-BEN-

  Ben and Blaze had beef with a lot of people. As a joke, Captain Doe kept a list which had names of such people. The list had several pages, and the Falcon pilots were ranked very high on it.

  The beef with the pilots started when Ben and Blaze were sent to rescue a Falcon pilot who had been captured by space pirates.

  Apparently the Falcons had considered this an insult. Though they were generally non-combatants, Falcons were considered among the best star pilots in the Stellar Authority. They flew extraction missions, and their job was to get the agents in, and then get them out. That reputation fostered a pride inside some of them. So they were deeply offended when none of them were assigned to the mission to rescue their friend.

  They offered Ben and Blaze their help, but the offer was turned down. Unfortunately, a group of Falcons decided to take things into their own hands and disobeyed direct orders by flying to rescue their captured colleague.

  What ensued was a chaotic mess of space battle. At the end of it, one starship remained, and that was Ben and Blaze's StarHawk T700. The captured pilot was saved but the Stellar Authority lost 15 Falcon starships that day.

  Ben and Blaze (mostly Ben) had written a scathing report implicating the Falcon pilots. Everything they wrote was the truth, but it still rubbed the Falcons the wrong way. All eight Falcon pilots who survived the battle were given dishonorable discharges, adding insult to injury.

  And so the unit as a whole developed a grudge against Ben and Blaze. Never mind the fact that Ben and Blaze had actually saved their colleague and played a major role in making sure eight of them survived the battle.

  The Falcons wanted revenge.

  Ben could feel them watching him. The shooting range had been busy when he had arrived. Now it was mostly empty. It was as if the people who had been around had sensed the malice in the air.

  Ben understood everything that was happening. He had seen the three Falcon pilots when he had arrived. He had watched them exchange whispers. He had felt their eyes boring holes into his back.

  On a normal day, he would have left. He would not have even started shooting. On a normal day, he would have identified the folly in provoking them.

  But this wasn't a normal day. He was angry, and when he got angry he stopped caring. Ben was on his fifth cycle through the range now. Like most shooting ranges, this one used digital targets, and they allowed you to customize the targets.

  Ben had started with normal circular targets, but after his second cycle, he switched things up. He used a custom image as a target. The image he chose was of a blue, four-winged starship. It was not a perfect imitation, but the inspiration was clear.

  Ben spent his third and fourth cycles shooting at the imitations of a Falcon starship. That was when the malice started to fill the air, and the place began to empty out.

  Ben noticed the manager of the shooting range frantically making calls. He wondered who the man was calling. It was probably the Vice Captain. That would be a good call. She would chew Ben out for his decision making, but he didn’t care.

  The Falcon pilots began to walk towards him, and Ben started his fifth cycle.

  Bang. Bang. Bang.

  He shot down starship after starship with ruthless accuracy. He was done by the time they got close to him. He set down the gun, cracked his neck, and turned to face them.

  "Can I help you gentlemen?" he asked.

  Their leader was a slender, gaunt-faced man. He had a name tag on the blue jumpsuit he wore. It identified him as Mo.

  Mo took an extra step forward. He nodded towards the pulverised targets. "Why'd you do that?" he asked.

  Ben had hoped they would get right into it, but it looked like they wanted to take the long route. He shrugged.

  "I felt odd about my aim today. Needed easy targets. That image felt apt."

  The pilot to Mo's right looked like he was about to explode. He took a step forward, but Mo held out an arm to stop him. The pilot obeyed and stepped back.

  Mo spoke. "I had a cousin there, you know?"

  Ben pretended he didn't know what the man was talking about.

  "Where?"

  "There. 2 years ago. You know what I'm talking about."

  Ben said nothing.

  "He was good," Mo continued. "Incredible pilot. Better than me in every way. And he couldn't stand by when his friend was in trouble. So he flew in."

  Ben watched as the two men next to Mo slowly began to fan out.

  Mo continued, "They would have succeeded if you and your idiot partner hadn't been there."

  "That's not how I remember it," Ben said.

  "I don't care." It looked like Mo was getting emotional. He had his hands balled in fists and he was visibly shaking. "I read your reports," Mo said. "You slandered them. You slandered my people."

  Ben shrugged. "I told the truth. They were all impulsive idiots who messed up the mission. Those who survived were lucky."

