2 - RAYNEIR

3

RAYNEIR

          Systematic chaos, that was the only way to describe it.  And to think, that this was happening in hundreds of thousands of similar places all over the planet at this very moment was almost mind boggling.  But this was life on Masara, as well as many of its fellow core worlds.  Almost the entire planet was covered in cityscape, and only the larger oceans and few wildlife preserves had been left untouched by the hands of technology and industry.  It was impossible to know how many people were on the planet at any given time, as many came and went about their business, which was par for the course for a world which primarily served as a trade hub, and lacked a major export like Sorien or Coranth.  Its markets were famous for selling goods not common to other worlds in the Federation, and its black market was infamous to the same degree.  Each sector had its own market district, and each quadrant, of which there were thousands, had hundreds of districts, which in turn had hundreds of sectors.  The amount of money that changed hands on an hourly basis was immeasurable to say the least, and Rayneir didn't get much of it.  He didn't dwell on it very much, for he was a firm believer that his luck would change very soon.  He pressed on through the packed crowd, the heat of the midday sun as Masara's bright star reached its highest point in the sky beating down on him, giving him another reason to want to leave this planet behind for good.  His good friend Talios trailed behind him through the crowd, both with their senses sharp as people went about their daily lives and hovercars zoomed overhead, casting shadows as they eclipsed the sun.

          "Where am I going, brother?" Rayneir feigned slight annoyance, turning his head to see his bronze skinned Hadaran comrade keeping pace behind him.  They weren't truly brothers, especially not by blood, but they had shared a common interest since before either one could remember, and found that working together towards that interest was far easier than separately.  And, of course, their goal was the acquisition of vast wealth.

          "Just up ahead," Talios answered, "there's a good sized marketplace we'll need to get through first, and after that it's far not." 

          "Not far." Rayneir corrected, the act of which after knowing him this long becoming reflex.  Talios had only recently left the Hadaran community from which he'd lived since he was young, and was still grasping the common language.  From time to time Rayneir had to correct him.  "And you're sure we can get a good score from this?" Rayneir ran his fingers through his dark, shoulder length hair and his blossoming youthful beard. He continued pursuing through the bustle of people, his long coat following lazily behind him, barely able to hear his friend's response among the crowd.  He could smell the wares of the marketplace already; meats, breads, and other such delectables he'd finally be able to afford once all was said and done.  He tried his hardest not to stare too much at the goods of the market as he transited, but there was one stall that predominately caught his eye.  Prime cuts of grazen meats were on display, and there was the benefit of there being quite the attractive young Silurian girl selling these goods.  Rayneir began to make his way over to her, and apparently caught her eye, for immediately she smiled at him and help up a particularly succulent flank dressed in a blend of local spices.

          Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder, bringing him out of his hunger induced trance, and as he turned to see whom its owner was, he looked into the face of his friend Talios.

          "It's this way, Ray," Talios pointed in almost the exact opposite direction with his other hand, then he, too, noticed the Silurian selling meat, and instantly had a look of confusion on his face, his large black eyes blinking as if in a frenzy. "I thought Silurians lived off water, mostly."

          "Whatever," Rayneir mumbled, "come on, let's go."

          They soon exited the marketplace and the crowd thinned, and Rayneir knew he was heading into an older part of the city.  The buildings and the walkways here were maintained much more poorly than those of the market and the city center, and fewer people were about here, as most probably avoided this area as much as they could help.  To drive the point home even more, fewer hovercars flew overhead, as if its occupants would get a foul smell coming through their air conditioning.  The two went on for a time down this road, deeper into the ever increasingly unpleasant district, and Rayneir noticed an increase in the amount of tattoos and body piercings among the denizens of the area.

          Rayneir paid it no mind, the promise of wealth being so close, a few questionable individuals and a deteriorated atmosphere wouldn't deter him so easily.  After a few minutes of travel Talios stopped and peered down an alleyway that stretched off to their right.

          "It's down here," he pointed down the alleyway with his long, bony thumb.

          "You're sure?" 

          "Mostly," Talios seemed somewhat nervous.

          "You are the embodiment of confidence, Tal." 

          "So I've been told." 

          With that, they gingerly began their trek down the alley, eyes peeled, and Rayneir noticed two very large men, one a Hadar like his friend, standing just outside an otherwise inconspicuous doorway, eyeing the two young men as they made their cautious approach.

