The first sight of Blink Headquarters took Amber by surprise. Although impressive in its own way, it simply wasn't very big. Floating out in the middle of a system she'd never heard of, the spherical station skulked unobtrusively in the darkness of space, surrounded by building sized asteroids that would conceal it from prying eyes and sensor probes. She could see a rectangular projection on one side where half a dozen spacecraft were docked, most of them small corvettes, but she marked out one larger ship that looked like a military frigate, its long, angular hull protruding several meters further out than any other vessel.

The main sphere was constructed of interlocked plates of dark metal she didn't recognise, each one dozens of metres across. Around the equator was a ring platform studded with the unmistakable prominences of gun turrets. Although weapons were not her forte, the sleek black barrels and glowing power cells told her enough. Whatever they fired it was sure to be lethal.

"Rail cannons," Idas said when he noticed her examining them. "They're normally slated for ship to ship combat. One of those puppies will crack an asteroid at two thousand metres."

"Wow..."

"No expenses spared," Darien murmured, guiding the shuttle towards its bay. "Station BL-Alpha this is Shuttle 15 requesting permission to land."

"Shuttle 15 this is BL-Alpha Dock Control," a man replied over the speakers. "You are cleared to land in bay 10A. Door's open, cradle is ready. Welcome home."

"Roger that, BL-Alpha, good to be back. Shuttle 15 out." Darien aimed the shuttle towards their bay. "Well, Amber, gotta hand it to you, that was one good short cut."

"It's all in the math," she said, tapping her temple with her index finger. "Are we still late?"

"By about a day," he replied. "But that was because we waited for you. I think they'll understand." He looked at her and winked. "Welcome to Blink Station Alpha."

The interior of the hangar was full of ships. In addition to the handful of large vessels she'd seen from the outside, dozens of smaller shuttles were docked in separate bays, all of them outfitted with massive engines and twinned cannons on their bows, identical to the one she now rode in. The people on the deck looked like adults, some of them guiding in shuttles, others performing maintenance and shipping parts from bay to bay.

She spotted the bay marked , but the people waiting for them there looked different. There were three of them – two boys and a girl – all dressed in the jet black fatigues that marked out Blink operatives. She heard Idas groan when he spotted them.

"Looks like we've got a welcome party," he said, his voice thick with disdain.

"I'd be surprised if we didn't," Darien sighed. "Just play nice. The only person we need to impress is Smith. The rest of them can take their opinions and rotate on them."

"Easier said than done."

"Who are they?" Amber asked.

"Just some of the other operatives," Darien answered. "Don't worry about it."

She was unconvinced, but something in his tone told her to let it go. She fell silent as the shuttle began its descent into the docking cradle. Six skeletal metal arms reached out and locked magnetically against the hull before pulling it down into position. The arms locked into place and the shuttle boosters died. Idas pressed a button to release the boarding ramp.

"Let's get this over with," Darien said. "Amber, just stay behind us and let me do the talking. Whatever these twerps say, just ignore it. There's a...professional rivalry between some of the Blink teams."

"Professional stupidity, more like," Idas grumbled.

Darien shrugged and motioned for them to follow. He led the way down the ramp and out onto the hanger deck. The three Blink operatives were waiting for them and Amber immediately found herself wanting to scurry back to the safety of the shuttle. They stood like a barrier, the shoulders of their jackets emblazoned with what appeared to be a white lizard head. The boy who looked like the leader stood a good head taller than her, with black hair slicked back and a face like an axe. His grey eyes looked them over disdainfully.

"As usual, Darien, a day late and a credit short," he sneered. "So this is your new recruit?"

"It's good to see you too, Seb," Darien replied. "And yes, this is her."

"I hope she was worth you flaunting the rules, again." A grim smile slithered across Seb's face. "Smith sent us to say welcome home. He wants to see you, now."

"Must be nice playing watchdog," Idas growled. "Guess you must be short on your boot-licking quota for the month, eh?" A flash of anger shot across Seb's face and Amber took an instinctive pace backwards.

