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The Fallen

"Seiryu, that's not the interface for secondary piloting. It's trajectory control," said Capisa.

"I know what I'm doing, Sharkie, so stop complaining. It looks similar to the third gen consoles."

"I prefer not to be called a 'Sharkie', if you mind. That's derogatory term for Terrans."

"I don't like it in your shitty utopia. I say and do what I like. Now where's the sensors?"

Capisa sighed. "It's the second button to the right," he said. He then stood up and left the room, feeling uncomfortable with a racist already-dead draconian in the pilot room. If it wasn't for Dairyu's support to Seiryu, the shark alien would already beat the crap out of the solid ghost. But at least he could give Seiryu a taste of his own medicine when they reached their next destination.

As per Capisa's request, they needed a detour to Atlantis to find an assistant repairman due to the size of the ship. The Wind of Change would operate optimally if it was manned by at least 10 crews, more than Dairyu's previous ship Azure. Not only that, they also needed a provisional crewmember or else they would starve. They couldn't spend too much credits by eating in a colony diner since their journey was to determine the cause of the dimensional leak.

The previous crew like Rose never thought about the need of at least 10 crews policy since they only used the ship for a short flight. At that time they had 6 crews and not used for a space cruise journey like what they were trying to do. It was until Calventis, their newest crewmember, commented about the ship's capabilities. At the same time, he also showed the group what he was capable of.

Upon reaching Atlantis, the group saw what's different from the Atlantis they knew before. It now had some islands big enough to house cities and towns. Upon closer inspection, however, the islands were artificial, since until 15 years ago, Atlantis was predominantly an aquatic planet, with all their ecosystems existed underwater. This also caused a problem to the dominant sentient race, the Aqura, since they never poked their head to the top of the water before the space age, resulting in their adaptation only for aquatic purposes. They could still poke their head out, but only for a while. With the advancement of technology, many Aqura used the now-cheaper nano-technology enviro-suit that made them virtually amphibian.

Capisa also felt that his encumbering armored suit would look awkward with the rest of the population. When Dairyu saw that Capisa used a very Terran everyday clothes, he said, "So using hoodie and jeans is an Aquros thing now?"

"Why is that a problem? Wearing tight body-suit feels too awkward if you're in an open public station, right? Some might have...a fetish of it."

They landed on a platform big enough for a ship their size, and upon getting out, they found an extraordinary view. The island, despite of being artificial, had a lavish port modeled around the Terran's Avvantura artificial island (it looked like Venice). On it, Aqura wanting to feel the sun on them roamed the streets, mostly bare-footed. The group were regarded as tourists due to their civilian outfit, yet Seiryu (being dead when wearing a Warrior's getup) was thought as a Neo-Warrior.

"Don't you think you need to change your clothes? You're attracting attention."

"Do you have an idea for what to wear?" asked Seiryu.

"I don't know. How about a simple shirt and shorts? We're in a tropical island."

Seiryu then made a small gust of wind and he changed into the one Dairyu asked him to change to.

Traversing in the island wasn't quite as exciting as it was in the original, but it was a fine example of tropical tourism in an alien planet. Yet, as serious as always, Capisa tried to find a transportation to go down to the underwater establishment to find an available Aquros (Aquros are known for their engineering expertise, rivalling that of Scyllas). He found one in the form of pressurized tunnels leading to the bottom of the sea, which at this point wasn't as deep.

Capisa asked his comrades to relax and acquaintance themselves with the world they got into. He glared towards Seiryu, who made a scoff. He then jumped towards the water and quickly swam towards one of the supporting pillars for the island above, where he inserted some phrases to a secret door, which opened, letting him in. Inside, he was greeted by the computer, but Capisa quickly pulled out a database detailing all profession around Atlantis and a particular skillset any Aquros he could find.

"Agent S'hor, the only Aquros with the particular skillset you need is an Aquros named Verkol Han'kar, a former shipwright to the Aquran military."

"Might I ask why he's a former? No Aqura can be fired unless something happened to him."

"Yes, he lost the functionality of his legs after an accident 20 years ago. He's now working as supervisor to newer shipwrights."

"Hmm...where is he now?"

"He's in his job, close to Mako Base 5. Submarine Assembly Yard."

Thanking the AI, Capisa swam out from the satellite base and going towards the place indicated. Due to being an aquatic being, Capisa swam very fast, seemingly ignoring the water current and pressure. Yet, despite of that, when he passed a crowded street, some Aqura commented that he was in a hurry.

