The Starlight Lancer

Chapter 127: Breakout

"Bad planners and good planners can be equally unpredictable."

—Philosopher Tuai Zoulo in his most famous work, On Warfare

The stairs led down to a series of identical hallways, each dimly lit and without decoration or decorum. Zaina wondered how deep the facility went when the android turned sharply right, entering one of the halls, and marching three doors down. It then posted itself outside the door on the right.

Its mechanical voice said, "Guard protocol initiated. Please enter while this unit remains here."

"Thank you," Zaina said out of instinct, but the android gave no reply. They stepped in front of the bare door, which lacked a handle or any way to open it from the outside. There was an audible click, and the metal door separated from its frame and slowly opened to a small room, small enough that Zaina wondered how she, Baeus, and Kazlo would all fit.

Within was a Coltanish man of thin and meager frame. His grayish-blue scaled skin was pale, and there were deep bags beneath his oversized brown eyes. Covering his humanoid body was a simple blue jumpsuit dirtied by oil stains and burn marks. He sat at a table covered in spare glyph parts and other strange odds and ends; aside from that, a bucket in the corner, and a flat metal bed protruding from the wall there was nothing in the dark cell. He quickly hid something out of sight and swept the loose parts off his table.

"I was about to go to sleep, I—oh, hello. You're not with the cartel."

"No," Zaina said, then turned and waited as the door shut behind her and Baeus. It got much darker, so she activated the light function on her vis-screen; it projected a radiant sphere, though it only provided enough light to see a few feet ahead. "We're with the Order of Riiva."

The Coltan leaned forward. "Lancers—or rather, one, and a scholar. Well met, fellow. I've never come across one of your kind before."

Baeus turned toward him. "Well met. My name is Baeus."

The prisoner flashed a toothy smile revealing poorly kept teeth. "I'm guessing you know who I am if you came all this way to see me. Unless my employers lied to you."

"Kazlo Kamu?" Zaina asked, stepping forward. "Ghost?"

He nodded. "And to what do I owe the pleasure, uh—"

"Zaina Quin," she said. "And I—it's strange, really. I'll explain when we're back on the ship."

Kazlo's head tilted, and his smile faded. "Your ship? Tralgon's letting me go?"

"In a manner of speaking," Baeus said.

Kazlo blinked a few times. "You guys aren't that bright, are you?"

Zaina took offense. "What the hell does that mean? What kind of thanks is that?"

"You know they're recording everything, right?" Kazlo said. "And if Lord Jetane didn't actually give you permission to take me, you can imagine he won't be happy to hear that."

Zaina's stomach sank. She wasn't exactly ready for a fight, and the jig was already up. She summoned her cipher.

This is looking bad.

Kazlo had taken to scooping up every loose piece and part from the floor and throwing them on the table. "Well, intelligence may not be either of your strong suits, but it's your lucky day—I happen to be a genius."

Zaina shot Baeus a can-you-believe-this-guy look, and he returned it. Then they turned their attention back to Kazlo. "So what, you have a plan, then?" she asked.