The closing of the door woke Jackie up from her short nap. Glancing over at the driver's seat and not seeing Amanda, Looking out and seeing a building, Jackie quickly understood that they had arrived. Returning the chair to its original position, the door opened as the chair finished.

"Did you have a nice cat nap?" Amanda asked.

Jackie laughed. "Even though it was short, I feel like it was several times better than sleeping in the field. The creature comforts have really spoiled me from my old self, which was used to laying on top of rocks."

"I'll let the higher-ups know that you're satisfied with what we're doing," Amanda gently smiled.

Getting out of the car, Jackie followed Amanda, who led the way into the building. Upon entering the building, Jackie felt the reassuring sounds of water flowing down. There was a greeting desk, where a man and woman were sitting. The man looked like he was busy looking up information, while the woman nodded her head at Jackie.

"Can you inform Mission that the individual they're waiting for is here?" Amanda addressed the woman.

Picking up the phone, the woman began talking to someone.

Amanda continued past the entrance way of the building and went towards the elevator. "This must be unusual, compared to your usual experience, huh?" Amanda said to Jackie.

"This isn't even the same area that I go to when I'm doing my debriefing," Jackie commented.

"Yeah. We're here due to the nature of the request, meaning the people you're meeting are a bit higher up compared to what you're used to. Fun fact, the place where you're used to going to is connected to this place through the underground compound." Amanda grinned. When they reached the elevator, she pressed the button to go down. A moment passed before the doors opened and they both entered the elevator. Instead of pressing a button, she waved her hand near the panel and after the doors closed the elevator began moving downwards.

Seeing that there were buttons for basement levels, Jackie thought it was unusual for Amanda to not press any of them. This action was probably linked to her earlier words. "I didn't even know that there was an underground compound," Jackie said. "How do you know about it?"

"Privilege does have its benefits," Amanda winked.

Jackie realized that if the underground compound connected the multiple structures, she wondered if the subterranean area was the actual base. The fact that the higher-ups were showing her all of this, it meant that she was likely being assigned a mission that wasn't available to just anyone. It wasn't the first time, or likely the last, where Jackie felt like there was more to Star and Moon.

Glancing over at Amanda, Jackie saw that Amanda was looking at her with a Cheshire grin.

"It's like an onion. That's the best part of this company. The moment you think you've seen most of it, you realize that you've only seen a fraction of it. An example is the missions you've been on to those other areas, like something out of a children's book. Going on those missions is only available for those similar to yourself and the talents you have." Amanda said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how you react to future revelations."

When Jackie was going to ask Amanda what she meant, the doors opened to reveal a spacious area similar to the lobby. People were walking about, some at tables with devices similar to the tablets carried by the workers and Amanda.

"This is one of those revelations. By your expression, I don't think I'll be disappointed." Amanda giggled. "We'll go over to where you can get cleaned up like I promised."

"That would be much appreciated. My suit is pretty fragrant, which I'm surprised that you can handle that. Most people would be keeping a healthy distance away from me and my musky scent." Jackie joked.

Laughing at Jackie's comment, Amanda led her out of the open area and towards a hallway. There was a sign on the ceiling that gave room numbers, bathroom symbol, and shower symbol. Turning her head, Jackie observed the other signs to get a better sense of everything that was in this area. A sign marked cafeteria indicated where food could be found. Something that she didn't understand was two terms she hadn't seen before. One of the words was Battle Arena League training facility and the second was Bio Area.

"What's the Battle Arena League?" Jackie asked Amanda.

Amanda looked surprised by Jackie's question. After a moment, there was a look of realization. "I'm guessing you're not a sports person or don't have a lot of time to watch?"

Jackie shook her head. "I tend to spend a lot of time training or watching my dramas when I need to relax after a mission. I've never been a big sports person, and neither Lucy nor Lulu appeared to share an interest in it."

"Star and Moon created a relatively new sports league to showcase some of the technologies it has at its disposal. It's called the World Athletic Battle Arena League. A fun sport that also allows the company to earn revenue and good publicity." Amanda said. "Basically, players wear a specialized suit and utilize a variety of weapons inside of a large arena, fighting against monsters and the opposing team. The younger generation has become enamored by the sport, and we're slowly trying to penetrate the older generation market."

"It sounds familiar to one of the missions I was on, where the team traveled to that place with the flood of enemies. You guys must be hurting with the emergence of the modified humans?" Jackie remarked.

When they reached the shower area, Amanda plainly indicated for Jackie to enter and didn't answer her question.

Figuring that Amanda was being purposefully mysterious, Jackie didn't concern herself with the lack of an answer and made her way into the shower area.

--------

Feeling her hair free and no longer constrained inside of the helmet, Jackie felt her mood change for the better. Though being in the field and not having the ability to shower was something she was used to, the sensation of taking a relaxing shower and putting on clean clothes never failed to satisfy. Sometimes Jackie thought that being clean was better than sex, though a couple of memories of her in the field with various guys whenever she was in the combat zone. Working either in the military or in a mercenary group, to cover up the stress she often felt that sex was a good outlet.

Looking into one of the full sized mirrors, Jackie checked her uniform to make sure that everything was organized. Her eyes went to her badge on the collar which was on the side of her neck. It was a star with a single silver bar. She had recently earned the silver bar after accumulating enough time and completing missions of a specific difficulty.

