by D. J. Holmes
“Things are going to be okay,” Alexandra said. “This is a good plan. And don’t forget, I am just behind you if you need me.”
Sarah nodded. Destiny was lying in stealth ten light seconds away from the asteroid she was approaching. Elaijar was a massive asteroid pirates had mined out and turned into a hideout almost half a century ago. As they had travelled to Elaijar, Sarah, Divar and Alexandra had discussed a number of different options for approaching the base. In the end, they had decided the least confrontational approach would be best. As a result, Sarah and Divar were on-board Lady Luck’s shuttle. They had moved what was left of Lady Luck’s crew into another hangar so that they could make use of the shuttle. Sarah had been tempted to dump the pirates on Elaijar but she didn’t want anyone on the asteroid finding out about Destiny. It would only attract another attempt to capture the Elder ship. She had tried talking to them to see if she could get any useful information out of them but they had proved useless. Draxler and Angrave had liked to keep their crew in the dark about almost everything.
As she thought of Destiny, Sarah had to admit that a part of her unease was coming from not having a direct link to Alexandra. It left her feeling naked. The ten second delay between their communication was unnerving. It didn’t help that Alexandra could only communicate with her in burst COM messages designed to mimic the background electromagnetic radiation given off by the system’s star. Anything more and Alexandra would give Destiny’s position away.
“Unidentified shuttle, this is Elaijar control. Identify yourself or we will open fire,” a stern voice said across an open COM channel, pulling Sarah away from her thoughts.
Divar looked over to Sarah and began to speak after she gave him a nod. “This is shuttle alpha two of the starship Traveler. We are here to open negotiations with several business partners based in Elaijar. We request permission to dock.”
“Where is your mother ship?” the voice asked uncompromisingly.
“Our Captain is waiting at the edge of the system’s mass shadow with Traveler. He sent us to negotiate on his behalf. He doesn’t want to put Traveler in any danger,” Divar said.
“Very well,” the voice replied. “He can take whatever risks with his crew he wants. I’m opening access gate five for you. You will be registered once you land. If you cause any trouble on Elaijar, your shuttle and all your possessions will be confiscated. Your Captain will have to pay a fine to get you back.”
“We understand,” Divar replied.
As the shuttle circled the asteroid, a small opening appeared. It was just twice the size of the shuttle. “I guess they want us to go in there,” she said as she pointed to the opening.
Divar’s jaw hung open as he stared at where they were expected to go. Sarah couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry about it, this is no sweat.”
To show him she had full confidence in her abilities, Sarah sent the shuttle into a rapid dive towards the asteroid. Divar let out a small squeak of alarm as they rapidly approached the opening. At the last second, Sarah fired the shuttle’s breaking thrusters and pivoted so they were perfectly aligned with the opening. As smoothly as she could, she guided them down the last one hundred meters to the opening and then through it.
The sight that greeted her made her jaw fall open. “Unbelievable,” she said as she stared all around. It looked like the entire inside of the asteroid had been hollowed out to form one large cavern. The cavern was fully lit and docked all around its walls were pirate ships. After doing a quick count, Sarah guessed there were more than twenty ships of various shapes and sizes.
“This is some set up,” Divar said.
“I hope it means they have anti-matter production facilities,” Sarah said.
Before Divar could respond, the stern voice was once again giving them commands over the COM channel. “Shuttle alpha two, proceed to docking bay forty-three.”
“Understood,” Divar replied. Moments later, information came over the COM channel that highlighted an empty docking bay flanked by two large pirate ships. “I hope our neighbors prove to be friendly,” he said to Sarah as they approached their allotted docking bay.
“Me too,” Sarah said as two large laser cannons came into view on one of the pirate ships. “A whole lot could happen before Destiny would be able to come and rescue us.
Once the shuttle was safely docked, Sarah and Divar made their way towards the rear access ramp. Before they stepped out, they holstered two laser blasters. Between them they had only accompanied Draxler to two pirate hideouts, both he had frequented a handful of times. Elaijar had been one of them, though only Divar had set foot on the asteroid. His experience told them it was vital to look intimidating.
“I guess this is it,” Divar said as he hefted a large laser rifle. He was going to be playing the role of Sarah’s bodyguard.
“Let’s get this over with then,” Sarah responded. “I feel naked being away from Destiny.”
“I know what you mean,” Divar said, nodding. “I actually felt safer visiting Elaijar with Draxler.”
Sarah wasn’t surprised. Though she hadn’t accompanied Draxler onto the asteroid the last time Lady Luck had visited the hideout, Divar had told her enough that she wasn’t looking forward to the experience. Having Draxler with his reputation to protect her would have made her feel a little safer right now.
As they stepped off the shuttle, they were greeted by four security personnel. All four had blasters pointed at them. Rather than raise their arms, Divar and Sarah simply stepped forward. Though they were careful not to make any sudden movements.
