season-of-hidden-agenda

Yerk Vega

Lore Entry: “Loaded Dice”

Private journal log — encrypted entry, never shared. Logged during a patrol lull.

Yerk Vega [Text-to-log transcription]:

“It’s weird, isn’t it? How you can be surrounded by a fireteam who’d take a bullet for you—hell, I’d take one for them—but still feel like the outsider.”

“Vanessa makes it look easy. She trusts like it’s air. Harlo watches everything, even the stuff I hide. Kaniss… I swear she hears your heartbeat before you say a word.”

“Me? I keep rolling dice hoping I land on silence.”

“People think I love the thrill—the edge. But the edge is just quiet. That split second where it’s all motion, no thought. Where no one’s asking what you’re feeling. Because you’re not.”

“Sometimes I wonder if they know I only ever count the odds so I don’t have to count on anyone.”

Pause. Entry ends without sign-off.

Harlo-9

Lore Entry: “In Case I Break Again”

Unsent backup log – stored in a hidden directory inside Gidjitt’s custom folder.

Harlo-9 [Internal Log]:

“I don’t talk much. That’s not a malfunction—it’s a filter. Most things don’t need to be said.”

“But sometimes… I worry about breaking again.”

“Not my plating. Not my wiring. I mean the pieces they couldn’t replace. The moments when I hesitate. The glitches in silence.”

“Vega rebuilt me. That should’ve been enough. But he keeps checking my vitals like he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“Vanessa trusts me to carry weight she won’t say out loud. I hear it in how she hesitates before handing me her notes.”

“Even Dannie, for all her noise, keeps leaving tools next to my workspace. Stuff I didn’t ask for… but needed.”

“I don’t know what that means. I just know it matters.”

“So this log isn’t for them. It’s for me.”

“In case I break again, I want to remember they cared before I did.”

[Log not transmitted. Archived by Gidjitt.]

Vanessa Winterfield

Lore Entry: “Threadlings Named, Threadlings Known” Vanessa Winterfield’s Journal – Entry #224, Roll 3

“I finally stopped long enough to name them properly. They’re more than extensions of me—they feel like little echoes of my moods. Pipp says I’m overthinking it, but then again, she added doodles to this page without asking, so I think we’re even.”

• Milo – The curious one. Always darts too far ahead, but never loses the thread. Like a question I forgot I asked.

• Skritch – Wobbles when he runs. Kind of adorable. Possibly the reason Zakk got webbed mid-dash last week.

• Button – Smallest. Slowest. But she’s the one who always returns first. She remembers where we started.

• Jinxie – The rogue. Probably has knives. Definitely has issues. I love her the most.

• Clove – Likes to sit on my shoulder when I’m writing. Quiet. Observant. The only one Kaniss has ever complimented.

• Fizz – Bounces. Literally. Launched herself off a Scorn Captain’s head and did a mid-air spin. Harlo said “solid engineering,” which I think means she’s family now.

“I think people think I’m joking when I talk about them. But these little knots of thought? They listen. They remember. They’re my soft army, my scribbled notes in the margins of chaos.” “And if one of them misbehaves… well… that’s just part of the poem.”

Kaniss Romletté

Lore Entry: “Threading the Static” Kaniss Romletté’s Field Notes – Fragment #038 “Static is not chaos.” “It is pattern waiting to settle.”

The trap failed—only by half a second. The tether was too far left. I relied too much on Zin’s read and not enough on the terrain pulse. The Thrall slipped the edge of the net and grazed Vanessa’s arm. She laughed it off. That… made it worse.

I tuned it again after she went to sleep. Changed the angle. The latency. The discharge timing.

I based the new trap on a spider called the Net-Caster. They hang upside down. Wait. Time every motion by moonlight. It feels right. Like the static understands.

The others joke with each other. I write. They fight with instinct. I study. They speak loudly. I respond with a snare. “I do not need to shout.” “My arc will speak for me.”

