The lady in red - an Operation Hungry Walrus narrative

 

Orbital Yggdrasil, the night before the crisis

Dam Hye-Su literally fell face-down in the pod bed. She rested the comlog on a makeshift nightstand (her wheeled luggage) and immediately fell asleep. It’s been two days since she departed from Svalarheima directed to O-12 Orbital Yggdrasil. Not bad, actually, the place is clean, the layout is efficient but not alienating, she even got a personal pod to crash into! A small privilege for being on active turn as Tiāngŏu for the Bureau Aegis Naval Police Department. Starmada has not yet mobilized, which is good, nor has Yu Jing High Command. New Hypatia was rapidly becoming a situation and the escalation is certain. 

So tired… The bliss of unconsciousness soon got her, breaths became long and steady and muscles relaxed for the first time in the last fifty hours. 

The Sun was shining in a way that could be possible in a dream only, warm, not hot, she could feel it on her face and even inside her chest. Literally hearthwarming. 

BEEP

A gentle breeze was blowing from her back, as it was making her move forward, a subtle push. 

BEEPBEEP

Her bare feets strode effortlessly in the green of the meadow, the grass soft as a cloud. 

BEEPBEEPBEEP

From her left came the sound of a waterfall, a comforting rumble, she could almost smell the rushing waters. 

BEEPBEEPBEEPBUZZ

Far in the distance, a family of three was playing with a ball, all laughing. The little girl reminds her of herself. 

BEEPBEEPBEEPBUZZKNOCKKNOCK

The voice of the loved one whispered “I’d stay here with you forever, but you have to go…”. 

BEEPBEEPBEEPBUZZKNOCKKNOCK

“No, no, don’t let me go, noooo…”

She awoke almost screaming, wheezing and panting. The comlog was bursting with all sorts of alarms and notifications. Moreover, someone was knocking at the door. She reached for the comlog and she heard a muffled voice from the corridor: “oh, for fuck’s sake!”.

She sat up on the bed and started to manage the comlog: a message from the Huangdi High Command, another from Bureau Aegis and a missing call from an unknown man, Yàng Fang, who appears to be a Kănrén. Weird, to say the least.

The door swooshed aside suddenly and a man made his way into the small room. “Dam?” he asked. 

“Who? How?…” she replied, half-woke. 

“‘Who’ is Yáng Fang, ‘how’ is ‘hacking a crappy lock’. Nice to meet you. Now, get ready, we haven’t much time, less than ten” he started looking around the pod. 

“Ten what?” She stood up. 

He theatrically looked at his comlog. “Ten… nine… eight…”. He smiled “just joking. Now, get ready, we’ve got to go!” He reached for Dam’s wheeled luggage. 

“Do you mind explaining to me what is friggin’ happening?” She is now fully awake, but not yet aware. 

“Starmada and the White Banner mobilized for the New Hypatia crisis, I made a stop here at the Yggdrasil for logistic reasons, please don’t ask, I noticed that you were here and I got permission to extract you before O-12 send you there with the space cops. All of this while you were asleep. Now I have to infiltrate you in New Hypatia, since landing for the armed personnel is a harsh quest. I have a group of cover operatives penetrating the city, you'll go with them. This is what you need, leave the rest to me”. He handed a basic comlog to the girl, then put a dress on the bed. 

“You must be joking…”. It was the skimpiest dress she has ever seen. “Why do I've got to dress like a whore?”

“Because escorts are always in high demand and is one of the only good that can push through a blockade with relative ease”. There were no more jokes, he was dead serious. “It is said that half the asian whores are Yu Jing spies. As far as I know, it is a pretty good approximation”. He headed for the door. “Familiarize with the fake identity in the comlog. Get dressed. Don’t forget a little make-up. Departure is in ten minutes from Upper Dock #42. You’ll find your stuff once you get to New Hypatia. Wolves will be happy to know you're going to join them soon.” He grabbed the luggage and her personal comlog and disappeared in the corridor. 

She picked up the red dress. “Skimpy and slutty”, she thought. Under that she found a sparkly purse, “silly”, and a pair of flat shoes, “still better than high heels, for space travel”.