After reaching the assembly yard, the next thing Capisa would need was to find out where Verkol was. He then asked one of the workers there if they knew about a paraplegic shipwright supervisor. They gave him a general direction towards his office, which, like the rest of the facility, was submerged. Thanking them, he swam towards that direction and went inside, where he found a blue-scaled Aquros watching through the big window behind his office. He was on a levitating platform, and based on what Capisa could see, the Aquros was kneeling. He tried to approach the old Aquros, but then he sighed and said, "A Black Mako agent is not supposed to let away any water current change. The change is noticeable from the bristle of my hair."

Surprised that Verkol knew about the organization, Capisa asked, "How much do you know? If you're a civilian, we cannot let you go."

"I may look like a civilian now, but I was an agent myself." Verkol turned around and faced Capisa, revealing a big scar running down his left eye, which had white pupil, indicating blindness to that eye. "And the reason why I am now using a levitating platform is not from a mission, that's the part I'm embarrassed from."

"Then how come the computer doesn't give me any information about you?"

"Kid, are you still new?"

"No, I've been in the program for 10 years now..."

"Then you should know that we cannot withheld old information about retired members, as it can become a liability. You should've known that, if you're not a rookie yourself. Ah, who am I kidding? Your run is a clean slate, so no wonder you don't know anything. I admit, the first time my superior retired I was tasked to wipe out his data from our pool, and my reaction was like you. Anyway, tell me your reason to be here."

"I need a repairman for a Destroyer Cruiser starship."

"Oh...old model, huh? Well, you know I can't help you with repairing the ship. I presume you have another engineer in your crew? If so, then you need one of the shipwrights here, but it won't come cheap."

"I can give you the credits you want..."

"Oh, no, no! I may be retired, but I don't need any money from a black ops government organization! I want to use your specialized set of skills as an active agent...more specifically, your privilege of information."

"You know I can't do that."

"Consider this your blackout mission. I have all the information you need here, and the rest is your job. I want you to put an end to a drug trade around this part of town."

Capisa became surprised. "But I thought this is a shipwright town," he said.

"Yes, and it's sitting by a sea trench with abundance of minerals for starships. Those mobs are exploiting this part of the town by selling drugs that can make you feel so relaxed and stunned you basically lost all senses. As a supervisor, this is troubling since the withdrawal is hurting them, and my business. I want you to find any information that can expose them and give them to your superiors, then you can get one of my best shipwrights."

"So I just find any incriminating evidence? That's kind of easy..."

"One more thing...don't kill anyone. This is not an assassination or bodyguard mission. We don't want to get into any trouble. As always, if you're caught, I'll disconnect any connection I have with you. Now prepare yourself."

As Capisa left, he said, "Well, this escalated quickly."

The Aquros wasn't unfamiliar with the term 'Blackout'. There was an unknown policy that Mako agents had that normal As'karan wouldn't know. Mako agents worked independently and unlike As'karans, they need to find any questionable methods to finish a job, including the likes of torture and assassination jobs. Still, despite of that, Mako agents had their codes; if they were given a job to disturb Federation peace, creating anarchy, or anything that hurt innocents, they would surely bring the job giver in, regardless of their defenses. Thus Makos were both special intelligence agency and undercover agents.

There were some jobs that had no records in their database, called 'Blackout'. As the name said, there would be no connection whatsoever with the As'karan when accepting a blackout mission. As his friend and superior always said, "No connection in a blackout". Database could be accessed, but designated weapons and armors were not allowed at all. Mako agents who were caught would be considered KIA and needed to survive on their own. It was a high risk mission with low survival rate...and the main source of unemployment inside the agency.

Seriously, most of the Blackout missions were either impossible or too easy, but even a slight mistake could end up losing a job. Aqura were worker aliens who considered unemployment to be an insult to the Leviathan and dignity of the said Aquros. Even menial jobs like cleaners and feeders were regarded as important. Problem is, lack of fully aquatic world and overpopulation often challenged these beliefs. Some devout Aqura even contemplated suicide after losing even menial jobs/

He once talked about this culture to Dairyu, thinking that there were also feral-like Aqura back in Terra. The draconian just scoffed at it, saying, "I can't blame ya. Sharks can't stop swimming or they'll dead."

"Seems logical, if not morbid," thought Capisa when he reminisced with that. It was so weird when he went to Terra once and met one of these so-called 'sharks'. They were predators, unlike Aqura, but they seemed to understand Capisa enough, knowing that a 'man-shark' had higher status.

Anyway, Capisa found the place indicated by the old shipwright. It wasn't look like it was heavily fortified, but another surprise came when he realized that it was in the middle of a red-light district, where scantily-clad Aqura women swam around. Capisa wasn't all that surprised by this. Despite being a shipwright town, it had some seedy parts where things like these thrived. No wonder the former agent wanted to find incriminating information; red-light districts always had more drug dealers, down to the prostitutes.

