6 - DARDAN

6

DARDAN

          The Infinite Horizon gently vibrated as it touched down on Cadmus' dusty surface, and Dardan went to work on her console to kill the engines.  She never liked it here.  It was hot, dirty, and smelled like a mixture of rust and dried blood.  At least she didn't have to wear a breather outside of the ship, but whether or not that was a bad thing had yet to be determined.  But she preferred the coldness of space, the calm distantness of the void.

          Upon landing, Torev started using his usual commands.  "Systems check."

          "Engine and fuel systems go."  Zyro listed off his response in a bland tone.

          "Weapons and shield systems are go."  Boom's expression was cheerful as usual.

          "Communication and navigation systems online." Dardan made it abundantly clear that she was in no way enthusiastic about being here.

          "Alright, the sooner we get our cargo offloaded the better.  Zyro, Boom, stay with the ship and make any necessary repairs.  Top off on fuel if need be.  Dardan, you're with me." Torev got up out of his pilot's seat and exited the bridge.  Dardan finished her post landing sequence and put her station in sleep mode before standing up and following her captain out.  She noticed her two remaining crew mates had already begun to do the same as she left.  Kova was just ahead of her on his way to his quarters when he turned and spoke.  "Meet me outside the cargo bay.  Waltyr's envoy should be here soon, so try not to take too long."

          "You got it, Tor."  They parted ways as she headed to her own cabin, mentally preparing herself for the discomfort she was about to endure.  Waltyr was never pleasant to interact with.  She always got a bad feeling whenever he was around, and he had a sinister air about him.  His envoys weren't much of an improvement, and she'd heard stories of the depravities he and his inner circle engaged in.  Whenever they finished a transaction with them she felt the urge to scrub herself clean, as if they brought a plague or a cloud of filth with them wherever they went.  

          She entered her chambers which were sparsely decorated.  Only the essentials were within, and there were no decorations or other sentiments.  She cared not for such things, her only concern was fulfilling her duties to her captain.  She began to change out of her loose fitting voyage garments and into a tight fitting black bodysuit.  It covered her all the way up to her neck, and other than her face not an inch of her body was otherwise exposed. Then she strapped on her weapon harness, which wrapped around her shoulders and torso and was made for carrying her two handguns.  They were smaller than Torev's large caliber weapon, but were suitable for mobility and concealment.  Over that she wore a medium length dark green hooded robe, which was better for hiding both her identity and weapons. Being Hadaran, Dardan never knew if she would ever meet someone from her old community.  It was a prospect she was not keen on.  Over her eyes she wore a dark visor, knowing the brightness of the day would be quite intense.  Finally she attached to her wrist an older model device that allowed her to maintain contact with the ship.  She then made her way out of her chambers and headed outside toward the cargo bay.

          It was a bright, clear day on Cadmus, its bright blue sky a vivid counter to the oranges and browns of the world's regolith.  The air temperature was warm, but not unbearable, but still and humid as well.  All about people were moving to and fro, as this was one of the busiest ports and one of Cadmus' busiest port cities.  For miles ships stood upon their docks, and from time to time some took off, others landing.

          Torev had not yet left the ship so Dardan got to opening the cargo bays and, with a special lifter, began the unloading process.  It was her full intention to minimize the time they had to interact with Waltyr's men.

          A moment later Torev emerged from the ship and joined his first mate.  He sported a red shirt and black pants, a weapons belt around his waist, and a long brown coat.  She never really looked at men as anything other than just other people, and certainly didn't care for romantic relationships, but if she did, she would find him quite the specimen.  His eyes squinted as they adjusted to the brightness of the outside and his weapon belt hung lazily on his hip as he strode toward her.

          "Started without me?"

          "Almost finished actually.  Any word from Waltyr's man?"

          "Yep, they should be here soon." Torev began helping Dardan unload all of the cargo crates as they spoke.  "Brace yourself, I think Waltyr's coming too."

          Dardan didn't respond immediately, merely letting out an irritated exhale before she replied.  "Why would he do that? Doesn't he have some sex slaves to torture?"

          "I know, Dardan.  Trust me I don't much care for him either, but a job's a job. Plus we're not on very good terms with Jakko as it is being how our little stop on Nostir held us up so much. Just," Torev rested momentarily, breathing heavily and sweating some.  He looked about as various ships, speeders, and people made their way about the large port trying to find the words to use, before looking Dardan in the eyes.  "Let's just get through this, and I promise you that before long we'll never have to deal with Waltyr or Jakko ever again."

          At this she herself stopped unloading, not quite believing what she'd just heard.  "You plan to terminate your employment with Jakko?  You don't have near the amount of merits, or the reputation-"

          "I haven't quite figured everything out, but the endgame's the same.  Come on, don't you like the idea of being Vice President of Reverend Enterprises?"

