by Worth, Dan
‘Such as?’ scoffed Anna.
‘Well, there’s a holo on the wall behind you advertising a stage show featuring a young lady of prodigious talent and athletic prowess.’
Anna looked over her shoulder at the lurid holo depicting a nearly naked woman in various poses and laughed throatily.
‘I don’t think so, dear,’ she said smoothly and smiled. ‘Let’s find somewhere to stay, shall we?’
After consulting the station’s network and tramping down a dozen identical looking, dingily lit streets, they eventually found a small hotel near the centre of the Colony and far enough away from the constant noise emanating from the local nightlife. A bored looking Vreeth, floating behind the reception desk like a tethered airship, handed them their room key with one lazy tentacle then went back to watching what appeared to be Hyrdian pornography on the small screen behind the front desk.
They rode the creaking lift up four floors, where it deposited them into a corridor lit by weak biolumen globes and with signs pinned to the walls in several languages both human and alien. Evidently this floor contained accommodation only suited to humanoids. They found their allotted room and entered it, and found it to be just as dingy looking as the corridor outside and furnished in the most basic fashion, but it was clean and contained a terminal linked to the station’s network and entertainment channels.
Anna sat heavily on the bed’s depressingly thin mattress and frowned as she felt the jarring impact.
‘So, we wait?’ she said
‘Yep.’
‘A pity we couldn’t have waited on the ship. Even the deck is more comfortable than this bed,’ she replied, patting the mattress for emphasis.
‘Our instructions were to find accommodation on the station on the grounds that the docking bays are more likely to be watched,’ said Isaacs.
‘And how will this person find us?’
‘Who knows?’ Isaacs shrugged. ‘I guess they’ve been told how to find us.’
‘So what now, do you want to hang around this lovely establishment?’
‘Not really, no. Firstly I want to find something to eat and secondly I could do with a drink.’
‘Sounds like a plan. Let me consult this thing,’ said Anna and wandered over to the room’s terminal.
‘Okay. Let me just take a shower before we head out,’ said Isaacs and started to pull off his clothes.
‘You are adventurous’ said Anna, concentrating on the glowing screen before her.
‘What do you mean?’ Isaacs replied, looking up from the task of removing his boots.
‘Have you seen the bathroom?’
Later, the two of them found themselves sitting on a low wall that bounded a rather pathetic looking park just down the street from a row of food stalls. Isaacs munched reflectively on the kebab-like creation that he had purchased as he regarded the park’s stunted, sad looking vegetation that wilted visibly in the sickly light from biolumen poles and tried not to think too hard about the origins of the heavily spiced meat he was consuming. He had to admit, it did taste pretty good, although the proprietor of the stall – an overweight Hyrdian – had been unable or unwilling to tell him what it actually consisted of, only that it was ‘very good, very nice for humans’. Isaacs didn’t suppose that there were many cows, pigs, sheep or chickens in this part of space.
Within the park, a number of intoxicated figures from several species could be seen staggering down the paths between the half dead alien vegetation, on their way between bars or simply heading home at the end of another booze sodden or chemically enhanced evening. One, a Vreeth, seemed to be floating upside down as it made strange piping noises which Isaacs took to be its drunken singing. Sitting here he could still feel the Colony shudder and flex as the hurricane winds of Irkut battered it incessantly.
Anna looked up from her own meal, which she had been regarding suspiciously for some moments.
‘So, you want to head on over to those bars we found on the station guide? The ones that I found that didn’t look too dodgy. The ones without the pictures of naked girls outside?’
‘Yeah. Aside from the fact that I could use a drink, it would do us good to get a feel for this place, blend in, try and find out where the other human traders hang out. We are supposed to be posing as freelance traders looking for a little business on the shady side of things. We should start acting like it.’
‘You have a point. Can you at least stay reasonably sober this time? This habitat is the sort of place where I’d imagine it pays to have your wits about you.’
‘True, but if we start drinking orange juice, the other pilots are liable to have us thrown out into the street on general principles.’
