My heart calmed as I returned to stirring my evening tea, the clink of the spoon against the mug the only sound in the room for several long seconds. "I see." So the empire's new "ghosts" have finally come for me. I took a sip, enjoying the sweet liquid as it warmed my core. Nothing like a mug of tea to calm the nerves.

The woman's unnatural smile never left her face. "You've been a naughty boy, Jarras! Stealing government secrets?" Condescending "tsk"s followed her statement as she unholsterered the standard imperial pistol given to Ghost-class soldiers. She pointed it at me. "But good news! I'm here to correct your crimes!"

"I see." I repeated, standing slowly. "I wonder, will you leave Cara out of this? She knows nothing." I needed to know if she was in danger.

This time her smile finally reached her eyes. "Oh, but didn't you know?" No, it can't be. Her smile widened and her arm grew stiff as she took aim. "Cara was the one who turned you in, Jarras. Did it with glee, took the money and increased status without a second thought." She had to be lying. "In fact she's known for months! She accepted more favors from the empire to watch and report." She laughed at this. Ghosts were known to be borderline sociopaths, this woman was no exception. "She's quite good, don't you agree? Perhaps she'll enter the ghost program herself. She's certainly a great lay." Her eyes widened and she brought her free hand to her mouth in mock astonishment. "Woops! Did I say that out loud?" Again, sociopaths loved to hear themselves talk.

Still, I knew my hands were trembling, it stung almost more than I could bear. I could feel hot tears bleeding at the edges of my eyesight. "I see." I repeated a third time, malice lacing my words. Will the empress continue to take everything from me, including those I love? Her corrupting influence was a cancer.

Her expression didn't change, but somehow the smile still disappeared once more from her eyes. "Well, Jarras, our time is almost up! The empress thanks you for your future service as fertilizer! Or, well, whatever she deems fit for your corpse, I suppose. I don't really care, honestly."

She took aim once more and I tapped the Ghost MK-II activation pad on my thigh. Confusion painted her face as I vanished from view and - for the first time - her smile dropped. I moved with assistance from the technology contained in the suit until I was right behind her. My training kicked in as I disarmed her and held the gun up to her head, tapping the pad again to reappear.

"Poor Ashley." She gasped as I spoke her name. "Did you not know why the emperor called us "ghosts" before your empress betrayed him, and destroyed everything he built?"

I pulled the trigger and her head exploded, her lifeless body dropping to the floor in a crumpled heap. I wiped the gun and dropped it on her corpse, then finished my tea.

I thought that Cara had been my salvation from myself. From who I was, from everything.

I thought wrong. "It's because we disappear without a trace."

I set the charges around the support beams, activated my suit again, and vanished into the night. I didn't even hear the explosion.