─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

SEASON 3 EPISODE 8

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

System: Alpha Centauri

Faction: United Colonies

Planet: Jemison

Place: New Atlantis

A/N: I can't recall for the life of me if I showed a picture of what Jimin looks like in season 3. So, just in case I haven't, I'll post the picture below. If I have, feel free to ignore it, though who would ever say no to staring at Jimin?

He could solar flare me any day.

Anywho, enjoy the chapter!

☆☆☆

Jimin

Jimin didn't know what he was doing.

For months, he had put it off, yet there he stood, his gloved fist raised in front of the closed door in one of the luxury apartment complexes within the confines of New Atlantis. The door was made of real wood. Many moons ago, Jimin had felt bark for the first time. That time was so long ago, he forgot what his thoughts were during it. Did he enjoy it? Did he smile?

After knocking, Jimin waited with a bouquet in his hands. He figured it was human decency to bring a gift, considering he had taken so long to visit them in the first place. If anything, he should be buying them a new house and spaceship, but he opted for the flowers for the time being. They smelled fresh. Not that he knew the difference between rotten and fresh seeing as he grew up on Neon, but it was the thought that counted.

The door snapped open to reveal a man wearing a t-shirt that didn't fit. It was much too tight, and the longer it went on, the more it squeezed his frail frame. His hair was spiraling out of control and looked as long as Jimin's, if not more. The wrinkles under the man's sunken void for eyes sagged his cheeks and decorated his crooked nose with lines. Next came the woman behind him with chipped nails, no makeup or jewelry, and gray loungewear that he could smell from his spot outside. It smelled as bad as Neon, if not worse. It had about as many stains as the Neon sidewalks, too.

"Uh," Jimin said, clearing his throat when the man and woman didn't bother greeting him. "Hello."

The man rolled his eyes. "We're not interested in charity."

"No, no charity. My hair is a lot longer than the old broadcasts, sorry. I probably look different, don't I? I'm... Park Jimin. Y/n's fiancé."

With those words, both of them stiffened. Any hostility drained from their expressions, and instead, they ushered him inside and almost threw him on the couch. The woman took the flowers and set them on the only clean spot on the kitchen counter.

For the first time since Jimin had met Y/n, that was the day he decided to introduce himself to her parents. He had meant to far earlier, but between going undercover for the Fleet, fighting Terrormorphs, and Y/n's disappearance, it wasn't like he had the time nor energy to do so. That led him to their apartment. The apartment Y/n used to pay for. At least the UC Cabinet offered to cover expenses to show their apologies for Y/n's loss. Someone on the Cabinet had a heart. He didn't want to think it was Logan, but deep down, he knew it was.

Spots and stains coated the otherwise white walls with darkness as deep as Jimin's long locks. The sofa had crumbs on it he couldn't identify the origin of—chips, cookies, random snacks, he didn't know. Either way, his focus was on the duo before him, both of whom sporting sunken cheeks that pulled up the tiniest bit when Jimin revealed who he was. The dim lighting in the place—since they had the window curtains drawn and a single lamp on in the corner—highlighted the wrinkles all over them. At that rate, it looked like they had more wrinkles than smooth patches of skin. It didn't help that Y/n's mother had three pimples on her forehead.

"I'm sorry I didn't visit you sooner. In all honesty, I wasn't sure how," Jimin said. He didn't know what to begin with, so that was what he chose. It was just as good a start as any. "I wanted to stop by and see if you needed anything, or if you had any questions for me." He paused and swallowed whatever he could. "And, hey, I'm rich, so if you need any credits, let me know. Whatever you need, I'll get it."

"Your offer is very kind, but we've already taken so much from the UC and our..." Y/n's mother trailed off and coughed. "Our daughter. We've taken too much. We need to try and figure things out on our own."

Looking around the apartment and seeing all the stains, Jimin doubted that would happen anytime soon, but he chose not to address that. It wasn't like they needed a lecture from him. Hell, his skin had more burns than clear marks. He was the last person in the galaxy who should give advice to others.

