(Posted on 04-10-2001)
Chapter 1 The Broken Chair
It was 10 PM, and the streets were quiet, a little too quiet. Picking up the phone, I ordered a quick round of Chinese food. It was going to be a long night, and someone had to stay on duty.
I lay back in my swivel chair and picked up the pack of darts that lay on my cluttered desk. Flicking them at the round, colorful dartboard I scored an easy 300. Checking my watch I walked over to the window and looked down at the street below, hoping to see someone carrying a large brown bag of Chinese food. Instead, a large woman stepped out of a taxicab and handed the driver some cash. She then bustled into the door of my building. I heard the door open with a slight creak, then slam again back into place. Sounds of conversation fluttered up into my office and I waited for the usual call. Brinnng...
Picking up the phone and putting it to my ear I answered with a quick grunt, "Yello?"
"Yes sir, a lady is here to see you," said my secretary. "She goes by the name Ms. OLeary."
"Thanks," I said sitting back down in my chair. "Send her in." I put the phone back on the hook and waited for the few awkward seconds before the customer would arrive. The banging on the stairs, the clicking of heels upon the hard wooden floor, and then the inevitable knock on the door.
Out from the door stepped a round elderly woman. Her rolls of fat jiggled with every step and it seemed a miracle that her clothes could withhold it all. Trying not to stare at the blobs of flab that protruded from her body, I motioned for her to come in.
"Now what seems to be the problem, Ms. OLeary?" I asked, hoping the chair would not break as the lady sat down.
"I have a problem," the woman said in an uncomfortable tone.
"Yes?" I asked seeing the chair begin to bend and crack in a few places.
"Well you see," she wiggled around in the chair before continuing, "You see Its my son. It seems that hes gotten himself into a bit of trouble lately. And "
"And you would like me to get him out of it?" I asked taking a pack of cigarettes from my pocket. "Would you mind if I smoke?"
"No, no not at all."
I proceeded to withdraw a slender cigarette from the packet and quickly lit it with a small lighter on my desk. After taking in a long slow puff, I exhaled the smoke and leaned back in my chair. "Now what kind of trouble is he in, exactly?"
"Well, my son has a few..." the lady paused before she continued, "enemies. Hes had them ever since he joined that silly clan."
"Clan?" I asked, rather coolly.
"Yes, its a small freelance gang, called Raiders of Fortune."
"Ah, I see. And through this clan your son has made a fair amount of enemies?"
The woman nodded, "Yes. It wasnt bad at first, but now they even have posted bounties on his head." She pulled a handkerchief from her purse and began to wipe her eyes. "You must save him," she wailed.
"Ill do the best I can," I said, standing up and walking over to the dartboard. Withdrawing the three darts that had buried themselves in the thin cardboard I turned to her. "Where can I find him?"
"The clans headquarters is somewhere on Iothe Prime," producing a small picture from her purse she handed it to me. "This is what he looks like. His codename is Jerix. Im sure if you ask around some bars you will be able to find him." She quickly dabbed her eyes again and got up.
Looking at the picture I stored it in my pocket, "Anything else I should know?"
The chubby woman thought for a moment then shook her head, "You must find him, though! I cant imagine what kind of trouble he could get himself into without someone to look after him."
"I cant promise anything."
The woman handed me 5 credit chips, "Im sure this will help with expenses."
I nodded and counted the money, 10,000 credits. I put them into my pocket along with the picture.
"Well, Im must be leaving then," she dabbed her eyes once more before putting her handkerchief away and shaking my hand.
I nodded and opened the door for her. I watched her for a few seconds as she walked down the hall and headed for the stairs and then closed the door again. I returned to my desk and picked up the phone.
"Yes?" the sweet voice of my secretary answered the phone.
"Ill be needing my ship. Call the docking bay and have them get it ready."
"Yes sir, anything else?"
Peering at the half-broken chair I added, "Yes, Ill be needing a new chair."
I heard a slight chuckle on the other side of the phone, "Yes sir."
I placed the phone on the hook and went for my jacket. It was going to be a long journey.
Chapter 2 A Bad Drink
I boarded my Enhanced Arada and quickly stepped into the cockpit. Running my hands over the computer I switched the power on and turned and readied the engines for take-off. Flicking a switch I set up the transmission with Centauri Base and proceeded to ask for permission to take-off.
"Permission granted, Silent Wing."
I grabbed ahold of the flight controls and pulled the Arada up off the dock and steered it towards the sky. Gaining more speed I shot out of the planets thick atmosphere and slipped into the darkness of space. As I pulled away from the systems center I turned on the nav computer and entered the hyperspace route to Iothe Prime. The ship gave a quiet beep as it accepted the vectors. Hitting the auto pilot button I headed off towards the Captains quarters to catch some sleep.
A soft, methodical beeping awoke me from my long nap. Slowly getting out of bed I walked groggily to the cockpit. I rubbed my eyes and then looked at the screen noticing that Iothe was one jump away. I headed back towards the sleeping quarters I got dressed and sat back down in the cockpit. Taking the ship out of auto pilot I grabbed a hold of the controls as the Silent Wing pulled out of hyperspace into the Iothe system. Maneuvering around the heavy traffic, I closed in on Iothe Prime. I typed in a few keys and a connection was made to Iothe Prime Docks.
"Requesting permission to land," I said into the ships comm link.
"Permission granted, Proceed to dock at bay 94 Section 7C," said one of the docking managers.
"Thanks," I said as the transmission was cut off. Slipping through the atmosphere I searched for a few seconds before locating the docking space. Landing silently onto the bay I switched off the power and left the ship. I decided to follow the womans advice and headed for the bar.
I sat at the bar sipping a thick Ale, although it tasted more like sewage. As I took another sip I noticed a man next to me trying to gulp down his own liquor.
"It isnt anything like Saalian Brandy, now is it?" I said, turning to him.
He looked in my direction and shook his head. Taking the last gulp of it he motioned for the bartender and slapped down three shiny credits. "Sure isnt." he wiped his mouth and smiled. "But you get used to it."
"You from around here?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yea, lived here all my life. You?"
"Nope, I live in Centuari. Visiting here on a mission," I said trying to take another sip of the ale. "Actually, I could use a little help from a native, like yourself," I added, hoping he could supply me with some information on the whereabouts of the Raiders of Fortune, or even Jerix himself.
"What do you need?" he asked. I briefly explained to him my problem and he sat for a minute pondering the situation. "Ive heard of these Raiders you speak of," said the man. "Although Im not sure of their exact location or of any of the members. Most clan information is kept a secret within those of the clan."
"I see," I said.
"I can give you the address of a man who might be able to help you though. An ex-convict, he goes by Landru," the man said, pulling out a piece of paper and quickly scribbling down an address with his pen. "He used to belong to a clan himself."
"Thanks," I said taking the paper from the man. I looked at it and read the address aloud. "214 Anderson Rd."
"Yea, you should be able to find it easy."
I picked up my jacket and left a few credits on the counter for the drink, although I thought 1 credit was even too much for the awful drink. "Thanks again," I said and headed out the door.
(This message has been edited by moderator (edited 04-10-2001).)
My favorite part was Docking Bay 94 Was that intentional?