“Hold out your arms,” one of the pirates said.
Complying, Sarah and Divar quickly found a bracelet strapped around their arms and then pulled uncomfortably tight.
“If you take these off without permission you will be ejected from the asteroid. If our internal sensors detect you doing anything against the rules, or entering any restricted sections of the asteroid, we will immediately confiscate your shuttle. Otherwise, you are free to do whatever you want. We will remove the identity bracelets once you are ready to leave Elaijar,” the pirate explained.
“Thank you,” was all Sarah could think to say. Without looking back, she led Divar away from the docking bay and into the asteroid. Overhead signs gave clear directions towards the main bazaar where most of the trading between pirates happened. They were unlikely to find someone who had access to anti-matter there, however, they were hoping to find someone who could point them in the right direction.
As she stepped out of the corridor into a large chamber, Sarah was reminded of the slave markets of Kashal. There were hundreds, maybe even a thousand different aliens milling around the stalls. There were at least fifty different species present. For a second, Sarah stopped in her tracks and simply stared around her at the vast array of colors, body shapes, appendages and faces. It had been more than a decade since she had been on Kashal. As a spark of hope shot through her, she looked around intently for another being from her species.
“Keep moving,” Divar whispered. “We’re supposed to be pirates used to this kind of environment.”
Startled, Sarah quickly began moving again. Though she kept eyeing the different aliens carefully. Inwardly she shook herself, she couldn’t make such silly mistakes. Staring around like an unseasoned spacer would blow their cover for sure. Making more of an effort to play the role of a pirate trader, she led Divar around the bazaar and took her time investigating a number of different stalls. More than once she had to stop herself from looking too inquisitive, or asking too many questions. The range of technological devices on sale was mind boggling. There were so many things she didn’t understand as to what they were or how they worked. Beyond the technology, there were slaves for sale. Sarah was careful to avoid them. Even the sight of someone else in a slave collar still sent shivers down her spine. As much as she might want to help the slaves, she knew there was nothing she could do for them.
“This looks like the kind of
person we are interested in,” Divar said as they approached another stall.
Sarah recognized what Divar had told her to look out for. The stall itself held very little to attract anyone. There were a few odds and ends but nothing that suggested the storekeeper would be able to make a living from selling the inventory he had. He obviously dealt in other commodities. As they approached, a large alien emerged from behind a series of drapes covering the rear of the stall. The alien walked on two legs and had two arms, though there its resemblance to Sarah stopped. The creature had not one hair on its orange body. Its face seemed to jut out of its chest at a ninety-degree angle. As it walked, more than four ripples of belly fat bounced up and down.
“How may I help you?” The alien asked as it waddled up to the edge of it stall. “Perhaps you would like some recommissioned power relays. I repaired them myself so I can vouch for their reliability.”
“We’re not looking for any hardware,” Sarah said as she leaned in closer to the alien, just as Divar had instructed her. “We are looking for a person with access to a certain rare commodity. We were hoping you would be able to help us locate such a person.”
“Ah,” the alien said leaning in towards Sarah. A knowing smile on its face. “You’re looking for information, I understand. Well, you’ve come to the right place. Hangal knows everybody. I’m sure for the right price, I can put you in contact with the kind of person you’re looking for. What is this rare commodity that you desire?”
Sarah felt her nerves return. This was the most dangerous part of their plan. There weren’t many uses for anti-matter that didn’t involve Elder technology. If Hangal became suspicious, he might report them to whatever pirates ran Elaijar.
When Divar let out a small cough, Sarah realized she had delayed answering Hangal. “Anti-matter,” she blurted out. “We are looking for anti-matter. Our Captain is waiting at the edge of the system. She has a contact on a Tier Two colony willing to pay a handsome price for some anti-matter. Is there anyone on Elaijar that can produce some for us?”
“Hhmm,” Hangal said as he leaned back and put an expression on his face that Sarah guessed was meant to suggest he was thinking hard. “There is someone that may be able to get you what you need,” he said. “Though she is a very private person. She won’t take kindly to me contacting her. If you don’t want her to refuse to meet with you, you will have to give her a small amount of credits to show you are genuine. Of course, that would be on top of my fee.”
“Of course,” Sarah said, though she suspected Hangal was lying about the extra credits. This was simply how the game was played. “That’s acceptable. As long as your price for this contact is within reason. What are we talking about?”
“Thirty thousand credits,” Hangal said. “And another twenty for my contact.”
“That’s steep,” Sarah replied, playing her role.
“What you’re after is a rare commodity and not everyone can facilitate such a deal,” Hangal responded.
“Twenty thousand credits should be more than enough for simply putting us in contact with someone who can meet our needs,” Sarah said. “And I’m sure ten thousand credits would prove to your contact that we wish to make a genuine trade.”
“Twenty-five thousand credits for me, and fifteen for my contact,” Hangal said, “that’s as low as I am prepared to go.”
