60 XX. What A Crazy Journey

Like all the things that happened in every action movie things came near conclusion. Celestine came forward with General Satsuki who brought along a handful of military officers. I would often shrug at those events but right now I found it ironic that I stood there black and blue yet still alive surrounded by allies I made along the way.

Of course playing a small part of a planet wide political unrest was overwhelming. But as my turn ended along with my crew, we left things to be sorted out by themselves.

Celestine even wondered if interfering was a mistake. But Julia defended that all we did was help a child return home, we just got accidentally tangled in the mess. Strife would say that we just became mercenaries for the princess. For me personally, I didn't think of it in a big way, I agreed with Julia's as well as Celestine's opinion.

It's just that I felt empty after everything was done. Maybe due to the fact that we didn't get paid by selling junks and treasures, or maybe I didn't get a mcguffin to place on the shelf.

Everyone took the week off. When we returned there was the new status quo.

Nico was crowned as the new queen of Kyatto. She also fulfilled her promise of paying us half a million credits.

Julia took a commemorative photo of her coronation. And she used that photo as the end card for her exclusive documentary that became a hit in Kyatto and its neighboring planets.

As the four of us returned to the Swift, we again felt home. Strife was back in the engine room, Celestine on the captain's chair with Julia. And I went to my shelf of mcguffins. I pulled out the photo from the coronation along with a pen and scribbled something.

I placed it down. It was all of us and below there I wrote it.

'McGuffin 47- Princess'

I looked at it one last time and went back to the cockpit. Back to the life we had before, back to finding treasures we hope to sell.

"So, you're telling me that you had your ass handed to you but you managed to win because you luckily landed on your gun?" Garner asked as he sipped on his glass.

I bit my lips in disbelief. I pivoted my neck around The Gold Duck trying to find a person willing to listen to my story. Garner chuckled.

"Well… no, I mean it made him throw me near my gun."

"Right. And you're sure that Celestine isn't involved with this win?"

"I told you, Celestine came forward with the general and a few guys to arrest the duke." I defended my victory against Rainek to Garner. "Please don't tell me that your only take away from my story is that I got a lucky win?"

"Were there other things that you want me to realize with that story?"

"Yeah, I realized that mcguffins are not just objects. They could be people, places. As long as-"

"They progress the plot forward. You told me that years ago."

I left the burden in my chest with a sigh. I slid my chair closer to the table and reclined myself.

Garner would usually never contact me for just a drink. As long as I can remember, everytime we talk it was not for nostalgia but for profit. The only reason he listened to the story is because I got here first and it was just his courtesy.

Yet sometimes I got some odd topics like bar openings, bad news, and other things related to work.

"So, why'd you call me here?" I asked him as I bottled my fun energetic vibe back in the pocket.

"The three of you. No. The four of you, that includes the journalist, you guys need to be careful." Garner spoke as the tension oozed towards me.

"Shouldn't this warning be best served with all of us present?"

"I'm serious."

"So am I." I leaned in closer to the table. "I wanna know why my team and Julia should be careful."

"I know a guy, who knows I guy. He gave me these." Garner fiddled with his holowatch and swiped his screen towards me.

The files were sent to my holowatch. It was pictures and files about the four of us. Everything was written there to the point that all my hair spiked.

"Normally you guys wouldn't even pop up on anyone's radar. But with what you did helping the princess of Kyatto as well as beating up the duke, you guys just painted a huge target on yourselves."

"Well it's just a fluke. Won't happen again."

"Still wouldn't hurt to be careful. Especially now that there's word about an organization with the ambition to conquer the entire galaxy. Would you believe those guys?" Garner sipped and snickered.

I looked at my mentor with doubt. It's rare for him to share these types of topics. Also if this is coming from him directly that means it has been verified by multiple sources. I masked my doubts with a drink and chuckle

"You know I heard from the chatters that you guys are elite mercenaries specializing in government destabilization."

"Those guys have a wide imagination."

We ended our conversation there and resumed to drink and be merry. As we refilled our glasses a familiar palm tapped my shoulders.

"Strife's and C.H.R.I.S. are done with the preparations, we need to go."

"Celestine." Garner offered a glass to which she refused.

I exhaled and got out of my chair.

"I need to tell guys something, including Julia about something." I whispered to Celestine.

"About what we did and that we need to be careful?" Celestine replied non discreetly.

"What?!"

"Garner called me an hour ago. Before we landed, I wanted to tell you right there and then but you bailed."

I looked over Garner. The bastard grinned and sipped on his drink.

"Again thanks for the tip. I'll make sure this idiot won't get himself killed." Celestine told Garner. "Let's go." Celestine tugged on my collar.

I scratched my head and repeatedly agreed to her as we got out of Gold Ducks and back into our job as scavengers. Although this time with more caution for the looming threat we might come across.

"Hurry up, C.H.R.I.S. found a resurfaced abandoned colony."

"How old?"

"He didn't say."

To Be Continued.