“Some, they need better quality control in their manufacturing,” Tylr answered, before double-tapping two shots from the next rifle, into the holographic target at the end of the range. The shot’s highlighted as perfect headshots.
“This one.”
The weaponry was a mix of both Alpha-Energy and Projectile ammunition types. Whilst the Alpha was the most powerful, the projectile was better for more subtle firefights. Also, using the Alpha on board any space-bound vessels was risky due to the energies, and its reactions with other on-board systems.
“Is this what we’re taking?” Dack looked over the pile of rifles which were laying to Tylr’s right.
“No, they’re just for my personal use,” Tylr looked over and grinned at Dack.
Tylr moved the seven rifles into a line across the table, before picking up the first. They stripped it down to its component parts so fast the Troopers couldn’t stop them.
They picked up the barrel of the rifle and examined it carefully. First, by checking the rifling inside; no defects in the spiral. Next by rolling it along the table they ensured it was perfectly cylindrical. Once satisfied they put the barrel onto an empty space on the table.
They continued this process with all the parts of the rifles, any defects cast aside, until one of each component, and put aside. The resulting parts were a Frankenstein mix of varying colours and materials.
Dack, Tanner and the Troopers just stood, watching the procedure taking place, as Tylr reassembled the pieces into the new, Tylr made, rifle. They moved over to the firing range and hit a button to activate the real-time practice session.
Targets began to appear on the range, some moving, others with hostages, and several behind cover.
Tylr took a breath then raised the rifle up, firing shots into the targets one by one. Each shot a perfect hit, with no misses or hostages hit.
“This one will do,” they said. “Send the items I requested to the StarQuake please. I’ll keep this one with me.” They turned to Dack and Tanner. “We are equipped and ready to leave,” they smiled slyly.
“Excellent,” Tanner said.
18
The team all gathered in the temporary operations room, other than Jako who, as always, was still on the Azimuth. They stood around a large metallic table.
“Weapons check,” Dack said, reading off a list of tasks.
“All good, we have a full armoury, and enough Alpha and Projectile ammunition to last a good while,” Tylr replied. “And I got these for us all,” they added, pulling a case from under the table.
Inside the case they pulled out several custom modified revolvers. Each one was basically the same gun, but with distinctly different alteration to suit each Coyote. An embossed letter for each member on its handle finished the look.
“Nice! Thank you,” Vittoria said, examining her dark red pistol.
“Don’t thank me, thank our sponsors, the Solar Assembly,” Tylr grinned.
“Good work Ty,” Dack felt the weight of his bronzed pistol. “Medical supplies?” He moved to the next task.
“Fully stocked and ready t’heal,” Lyla reported.
“Thank you Lyla, ships?”
“All the ships have finished their refits, Alpha Engines all around and all the guns upgraded to handle the newer ammunition we’ve gained. Oh, and I got that blinking light in the bathroom sorted!” Vittoria smiled.
“The new Alpha drive? All tested and secure?” Tanner asked.
“Yep, they’ll run smoother than a silver ball bearing now.”
“Well then, I think that’s everything. We’re ready to go.”
The whole process had taken under twenty-four hours, with the Assembly's’ workforce behind them.
“What’s the plan?” Tylr asked.
“We’re going to head to the Quanti region,” Dack replied.
“We need intel on the location of the Cipher. And on the Syndicate’s fleet, not something we’ve ever had need of so far,” Tanner continued. “Jako has tried but getting into their systems from a distance, without detection, is too risky. If they so much as sniff we’re coming, the security will be tenfold.”
“Are we going to the End Of The World?” Vittoria asked, referring to the bar in the Quanti region.
“That we are,” Dack said. “If there’s going to be anyone that can help us it’ll be someone there.”
The Bar At The End Of The World, was stationed at the main intersect of several of the major trade routes between the planets. Commodities, both physical and intelligence, were a primary trade.
A knock came on the door, it opened before any of them could answer.
Admiral Jenkins walked into the room, closing the door behind him.
“Coyotes,” he nodded at the assembled team. They all felt like they were back under his command, a lifetime ago. “I can’t thank you enough for doing this,” he continued.
“Of course, sir,” Dack said. “Though the equipment and get of jail free did kinda swing it.”
Jenkins smiled and nodded.
“Listen, I know that this isn’t your usual style anymore. And that working for the Assembly isn’t something you want to do. But this mission, it has stakes that you can’t imagine. This war has been at a stalemate for so long, the Assembly has always been one step ahead. The Syndicate has been looking for a way to get the upper hand and this is exactly that. If they find that ship…” he trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.
“We get the idea sir,” Tanner said, looking around the team. “We won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t,” Jenkins smiled, “You never did.”
The Coyotes had all been hand selected and trained by Jenkins back in the early days of the war. Each had been passed up for progression for several reasons, Jenkins saw past that, and formed them into the team they became. They had won, and prevented more battles than any other force in the SA Army, until it all fell apart.
“Thank you for the upgrades,” Vittoria said, smiling at the Admiral.
