The metal door handle sizzles from behind us and I whip out my gun, ready to shoot down our attackers. Lucian and I don't release a breath, our bodies coiled in tense anticipation. 

The last thing I expected was Commander Alya and Commander Deneb rushing through. My finger is still perched upon the trigger, ever ready to shoot as Lucian calls out from behind the bar. 

"Deneb, why did you shoot down the door?" 

"We didn't," Deneb assures. I watch Lucian's officer scan the room. He marches from one end to the other with his pocket scanner in hand, the tiny thing buzzing mildly. "No traces of radioactivity. No traces of gun powder or laser heat trails." 

"Coast is clear," Alya says loudly and the rest of our squads pour into the suite, making the room feel infinitely smaller. Lucian and I step out from the nook behind the bar island, my gun hanging by my side. 

I notice Lucian has his hand locked around his gun as well.  

"What are you doing here?" Lucian asks incredulously and then he walks up to the room door. The metal portion of the handle has melted off, making it droop to the side lopsidedly. 

"PG Lucian, someone was trying to break in!" Commander Remulus rushes up to us. "I was on stand by but we saw no one. This was done remotely from somewhere else." 

I stare at the molten metal, panic filling my veins. Was this supposed to be the attempted assassination on Lucian? 

Just then a flurry of human soldiers surround the door and the SA prime minister rushes in to meet us. 

"We were alerted of the commotion. Please forgive us for our lack in security. This building has only ever been used for our Great Creator's visits. Perhaps the maintenance has not been up to parr. A million apologies Generals." 

The prime minister bows impossibly lower and I almost reach out to lift him up before he breaks his back. The man must be approaching eighty but with the technology we have provided, he moves like a sixty year old. 

I cast a look at Alya, gesturing for her to act the part and she quickly steps forward. 

"Don't strain yourself." She places a hand gently on his shoulder, gesturing for him to straighten up. "But please do clarify. Are you telling us that the door melting was an accident due to poor maintenance?" 

The minister pales. If this were an interrogation room in the Sympathizer quarters, I would have him bleeding out of his ears for lying. 

"No, not the melting part. I am unsure how that happened." 

Lucian side eyes me and I can already tell what he is thinking. The SA minister might be on Lazarus's side but it only makes me wonder why. 

Why would Earth's ministers side with a single Precursor General over the others? What incentive does Lazarus have that we don't? 

"What I mean is..." The old man stares at Alya apprehensively before speaking. "Is that we haven't updated our security yet. The Plutonians visits have always been safe. There was never any need or worry..." He trails off when he sees the deadly glare on Lucian's face. 

"Shall I escort you to dinner? My soldiers will investigate this matter thoroughly and a report will be done by the end of the evening. You have my word," He gestures to the entrance where his soldiers are standing in a long row, flanking both sides of the corridor. 

"Our commanders will assist as well," Lucian enforces in a tone that leaves no room for argument. 

The minister only shrugs with a helpless smile on his face as Commander Pollux and one of my commanders - Zion - stays back. The rest of us follow him, the sound of his soldiers marching cushioned by the soft carpeted floors. 

My body is on high alert, eyes whipping at every corner, every tiny movement by a soldier. 

"He's lying. We should have him arrested for treason. I'd like to cut every tendon until he screams out the truth," I mutter under my breath as my eyes zero in on the back of the ministers jacket uniform. "Might not have to cut a lot to get him talking." 

"On what grounds?" Lucian answers, the hint of a smile on his lips. "This is a diplomatic visit. We aren't supposed to arrest anyone." 

"They tried to kill you." I seethe angrily. 

"That's a reach. We don't know for certain. Let's wait for their report. I've instructed Pollux to get me all the footage for that period of time." 

"General Lucian, ever the voice of reason," I tease, half annoyed that he isn't as angry as I am about this. How dare the humans attempt an attack on Plutonian leaders? 

The door melting without any person or trigger in its vicinity. A prime minister with the gall to lie to us Plutonians. The realisation creates a sour taste in my mouth and my lips purse. The humans would never dare act this way, unless they had a Plutonian's backing and the technology for it. 

"And you are as bloodthirsty as ever." Lucian murmurs, his eyes lighting up with affection. "Even though you'd never admit." 

"I am hardly blood thirsty. I'm the least violent amongst the three of us." I reiterate, feeling offended. 

"And yet you have the second highest body count." 

My lips seal shut. He has a point even though those were the results of our missions. Those executions were done out of necessity. 

He squeezes my arm before I begin to overthink my ruthlessness. "At least you don't just kill out pure recklessness and greed." 

I know he's talking about Lazarus and I open my mouth, wanting to defend him instinctively but we have arrived at the entrance to our dinner venue. 

Tiny strobe lights have been hung all around us, looping from tree to tree, creating a halo of yellow under the night sky. Tables have been set out over the garden floors, right on the grass. I have the strongest urge to take off my shoes and walk barefoot on the ground. 

We are lead to our seats. Lucian and Alya are guided to the VIP table while I sit at a table next to them. Our commanders then check our food and drinks that have been served in abundance on all of the tables. 

Again my jealousy spikes slightly when I see the variety of meat and vegetables available here on Earth. Most of it organic and natural. It is not the first time I wonder what it would have been like if we had abandoned our station on Pluto and inhabited Earth instead of dumping the unwanted Plutonians here. 

