If you're dying from anything that isn’t old age, Maximon can probably fix it. From gel that can heal bullet wounds to chambers that can regrow limbs, Maximon will fix your most important asset- you.

Maximon: Regrow your limbs for the cost of an arm and a leg.

-Excerpt from Erodotos’ compendium

Chapter 2 - Naak

“You’re a philistine, Naak,” said Patli.

“It’s ghastly,” replied Naak. “Why anyone would display such a thing is beyond me.”

The decoration in question was the disfigured vertebrae of a creature, carefully mounted in Patli’s office. If stood upright, it would be longer than Naak was tall. The Third Sector of the galaxies was even more twisted than the Second. Naak had never been there, but the artefacts that came from there, like this spine, sent a chill down his own.

He stared at the remains and wondered what sort of ghastly beast could leave behind so horrid a memory, and for the briefest moment, he wondered if mankind had made a huge mistake in choosing to travel beyond the stars. He quickly pushed those feelings down. There was no room for a conscience, not in this business.

The two of them observed the grisly thing for a few moments longer before Patli broke into a laugh.

“Haha! it’s good to see you, you bastard!” She said with an arm outstretched. Naak grabbed her hand and pulled her into an embrace. Patli was an Overseer for the Maximon Corporation. The biggest corporations had grown too large, and a single CEO was no longer capable of overseeing the entire operation. Different overseers were in charge of separate operations and together they steered the company where it was most profitable. That was the idea, anyway.

“How was your journey?” she asked, pulling away. Naak noticed the familiar smile on her face. The glow in her eyes. She was happy to see him.

“Well, give me a drink and I’ll tell you all about it,” he replied, giving her a hint of a smirk.

Patli indicated the office sofa and Naak made himself comfortable as she wandered over to the drinks cabinet. The window gave a view of the bleak expanse of space outside, the planet Erkalon a stark contrast in the distance.

This was where Naak felt most comfortable. Among the elite. The rich. Trading secrets and making deals that affected all three galaxies. Naak had enough money in his IBS bank account that he could retire and live comfortably in a mansion on a cosy planet in Sector 1 for the rest of his life. But what would he do with himself then?

No. Power. Power and the thrill of manipulating it is what drove him forward. All these corporations: ‘Osiris Munitions’, ‘Hermes Transportation’, ‘Amaethon’, ‘Hachiman’, ‘Caishen’, ‘Maximon’. They were toys, playthings for him to manipulate as he saw fit.

“Fint,” said Patli, giving him a glass of yellow liquid, a block of ice bobbing inside it. The Maximon Corporation ‘M’ was emblazoned into the glass, just as it was branded on everything on this space station. “Made from some new fruit somewhere in Sector 3. Very.. exquisite,” she added.

Naak knew that that meant very expensive. Sometimes, it didn't matter how things tasted, it just mattered you were the only one to have it. He took a delicate sip. It was dreadful, exactly what he’d expect a drink called ‘fint’ to taste like.

‘Delicious,” He put on a faux smile. Lying came as easy to him as breathing. He took a moment to admire Patli. She’d dressed up for him. Red evening gown, dark hair done up in curls. He’d haven’t even begun to press her, and he was already winning.

“A present. For you.” He tapped the bracelet on his wrist to start the data transfer. A hologram appeared on the coffee table. It flashed to life, displaying weapon designs: turrets, machine guns and grenades. An orange logo flashed triumphantly: ‘Osiris Munitions’.

“All their prototypes,” he explained. “They are still messing around with ballistics, they haven’t found a way to cut through your new shields yet.”

Patli sifted through the data, a greedy smile on her lips before she corrected him.

“Our shields. You work for Maximon, remember?” She teased

“My apologies,” Naak chuckled. “Three months of espionage has a way of making you..forget your place. I’ve missed it here.” He gave her a knowing look. She took a sip of fint. If she minded the taste, she didn’t show it. Naak had wondered how he’d get the information from her, but he realised that this was it. Now was the chance to press her.

“Speaking of shields-” he was cut off by the tone of an incoming transmission. Patli’s smile faded.

“Sorry, I've got to take this,” she tapped her necklace, answering the call, and got up to stand at the window. “I said no disturbances tonight.” A pause.

“What do you mean someone attacked the Cauldron?” Another pause. “The asset?... Keep it protected, I don’t need to remind you how important this is. Or what happens to people who let Maximon down. This is our most profitable resource. You fuck this up and there won’t be anywhere in the three galaxies remote enough to hide you from me. I expect a detailed report on the incident.”

Naak almost burst out laughing. Sometimes, his work was too easy, and the solutions presented themselves with nary an action on his part. Patli took a moment to compose herself before turning around. Naak was already in front of her. He pressed a warm kiss to her lips. The fint fell to the floor and stained a rug that cost more than the janitor who had to clean it would ever see. Together, they collapsed onto the couch in a tangle of limbs. This was how he would win.

*

Naak awoke as the lights slowly began to brighten, mimicking the rise of the sun. Patli was still asleep beside him on the floor, her naked form tangled in the sheets where they had finally settled. He held his fist up and clenched it, resetting the lighting to dim.

At some point in the night, he had carefully tapped his bracelet to the necklace that was still around her neck. The virus uploaded itself and had begun to do its work. Now that he had sufficiently distracted the woman long enough to get into her network, he could get what he came for.

He tapped his bracelet to access Patli's network through his newly installed back door. Naak knew that the more he snooped around, the higher the chance he would leave footprints. 'Get what you came for and get out while disturbing as little as possible.'

He found the report that Patli had mentioned the night before. An incident on the planet Tefnut. What could be so important that they’d contact the overseer directly? And she’d called it their ‘most profitable resource.’ He copied the file and retreated from her system, deleting his backdoor in the process. Never leave anything behind that might circle back and fuck you later.

Part of him wanted to leave and read the report right away. But any hasty activity now could be seen as suspicious if his loyalty was ever called into question. Better to take it easy, and wait for the perfect moment to act.

Before snuggling back into bed with Patli, he did one thing. He typed the message ‘I’ve got a lead’ and sent it to his superior, a woman named Amunet, overseer of the espionage division at Osiris Munitions.