‘I’ll be watching your back Cal, but I’d appreciate it if you were also watching mine, so stay sharp. Come on, let’s go.’
Following the directions that they had obtained from the station’s network, they headed back towards the edge of the disc shaped colony, back towards the section given over to the docks. Here, the streets began to get busier again, the wandering figures of revellers interspersed with those of touts, pimps, drug dealers and other hustlers. Both Isaacs and Anna were approached as they attempted to negotiate the throng. They were offered everything from cheap drinks, to exotic hallucinogens, to sex with sentient and non-sentient creatures from across much of known space. Cheaply printed flyers and business cards were pressed into their palms, only to be dropped amidst the other detritus that fouled the street, whilst muttered offers and gestures promised more illegal pleasures.
Both Isaacs and Anna were becoming irritated, and ever more paranoid at the possibility of being pick-pocketed by one the characters now trying to invade their personal space. Anna had just sworn loudly at a Vreeth that had bumped her with its foremost armour plates and had then tried to placate her with an offer of a cheap two for one drinks offer, making the mistake of then trying to slide one of its longer tentacles around her waist. Isaacs listened to her stream of creative abuse toward the creature as they strode hurriedly away and completely failed to see the tall dark figure with wild hair and beard, eyes hidden behind wrap around shades, before the man accosted him.
‘Hey man, hey. Walk with me a while,’ said the figure in a slurring voice and took a deep drag on some sort of cigarette as he fell into step with him.
‘Fuck off, okay? I’m not interested,’ said Isaacs and tried to blank him.
‘I think you are, actually. Is there somewhere we can talk?’ the man replied, keeping his voice low.
Isaacs rounded on the man, and saw his own sneering face reflected back at him in the man’s visor-like glasses. The man stank of booze and whatever it was he had been smoking.
‘Look, what part of “fuck off” do I have to translate for you? Are you deaf? I already told you, whatever it is you’re pushing, I don’t want any. So go and stick it up your arse.’
The man grabbed his jacket sleeve and pulled off his glasses, revealing a pair of intelligent, green eyes. As he spoke again, the man’s voice changed, becoming more eloquent and less throaty. The slurring had vanished entirely. He fixed Isaacs with an intent stare.
‘Caleb Isaacs, perhaps I didn’t make myself clear. You and I need to talk. This is your wife, Anna, yes?’
‘Uh yeah...’ Isaacs replied, the realisation sinking in that this was most likely their contact.
‘Thought so,’ said the man, his eyes flicking to Anna who likewise had started to catch on to what was going on. His gaze switched back to Isaacs. ‘Where were you headed?’ he asked hurriedly.
‘The big place at the end of the street, Jerry’s.’
‘Uh huh. Okay. Good choice, lots of people and noise around. Okay walk with me into this alleyway, make it look like we’re making a deal.’
‘So you know our names. Do we get to find out yours?’
‘Not yet, no.’
‘Okay...’
The man saw Isaacs’ expression and rolled his eyes. Then he leaned in and spoke in a low
voice directly into his ear.
‘Look. You were sent here to meet me, correct? I’m not going to fucking rob you, this isn’t some stupid con trick. Now get in the damn alleyway, both of you!’
The alley cut between two nearby bars, was choked with rubbish and other filth and stank of urine. Rats and other vermin scurried away into the darkness as the three humans entered, the as yet unnamed stranger leading the way. About half way down, where the darkness was particularly intense, he called a halt and turned to face them.
‘Before we go any further, I have to be sure you are who you say you are. I have to be sure you’re the same people that you were when you left Earth. You catch my drift?’
‘Yeah we do,’ said Anna. ‘You got one of those Shaper detectors? Go ahead, scan us.’
The man reached into his long dark coat and produced a scanner similar to the ones that Isaacs had seen used by Chen’s Spec Ops people, as well as a bulky laser pistol which he held loosely in one hand as he scanned both Isaacs’ and Anna’s skulls in turn. He looked at the results for a moment and then, satisfied with what they showed – that both individuals were free from Shaper parasites - he replaced the scanner inside his coat.
