Pearl
Karnvas City

I pulled up outside of Karnvas City a few hours later, unable to feel my fingers or face.

The city itself was inside a gigantic mountain, with four massive, red and black metal gates leading in. I sped around the mountain for another hour, looking for the busiest one. I eventually decided on the North Gate, which had an absurdly long, crowed line. In the middle of the night.

I quickly found a place to park and lock Tanya's speeder, and after some shoving, cursing, and practically crawling through the line, I finally reached a Gremlin guard out front who stood on a table.

Gremlins were tiny, furry little creatures, originating from some obscure planet on the other side of the galaxy that I had never even bothered to learn the the name of. The things were barely even a foot tall, and this one was short, even by Gremlin standards.

He rotated a small, disk-like ear at me as I walked up.

"Name and business?" he asked in a squeaky, high-pitched and almost nasally voice. He didn't even look up from his clipboard.

"Pearl Moon. And I'm here on private business for the Tri Orion Alliance." I lied, voice firm. He flicked up his visor, scrutinizing me.

"Any weapons, Miss Moon?" he asked, suddenly less confrontational. I nodded, swinging my duffle up onto the table next to him. I unzipped it.

With great difficulty, the Gremlin pulled my Hand Disrupter Pistol out (which was about his size). He let out a whistle of awe so high-pitched that I almost didn't hear it.

"3 Edition Cold Fusion Hand Disrupter, Terran-made, 2183 Version, Republic of Texas? Nice piece. Those Texan Terrans know their shit. Where'd you get it?" he asked, friendly now. My brow scrunched up in confusion.

"My dad gave it to me for my tenth birthday." I said. He gave me an odd look.

Oh.

Right.

No sane father got their child a working Disrupter Pistol at the age of ten.

Unless you were Xisuma Evander Void.

"Sorry, I meant thirteenth. Younger years are kinda a blur, you know?" I amended reluctantly. The Gremlins face lit up.

"Completely understand. Den Years feel like a blur, eh?" he chuckled, scratching his chin, "any other weapons?"

I remembered the pieces of my axe and my mask at the bottom of the bag.

"Nope. Just that." I lied. He nodded, waving me through.

"By the way, the lighter hair looks great! The red bob was hurting the eyes of every Gremlin in Karnvas City!" he called after me. I called my thanks, but confusion hung even heavier in my chest. The thing had been acting like he knew me.

But I quickly forgot about the encounter as I stepped into the city.

The mountain had been hollow, even before the city had been built, with a massive, burbling river running next to me. Three more river ran into the city from the entrances, all falling into a gigantic chasm in the middle of the mountain. Buildings perched precariously on the edge. A musky smell, like damp rock, was overshadowed by the smell of brine, body odor, fish, and smoke. The people around me chattered excitedly as they flocked to a run-down, Terran-style yellow tour bus that had been welded to an inflatable platform boat on the river. The morons in charge of the tour didn't even check for identification.

I slipped into the tour group, pulling up my hood and avoiding eye contact. I found a seat at the very back of the bus, already feeling slightly nauseous from the gentle rocking of the river.

The intercom crackled, and the driver started babbling.

"Alright, listen up adventurers! Welcome to the Karnvas City Adventure Tour Bus! We're so happy to have you. Now, a few rules before we begin our voyage: you may roll down the windows, but under no circumstance are you to stick whatever appendages you may have out. Treat your fellow adventurers with respect, no matter what quarrels your species may have. And have fun!" the driver, a massive, sweaty human woman, said way too enthusiastically.

I immediately disliked her.

The tour people seemed to have the complete opposite idea, as they started cheering and stamping once she was done.

"We'll be making stop periodically at famous locations, like where the First Treaty of Karnvas was signed by The Foolish King and the Grand Admiral of the Orion Alliance! And don't worry, we'll stop off and get food as well. Happy adventuring!" she said, and, with a disturbing loud clunk, shifted the lever forwards. We started chugging forwards.

And I immediately decided that I hate being on the water. I had no idea what made Gem love it so much. But I quickly found that I preferred the vacuum of space to a river.

