The True Shepherd

Police sirens flare along Main Street, reflecting off the glass skyscrapers of the Eye, and cascading light as far as the eye can see. At least a dozen officers have their blasters pointed at a single man, covered head-to-toe in black attire, save for a pair of orange goggles strapped over his forehead. If not for all the commotion, Deku Ollivander would have looked completely normal to a passerby. But someone has sold him out - his identity and location revealed. Not just Deku, a citizen of Absalom Station, but a senior member of the Hotwire Bandits, one of the most violent and destructive gangs in the entire satellite. Deku looks calm on the surface, but the Haze shows us what lies within - a quiet anger, and the beginnings of a plot for revenge.
Policeman: “Deku Ollivander. Disarm any explosives on your person, and lie on the ground. You have 10 seconds to comply. If you fail to comply, we have been authorized to open fire.”
Deku lets a tight smile slip through the mask. They had likely been told to do the exact opposite, given his reputation for carrying packages with a respectively-wide blast radius. He was traveling light today, but the cops didn’t know that, and that meant he had a way out. Deku began to hatch a plan… But the universe hosts all kinds of evils. Some wait until we are at our lowest, and others arrive at a high.
A gaunt man steps into the scene, shrouded in yellow robes, seen only to Deku, and through the Haze, our dear dreamers. He is easily over nine feet tall, thin as a rail, and difficult to follow with the eye. Even the Haze struggles to protect you from the Yellow Sign, Hastur has never relied on brute force to claim his prey. He is slippery and thin, and thus hard to defend against. Still, the Haze persists, and the dream continues.
Hastur: “Let them arrest you.”
Deku stiffens, but doesn’t spin about. He is used to telepathy - the Haze shows us a history of Lashuntan girlfriends, all long gone, and few missed. Deku responds in his mind, but we hear it in his voice, plain as if spoken. Time slows to a crawl, as the police officer begins to count down from ten.
Deku: “How do I know you’re not working for them?”
Hastur: “[Laughs] You don’t. But if you’re wondering if I’ll let them send you to jail, the answer is yes.”
Deku: “This isn’t exactly a convincing argument.”
Hastur: “I dislike lies.”
Deku: “Sure. So you just won’t tell me half of what you’re really planning. I’m out.”
The Great Old One tilts his head, but you feel no emotion through the Haze. Just a thrust swiftly parried, a quick recalculation, and an experimental jab.
Hastur: “I’ll guarantee revenge against the one who betrayed you.”
Deku: “If I blow my way out of here, I can do that on my own.”
Hastur: “Yes, you are a persistent one… I’ll give you riches. Enough to leave your bandits and retire, or even fund your own group. Something far more organized…”
Deku hesitates, but doesn’t falter.
Deku: “That’s only worth a few years. I’ve almost achieved that on my own. I might be in prison for a decade, or hell, after my last few jobs, they could give me life.”
Hastur smiles, fending off another parry, and stabs deep, reaching into the argument’s heart.
Hastur: “Get arrested. You’ll be sent to Varos. Put your loyalty under Nakira, and earn your freedom. When the deed is done, I will send you the man who betrayed you on a silver platter, alive. Complete the next task Nakira gives you, and I will transfer 1 million credits in your name.”
Deku: “I told you, I’m not interested in-”
Hastur: “Complete the third task, and I’ll tell you who you really are.”
Deku does turn about then, but his expression darkens as his eyes find nothing, sliding right past the Yellow Sign. His knuckles pop as his fists clench, and Deku grinds his teeth.
Deku: “What are you?”
Hastur: “A Shepherd. The True Shepherd. Don’t worry child, I will guide you down the right path.”
Deku: “That… Fuck. Fine. I’ll take the job.”
Hastur’s grin becomes something wicked, his joy spilling off of his body like a shroud. Time spins forward. Deku raises up his hand and drops to the ground before the officer can finish counting to seven. Absalom PD swarms over him, and the dream fades.