*On Ashera's Side*
"Who are you working for?"
Ashera stood amidst the wreckage of the pirate ship, still smoking and ravaged. The fire slowly faded on the charred walls, cables hung from the torn ceiling, and sparks still flew here and there. At the center, she held the leader by the throat, suspended a few inches off the ground.
It was almost absurd to see such a massive man, bristling with muscles and armor plates, being held like a worthless puppet by a slender woman without a drop of sweat.
"I'm still waiting for an answer."
She tightened her grip slightly, and the man let out a strangled cough.
"Tsk… as if I'd tell you. Kill me, that's all you can do."
Ashera sighed. From the start, she'd suspected something was off. First, there was the attack, which meant her location had been leaked. Then, her team never arrived—perhaps the signal never reached them.
And then there was the equipment. These pirates were using weapons far too advanced for scum like them. Doubt turned to certainty when she saw the leader activate a neon suppression artifact—a piece of technology used only by elites or special forces. They'd tried to trap her.
Of course, she was strong enough to reduce all these pirates to ashes and their leader to a pile of flesh. So she had nothing to fear from their petty schemes.
"Who gave you my location? Answer, and maybe your death will be quick."
The leader snickered without a word.
"I guess you're more scared of your boss than me, huh? Except he's not here. I am. And trust me, I can make you regret ever being born."
Her palm lit up. A flame appeared, dancing, then burning, consuming the flesh of the neck she gripped.
"AAAAHHH—!"
He clenched his teeth, eyes blazing with rage, and glared at her furiously.
"Ashera—daughter of Elder Asad… You've pissed off the wrong people..."
With a sudden gesture, he bit down on a small device hidden in his mouth. A capsule. The next instant, his body was bathed in a blue light. He began to tremble.
"Shit!"
Ashera hurled him across the room with a backhand, slamming him into the shattered wall.
"I might die today…"
A manic smile spread across his face.
"…But you'll be joining me soon! KUH—!"
Ashera shattered the ship's hull in a fluid motion and propelled herself outside.
*BOOOOOM*
The explosion disintegrated what remained of the vessel. She hung in space for a moment, her hair floating in the warm blast.
"Nothing to gain from him, tsk."
She sped toward her own ship, in low orbit, repaired to 90%. As soon as she boarded, the interface reactivated the internal systems.
"Heading back to my—"
[BEEP]
[You have a missed call.]
"A missed call?"
She tapped the console. A hologram appeared immediately—the stern face of a middle-aged man, scarred, broad-shouldered, with eyes of raw steel.
[Commander Ashera Ibn Asad.]
"Yes, General!"
[You are urgently summoned to HQ.]
"General, I—"
[I won't repeat myself. You're an excellent agent, Ashera, but there are mistakes we cannot afford.]
"…Yes, General. I'm on my way."
[BEEP…]
The call cut off abruptly. Silence settled, thick and almost oppressive. Ashera slumped into her chair, her gaze distant.
She was in deep trouble. Not just because of the summons. But because of the pirate leader's final words, looping in her mind.
"Did I attack the wrong person?"
She'd neutralized many criminals. She'd hunted, judged, imprisoned, and sometimes executed them. But the last organization she'd seriously messed with… was Arcana.
"Could Arcana be behind this attack? But why?"
She began pacing nervously.
"It's true that The Fool… or rather Zrahel, has disappeared. Do they not know their leader's true identity?"
And now, she… was the last one to have seen him. Before the Pulsar explosion.
"I'm their only link to him…"
She ran a hand through her hair, ruffling it under the pressure.
Arcana obeyed only The Fool. A band of 21 elite criminals, controlling an army of millions across the galaxy, in shadow or in plain sight. Their influence was terrifying. And, as strange as it seemed, Ashera felt safer when The Fool was around.
It would be a catastrophe if the Major Arcanes were unleashed.
"I need to find him."
She sat back at the console.
"If he regains his memory, it'll be the best possible solution."
Muttering these thoughts aloud, she opened a glass hole—an unstable portal with liquid reflections—toward the Nordia Quadrant, an S-rank galaxy, where one of General Hayden's seats of the Universal Guardians Spade was located.
In each faction of the Universal Guardians, there was a Warden, two Generals, each General had three Commanders, and they in turn had four Colonels, and so on.
....
[Transition]
The ship plunged into the space of the Nordia galaxy. Through the viewport, she saw floating cities, orbital data rings, and military stations. Each planet glowed with advanced technology, covered in holographic architecture, climate domes, and space corridors vibrating with light.
The headquarters of the Universal Guardian Spade resembled a colossal fortress suspended between two artificial moons, protected by magnetic fields and a network of versatile defensive satellites.
Her ship slowly descended toward the landing esplanade, marked by blue lights.
...
As soon as she stepped out of the hatch, a troop of Sentinels greeted her, lined up impeccably.
"We salute Commander Ashera Ibn Asad!"
Hundreds of Sentinels performed a perfect military salute. Ashera responded with an automatic gesture, hand on her chest. Her mind, however, was already elsewhere.
She gestured to one of the Sentinels.
"Take me to the General's office."
The Sentinel bowed, then invited her to follow.
They crossed a long corridor of polished steel, lined with translucent windows revealing laboratories, training areas where other soldiers practiced, and data centers resonating with green light.
In front of a massive double door sealed by an energy field, the Sentinel stopped, then bowed slightly before stepping aside.
Ashera took a deep breath, then placed her hand on the interface.
"Ashera Ibn Asad is present as requested by the General!"
"Enter."