‘Sorry about that,’ said the man. ‘And this.’ He held up the gun before returning it to its holster beneath his left armpit. ‘I had to be sure. Now, let’s get out of here before someone comes to see what we’re doing down here, and then let’s go get a drink, and then we can talk. Just three traders making a deal over a drink, right?’
‘Right. So, do we get to find out your name now?’ Isaacs asked.
‘Sure,’ said the man. ‘Agent Steven Harris, formerly CIB. Now I’m with Special Operations Command.’ He stuck out a hand
‘Uh, pleasure,’ said Isaacs and shook it firmly.
Jerry’s was one of the few human owned drinking establishments aboard Gagat’s Colony and hence it was packed with human clientele eager to mix with their own kind, although there was a smattering of other races. Consequently, the three of them drew no attention to themselves whatsoever as they entered. Isaacs got a round of drinks in and then, threading their way through the throng of drinking, dancing and flirting revellers, they retired to one of the booths near the back of the main bar area. The sound of the music and hubbub of drunken conversation was enough to prevent anyone from casually listening in to their conversation.
‘So, Agent Harris, how did you find us so quickly? We’ve only been here a couple of hours,’ said Cal and took a grateful gulp of his beer.
‘Well, I made a few friends aboard Gagat’s Colony. Money has that effect around here. I got talking to one of the Vreeth in traffic control, and said I was looking for somebody piloting a Stallion class ship and would he mind letting me know each time a ship of that type docked here in return for a suitable fee. Apparently the local crime syndicates do it all the time. By the time you guys had cleared security I was already waiting outside for you. I tailed you for a bit to make sure you were the right people and to make sure no-one else but me was following you.’
‘And were they?’
‘Not that I could see. That’s when I decided to make my move and approach you.’
There was a commotion from the front of the bar. A fight had broken out. Craning their necks they could see drinkers backing away from two men brawling with one another. One was already streaming with blood from a wound on his forehead, the remains of a shattered beer glass in the other man’s hand providing a clue as to the cause. There were whoops and cries of encouragement as the bleeding man landed a punch on the nose of the other before two burly figures from the bar’s own security staff intervened and pulled the struggling men apart before dragging them outside.
‘That won’t end well,’ commented Steven. ‘Mr Csokas owns this place. He doesn’t like troublemakers.’
‘Oh?’
‘He’s Sirius Syndicate. A lot of the places on this station are owned by them. Rumour has it that they own the whole thing.’
‘Shit,’ said Isaacs. ‘You know those guys are probably still after me...’
‘I doubt it,’ said Steven and noticing that Isaacs was about to interject added. ‘I heard about the whole thing with Bennett. Chen’s people sent me a full copy of their files on both of you so I’d know who I was working with. You know Bennett was being paid by Admiral Morgan to do his dirty work?’
‘Yeah we knew that,’ said Anna.
‘Okay well, turns out that the Sirius Syndicate found out too and have also uncovered Shaper agents in their midst. It seems like the enemy was trying to infiltrate them. An interstellar criminal organisation could be a powerful tool in the right hands, yes? Anyway, the Sirius Syndicate came down hard on Bennett’s people and some have actually started feeding us information if you can believe that. The enemy of the enemy is my friend, and so on.’
‘Huh. I never thought that those guys had a conscience,’ said Isaacs.
‘I wouldn’t call it that,’ said Steven. ‘But they don’t wish to be enslaved by the Shapers any more than you or I do.’
‘Is that what brought you out here?’ said Anna.
‘Yeah it is. They’d passed us a few reports of phantom ships out here that matched the description of Shaper vessels and there had been a few mysterious figures around the system all asking questions about the abandoned anti-matter collection arrays around the brown dwarf in the outer system. They seem to have melted away by the time I got here though. So...’ Steven lowered his voice and leaned closer. ‘We need to get into Achernar and Chen tells me that you two are the best freelance crew that she’s ever seen.’
