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Chapter One

The Anean Star Empire Remnora Novus, New Senzovona Spinward Suburban District

December 8, 7996 Haroma Year

The ride across town to the house of the psychomanipulator was faster than the commute to work had been. He despised the fact it barely took any time, having wanted to drag the ride out so he could mentally prepare for what would be a long talk while she complained about how she was being treated by the Bureau and other such things and he had to deal with it. If it wasn't for governmental ineptitude, he'd have already dealt with this woman.

Really his distaste for this individual stemmed from her personality. She was, more or less, entirely useless. Feeling that she was untouchable and deserving of everything, she had decided to live on the Bureau budget since, due to her tier, she couldn't be allowed out on the streets. The house she was provided was better than most mid-tier psionics were offered and she wasn't even an employee. In fact, she didn't work at all, and was content just sitting around her house and getting her weekly visit.

Cadogan stopped around the corner of the house and parked the car. After looking in the mirror to make sure there were no cars approaching, he got out and opened the trunk. Despite not having the emergency rifle rack, Cadogan still made do. He had a rifle case in the back with a Class B Assault Rifle in it, as well as a couple magazines. He probably would never use it, but he felt better just having it there. What he needed in this case, and it was a silly precaution when dealing with psionics, was his nanoweave vest. He pulled his jacket off, placing it in the trunk for the moment, and got his vest on, strapping it up and then putting the jacket back on. If the woman made any comment about him not feeling safe, he'd simply mention a protocol that doesn't exist.

Feeling just a little safer, Cadogan closed the trunk and walked back to the driver's side of his car. He shifted it back into drive and pulled onto the road, finishing the short drive to the woman's house. Perhaps against his better judgment, he pulled into her driveway, and very closely against the rear bumper of her car to prevent her from attempting to drive it away as easily. If she attempted to take his car, he'd enjoy watching her get about twenty feet from the house before it shut down.

Once the car shut off and he moved it into park, Cadogan stepped out of the car and buttoned up his suit jacket if only to try to manage some appearance of professionalism. He turned back around to grab his briefcase, and then went back to heading for the door. As though she were attempting to be sneaky, he saw a pair of eyes watching him between the blinds of the window, which disappeared as he made eye contact. Moments after, as he stepped up to the door and raised a hand to knock, the door opened.

The wolf that answered the door had changed a bit over the last week, Cadogan noticed. She was much thinner than before, formerly having a bit of weight on her. That was not a particularly good sign and it pointed to a couple possibilities. She might have been practicing her abilities over an extended period of time, or she was starving herself for whatever reason. Both options are possible, and the implications of either were quite bad.

"Janele." Cadogan said while walking as he had been silently invited in. "You are looking quite good today." As much as he hated it, he knew he had to play nice with her, and that was the worst part of all this. He was, however, slightly concerned for her health and wanted to try to make her tell him what she was doing.

He was surprised, just a bit, but a little laugh from her. "Thank you Caddy." Janele said while brushing past him. He held back a growl from hating the nicknames she came up for him. "I am glad you noticed. I had been doing a bit of exercise the past week." She said while leading Cadogan into the kitchen. She offered him a plate of food she had obviously prepared for his visit. "You look hungry Caddy, why not join me for lunch?"

Had he eaten earlier, Cadogan would have turned the offer down, but he found himself unable to turn it down this time. He forced a smile out and took the plate gently. That seemed to please her, and he followed her to the dining area, sniffing the food for anything out of the ordinary. He didn't trust her, but it seemed like the food was clean. Janele sat down on one side of the small table, and Cadogan took the other side, making sure to keep as much distance as possible between the two of them.

Despite his better judgment, Cadogan couldn't help but start to pick at and eat the food that was offered to him. It was all various bits of raw meats from around the Empire. All of them Cadogan could identify. Though the humans found them unusual, all Remnorans were naturally carnivores. Sure, some plants could be eaten and were to maintain a balanced diet, but by and large meats were the sole food Remnorans ate.