"Careful, bucket-head," Seb returned. "I'm just doing my job."

"Idas, leave it," Darien hissed before turning back to Seb. "As much as I'd love to stand here trading barbs all day, I think we've all got better things to do, don't you?"

"Follow me." Seb nodded to his companions and the pair promptly stepped into flanking positions around them. Amber caught the sidelong glare of the girl. Her eyes were golden beneath a head of short charcoal hair, and her small mouth seemed set in a permanent grimace. Amber turned her eyes forward and walked with them in silence, unwilling to get involved in that staring contest.

They turned through several iron coloured hallways within the station and she examined the rooms they passed as best she could. A lot of them were offices and mapping rooms stuffed with computers and administrative staff. Most of them were adults, but she saw the odd black clad operative looking over a shoulder here or examining a map there. She passed what looked like a mess hall – a large room with a gridiron arrangement of tables full of people. Here she saw several groups of operatives. Some of them were in their black fatigues while others wore casual clothes, adding a wash of colour to the monochrome functionality of the station.

"How many operatives are there?" she asked, momentarily forgetting the company she was in.

Seb gave her a weary glance. "Twenty five teams. Most on site, some out on assignment."

"The numbers vary," Darien elaborated. "We're always looking for new recruits and staff turnover around here can be high."

"I'm sure Darien can give you the guided tour later," Seb interrupted. "Right now we have more important issues to deal with." He stopped at the end of the corridor where a formidable set of double doors waited, flanked by two armed guards. Amber noticed they weren't Blink operatives though. These two hulking individuals were adults clad in the deep evergreen flak jackets of colonial marines.

Seb nodded to them and one guard turned and punched a code into the panel on the left side of the door. With a hiss of retracting mechanisms the two steel slabs that made up the blast door slid aside, revealing a long corridor beyond with a more modest office door at its end. The plaque at its centre simply read: .

"Doesn't he have a first name?" she enquired.

Darien shook his head. "No-one knows his real name. All the operators of Blink HQ are called Smith. They have access to a lot of highly classified data so they prefer to remain anonymous."

Amber raised an eyebrow but said nothing. It seemed like a bizarre practice. The others didn't seem to see it that way though, so she kept her opinions to herself and followed them to the office door. Seb pressed a button below the speaker grill built into the door.

"Seb here, Sir," he said. His tone had undergone a dramatic shift into one of total obedience. Amber wondered at the kind of man who could instil such discipline in a sneering, confrontational individual like Seb.

"Is Darien with you?" replied a voice.

"He is."

"Then send him in."

"He's brought someone else, Sir, a recruit-,"

"I know that, Seb. Send them all in."

A hurt expression flashed across Seb's face and he stepped aside, motioning toward the door with his head. "Go on then." The door swung open silently, just wide enough for Darien, Amber and Idas to file into the room.

Amber's eyes widened in surprise at the sight that greeted them. Smith's office was literally wallpapered with shelving units, each one overflowing with old fashioned file folders bulging with paper documents. In the centre of the room was a semi-circular desk surmounted by no less than four computer screens arranged in an arc. Behind them sat Smith.

He was an averagely built man clad in a suit of gun-metal grey above a silk black shirt. His pale blond hair lay in a neat closely chopped mass and he wore a set of petite spectacles. For several seconds his eyes remained rooted to the computer screens as though he were oblivious to their presence. Only when the door to his office closed did Smith swivel in his seat and look up.

"Hello," he said simply. His voice was coarse, like someone grinding stones together. He looked at Amber. "I am Smith – Smith 18 to be exact. You must be Amber Garret?"

"Err...yeah." She shifted her footing awkwardly.

"Well, Darien, I hope your insubordination ends up being in aid of something." Smith clasped his well manicured hands together and sighed. "You're sharp, Darien, and I appreciate initiative, but we have a chain of command that isn't open to interpretation."

Darien shrugged, apparently unconcerned. "Sorry, but I needed a new recruit. I wasn't going to settle for just anyone."

Amber looked at him. "You needed a new recruit?"

