*The Broken Blade, overlooking Port Ol’Val*
*Somewhere in the Dajorra System*
*0730 hours*
“First time visiting the shadow port?” a man casually asked from behind Adem, the latter standing lost in thought at the window. He turned to see a tall, wiry Miraluka standing close to the door and smiling at the window. He was familiar; the man with stones placed over his “eyes”, or rather the place eyes should be. Adem wasn’t accustomed to speaking with the blind and tried to position himself in front of Mks, though he never could get the man to point his face towards him.
“I’ve been before. Delightful, as places that don’t exist go.” Adem replied dryly.
“Oh, good, a sense of humor. Mks Ehn, at your service.” Adem found his expressions intriguing; smiles seem so odd when eyes aren’t part of the equation, but something was especially inscrutable about Mks’s face. Lucky for Adem that Mks couldn’t see that he wasn’t smiling back, the Umbaran too busy trying to figure out what his newly minted commander was thinking to no avail.
“Something wrong?” Mks asked, picking up on the sound of the gears turning in Adem’s head, who awkwardly smiled at last. For a Miraluka, the sound of thoughts churning in another person is magnified to the roar of a hurricane.
“Sorry, nothing.”
“Trying to figure me out? Just treat me like anyone else. I think you’ll be surprised” he said, waving a hand over his ocular implants, “how much a blind man can see. No need to apologize.”
“Right, sorry.”
“There it is again. I’m blind, and you must be deaf. What a pair we make. You’ll want to mind that habit around the grumpy lizard.”
“Point taken. I don’t suppose you have any work for me? I haven’t risked life and limb for some time now.”
“Ha, we’re going to get along just fine. I do have something for you. Ever spent time down in the Besadii district?”
“I’ve actually only been to the Complex on any visit to the port.”
“You haven’t experienced Ol’val at all yet. Besadii smells like the bizarre lovechild of money, sweat from particularly vigorous coitus, cheap booze and wildly pricey spirits alike, and a few other pleasures.”
Adem laughed. “So, I’ve got tourism for an assignment?”
“If only. You’ll be brushing up on the activities of the local criminal organizations, as well as the efforts of the police forces against them. Arconan activity has transpired here, and we want to make sure that our hand in current events has gone unnoticed thus far, so we don’t have any messes to clean up before we start making more to deal with.”
“You make it sound like a janitorial detail.”
“Only your mop lops off arms and legs like rotted branches, and you get to dress better.” Mks laughed. “Speaking of violence, here comes my favorite Barabel.”
Sure enough, an even taller and very imposing figure walked down the hall, bumping Adem’s shoulder on the way. The mass of dark scales turned to face the other men.
“Sorry.” Adem mumbled. The lizard’s eyes narrowed.
Mks sighed. “Apologies aren’t a concept he grasps, you’re just in his way. Zakath, meet our new friend.”
“Izz this the one I’ve heard so much about? I wazz expecting someone more… impozzing,” the Barabel hissed, “We are in need of no weak linkzz.”
“I think this one might surprise us both. At the very least, he won’t be a waste of your time, Zakath.” Mks said, smiling again. Zakath just shrugged and grunted.
“When do we get started?” Adem asked.
“Shuttle’s being prepped now,” Mks replied, and turned his face upward, “I think this will be the start of a great deal of fun.”