Janele seemed quite pleased with this whole meeting thus far, something Cadogan mentally noted. Like himself, Janele usually hated these meetings. He had to write a report on these face to face meetings, taking note of everything that stood out to him. While he observed Janele and anything she might be doing, Cadogan allowed the lunch to be continued in silence. Janele had finished first, and was just looking at him with an unnerving smile until he finished a couple minutes later. Once he had finished, surprising him in the quickness, Janele got up and grabbed his plate before he could say a word, heading back and setting them into the sink.

When she returned, to Cadogan's annoyance, she sat down next to him. "So, I know you're here for a reason and you have questions." She glowed purple just a bit, and there was a slight pain in Cadogan's head. Immediately he put up mental shields once he realized what she had done. "And I know you don't want to be here. I got that much out of you. So let's just make this quick alright?"

Cadogan's only real question was what her 'exercise' entailed. Given that she was able to get right into his mind, even if he was unprepared, he had his own guess. "What were you doing when you said you had been exercising?" He asked, figuring he'd get an answer that would largely avoid the question.

Janele's smile faded just a bit. "Well, just keeping myself in shape."

"Well, you lost, what, 20 pounds in the past week? That's rather unhealthy if done traditionally. Or any method really." Cadogan added, making his own observation based on what he recalled of last time he saw her. That left her mostly speechless, so Cadogan continued. "I already have my assumptions on what you were doing. So long as there was no one else involved with it, there's nothing for me to report regarding this matter. Let's move on."

The conversation had definitely changed following that question, and Janele became just a bit more hostile than before. Cadogan finished up his hour with her though, and couldn't have left soon enough in his mind, and returned to his car. He knew he was being watched all the way to his car, and made sure he'd get off the property rapidly. He'd file the report later and, once more, recommend a full-time watch over the residence and Janele, and then get frustrated when it is inevitably refused.

Without wasting any time, as he had two more people to get to before calling it a day, Cadogan climbed into his car, starting it up and quickly departing. From here, his next person was right down the road. The Tier VII ferrokinetic was far more tolerable than Janele. After him was a Tier VIII empath. Once he was done with the two, it was a return to headquarters to file the reports and then he was home for the day.

Relieved at finally being away from Janele, Cadogan pressed a button that set his car to drive itself on the way to the destination. That was the only use he had for the virtual assistant, and it was usually between meetings with his people. This time he just pulled off the vest and set it on the passenger seat. It took only about a minute due to having to work around the jacket and holster, but he got it off by removing all of the straps and tossing both halves away.

Just around the corner from the ferrokinetic's house, Cadogan took control of his car again. A check of the clock said it was 2:31 pm. He was running a little later than normal, but that was fine considering the slow start to the day and delayed "official" meeting with Janele thanks to the lunch. Despite his dislike of her, the lunch was at least well prepared and would hold him over until he finally got home.

Cadogan pulled his car into one of the parallel spots alongside the road. With the left hand drive of Remnora Novus and other Remnoran worlds, it was rather convenient to have a Haromian vehicle with the wheel on the left, rather than the Remnoran style of on the right. Parallel parked now, and car shut off, Cadogan opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk, rather than the road as he would have been if it were Remnoran. A few people were walking down the sidewalk as Cadogan stepped out of the vehicle, and he got just a few glances before they saw the badge and went on with their business.

While Janele had been unstable, at best, this ferrokinetic was actually dangerous. Despite "only" being a Tier VII, the Bureau had ordered his residence to be entirely devoid of any metals that he could manipulate with psionic canceling equipment installed in the walls of the building. The equipment affected everyone save for the Tier IXs that could block the low power equipment out, but the alternative was throwing an otherwise normal person into a specialized prison for doing nothing. Cadogan pulled his communicator out and set it up so he'd be in constant communication with the Bureau should something go wrong.

"About time you put this on Agent Gavin." Cordelia Parker, a Tier IX empath and Cadogan's field handler, said. "You're supposed to have it on any time you're on duty and out of the office." Despite as nice as she was any other time, she always adhered to protocol, and expected her people to do the same at all times. Naturally she and Cadogan weren't always on the same page.

"Hello to you too Cordelia." Cadogan said as he entered the apartment building. "Thank you for showing all your concern for my well-being.