"If you insist, but I'm always available if you need anything. You're welcome around the Lodge anytime."

"Beautiful place," she said with a hint of a smile, though her eyes frowned. "I've always dreamed of being in Constellation when I was a girl. They were legends, but after a while, people thought they disappeared. I thought that, too, until Y/n joined. Gosh, that day was the best. Do you know how proud she looked? She had such a bright spark in her eye..."

Jimin saw it in his mind. He could picture Y/n's adorable little smile and the way her eyes crinkled up when she was excited. All the colors in the galaxy became dull by comparison. Maybe that was dramatic or going too far, but Jimin didn't care. For him, it was true.

"I know what you mean. Have you ever seen her when she's flying?"

Both her parents shook her head, and Jimin chuckled.

"Ah, she has that same spark. Sometimes she even giggles like a toddler, y'know? She always had that bouncy, hiccup-y laugh. You can hear it, can't you?"

They agreed, and Jimin hummed as he leaned back and shook his head, picturing Y/n's smile, hearing her laugh in his ears despite her not being there.

No one spoke for a long moment. Jimin had nothing else to say. When he had planned to visit, he hadn't thought of what he could do to apologize for never visiting, but it seemed that didn't matter. All he wanted to do was hug them and see if that could ease his mind. Being there helped, but it didn't replace the loss of his love. Nothing ever would.

It was risk enough being there, seeing as he had a bounty within the UC. The Cydonia incident would haunt him until he paid off his bounty or turned himself in. Ever since, he had been sneaking into New Atlantis with the aid of his gravity dash power. Instead of taking the traditional way, he opted to fly around and climb the wall up and into the city.

Truth be told, he didn't need to do that. With his reputation, it was highly likely UC security wouldn't bother trying to arrest him. Neon security, who had seen far worse, shook in their boots when trying to take him to Benjamin Bayu. They had every reason to—a few of them ended up dying that day.

"She talked about you a lot," her father said to break the silence. "You... made her happy. Thank you. It's an honor to call you our son-in-law."

Jimin didn't plan on crying that day, but the word son-in-law had his body reacting without his consent. He rubbed the bridge of his nose to reduce the burn in his eyes and throat. It didn't help.

"Yeah," he said through a choke, lowering his hand to gaze at the two. "She made me happy, too. Happier than I deserved to be, so please don't thank me. I should be the one thanking you for gifting the galaxy with such an amazing person. I love her more than life itself."

They leaned forward and took turns squeezing his shoulders in silent solidarity. Having people who understood his pain gave him temporary reprieve from his daily life. For once, he had a break. But he didn't earn it.

"Hey," her mother said, "why don't you come with us? We have something you might like."

Curiosity was one of Jimin's weaknesses. It was what led him to continue his journey in Constellation, and in that moment, it led him to following Y/n's parents to a door in the middle of the white hallway with no lights on. Her mother opened it and brought him inside, turning on the janky lightbulb that hung from a swinging wire.

"We wanted to give it to Y/n, but I doubt she'd fit in it. You, though..." She trailed off and picked up a black case from under the bottom shelf. All the shelves lacked life. Well, unless dust counted.

Jimin recognized the case anywhere: UC armor. Back during the Londinion siege, President Logan had gifted him advanced UC armor in green casing to spite him. However, the difference was the case before Jimin had more dents and tears, not to mention it didn't have the UC logo on it or the stripes that typically gave it a fancier look.

"It's her grandfather's. He served for a long time in the navy," she said as she unlocked the case and showed him the contents inside. "Before the Colony War. Before the UC changed."

What awaited him was a specialized spacesuit with no UC markings on it. It was all black with a leather chest strap carrying stick-shaped grenades with red butts and some red wiring over the left arm connecting to a life support monitor that'd link up with the enclosed helmet. The shoulder pads were circular and slim for improved movement. In fact, the entire suit was that way. It looked more like clothes than a suit, but he felt the fabric and realized how thick and protective it was. No, it wouldn't stop every bullet in existence, but it'd keep him moving and let him blend in with the night.

