ARRIVAL

"Each of the three planets is geared towards a specific purpose. The smallest planet, called 'Small Red,' is basically a marketplace for illegal transactions and services. It is strictly under the rule of the warlords. The second planet, called 'Beggars Reef,' is a gathering place for refugees, criminals, and all sorts of lowlifes. It's so poor that neither the warlords nor the empire wants anything to do with it. It's basically a lawless land. The third and largest planet is 'Paradise.' It's where the higher end of criminal society lives, which includes the headquarters of all seven warlords. It has everything a high-end socialite needs: casinos, hotels, gambling, entertainment, you name it. As long as you have money, you can live like a king there. This planet also houses the only DPMC Branch in the system."

Cillian's attention was drawn by the mention of the DPMC branch. The Department of Pioneer Management and Control, or DPMC for short, was a joint entity formed by the human factions solely for the purpose of monitoring and controlling pioneers. Pioneers, when left to their own devices, were troublesome, to say the least, and putting pioneers under normal rules created its own problems. So the solution was to create a separate entity that operated independently of human factions and politics, one that exists to serve humanity as a whole, run by pioneers to keep pioneers in check and unify them for the common good of humanity. The DPMC was responsible for evaluating pioneers, assigning them ranks, keeping them under control, and directing them to protect humanity when needed. From childhood, Cillian wanted to join the DPMC, not just to avoid going to the military like his parents wanted, but he also aspired to venture out into the stars on grand adventures like the heroes in movies he watched in childhood. As Cillian grew up, he came to understand more about the world of pioneers and how it's not as fun as he thought it would be, but he never gave up on his dream. But now that his dream was closer than ever, he couldn't help but ask a question in his heart, "Was it worth it?" His heart ached as he thought back on all the incidents that led him here: his parents' death, him becoming a criminal, the foundation, it all could've been avoided if he had gone to the military academy like his parents wanted. What if?...

But before he could finish his thought, Cillian felt a coolness wash over his mind, clearing his mind of all doubt. It seems that the mental calming effect from his days of being mind-controlled remained even after Cillian resurrected. This was the reason why Cillian, without a tinge of hesitation, massacred all those pirates. The suppression kept his thought crystals clear among the pain, blood, and screams. But this also meant that Cillian couldn't get emotional either; he was always cool-headed to a point of being almost an emotionless AI. Cillian didn't like this, but he also appreciated the benefits that came along, like a one-minded determination to see his goals fulfilled and doing things he never would be able to do with a clear conscience without even a single bit of hesitation.

In his revived calm state, Cillian's face regained its determination. "The past will always be the past; it can't be changed even with the strongest of resonances. So the only path forward is the future, one in which the foundation is dead and gone." With his mind made up, Cillian and Simmon made their way into the inner system. Their destination: the black market on 'Little Red.'

As the ship made its way into orbit and off the planet and passed through a dozen patrol ships on the way, each scanning the ship end to end for prohibited goods or weapons. But everyone knew this was just for show. If the security force was serious about checking, then a customary scanning that can be fooled a thousand different ways isn't the best method put there. As the ship was already registered in the borderlands as a 'salvage ship,' Cillian was able to get a spot on the spaceport without much hassle. As the ship was approaching the spaceport, Cillian realized the massive amount of traffic that was moving in and out of the system. The thing that amazed Cillian more was the massive warp gate that was situated in the distance through which countless ships entered and exited in a queue. 'No wonder the empire wanted this system under their control; just the toll collected from the warp gates must be a considerable amount! Not to mention all the profit from both the legal and illegal transactions on the planets.' As Cillian was admiring the empire's economic gains, Simmon walked up to Cillian. "Boss, we will dock soon. I have contacted my friend, and we can meet him in 3 hours. So should we wait till then on the ship or go to the surface?"

Cillian thought for a moment. "No, we will go to the surface as soon as we dock. How is the security down on the surface?" Cillian asked in a concerned voice.

"Don't worry, boss; the security on the planet is as good as any other planet under the empire's control. The chaotic and dangerous markets that sell illegal goods only exist in movies. Chaos isn't really good for business. So the warlords maintain a strict no-violence policy on the planet, especially in the black market areas under their direct control. If the guards catch you fighting, you will be lucky if you get out with a hefty fine; if you are unlucky, you will end up in a slave shop or mineral mine."

Cillian listened silently as Simmon further explained the planet, some rules, and even some services that the planet offers, ranging from weapons to slaves and even aliens. After some time, the ship reached its assigned position on the port and locked itself into position by connecting the main hatch to the port's airlock. There were airsealed open landing platforms available for cargo and ships that had the appropriate clearance and money, but the low-class pirates weren't one of them and had to settle for the lowest option of a basic port area. Simmon approached Cillian, who was reading something on the comm that he recently acquired. "Boss, the ship is docked, and we are clear to depart for the surface. Shall we go?"

Cillian raised his head. "Oh, we are there?"

"Yes," Simmon nodded. Cillian shut off his comm and stood up. "OK, then, before we depart, there is one more thing."

Simmon watched curiously as Cillian activated his resonance, and his body started glowing. But soon something unbelievable happened: Cillian's black hair slowly turned into golden blonde, which seemed to be glowing; his slightly brownish skin turned fairer until he was white, and his common black irises now replaced with a pair of golden ones that shone like a burning star. Simmon watched with round eyes and a wide-open mouth as the person in front of him turned into a completely different person. He couldn't help but think, "God, how many abilities does this guy have? Is he even human?" If he had known what Cillian's resonance was, he wouldn't be this surprised, but his resonance was never made public, so simmon didn't know. So Simmon just thought that all of Cillian's abilities were different when it was universally known fact that a person could only have one resonance, much less multiple, unless the resonance ability can copy or steal other abilities, but even then, the abilities aren't considered true resonances. Cillian walked to the nearby mirror and observed the changes in his appearance. 'Wow, it actually worked! I knew it was theoretically possible, but to make it usable wasn't as easy. It is taking up some of my concentration to control the energy absorption to such a fine scale to adjust just my hair color, skin tone, and eyes but it will definitely worth it . This may be a very useful trick to have once I have more control over it.' Cillian, satisfied by his little experiment, walked up to Simmon and tapped him on the shoulder to wake him up. "Quit daydreaming, and let's go."

"Sure, boss," Simmon answered awkwardly but didn't question his transformation at all because he knew he wasn't getting one.