THE LINEAGE

Mara Yamandi was an assassin for the ruling family of Mirez. The trade has been passed down for centuries. Assassins are those who make way for powerful people. Clearing any roadblocks along the way. Mara’s great grandparents met on the job. Accidentally assassinating one of the most powerful peace keepers of the galaxy at the time. The Mirez and the ruling family has been under numerous threats from neighboring planets. Only those in the Yamadi, Caddel, and Yarbarough family are qualified to be an assassin. The children were taught crucial combat and self defense skills, but the family trade is kept secret until they are fifteen.

Mara grew up in a conservative and strict household. Her parents were government officials and often worked late nights. She was under the impression that her parents were accountants for the department of finance in Matonia, which required long unpredictable hours. One humid evening, Mara was waiting for her parents in front of the ministry of finance in Matonia city after school. For her fourteenth birthday, her parents promised dinner, as a family. Despite her excitement, she patiently waited. Planning their evening in her head, what she would order, talk to her parents about, and what her present might be, how she would react. The street where Mara waited was filled with pedestrians rushing back home. In the city of Matonia, the hustle and bustle was not a strange occurrence. Even though Mara was excited, something was different. She sees her parents walking out of the office building, tense and stressed. Their eyebrows furrowed and worry written on their faces. Her thoughts raced faster than her heart “Did they argue? Was it something I did? It must be about work, right?” Reaching the exit, her mother spots her and her facial expression immediately shifts. A smile grew and her eyebrows softened. Before she could say anything, a silent shot flew past the crowd. Mara felt the fierce bullet pierce through the air. Amari Yamandi was killed by one of the students who believed in the utilitarian doctrine preached by the man who her parents killed. She died on Mara’s fourteenth birthday.

The assassination was silenced. Citizens continued living their lives while Mara and her father, Bastian grieve the loss of Amari. Overwhelmed by pain and gripped by bitterness, Bastian rebelled against the ruling family. He lost his “accounting” job and his role as an assassin. Mara was taken away from trade school and both of them became citizens of Weichselia. Bastian kept to himself after Amari’s death, and often mumbled to himself. He promised himself he will never let Mara continue the curse that is their lineage. The grief and sorrow took over his existence, losing grip on the will to live, he decided it was time to end the family trade before Mara’s initiation. Mara lost both of her parents before she turned 15.

Desperate for an assassin, the Mirez family agents found Mara in Weichselia. Yamandi were the best killers in history. With no guardian or living relatives, Mara’s existence now belongs to the government. She went back to trade school and excelled. But the loss of her parents haunts her daily.

Mara kept to herself as the weight of their death weighs on her, like a gray cloud following her every move. One Wednesday afternoon, sweet voice shines through the gray cloud sighing “What’s Mrs. Ageda’s deal today?” Lita and Mara met at trade school, where the law states that every child must attend. The two were ideal students but their personalities were complete opposites. After Lita’s graduation, due to her performance and a few standardized personality quizzes, she was placed at a government research facility. Specifically in the department of intergalactic travels. Lita was the ideal candidate who landed a job right after Trade school and ended up working as a research assistant. Her honest, idealistic, and creative nature was what the ruling family of Mirez desired in a candidate. Mara naturally became an accountant at the department of finance, just as her parents were. The agent who found her in Weichselia, known as Lea Caddel, is her legal guardian. Mara had to learn about her family’s trade through Lea. She then started training and practicing for further combat with Lea, but through the Caddel Code of Conduct.