"I see you're checking up on Miranda Ward?" Cordelia said. "I recommend additional caution, there was a disturbance involving her yesterday. Police dealt with it, but there's a Bureau alert out."

"Outstanding. Why wasn't I informed of this?" Cadogan asked as he slowed the ascent up the stairs to get the full briefing.

"I would have told you if you had your com-"

"Right, sorry, let's move on from that." Cadogan said, cutting her off. He knew she'd say something like that, but still ended up asking.

"Since we're finally in touch, I'll be monitoring you. You do have your vest on right?" Cordelia asking, knowing the answer already.

"No, because I-"

It was Cadogan's turn to be cut off. "Protocol, Cadogan. The Deputy Director isn't happy with you. Do you need to add fuel to his fire?"

"No. I doubt anything will come of this." There was a 'hmph' from the other side and, if only to add a bit of amusement, Cadogan added, "I bet to ten dollars that nothing will happen."

Finally breaking the rather cold conversation thus far, Cordelia laughed a little. "Fine, I'll take it."

Cadogan had finally reached Miranda's door and gave it a couple rather loud and hard knocks. He could feel, at the back of his mind, the pressure from the psionic blockers. What was interesting, to Cadogan, was that the blockers were Haromian developed. He figured it was the Haromian need to make sure the playing field was leveled. The humans were always several steps ahead when it came to anti-psionic weapons and defenses.

He perked up just a bit when he heard the locks on the door disengage, and Miranda opened the door just a crack. Without her noticing, he slipped a foot in just enough to stop the door if something happened. That was followed by the feeling of a door slamming against hit foot and bouncing off again. It took a moment to comprehend what had just happened, but realized it when he heard the shattering of glass.

"Subject Miranda Ward is running." Cadogan said, keeping it short as he pushed into the apartment and drew his pistol, running down the hall after her. The window on the other side of the apartment had been shattered. He dove through it blindly, and let out a mental sigh of relief when he saw there was a lower roof to roll onto. As he hit the roof, he rolled and caught a glimpse of Miranda climbing over an obstacle ahead of him.

"You owe me ten Cadogan." Cordelia said. "Calling up any immediately available agents to assist. Hold on and keep in pursuit. All agents in Spinward Suburban, we have a Tier VII ferrokinetic on the run being pursued by Agent Gavin. All available units are to assist immediately to stop and apprehend the subject."

Cadogan just kept running, following the track he could sense. Miranda couldn't hide too well with her psionic power and his sensing it. As it was slowing him down just a bit, Cadogan put the pistol back in the holster as he jumped up and grabbed onto the ledge of the next roof. He was slower than normal climbing over, and cursed his old age. Thirty-five wasn't particularly old for the average Haromian or Remnoran, but the Novus typically felt the effects of age harder than those species for a currently unknown reason.

In the back of Cadogan's mind, the feeling of being in pursuit finally was enjoyable. His job had been the same thing every day effectively and a bit of excitement was quite nice. As Miranda drew closer, Cadogan realized there was one nice thing about putting the most dangerous individuals under a house arrest. They couldn't get out and exercise. Miranda was slowing down and probably already starting to get tired. Or she was luring him into a trap. That was equally likely.

Between Miranda and Cadogan now was just one jump between buildings, a long jump. Cadogan figured if Miranda could make it, he could. Finally making use of transvection after the initial jump, he effectively hovered over the gap and landed on the other roof. He pulled his pistol out, and pointed it at Miranda. She saw him and quickly threw her hands up, and backed up toward the edge of the roof. Protocol now was very clear. She was to be taken into custody for termination, and Cadogan knew that she knew that now.

"Miranda, come to me." Cadogan said to the fox, trying to seem mostly soothing as he approached. "You only ran. You haven't done anything dangerous. You can still walk away alive."

Her response was almost what he expected. She pulled the metal pistol from Cadogan's hands and then pointed it at him with a grin on her face that almost scared him. Almost. Just as she fired, Cadogan attempted to put up a shield, but was instead struck by three rounds into the abdomen.