We passed a lot of stuff that the tour guide babbled endlessly about. "This is where some famous dude wrote some book!" "This is where some other famous dude signed some stupid document!" "This was the first McDonalds built on Karnvas!" "This is the park that Ivan Strongwinter fought and slew The Southern Scourge in a duel of honor!"

That last one surprised me. I knew Ivan was a big deal on Karnvas. I hadn't realized that he was THAT big of a deal.

"Excuse me?" I called, voice wavering slightly. The guide craned her head.

"Yes, adventurer?" she called cheerfully. I pulled the slip from my pocket.

"Will we be heading by this address? 3090 Moon BLVD?" I asked. She frowned.

"The street starts along the river. But it's a ways uptown. Why?" she asked.

"Meeting a friend."

"I see. I can drop you off once we get there. No refunds."

"A refund won't be necessary, thanks."

.  .  .

The tour guide kept her word, much to the annoyance of the rest of the tour. I didn't care.

I hiked my way up the street, admiring the sights.

The whole city was alive, even in the middle of the night. Haggling shopkeeps, hovercarts cruising, and even a few guards patrolling.

I eventually came up to the entrance to a gated community. The moment I stepped up to the gate, a camera popped out and into my face.

"Name?" it asked.

"Pearl Moon." I said.

"Access granted. Welcome home, Miss Moon." it said, retracting just as fast as it came out.

"...thanks?" I said, once again bewildered.

I hiked up the street again, less than enthusiastic.

All of the houses were more like mansions, each one different. All the lawns were perfectly green and trimmed. No potholes or mud or grime. So... clean. The one good thing was that it was nice and organized.

I stopped, carefully reading an address. 3090 Moon boulevard.

This was it.

I was about to walk right up to the door and knock when the lights came on in a bedroom that looked like an observatory up on the third story.

A girl with bright red hair, almost like Gem's, stepped out onto the balcony and spread out a wide piece of blue paper. She seemed to be reviewing whatever was on it.

My heart lodged in my throat.

She looked exactly like me. Ginger, sure, but she looked exactly like me. From the shape of her nose to her hairline, from her eyes to her hight. The only difference was that she looked... satisfied. Fulfilled.

Happy.

After a moment she gave a huff of annoyance and stepped back into the room. I could see her outline as she sat back down, facing away from the balcony.

I hopped over the gate and over to the edge of the house below the balcony, an unreasonable amount of anger building up in me.

I slung my duffle over my shoulder, planted my boot on a windowsill, and hoisted my way up to the balcony.

I silently swung over the stone rail, softly dropping my bag and pulling my gun out. The woman sat with her back to me, scribbling madly.

I crept up behind her, and as she sensed me behind her with a sharp breath, I quickly wrapped one of my arms around her neck and pressed the barrel of the gun to her head.

"Scream and I shoot." I hissed. She slowly raised her hands above her head as I pulled her up and away from the chair.

I slammed her into the wall, probably a little too roughly, and spun her around to face her. The girl was practically hyperventilating at this point.

"Who are you? Why do you look EXACTLY like me?" I hissed. She frowned, studying my face with the scrutiny of a scholar.

"...my name is Pearl Moon. Look, I don't want any trouble, and my project is due tomorrow, so if you could just rob me already and go awa-" she went silent as I cocked the hammer of the gun back.

"Bullshit. I'M Pearl Moon." I snapped.

A sudden expression of pity and regret immediately crossed her face.

"Moon?" she asked softly, eyes wide with wonder and terror. I slammed her back into the wall again, earning me a small cry of pain.

"Yes. That's what I said. Why are you calling yourself Pearl Moon?" I said.

"Because that's my name. Look-"

"No! I AM." I practically shouted. Her eyes went wide again.

"Moon, listen to me-!"

I grabbed her and pushed her to the floor, pressing the gun to the back of her head.

Then the door creaked open.

An old couple stood in the doorway, eyes wide.

"...Moon? Is that you? Is that possible?" the woman said, and before I could answer she had rushed forwards and grabbed me.

I tensed up, ready to fight, but then realized.

She was...

Hugging me?

I gently pushed her away, standing and studying her face.

She also looked like me, but way, way older.

"Who are you people? What's going on?" I demanded.

