by Adam Drake
I hoped this world wouldn't live up to the name.
Turns out, I was very, very wrong.
Zyra's blood-soaked nightmare continues in
Bitch Berserker 2: Realm of Carnage
Escape to the Fringe
When Ash and Femke Quinly decide to steal a transport ship from the local criminal syndicate, their troubles have just begun. With enemies in relentless pursuit, and their options dwindling, an already dangerous situation becomes more futile.
But when the universe is gunning for you, there is one insane option only the truly desperate can take:
They must escape to the Fringe!
PART ONE
“Speed up, he's getting away!”
Ash Quinly did as his wife commanded and sped the hoverbike up, throwing a huge plume of orange dust behind them. The foliage of Jorduss Three whipped past them in a blur of purple.
“I have to keep a safe distance,” Ash said as he swerved around a giant boulder. “No point trying to be sneaky if the guy spots us because you wanted to go faster.”
From the passenger seat behind him, Femke poked him in the ribs. “The tracker's range is too limited. No point following him if we can't keep up.” She was watching the tracker's blip blink across a map on her goggle's HUD. As Ash swerved around another boulder, she slipped her arm around his waist. “Hey, take it easy!”
“Fast or safe, which do you want?” Ash said. “You can't have both.” The terrain of the moon was a veritable nightmare to navigate through with its deep crevices and wide ranges of jagged hills. Even on foot it gave Ash a headache, but to do so at high speed on a hoverbike was pure madness. This, of course, did not dissuade Femke from expecting him to push the hoverbike to its limit.
“I'll take whichever version gets us to his stash,” she said, eyes locked on the little red blip.
They'd finally managed to get a tracker on their mark's bike back in Karro. After weeks of watching his comings and goings from the trader town, the husband and wife team managed to discern his habits, which were frustratingly random. The guy loved to gamble, as most people with free credits did after an off-load, and frequented the gambling dens. The problem was there were dozens of places to throw away hard stolen credits across Karro and he almost never went to the same location twice in a row.
“Okay, I'm matching his speed,” Ash said. “This guy drives like a lunatic.” He gripped the handlebars of the hoverbike tighter, feeling the strange sensation of his recycling suit soaking up the sweat from his back. Maintaining a chase like this over such a whacked out landscape was intense.
“He's just trying to lose any tails he might have,” Femke said.
“Smart,” Ash said with a wry grin. “Why'd we have to pick a smart mark to rob? Why can't we find some rich dumb ones for a change? They'd drive a lot slower.”
“Because dumb marks don't have anything worth stealing,” Femke offered as she adjusted the grip on her scatter-pistol. Her legs squeezed the seat beneath her as they dropped into a gulley. “And we've been robbing too many dumb ones, lately. Which explains why were so poor.”
“Well, then I hope Stacks here is the smartest mark of all. We need to get off this moon before I lose my mind. There's only so much orange dust a man can take. Whoa!” A large spiraled branch hung low across their path and Ash nearly bottomed out the bike flying beneath it. They skidded along the ground for several moments, the terrifying sound of metal on rock overwhelming their comms.
Ash brought the bike up to a safe level, again. “Sorry!” he said.
Femke shook her head, but refrained from saying anything. Safety was secondary at the moment. If they lost this guy, there was no telling if he'd even be returning to Karro after this trip.
For nearly three weeks they stalked their mark, which Ash had taken to naming Stacks. As in Big-Fat-Stacks of credits which the guy liked to spend every night out on the town. Following Stacks had been a challenge. Nervous and twitchy, Stacks kept an eye on his surroundings where ever he went. A common trait for any denizen of crime-ridden Karro, but even more-so when you're loaded with money to spend. It was at one of the largest gambling halls that they found the chance to slip a tracker onto his hoverbike.
The tracker was the most expensive item they had, even worth more than their bike. But it needed to pass a scan which any smuggler worth his salt would do on their transport before heading out of town.