There was a utility belt around the waist with multiple pouches for ammo, and the legs were the area that was most protected. While the top was a slim, skin-tight fabric, the legs had bulkier plates to protect him, alongside a thigh holster on the right leg for grenades. Two frag grenades were strapped there, and he navigated them with care.

The most impressive part was the left forearm, with it having a glowing amber screen to monitor his ammo count and vitals. It could scan him and see if he had any ailments or anything of the sort. Wow. He could've used that on the Legacy, before he knew he had lung damage.

To top it off, it came with a balanced boost pack. That was the thing he wasn't sure he deserved. That applied to the entire suit, but the pack in particular. His minimal training with it hadn't paid off when Y/n went flying down into the crater he created.

A look at the back of the suit, featuring Jimin sitting like... that

The front of the suit feat. Sam in the background

"Thank you," he said instead of voicing his concerns. It'd collect dust in his ship, even though he had no other suit aside from the shitty Constellation one meant for exploring, not combat. "I'll treasure it."

"Y/n would be proud to see you in that armor," her mother said, and Jimin stiffened as his gloved hand traced down the side of it.

He cleared his throat. "Yeah."

Neither of Y/n's parents said anything more, allowing Jimin a moment to pack up the suit and close the case, hoisting it under his arm and giving them a tight-lipped smile.

"I wish I could stay, but duty calls. Neon needs me."

"Oh, Neon," her father said with a head shake. "Good luck. And... thank you."

Jimin didn't know what he was thanking him for, but he decided against questioning it, instead nodding and leaving the closet, heading over to the door. Y/n's parents peered at him when he glanced back to give them a final wave with his free hand. They returned it. Then, he stepped out and went out of eyesight. He sprinted down the hall and pressed his forehead against the cold elevator at the end of it. The cold should have soothed him, but it didn't.

The suit felt heavier than it did a minute prior. He let it slump down next to his feet as his shaking hands pressed against the metal door. With no other choice, Jimin stepped back and called the elevator so he could depart and go to Ryujin. It was time to go see what the security team wanted with Jimin, and he had a feeling it was far from easy.

Nothing ever was.

☆☆☆

Jimin's time off was over.

Imogene had recalled him and had him standing in her office with her gloved hands folded together on her desk. Bags sunk her eyes, and she hadn't bothered to do makeup that day. Pores invaded her skin. Any past smiles or calmness evaded her in favor of scowls and frowns Jimin didn't know the origin of.

"Our chief security officer wants to see you," she said, her voice lower than before. "Something about a plan to find out who leaked our data to Infinity LTD. His name is Dalton, and you can find him in the executive offices, under Ularu and Masako's offices."

Jimin didn't answer for a long beat, choosing to ignore all of that. "You okay?"

"I just told you about a major data breach, and you're more worried about me?" The question had a hint of bounce in it, and Imogene had a soft smile she wiped away as fast as possible. "No one likes their company getting exposed, so I'm not exactly happy, but I'll live."

"Glad to know someone in Ryujin is optimistic."

"What about that was optimism?"

"Well," Jimin said as he went to the door and leaned against the doorframe, clicking his tongue in the process. "You didn't say you want to die. On Neon, that's considered improvement."

"I suppose I can't argue with that. But enough chit chat. Dalton needs to speak with you, and it's best not to keep him waiting."

Ah, right. No one in the business world liked to be kept waiting, but at the same time, half of them were late to all their meetings. That made sense.

"Sure, sure," Jimin said with a hand wave. He did it with his gloved one. "I'll see you later, then."

Imogene's expression tightened, her eyes growing a hair narrower with her brows sinking like her cheeks. A frown twitched on her lips, but she didn't let it expose itself all the way.

"Yeah. See you later."

Jimin lingered for longer than needed to scan over her appearance. No differences revealed themselves to him. The outfit was the same down to the order in which the black and red patterns appeared. That had him giving up and dipping his head to say his goodbyes, departing the office and strolling to the elevator to make his way up to the executive offices. Never in his life did he think he'd get those privileges, yet there he was. For Ryujin. No, for a mech.