One of them approached Capisa and tried to seduce him, but Capisa embraced her and talked nicely to her, which somehow caused the Aquros woman to feel embarrassed and swam away.

"I'm so lucky Ryu didn't see that," said Capisa to himself. "I feel like he might think I'm a playboy or some shit."

Meanwhile, on the surface, Dairyu sneezed to his arm while waiting for a tropical drink, with Seiryu noticing and said, "Somebody's been talkin' about you."

"Seriously, Seiryu, you watch too many animes."

"Hey, we all need to have a hobby, right?"

Back to Capisa...

After asking a stripper about the place he needed to find, he quickly tried to devise a plan to get into a restricted area and get out without leaving any chances to the water current. Being underwater, his senses were greatly enhanced, even now he could sense other Aqura just by sensing the water. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one. It would be great if he's in an alien world, but he's in Atlantis, and native Aqura were more sensitive than those living on colonies.

Luckily, Mako Agents were trained to not make any water current disruption by swimming without moving their tails. Capisa did that after swimming to the second level of the club, where he came in and found a safe with details about wire transfers of illegal drugs and Aqura trafficking from some poor Aquran society. If it was out in public not only the owner of this strip club would be dragged to the courthouse; the whole red light district would be closed down.

Just as he tried to close the safe, he felt a water current coming to the second floor. He jumped out of the window and hid under it to prevent any detection of water current change and his movement. Of course, the owner was suspicious by it and checked on the window, but concluded that some fish came into his office. Capisa made a sigh and swam towards the shipyard.

Meanwhile, Dairyu and Seiryu ordered some synthetic cocktail while watching young Aqura playing beach ball with some young aliens. Dairyu could see his former protégé was intrigued by the view. He then turned towards him.

"So, how's that for a future?" said Dairyu smiling. "Your death made this possible."

"I still don't like the older ones, though," said Seiryu. "They may look like talking to each other like some sort of friends, but they are secretly plotting. Not to mention, your sharkie friend is taking too long."

"Hey, watch your tone. You're in the Aquran hub planet, and they don't take racists well."

"Unfortunately for them, we are surrounded by water, so..."

"Seiryu...what happened to you? I understand your bitterness towards the Rite, but you can't always be this bitter to aliens. What happened in the Fifth Dimension that I didn't know?"

"Look at you, talking like you know about the Fifth Dimension," said Seiryu while sipping his cocktail. "Time in that Dimension is nonsense. You might end up in the past, present, and the future. There is nothing in that place, only that you exist and you're living. It's kinda hard to explain to mortal beings like you, but if you have died for such a long time and returned to tell the tale, you might understand."

"So, you're the one I knew 50 years ago?"

"In your perspective, it has been 50 years, but from my perspective, it's barely a week since I died. You cannot tell me something that I have been living with for months and expect me to change. This is a culture shock to me."

Dairyu couldn't reply while Seiryu sipped his cocktail again. "I mean, don't get me wrong, friend, but relics like us are better off dead than watching a peaceful world getting destroyed again because the ghosts of the past decided to relive the moments they are stuck with. I am coming back to make sure you, a living relic, can live without pain and guilt, which apparently I can see from your eyes."

Hearing that made Dairyu felt a jump in his heart and looked away from Seiryu, panicking, which wasn't like him. Seiryu noticed this and said, "So there is something you didn't want to tell me. Is it Jackson and the others? You told me about that, and you are suffering because of it. That I can understand. But no, this is not from that. There's something worse that you've committed; something that is harder to confess to your dear old student."

"I prefer we stop this conversation, Seiryu."

"I am not going to stop until I can get it out from you, Dairyu Tsukasa. I cannot let you bear another burden because of me. Tell me: what are you keeping secret of?"

"I said..."

"You're not the one to decide, Dairyu. There's someone you lied to, right? Is she someone close? Just fucking tell me, Dairyu."

"You are so goddamn persistent, are you?"

"How about if I tell them about your exploits in the war, hmm? You may be considered a hero, but I know what you did during the war with those female draconians..."

This made Dairyu jumped again, his glass shaking in his claws.

"Bulls-eye. So you have illegitimate children. Why are you so secretive with me? I know what you did. Just confront them like a true..."

"I can't, not with you alive."

"Wait, what? What are you talking about?"

Dairyu took a deep breath and said, "Don't tell Capisa or anyone this, and don't get mad at me for saying this to you. I went back to Terra some years ago to visit the dojo, but I can't put my heart into it. I don't have any home and your apartment wasn't yours anymore. That was when I met...your mother."

This surprised Seiryu. "D-don't tell me..."

Dairyu nodded solemnly.

"That was I mistake I cannot forgive myself. Your mother...Natsumi...she was pregnant with my daughter...and your sister."