For those of you who forgot what A Hidden Legacy was about, or anyone with spare time who is willing to read this, please read it. Thank you. Feel free to post comments of any kind below. If you like this, you'll love Redline Inc. The first three chapters of it can be found in the EV Banter & Brawl.
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Chapter 1-A Low Life With No Life
Carefully I slipped the disc into my pocket, knowing what it contained. What kind of future it would bring, knowing what kind of practical plague it would unleash.
A lump grew in my throat, my eyes became blood-shot, though I was not tired. Fear, more powerful in words, text, a computer screen. No matter where the words, the sight. . .never as horrible, terrible, and nightmarish, as the words. The words have imagery, the disc, I held. The words in the disc, I held. I would escape if it was possible, but the sun, though it was never as dark as it was now, still burned brightly in Sol. Sol, the beginning of glory, the beginning of mankind. I was trapped, I had no idea what they would think of me, or what I would think of me.
PLANET EARTH
"You don't scare me, Doc," the man's face was calm, and I was so tired of the arguing endless conversation, I groaned, kneeling over my seat.
"Then what will it take, sir?" I asked, my eyes rolling at the annoyance of the commander.
He looked at me with a face of anger. His eyes a practical crimson red. Suddenly he burned with anger.
"The answer is no!" He screamed, filled with rage.
LATER THAT DAY. . .
Of course, what I am about to tell, is a cunning story of my life, I know now, what I must do, in order to achieve what must be done. I am bored. Seriously, I am totally bored. I have transported passengers my entire life, hoping there would be some discovery. Where the people were from, where they were going, how far they had travelled. I always thought, even as a boy, that finding the futuristic discoveries of the universe would always brighten my eyes, making them large, and round watching the glistening wonder of the universe. The universe, the technology, the excitement.
Excitement, it was now a dull word for me, old, and tiring. The commander, I did not know his name, worked for the United Earth forces. The standard protectors of Earth.
I never really did like some of their pilots. You fly by, and in the cross fire, one of them thinks you shot them. I've had to delete my legal record once, now. The escape pod, heck, that thing was cramped! I had payed 3000 credits for a piece of junk! They said it was delux, oh delux, my butt!
Anyway, what little friends I had, they weren't people I went everywhere with, nor where they people I even talked to a lot. They were never my pal, my bud. Someone I could always look up to, or that I could count on. No, the universe is not a dark age sort of thing, but it does have it's disadvantages. That's just the way it is I suppose. Geez, enough with this poetic stuff. Let's get with what you have come here to hear, or read, whichever is happening.
I walked away from the commander, hoping that he wouldn't notice the disc, the thing that contained a easy million for my poor account. Stealing, yes it was a sin, of course, it always has been.
However, I thought it contained money, not information that I was never meant to have.. . .
Of course, you don't know what I mean do you? No, it does not contain money, however the key to the only happiness or excitement, I will ever get in my entire small life. It contained a navigation warp point that I could jump to through the means of hyperspace. I put the disc into my ship, now travelling through the Sol system, my present mind only thinking about the disc, the back of my thoughts controlled the ship.
I was looking at the small computer screen that was maybe the size of an old 1990's make-up box. Hey, come on, I cruise around in a battered old shuttle!
Anyway I was ready to see the information that was numbers. The numbers of the sweet, sweet, sight of money. Although the information, the numbers, it wasn't there. The disc was encrypted! Ahh! No!
This was the part where I thought I was either going to put this down the toilet, or give back and say,"I'm innocent I tells ya!"
Hell, oh my devil, I never wanted it to be this way. Although I turned my head to the navi-computer, ready to make a jump, and set course for the Lait system.
I turned back to the computer screen, and about to make the jump, I still sat pondering, what the password might be, or how I might be able to hack into it or something. . .suddenly, before my eyes. The computerized voice said the words aloud,"Access granted."
The holy words of the computer that let you know you had been welcome, accepted, the words that let you know that the sweet, sweet, candy was right there in front of you.
My ship's name was:The Doc. Pretty creative huh? Well, the Doc had done it again! This time, I knew the money was there, waiting for me, but when I looked at the tiny computer screen, at the green shaded letters, my heart sank A warp point I said? Could I be in over my head?!?! It's not money? Could it be a critical element of the war against the Voinians?!?!
The ship jumped, and was still travelling through space. It would take about a day or two for me to arrive. Although with this in my mind, how could I go to the replicator, get something to eat, or drink? Heck, even go to the bathroom!