For Y/n.

Jimin was isolated in the elevator with not so much as a squeak or bang interrupting his thoughts. Well, other than the bang he created by kicking the metal box of doom, but after, silence surrounded him.

He sighed. "What do you think?"

The amalgamation of the universe sighed with him. "I don't think this will end well for you, but I'm afraid I have no idea. Ryujin has always been shady, but I've never seen it this close."

Right, cause no Jimin had ever made it that far before. He wasn't sure if he should feel flattered or terrified. Both was the option he went with.

"You and me both. Should I just kill Bayu and take the mech for myself?"

"Bad idea. I'm sure you'll get a chance to face Bayu at some point, but now is not that time. He knows about your powers and how to counter them, so he's no easy foe. Plus, you'd have to take down all of Ryujin to get that mech."

"I was joking, sheesh, no need to take it so seriously," Jimin said with a chuckle. "You're no fun. I hope the other Starborn are better."

The voice didn't reply, but he hoped that didn't mean he upset her. After all, the last thing he ever wanted was to hear her voice in any distress. Yes, he knew it wasn't his Y/n, but that didn't change how he would cherish her regardless. Not love—his love was reserved for his wife and his wife alone—but cherish.

When the metal box released him, he trotted his way up the stairs, ignoring the others who glanced at him. Jimin was both recognizable and not at the same time. The old news articles about him showed him in a much different state—far shorter hair with hints of silver in it, more hopeful eyes, and stronger posture. In the current era, Jimin's hair didn't have an ounce of silver, not to mention the length surpassed a mullet and made his neck itchy all the time. His eyes and posture had sunken like Imogene's cheeks had that day. Some faces surrounding the waiting area shot up upon seeing him. Others didn't see what all the fuss was about and averted their gazes.

Jimin ignored all of them and found Dalton's "office" in a heartbeat. It was right where Imogene informed him it would be: underneath the top part of the offices, below Ularu's and Masako's space. There were about four other offices in that section, and Jimin realized they belonged to the other board members, so he avoided them without hesitation and retreated to the furthermost room that looked the least like a corporate hellhole and more like a security room.

Inside waited walls full of glittering tech. As much as Jimin's hacking skills could take down master locks, he doubted he'd be any match for Ryujin's technology, and that security area proved it. He wouldn't even know where to begin. There were far too many flashing lights and panels that could mean a million different things.

The high ceiling had panels and lights, too. That meant there were no actual lightbulbs in the vicinity, not that it needed more light. It felt brighter in there than anywhere else on Neon.

The interior had a single desk with a computer mounted to it. It made no noise. Or, if it did, Jimin couldn't hear it over the loud vent above him and the click-clacking of the man in front of him, typing away at his data slate. The man was taller than Jimin, but Jimin had no chance to get mad about that. Jimin would take the shortness over the baldness any day. He began getting attached to his long hair, itchiness and all.

Dalton's head was so bald that it reflected the lights back in Jimin's face, and he winced. Ironically, the man had a full mustache that covered his thin upper lip, and that trailed down to a short, trimmed beard of thick brown hair so dark it almost looked black. His suit was lighter black, if that was such a thing. Not gray, but not deep like Jimin's long locks. Both hands sported gloves.

Jimin wondered if Ryujin's obsession with gloves stemmed from hiding fingerprints. He was too lazy to ponder it for more than a second, though it was strange how they knew about his abilities and how they tore through gloves but insisted on him wearing both gloves, not just one.

"Ah, you're here," Dalton said, his voice higher-pitched than Jimin anticipated, but not so high that he sounded like a balloon or something silly like that. His voice had a light, bouncy accent tugging on it. Not quite a Va'ruun hiss, but it was airy and sharp at the same time, like a cacophony of all the worst noises one could make.

"Park Jimin, at your service." Jimin did an overdramatic bow before clearing his throat. "What is it you wanted to discuss with me, sir?"