"Ah, I take it there are some details yet to be filled in." Smith smiled thinly. "Darien's squad is a member short at the moment, so I suppose in sense Darien, specifically, did need a new recruit. That being said, new blood is always appreciated, provided they can acquit themselves effectively." He stood up. "Amber, while you've yet to be formally tested I trust Darien wouldn't have violated his orders if he weren't sure. I suppose some small congratulations are in order. Being chosen to join Blink is quite an honour."

"Thanks," she said uncertainly. "I – well I guess I'm still kind of in the dark about exactly what I'm doing here."

"Darien is a squad leader here, and we dispatched him to Illuvari to recruit a final member for his team. He has returned with you. Over the coming weeks and months you'll be trained as a Blink operative, given all the skills and techniques you need to police the ever-growing mess that is human civilisation." Smith absently chuckled to himself before continuing. "I'll let these two capable young men show you your quarters and outfit you with a uniform. Take the rest of the day to get acclimatized to the station and its layout. If you wish you may send a message to your parents and let them know you've arrived safely. Tomorrow I would prepare for a very long day." He looked pointedly at Darien. "I don't need to remind you that she is your responsibility, do I?"

"No, Sir," Darien replied. "I'll look after her."

"See that you do." Smith returned to his seat and waved them away. "Welcome to Blink, Miss Garrett. I look forward to seeing what you are capable of."

When it became clear no further conversation was forthcoming Darien ushered her out of Smith's office and back into the hall. Seb and his entourage had departed in the interim, leaving them in an empty corridor.

"So...what's the deal with you and Seb?" Amber asked when the office door closed behind them.

Darien cracked a rueful smile. "It's stupid really. They encourage a bit of healthy competition between units. Seb runs Raptor Squad and they're considered top of the class around here. Don't get me wrong – Seb is a good operative and his team is the best in the business. It's just that he likes to remind everyone every chance he gets. It's a little...exhausting."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning we've stepped on his toes a couple of times and he doesn't like it." Idas grinned mischievously.

"Forget it," Darien said. "We butt heads from time to time, but it's nothing you need to worry about. So, what say we get you outfitted, eh? If you're going to be a Blink operative you ought to look the part."

Amber nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds good to me."

She followed Darien back out into the body of the facility with Idas shadowing them every step of the way like a bodyguard. They entered an elevator and plummeted an indeterminate distance before being released again into another set of identical corridors.

"Requisition level," Idas explained as they walked. "Uniforms, supplies, equipment, weapons – if we need it they'll have it here."

He wasn't kidding. A right turn opened out into a cavernous warehouse space packed from end to end with huge equipment storage shelves, each one dozens of feet high. She saw men and women moving up, down and side to side on small, hovering cupolas, all of them equipped with data pads as they catalogued the veritable library of gear. In front of them a long counter guarded the trove, and behind it stood a hulking bearded man in the fatigues of the colonial marines.

"Amber, this is Sergeant Duggett," Darien said. "He's the Blink quartermaster. You need any gear, he's your man."

"So you're the new kid?" Duggett looked her up and down. "One of yours then, Darien?"

"Hope so."

"I guess I'd best look out a uniform." The hulking marine disappeared behind one of the shelves for a few minutes and re-emerged holding a neatly folded bundle of black clothing. Amber caught sight of a white shark's head emblazoned on one of the shoulders. She took the hooded jacket off the top of the pile and unfolded it.

She didn't recognise the material that the body was made from. It looked like some kind of shiny leather, but it didn't feel heavy enough. A barely discernable zip ran down the front and the silken hood hung down the back.

"Try it on," Dugget said. "Might as well make sure it fits."

Amber hesitated for a moment then nodded, shedding her blue rain-breaker and slipping her arms into the jacket. The material felt unbelievably soft, softer than any of the synthetically enhanced silks and wool on Illuvari. The zip joined up with a barely audible hiss and she stood there for a moment admiring the jacket. If nothing else, she had to admit that Blink uniforms looked good.

Darien gave her a nod of approval. "Well, Amber, welcome to Hammerhead Squad."