075. Gugus Niskala

Bandung, Indonesia.
A dark brown-skinned man with long, tied-up wavy hair briskly walked past neatly stacked stage frames in a small building. Thick wooden boards were arranged chest-high, forming a labyrinth. Above them, colorful cloths hung like curtains. Further inside, various-sized speakers were neatly lined up in the building's corners.
Residents recognized the small building as the warehouse of Purwajaya Pesta, an event equipment and sound system rental company owned by Beni Rustandi. However, not many people knew who the owner of the company, who was always friendly and generous, truly was. And certainly, not even Beni knew what was hidden beneath the building except for the former members of Division 96.
At one desolate corner inside the building, the wavy-haired man brought one of his eyes closer to a mirror after placing his palm on its surface. Suddenly, the wall beside the mirror spun, revealing a row of stairs descending into a pitch-dark corridor. With a vigilant gaze, the man made sure no one was around before entering its darkness.
Not long after the faint sound of the wall closing, he stood in front of a door made of thick metal. The pitch-dark surroundings seemed to have no effect on the vision of the robust man. Calmly, he typed the password by pressing the buttons of a small keyboard on the wall beside the door. After a few moments, a soft hiss was heard before the door finally opened.
The sudden bright light piercing through the darkness forced the man to squint. The various security protocols earlier seemed to serve the purpose of hiding a spacious room that appeared to be a combination of a workshop, laboratory, and meeting room. Several people were already seated around a wide oval table. They nodded towards the man, who pulled a chair and sat down.
"Jalu?"
"Buying cigarettes at the kiosk in the street corner," the dark brown-skinned man who turned out to be Martin answered the brief question from the glasses-wearing woman seated across from him.
"Has he fully recovered?" asked a burly man with dark skin and expansive curly hair on his head.
"Rascals like Jalu don't die easily," Martin quipped, replied by laughter from everyone in the soundproof room.
That day, all former members of Division 96 gathered to distribute tasks after their task force was reinstated. However, there was nothing on the table except bottles of mineral water. Suddenly, a loud ring echoed from the direction of the door for a moment before opening. A handsome man with a top-knot undercut hairstyle entered the room with a cigarette between his lips.
"Thirty-two people," said the bespectacled man who appeared scholarly with neatly dressed attire and combed hair. "The circle is now perfectly closed with your presence, Jalu."
"Mr. Wardhani will return soon after Mr. Volkov provides him with a new identity, Erwin," Jalu informed. "The same goes for all former members of Division 96 scattered around the world. I have secured a means of transportation for them."
Erwin's face lit up before quickly turning somber.
"Have you heard the recorded message from the late Mr. Adiwira?"
"I've heard my father's recording for the EPCU, for all of us, and the one he recorded for me," Jalu answered Erwin's question. "And now that I've known the truth, all that I'm still struggling against is my own regrets."
"Does that mean you'll stop hunting officials of the Regime?" asked the young man named Binsar.
"From the message my father left, I know there are still good people working within the Regime. But that won't change my plan to eliminate the remaining pigs one by one or all at once!"
Suddenly, Binsar threw something toward Jalu, who just as swiftly caught the small object. It was a folded piece of paper. Jalu stared sharply at the sturdy man before unfolding it. Thirteen names were written on the paper. Names which Jalu recognized as officials of the Regime.
"What's this?" he asked.
"A hit list." Binsar lit a cigarette. "Of the four Party members you put down, only Supriyatno and Anton Legowo were actually involved in the June 9th incident. Them and the thirteen names in your hands."
Jalu stared at his friend, puzzled. Binsar was the most opposed to his actions when they first regrouped. But then, for unknown reasons, he handed over a list of names to guide the very actions he had opposed.
"Some of them aren't human," Binsar continued. "I've been trying to investigate, but always hindered by various things."
Jalu smiled with a reassuring look in his eyes.
"For these thirteen names, just leave it to me," he asserted. "Your body and mind are needed in the early stages of our new organization."
"Gugus Niskala," Erwin announced, revealing the new name replacing Division 96.
"You must be the one who chose that name, Manus!" Jalu pointed at a man with messy long hair who was tapping his pre-lighted cigarette against the table. "Yvette really liked the word 'niskala,' claiming it has many meanings in several languages and cultures."
"I just took the meaning in Indonesian," said the man called Manus. "We shall dance in the shadows, orchestrating a clandestine ballet of discretion. Fragmented, yet intricately linked, we weave a mosaic of the ethereal—an abstract, intangible symphony concealed in the very essence of life."
"Poet at heart," Martin commented. "Every time you speak, I feel like I'm attending a language course."
"I can't let our family have a name that's too plain, my friend," Manus replied. "We can't lose to names like 'Penyempurna Regime' or ‘Gelombang Pembaharu Party’!'"
"Unfortunately, everyone will only call us by its acronym," said Edo. "The GN."
The Papuan’s banter broke the tension in an instant, triggering a wave of laughter that rippled through the room. It was as if a collective weight had been lifted, and the atmosphere brightened, filled with shared joy and camaraderie.
As the laughter faded, the group naturally shifted to more serious matters. Their focus turned to the upcoming activities for Gugus Niskala. The discussion flowed easily, with everyone aligned in their decision. Erwin, with his steady leadership and unshakable resolve, was unanimously appointed to spearhead the mission. Nods of approval followed as his new role was confirmed.