"You are the operative Bayu himself hired? The one with the interesting... condition?"

Jimin snapped his fingers and burned through his right glove with a solar flare, his eyes sparkling with him. He grinned. "Take a guess."

"I... see. Well, that was not what I wanted to discuss with you, but that is good to know." Dalton put his slate on his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. Despite the voice, Dalton had a physique Jimin could only wish for. Not quite Vladimir's, but his chest muscles had more girth than Jimin's thighs. Yeah, his damn thighs. "I believe you are the right person to find Ryujin's mole."

"Invisibility certainly helps with that, so yeah, I concur." Jimin leaned against the wall and hoped he didn't bump into any switches that would blow up the place. "How can I help?"

"Only someone with executive access has knowledge of Project Dominion, so that means we must investigate every executive, but off the grid. I'm sure you've noticed that business execs are far from stupid and careless."

"Well, aside from the person from Infinity LTD who didn't scrub the name and thought they wouldn't get caught."

Dalton shook his head. "Are you sure that was not intentional?"

Jimin knitted his brows together, but he couldn't reply. Were they planning on getting caught, and if so, why? It didn't make any sense. If it were true that Infinity purposefully kept the same name to get caught, that would mean whoever leaked it at Ryujin wanted to get caught. But why?

"Maybe, maybe not, but what does that have to do with me?" Jimin asked from his spot against the wall. He didn't blow up anything yet, so he saw that as a good sign.

"We need you to sneak into Ryujin after hours and upload a program on each executive's computer. It'll cover our tracks and give you more freedom to investigate."

"You want me to break into my own place of work?" Jimin asked with wide eyes. "Look, that sounds badass as fuck, but why? Why can't you just investigate on your own? What are the executives going to say to you searching their computers? No?"

"The logic is not lost on me, though the executives are very much aware of Ryujin's security and tech, meaning they can hide more than if we did it the stealthy way. I want you to break in and upload a program from a third-party onto their computers. I would do it myself, but it is far from legal, and they can protest with strong legs in their argument if they saw me uploading some random program."

"Does anyone on Neon care about what's legal?"

"When you work with Benjamin Bayu, yes. That is why you are going to speak with Nyx to get his program, and then you'll upload it on each executive's computer for analysis, and when that's done, he'll look through the data and see if he can find any intel on who's the mole. This is the best shot we have at finding who it is."

"Woah, woah, woah." Jimin pushed off the wall and waved his hands back and forth. "Nyx? The second best hacker in Neon?" Jimin jabbed his own chest three times in a row. "Hell no, just let me do it. I'll design a stupid program. I'm not getting upstaged by that asshole! You want me to work with my only competition in Neon?"

"If you want that mech, yes."

Working with Nyx was one of the few things even Y/n couldn't convince Jimin to do. However, he loved her far more than Neon, and if he had to deal with Nyx to get her back, so be it.

"I hate my fucking life," Jimin mumbled, kicking the wall trim and huffing. "Whatever, but you owe me more than a mech for this. I want a bonus, especially if I'm breaking into my own company."

"I will see what I can do."

"You damn well better." Jimin narrowed his eyes. "Now tell me more. How long have you suspected you had a mole, and how am I supposed to break in without alerting guards?"

"Bayu hired you because we suspected a mole for quite a bit now. Maybe two months or more, though we never had proof. And look what happened after he hired you: you found our proof. As for the how, I will give you access to a side vent behind the tower you can find through the scaffolding in Ebbside. I'll send you the coordinates and a detailed map."

Jimin processed the information as best he could. Meeting with Nyx would be the worst part. That was the info he struggled to absorb even as Dalton kept speaking about the details of breaking into Ryujin and where to find all the computers. Jimin didn't need to pay attention to that part; "executives" was a narrow term in Ryujin's case. There were a handful, and all of them were in Jimin's vicinity. Ularu and Masako upstairs, and the other board members underneath Ularu and Masako.

