YOUNG VOLCANOES

𝙞𝙞

Though it started out smooth sailing, it didn't last long, as all three members of their small party appeared to be trouble magnets.

Honestly, Trinity should have seen this coming, but as they swung their metal staff into the face of a Federation soldier, cracking the armored face guard, they squashed those thoughts to the bottom of her mind.

No time for that, she berated herself, twirling her staff once before swinging it at an upwards angle, straight into the kneecap of another soldier. Wishful thinking won't change anything.

Thirty minutes earlier

They landed on Iviru, a small dwarf planet on the outskirts of Chaem'ol. A messenger from Taizo's contact was supposed to meet them in a hole-in-the-wall bar. Entering, the bar was well-populated with enough people that the trio didn't stick out. The sole bartender in the center of the room yelled something in Eketian, but Kura replied quickly, and he left them alone.

"Where are we meeting her?" Trinity hissed, glancing between Kura and Taizo as they made their way to a solitary booth in the back corner. Something tickled the back of their mind, but they wrote it off as mere anxiety, having never done bounty work before.

Taizo leaned down, but before xe could say anything, a stranger with a long, dark ponytail shoulder checked xem. With a flash of her eyes, Trinity easily saw the circular holopod they tucked discreetly into xyr pocket. They paused briefly to mutter something in Taizo's ear before leaving, moving as quickly as possible without drawing too much attention. The tallest of the trio had the other two's attention, jaw set as xe closed xyr eyes briefly, veins on xyr neck visible.

"Tao, what's happening?" Kura asked, voice low as she continued herding the group to the booth, keeping appearances.

Taizo blinked at the nickname but otherwise didn't react. "That was the messenger," xe replied quietly, eyes open and scanning the whole room, looking for something, someone. "Someone's tipped off the Federation. We need to go. Now."

The tickle in Trinity's mind had become a sharp pinch, and as they turned to look over their shoulder, they knew why. Federation soldiers, recognizable by the standard black armor, began entering the bar in a line. A hush fell over the bar, and the three barely shared a look before drawing their weapons in tandem, lurching into a fight.

Now

Federation soldiers were dressed in all black, meant to make them inconspicuous, but the dark color combined with the imposing armor only made them stand out more. Their heads were covered by black snug-fitting helmets, leaving a small opening at the bottom, framing their mouths. Nothing was visible from the chest down other than the solid black armor, gaps only found on the joints.

Most soldiers carried standard blasters, but some of them (like the one Trinity was bashing the kneecaps of) carried energy batons. As she made another swing, this time at the lighter padding near the soldier's neck, she bent backward to avoid the crackle of energy that swung out from the baton, mere inches from where her face once was.

"We've gotta go!" Kura called from somewhere behind Trinity. They could hear the whiz of her throwing knives as they cut through a soldier before arching back to her hand.

Next to them, Taizo grunted. Xe was practically a blur, moving so quickly and with such severity that if it weren't for her Enhancements, Trinity wasn't sure if she would be able to see xem. "Then work faster, Sparks!" Xe called, embedding a stolen dagger in the stomach of one soldier and reaching over to break the neck of another in one fluid movement. "The newbie's doing better than you."

"Not a newbie," they replied, punctuating their words with a clang as they brought their staff down over a soldier's head, and he crumpled to the ground.