There was also the logo of Star and Moon's military division on her shoulder. Below it was the Arachnia division tab. Aside from the Arachnia and Lamia division, several others fulfilled various roles for the company. They were an equally unusual name, making her wonder what Star and Moon thought when they named her division the Arachnia Division. Jackie also enjoyed the nearly full black uniform with blue highlights.

After seeing that everything looked ready, she headed out of the locker area where Amanda was waiting. Jackie found Amanda tapping on the tablet she had been carrying, likely answering messages or checking her schedule.

"With the suit on, you look rather formidable, but with the uniform, you look respectable. Definitely looking like a leader, with all the elements on your uniform coming together." Amanda mused as her eyes checked out Jackie's figure. Glancing at her tablet, Amanda looked at Jackie and motioned with her hand. "We're still on time, so I'll have you continue down this hallway."

Jackie nodded her head and followed after Amanda.

-----

Jackie soon found herself in a conference room. There was a long rounded table with leather seats surrounding it. A large screen was placed at the front of the room for presentations. Standing behind her was Amanda who was relatively quiet.

"They are arriving now," Amanda said as if predicting Jackie's question.

The door opened just as Amanda finished her statement. Several women entered, wearing white uniforms that were similar to her own.

Jackie stood up at attention the moment she noticed the group wearing similar clothing. Even at Star and Moon, there was a lot of military protocols that transferred over. The fact that Jackie was waiting for them meant that these people were higher ranked than she was.

Looking at their collar, Jackie noticed that each of them had the star and moon overlapping the one another, instead of the individual star and moon. These women were equivalent to generals in the military, making Jackie feel a little uncomfortable.

"Why was I summoned by these people? Based on everything, I know its not because I did something wrong." Jackie tried to reassure herself. She could feel sweat beginning to form on her back, which was a typical reaction for anyone in her position.

Jackie finally saw that there were five of them. Two of them had brunette hair, one of them had black hair, and the last two had red and blonde. They appeared to be in their late thirties or early forties. Though she knew plenty of men, who would try to hit on them. Behind them were five workers, like Amanda, stood behind the officers.

After they had sat down, the one sitting in the middle, the red-haired woman said, "At ease, Team Leader."

Jackie moved to parade rest until she noticed the woman motioning for her to sit down. Sitting down, Jackie felt relief since the odds that they were going to reprimand her was low.

"Jackie Kensington, recruited on the field during your time with a different private military

company headquartered on the Euridean continent in the country of Salis. Surprisingly, you've had a mission on all nine continents, which is somewhat unusual and an honor that only a few can brag about. You've jumped from country to country serving in various capacities, but you're most known for special operations. From what we were able to gather, you have a kill list that includes at least twenty high-level politicians, three of them from this nation." The red-haired woman listed information about Jackie, though she was surprised that they knew the exact number of politicians she had killed.

"The fact we know the information we know isn't a failing on your part or the country you were working for, but instead a demonstration of Star and Moon's intelligence gathering ability," The black-haired woman said. The woman flashed Jackie an understanding smile as if she understood Jackie's surprise and possible annoyance at the sensitive information being known.

Jackie nodded her head at the information and the attempt to save her face.

"You've been with us for a while, even before we revealed ourselves to the public. Even being assigned to one of our special teams, which is allowed to travel to other locations." The red-haired woman continued. "It's rather impressive that you're able to accomplish so much at such a young age. While other people are attending university classes, you have been training on how to kill more effectively and efficiently. It's rather appropriate that you were assigned to the Arachnia Division, where you've done very well for yourself."

"Thank you, Leader," Jackie said. Her mind trying to anticipate what was happening.

"We didn't invite you here just so that you could listen to us praising your achievements. There's an assignment we feel will go well with your skills and talents. Your team will also be assigned to this mission, though you'll know more than they do. Your team will think that they are on an observation mission and the target himself, but they won't know the full scope." The woman said.

"Leader, I'm confused as to the need for secrecy? All my team members are on the same level for classified information." Jackie tried to bridge the mission and what she knew.

This time the blonde-haired woman answered. "This is due to how sensitive this information is. You'll be given a taste to one of the most classified information that Star and Moon has, so do not attempt to pull on the thread in your desire to know more. Trust me, you'll not be happy if you peek behind this curtain. What I'm saying isn't a threat in any way, but a literal fact." The blonde-haired woman looked at the others and then looked back at Jackie.

"Your next mission is to observe someone of great importance to Star and Moon. Do you believe in a god?" She asked Jackie.

Jackie felt her eyebrow twitch at this sudden question that didn't seem to have any relevance to their current topic. "As someone who has seen the meat grinder called the battlefield. I have never once seen any indications that someone actually gives a shit about us." She was careful to remove the edge in her voice that would typically be present when some idiot asked her the same question.

Each of the Leaders sitting across from her was grinning at Jackie's words as if they understood where Jackie was coming from.

The blonde-haired woman smiled and had a strange look on her face. "This person will change your mind, so I recommend that you treat him as if he's a god made into flesh. When you understand what he represents, you'll soon find yourself coming to terms as to the purpose that Star and Moon serves."

Listening to what was being told to her, Jackie couldn't imagine what she was about to get herself into.