Chapter 98

SERVICE RECORD

The concierge stepped back as they emerged into the familiar private landing room.

“Will there be anything else, Mr. Rooke?”

“No, thank you.”

The concierge bowed and departed, leaving them alone.

The team waited thirty seconds before following; a technique they’d adopted after the Queen had put security protocols in place for their arrivals on station.

Alexander pulled the door open, made his way down the hallway, and stepped into the Grand Plaza beyond. He swept the space with his senses immediately.

Technopathy picked up dozens of devices trained on them. Drones and cameras mostly, but there were even a few directional microphones covering their exit into the plaza. Metallokinesis registered the rest. Concealed weapons scattered throughout the crowd, tactical armor beneath civilian clothing. Then there was station security moving into position at discrete distances, coordinating through encrypted comms instead of the System’s messaging function.

He didn’t bother pushing through the security to listen in. They’d gotten used to it over the past months. The constant surveillance, the watchers waiting to see if the right opportunity to strike would present itself. The security responses whenever they arrived. It had become background noise, just another part of visiting Astra Omnia while Gabriel Santiago was still hunting for them.

It was almost like a game of cat and mouse. Santiago had to know they had the power to hurt him, though by now he must have figured out why they were reluctant to do so. But he couldn’t move too openly against them either, not with the extra scrutiny from the UEG. Then there was the issue of Astra Omnia being governed under galactic law rather than Earth. This jurisdictional shielding was the real thing keeping the trillionaire in check, despite Grimnir’s frequent visits to the station.

He turned away, briefly considering the idea of destroying yet another round of devices before deciding he’d wait until they were on their way out.

Annie stretched, rolling her shoulders. “So, uh, you guys got this, right? The interviews?”

Alexander glanced at her. “Planning to skip them?”

“If we’re leaving soon, I’ve only got a little more time in the arenas.” She grinned. “Figured I’d make the most of it. You know, get a few more fights in before we steal a spaceship and become interstellar criminals.”

“We’re borrowing a spaceship,” Alexander corrected automatically.

Then he realized what Annie had just said out loud, with all kinds of devices trained on them. With a sigh, he reached out and commanded every recording device to destroy its footage and stop recording. Sometimes, his team made operational security difficult.

“Right, right. Borrowing.” She looked between them. “You don’t need me there to pick a captain, do you? I trust you guys. You’ll pick someone good.”

Augustus considered it. “You’re comfortable with that?”

“Auggy, I don’t know anything about spaceships. You do.” She jerked her thumb toward the elevators. “I’m gonna get some last-minute training.”

“Fair enough,” Alexander said dryly. “Try not to get ambushed.”

“No promises.” She waved and headed off, probably already pulling up her interface to check the fight schedules.

Talia watched her go, then turned to Alexander. “Actually, I was thinking Felix and I should handle something as well.”

Alexander raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“We should pick something up for him. While we have the chance.” She glanced down at Felix, who looked up at her with those disturbingly intelligent canine eyes. “Something useful.”

Alexander understood immediately. “That’s a very good idea.”

“Which one should we go for?” Talia asked.

“Definitely the first one. His power was way better than the second.”

Talia nodded. “Agreed. We’ll meet you after?”

“Be careful,” Alexander said. “Security’s tight.”

“We will.” She and Felix moved off into the plaza.

Augustus watched them leave, then looked at Alexander. “I think I’m missing something.”

“They’re getting Felix a healing power.”

Augustus blinked. “Damn. That’s actually a great idea.” He paused, considering. “Wonder which form it’ll get attached to. Doesn’t he have like three free?”

“Something like that,” Alexander agreed.

They started walking toward the private meeting rooms Talia had arranged through the broker.

“We should probably raid a zoo before we leave,” Alexander said after a moment.

Augustus gave him a look.

“I’m serious. Felix will need combat and utility forms. The more useful ones he has, the more powers he can… borrow. The more, the better.”