          "You're sure about this?" Rayneir asked, second thoughts gaining prominence in his mind.

          "Nope." Talios was quick to answer.  One had to admire his unwavering honesty.

          "I hate you sometimes." 

          They reached the two men standing guard, whom upon their approach unfolded their arms and stared the two down in an obvious attempt at intimidation.  It was working.

          "Neeb soh-kah," the Hadaran spoke first, quickly followed suit by his human companion.

          "What's the code?" The man was huge.  Where the Hadaran surpassed him in height, he more than made up for it in width, tattoos and scars decorating his light brown skin.

          Code?  Talios never said anything about needing a code to get in.  Now instead of slight apprehension Rayneir was becoming gripped with panic.  Would they let them go on their way when they found out he didn't know the code?  Or would they become means to alleviate their boredom?  He looked to Talios, praying that between the two of them they'd figure a way out of this ever increasingly unhealthy situation.

          "Valnuc has no moon," Talios answered the guards, his calm demeanor never wavering.

          With that, the guards stood aside and unlocked the door, granting them access, never ceasing their stare down as the two young men entered the tavern.  Rayneir made a mental note to buy his very good friend a mug of the finest Coranthi spiced wine once all was said and done.  The two friends entered and the doors behind them closed as they disappeared into the dark, smoke filled pub.

          Inside was what one might expect.  It was very dim, smoky, and smelled of booze and body odor.  People sat at a bar, drinking, catching up on the latest current events on several holocons scattered throughout, some puffing on various cotine infused pipes and sticks, while others huddled around assorted gaming areas where the real action in the house was taking place.  Rayneir and Talios scoped out the place, hoping to find their respective favorite games and get the ball rolling on their goal.

          After a few minutes Rayneir found one, a Hierarchy table with an open chair, but before he attempted to sit, he checked out the game currently in progress.  An android officiated as house, clearly once having looked better than it currently did, any shimmering chrome it once had was now grimy from smoke and rusty from countless alcohol spills.  To its left was a large man, easily twice Rayneir's age, three times his size, and one of the meanest looking patrons in the place.  His face was shaggy and pockmarked, his head framed in messy shoulder length hair, and a thick roll of burning cotine leaves hanging upon his lips, filling the area around him with thick smoke.  His only opponent was a smaller yet not less intimidating Elyrian man, his skin a deep blue and covered with textured ritualistic tattoos and other markings.  The Elyrian was the only one of the two to pay Rayneir any mind, but it seemed his larger opponent had him on the ropes, his chips were all but gone, so he couldn't focus too much on Rayneir, requiring all his concentration to be spent on the game.

         The android inserted the deck of cards into its shuffle slot, and after a moment, withdrew it and began to deal as the two players placed tokens on the table.  The two looked at each of their hands and Rayneir circled around, taking a seat to the Elyrian's left, making eye contact with Talios, who would join them soon.  The two players didn't seem to notice him sitting down, and if they did they didn't seem to care, focusing on the game at hand.  The human set one card down on the burn pile, taking one from the deck, where the Elyrian set down three and took back just as many, noticeably not very happy with his hand.  The human bet a decent amount of tokens, and the Elyrian nervously matched the amount, putting all of the rest of his in.  Rayneir felt this wasn't a wise decision on the Elyrian's part, since he didn't seem to be all that happy with the cards in his hand.  Talios sat down next to Rayneir as the two players revealed each other's hands, and Rayneir was proved right in his assumption.  The human revealed he had three Lords and two Knights, whereas the Elyrian only had two Lady's and two Warriors.  Accepting his defeat, the Elyrian got up and walked away, and the man decided to finally regard the two newcomers.

          "Hello," Rayneir greeted the man cheerfully, "I'm Rayneir, and this is...?" he continued, feigning ignorance of the Hadaran "stranger" that had sat with them.

          "Talios, and you are?" Talios asked the man.

          He pondered them for a moment, looking back and forth  from one's face to the other, puffing on his cotine roll and taking a swill of ale from a dark brown bottle.

          "Bragg," the man answered.  "You boys know what yer doin'?"

          "Well I don't know about him," Rayneir piped in, indicating Talios, "but I'm just here for a couple friendly games of Hierarchy."