Dalton pulled out his slate and went back to work, speaking without glancing at Jimin. "Good luck. I hope I receive no incident reports from my guards in the morning."

"You won't. I'll be back in a few hours to carry out my task, sir."

If Dalton cared, he didn't voice it, so Jimin took it as a sign to take leave. Right when he went to pass the staircase of the upper floor, he heard a familiar voice call out to him. Not the nice, sweet voice of Y/n—Ularu's.

"Mr. Park, may I speak with you for a moment?"

Jimin turned and saw her leaning against the railing overlooking the place. Yeah, like he had a choice in the matter. Bayu would throw Jimin in a lava pit if he didn't do his job, so...

"Sure," Jimin replied. He ascended the stairs and followed her to her office. Upon entering, she shut and locked the door, and he leaned against it with his arms crossed over his chest. "This isn't suspicious at all. You are aware I have superpowers, right? Nothing you can do in this tiny office will hurt or kill me."

"Oh relax, you're our best operative and you've only just started. Why would I risk harming such a valuable asset? There's one thing that matters to me more than anything: Ryujin's success. I would do anything to ensure it."

She placed her gloved hands on her desk with her eyes—which were coated in thick black eyeshadow—narrowed on him, though it didn't feel hostile like he expected it to.

"So what's this about, then?" he asked, pushing off the door and deciding to plop down on the chair in front of her. "Curious to know what I talked about with Dalton?"

"Already know. I bugged his office on my first day here."

He snorted. "Y'know, you may be a snobby rich corp exec, but I gotta hand it to you, you're kinda funny. Maybe even impressive."

"Save the flattery for later, Mr. Park, we have more important things to discuss," she said as she sat across from him and slinked her legs over one another. "I'm here to warn you about what you'll find when you gather the data on the execs."

"I won't stop you." Whatever helped the case. That got him his mech faster.

"You're going to find incriminating evidence on my computer that says Imogene Salzo is the mole, and Imogene will attempt to show evidence that it wasn't her."

"So she knows about this?"

"Yes, she does."

"How?"

Ularu shrugged. "In the business world, you must stay one step ahead."

Alright, Jimin didn't believe that, but whatever. It wasn't like he was in a position to care. All he wanted was his stupid mech so he could go save his wife.

"And what does this have to do with me?" he asked, but then, he thought about it. Before she could answer, it was his turn to narrow his eyes. "Wait a second... Imogene? Genie? The mole? Nah, that doesn't feel right. Are you sure?"

Ularu remained silent.

Jimin maintained the quiet eye contact before chuckling. There was no humor in it. "I see. And you're telling me this... why?"

"I think you should make sure any evidence Imogene provides is disposed of."

"Oh, come on, you want me to throw an innocent person under the bus?" Jimin asked in a drawl as he leaned forward, giving her a lazy smile. "You're a businesswoman, you should know better than to say that without offering a price. What's in it for me?"

"Bring me any evidence of Imogene's innocence, and I'll expediate your mech. We'll fine-tune its combat measures now, and I'll let you start training with it so by the time you get Project Dominion on the market and get approved to take the mech, there won't be any downtime, and you can go riiight into Londinion with it and fire away."

"Hm, tempting. How long does mech training take?"

"For your needs, maybe two weeks. It'd normally take a few months, but you're using it for one mission, yes?"

"That's right."

Truth be told, Jimin hadn't thought about training. It didn't occur to him that mechs were considered outdated and illegal tech that'd take time to learn, so shaving two weeks off the overall time it took to find his wife was a massive benefit. Every second counted. But Imogene was far from a bad person, and he didn't know if he wanted to get her expelled from the company and possibly arrested in return for two weeks.

Ularu noticed his hesitation and snickered. "Mr. Park, you're talking to the second-in-command of Ryujin Industries. Whatever you want, it's yours. Even the job. I'll let you keep your job here and make your own hours, no matter if you work once a month or every day. Couldn't hurt to have a connection to the most powerful tech company in the galaxy, don't you think?"

