Ace of Gems

Chapter 1

She pressed her ear against the grate, a cold, metallic tang rising to invade her senses. Plink, plink, plink. Water dripped somewhere in the darkness, tiny impacts sending even tinier vibrations beneath her palms. Vira exhaled slow, honing her focus. She drew it in like a fine web, away from the everyday distractions that made up her life, and cast it downward, where the muffled voices below were growing louder once more.

"—it matter to you if another inbred moonie gets plucked into space?"

"Twisting facts to disassociate from the truth doesn't change our vows, Marius, and you bloody well know that."

Vira frowned, concentration wavering. In all her years of eking out an existence alongside her two guardians, she had never once heard mention of any vows.

Silence dragged on, long enough for the child to press her ear harder, thinking she'd lost her focus altogether. But then there was a sigh. Marius, in her deep, gruff way. Vira could almost picture the mercenary leaning darkly against a wall, burly arms folded over her ample chest. A chest Vira had spent many a night crushed up against, seeking solace in one of Mari's big bear hugs, hoping her warmth and enormous biceps could chase the past away for one more night.

Vira felt her heart do an unpleasant sort of squeeze. What did Mari mean by plucked into space? Were they going to leave their home? Dismal as Grim HEX could be, the little asteroid was all Vira had ever known. What could possibly be waiting for them out in that dark, cold expanse?

Mari huffed, the sound brief and bitter. "I guess anything's gotta be better than blowing up on a racetrack or stealing shit for scraps till we die."

Somewhere across the cramped quarters one could generously call a kitchen, Kelidan hummed in agreement. "That it is. I know it's not easy for you, Mar, but change can be good. We'll keep an eye on each other, like we always do. We will survive. As promised."

Vira could suddenly hear the heavy thump of Mari's boots closing the distance between the two mercenaries. Taking that as her cue, she got up silently, making sure to leave no trace of her precious belongings behind. A couple of coloring sticks, a match that had to be absolutely ancient, some throwing knives, and a ragged stuffy vaguely shaped like a rabbit. It wasn't much, but it was hers, and she took great pains to check and recheck that they were all in her satchel before she crawled backwards through the vents, leaving her guardians to kiss and make up in privacy.

There was much to chew on as Vira pushed open a small hatch and closed it carefully behind her. Slipping back down onto the platforms, she made her way through the usual hustle and bustle of Grim Hexians, work boots cutting through puffs of steam. No one paid her much mind. Just another scrawny kid with a sack of something better left unidentified. Her small but sure feet carried her through corridors and alleys so familiar she could navigate them with her eyes closed. She breezed past wall after wall of cold, dark metal, illuminated now and then by a digital screen or the buzzing glow of shop signs. A few turns, hops over boxes, and shimmies through busted fences later, Vira found herself face to face with none other than her arch nemesis, Boiden.

"Well, well, you actually came," he sneered, his pinched face bobbing in the shadows. "Thought you were going to chicken out for sure."

"Why would I chicken out when I know I'll win?"

Boiden snorted. "Real cocky. Guess we can start then if you're so sure."

Grinning, Vira set her bag down and pulled out her knives. "Of course I'm sure. I've been practicing."

Boiden knew better than to argue, so he didn't. Instead, he slunk deeper into the darkness, hand waving over sleeping spheres of dull, grey glass as he strolled past. Obeying instantly, they glowed to life, washing the walls with neon light. Patches of green, pink, and orange blended into one another, radiant in spite of how small the stolen lamps were. They were the expensive kind too, compact orbs mixed with elements precious enough to be rationed on a backwater asteroid like Grim Hex. The lights even had powerful, magnetized backs that could stick to most walls on GX, courtesy of the old mining station built almost entirely out of titanium. How Boiden had ever managed to nick them without being caught was anyone's guess. He must have grabbed them from a nightclub, and the security employed by GX's underbelly was no joke. Yet, here Boiden was, grinning ear to ear, no doubt feeling smug over Vira's surprised expression.