“Can’t have you flying around in death traps now can we,” he smiled back. “Now, you have my direct contact should you need anything from our side, but like the Council said, we can’t risk the Syndicate suspecting anything, as it could trigger a larger battle we don’t want to find ourselves in.”
“We’ll only, erm, contact you to update on any information we get,” Jako piped in on the comms.
“Thank you Jako, if things go pear-shaped then signal us. I can’t promise an extract but I will do anything in my power to help.”
The room fell silent, the mixture of emotions and adrenaline in the room was potent.
“We best get moving,” Dack said, breaking the silence.
“Good Luck Coyotes, and god-speed,” the Admiral gave the team a salute, before Lyla moved forward and hugged him. The others followed suit.
“Before you go, sir,” Dack raised a hand to pause the Admiral from leaving.
He pulled out the bottle of bourbon from under the table.
“Have a drink with us, like old times?”
Jenkins laughed, a deep, warming laugh, and walked over to the table.
They shared a drink, taking a moment to forget the mission and remember the friendships they shared.
19
The Coyotes had been flying for two day’s straight since leaving the Hammett.
“Are you sure Watkins will help us?” Vittoria asked, looking up from the navigation.
The crew sat in the flight deck, Tanner had taken the centre seat for this part of the journey.
“I’d like to think enough time has passed since the incident, that he’ll let bygones be bygones,” Tanner said, keeping his eyes forward.
“You mean, since we decided that we’d be better off keeping his shipment of ammunition and selling it ourselves?” Dack replied.
“Well, technically it wasn’t his to begin with…” Tanner started to retaliate.
“Aye, ah’m sure he’ll see it that wa
y too,” Lyla laughed.
“Regardless, if anyone can get us the information for the Cipher it’s Watkins. We need to win him back if needs be,” Tanner brushed aside the comments.
The StarQuake was entering the Quanti region, just beyond the inner rings of the Core Solar System.
“How far is the End of the World bar from here?” Dack asked.
“Just about, erm, half an hour away,” Jako called in.
“Great, we should be in comms range now. Jako see if you can get through to Watkins, or at least a message to him saying we’re on our way to see him,” Tanner said.
“No problem,” the reply echoed through the bridge.
“There are a few favours I might be able to shake loose,” Vittoria replied.
“Sounds good. Tylr, you join me and Dack, visiting Watkins. Lyla go with Vittoria and see what you can find?”
“Good idea, Ah’m not sure Watkins would want t’see me anyway,” Lyla gave a brief smile.
“My thoughts exactly,” Tanner said.
The Coyotes began preparing for the arrival, as the End Of The World started to appear in view.
The End Of The World was the name of the bar and moon, which was on the edge of the inner rings, serving as a gateway to the outer rings. Whilst the bar was only a part of the moon, the name had become synonymous with the moon itself, the name stuck. Despite its size, the moon contained one of the highest population densities of any colony in the entire system. It had manage to retain a level of distance from the Syndicate and Assembly rule by its importance to all commodities, any attempt to control the moon had been met with resistance through lack of trade, something neither side could afford.
The Coyotes had visited the moon many times, finding work from all areas of the galaxy, though they hadn’t been back since their last run it with Watkins.
The StarQuake docked in the orbital hanger, a large structure which allowed larger vessels to dock, whilst the smaller personnel vehicles shipped the visitors to the surface.
Once they had touched down on the surface the two teams headed their separate ways.
Dack, Tanner and Tylr walked down the dust road of the major street which ran through the commercial sector, despite it being such an important part of all the system it kept a style unique to itself Due to the constant shifting of ownership of the buildings and the footfall from the wide range of social classes there was a feeling of constant turbulence.
The street was lined with traders of every type, from weaponry and ship parts, to food and alcohol.
“Is Watkins still working out of the bar?” Tylr asked.
“Last I heard,” Dack answered, “he always preferred the ability to remove himself from any situation rather than being stuck in a building.”
“Smart man,” Tanner said as they approached the bar.
Stepping inside, the smell and feel of dried beer hit them first, followed by the sound of conversations drowned out any other thoughts.
“Drink?” Dack said to the others.
“Sure, we need to find Watkins in here anyway,” Tanner replied.
The bar accommodated a high number of clientele, and the deals that were done in the bar had the security of numbers covering them.
Tylr and Tanner settled into a table which overlooked most of the room while Dack went to the bar.
“Any sign?” Tanners said, scanning the crowd.
“Nope, he’s not hard to miss,” Tylr responded, “you sure he’ll be here?”
“He didn’t reply to our message, though that was expected with our history, He’s usually around here though, this is a gold mine for intel, which is his speciality,” Tanner replied, “what he doesn’t find out from his sources, he overhears from conversations.”
“Overhear I do,” a voice rasped from behind them.
Tanner was suddenly aware of a gun barrel pushing between his shoulder blades as a large man loomed above him, almost twice Tanner’s height and four times as wide.
“Watkins! Always a pleasure to make your acquaintance again,” Tanner laughed, trying to defuse the situation.
“I’ve been waiting for you to come back here, you thieving rotbag,” the rasp of Watkins' voice spat almost every word out.