This was noticed by Cordelia immediately. "All agents, we have a code red on Tier VII Miranda Ward. Agent Gavin is down." On a code red, things were about to get much more serious. When a high tier psionic was put on a code red, the military was called up to assist the Bureau in containment and detainment.

The impact of the pistol rounds caught Cadogan off guard, and instinctually caused a large electrical release around him. He wasn't down quite yet. Miranda's plan had clearly derailed as she dropped the pistol and took off again, afraid. Cadogan shuffled over and grabbed his pistol again. He managed to pick it up before being struck with a metal object and knocked down. The impact with the roof, now mixed with the bullets in him, caused Cadogan to let out a roar of pain.

He saw Miranda picking something else up, and managed to fire a few shots in her direction. It caused her to lose to her concentration just enough. Summoning up the last of his stored electrical energy, Cadogan threw a bolt of electricity at Miranda, striking her in the chest and causing her to collapse. Dead or not, she was taken care of for the moment.

"Cordelia... Miranda is down." Cadogan said as he let himself relax on the roof. "Would you kindly... get me out of here?"

"Update on the code red. Subject is reportedly down. Agent Gavin is down. Need immediate response at Spinward Suburban." Cordelia said. "Cadogan, just hold on."

"I think I'd rather die here." He let out a low, weak, and forced laugh. "Means I won't have to pay you."

When Cordelia laughed at that. "Yeah, sure, until I hunt you down when my time comes." There was a shared laugh. Neither really believed in an afterlife, but at this point it was mostly just wishful thinking of something awaiting them. "You'll be fine."

"I know I will." Cadogan said, leaving it just at that.

A new voice finally chimed in on Cadogan's communicator. "Agent Gavin, this is Agent Hamilton. I'm coming up." Agent Tresha Hamilton is a human Tier IX hydrokinetic, and one of the few agents that Cadogan had dealt with regularly, though always in situations better than this one. She was usually in this area, as all her cases were in this part of Spinward Suburban.

"You're a godsend Tresha." Cadogan said as he saw her appear climbing up the roof. First thing that Tresha had done, however, was walk over to Miranda and check on her. The last thing either of them needed was for her to come to her senses and attack them. "How'd I do?" He asked as Tresha checked Miranda's vitals.

"Unconscious." Tresha said while handcuffing Miranda. Satisfied Miranda was restrained enough, she ran over to Cadogan and pulled her jacket off. It was a cheap suit, and thus was ideal for this situation. Balling the jacket up just a bit, Tresha put pressure onto the gunshot wounds, and the two waited for proper assistance to arrive.

That assistance came about ten minutes later in a deafening array of sirens and orders being shouted. A helicopter was overhead, and Cadogan looked to see just a news helicopter. He couldn't help but laugh that the military didn't send any aircraft in. The first people onto the roof were medics, knowing they'd be needed for either Cadogan, Miranda, or both. They focused on Cadogan, of course, when they came up and saw him. Knowing he was going to be fine now, he closed his eyes and let himself drift off to a sleep induced partially by the blood loss and part from actual fatigue.

Central Medical District Anean Galactic Medical Center - Remnora Novus

December 9

Spread across the entirety of the Anean Star Empire and its major worlds, the Anean Galactic Medical Center is the largest hospital chain, and the only government owned and operated one. Unlike many smaller and private hospitals, the AGMC is equipped with the cutting edge medical equipment and the finest physicians and staff that can be obtained. While expensive to run and maintain, the AGMC prides itself on the quality care it provides. As such, it's always the first option for anyone needing immediate medical treatment.

When Cadogan finally awoke again, the star shined through the skylights above him. That was the first thing that he noticed and made him realize he wasn't at home now. The sound of beeping was the only thing he actually heard as he woke up, followed by a sharp pain in the abdomen as he tried to move. He let out a groan of pain and laid back in the bed, relaxing as best he could. Not having anything else to do, he thought about everything that had happened leading up to now, and settling immediately on the realization that he was now in a hospital recovering from the injuries. That was fine, though the only issue was that he hated hospitals due to past experiences.