Isaacs laughed, a little embarrassed.
‘No, I’m serious. She wouldn’t have picked you for this if she didn’t think that statement were true. Your various escapades speak for themselves. I take it that you have some thoughts on how to sneak into Achernar without getting picked up?’
‘Yeah we do. When we left, the system was swarming with Shaper ships, but we gather that things are starting to return to normal. Trade has resumed with other systems that are rebelling.’
‘That’s what I was told also.’
‘Right. The thing is: what are the chances that many of those ships are still there? We need to get a good look at the system before we go in. We also wanted to find out what happened to the people that we left in Achernar on a base in the outer system that has sensors capable of detecting Shaper ships.’
‘You want to pay them a visit?’
‘Yes. The Profit Margin has a stealth module attached to its jump drive. We sneak in, dock, get the info we need and then loop back out of the system and re-enter without using the stealth module and pose as just another trader. We land at a regular spaceport and go about our business. What we do then is up to you.’
‘It’s risky,’ said Steven. ‘But what isn’t? The hardest part will be getting down onto Orinoco. Unfortunately, we have little to go on as to Haines’ location except that he’s somewhere on the surface on the moon. Needle in a haystack time. This isn’t going to be easy.’
‘We need a cargo too,’ said Anna. ‘Something that explains why we’d come out here if anyone has spotted us, but nothing illegal that would give the authorities an excuse to stop us.’
Steven looked thoughtful and scratched his unkempt beard.
‘That is a problem, all the usual stuff that people come here for is out of bounds. There is one thing we could buy a load of: the Vreeth cultivate gas giant flora in giant floating enclosures deeper in the atmosphere here. Some of the stuff that they grow is suitable for human consumption without the aid of digestive supplements. One crop in particular, Barrachak Cloudfrond, is much in demand. Apparently it’s this year’s must have ingredient and sells for some ridiculous price in the core systems. We could buy a load of that. Do you have enough credit?’
‘We do, I think,’ said Anna, looking at Isaacs who nodded.
‘Okay, well we’ll have to wait until the morning, local time until the tr
aders open up for business. It’s an unavoidable delay, but there you are. Once we’ve purchased our cargo and your ship has been loaded I’d like to get moving as soon as possible. I’ll swing by your hotel first thing.’
‘Do you know where...’ said Isaacs.
‘Of course he knows where it is,’ said Anna, pointing at Steven. ‘He’s been following us. Am I right?’
‘You are. Come on. Let’s get some rest. It may the last that we get for a while.’
Only a couple of hours later and Isaacs and Anna were awoken by a frantic knocking at their hotel room door. Pulling on some clothes and opening it, they found Steven outside, clutching a travel bag. He looked agitated.
‘Agent Harris. What the hell’s going on? It isn’t time already, is it?’ said Isaacs still groggy from sleep.
‘No it isn’t. Change of plan I’m afraid. Grab your stuff. We need to leave right now.’
‘Okay...’ said Isaacs running a hand through his tousled hair and began grabbing the rest of his clothes that still lay in a crumpled heap on one of the chairs.
‘My little friend in traffic control contacted me. Warships are entering the system,’ said Steven, closing the door behind him. ‘Two destroyers and a couple of flak cruisers are headed for the abandoned anti-matter collection facilities in the outer system, whilst another couple of destroyers are headed this way. They’re still in hyperspace, but the locals have been tracking them for a while. It looks like they came from the renegade systems.’
‘Shit, have they sent all that firepower after us?’ said Anna, hurriedly stuffing things into her bag.
‘Doubt it,’ Steven replied. ‘I think it’s the antimatter production that they’re after: The abandoned facilities are further out, and there have long been rumours that illicit arrays exist hidden in the ring system of this planet. They may not be interested in us, but we need to slip away before they try to send down a landing party and the station goes into lockdown. You got everything?’ Isaacs nodded. ‘Okay, let’s make a move.’