gambling… Lilly and Kazuki forbade actual gambling back during Clandestine's time. It improved discipline massively within their units. Of course, some were pissed. Martinez helped Kaz compromise: they were allowed to gamble with rations, not actual money.

It wasn't much, but it helped pass the time when the days went dark. Kazuki could still remember the spreadsheet of values each rationed item had…

"Just don't throw out the rations if you don't like them," Sato said.

"As long as Lilly hasn't 'disciplined' any of them," Kazuki stated. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the shuttle's seat.

An ache rose in his back. Damage from the duel with Antiar, Kazuki thought. He'll live, though. He always lives. That was his curse.

"What's the current status on Osmond?"

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Ossie?" That was a weird nickname. "He's currently running Fetch-'n'-Carry for some of Claire's teams."

Sato smiled slightly. "I would have preferred they weren't moved from the Phoenix's Fury? Repairs would have been faster with them around," she said. "They might not have passed any NATs, but they're good with that at least."

"Well, they're gunrunners," Paulus said. People slowly turned to the one policeman in a crowd of bloodied mercenaries. "Hey, they're paying off their time, I'm guessing. No troubles from me as long as the wrong gets turned to right."

"Narisian Gunrunners," Kazuki added on. "They lived in filth and frost, with no supplies from the outside. They're crafty. I like that about them."

That sentence from Kazuki's mouth shook the core of those present. Oh great, Kazuki thought, was it strange that Kazuki had a soft spot for the downtrodden?

"I spent my teen years with crafty, impoverished people," Kazuki continued. "Is that all?"

That snapped the spell off.
"Hey, only some of us lived in filth!" Quinn rebuked Kazuki's statement. "I'll have you know that I showered! Like... once a week..."

All eyes slowly turned to Quinn, some of disgust, others of pity.

It was clear who knew and who didn't. Sato and Paulus were both middle-class. They weren't enthused by the idea. Archius and Martinez, on the other hand, were once both gutter rats from a different time.

They knew how it felt not to have the basics.

Still, the stain on Quinn's hygiene did irk Kazuki slightly. Not enough to make him show it. The same was not true for the others.

Paulus even shuffled a bit down the row of seats.

"HEY!" Quinn raised his voice at the silence. "We didn't have running water for like most of the week, alright?! We had to make do by melting ice with still-burning fuel rods from the war."

From that, the remaining disgust turned to pity. Kazuki maintained a neutral face.

"Hell, even in the Sub-Levels, we had running water," Sato murmured. The pity was on full display. "Sorry, Quinn, didn't realise you guys had it that hard... Did you guys even have drinking water down there?!"

Quinn shrugged. "Not really, we had a butt-fuck-ton of alcohol, though, Imperial and Republic beer rations," he said.

An understanding nod came across all the people present. It was why people from Narisa seemed to be so interested in drinking all the time. The only damn thing they could drink on that frozen hell.

It was for this that Kazuki was thankful he didn't have to survive long on that planet. If Archius found him tipsy again… Kazuki's worn exospine and back shuddered at the thought.

"Ugh." The thought of the permanent markers was not good food for thought for someone who could visualise and remember perfectly. Then, the memories shattered away… Breaking into a thousand mirages…

After that, the conversation broke up into small groups. Sato and Archius were, for once, not bickering over strategy. They were bickering over finance...

A specific piece in the company ledger… Kazuki believed Archius. Buying whores to spy on people. It was very Archius, Kaz thought. Sato, meanwhile, was not convinced.

Quinn and Martinez were speaking of the Heptagia. Primarily, Martinez's combat experience serving with Felix in counter-terror ops back in the Hinterlands.

Kazuki turned to Paulus. "If you ever need employment after the police, I'll be willing to pay top Standardi for you and your team."

Pragmatic yet compassionate. Paulus and Kazuki were comrades in arms. It only made sense for someone in Kazuki's position to provide security for an ally.

Paulus chuckled. "Thanks, but I like the SPTU. It's nice, protecting and serving."