A look out the windows on the side of the room told him a lot more. He was in one of the smaller wings of this hospital, likely on the 5th floor, and there were several other larger wings and such. His best guess placed him at the AGMC, which would be the best guess given he was a government worker and the AGMC was a government run hospital system. He laughed to himself as he remembered how predictable the government can be.

That got the attention of someone in the room, he realized, as there was the sound of shuffling just beyond his sight. Given that he was now in a hospital and who was with him beforehand, he figured it was probably Tresha or, at a stretch, Cordelia though they both probably had more important things to do than lay around a hospital waiting on him to wake up from whatever had been done as a procedure. Based on the bandaging he could see, and the new feeling, he figured nanobots and artificial cells were both used to close the wounds once the bullets were removed.

"Good, you're finally awake." Someone said, just before Cadogan noticed someone standing up. Director Cathal Niadh, head of the Novus Bureau and a Tier IX pyrokinetic. Not someone that Cadogan had expected, and one of the last people he wanted to deal with at the moment. The old wolf approached the bed to Cadogan's right side, and looked down to him. "We almost didn't think you'd make it."

"I didn't expect to see you here sir." Cadogan said, his voice just a bit raspy from dryness that he hadn't noticed until now.

"I am here because you're being reassigned." Cathal said. "And I figured you'd rather hear the news from me than from my deputy."

"Sir?" Cadogan said, confused as to what a 'reassignment' would entail.

"You went against protocol. No personal protection, out of communication for the longest time while out of building, and then you get yourself shot and prompted a district wide emergency alert." Cathal shook his head as he walked toward the foot of the bed, now pacing. "That's unacceptable and I expect better from my agents. You're being reassigned to a low threat office where you'll probably be working the desk for quite a while until I see fit to bring you back here."

"Sir, it was one-"

"Yes, it was one mistake, but that one mistake could have cost several lives. Your incompetence in the field has put a stain on the Bureau's record. I won't stand for that. I've given you too much leeway and it has done nothing but harm. You're being transferred to the Haroma office. Your new orders and assignment will be given to you on arrival."

Cadogan let out a sigh of defeat. "Yes sir. I understand."

"Good. You're going to be released in about an hour once I notify the doctor of your condition. Head home, get what you need, and go to the spaceport. There's Bureau transportation to Haroma waiting for you. Your residence here will remain under your name so you have something to come back to."

"Yes sir." Cadogan said, defeated, as Cathal left the room.

Despite wanting to argue it, Cadogan knew the Director was right. Protocol in the Bureau was to be adhered to at all times and any breaches were generally subject to rather strict punishment. Even though the Bureau's goal was to ensure monitoring of all psionics, those working for the Bureau were equally suspected and monitored. The idea behind that is to make it clear that everyone is a threat, and that no psionics could be trusted. Notably this protocol shift occurred following Anean takeover of Novus government agencies.

His new assignment he wasn't too happy with though. Gnatha, a primarily human world anyway, at least had a sizable Novus population that he was dealing with. Haroma, meanwhile, was at least 90% human and the last 10% was mostly just baseline Remnoran. If he had to guess, there were no more than a few hundred psionics on Haroma, and thus he'd likely be dealing with just a handful on his own. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he had no idea where the office on Haroma was.

Cadogan just waited for the doctors to eventually come in and give him the release papers. That took nearly two hours, despite what the Director had said, and it was a few quick signatures before he was going to be given a basic set of clothes that seemed like they would fit him. He almost asked what happened to his suit, but remembered quickly that it was probably covered in blood now.

At least, that's what would have happened if he didn't have anyone waiting on him. Surprising him by bringing in one of his other suits, was the tigress from the neighboring condo. She was smiling as she set them down. "I heard what happened, and you left your deck door unlocked. So I grabbed some of what you had hanging up and came here."

The gesture was surprising, to him, and he was left mostly speechless. "Thank you. " He said as he remembered one other thing. "You know, I never did catch your name."

"Jaylene Garret." She said. "Commander Jaylene Garret." She added, surprising Cadogan again. "On a month long leave right now."