          Dardan came as close to laughing as it was possible for her.  "I thought you always hated that nickname."

          "It's grown on me.  Think of it, though, no more having to deal directly with slime like Waltyr ever again."

          "That does sound appealing."  Dardan got back to work, a trickle of new found resolve lending some speed to the evolution.  Before long everything was fully removed from the cargo bay.  They'd worked up quite a sweat during the whole process but, thankfully, Boom had thought to bring them both some cold water before returning to her shipboard duties.  Dardan wasn't sure what to make of her new crew mate, as she had yet put forth the effort to get to know her.  Other than Torev, she was the longest running crew member, Zyro only having joined a few years prior.  She'd seen quite the assortment of gunners and specialists come and go, and long ago realized that entertaining friendships with them was a waste of time.  If one were to ask, she wouldn't have even been able to say with any confidence whether or not she was friends with even Torev.  However, she was still amicable to them all, while remaining indifferent.  But so far she had no ill feelings towards the new gunner, who was very nice, respectful, and hard working, qualities highly valued aboard the Infinite Horizon.

          "And now we wait."  Torev leaned up against one of the crates, breathing hard, and lit up a cotine stick.  Dardan never understood why people smoked, it was linked to all sorts of terminal illnesses, but hundreds of billions of people throughout the galaxy did it anyway.  It didn't bother her too much though, so she never complained when Torev or Zyro smoked around her, but she would never try it.  "You don't have to hang around, D."

          "You'll need me by your side if things turn sour," Dardan crossed her arms.  Torev didn't argue, and the two stood in the shade of the ship in silence for a few minutes while they waited for Waltyr and his men.

        Ships and other vehicles continued to come and go, until a luxurious looking large hover car approached their landing area.  It shone in the sunlight with brilliant reds and silvers, almost blinding Dardan.  Her eyes were accustomed to dark places, as before they found space travel the Hadaran race spent millennia in vast underground nations on their home world.  Thankfully her visor dampened the brightness significantly, otherwise she would be blinking incessantly.

          The hover car stopped before them, its engine humming a low growl as it idled.  The vehicle was spotless save for a very slight buildup of dust about its lower areas, making it obvious the care that went into maintaining its beauty.  Dardan half expected to see it pulled by a harem of barely covered women, but thankfully did not.  A moment later the doors opened and several people got out, among them a handful of dangerous looking men, several downtrodden looking women, and lastly Waltyr himself.  Behind him trailed a frightful looking young girl, barely of womanhood age, carrying a long staff with a mesh like fabric stretched out with skinny metal arms.  She held it up over Waltyr to protect him from the sunlight despite not being under it herself.

          Waltyr was disgusting.  His cheeks flopped about as he took every step and thin patches of wispy hair held on for dear life in the breeze.  Grease and sweat ran down his face and stained the neck of his opulent robes of red and gold.  Not a single one of his fat stubby fingers was ringless, and a thick gold chain swung about his neck.  He sported a facial expression that gave Dardan the impression that he thought that he was too good for his current environment.

          "Hello again, Torev."

          "Waltyr."

          Dardan assessed the other members of Waltyr's company as her captain addressed him.  There were three other men and four women, the former all armed and dangerous looking and the latter all barely clothed and looking forlorn.  The lifestyle Waltyr enjoyed sickened her, and if she had her way she'd put a piece of hot metal in every one of these men's skulls.  She eyed them all individually through her visor, always keeping in mind exactly where on her person her weapons were positioned, and going over in her head the fastest, most fluid way possible to unholster them and open fire.

          "This delivery was supposed to arrive yesterday."  Waltyr eyed the containers as he spoke, his jowls bouncing with every word and spittle ejecting from his lips.  He spoke slowly with a deep voice, federation standard clearly not being his primary language.  "Your Jakko assured me it would arrive on time."

          "We had some trouble on the way.  There's nothing else I can say about it."  Torev's expression was stone like, but even then there was no way to completely mask the disdain in his voice.

          "Well if any of the merchandise damaged or expired, Jakko will hear my complaint and then do with you as he will."

          "Sounds fair."

          At this Waltyr's servants got to work loading the large crates onto his hovercar while Dardan and Torev looked on.  It happened as routine until the last one when an audible, repetitive thud started coming from it.

          "The throck?"  Torev broke his resolve and moved towards the crate.  Immediately Waltyr and one of his men ran towards it as well.

          "Stop! Do not-" his words were cut short by a hand cannon in Waltyr's face.  Torev stared him down for a moment, never faltering despite having three other weapons aimed at him.  The slave women stopped moving entirely, obviously fearful, including the one who carried Waltyr's shader.  For a brief instant Waltyr was subjected to direct sunlight because of this, a look of annoyance on his face.  Dardan moved at the same time, drawing her two pistols and aiming them at two of Waltyr's men.  For a moment they just stood there at a stand still, waiting for something to happen, thuds still emanating from the crate.