Well, that was a fair point. He didn't know what Ularu's game was, but seeing as she managed to bug the security chief's office without him knowing was telling. If Jimin wanted any allies in Ryujin, they'd have to be either Masako or Ularu.

Sorry, Genie.

"Alright, you drive a hard bargain." Jimin extended his bare hand, but before she could grab it, he pulled it back by a hair. "But tell me your plan first. If I'm going to incriminate an innocent person, the least you could do is tell me why you're doing this, yeah?"

Ularu shook her head. "You're not as dumb as you look."

"Thanks. Got my smarts from my mom."

"Isn't she a drug addict?"

He waved his hand. "The details don't matter. Spill the plan, partner."

"Not bad, Park. Not bad," she mumbled. After a moment, she raised her voice. "Masako is weak leadership. She's the one who hired Dalton and believes he's best for the job, but look at what's happened. He has a bug in his office, the most important office in Ryujin, without his knowledge, and he let a mole grow right under his nose. When the time comes, I'm going to push for Masako to be removed as CEO."

"So you can take her place?"

"Precisely. I assigned Imogene to the Infinity LTD case to leak Project Dominion to them. She thought we would work together to catch Infinity LTD for their scummy practices, but really, I was setting her up. Why do you think Infinity didn't even scrub the name from the information you got from them?"

Well, that solved one mystery, at least.

"I'll get Dalton fired and Masako either on a tightrope or also fired. All at the cost of Genie, which is a small price to pay for such a... beneficial deal, don't you think?" Ularu asked, and Jimin shrugged.

"Depends. Are you ever gonna do the same to me?"

"Not for someone so loyal. Imogene followed my orders to work with Infinity as a double agent without so much as batting an eye. You, on the other hand, have clear motivations. You question authority, you don't care about rules, and you're willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, even if it means hurting others."

Ah, that explained why Imogene said Ularu would like Jimin.

"Most operatives aren't like that, and those powers of yours are a plus. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?" she said, keeping her hand extended.

Jimin hesitated before shaking it. "Sure, but you know I can kill you with the flick of a finger, right?"

"I'm aware."

"Good. Then let that serve as a warning if you ever try to do the same to me. As long as my wife isn't here, I have no reason to live, so I don't care what happens to me. I'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, no matter what it does to me."

"I believe you," she replied, releasing his hand. "But let's hope it doesn't come to that, yeah?"

He agreed. That led to the conversation ending, as there was nothing more to discuss. Ularu opened the door and motioned for him to exit, and he lingered to observe her. She showed no signs of fallacy, but then again, her poker face didn't show signs of... well, anything. Imogene had emotion every time she spoke. Shit, Masako did, too. Ularu, though...

Jimin brushed it off and instead left the vicinity, choosing to return to his ship for a couple hours of downtime before he had to go see Nyx and break into Ryujin. All while throwing Imogene to the wolves on Ularu's behalf.

What had his life become?

☆☆☆

A/N: Guys, I am so, so, so excited. I know the vast majority of readers don't play the game, but Starfield the game is getting its first story DLC on September 30th! It's rumored to be around 7-8 hours long, and it's going to be centered around House Va'ruun.

If you've been wondering why I've been holding back on the Andreja storyline, that's why: we knew the DLC would be all about House Va'ruun since essentially the dawn of Starfield's creation, so I've been waiting for it so I knew more about House Va'ruun before writing anything crazy.

I'm going to spend the money I don't have on it, play it, let you know my thoughts in the next chapter, and add any new lore I learn from the DLC to this book! It'll likely drastically impact Andreja's storyline, so I'm absolutely stoked to play it.

Ahh, this is the first major new content we've gotten since Starfield's release over a year ago now, so I'm beyond excited. Of course they've added small things here and there, like vehicles and a small questline for bounty hunting, but nothing major like this, and I can't wait to play it and add it to this book!

Anywho, that's Raven's ramble of the day. Thanks for reading, I hope you liked that chapter! More coming soon, of course. I'm obsessed with this book.