[Lauchenoiria]

(Jointly written with Xiomera)

The sun hadn’t yet risen when the pair of Auroras crossed the Intra-Xiomeran Canal on a wooden raft that could be mistaken from afar as driftwood. In spite of this, they were over the water quickly, timing their entry to avoid the border guards. Once they hit the tree line, it was likely they’d have to knock some people unconscious, but they were prepared for this. They followed the plan to the letter, and nobody saw their faces as they made their way into Xiomera to blend in with the crowds and make their way to the rendezvous.

On the other side of the country, the Xiomeran navy spotted an unregistered craft and approached, to find a boat empty of humans but containing several bags of cocaine and some cheap-looking guns. While they were distracted dealing with this, the misdirection had allowed yet more of the Aurora’s team to land on the shore and vanish into the population as if they’d always been there. How they managed to accomplish this would remain a secret from all those who weren’t privy to the machinations of Auroras.

Not all the entries went as smoothly. The final trio of Auroras stumbled upon a group of guards in the woods that shouldn’t have been there, according to their plans. They managed to dispatch the entire group, then ran across the problem of explaining the dead guards. They thus wasted time tracking down a jaguar and attempting to make the scene look like a fight between the guards and wild animals. It was a shoddy job, by the standards of Auroras, but it merely had to confuse those who stumbled upon it, rather than convince them forever.

The Huenyan team entering Xiomera had a much easier time of it, simply because they were able to blend in as Xiomerans. Tlalmaxxi’s ASI experience had enabled them to put together credible identities if anyone had run across them as they snuck across the border at Zapotlán. Fortunately, no one did. In twos and threes, the Huenyans made their way across the border at unguarded points, managing to blend in. Even months after the war, a jumbled press of people was still streaming between Huenya and Xiomera, either fleeing from the rise of Calhualyana’s Empire or running to it and away from the emerging Huenya.

The Shorn Ones in the group had to cut off their distinctive braids and remove their traditional face paint before making the crossing. Likewise, when crossing, Huatli and Tlalmaxxi had to adopt every trick in Tlalmaxxi’s old ASI disguise repertoire to make it across. But in the end, they had made it. The next task for the groups was to make it to the Imperial capital, and to Zipacpepe. Zipacpepe was the worst slum in all of Xiomera, a virtual no-man's-land where only the most destitute lived, and criminal gangs ruled. No Xiomeran Emperor had ever managed to tame Zipacpepe, and its residents lived in an uneasy ceasefire with the Imperial Police and the government. No one, especially foreigners, ever voluntarily went to Zipacpepe. But it was only there, of any place in Tlālacuetztla, that the group would be safe from the prying eyes of the Empress.

*

Xing Yawen took a deep breath as she stood to address the group. She spoke softly, so they could only barely hear her, and she tried her hardest to avoid mentioning any terms that would cause suspicion, even though they'd swept for bugs twice as many times as protocol demanded. This was, even for Auroras, one of the most dangerous things they'd ever attempted.

"So are we all clear on our roles? When we arrive at the location we take the lead from the Huenyans, we take our designated places and we are careful to use our equipment as little as possible to reduce sound and suspicion. We are here to help our own, not to harm others. Are there any further questions about the logistics before we settle down for the night?"

”The only thing I would add is this,” Huatli said. “Please make sure to follow any commands we may give without hesitation once we are inside the location, particularly hers,” Huatli said while pointing to Tlalmaxxi. “She knows the location better than anyone here. Even if she says to do something that may not make sense...just do it. We cannot afford to make any mistakes, so please trust us to guide you. You have all seen the blueprints, but we know the place. Blueprints can lie. Firsthand knowledge can too....but not as likely that it will.”

“If there are any other questions that you have, or anything else you need for your....visit tomorrow, let us know as well.” Amequic, their host, nodded as he stretched his arms over his head and stifled a yawn. “Also, once you are done, I will add this: get back here as fast as you can. The streets of Tlālacuetztla are not safe for you. But in Zipacpepe, we rule, not the police.” By we, Amequic meant the Xiomeran criminal underground that controlled Zipacpepe so tightly that even the police had trouble gaining access.

"Duly noted," Yawen nodded. "This is going to be dangerous, of course. There is a chance not all of us will come back. We need to be prepared for that. If there is anything you have to do tonight to make peace with the world, this is your chance. You may not get another."

A silence fell across the group as they considered Xing Yawen's words. This was a risk, a huge one. Everyone there had accepted the risks, the possibility that this would be their final destination. But hearing it aloud, the night before, was intimidating even to the Auroras in the room.

Amequic shrugged. “Everyone dies someday, that is guaranteed. We may die for harboring you here and helping you. But it will be worth it, to stick our finger in the government’s eye,” he said with a hearty laugh. “Besides, if you’re going to die someday anyway, might as well accomplish something while doing so instead of passing away in your bed as a frail old person wondering what you could have done.”

"I think that's quite enough talk of death," Riley Nelson interrupted. "All of us need to do what we need to do to prepare for a dangerous mission. What will be will be, we ought to focus on our preparations and not speculation."

”Agreed,” Tlalmaxxi said. Like Riley, and in good ASI fashion, she was now laser focused on completing the mission at hand. “I would recommend that you all check your equipment and kit thoroughly tonight before sleeping. Make sure you have everything you need, make sure it’s working. Our task will be hard enough without equipment malfunctions or lacking supplies causing issues.”

Several Auroras nodded, heading off to do their checks. Riley herself remained, eyes closed in the middle of a deep breathing exercise, while Samantha Collinsgate rolled her eyes. Each of them prepared in their own way, and each of them processed their own emotions about this. Those Auroras who served the Robinson family in particular, knew just how important this mission was. And all of them were desperate to succeed.

Amequic shrugged once more, not sure why Riley or Tlalmaxxi had objected to the discussion of the very real possibility that people would die on this mission. But for people in Zipacpepe, death was as common as seeing the sun rise each day; residents of Xiomera’s worst slum were too well acquainted with it to be bothered by it. He walked out of the room to make sure the security at the safe house was alert, and that his own people had everything they needed.

Huatli chose to prepare herself for the mission the way a Xiomeran (and now, Huenyan) soldier would. She meticulously cleaned and assembled her many weapons, making sure they functioned perfectly. She then went over everything else in her kit, making sure it was in order, before packing everything away. She then began performing a series of stretching and movement exercises; making sure her body was also in working order for the mission was essential. The exercises also helped focus her mind for what lay ahead.

Tlalmaxxi, for her part, spent her time reviewing, and re-reviewing, their entry plan and exit plan, as well as the diagrams and blueprints for the site and the surrounding area. She would be taking the lead in getting people into, and out of, the site. She had to make sure her knowledge was as sharp as her weapons. When she was finally satisfied with her planning, Tlalmaxxi then turned to making sure her own equipment was in order, before going out to the courtyard of the safe house to jog around the interior walls. Her effort helped keep her mentally focused - and too distracted to consider the possibility that she might not make it back home to see her husband or her son.