An Unusual Briefing

“Got another mission for us, boss?” Tenuk asked as he and his crew stepped into Galyn’s office. “Is it a fun one?”

Galyn glanced down at Tenuk and grunted. “Yes, a new mission. This one should be somewhat familiar to you.”

Tenuk’s mates, Retvik, Elksi and Phovos, all sat down in the four chairs in front of Galyn’s desk.

“Familiar how so?” Phovos, the shortest of the group, asked, her legs swinging underneath her chair. “As in, we’ve been there before?”

“Somewhat. The target is in the same sub-sector where you found the abandoned candy island.”

Retvik’s shoulders dropped. “Please do not tell us that we are going to another abandoned candy island. I did not mind the giant flying monster, but the warehouse full of candy was… disappointing.”

“I thought it was fun!” Elksi interjected.

“Until you gave yourself tummy troubles…” Retvik sighed back. “Is it another candy place?”

Galyn shook his head. “No, no, this place is a somewhat… I do not want to say ‘normal’ but it is potentially a good place to have a look around. The target is an abandoned Life Goddess villa, hidden within a large, pink cloud.”

“What are we looking for?” Phovos piped up. “And surely we’re not going to be bothering any Life Goddesses or anything?”

“I have checked with both Kinisis and some other, passing Life Goddesses. It is definitely abandoned.”

Elksi nudged Phovos. “What’s wrong with Life Goddesses? You’re one.”

“I’m not a Life Goddess…” Phovos tutted.

“Well…” Galyn interrupted. “You are technically a Life Goddess, just one that has not found your inspiration yet. But that is besides the point. This mission is going to be very simple. You go in, have a look around, see if there is anything of value that a Life Goddess might want, then make your way back.”

“But wait! Why are we picking up stuff that a Life Goddess might want, when they can do anything?” Tenuk exclaimed rather loudly.

Galyn shrugged, not really sure himself. “I am not sure why, if I am honest. But this is a request from a Life Goddess named Misloyia, who passed this on to Kinisis, who then gave us this mission. We have had a few missions sent by Misloyia before, but this is the first time she has requested we do a search on Life Goddess territories. Former Life Goddess territories.”

“It seems a little too simple to me…” Retvik muttered. “I would prefer it if you could give us more information. How large is this place? Is it on solid ground or will we have to tether our ship? Will there be any security or defence mechanisms that we need to know about? What exactly do Life Goddesses like?”

“Can we loot the place?” Elksi butted in again. “I would like to loot somewhere. We have not done that in a while.”

“Yes, you can loot the place, Elksi.” Galyn picked up a pink folder and opened it up. He flicked through the pages, then handed the documents to Retvik. Inside, among the sheets of paper, there was a small, shimmering disc-like object. “Misloyia has given us this information, as well as this decoder. It should deactivate the security within the villa, should it still be active. However, we have seen zero activity in the sub-sector, so you should be safe.”

Retvik had a quick glance at the folder, then grunted. “When do you want us to set off?”

“In the next few hours, preferably. You have enough time to make yourselves a packed lunch, and have a proper read of that folder.”

The four beings all stood up from their chairs, understanding their mission.

“Alright. Let us get this over with…”