          Torev was the first to move, and with his free hand unlatched the clasp on the crate.  With a single movement the lid was flung from the crate and into the dusty ground, its contents revealed for all to see.  

          Inside were three young human girls, barely old enough to have children, and none of them clothed.  Two were unconscious, one was awake, the latter apparently the one responsible for the noises that had come from the crate.  She looked up at Torev and the rest, fear in her eyes.  She tried to cry out, but couldn't, and touched her throat to feel stitches running up the center.  Dardan looked at Waltyr's other slave women, and now that she thought about it, they all had scars upon their throats running the same length as this new girl's stitches.

          "What kind of sick-"  Torev couldn't find the words, and Dardan was filled with immense rage.  There was no way she could stand for this, Waltyr had to be punished.  Jakko would feel her wrath as well if she ever had the chance.

            "Hey, what is problem?"  Waltyr asked jovially, despite Dardan now training bother her pistols on his revolting face.

            "It was never in out agreement for me to transport slaves!"  Dardan didn't think she'd ever seen Torev so furious.

          "But is Jakko's agreement.  Not my problem he not tell you.  Maybe you go take up with Jakko.  This is Coalition, perfectly legal here."

          As much as it pained Dardan to think, Waltyr was right.  The Coalition had yet to outlaw slavery like the federation had, but that didn't stop her from having a bad taste in her mouth at the thought.

          Torev lowered his weapon, and after a moment of consideration, Dardan did as well.  She had half a mind to put a bullet in the head of every one of Waltyr's men, take his slaves aboard the ship, and take them somewhere safe.  She knew Torev wouldn't be opposed to the idea but wouldn't allow it, as this would only compound the problems they faced.  The other men lowered the weapons as well, and gestured to the other slave women to finish loading the crate onto their hovercar.  They hesitated for just a moment, but that was plenty of time for one of the men to walk over and strike one in the stomach with his collapsible club.  The women then got to work immediately, not wanting to incur any more of Waltyr's wrath.  

            They finished and prepared to close the hovercar's cargo hatch, buy Waltyr stopped them.  He then looked to one of his men and gestured to the girl carrying his shader.  The man walked up, unholstered a pistol, and shot her in the head without hesitation.  

          Torev took a step back at this, but Dardan didn't move whatsoever, silently swearing that she would put an end to Waltyr's evil someday, and watched as the other slave women dragged the body to the back with the other cargo crates and the men begin to enter the vehicle.

          "Have good day!" Waltyr smiled as he allowed the slave women to enter before him, then got in the hovercar himself.

          "Throcking slimy b*****d."  Dardan watched as the vehicle moved away and left, picturing in her mind the depravities those poor girls had to endure on the way to that sorry excuse of a man's pit.  "I'll kill him.  I'll kill all of them."

          "He'll get what's coming to him, but there's not much we can do about it right now.  But I am going to have a chat with Jakko about this, believe me."  Torev turned and headed back to the ship, leaving Dardan to her dark thoughts.  If someone didn't take the chance from her, she vowed to herself that at the first opportunity she'd erase Waltyr's filth from the galaxy.  She then turned about and headed towards the ship, a desire to scrub herself coming to prominence in her mind.

          Inside Zyro and Boom were nowhere to be seen, presumably both checking various areas of the ship for any problems that would need to be corrected.  Dardan headed to the bridge, from which she could hear Torev talking very angrily.

          "Why didn't you tell me there were slaves in my cargo hold?"  Torev was talking to Jakko on a holo screen as Dardan entered.  She didn't join the conversation, merely leaned against the wall out of line of sight of the holo screen and listened.

          "Because I knew you would refuse.  All my other pilots are out doing jobs for me, you were the only one available."

          "But when you said not to ask questions I assumed it was just narcotics or booze.  How many other times in the past have you secretly had me transport slaves?"

          "Never, and you can trust me on that!"  Dardan had the feeling Torev did not, as neither did she.  "Anyway, why were you late?  Waltyr's already contacted me to complain.  You're lucky none of them died, otherwise I'd make you pay for them."

          "Make me pay for them?  You just try it and see what happens!  Besides we ran into some trouble on the way, had to make a stop for some quick repairs.  You're lucky I don't make you reimburse me for them!"

          "Come on, Torev, don't be like this.  Trust me, I don't much care for slave trading as much as you, but money is money, and Waltyr pays well."  Dardan had never much cared for Jakko, but he was an honest business man, and looked out for his pilots.  The crew of the Infinite Horizon could do worse, she supposed.

          "Well I want more for my troubles, Jak.  And insurance that this won't happen again."