Zakk Romletté

Lore Entry: “Ritual 7: Echo of the Hollow Star”

Zakk Romletté’s Private Notes – Not shared with Bravo-7

I found another passage. Nötivart wrote that the Void is not an absence—but a memory unspoken. That every silence is an echo waiting to be named. I recited it at the edge of a collapsed moon vent near Io. The wind whistled like it knew. I tried shaping the glyph again. The triangle-within-a-circle. A mark he used when weaving shields over entropy zones. Mine shattered after four seconds. Progress. I didn’t tell Vega. He’d call it a superstition. Harlo might even understand, but then he’d monitor * me. And Kaniss… she’d say I’m chasing a shadow. She’s not wrong. But Nötivart *bent the Void to remember. He made armor from sorrow. Shields from failure. Blades from grief. I can learn that. I will learn that. Vriss said I flinched in the final hold. That’s not acceptable. Not anymore. Next cycle, I’ll return to Gliese’s edge. The Hollow Star burns quiet, but it answers.

Dannie Garcia

Lore Entry: “Sparrow Tag”

*Personal log – recorded after a Bravo-7 downtime drill.&

Dannie Garcia [Audio Log]:

“So we were supposed to be running a patrol sim.”

“Kaniss had this whole grid charted. Zakk immediately rewrote the objective to ‘evade the Arc Queen for 20 minutes.’ Which—rude.”

“Vega bet five motes I couldn’t lap him on the outer ring. Harlo built a drone referee with a glowing flag. Vanessa just shouted, ‘NO BRAKES!’ and shot off like her threadlings were chasing her.”

“I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.”

[Pause. Distant sound of a small explosion. Faint laughter in the background.]

“Harlo clipped a corner and spun out near the comms tower. Vega veered straight into a bush and tried to act like it was part of the plan. Vanessa somehow lassoed Zakk’s handlebars with a Strand thread and dragged him backwards for a whole lap.”

“And me? I won. Obviously.”

“Not that it mattered.”

“It felt like old days. Like we weren’t just guardians. Like we were people who could be stupid together and still make it out whole.”

“That’s the kinda file I’m keeping. One for the wins.”

[End of log. Archived by Quasie under ‘good days.’]

Exchanges Between Others

Of Dice and Drones

Yerk, Harlo-9, And Zakk: in form of letters

To: Harlo-9 From: Yerk “Talladega” Vega Subject: You good, brother?

You’ve been quiet lately.

Gidjitt says you’ve been “recalibrating,” which we both know is code for sitting alone in a hallway with your thoughts.

If it’s about the scav run, I’m fine. Took a hit. Got up. You know me.

But just so you know—if you ever stop building weird gadgets, I’m personally going to start calling you “Harlo-7” and make you the reject of the squad.

Kidding. Kind of.

…You still owe me that dice throw back from last week. And no, a watcher drone doesn’t count as a distraction next time.

—V

To: Yerk “Talladega” Vega From: Harlo-9 Subject: Re: You good, brother?

I recalibrate to clear corrupted subroutines.

And because it’s quieter than comms during Zakk’s “Void surge solo rounds.”

I’m good. Just processing. I didn’t like seeing you get hit, that’s all.

As for the dice game—your lucky roll algorithm was exposed.

I’ll be bringing a recalibrated d20 next time. Prepare to weep.

Also, I updated Gidjitt. She now judges your outfit colors in real-time.

Consider yourself warned.

—H9

To: Vega and Harlo

From: Zakk Romletté Subject: Re: Dice and Drones

I swear, the two of you sound like old men on a rooftop yelling at clouds.

Vega, you roll dice like they owe you child support. Harlo, your recalibration protocols are just long naps with extra guilt.

And neither of you can beat me at Void Chess.

Anyway, Zin says I’m supposed to practice empathy, so: — Vega: I’m glad you’re okay. — Harlo: Your drone tried to scan my boots again. Please fix that.

