The Starlight Lancer

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Angels of Otmonzas

"Rebellions and the underworld—where you find one, you'll find the other."

—Donzaro Frabadian, Director of Legal Enforcement of the Alliance of Worlds

The young woman nodded and made for the end of the alleyway. They sneaked through twists and turns, avoiding attention from stray passersby, none of whom seemed to care. Zaina stayed close to the stranger—the last thing she needed was to get lost.

"So." The young woman turned back and said, "you got a name, partner?"

"I'm Zaina. Zaina Quin, from Demelia."

"Ah, right on. Well, I'm Reida. Reida Qarys. It's good to meet you, Zaina. I'm glad you found your way to my corner of the Nova Rim."

Zaina wasn't used to getting compliments—to people her age liking her. Back home, especially at school in Ryrda, she never had many friends. She blushed, and her mind blanked. She changed the subject. "So, where are we going?"

"Somewhere we can talk in private," Reida said. "Where none of that bastard Bilvane's androids can hear or see us."

Sounded good enough. They kept going through the alleys until they came to a dead end. Reida pulled a hook-gun from her belt and aimed it at the roof—with a clunk, the tracking tip lodged into the side of the concrete wall.

She's a good shot.

Reida extended a hand toward Zaina. "Going up."

Zaina walked over and grabbed it. Reida pushed a button, and the hook-gun carried them both to the edge of the roof. With a grunt, Zaina climbed up and over and helped Reida up.

Once Zaina took in the view, her jaw dropped. It reminded her of her favorite spot back home, where she watched ships depart from Ryrda; here, the entire city opened up. The low, neon lights and signs extended in every direction, mixing into a fusion of ever-changing pastels.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"From a distance," Reida replied. She leaned over the edge of the roof. "But the closer you look, the uglier it gets."

Zaina stared at the stranger, who was illuminated in the multicolored glow of Otmonzas. "So—where'd you learn how to shoot like that?"

Reida shrugged. "Been doing it all my life. Had to learn quick." She turned to face Zaina—half of Reida's face was steeped in a gentle blue glow, and the other half was covered in dark, pulsing red. "Thanks again for saving me back there. Not many people would do something like that these days."

"Don't mention it," Zaina said, waving aside the compliment.

"No, I mean it. You saw everyone else walk by. But thanks to you, I'm free."

Zaina nodded. "Well, don't worry about it. I want to help people. Plenty of people have helped me in getting here."

Reida chuckled. "Not sure I'd call that help."

"You know what I mean."

"I guess," Reida said. "I don't know. To be honest, I'm not used to people jumping in on my side. I guess people like me don't get helped very often."

"Well," Zaina said, "you don't seem so bad to me."

Reida's green eyes pierced Zaina, making her knees weak—it wasn't a feeling she was used to. Then Reida said, "You said you want to be a lancer?"

"Yeah—I got shot down on my way to Kaado. Luckily I was close enough to crash-land here."

"Shot down?" Reida asked. "What happened there?"