"I'd never have guessed that." He said. "But I guess that explains why you were able to get up here without special Bureau permission." He paused for a moment before another question came to mind. "AGF or ASF commander?"

"ASF. Second in command of the ASF Herius Welhan." She said, and then remembered that not everyone was fully aware of the warships. "Oh, right, that's a Welhan Cl-"

"Welhan Class Heavy Dreadnought. I know. One of my cases commands the Trimalchio." Cadogan said while sitting up in the bed, groaning a bit as he was still hurting quite a bit.

"Captain Xaimoungkhoun?" Jaylene said. "Damn, I guess you are pretty high up huh?"

"Was." Cadogan said, turning out of the bed and standing up. He was a bit weak standing up, and Jaylene rushed over to stabilize him before he fell. "Thank you. I have to get home and start packing. They're sending me to Haroma."

"That's... not so good I guess?"

"No, but I'll deal with it. Likely better off there. Less chances to get shot." Cadogan said as he waved Jaylene off as he felt strong enough to move on his own now. "I need to get dressed now though. I guess you'll be my ride back to the Suburbs?" He asked.

"Suburbs?" Jaylene said, wondering why he'd go there.

"Car is there. If I am going off world, I am keeping my car in a secure location." That got a bit of a laugh from Jaylene. "What?"

"You people and your cars. I'll step out for a moment." She said as she left the room to let Cadogan get dressed.

Cadogan looked over the clothes that Jaylene had brought him. White dress shirt, dark blue dress pants, black socks, black dress shoes. No belt, but that wasn't a problem. Cadogan pulled off the hospital clothing, seeing the extent of the bandaging finally. His entire abdomen was bandaged and there were a few blood spots where it had managed to seep through the probably thick wrap. Nothing to be worried about, but it was old blood. He pulled the pants on first, followed by socks and the shoes. The dress shirt he didn't even take the time to tuck in try to make it look presentable since he just wanted out of the hospital. Not knowing what else to do, he just left the clothes he had been given by the hospital on the bed, knowing someone would be through to clean it.

He left the room and saw Jaylene standing outside. She stood up when Cadogan stepped out, but Cadogan hadn't noticed her. Instead, he walked over to the information desk at the center and got the attention of one of the nurses. "I had a question. I had some equipment on me when I was brought in, where would that be taken?"

"What was the equipment sir?" She asked, and left Cadogan having to think about what he had on him.

"Wallet, keys, Bureau badge, and probably my pistol." He said after taking a moment to think.

"Agent Cadogan Gavin?" The nurse said after typing in a few key pieces of information.

"That's right." He said, wishing his information wasn't that readily available.

"Yeah, you made the doctors have to use non-conductive equipment as a precaution." She clicked a few more times. "Right, your equipment is retrievable at the front desk. Due to the nature of it, it's being kept in a more secure location."

"Thank you." Cadogan said while turning and walking to Jaylene. She took him by the arm just to stabilize him a little better, and led him off to the elevators. "Once we get down, I need to stop at-"

"I heard her Cadogan." Jaylene said. "Just relax a bit."

"Just not looking forward to reassignment is all." He said as the elevator doors opened and the two stepped inside. "Haroma. Not my favorite place in the galaxy."

"Can always be worse. Could get sent to Ursova." Jaylene said.

Cadogan shuddered at the thought. Ursova was one of the "regional capitals", but it was an overpopulated hell of a world. Out this far from the capital, Remnora Novus was the only system with any degree of law and order. Ursova was the worst of it in this part of the Anean Terminus, named due to the "termination" of Anean imperial control outside of some trade route patrols. Ursova was the "capital" of the Syndicate and a dangerous world for anyone that isn't a Syndicate employee, well-armed, wealthy, or any combination of those. Cadogan had been to Ursova once while hunting a rogue, and it very nearly got him killed when said rogue was a high level Syndicate employee.

Of course, "employee" is used very lightly. The Syndicate is the largest known criminal organization in the galaxy. They primarily operate in the Empire, but they dominate the black market everywhere. The reason the Empire does nothing to stop them from their de facto control of the Terminus is because of the distance, and the fact that Emperor Xaimoungkhoun effectively handed the Terminus to them in exchange for loyalty. It's a tenuous agreement, as one would expect, but worlds such as Remnora Novus are, more or less, the light in the dark of this region of space.

