~Half a day ago~
Heira stumbled out of a teleportation gate, her knees feeling weak.
A mixture of emotions seemed to ram against her skull, causing her to keel over, the contents of her stomach emptying out before her.
She heaved and coughed, her elegant demeanor twisting to nothing every time she remembered Anared wouldn't be coming back.
After a long while, when her heaves reaped nothing but dry coughs, she stood, wiping her mouth with her forearm.
If those who wrote tales of this goddess like woman were to see her now, it was hard to tell how they'd react.
Heira took a look around the world she was on currently. But, after a moment, it became clear that it would be hard to call this place a world at all. Rather, it was an asteroid floating aimlessly in space. If it wasn't for the Force Arts protecting her from the cold and especially the fearsome Astral Wind Force, she would have died a hundred different ways by now.
Her appearance hadn't gone unnoticed.
This was a small relay hub, the location of which was usually only known to bounty hunters and the like. So, it could be said that their alertness was as high as it came. Plus, considering the small size of the asteroid, they would be far to incompetent to miss the sight of a grieving and vomiting beauty.
The hub was made of nothing more than what looked like a gas station. As for what kind of vehicles it fueled, it was hard to tell. But, from the outside, it didn't seem to be as important as it truly was.
Heira stumbled forward, the change of gravity not helping her case in the slightest. But, she still managed to make it to a dwarf like man who seemed to be napping.
The short man reclined on a chair, his face covered by a newspaper. Even after Heira got close, he still didn't react.
"Give me a communication channel." Heira said coldly.
The dwarf like man shifted slightly, a single groggy eye peeking out from behind the folds of his slipping newspaper.
But before he could speak, Heira slipped a ring off her finger and threw it at him.
The man seemed to finally awaken, snatching the ring out of the air with movements that were far too nimble.
Without a word, he hooked his finger toward a narrow wooden outhouse that exuded a foul stench.
Heira stumbled toward it without a word. She didn't seem to give a damn about the smell as she barged in, not even glancing toward the filth filling the toilet bowl.
She reached for a rusted phone hanging above that seemed to have appeared from thin air. With nimble fingers, she dialed numbers in quick succession, her demeanor becoming calmer and calmer by the second. It was as though every number she clicked sealed away another portion of her soul, chaining away emotions that she had just worn out in the open.
"Hello."
It seemed to be a greeting, but the voice on the other side seemed as distant as possible.
"Commander Scithe."
"Ah, Miss Heira. It's surprising that you've called me directly this time. Finally had enough of manipulating my subordinates?"
Heira didn't seem to react much to this accusation.
"It seems you have quite a lot of time on your hands despite being a Quadrant Overseer. Paying attention to a little world like Terrain is beneath you, don't you think?"
"Normally that would be so, but who asked them to be so lucky as to be so close to Earth?"
"Are you sure that's the only reason?" Heira sneered. "Or is it more related to a certain Leonel Morales?"
Scithe's voice took a long pause, not responding immediately. But, when he did, his voice carried a bone chilling cold.
"Sometimes knowing too much isn't good, Miss Heira. There's a reason men don't like women who are too smart for their own good."
"Then I'll be a good little girl for you and speak on things that may or may not be true. I'm just a woman, after all. How could I know any of these things for certain?" Heira replied just as coldly.
"First, it may be true that Leonel is the First Hero everyone has been looking for all this time. And, it may be true that no one has been able to confirm this due to the fact his assigned overseer has kept their mouth closed.
"This may mean that he is extraordinarily favored and this just might mean that for this overseer to resist temptation despite the price for such information that they are at the very least from a Higher Sixth Dimensional World, most likely a Seventh Dimensional World."
Scithe grew quiet. But, the slight creaking of the phone beneath his palm didn't escape Heira's notice in the slightest.
It wa quite obvious that this was the first time Scithe had made such a connection. This was about as good as Leonel having the favor of a Seventh Dimensional world. For him to step into such a matter, he was no different from the pawns he had been using from Terrain's headquarters all this time.
Anyone who understood politics knew that the purpose of keeping Leonel's title secret wasn't to hide the title itself... rather, it was a silent warning, a hidden blade in the darkness. The purpose from the very beginning wasn't to hide the title, it was a beacon to not touch a hair on his head.
"Then what *might* you suggest?" Scithe
Heira's lip curled, a cold light flashing within her gaze.
"There are some crimes that no amount of status can protect you from."
"That's bullshit and you know it." Scithe said coldly. "Try and manipulate me again and I'll leave this call immediately."
Heira's smile didn't fade.
"Fine." She said lightly. "How about this then... the universe is a vast place. How possible do you think it is to pay attention to every corner?
"I have a certain Variant Invalid that thought too highly of himself. And you have control of a certain Quadrant in a small corner of the Milky Way.
"Why don't we form a partnership? You don't have much of a choice, right?"
Scithe fell silent.
How ironic, just minutes before this call, he was thinking of how to use his subordinates as scapegoats, now he was in their shoes.
That was true... the higher ups of Shield Cross Stars might not care to offend a Seventh Dimensional World, but what about him?
This must be what they call Karma.. And now, if he wanted a way out, he would have to make a deal with this Shedevil.