Ash and Femke had used the tracker to follow Stacks three other times, with each chase heading in different directions. And each time they fell out of the tracker's range and lost him.
This was attempt four and without any more credits left to even buy a meal, they needed to keep up with Stacks and pray he led them to his stash.
“I wish we could use drones,” Ash said, not for the first time. They banked hard around a long bend. High craggy hills lined with purple plants and huge spiky pods slipped by. “We could be sitting in a tavern right now enjoying a drink while we watched this guy.”
“There is no such thing as easy money,” Femke said. She looked up at the sky. Jorduss Three possessed a near perpetual cloud cover that hung low enough to graze the top of the hills. Carried along by ferocious winds the clouds created the effect of a moving ceiling. Sending a drone up into that mess was futile. Pursuits had to be done at ground level.
Stacks had left Karro in a similar direction he'd gone previously, giving Ash and Femke hope he was heading to a stash. But shortly after leaving the town's monitored limits, Stacks took a detour and led them in an entirely different area of the Karro Wastes.
“I'm guessing illegal hardware,” Ash said. “That's what he's got in his stash.” He carefully used one hand to wipe away orange dust from his goggles.
Femke had heard this from Ash before. “We've never even seen him carry anything larger than a rider's pack,” she said. “My guess is narcotics. Spacer or Dust.”
“A mule?”
“Or a synth-tech. The Wastes are the perfect place to set up a lab.”
Ash circumvented a field of spiky pods. “Well, whatever he has, we're going to take. We got bills to pay!”
“Forget the bills,” Femke said as they both ducked beneath a canopy of spiky vines. “We need to leave this moon. Or better yet, the entire system. Bill collectors lose enthusiasm if they have to go interstellar.”
Leaving a trail of debts had become a hallmark of their lives, whether owed as a couple, or individually. Running from those that demanded payment was part of the reason why Ash and Femke had gotten themselves stuck on Jorduss Three. Now, with no more credits to their name, stealing from the local criminal element became the obvious means to an end.
Stacks's blip suddenly slowed to a crawl.
“He's stopping!” Femke said.
“I see it,” Ash said and slowed down in kind. The blip came to a complete stop and Ash did the same.
Femke watched the map for several seconds. The blip did not move. “Why'd he stop here?” She widened the map overlay in her HUD to show the surrounding area. “This is too close to town for a stash. Isn't it?”
Ash stared at the map. “I don't know, honey. Could be he needed a rest.”
Femke said, “He does have a recycler suit on, yeah?”
“Unless it's broken, but he had one on when I saw him earlier.”
“So, not a bio-break,” Femke said. She didn't like this at all.
Frustrated, Ash got off the bike and unclamped his rifle from its side.
Femke said, “What are you doing?”
“I'm going to see if I can get sights on him from up there,” he said, pointing up to a low shoulder of rock a short distance away.
Femke looked at the map, again. “You might get line-of-sight from there, but be careful. If you can see him, he can see you.”
Ash began running up the hillside. “You know me, honey, I'm always careful.”
Uh-huh, she thought. She gazed at the static blip. That spot was far too close to the town limits to be deemed
safe, at least as far as she was concerned. If she had a stash, placing it several more kilometers further out would be more prudent.
Ash huffed and puffed his way up the steep shoulder of the hill, his booted feet sinking into the loose orange gravel with each step. His progress was hampered by the freaky purple plants which looked more like trippy artwork than actual foliage.
Femke glacned behind the bike. A large orange cloud of dust they'd been kicking up was dissipating in the wind, but still hung thickly in the air. “Maybe he saw our dust trail?” Wouldn't that be just perfect? Go through this entire process of stalking their prey only to be outed by their hoverbike's wake.
“Nah, there's dust everywhere,” Ash said, sidestepping a spiky pod bigger than a shuttlecraft. “I think his recycler is on the fritz and he's forced to stop and water the plants. Much to his detriment.”
“Maybe,” Femke said with growing confusion. She didn't like this at all. During all their previous pursuits of Stacks, he'd never once stopped while in range of the tracker.