"Point taken." Cadogan said. "With that in mind, Haroma will be a very boring cakewalk."

"I guess that's one way to look at it, yes. You might get to meet the Emperor too."

Cadogan said nothing about that, however. Be it natural feelings of some sort of superiority, or just a "they're different" sense of dislike for them, Cadogan didn't quite care for humanity. He didn't hate the species, of course, but he found the arrogance to be more annoying than not. This was on top of their changes of the Bureau and other Remnora Novus agencies when the Novus were assimilated several decades ago. Cadogan hadn't been born prior to the assimilation, but he read enough to realize Remnora Novus was functioning well enough on its own, without Anean assistance. Nonetheless, he had to respect the accomplishments of the Haromians and his Remnoran cousins. Together they forged the most powerful state in the galaxy today.

Jaylene and Cadogan walked through the halls together toward the front desk of the AGMC. Being in one of the side wings, the walk from Recovery to the front atrium took several minutes. A quick conversation with the security officer got Cadogan his items back. Considering he could carry the pistol for various reasons, he just strapped it on, carrying it in plain sight. If anyone said anything, he'd just show his badge and be waved on.

With everything he had been brought in with - with the exception of his good suit and his keys oddly enough - Jaylene and Cadogan left the hospital. The car she had driven should have surprised him, but the lack of the keys made him realize why. Probably because she had been told where the car was, she seemed to have gotten his keys and driven to the AGMC. She handed the keys to him as they stepped out, but made it clear she was still going to drive because he wasn't in any condition to do so. He was fine with that.

Central Residential District

It felt like about an hour before they arrived back at their building. Cadogan let out a sigh of relief at being back home, even if only for a couple hours at best. Cadogan grabbed his vest out of the car as he got out, and cursed its existence in his mind jokingly. Had he left it on, he'd likely still have his job, but that was in the past now and there was nothing he could do about it other than make the best of the new situation.

Feeling a little better from the ride, Cadogan walked on his own up to the elevator with Jaylene close by. The two rode up to the top in silence. Neither minded, however, as there wasn't too much to talk about now. Cadogan was the first off the elevator, but he heard Jaylene following behind fairly closely. That wasn't an issue, of course, but he was just picking up her location unintentionally. What had surprised him more was when she was still behind him as he unlocked the door to his condo, having expected her to head to her own.

Looking behind him, and standing up and not half asleep or under some the influence of a drug, he finally got a better look at Jaylene. She was just a few inches taller than him and a bit bulkier. He figured that that was just because of the species difference. All in all, though he wouldn't say it aloud, she was a rather beautiful individual to him.

Before wanting to take a guess what she was following him for still, Cadogan asked, "Care to come in for a drink? I figure I owe you that much." He said as he opened the door and stepped in. Without saying anything more, Jaylene entered as well. "I guess that's a yes." While Jaylene sat down on one of the couches, Cadogan pulled a bottle of Haromian wine from the cabinets under the island in the kitchen. Even if he generally didn't like humans, they did wine right.

The bottle was dated as a few years old now, and was one of the cheaper wines, but he didn't feel like pulling out the high quality ones at the moment since it didn't call for it right now. He set the bottle down on the counter and pulled a couple glasses off the overhead rack he kept for ease of access. He grabbed a corkscrew out of another drawer after setting down the glasses, and got to work trying to open the wine.

"Definitely have a nice place here." Jaylene said. "Does every agent get this?"

"Only the senior ones, and the high tier." Cadogan said. "It's comfortable." He pointed up to a corner though where a red light flashed intermittently. "Always being watched though, which I dislike."

"Even in the bedroom?" She asked, getting Cadogan's attention and making him stop to think about that.

"Yeah. Everywhere." Cadogan said. "It's annoying, but..." he laughed a bit, "I like to give a bit of a show here and there to try to make them stop watching me. Doesn't work, but I do find some sort of amusement in it." With a bit of effort, he finally popped the cork on the wine. "Wine work?"