Kazuki had to fight hard not to turn his remarks into a scathing criticism of the judicial branch.

"Plus, I'm more interested in my guys, you know? Frederick won't take my leave well, especially for you."

Fair, Kazuki mulled it over.
"Even if he's an unprofessional idiot," Kazuki snidely muttered under his breath. Kazuki had the opinion… no: the truth, that Frederick was incompetent. That spark the Commissioner had in the Republic's first golden age was gone.

That man had tarnished himself and insulted his daughter in front of the police HICOM. Kazuki felt sick even remembering it. Digging his nails into his skin, Kazuki felt the rising agony. Guilt.

Kazuki could have stopped Frederick. Yet, he did not. For that, Kazuki could only inflict whatever pain Eliza must have felt onto himself to atone. Kazuki glanced at the shuttles slowly tailing them, some distance away, through one of the rear visual scanners. He clicked his tongue, frustration and annoyance bled through his veil of professionalism. Why the fuck were they still following them?

Kazuki's uplink connected through with sourness ready to burst out...

'Kaz?' It was Eliza.

That sourness ceased to exist.

Kazuki gave a dismissive nod to Paulus, who shifted towards the other conversations. Kazuki shifted seats. He wanted privacy.

'I might as well confirm that I'm back at my place. And you?'

'Soon. Meeting was over fast,' Kazuki said. Something told Kaz that she was going to apologise next. 'Don't apologise. It was to be expected. Hartius alone makes people ill. Let alone the whole seven-fingered hand.'

Eliza let off a confused noise, nearly choking on something she was drinking. 'I'm sorry?'

Kazuki grumbled. 'I told you not to apologise...'

'Well,' Eliza paused. 'Very clever...' she said with a hint of frustration in her voice. 'Spot on, though. It was quite suffocating… I think?'

'Felt like your whole life has been insignificant?' Kazuki inquired. 'Like every action you have ever done up till then was merely the whims of a sludge in a skeleton within a meat suit?'

The Sub-Levels beyond the windows were still lively, even as it became a freezing urban hellscape in the summer months. Eliza chuckled. 'Rather morbid, though I can't argue with that.'

'It's normal to feel that way, especially with Hartius; let alone any more members of the Seven,' Kazuki said. 'The meeting was uncharacteristically boring...'
'Those people... you know them, don't you?' Eliza asked.

Kazuki audibly nodded. 'Yeah. Sadly. Hartius and Freyja were mentors. Felix and Cassia are friends.'

'Blugh?! Friends?!' Eliza made a weirder noise. 'You guys are friends? To be honest, I thought all of you in that room were at each other's throats!'

'Some of us. Hartius and I both want Freyja dead. Felix and Cassia are married with two kids,' said Kazuki.

Eliza chuckled before mumbling, "Aw."

It was an incredibly strange thing to say. People in this line of work never make it to marriage. Let alone children. That's just not how this galaxy will play its cards.

'They're ambitious, but good friends.'

'Sounds nice,' Eliza admitted. 'Friends with the seven fingers.'

'I also have an update from Antiar. Some issues with deporting him, she'll be staying by his side until he reaches the Belsaran Marshals' custody for prisoner exchange.'

''Prisoner exchange? Like... a hostage exchange?'

'Yeah. Something like that,' Kazuki dismissed the question. He won't tell Eliza that the reason for the Prisoner Exchange was because of some prisoners still being held from the war, POWs for longer than Kazuki's been alive.

Still, being alive was better than what Trasia did to its prisoners, if there were any to begin with. Both sides were vindictive.

Then again, so was he. So was everyone. If he wishes to pursue Eliza's dream further, that is what will await him. To that end, Kazuki was fine with beheading a hundred conspirators and their freemuzzles if need be.

'All humans decay,' Kazuki said. 'It's up to people in our job to choose who meets justice's right arm sooner than others.'

All in all, Kazuki had a small smirk, assuring himself of victory. He started this war; it was time for him to keep writing its pages with blood, till justice is done and the Eclipse may tear itself asunder.