  Ben searched Mo's eyes.

  "Your cousin didn't survive, did he?" Ben asked. For a moment he wavered in his anger. "I’m sorry," he said, genuinely.

  "Nah," Mo responded. "You're not sorry. Not yet." They had surrounded him now, and they looked poised to attack. Suddenly the doors burst open and a panting Blazecorra Kuto came rushing into the room.

  "Stop!" Ben’s partner cried. He raised his hand up, then bent over to catch his breath. "Stop," he repeated. He rose, and began to walk towards them. "There's no need for violence," he said.

  The man Mo had restrained earlier threw the first punch. Ben saw it coming and reacted sharply. He ducked the punch and kicked the man hard in the abdomen. The man groaned and fell to his knees.

  Mo and the other man rushed Ben.

  They had numbers, but they were pilots, and he was a trained mage. He dropped them with a few well-placed mana-reinforced kicks.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Blaze sighed.

  "People don't like us, Ben. This is just going to make things worse."

  "People like us," Ben responded. "These guys are the exception."

  Ben could still feel the fire raging within him. This wasn't enough. He was waiting, banking on something.

  "You should get out of here, Blaze," he said to his partner.

  Blaze crossed his arms. "Is this really how you're going to welcome me after I've been out for months?"

  Ben raised his eyebrows. "Did you expect anything else?" he said.

  Blaze seemed to consider this, then accepted what Ben said with a nod. The Falcon pilots were still groaning on the floor. They didn't look like they would rise soon.

  "I'm going to call for medical attention," Blaze said. "That might patch up some of the cracks in this relation-"

  Ben held up a finger, cutting Blaze off. He had heard something.

  "What?" Blaze said.

  Ben looked towards the entrance, and Blaze followed his gaze. A large group of Falcon pilots walked through the doors. There must have been about 15 of them.

  Ben smiled.

  Good. This is what he had wanted. This is what he needed. He cracked his knuckles.

  "Leave now, Blaze."

  Blaze’s shoulder sagged. He turned to Ben. "No one is going to believe me," he said. "They're going to think I was part of this."

  "True," Ben said. "That's why you need to leave."

  Ben reduced the strength of his mana reinforcement. He didn’t want to end the fight too quickly.

  Blaze didn’t leave. Instead, he began to stretch.

  "I'm going to get more of them than you," Blaze said.

  "Not a chance."

  The pilots attacked.

  -CAPTAIN DOE-

  In a dark room a few floors above the shooting range, Captain Doe watched the fight with two other men.

  The two men sat on opposite sides of a table on which a holographic projector stood. One of the men was troubled. The other looked curious.

  The troubled man scratched the stubble on his jaw. He wore a well-pressed military uniform, and the tag on it identified him as Major General Jack Whiskers.

  Whiskers looked up at Doe.

  "Are you sure about this, Doe?" he asked. His voice was thick with worry.

  Captain Doe didn't break stride. "Yes, General," he responded. "I am."

  General Whiskers sighed. He was clearly unconvinced. He glanced at the last man, a question in his eyes, but he didn't say anything.

  The last man did not speak. He barely even moved. In fact, if not for the slow rise and fall of his clothing with his breaths, it would have been easy to think he was dead.

  He was a rotund, redheaded man with a massive beard. His beady eyes darted to and fro as he watched the holographic images. He wore a red and yellow hooded robe with sandals. Despite his odd appearance, there was an air of power about him.

  The three of them watched the fight to its conclusion.

  Agents Ben and Blaze pushed back fifteen Falcon pilots easily. They were always going to win. That much was evident, but the fight hastened to its end when Blaze transformed.

  "Amazing," General Whiskers whispered as he rubbed his chin again. The reptilian beast Blaze transformed into scattered the pilots like a child plucking flowers from a field.

  When the fight ended, Ben and Blaze stood in the center of chaos. Pilots lay on the floor around them, groaning and moaning.

  The rotund man finally spoke. His voice had a rumble to it. "They didn't kill anyone," he noted.

  Captain Doe had been hoping he would notice that.

  "Exactly Abbot. Exactly."

  "Mmm," the Abbot rumbled. He pointed a fat finger at the hologram of Ben. "He surprises me. I thought he would have lost it after what the Jury did to him today."