"Sure." Jaylene said. "Not like I am on duty."

"I am always on duty, but to hell with that." Cadogan said with a laugh as he poured the glasses for the two of them. He carried them over to the couches. Given that it was hardwood floors and leather couches, he wasn't particularly worried about a spill. At her motioning that he almost didn't notice, Cadogan sat down next to Jaylene, taking a sip from the wine.

"So when do you have to get to the spaceport?" Jaylene asked.

"Director basically said I have a few hours. I can explain traffic as the reason I am late. I'd rather spend the last few hours on Remnora Novus drinking a bit before getting a shower and getting dressed for the trip."

"Just drinking?" Jaylene said, clearly amused a bit.

"Yeah, maybe. What? Did you have something else in mind?" Cadogan asked, taking a slightly larger sip of the wine. He was reminded that he really didn't like wine, though he noticed that Jaylene certainly didn't mind it.

"Well," she said while pulling Cadogan close against her, purring as she exhaled, "I think you still owe me for making sure to pick you up from the hospital, and for shocking me, and for not crashing your car that I didn't know how to drive." She allowed just a pause to let him think it out. "Plus you said you like putting on a show."

Cadogan connected what she was saying fairly quickly, and politely took their glasses, setting them on the table by the couch. He stood up, and offered a hand to Jaylene, who took it with a smile. Figuring it was his turn to surprise Jaylene, once she took his hand, he made use of some telekinesis as well as his own strength to lift her up and set her on his shoulder. She didn't seem to resist at all, and ended up purring louder.

Not a thought of doubt went through his mind as he gently tossed Jaylene onto his bed and climbed on top, giving her a kiss.

Remnora Novus Capital Spaceport

Novus Bureau Landing Area

Late for his trip to Haroma, by several hours now, Cadogan gave Jaylene a parting kiss and stepped out of his car. Jaylene pressed the button to open up the trunk and he walked around to get his two bags out. He gave the car to Jaylene while he is gone, knowing she'd have more use of it than him. The bags were packed fairly lightly, just carrying his suits and a few items he'd need such as a few different weapons and his items he used in grooming. After all, appearance was everything.

His walk was slightly pained now, and not due to his wounds. In the back of his mind, he had wished he had reconsidered Jaylene's offer, but he figured it was better to have a friend in the ASF than just an acquaintance. Had he reconsidered, he'd likely not be hurting, though he'd definitely feel sort of bad for turning her away. He had heard plenty about hermaphrodites in the Empire, and the last thing he expected was to run into one. Sure enough, Jaylene was one, and Cadogan was hurting for several reasons related to that. But, more importantly, and the reason he laughed in hindsight, was that now the people watching his apartment had a rather amusing parting "gift". Surely he'd be getting a call in the near future, and he'd tell the people that were watching they should turn the cameras off.

Cadogan was surprised when the couple of Bureau agents that would be accompanying him - both human, and both low tier - walked over and took the bags for him. He was hoping that this meant he was still fairly respected despite the failure of protocol. They were polite, friendly, and normal enough with him. All they did was roll the bags into the small craft and then waited on him to board the frigate as well. As he stepped aboard, the cargo bay door closed and the ship began to lift off from the spaceport. They likely already had permission to depart when ready.

He had done the math in his head on the ride, and figured it would be about a day before they made it to Haroma if they stuck to the jump gates. The frigate could make a direct jump, but it would take several days due to crossing an uncharted stretch of space. The jump gates were safer anyway. The agents led Cadogan through the ship to one of the upper decks and into one of the staterooms. It was certainly comfortable, and definitely would do for however long the trip took. The bags were left in the stateroom, and the agents departed.

Having nothing better to do, Cadogan laid down on the bed, and stared up and out the windows as the ship just started to pass through the atmosphere of the ring. He always loved space, and so rooms with a view like this were perfect. The stars, for Cadogan, always seemed to soothe him enough to make him fall asleep. Given the past couple days, he needed a proper night of sleep, and it would make this trip pass by faster.