Fragments of a Past
With long strides and folded arms behind my back, I walked through the elongated and wide halls. A few staff members walked by, greeting me. I nodded in response.
The morning sun was shining brightly outside. Rays reflected across my face.
Days like these made my wife's mood brighter. She would always drag me to the garden for a picnic. Force me to dress the part.
Have tea with her and… our daughter.
A faint smile crossed my face, remembering her.
She would ask for rides on my back.
That life felt distant now.
A memory from another time.
I entered the code, and the door slid open. I stepped inside, walking over to my desk.
Stella had requested the key to the deep archives of GOU. I told her I would give access, but it was not in my hand.
The key was being guarded by the high council, the place once my great-grandfather sat.
I settled down on my chair, turning on my computer.
9:00 AM.
I began typing out an intergalactic mail to the Grand Directorate.
My thoughts kept returning to Stella and the conversation we shared last night. She was hiding something from me.
About White Watch.
Did they both know each other? Childhood friends? Nemesis?
White Watch didn't behave oddly around Stella but Stella on the other hand…
Was she holding a grudge against White Watch?
My fingers moved to search White Watch.
Zia White.
Maybe I would find something in her records to tell me what was going on between her and Stella.
Arena Database
Name: Zia White
Job: Journalist—works at Delton News
Age: 27
Ability Classification: Invisibility — evaluation ongoing
Background: Civilian
Parents: Dead
Sibling: Nathan White
Evaluation Log:
— Subject maintains consistent behavior under stress.
— No combat specialization recorded.
File Status: Incomplete — further documentation pending
There was nothing pointing to a firm reason for Stella voting in favor.
Stella was smart—she analysed people like Agile.
I examined her. I could tell White Watch would not integrate into the arena—hence why I didn't vote in her favor.
Mr. Ojamaris gave a reason for voting in her favor. He saw her future—he told me.
I allowed his judgement, but I had my own judgement—I didn't find White Watch's tactic strong enough to integrate into the arena. Hence why Ms. Reaver did what she did with White Watch—a brutal ritual a few days ago.
White Watch was not fit for this arena.
Yet, Stella went out of her way to get her here.
Why?
What was at play?
10:01 AM.
Time to return to the main focus. Reaching out to the Grand Directorate.**
They were the ones who could issue me the key and then I can pass it to Stella for GOU full access.
10:42 AM.
No response.
They should have responded by now.
Sigh.
The new council was nothing like what my Great Grandfather had envisioned.
He wanted to unite the universe and bring peace to the most conflicted parts of the universe.
The new Directorate line wasn't fulfilling my great grandfather's legacy.
I leaned against the chair. I took off my glasses, rubbing the bridge of my nose.
Rays of light reflected onto my amber eyes.
It seemed I have to personally head to the Grand Directorate.
Silence was never a good sign.
⋆⋆⋆
Notes
Grand Directorate: The supreme council of the GOU (Guardians of the Unirex), overseeing interstellar governance, enforcement, and the distribution of powerful resources across the universe. Its decisions shape the fate of worlds—and those who guard them.