"Let's put the gun away, sweetie. We'll explain everything." the old woman said kindly, slowly pulling the gun from my hand. For some reason I let her.

The other girl, the other Pearl, sat down again, rolling her shoulders.

"Who are you people?" I questioned, softer this time.

"My name is Alice Moon. This is my husband Ronald Moon, and our daughter, Pearl Moon," she said, motioning to each person in turn, "And you are Moon. We never got the chance to actually name you before that damn doctor switched you and Pearl here up."

I frowned, confused.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"Pearl is my daughter. Ronald is her step-father. We didn't get the chance to find you before we were forced to flee Evo. I am so, so sorry, my child." Alice said.

I stared blankly.

Ronald sighed.

"You're our daughter, Moon." he said.

My mind reeled.

"What? No. My parents died when I was two. The sickness got them. Then X-" I cut myself off. A warm look crossed Alice's face.

"We payed Xisuma off to destroy Evo. We asked him to find you. But we never got word back from him." Ronald said. Pearl frowned, as if that was new information.

"But..." I trailed off. It made sense. Xisuma had always said I had no idea what had really happened on Evo.

Alice put a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm so so sorry, my daughter. I trust Xisuma took good care of you." she said with a slight smile.

I closed my eyes.

I never was supposed to be with Gem and Grian.

I never was supposed to be on Evo when Xisuma came.

I never was supposed to go to Hermitcraft.

I sat down heavily, head spinning.

"I know this is a lot to take in, Moon. Ronald and I will fetch you some tea." Alice said, squeezing my shoulder and standing. She and Ronald stepped out, closing the door as they went.

Pearl rolled her chair up in front of me. I rested my face in my hands.

"Xisuma told me you would come..." she whispered.

My head snapped up.

"What? Where? When? What exactly did he say?" I demanded. She frowned.

"A few years ago, down at the market. Why? Is he ok?" Pearl asked.

I closed my eyes again, grief threatening to overtake me again.

"He's dead." I whispered, a single tear escaping my eyelid. Pearls face fell, but it was quickly replaced by a solemn look.

"I have something for you. Hold on." she said, spinning her chair around and digging through a drawer. I sniffed, looking up.

She turned again, holding a standard Hermitcraft hard drive. She handed it to me.

"Xisuma built a hidden web of alliances that not even Cleo knew about. He told me in the event of his death, I was to find you and give you this." she explained.

That also made sense. Ivan, Rat, and, hell, even Scott all seemed to have a strong connection to him.

It made me wonder who the man who had raised me really was.

I took the drive tentatively, as if it would explode if I handled it wrong.

"How did you know Xisuma?" I asked as I fished through my bag for my communicator.

"He approached me a few years ago, looking for mom and Ron. Wanted to check up on them, you know?" she started.

I chuckled softly. Of course he did.

"He had heard of me and my work in architecture. He asked me if I could help with the floor plan of a massive flagship. Offered me a motherload of cash, completely untraceable. How could I say no to that?" Pearl sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Got really deep into his underground community, heard about places like Hermitcraft and Empires. I saw the operations as well. That man, what he was building, completely hidden from the galaxy..." she trailed off.

I frowned at the mention of Empires. I had barely even of HEARD of it. All I knew was that Gem was very fond of it.

"How much did you learn?" I asked.

"Too much. I finished designing his flagship and he offered me an official job as an architect for their operations. But I wanted out. And... he let me. Just like that. All he did was make me promise not to speak to anyone of what I had seen, and to give you that drive in the event of his death." she finished.

I pulled the communicator out, snapping it back onto my wrist.

"You want me to step out?" Pearl asked. I shrugged.

"You've been holding onto this thing for years. I'm sure you at least want to see what's on it." I said, clicking it into the port. She nodded.

The screen slid out, making me frown briefly. Usually he sent his messages on holograms.

The screen lit up, showing a large, dark room with a massive black steel wall in the background. Xisuma, out of his armor and in his favorite flannel, sat there. Doc sat next to him. Both had equally grim, yet hopeful, expressions.