  "He did lose it," Whiskers noted. "I would hardly call instigating a battle among allies restraint."

  The Abbot shook his head. "You're looking without seeing Jack. Watch how he looks around."

  The hologram of Ben seemed to be scanning his surroundings. The Abbot continued. "He did that the entire fight. He was expecting to be stopped. He was expecting authorities to come in. He was in control the whole time."

  Whiskers frowned and looked at Captain Doe. "But Agent Wilson's file includes multiple instances in which he lost control."

  Captain Doe held Whisker's gaze as he responded. "And he has fulfilled his mission every single time. Agent Wilson is effective."

  "He's 22 years old!" Whisker's retort was loud and it echoed in the room. He continued, "and the other one, the memory magic prince. He’s even younger."

  Doe shrugged. "You asked for recommendations. This is it."

  Whiskers looked like he had more to say, but the Abbot raised his hand.

  Whiskers kept quiet.

  "I approve," the Abbot rumbled in a tone that indicated finality.

  Whiskers looked defeated, but he didn’t voice any objections.

  The Abbot rose to his feet; it was a slow process. Whiskers rose with him. Though Whiskers was tall, the Abbot still towered over him. To someone like Captain Doe, the Abbott was a veritable giant.

  "Thank you, Captain," the Abbot said. "I hope your agents will make you proud."

  "They will," Doe responded. "I believe in them."

  The Abbot nodded. He turned towards the exit of the room. Whiskers locked eyes with Captain Doe and said, "We'll send the full details of their mission soon." He followed the Abbot out of the room.

  Captain Doe turned his attention back to the hologram. Ben and Blaze had exited the room, leaving the groaning pile of pilots on the floor. In a moment, the shooting room staff would receive the order to come in and get the men to the medical center.

  Doe turned off the hologram and sat down. General Whiskers was right. This was an unprecedented gamble.

  Wilson and Kuto were fine agents with a bright future, but throwing them into a dark corner of the galaxy might be a step too far.

  But that was what Doe did. He took chances. He trusted his gut. It had gotten him this far, and he would continue to stick to it.

  The automatic doors slid open and Captain Doe turned to see his Vice Captain stomp in.

  He braced himself.

  Doe had worked with Mira Hunta for more than 10 years. She had started out as an intern, and proved herself to have keen attention to detail.

  At his encouragement, she enlisted as a Stellar Authority mage and eventually became an agent in his precinct.

  Hunta had one key attribute which Doe valued above all. It was the one thing that made him push for her to become his Vice Captain: She was not afraid to challenge him.

  Hunta came to a stop in front of her Captain. Doe had once heard someone describe her as "sensible."

  That was an apt word which incorporated everything about her. She had well-kept hair and trimmed eyebrows. Her uniform, which she always wore, was neatly pressed with every single item in place. As usual, she wore her hat.

  The only thing off about her today were her eyes. Hunta's eyes, normally a cool caramel, were blazing. However, he knew she wouldn't explode. That wasn't the kind of person she was.

  She breathed out slowly, composed herself, then looked her captain in the eye.

  "Captain," she said. "I don't think this is the best move."

  Doe could see she was picking her words carefully, making sure she maintained a respectful air.

  "The decision is already made," he responded with a wave of his hand.

  He could tell she was not pleased with his response, but she didn't retort. She lifted a piece of paper she had been carrying and placed it on the table.

  "I have made the necessary arrangements concerning Kara Khan," she said.

  Ah, Captain Doe thought. Good.

  "Thank you," he said.

  Hunta's expression darkened. "This is wrong," she said.

  It was the one thing Doe wished he could change about her; her incessant loyalty to doing the "right thing".

  It meant she was less willing to play in the mud than he was. She was less likely to partake in the little games that caused great shockwaves in the galaxy. She lived by the book, but Doe considered the book more like a set of suggestions.

  "Where will she be posted?" Hunta asked. Doe could see the real question in her eyes. She had already anticipated his decisions. He wondered if she understood his reasons.

  "You already know," he said, turning away from her. He stood up and walked towards the exit. "Let us go, Vice Captain."

  She didn’t move.

  "One of these days, Captain," she said, "one of these days, you will force me to quit."

  The automatic doors swung open. Doe responded as he walked through. "I'm glad it's not today."