“Good to see you back on your feet, Captain,” Colonel Darqa said as I walked into the briefing room.

“Thank you, sir,” I said. “Glad to be back.”

First to arrive, I dropped down into my usual seat and waited for Elix. Slowly, the rest of my squad began to filter in, each of the men greeting me as they took their seats. Darqa closed the door, clearly ready to begin the day's briefing. I glanced at the empty seat beside me and debated the wisdom of asking him to wait until Elix arrived to begin.

I didn't want to draw attention to myself though. Given that I was his superior, we weren't supposed to be together. I was pretty sure most of the squad knew it already anyway. I guess it was kind of an open secret. But, I didn't want to be too obvious about it.

I was a little worried though. I hadn't seen Elix since that day in my quarters. He'd gone off to get some time in the rack before he was back out on Vujan patrol, and that was the last I'd heard of him. I was sure it was nothing. Just me being paranoid, more than anything. It was just strange. We usually saw each other most days, and those days we didn't, we still usually touched base with each other.

Although I was pretty sure he'd had to take up some more of the slack since my injury – and since we'd lost two more of our squad to the Vujan – the sudden radio silence had been a little disconcerting and troubling.

A feeling that only deepened seeing that he was suddenly absent from our briefing.

I'd check on him later. I didn't want to draw any undue attention to myself – or him. Darqa began the briefing, outlining some new tactics we were to employ against the Vujan as well as a number of other topics I had no interest in. I barely heard a word he said throughout the entire briefing, to be honest.

When he dismissed us, I headed out of the briefing room, and walked down to the vehicle bay, hoping Elix would already be there.

“Hey, looks like we're paired up today,” Dryth announced.

I looked over at the small, slight man. A Ryvythian man, he was two inches shorter than me, had pale blue skin, dark green hair, and three wide, golden-colored eyes. What he lacked in size though, he made up for in heart. I liked Dryth well enough. He was a good man and a good soldier. I just didn't want to necessarily be paired up with him.

“Where's Elix?” I asked.

He shrugged. “No idea,” he replied. “Colonel Darqa just said I was paired with you today.”

I nodded, disappointed and a little more concerned about Elix. A cold feeling of dread settled down over my shoulders and I couldn't seem to shake it.

“You ready?” he asked.

I turned and looked at him, not quite understanding what he'd just asked me. I looked at him blankly and couldn't seem to focus long enough to process it.

“Ready for?” I asked.

He chuckled. “You better go get some coffee,” he said. “We've got to get out on patrol.”

Right. Patrol. I was somehow expected to do my job when my mind was a whirling mess. I knew I needed to pull myself together – I had a job to do. I went and got my weapon from the armory and stocked up on ammo. Then, I took Dryth's advice and grabbed a cup of coffee before heading back to the vehicle bay. He was already loaded up in one of the hover-trucks, waiting for me. I climbed in and sealed the door behind me.

“Why so eager?” I asked.

“I haven't been off-base for two weeks,” he said. “I was starting to feel a little claustrophobic.”

“Why the restricted duty?”

He shrugged. “Didn't pass my weapons re-qualify,” he said. “I haven't been able to pick up a weapon until I qualified again.”

“That's rough.”

“Tell me about it,” he said. “I'm so looking forward to some fresh air and collecting some Vujan pelts.”

I looked over at him, completely disgusted. “Please tell me you're not one of them.”

He smirked but didn't answer. In one of the more revolting practices I've seen in a while, some members of the garrison have a fascination with taking Vujan skins. It's a competition among some of the guys to see who can collect the most in a given week. The “winner” usually gets a free night of drinking at the garrison bar.

The skins are also used as a form of currency. The guys barter for things with them – dirty magazines, pornographic holo-vids, whatever. It's a practice that's officially been forbidden – after all, we're supposed to be killing Vujan’s for defense, not sport – but, most of the garrison commanders turn a blind eye to it all.

“Okay, let's roll,” Dryth said.

He put the hover-truck in gear and my stomach lurched as it lifted up and propelled us forward, through the bay and out into the open desert landscape. The night was dark, but thankfully, clear. Gorndyr's twin moons were both high overhead, bathing the land in a soft silvery light. You'd think with two moons, the world would be a lot brighter, but much of the land around us remained in inky pockets of shadow.

Dryth chatted excitedly as we cruised along the dry, scrubby world around us. I wasn't listening to a single thing he said – my mind was too caught up in Elix. I had no idea where he was and that dark, ominous feeling that had settled down on my shoulders persisted.

“Kianna?”

Dryth calling my name snapped me out of my head and brought me back to the present. I turned and looked at him, not sure what the question was.

“Yeah, sorry,” I said. “Just a little out of it at the moment.”