Ash approached the rocky edge near the top of the shoulder. He dropped into a crouch and crawled the rest of the way. Above him, the clouds appeared menacing as they streaked by.
Once he was as close as he could get he eased the rifle's scope over the edge. A screen appeared on his HUD. As he moved the scope, it relayed what it was seeing.
Orange rock and purple plants dominated the landscape.
Ash panned around until he spotted a hoverbike at the end of a small valley, near a turn. No Stacks.
“I don't like this,” Femke said, watching the same feed on her HUD. “Where is he?”
“I don't know,” Ash said as he scanned the valley. Purple plants choked every available bare patch of ground. He followed a ledge of rock which led up from where the bike was parked. Then he saw Stacks, crouched down near a rocky overhang.
“Got him!” Ash said.
“What's he doing? Setting up for an ambush?” Femke looked in Ash's direction with concern. “Watch yourself up there.”
“No, not an ambush, at least not really.” Ash watched the other man intently. He was dressed similar to Ash and Femke; recycler suit, light armor and oversized goggles with a breather which covered his entire face.
Stacks looked over the valley, obviously watching for signs of pursuit. Then he reached into a side pack and brought out some binocs and placed them against his goggles.
Ash pulled the rifle down out of sight. “He's a nervous one, ain't he?”
“Yeah, just checking his six,” Femke said.
“Could mean we're near his stash.”
“Could be.”
“I'd certainly be checking my six before making the final leg to my cache of goods.”
“Here's hoping you're right,” Femke said. “What's he doing now?”
Ash eased the scope up, again. This time, Stacks was no longer crouched at the overhang. With some panic Ash panned around and found him climbing down the ledge back to his bike.
“Let's go, Ash. He's going to get out of range, again.”
“Okay, okay,” Ash said as he slid away from the edge and then hustled down the rocky shoulder. “I've got a very good feeling about this one. His stash is close. I can feel it.”
As he approached the bike, Femke slid forward into the driver's seat and gripped the handlebars. She glared at Ash, daring him to complain.
Ash knew better than to make a fuss. “All yours, honey. Just don't drive us into these damned spikes.” The moment he hopped on the back Femke kicked it forward so fast he nearly fell off. “Hey!”
“Sorry, honey, but you're slowing progress.” Stacks's red blip was moving again, continuing on to what she hoped would be their financial salvation.
They sped into the valley following the dust trail Stacks's bike had left. In moments they approached the spot he'd parked.
“I know what he could be hiding,” Ash said.
“What?” Femke said, slowing a little as she took the turn.
“Photon injectors. You know the kind you can only buy on Jorduss Prime or-.” Ash didn't get to finish as something suddenly exploded beneath them.
Then passengers and bike were sent vaulting through the air, pinwheeling end over end.
****
“Okay, that was unexpected,” Ash said with a groan.
The sand-mine had sent the hoverbike into a cluster of pods where its mangled remains burned white in the Jorduss atmosphere.
Thankfully, both Ash and Femke fell into banks of deep sand, with Ash bouncing off a boulder first for good measure.
“You should have watched him longer,” Femke said as she pulled herself out the impact crater she'd created. Orange sand slid off her suit like water. “At least until he'd left. We would have seen him plant the thing.”
Ash stayed on his back where he landed, staring up at the angry clouds racing overhead. “You wanted me to hurry. Can't watch him and run away at the same time.”
Femke dusted herself off then walked over to him. She glared down, hands on her curvy hips. “Well, the situation is the situation. No point arguing about it.” She looked him over. “Are you paralyzed? Don't tell me I have to drag your sorry butt all the way back to town.”
“Nah, I'm just enjoying the view, since it's pretty much guaranteed it's all were going to see for the rest of our lives.” He sat up, legs splayed before him in the sand. “That was our last shot, Fem,” he said, sulking.
“There will be another mark, there always is,” she said, offering her hand. “Come on, get up.”