          "Same here," Talios added.  Bragg considered them for a moment, continuing to smoke his cotine and drink his ale and taking his time studying the two of them.  Rayneir wasn't sure the ruse was working, and the two of them would have to make a quick escape from the venue.  After a while the man nodded to the android, who then proceeded to shuffle the deck and Rayneir and Talios handed the android almost their entire inventory of Dariks.  He was in now, there was no turning back.  If this didn't work, it was back to begging, or worse.

*  *  *  *  *

          Just under an hour after the two entered the tavern the doors burst open and Rayneir and Talios came crashing out. Rayneir lost his footing somewhat, tripping up, but soon recovered, and the two bolted down the alleyway, angry cries coming after them from within the bar.  Rayneir went as fast as his feet could take him, his coat billowing frantically behind him, and he looked behind him and saw Talios was right behind him. He caught a glance father down from where they'd came and saw a very large man, Bragg, emerge from the tavern and take up the chase.  Apparently, he was less than thrilled that Rayneir had illegitimately taken him for everything he had.

          "He chases us!" Talios called out.

          "Thanks for the update Tal!" Rayneir didn't even bother to mask his annoyance.  "We have to try and lose him in the market!" He clutched his small bag of dariks as he shouted over his shoulder.

          Suddenly he heard the sound of something whizzing by him, and then again and again, and a part of the wall nearby exploded, showering him with structural shrapnel.

          "Is he shooting at us?" Rayneir called out frantically.

          "So it would seem. It looks like you underestimated his capability for retaliation." Talios started to breathe heavily.

          Rayneir could see the alley exit just up ahead, freedom laying not far beyond. 

          "Come on, Tal!" He yelled, Bragg's projectiles continuing to fly by them, some hitting the walls on either side.  All they had to do was make it to the market and they could lose Bragg in the crowd, and nobody would be the wiser.

          Finally they left the alleyway and entered open street, after which Rayneir immediately jolted left and looked for Talios behind him.  He took a moment longer than anticipated to round the corner himself, and he was breathing much more heavily than he should have been.

          "You alright, Tal?" Rayneir had grown genuinely concerned.  Talios was clutching his arm, and Rayneir thought he could make out a dark brown stain developing on his sleeve.

          "I'm fine, just..."  his facial expression gave away the fact he was both lying and mentally wrestling with what words to use, "I seem to be leaking."  He moved his hand to reveal his dark brown Hadaran blood starting to increasingly soak his sleeve.

          "Throck, you sure are." Rayneir let out, prompting a confused look from Talios upon his utterance of a human swear word.  "How bad is it?"

          "Well I'm not an expert on Hadaran anatomy," Talios seemed as if he didn't realize how serious his injury could be, "but I'm almost certain there are no vital organs in my arm."  Rayneir wanted to both laugh and punch his friend in the face when he said this, but decided the most important thing to do was to press on. They were still in danger as long as they were out in the open, and the denizens of this district that had walked the streets when the two had entered the alleyway were no longer in sight, presumably having retreated to safety upon hearing the sound of weapons fire.

          "Alright, come on, let's go." Rayneir beckoned, simultaneously looking ahead down the street where they needed to go and back toward the alleyway entrance, from which Bragg would be soon to emerge.  Talios gingerly nodded, gripping his wound in an attempt to slow the bleeding, and followed Rayneir as he began to resume his rapid pace towards the market.  He noticed he was sweating, his long heavy coat and the bright mid-day sun were beginning to take their combined toll.  It was times like these that he regretted his penchant for fashion over function, although for a miscreant who had spent most of his life on undercity core world streets, he had relatively very few opportunities to live by such a lifestyle.  After all, he may have to sell his coat the next day to eat for all he knew, especially in light of current events.

          They pressed on, Rayneir wishing he had something better to defend himself with than a knife should he need to.  Talios didn't even have anything, which made Rayneir feel even worse about the situation.  It was partially his fault they were in this particular predicament, since he had been the one to persuade his friend to find a suitable venue for him to practice his gambling skills.  The usual places they visited had started growing wise to him, and even though he technically never cheated at any games he played, mostly hierarchy, he never lost either.  Talios thought it was pure skill, but Rayneir knew better.  He'd been extremely lucky all his life, never losing a game of any type, whether it be skill, chance, or a mixture of the two.  It was only recently, namely since he'd become of the age where institutions could no longer house him, that he'd turned this luck of his into somewhat of a profession, and he was still figuring out how to use it fully to his advantage.  Betting too much too quick, getting greedy, were lessons he was still learning, as this wasn't the first time one of his adventures had gotten him into trouble.  He'd hoped things would have changed when he joined forces with Talios, as his new-found friend had a knack for listening to the grapevine almost as much as Rayneir had for winning.