"Pearl. Or... Moon. I'm sure they've told you the truth if you're seeing this. And I also know that if you're seeing this, I am dead and Hermitcraft has fallen." X said, fidgeting with a silver band on his middle finger. "We're assuming that Hermitcraft fell because Gigacorp broke past Doc's firewall and made him do it. If that is the case, do not try and save him. Once gone, he won't be able to come back."

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I know we've been lying to Grian for his whole life and it's been ripping you up inside, kiddo. Tell him the truth, if he doesn't already know. But it's time I admit it: I've been lying to you and all the Hermits, too. So it's about damn time you learn the truth.

"Doc, Rat, Cleo, Scott, FWhip, and I have been planning a... revolution, of sorts. It revolves around quickly moving in, taking out the Tri Orion Alliance, and securing a new, good government. But if that fails, we amassed a massive army with Polaris Station, the Severnyy, and even the Lazarus Rebellion and The Overlord." Xisuma finished.

"Now, for you: this bunker is deep below the Shopping District. We've left six boxes for you and your crew following Protocol: Unbroken. Use them wisely. Good luck." Doc said, nodding to Xisuma and stepping away. X nodded back, turning back to the camera and taking his wire-frame glasses off.

"I'm not gonna lie, kiddo: this is gonna be hard. I wouldn't ask this of you if I wasn't completely sure you could pull it off." he said, leaning closer.

"But it's all out the window now, isn't it? I've read all of Protocol: Unbroken. It was alluding to the fact that Gigacorp wages war on the rest of the Alliance. No one else has seen that part but me. I don't know all the details. But I know it's more than any of us could've ever imagined.

"Part of the plan still stands: get to the boxes and the Hermitheus. Lure Gigacorp to Hermitcraft, then have Rat and the Hermits hit them with everything we've got. And all I want you to do is take your crew and get onto the Gigacorp Capital Ship to take the Admiral out. Like I said, that's a steep task. But like I said, I wouldn't ask this of you if I wasn't completely, positively sure you could pull this shit off.

"And remember, kiddo: I'm proud of you. I always have. Xisuma Evander Void, out."

I didn't notice the lone tear running down my face until the screen faded to black. Pearl frowned, leaning back in her chair.

"You gonna follow through with that?" she asked curiously. I raised a brow.

"My father asked me to do this. I would've burned the Galaxy to the ground if he had asked me to." I responded simply, pulling the communicator off and tossing it in my bag. I zipped it up and slung it over my shoulder.

Pearl sighed, scratching her chin.

"Are you ever coming back?" she asked.

I paused. I could faintly hear music downstairs, with Alice and Ronald laughing alongside it. I could almost imagine it now: Pearl designing, me building, all of us having dinner at the end of every day. Like a family.

I closed my eyes, the pain of losing Hermitcraft and Xisuma threatening to spill over again. I wanted that again. More than anything, I wanted a family.

But I had already found a second family, I realized, in my crew.

I shook my head.

"I'm probably not going to survive this. But if I'm going out, I'm gonna go out giving you, your family, and the rest of the Galaxy a chance at peace. Real peace." I said, walking out onto the balcony and crouching up on the rail.

"You don't have to do this, Moon. You have a choice. Come home." Pearl called.

"I know. I'm not fighting because I have to. I'm fighting because I CHOOSE to," I looked out over the city and, with one last nod to Pearl, I jumped and grabbed a cable.

I heard her run to the balcony, but I was already swinging away, onto the next roof.

. . .

I wasn't quite ready to head back to Strongwinter Village. So I stopped of at my natural habitat: the pub.

I let my arms fall over the counter and rested my cheek on my bicep. The barkeep, a skinny young adult Severnyy, stepped up as he cleaned a shot glass.

"Got a name?" he asked.

"Moon."

"Moon what?"

"Just... Moon. Give me your strongest." I said. He plunked the glass on the counter with a hollow tink, pulled a glass of a semi-clear liquid from under the counter, and poured a shot.

"Rough night?" he asked, friendly. I snorted, kicking the shot back. My throat and mouth immediately caught fire, bringing tears to my eyes.

Once I could speak again, I said: "Yeah, you could say that."

He chuckled.

"Want a full bottle?"

"Yes, please."