Ash let himself be pulled to his feet with ease. Femke's strength was incredible, a trait which had its advantages. He tried not to let it hurt his manly pride too much.
They looked over the destroyed hoverbike with its cracked powercell hissing out white plasma.
“We have one heck of a walk back,” Ash said. He checked the chronometer on his HUD. “And it'll be nightfall in less than an hour.”
Femke walked over to Ash's rifle which had speared itself into a pod. She wrenched it out then handed it to him. “Yeah, nightfall would be a bad thing, right now. We're armed, but I don't think it would be enough for dealing with the night time critters.”
Most of the nasty creatures which called Jorduss Three home were nocturnal. Large and ferocious, they made no distinction between hunting each other or the invader humans who cowered in their settlements. It wasn't uncommon to hear reports of entire trade convoys being overrun and devoured.
The only safe places to be at night were behind the monitoring guns of a town, or ensconced within a bunkered building. Or better yet, not being on Jorduss Three at all.
Ash wiped purple slime off the rifle with disgust. “So, walk back to town as far as we can go, then hunker down in a defensible position and try to survive the night while being attacked by alien monsters. This is more fun than our honeymoon.”
Femke shook her head causing a curl of silver-white hair to reveal itself through her goggles. “Nah, our honeymoon was much more fun. No cyborgs under the control of rogue AI this time.” She looked at the map on her HUD and found Stacks's tracker blip had long vanished out of range, not to her surprise. “I'm thinking we keep going.”
“Keep going? Deeper into this insanity?” Ash said, waving a hand around at the frightening landscape. “This place is like a bad trip on Dust.”
“You've never taken Dust before, honey.”
“No, but I'm thinking now would be a good time to start.”
Femke pointed in the direction Stacks had sped off. “His stash is that way. We just need to follow his trail until we find it. Shouldn't be too hard.” A deep groove in the sand marked the hoverbike's passage leading off through the purple and orange wastes. “I'm thinking he isn't coming back because who would be crazy enough to make a return trip to town at night? No, his intention is to stay the night out here, safely in a bunker.”
Ash kicked sand off his boots then gestured at the rocky overhang above which St
acks had crouched next to. “That would make a defensible position if we used what daylight is left to get it ready. Wandering out now would guarantee we'd be jumped as soon as it got darker.”
“I like the bunker idea. We'll do that,” Femke said and started walking, following the hoverbike's trail.
“Can't we vote on this?” Ash asked.
“We just did.”
Ash watched Femke's figure move with catlike grace. Frowning, he jogged to catch up to her. “Why did I marry you, anyway?”
“Because my dad would have spaced you if you didn't,” Femke said. He heard the smile in her voice.
“Oh, right.”
They moved quickly through the wastes, mindful of spiky vines and deep crevices. Several times they had to stop and relocate the hoverbike's trail, the wind conspiring to erase it from existence.
With the sun masked behind the clouds they had to rely on their chronometers to tell when dusk approached. The world around them began to darken.
The landscape barely changed. It either had a lot of deadly purple plants, or it was completely choked with them. Both slowed them down, especially when the trail terminated at a cluster of plants where Stacks had simply flown over.
As it grew more dark, Ash became increasingly nervous. “Maybe we should call for help?”
“Are you kidding me?” Femke scoffed. She had her pistol out, watching the trail ahead. “The Jorduss Constabulary are the worst of the bunch on this moon. They'd sooner kill us and take our stuff than rescue us. They might even thank us first.”
Ash held the rifle at the ready, pointing it at shadows. “Beats getting eaten alive, I think. We might get lucky and get a nice Constable.”
Femke didn't dignify that with a response. She switched her goggles to night vision and looked over the bike's trail. “He slowed down here,” she said, pointing.
“Smart mark,” Ash said. “Less likely to trip a sand-mine that way.”
Femke resisted the bait. Instead, she said, “I think we're close. See the way the sand doesn't splay out as much? I think he stopped somewhere ahead, around that bend.”