“You gonna have your head in the game out here?” he asked, a note of genuine concern in his voice. “I mean, not to be an asshole or anything, but I don't – ”

“I got your back, Dryth,” I said. “Don't worry about it. I'm good. Trust me.”

“I trust you,” he said. “A lot more than most of the guys in the squad. I'm just a little worried about you.”

“No need to be,” he said. “I'm good.”

He looked at me skeptically for a moment then nodded. We drove on for another half an hour or so until we arrived at our designated spot. There had been a lot of Vujan activity out there over the last couple of weeks. Intel indicated that many had come from that direction and had gotten into the town around the garrison, killing a couple of dozen people.

Our job was to plug as many as possible and hopefully act as a deterrent for future incursions.

I didn't have much hope for that plan though. We could kill a thousand Vujans one night, and the next night a thousand more would attack from a different direction. It seemed like all we were doing was moving a stack of rocks from one side of the room to the other – and then back again. It seemed like nothing more than mindless busywork. This was their world, not ours. There were more of them than us, and we would never win that particular fight.

But, it was my job. And so, I did it.

Dryth and I positioned ourselves on the roof of the truck and spent the next several hours picking off the creatures we encountered one by one. Thankfully, we both got out of it unscathed – though, there were a few harrowing moments. We put down a good number of Vujan – which meant Dryth was going to have plenty of currency for the week.

By the time we got back to the garrison, I was tired and filthy. All I wanted was to shower and to get some time in my rack. Actually, what I wanted, was to shower and then fall into Elix's arms and sleep for about twelve hours.

Of course, until I tracked him down, that was going to be impossible.

I checked my weapon in and headed back to my quarters for a shower. Once I was clean and in fresh clothes, I wandered out and headed down to the mess. The moons were down and the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, but because of our rotational shifts, I knew there would be plenty of people in the mess hall.

I grabbed a tray and picked out some food, finishing it off with a big cup of milk – a rare treat out here on the fringes of the universe. Must have come in on one of the recent cargo haulers. Carrying my tray, I found my way over to a table where a friend of mine was seated. Masie was a tall human blonde. Very feminine looking, but tougher than most of the guys in my squad. If I had to choose somebody to into battle with – Elix aside – It would be Masie in a heartbeat.

When I sat down, she gave me a strange look and quickly looked back down at her tray, mumbling something under her breath.

“What's up, Masie?” I asked.

“Nothing,” she said, looking up at me. “H – how are you?”

There was something wrong. I could see it in her eyes. Masie was somebody who wore her heart on her sleeve and she wasn't one who lied very well. It was one thing I'd always appreciated about her. She told it straight. Clearly, though, there was something bothering her. Something she didn't want to say.

“What's wrong, Masie?” I asked. “You okay?”

She cut a quick glance at me and then around the room, as if afraid of being overheard.

What in the hell was going on?

“Fine,” she said. “I'm fine.”

She was obviously not fine though. I could see it. I glanced around the mess hall and noticed that a few tables over, a couple of the officers were looking over at us. I didn't know them too well, they belonged to a different division, but I didn't like the way they were looking at us. Or more specifically, how they were looking at Masie.

Not wanting to put her a bad position, I put a big, fake smile on my face I hoped looked convincing and laughed like she'd just told me the funniest joke I'd ever heard. She looked at me wide-eyed like I'd just lost my mind. When I spoke, I kept the smile on my face but pitched my voice low enough that we weren't going to be overheard by anybody.

“I don't know why those guys are watching you,” I said, still fake chuckling. “But, just act normal. Two girls having a little breakfast and a laugh.”

Masie looked at me and finally seemed to understand what I was doing. She put a smile on her face that looked absolutely wooden. Like I said, she wasn't a woman who hid her feelings well. But, she was trying.

“Let's finish our meals and get out of here,” I said.

Masie smiled, but a dark look crossed her face. I had no idea what she was hiding, but for some reason, I got the unsettling suspicion it had to do with Elix. I knew that I needed to know.

“I – I don't think – ”

“Masie, I need to talk to you,” I said.

She looked at me with something like pity or compassion in her eyes and she finally gave me a small nod.

“Great,” I replied. “Let's finish eating and go.”

The rest of our meal passed mostly in silence, though I did try to keep the conversation going, simply for appearances. Masie was withdrawn and sullen – which was totally unlike her, and it had me on edge.

We finished up and took our trays to the disposal area, tossed them in the tub, and walked out. As subtly as I could, I cast a quick look back and saw that the officers who'd been watching Masie before were still looking at her leave with me. That sense of dark foreboding clung to me, thicker and tighter than before.

We emerged into the early morning light. The rays of the sun bathed the land around us in hues of red and pink. The only positive thing I could say about life on Gorndyr was that the sunrises and sunsets were pretty spectacular. Far more beautiful than they'd been back on Rudra. But then, most things were.

“Look,” she said. “I'm being watched closely right now – ”

“Who's watching you?”