          All he wanted was a chance for a better life, for the both of them.  He'd never known his parents.  He knew absolutely nothing of his mother, and his father was just a ghost of a memory.  And Talios, he felt sorry for him if nothing else.  His childhood had promise, with influential parents in the Hadaran community, but he left not too long ago for reasons he wouldn't divulge to even Rayneir.  They were generally a pretty tight-knit people, composed of prominent family groups that kept close ties to each other through arranged marriages to maintain bloodlines.  Rayneir didn't know what it took to deserve an exile from one such community, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

          The unfortunately familiar sound of weapons fire resumed its onslaught, and Rayneir looked behind himself to verify that Bragg had indeed rounded the corner as well and exited the alleyway.

          "Persistent fellow."  Talios chirped, prompting a grunt of agreement from Rayneir, both of them picking up their pace as best they could.

          They didn't have very far to go now, before they left this district and returned to the market, but it seemed like an endless road lay before the two, their destination growing ever farther.  Slugs zoomed by them, luckily hitting nothing except steel and concrete, yet Rayneir dreaded that if his luck ever decided to run out, it would be in a situation like this.

          Moments later they rounded another corner and there it was, the market, and freedom beyond. They never let up, though, almost tackling people as they ran through them, dedicated to eluding Bragg's line of sight. A few feet into the crowd, Rayneir turned to look behind once more and saw him, their assailant, scanning the crowd for the two.

          "Ray let's go!" Talios demanded, grabbing his arm, and as if on cue Bragg and Rayneir made eye contact, the former raising his firearm at him and the latter turning to run once more. 

          His right leg caught fire and went numb at the same time, and he found himself collapsing to the ground involuntarily amongst the now screaming and frantically moving crowd.  He clutched his leg where it burned the most, and felt a sticky wetness soaking through his pant leg.  He looked at his hands to see them covered in the shimmering crimson of his own blood, and felt his heart pounding from adrenaline.  It would seem his luck finally did run out.

          "Active shooter!" He heard someone yell, right before he heard gunshots come from a completely separate direction from where Bragg was.

          The sun bore down on him as he lay there looking at the sky, his vision beginning to blur, and he could feel the warmth of his blood spreading throughout his clothes. His fingertips and toes started to go numb.  He'd never been shot before but he was sure that he shouldn't be bleeding this bad unless a major artery had been clipped.  The numbness started spreading up through his arms and legs, and his vision continued to darken, soon coupled with his hearing starting to grow more and more muffled.  A dark figure eclipsed his vision, but he couldn't tell who it was, but he thought he heard them call out his name.  His wound caught fire again, despite his ever encroaching numbness, before his vision and hearing finally went totally black and he lost all feeling.

          

* * * * *

          A bright light shone above him as Rayneir slowly and painfully opened his eyes.  It wasn't the sun, the last thing he remembered seeing, but a very bright bulb fixed to the ceiling of wherever he was.  Slowly his senses came back to him, and he noticed first how unusual he felt.  He may have been drugged pretty heavily, since the amount of time between him trying to move any part of his body and said body part actually moving was quite significant.  It was very quiet, wherever he was, although that fact could be attributed to whatever substances he was on.  He looked around and realized he was in bed in some sort of hospital or clinic, the white sheets that covered him surprisingly soft.  There were monitors of various kinds all about him, giving off soft beeps and tones regularly.  There was a single door and one large window in the room, and said door was slightly ajar, a faint beam of light pouring through and soft voices coming from the other side.  

          Rayneir then remembered the probable reason for him being here, and looked down at his leg under the sheet. His pants and undergarments were gone, and his leg was wrapped tightly with white cloth where he had been shot. He attempted to peel off the bandage but it was wrapped too tightly and he didn't have the strength in his fingers to try and tear it free.

          Then he remembered Talios, and knew that he had to be somewhere nearby.  His wound probably wasn't as serious as Rayneir's, but it would have still required some attention.  He felt terrible, as all this was his fault.  He'd gotten too greedy playing hierarchy with Bragg, the prospect of a large payoff blinding him to the potential risks.  He silently swore to himself to make things right with his friend with more than just a stiff drink.