“Come now, it was just business,” Tanner saw Tylr’s hand go to the gun strapped at their leg, he held up a hand to stop her. “I’m sure we can sort this out like responsible adults.”
“I want what’s owed to me, Tanner!” Watkins shouted.
“A bullet to the head is what’s coming to you,” Dack said. He’d returned from the bar and seen the situation, and was now standing with his minted, cool blue revolver pointed at Watkins’ head.
“Dack!” Watkins spat the word as if it was a lump of phlegm in his throat.
“Lower your weapon and let’s discuss this,” Tanner said, a smirk on his face knowing they now had the upper hand. “I’m sure there’s a trade we can make here, for the information we need and to balance the books with any past indiscretions that are outstanding.”
“Actually,” Watkins lowered his gun, “there is something you could do for me.”
20
Lyla and Vittoria had made their way through the winding paths of the End of the World, heading to the blacksmith district.
“D’ya know where we're heading?” Lyla asked, having let Vittoria lead the way so far.
“I do,” Vittoria replied, “there’s a shop down here where we might get some intel.”
“Someone y’know?”
“From a lifetime ago, yeah,” Vittoria said, her voice trailing off.
Once the Coyotes had all signed up, their past became something none of them spoke about. They all had their reasons for joining, and respected each other enough to leave the past where it belonged. Whilst they had learnt bits and pieces through occasional conversation, such as Tylr's being part of the Syndicate army at one point, and Tanner’s stance on the war being fuelled on the fact his home was destroyed in a skirmish at the beginning of the wars. Overall they knew very little of each other before they met.
Vittoria slowed down, stopping in front of a shop, a middle-aged man was outside, swinging a large blacksmith hammer with an extended handle, onto a metal bar which glowed bright red. His body stripped from the waist up, he had a muscular physique despite the year of labour his face showed. The rhythmic swings in perfect time as the hammer hit its mark with a loud chime. Sweat poured off the man’s face as a furnace behind him raged heat.
“Jonir?” Vittoria said, in between swings.
The man paused, the hammer ready to swing once more frozen before it’s decent. He didn’t look round, staring forwards as if his mind was processing the sound.
“Jonir? It’s me.”
The man closed his eyes, still not looking at her.
“Vittoria. You’re dead,” he said, then continued the swing of the hammer.
“I’m alive Jonir, it’s really me,” she said. When he didn’t stop his work, she took several steps closer to him. Grabbing the hammer with both hands before it started another swing.
“Dammit Jonir it’s me!” She shouted at him, anger and pain mixing in her voice.
The moment seemed to last a lifetime, frozen in position.
Then, he turned to look at her, his eyes searching her face for any sign of trickery.
“It… It’s really you?” He finally acknowledged her.
“It is Jonir, it is,” tears formed in her eyes, as they locked with his.
His stern face broke into a smile as he clasped his arms around her, lifting her from the ground in the embrace and laughed.
“Little Vity” he bellowed, as he held her close.
He released her, glancing over at Lyla, who had stood slightly back whilst the scene had played out.
“Jonir, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine,” Vittoria said, “this is Lyla, she is like a sister to me.”
“A pleasure miss,” Jonir smiled and bowed slightly.
“Lyla,”
Vittoria said, “This is Jonir, my big brother.”
They had settle into Jonir’s house whilst he made them a drink. It was sparse, made up of only essentials. A bed, a table, a stove and a bathroom were the major features of the house. Apart from the living room, where the walls were adored with large artworks. Jonir was a collector of fine art, Vittoria had told Lyla as she was admiring the pieces.
Jonir returned with three large glasses of amber liquid. Lyla took a sip and immediately felt a surge of alcohol burst into her bloodstream.
“Fenris Mead, the finest you can get on the moon,” Jonir said, as he saw Lyla’s face.
“It’s… loverly,” she replied, enjoying the taste, despite the strength.
Jonir smiled for a moment, before turning to Vittoria. His face hardened.
“Why are you here? Why now?”
There was a million other questions wrapped up inside the comment, he had thought his little sister had died several years ago.
“I, we, need some help,” Vittoria said, “I know I should have come back sooner, or told you what had happened. I was afraid, scared of what you’d think of me and what I did.”
“Why would I ever care about that!” Jonir’s voice raised, not in anger but in disbelief.
“I betrayed the family.”
“Our parents betrayed you!” Now, he was shouting, “our parents sold you into slavery to pay off their debts! Used you like a bargaining chip! And for what good it did them.”
“What? What happened?” Vittoria looked puzzled.
“You think the Fortean Clan would let them pay off their debt so easily?” Jonir’s voice lowered, “after they took you they came back, telling us you died. It broke their hearts, Father became a recluse, I had to take over the shop. Mother died not long after, she wasn’t right after she heard the news. Father followed her a week later.”
Vittoria could barely hold back tears, Lyla put her arm around her.
“They told me you had died in the pits, the work taking its toll,” Jonir was crying now too.
“I… I escaped them, not long after they took me,” Vittoria said, her voice breaking as she spoke. “I got onto one of the cargo shuttles that transported the ore form the pits. If the Fortean’s thought you knew where I was they would have taken it out on you, I had to stay away, to keep you safe.”
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