She shook her head. “Doesn't matter,” she replied. “I just – I can't talk to you right now.”

“Do you know where Elix is, Masie?”

She looked at me, eyes wide and a look of near panic on her face. She opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again and shook her head.

“I can't talk to you, Kianna.”

“Maise, if you know something, I need to know,” I said. “Please.”

She bit her bottom lip and looked at me. I could see the debate raging in her head. Somebody had obviously gotten to her. Gotten to her and rattled her pretty hard. And Masie wasn't a woman who rattled easily, which really said something.

“Okay,” she said quietly. “But, not now. Not here.”

“Tonight,” I said. “I go on patrol at midnight.”

“I come off at eleven,” she said. “Meet me at the mechanic's bunker. Should be private enough.”

“I'll see you then.”

Masie nodded and turned away. I watched her melt into the crowd of soldiers, my mind spinning a thousand miles a minute. With nothing left to do but wait until tonight, I headed to the barracks. I wanted to try Elix's quarters again, hoping that maybe I'm just being paranoid in all this.

But, somehow, feeling like I wasn't.

Elix wasn't in his quarters. Not that I'd actually expected he would be. When I got back to my own quarters, I was exhausted and ready for some sleep, but I was so wound up and on edge, I wasn't sure I'd be able to.

Keying open my door, I stepped inside and noticed the envelope sitting on the floor at my feet. Somebody had obviously slipped it beneath my door while I'd been out. My name was on the front of the envelope – in Elix's handwriting.

Snatching it up quickly, I dropped down into the chair at the small table and tore it open. The page was in Elix's handwriting. I scanned the words, trying to make sense of it all.

Dearest Kianna,

I have been reassigned unexpectedly. A war has broken out on a distant planet in the Wolthera system. USF troops have been called to the front to put and to the fighting. I had no warning that the transfer was coming and had to leave within an hour of being informed.

Please forgive me for my sudden disappearance and know that I will come back to you as soon as I possibly can.

All my love,

Elix

I read the words over and over again, not comprehending them any better with each successive reading. I hadn't heard about any fighting anywhere. We were in a time of peace. And even if there was a war going on, why would they only take one man from our squad? Why only Elix? Why not call up our whole squad? Our whole platoon?

Looking closer at the letter, I started to have doubts it was even genuinely Elix's handwriting. A clever forgery or computer generated digital image, perhaps. Really scrutinizing it, I saw a few inconsistencies in the script. Small differences most people wouldn't even pick up on, but I knew Elix so well, I could.

Or maybe I was just being overly paranoid and seeing differences that didn't really exist. Maybe, this was genuine, and for whatever reason, the brass decided to take a limited number of troops from each garrison. It wouldn't be the first time that happened.

But still, between the sudden appearance of this letter and Masie's strange behavior, something about this whole thing just didn't feel right. And although I have a feeling this letter was meant to allay my fears, it only served to inflame them.

I was going to have to do some digging if I was going to get to the root of it all, and I had a feeling that Masie was the key.

After a few hours of fitful sleep, I gave up trying and took a long, hot shower, and tried to clear my head. I got to the mechanic's bunker at five minutes to eleven. Masie would be coming off patrol soon and I hope she was going to keep the meeting and not blow me off. It was clear she was reluctant to talk, but I needed answers.

The scuff of a boot on the pavement drew my attention. I turned and saw Masie emerge from the shadows. She looked around suspiciously, looking like she was completely on edge.

“You sure you weren't followed?” she asked.

I nodded. “We're alone.”

“Good.”

She quickly keyed in the code that unlocked the bunker and pulled the door open. I followed her in, closing and locking the door, plunging us both into darkness. The air around us was saturated with the smell of wood and oil.

“Lights,” I said.

There was an electronic chirp and suddenly, the inside of the storage room was suddenly flooded by the harsh white overhead lights. All around us were large wooden and metal crates filled with various mechanical tools, parts, and supplies. Everything we needed to keep our vehicles running.

When I turned to Masie, her eyes were wide and she looked genuinely frightened.

“What's going on Maise?” I said. “Do you know where Elix is?”

“T – they told me if I talked to you, there would be consequences,” she said. “I'm scared, Kianna.”

“Who threatened you?”

She let out a long breath and ran a hand through her hair. She looked at me with uncertainty and fear in her eyes. It must have been some pretty serious or specific threats to rattle her as bad as she seemed. Through it all though, I could see a steely resolve in her eyes. She wasn't one to be bullied or pushed around.

“Do you remember those two officers in the mess earlier?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, how could I forget them?”

“I... ”

Her voice trailed off and she bit her bottom lip, looking down at the ground instead of meeting my gaze.

“Please, Masie,” I said. “If you know anything about Elix, I need to know. I'm going out of my mind here.”

