Frial’s red wings are very conspicuous. It is presumed that he is the last Hafjeris alive to be born with naturally occurring red feathers, and while he is a prisoner of Yiel at the Dharle Family stronghold in the Banned Regions, his captors comment on it often.
They keep him on the storage level of the large ship that is larger than a mansion on Earth, in a cell made of solid light walls that incinerate anything that comes into contact with them. The walls are transparent, and the guards who watch him, stand at a safe distance and ogle the strangeness of his coloring.
“I wouldn’t believe it if he hadn’t been locked up since he got here,” one of the guards says to the other as Frial tries to ignore them. “And what self-respecting Hafjeris would make their wings that color?”
“It sure is pretty,” the other guard says mockingly. “It’s hard to believe he’s a man. A painted prostitute from Brigedia, maybe. Man, I haven’t been to Hafjeran in so long, I almost forget what Brigedia looks like.”
“It’s over populated and it stinks,” the guard says.
Just then, Yiel enters and shoos the guards away.
“You really are very red,” he says and chuckles at Frial. “She’s back. You’re my reason for her to speak with me. When I speak with her, you will be quiet, and you just might survive this.”
Frial shrugs, “I think you’re overestimating my sway with Whadgaf Jiris. She murdered my family, I tried to kill her, she almost killed me, and that’s the end of our association. It’s filled with murder and I’m sure she’s as exhausted by it as I am. If you want to talk to Whadgaf, just go talk to her. I won’t make it any easier to get to her.”
“She cares for you,” Yiel says. “You had one visitor during your stay at the UI, and she visited you frequently, like you mattered to her. So you will take me to her and introduce me as your friend, and then you will keep your beak shut.”
Frial’s time in the Regions has mostly been spent inside of a UI recovery room, so his trip with Yiel is enlightening. They travel with two of Yiel’s guards who are bigger than Yiel and neither say a word the entire time Frial is present. He sits passenger as Yiel pilots the ship and he marvels at the tiny lives enacted on the floating rocks of the Regions. They slow down in a location that is much less populated than the area they’d left and Frial is surprised when a large ship comes into view, resting on a large rock. It is obvious that many ships have come together to form this massive one and there are visible guards patrolling the area around it.
“Is Whadgaf expecting us?” Frial asks, eyeing the complex formations of the security ships and guards in spacesuits and jetpacks that seem to cover the perimeter of the larger ship.
Yiel presses buttons on the communication panel and soon an operator’s voice is heard over the loudspeakers of Yiel’s ship.
“Please identify yourself and the purpose of your dispatch.”
Yiel looks to Frial and hands him a wired box with a button that he can press to be heard by the operator. Frial understands now why Yiel brought him along and he grabs the box.
“This is Frial Realfen, sometimes known as Agent Red. You may have heard of me, I am quite infamous in some parts of the universe.”
The operator makes noises like they are confused and then says, “You are on a vessel approaching space guarded by our forces, please identify the purpose of your dispatch to avoid hostile engagement.”
Frial smirks, he likes to unsettle people, it is his superpower.
“Yes, yes, of course. There’s no need to waste ammunition. And as a show of my diplomacy, I will ignore the insult of you not being humbled and honored to be speaking with the one true Agent Red, we can just zip right past that and get to business. I am told that a friend of mine is hold up on your fancy ship and I would like to have a word with her. The amazing Whadgaf Jiris, is she here?”
There is a pause over the line and Frial is afraid to look at Yiel who he knows is angry at the thought that Frial’s schtick had ruined his chances of meeting Whadgaf.
But after a minute, a voice that sounds familiar to Frial says, “Why are you here?”
“I would know that voice anywhere. Aren’t you happy to know that I’m alive and well, big sister?”
“We’re family now?” Whadgaf says. “You’re not just saying that because of all the security? Are you trying to kill me again, little brother?”
Frial laughs genuinely, surprised that she goes along with the sibling thing. He remembers at least one of her visits when he was on the mend and she told him that she would be his family. He wouldn’t admit it, but Frial was testing Whadgaf’s sincerity and he is happy to know that he has a true friend in her.
“Never, my dearest. But I have someone with me who is eager to speak with you. I’m sad to say that I may be bringing trouble to your doorstep, but as you can probably guess, this is life or death so here we are.”
“Oh, Fri,” Whadgaf says sadly. “What could it possibly be now? I’m ordering clearance for you to land at the coordinates you should be receiving any second. Tell your friend to tread very carefully. I will not have a feather on your head out of place.”
Frial smiles at Yiel and he is happy to see a look almost like fear on his face, but maybe Frial is projecting.
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