Let’s spar soon. I’ll let you both lose with dignity.

—Z

A Battle Between Spiders!

Letters between Vanessa, Kaniss, And Zakk

To: Vanessa “VW” Winterfield From: Kaniss Romletté Subject: …I made something.

It’s small. Don’t laugh.

It’s a little spider-bot. A tiny one.

It doesn’t have any weapons. Just… dances. When you talk to it.

I found myself thinking about your octopus thing. The 8-legged promise. Thought maybe you’d appreciate a 6-legged handshake in return.

No need to reply. Just… thought you’d like it.

(It listens to Awoken frequencies. Might like your voice more than mine anyway.)

—K.

To: Kaniss Romletté

From: Vanessa Winterfield Subject: MY HEART IS BROKEN, YOU SHY QUEEN.

YOU CAN’T JUST BUILD A DANCING SPIDERBOT AND NOT NAME IT.

Do you want me to name it?

Can I name it??

I’m naming it. It’s called Flippy. Deal with it.

—VW

P.S. I love it.

P.P.S. Zakk said he wants one that can throw purple smoke bombs. I said no.

P.P.P.S. But also maybe yes?

To: Vanessa “VW” Winterfield

From: Zakk Romletté Subject: About that spider-bot…

So… Flippy.

It does a little shimmy every time you speak. It ignores me completely. I tried whistling in Void frequency—it farted sparks.

Kaniss says it’s “not tuned to my tone.” I think it’s just rude.

Anyway, I started building my own. It doesn’t dance.

It teleports behind people and drops small purple smokes. I call it Flop.

It’s dumb. I love it.

Also—if you ever make another necklace like the octopus one, I want in. No promises or pinkies. Just… a nod. Or a headbutt. Something voidy.

Don’t tell Vega I’m being soft in this letter. I’ve got a Void King rep to uphold.

—Z

Message From The Fast Lane

Source: Rare audio transcript – encrypted message recovered from Dannie Garcia’s Sparrow logs

Dannie Garcia [Voice Message to Bravo-7]:

“Yo. If you’re hearing this, that means Quasie actually convinced me to send the damn message… so, here goes.”

[Static crackle. Hum of Sparrow engine in background.]

“I know I’ve been ghosting a bit lately. Not literally—I mean, I’m still breathing, still shredding flame trails and breaking the sound barrier. Just… busy. The stunt company’s pulling me every which way. Kinda feels like I left my family behind, even if I didn’t mean to.”

[Pause. Sound of wind rushing.]

“Harlo—keep their gear sharp. Vega—quit pretending you’re fine, you suck at it. Zakk… don’t blow up the comms again. Kaniss, thanks for still syncing with my sparrow routes. Vanessa—your last log entry? I read it. You’re stronger than you think.”

“If Kezen starts stirring again, or whatever hive junk you’re digging through gets weird… call me. I’ll drop everything. Fast as I came in, I’ll be there.”

[Low chuckle]

“Hell, maybe even on time for once.”

—End of message—

From the Desk of Her Manager

Source: Internal Dispatch Memo – Unsent Draft Logged in Sparrow HQ

To Whom It May Concern (probably you, Vega):

Yes, I know Dannie hasn’t answered your comms. Yes, I know she left mid-debrief. No, I don’t know how she managed to slip past the jumpgate lockdown again. I manage her schedule, not her soul. She’s not AWOL—she’s just… Daniemode. For the record, she did read Vanessa’s last journal ping and said something about “making her proud.” She also told me to remind Kaniss that the fire damage to that abandoned cathedral was totally an accident. (It wasn’t. We both know it wasn’t.)

If Bravo-7 needs her, just drop a breadcrumb trail in the flame sector. She’ll find you. She always does.

—H. Treyson, Personal Manager of D. Garcia (Until burnout or retirement. Whichever wins.) —

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