But then again, that was during the Ice Age and Pluto was already in it's prime, under our protected atmosphere. No one expected the Plutonian criminals to survive and inherit this beautiful place after hundreds of years. No one anticipated Planet's X's growing proximity either.

I look around at the human waiters and waitresses, with their varied skin and hair colour. Such a beautiful evolution. We Plutonians call them humans and treat them as aliens but aside from the physical differences, we aren't all that different. 

They are after all our descendants, hence wouldn't that make them Plutonian too? Maybe that is why I have never been able to see through any punishments regarding the humans. Most of us treat them like dirt back on Pluto, the mistreatment has been escalating recently. 

Sometimes it's hard when I'm unable to help. Often times, the line between indifferent Plutonian leader and Sympathizer is barely legible, I find it hard to resist crossing over. 

A waitress serves a minister who is busy chatting up Lucian and Alya. I notice the old man squeeze her butt as she serves a dish and then he spanks her lightly when she jumps. She's obviously startled but the girl quickly scuttles off, serving others with a placid expression on her face. 

My mouth tightens into a grim line. We really aren't so different at all. The ones in power abuse the ones who aren't. I realise I hate the minister now more than ever. The urge to cut off the extensors and flexors in his wrist causes my blood to pulse. 

Just one clean cut, and he will never be able to grope another person again. 

Lucian notices my glare and he casts me a warning look, his gaze knowing. I roll my eyes and pretend to busy myself with the delicious beef and chicken on my plate. Even the vegetables are so fresh, the buttered asparagus melts in my mouth causing me to sigh. 

I make a mental note to make this minister disappear once we take over Earth. Maybe I would make him serve the waitress instead. I smile absent-mindedly whilst I eat, day dreaming about life here and the changes I would make to the system. 

The Indian prime minister sits with us and he drones on about the riches of India and its abundance in natural resources. I already know all these facts but he has also missed out on the vast divide between the rich and the poor in his country. 

There is no such thing as poverty back on Pluto and I plan to implement the same systems here whether he likes it or not. 

Around us the crickets sing and the sounds of nature remind me of the cabin Lazarus made for me on that mountain in Cixin. My body aches for him longingly, it's as if every cell in me wants to be reconnected with his. I want to feel his lips on mine, his hands on my bare skin and his cock buried deep inside me. 

I wonder what it would be like with him here on Earth. Would we be married by then? My gaze travels to the minister again, the one Lucian claims to have met Lazarus two cycles ago. 

Will I be able to provide better treatment to the humans here with Lazarus by my side? Or will he be a deterrent to that? 

Our dinner ends and the ministers lead us through a winding pathway in the jungle. They take us on a tour under the night sky and I breathe in the fresh air gratefully. 

I can't wait to breathe this in everyday. 

"What is your take on space travel?" Alya asks the questions I have provided to her. Her attention focused on the Japanese minister's face. "Do you think Earth will be ready for it once we arrive?"

"We will be honoured under your guidance." The elderly man says. "Japan has already advanced significantly in the field of robotics, we would be able to fly into space without the need for a pilot." 

She nods at him appreciatively, a polite smile gracing her lips. The abundance of crickets and insects buzzing around us creates some background noise, drowning out the conversation between Lucian and another minister. 

It is only when his body goes rigid, do I realise something is amiss. He catches something in his hand, his movements lighting fast, I didn't even see his arm move. He lifts the dart up to inspect it just when Alya stiffens. 

She's not as fast and I push past a few people to see her clutching the dart that has lodged itself into her neck. 

"Take cover!" I shout, grabbing her and ducking under my squad members as they surround us. Chaos ensues as a few ministers are shot as well, some of them tumbling to the floor. 

Lucian shoots me a look of alarm. "Our trip has been compromised. We should leave." 

I nod quickly and we run past the darts whizzing past the shadows in the trees. Deneb activates our shields and shoots down a few assailants with his laser gun. We rush past the building doors and head straight to the landing strip. Luckily no other commander got shot. 

I drag a limp Alya to the infirmary and grab the medical supplies to treat her. Her skin has grown pale, settling into a sickly blue hue. My pulse spikes and I slap her gently to keep her awake. 

"Don't close your eyes, Alya. That's an order." 

One of my commanders rushes in to help. We quickly remove the dart and he analyses the venom to create an antidote. 

The computer screen rushes past various images and my nerves spike as the seconds pass. "It should be here. Every poison on Earth is registered here." 

"It's not from Earth," Commander Zion answers in a shaky voice and then he flits through the universal database which takes even longer. We finally identify the toxin from an Alcan berry in Cixin. He makes the antidote and I quickly inject the serum into the wound and into her artery. 

Alya's breathing slows, she looks too weak, her eyes fluttering incessantly. I wait for the serum to work and release a long breath when she finally opens her eyes. 

But then her mouth starts frothing, foamy saliva dripping down her chin as her body starts to convulse. 

"What's happening?" I shout, grabbing her arms just as Commander Zion studies the antidote in confusion. 

"It's been modified," Lucian rushes in. "The poison's been modified." 

My fingers dig into Ally's flailing arm. She suddenly goes limp, her limbs heavy as they fall back down on the bed like blocks of wood. Her eyes are wide open as her face goes slack, jaw hanging  as the foamy substance exudes from her orifices. 

My throat tightens as I reach out to feel for her now absent pulse. I turn to Lucian and it is as if we can read each other's thoughts. 

The assassination wasn't just meant for him. It was also meant for me.