I pulled the letter out of my pocket and handed it to her. She unfolded the page and read it. Masie shook her head and handed the page back to me. The uncertainty fled from her face as she compressed her lips into a tight line.

“This is bullshit,” she said.

“Yeah, I kind of figured that out already.”

She looked back at the door like she thought somebody was going to come bursting through it to drag her away any minute. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“They took Elix, Kianna.”

I cocked my head and looked at her. “Who?” I asked. “Took him where?”

She shook her head. “I don't know where,” she replied. “But, those two officers – them, and a couple of other guys – they took him and loaded Elix and a couple of others into a medical transport the other night. They looked like they were unconscious to me.”

“A medical transport?” I asked, still not understanding. “But, there was nothing wrong with Elix.”

She nodded. “I know,” she said. “As far as I know, there was nothing wrong with any of the guys they took. A couple of them were from my squad. But, they had them strapped down to gurneys and loaded them up anyway.”

“And you didn't stop them?”

She shook her head and a look of sorrow stretched across her face. “When I saw what was happening, I asked about it,” she said. “Those two men – they told me to walk away. They said if I breathed a word about what I saw to anybody, they'd kill me.”

“I don't understand any of this,” I said. “Why would they take them all away like that?

The cold feeling of dread pressed down on me while an icy fist of fear clutched my heart and squeezed it tight. Who'd taken Elix? Where had they taken him? And why? For what purpose?

Masie let out another long breath and looked at me, holding me with an intense, yet frightened gaze. It only intensified the feelings of dread and fear rising up within me.

“You've heard of the Syndicate?” she asked.

Her voice was barely more than a whisper as if she were afraid that simply by speaking the name of the devil, it would make the devil appear. I'd heard of the Syndicate, though I wasn't sure how much or how many of the stories I'd heard to believe. According to rumor, they'd been responsible for some really horrible, heinous things. My feeling was that if even half of what I'd heard was true, the USF would have stamped them out of existence by now.

“I've heard – stories,” I said.

“The Syndicate is more than stories, Kianna,” Masie replied. “Much more. And much worse.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Have you not heard of the fighting pits?”

I cocked my head and looked at her. “That's just an old wive's tale,” I said. “An urban legend.”

She shook her head. “It's not, Kianna. It's really not,” she said, her voice earnest. “Before I was stationed here, my squad was tasked with taking out one of their fighting rings. We raided the location and it was – horrible. The death I saw – death for the sport and entertainment of other people – it was awful. You can't even imagine it. The pile of bodies we had to incinerate was – just say it was a lot.”

“If this was really going on though, don't you think the USF would be putting more of an effort into wiping it out?” I asked. “Ensuring that innocent people weren't being taken and killed for other people's amusement?”

“They should,” she said. “And I know that some are trying. But, it's hard to do when you have people within the USF itself profiting off of it. People like policymakers and – military officers.”

My mind immediately flashed back to the two officers who'd been watching Masie at breakfast. The same two officers who'd apparently threatened her.

“So, wait,” I said. “Those two officers who threatened you – they're working with the Syndicate? They're selling our soldiers into the fighting pits?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what's happening,” she said. “Those other two guys – the ones loading Elix and the others into the transport were Syndicate. I'm sure of it.”

“How can that even be possible though?” I asked. “Every soldier here has a record. Has a bio-tracker implanted in their arm. There's no way – ”

“There are always ways if you grease the right palms,” she said. “Records can be deleted, bio-trackers shut down. If people in the right departments are getting paid, ghosting somebody is entirely possible.”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting the weight of her words settle down over me. Elix was a terrific soldier. And because of some – enhancements – made to him when he was a prisoner earlier in his life, he had nearly superhuman strength. If somebody wanted a fighter in one of their gladiator rings, he'd probably be the ideal candidate.

“Listen, I need to go,” she said. “I'm really sorry about Elix – ”

“I'm going to find him and I'm going to get him back.”

She looked at me and I could see the pity and compassion in her eyes. She reached out and gave my arm a gentle squeeze.

“Be careful, Kianna,” she said. “You don't want to go head-to-head with these people. They're capable of – terrible things.”

“I can't just let them ghost Elix like that,” I said. “I can't just sit back and do nothing.”

“There's nothing you can do,” she said. “Elix is gone. I'm so sorry, but you just need to accept that.”

She turned and walked out of the bunker, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Thoughts that were dark, confused, and angry. How could any of this have happened? Was Masie wrong? Had Elix been simply transferred to a hot spot where there was fighting?

I checked my watch and saw that I needed to get over to the briefing room. The last thing I wanted to do was go on patrol tonight. I was probably going to be useless out there. Worse than that, dangerous to whoever I was teamed with.

I had a job to do though. So, I did my best to compartmentalize and put all of the thoughts in my head away for the moment.

I needed answers. And I was going to get them.