“Okay, but we will only give you ten thousand credits now, and the rest after we have met with this contact of yours,” Sarah said.
Hangal made a face that suggested he was thinking hard again. “That will be acceptable,” he said after a few moments.
“Then we have a deal,” Sarah said.
“A deal it is,” Hangal replied.
Sarah turned around and reached into the backpack Divar was carrying. After punching an access code, the pack opened enough to allow her to put her hand in. Carefully she pulled out a single platinum bar. “This should be enough to cover your price and then some, I want the rest transferred to a credit chip” she said as she handed the bar to Hangal.
“It certainly will,” Hangal said as his eyes lit up. “I will get it exchanged for credits and then arrange a meeting with my contact.
Sarah tried not to roll her eyes. She was sure Hangal would take more than his fair share from what the platinum bar was worth. Yet, she wanted the information broker to know they had access to platinum bars. It would mean he would take their request seriously. If he was helpful to them, there was always the possibility they may need him for something else. Plus, she knew that if she took their platinum bars to someone else to exchange, they would likely over charge her as well. Perhaps by even more than Hangal would. Every black colony had to have its own economy. They couldn’t gain access to the credit banks on Elder worlds and so credit chips couldn’t be used in different black colonies. As a result, gold and platinum were the commodities used in black market trades.
“Can we stay in the rear of your stall until the meeting has been arranged?” Sarah asked. She had already noticed more than one pirate eyeing them menacingly as they strode around the bazaar. She didn’t want to run into any trouble and staying out of the way seemed like the best way to do that.
“Certainly, certainly,” Hangal said. “You can stay as long as you need to until I have arranged a meeting with my contact. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable.”
As she pushed her way through the drapes, Sarah walked into a small room. The only furniture was a handful of pillows piled up in one corner. “You can rest here,” Hangal said as he pointed to the pillows.
“Thank you,” Sarah said diplomatically.
“Good, good. I’ll be back as soon as I get your credits and arrange a meeting,” Hangal said as he turned to leave.
With nothing else to do, Sarah carefully lowered herself onto the pillows. Divar walked over to her side but remained standing. “Waiting is almost worse than blindly searching from stall to stall for someone to talk with. These pirates make my spine tingle,” he said after a few moments.
“Hopefully Hangal will be able to meet our needs,” Sarah replied. “It was generous of him to allow us to wait at his stall. He certainly has some impressive gizmos on display. I’m sure he’s got some even more sophisticated ones back here.”
Divar looked at her funny, confused by her comment. Then he slowly nodded to show he understood. Good, Sarah thought. If he is recording us, it’s best we don’t break out of character. Shifting in her pillows to turn her back to Divar, she brought out a datapad she had brought with her from Destiny. Ignoring her lowly bodyguard, she began to read some technical specifications Alexandra had recommended to her.
*
An hour later, Hangal pushed his way through the drapes. “Ah, you are still here. That is good,” he said with a smile. “I have exchanged your platinum bar and set up the meeting you requested. My contact was eager to meet you, she has requested you come and meet with her at your earliest convenience. I am ready to show you the way to the meeting place.”
“Perfect,” Sarah said as she jumped to her feet. “And you have that credit chip for me?”
“Of course, of course,” Hangal said as he reached into a pouch that poked out between two rolls of belly fat. “Here you go, that should be plenty of credits to get yourself a nice meal and book some upscale accommodation on Elaijar until your shipment of anti-matter is ready.”
“I’m pleased to hear it,” Sarah replied. “We are eager to open negotiations with this contact of yours, you may lead us to the meeting place.”
“It is not far,” Hangal said as he turned and made his way out of his stall.
As they walked through the asteroid, Hangal give them a running commentary on the different sections they entered. Some sections were owned by the pirates who ran the asteroid. Other sections were owned by individual pirates or pirate clans. Twice, they had to pay a small fee to simply walk through a section of the asteroid. Sarah found the whole experience bizarre. She was more than pleased that Hang
al had volunteered to escort them. She wasn’t sure if she and Divar would have made it safely to the meeting point without him.
“This is it,” Hangal said as he came to a stop beside a large circular access hatch.
“Thank you for leading us here,” Sarah said. “You have been more than helpful, I think you deserve a few more credits.” As she spoke, she pulled out her credit chip. Hangal brought his out too and after Sarah typed a couple of commands into her own, she held her credit chip up for Hangal to make the transfer.
“You’re most generous,” Hangal said after he saw how many credits Sarah had given him.
“Will you be able to wait here until we are done? I’m sure we would appreciate an escort back to the main bazaar,” she said.
“Alas, I have other business to attend to. But do not worry, once you have met with my contact, she will give you a transaction chip. It will let everyone else on Elaijar know you are doing business with her. Until the business is done, many of the other pirates will think you have come under her protection.”