          The door opened and a nurse entered, a very pretty human girl with blonde hair and a tight fitting uniform that accented her slim yet full features.  She smiled when she saw that Rayneir was awake.

          "Well good morning Rayneir, how are you feeling?" She asked.  It took a moment for Rayneir to process her question, and when he responded his words were slurred, both probably due to whatever drugs he was on.

          "Uh, fine I think." He tried to say, but it sounded more like "finnithinck."

          "Well you're a very lucky man," she said as she rounded to his bedside, pulling up a monitor and looking at a display upon which showed his vital information, her tight shirt seeming like it would tear from the strain of her bust at any moment.  "You'd lost alot of blood when you came in but luckily we were able to stabilize you.  You're still on alot of painkillers so you'll feel a bit off for a while but you should be fine in not too long." She lifted up his sheet to look at his bandaged leg, prompting a feeling of embarrassment within Rayneir since his wound wouldn't be the only thing she could see.

          "Where's Talios?" He asked after she had lowered the sheet and returned her attention to one of the monitors.

          "Who?  Oh, the Hadaran who brought you here? He's fine, he was in and out of here in a couple of hours.  He's come to see you from time to time but I don't know where he is now.  I'm sure he'll be back soon."

          Rayneir relaxed in the bed as the nurse put the monitor away and headed for the door.

          "Get some rest, you've been through alot." She exited through the door, leaving it open slightly, leaving him to his thoughts.

          He hoped Talios would return soon, for there was much to discuss, and he needed to apologize and start making things right.  The fact that he didn't spend much time in this clinic allowed Rayneir to rest somewhat more easily, but he still felt terrible about the whole thing.

          His eyes suddenly felt heavy, and he was overcome with a wave of exhaustion.  Almost against his will his eyelids closed, and he succumbed to the overwhelming fatigue.

          He awoke some time later, just as groggy as he had been before.  He had just about forgotten he was in a clinic, but after a few seconds started to remember everything that has happened up to that point, including his conversation with the very attractive nurse.  He didn't know how long he had slept, but when he looked through the window to his left he noticed that it did seem to be somewhat darker outside than it had been before. He wondered how much longer he'd have to stay confined in this bed before he was fully recovered, and hoped that it wouldn't be too long until he was back on his feet.

          Suddenly Rayneir heard a noise, something similar to a faint snore, coming from his right, and when he slowly turned his head to look in the noise's direction he saw his friend, Talios, fast asleep in a chair to the right of his bedside.  It was surprising how well he looked, as if he'd never been injured.

          "I guess there aren't any vital organs in your arm after all," Rayneir murmured, a faint smile adorning his face and a soft, coarse laugh sounding from his throat.  At that, Talios stirred, and sheepishly opened his eyes.  "Morning."

          "How do you feel?" Talios approached the bed and looked down at Rayneir, his big black eyes blinking in contemplation.

         "Fine, thanks to you." Rayneir shifted around under the sheets to find a comfortable position.  "Listen, I'm sorry how everything turned out-"

          "You have nothing to be sorry about, I'm just glad you're well feeling."

          Rayneir smiled, not caring to muster the energy to correct his friend's speech.  Suddenly he felt like everything was going to turn out alright from this moment on.

          "You were worried?" 

          "Oh, yes, you'd lost alot of blood.  I had to tear off a part of my clothes and wrap your leg to stop the leaking, otherwise you wouldn't have made it I think."

          Rayneir studied his friend's clothes to see if there was any that had been torn off, but didn't see any evidence of it.

          "Oh, not from these," Talios pulled on his shirt sleeve and inspected it, "I just bought these with the money we won."  He pulled out a large bundle from within his jacket as he said this.  "Here's your half."  He set down the heavy bundle of dariks on the bed.

          "You'd better hang on to them, brother, we'll need them to pay for my treatment."

          "This clinic runs mostly on donations, and treats patients for free," Talios smiled.  "It's all yours."

          Rayneir couldn't believe the luck, all things considered.  With this money, after he was whole, the two could possibly buy their way off this planet.

          "So we've finally done it?"  

          "Yes, but first, I got us one more score, and after that, we'll have double this much."

          Rayneir pondered for a moment to himself, taking a moment to glance through the dimming window again.

          "What's the job?"