Augustus shrugged. “Not the worst idea you’ve had.” He adjusted his jacket. “Though it’s a bit outside our usual operations.”

“We could ask nicely, I suppose.”

“Sure. ‘Excuse me, could our alien friend touch your animals?’ That’ll go over well.”

Alexander smiled. The familiar banter was a welcome distraction. They were about to interview candidates to captain a soon-to-be-borrowed ship, with bounties on their heads, then venture into the empty void of space, into a galaxy going as mad as Earth itself.

Just another day with Grimnir.

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The meeting rooms occupied a quieter section of the station, away from the main commercial districts. Talia had arranged three back-to-back appointments, each with a buffer built in.

Alexander and Augustus found their assigned room without difficulty. The door opened to reveal a comfortable space designed for their kind of business. Two couches sat at angles to each other, upholstered in dark leather. Between them, set slightly back, was a single armchair that would face both couches naturally. A low coffee table held water, glasses, and a plate of simple refreshments.

The kind of space where deals were made without anyone feeling at a disadvantage.

Alexander checked the time. They were thirty minutes early.

He swept the room with his senses, then pushed outward into the waiting area beyond. No listening devices. No cameras. The station took privacy seriously in these rooms, at least for paying customers.

But there was someone in the waiting room already.

“We’re not alone,” Alexander said quietly.

Augustus raised an eyebrow. “One of the candidates?”

“Someone’s out there.”

“Early arrival.” Augustus considered. “Should we start, then?”

Alexander shrugged. No point in waiting if the candidate was already here. He reached out with Metallokinesis, sensing the lock mechanism on the door between rooms, and released it. The door swung open smoothly.

Augustus and Alexander sat on the couches, settling into positions that gave them both good sight lines. Augustus straightened his jacket, then called out.

“Enter.”

Footsteps approached from the waiting room. Measured, controlled. Military cadence.

The woman who entered was Latina, early forties, wearing a Space Force dress uniform that had seen better days. The cut was dated by a few years, but every detail was immaculate. Medals polished and aligned with precision. Boots old and worn but shined to regulation standard. Her dark hair, pulled back in a tight ponytail, showed threads of silver at the temples.

Short, but taller than Annie.

Alexander’s hyperawareness caught everything. The crow’s feet around her sharp brown eyes. The way her belt sat a little loose, suggesting hard times and lean meals. The special silver pin beside her medals. Her hands, steady and scarred from years of service.

And the flicker of recognition that crossed her face the moment she saw them.

It was gone in an instant, replaced with careful composure. She had an excellent poker face, but Alexander had seen it. She knew exactly who they were.

She stopped a respectful distance from the couches, shoulders square, and offered a crisp nod.

“Gentlemen. Captain Carmen Reyes, reporting as requested.”

Alexander sent a quick message to Augustus through the System. “Military uniform?”

“Honorably discharged. Entitled to wear it. The silver pin beside her medals marks it.”

Alexander gestured to the armchair. “Captain Reyes. Please, have a seat.”

She moved with controlled grace, settling into the chair without hesitation. Her posture remained military-straight. Alert but relaxed. And impeccably professional despite everything the past two years had clearly thrown at her.

Augustus leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“Not much else on my schedule these days,” she said, tone carrying dry humor. Her eyes looked between them, assessing. “Though I’ll admit, when the broker said the position was ‘sensitive,’ I wasn’t expecting supervillains.”

Augustus gave a light chuckle.

Alexander sat back. “Is that a problem? We’d rather know now than waste anyone’s time.”

There was no confrontation in his tone. He appreciated people who cut to the heart of matters, and she’d done exactly that, but it was better to be clear from the outset.

Carmen studied him for a long moment, then glanced at Augustus before returning her attention to Alexander. Her expression remained thoughtful, calculating.

“I don’t follow supervillain news as closely as I probably should,” she said finally. “But from what I’ve heard, Grimnir hasn’t done anything that would keep me from working with you.” She paused, and something almost like approval touched her features. “When people on the station were talking about Pandora’s crew going down, I wasn’t disappointed by what they said.”