I looked closer, and the man that I stole it from in the Luna bar was obviously a very, very special dude.
I inserted the warp point into my computer, and I searched where it was on my map. Then when I saw the small little purple black circle about 60 system away from where I was, I think I could hear my stomach wanting to spew. A useless piece of-I looked closer, and saw that the government that was in the system was called,"Karticel." It displayed the docks, and economic information. Although the unknown government that I had never heard of was something that I could never imagine. I have stumbled opon the biggest pickle that I could ever stumble opon, I thought, looking at the navi-computer.
Nothing to do now, but wait for the arrival at the Liat system. I just hope, and I mean hope the United Earth Forces have never heard of the government!
Chapter 2-Liat Is A Key
When I arrived at the Liat system, I had no more patience to be in my ship. I was getting so irritated at how I had to stay in my ship. I wanted so to talk about it, and tell everyone at the bar. Although I knew I couldn't do that,and I knew that there was great risk if I were to go to the system. I had not wanted to even think about it. I docked at the spacestation, and got a drink at the bar. I sat down, and pulled out my portable news terminal. Pocket-sized! Anyway, there were the usual things. Rumors about the Miranu, who most people never have known exsisted. Before my shuttle, I had just bought a scoutship, and on my return voyage I got nearly killed. Yes, that was the cramped escape pod. I never knew that single event was such an amazing one of my life. Well, what can I say? Seeing a new alien race for the first time, being one of the few to see it early before everyone else. At least I have not always been a lousy trader low-life with no life.
Other than rumors, I looked down to see the headline,"Renegades Destroy UE Destroyers." It didn't interest me. I scrolled down more, and more, to find nothing but unwanted information. At least to me.
"Can I sit here?" I heard a voice come from the other side of the table.
"Sure," I said, but not in too friendly of a voice. Yet not a harsh one either. He sat down, and opened a bag of varied snacks from the replicator. I continued to look back at the news.
"So, you read the news eh?" he said, his mouth half full. I put the news device back into my pocket, and finally looked at him. He was wearing a shirt that had a Miranu frieghter on it. His hair was blond, and he was around 20 years old.
"Yes," I finally said,"you?"
"No, nothing interesting ever."
"I hear ya."
"What's your name?"
The conversation was turning into a indeed friendly one. Although I didn't trust him, and he was not a friend just yet.
"Doc," I said.
"Mine's Jade Reib."
Suddenly my eyes turned into circles.
"Jade Reib? As in a relative to Elizabeth Reib?"
"Yes, I'm her unknown son, I suppose that's what you could say."
I paused. Unknown son?
"How can you be her quote unknown son? Giving birth isn't just the kind of thing you miss, you know."
All he did was laugh. I was getting curious. . .
"You are related to Elizabeth Reib?"
"Always have been."
"What do you mean? How could she not know?"
"I'm was made in a lab from her genetics. A skin tissue of her's was left at a bar. The science workers went around and picked up dead skin from people randomly. Elizabeth just happend to be one of them. I escaped, because they wanted me to work for them. They nearly destroyed me, my escape pod landed on an uncharted planet.
"Is it still uncharted?"
"Yeah, but I'm not tellin' you, I don't even know you, um. . .Doc."
"Jade, listen, I have a boring as hell, and I do mean boring as hell life, I don't want to die that way, please."
"You don't convince me. .friend."
The conversation went on, and on. It seemed like it would never end, but then, when I had nearly lost hope, I offered him the 2, 000 cr that I still had left in my account. I was desperate, looking for a solution. A chance, a second chance. That was all I wanted. However with the 2, 000cr, the lousy amount, of money, from me, all he did was reply with another. . .no. He got up to leave, getting a bottled drink before he left, and walked out to his ship, which was what looked like a modified UE Fighter.
"Please! I'm begging you!" I shouted over to him. He looked back at me, his face calm, but yet starting to get annoyed at me. He took out a gun from his pant pocket, and pointed it at me.
"No, I'm sorry, please!" He shot right next to my foot, missing it by inches.
"Quit buggin' me," was all he said, and then boarded his ship.
Quickly I ran to my shuttle, jumping in as fast as I could, trying to take off, and follow him. But wait! Was I out of my mind? He was in a United Earth Fighter! No way, I'm not turning back. I may seem disturbed. However, no one, only I knew how I, and only I felt.
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Author of:
A Hidden Legacy
Jade's Return
UE Fighter