Augustus and Alexander exchanged a brief look.

“Walk us through your service record,” Augustus said. “Where did you serve?”

Carmen straightened, though her posture was already military-perfect. “Fourteen years, Space Force. Started as a junior officer on patrol frigates in the Helion trade lanes. Worked my way up through combat deployments.” She paused, organizing her thoughts. “Participated in the Vorsix Station blockade, ran interdiction missions along the Kethran routes, commanded escort operations during the Nemara conflict.”

“Command experience?” Augustus asked.

“Frigate captain for the last four years of service. Two major operations.” She listed them with the same efficiency she’d shown walking through the door. “Operation Bulwark. Secured corporate shipping lanes after the Draxos pirate surge. And Operation Speartip, eleven years ago.” Something shifted in her expression. “That one didn’t go as planned.”

Augustus went very still. “Speartip. You were at Rashan?”

“Third fleet, frigate Resolute.” Carmen studied him. “You were there.”

“Ground side. Orbital Recon Ranger Division.” Augustus’s voice carried weight now, recognition and respect mixing. “We were supposed to have air superiority and orbital support. Command sent us in anyway when half the fleet got caught in that ambush.”

“Command botched the intel,” Carmen said, and something dark flickered across her features. “Sent the fleet into a killbox. We were fighting just to extract whoever we could.” She paused. “I’m sorry. We lost too many good people that day, ground and fleet.”

A moment of silence passed between them. Shared experience from different angles, the kind that didn’t need elaboration.

Alexander watched, noting the shift. Augustus had found common ground.

“Why leave after fourteen years?” Augustus continued. “You were six years from a full pension.”

“I hit my ceiling.” Carmen’s tone remained matter-of-fact. “Got passed over three times for cruiser commands. Promotions went to officers with the right academy connections, the right family names. Not the best service records.” She shrugged. “After the third time, I saw how it worked. Decided to leave on my terms while I still had options.”

“Commercial sector after?” Augustus asked.

“Five years. Freight hauling, corporate contracts, some passenger work. Kept my certifications current, stayed in the black.” She paused. “Then Goliath offered better pay for frontier route work. I took it.”

Augustus glanced at Alexander, handing off the interview.

Alexander shifted forward. “Three years with Goliath. Why’d you leave?”

Carmen’s expression tightened as a professional mask fell into place. “Disagreement with company policy. I left on principle.”

“We need specifics,” Alexander said, direct. “The position we’re offering is more than just sensitive. We need to know what we’re working with.”

She held his gaze for a moment, measuring. Then nodded once, accepting the fairness of it.

“Goliath was using indentured labor on the frontier routes.” Her voice stayed level, but heat entered it. Real heat. “Contract terms that were slavery in everything but name. Workers couldn’t leave, couldn’t buy out their contracts, got charged for everything until they were trapped in permanent debt.” She stopped, jaw tight. “I reported it through proper channels. Filed complaints with corporate oversight, even reached out to UEG labor authorities. Nothing changed.”

“So you made noise,” Alexander said.

“So I made noise.” Carmen’s eyes hardened. “Went wide internally, made sure people knew what was happening. Got blacklisted across the industry for my trouble. No one hires someone who embarrasses their employer, even when the employer deserves it.”

Alexander studied her. The worn uniform, the old boots, the lean frame from two years of struggling. She’d sacrificed everything for principle. Stood up when it cost her.

That was exactly the kind of person Grimnir needed.

“Two years on Astra Omnia,” he said quietly. “Doing what?”

“Whatever pays.” Simple answer, no elaboration needed. The evidence was sitting in front of them.

Augustus and Alexander exchanged another glance. They’d both heard enough.

“You’ve been patient with our questions,” Alexander said. “The floor’s yours. What do you need to know?”

Carmen leaned forward, hands clasped. Her eyes glanced between them, assessing.

“Let’s start with the basics,” she said. “What exactly is the job?”