          "You're putting me in a troublesome position, Torev, you know I barely break even on many of these deals-"

          "Then charge more, I don't care."  Dardan was impressed with Torev's brashness, only ever rarely seeing him this way.  "I'll see you back at Gammonis in two days."

          "Wait, Torev, I have a shipment on its way to Cadmus I need you to pick up and bring to me."

          Torev bowed his head in frustration for a moment, then looked back to the monitor.  "When?"

            "A day or two. Three at the most.". Jakko gave Torev a moment to consider before continuing.  " Your people have been running from station to station for the better part of two months now, this is a great chance to give them some free time.  Leave Cadmus for the time being if you want but I need you there when it arrives. "

          "Alright."  Torev looked behind him, probably noticing Dardan for the first time.  "But this conversation isn't over."  With that he shut off the monitor and turned to his first mate.  "Don't tell Boom what happened out there, alright?"  

          "I hadn't planned on it.  Are we staying here, then?"

          "Might as well, we'll save fuel that way.  Pass the word, but make sure they have communicators with them for when his shipment arrives."

          "You got it."  Dardan turned and left the bridge, Torev following behind.

          "I need a drink."  With that they parted ways, and Dardan began looking for her other two crew mates.  

          It didn't take very long to do so, as Boom's cheerful voice and Zyro's brutish shouts were difficult to miss.  They were down on the lower maintenance level, Boom carrying a large bundle of heavy piping and Zyro's get protruding from underneath one of the large evaporation tanks.  Boom looked over at Dardan as she entered, nearly dropping her load.  She took a moment to ponder Kora, the ex-slave turned smuggler that had proven herself quite the gunner, and thankful that she had not been one of Waltyr's.  She wouldn't have been the same without her ever joyful voice.

          "Finish whatever necessary repairs need to be made.  As of now you're both on liberty until further notice."

          "Um, alright."  Boom nodded, then continued her work as Dardan left. 

          Dardan wasn't sure what to do with herself.  There wasn't anything for her to do around the ship, but she wasn't about to head into any of Cadmus' city areas and subject herself to the filth and grime such places were replete with.  Plus her interaction with Waltyr and his awful men had left her feeling filthy enough as it is.  She headed back to the bridge, if anything to check and see if they had received any messages, however doubtful.

          Once inside she noticed that Torev had left something on the station where he had his conversation with Waltyr.  She moved closer to see what it was, and noticed it was his box of cotine sticks, and knew that if he were to be drinking alcohol he would want them.  She picked them up and headed toward the exit, hopeful that he hadn't left yet.

          Outside he was nowhere to be found, and one of the speeders was gone from the bay they kept them in.  The only way to find out where he was was to contact him over the communicators, but she thought that perhaps it was too soon yet.  She turned around to head back into the ship, but only made it a few steps.  She looked down at the contents of her hand, the cotine sticks that she had never really had any interest in, and looked around.  People all about were moving about, not paying her any mind, as were the countless ships and other vehicles that roamed around.

          Dardan continued to ponder for a few moments, part of her wanted to try one, to see what the fuss was about, and find out whether or not they had the calming effect she had heard about.  Another part of her urged her to refuse the temptation, as she could become addicted and, years down the line, suffer from all kinds of respiratory illnesses.  Yet another part of her wondered why she was considering it at all, it wasn't like her.

          She opened the box and took one out, inspecting it before putting it to her lips.  She activated Torev's lighter, and took a drag.  She'd seen Torev do this countless times, and was very attentive to detail.  Her throat itched, but the flavor of the smoke she drew in was soothing, almost paradoxically cooling.  She felt it enter into her lungs and circulate through her bloodstream, and knew instantly why people did this, as she could feel her head start to cloud and mellow.  It wasn't as strong as drinking alcohol or imbibing some of the more intense narcotics, which was probably why it was still legal in the Federation, but it was strong enough for the needs it was used for.  She exhaled a thick puff of smoke into the air, and not long after took another drag.  She almost immediately felt less tense about everything, and actually started to contemplate picking up this particular habit.  She decided against it, however, as there were very few situations where she felt stressed like this.

          While Dardan was smoking, she noticed a bright light in the sky.  Soon a dull roar could be heard, and before long she realized it was a ship entering the atmosphere, albeit crudely.  Then she heard a sonic boom, followed by another as, through deceleration, the ship broke the sound barrier.  The ship was coming closer and closer to the port, and didn't seem to be slowing down enough to land safely here.  She started to worry perhaps it would crash and cause damage to the Infinite Horizon, but then when she looked closer, she realized that the ships trajectory would take it directly overhead, despite cutting it close.  She was right, and the ship, some parts of which were on fire either from the atmospheric entry or possibly combat, flew right above her to areas eastward, only about a thousand feet or so separating them.  If she had to guess, it was a Federation vessel, based on the markings.  If that were true, then the crew of that ship wouldn't last long here.

          Dardan shrugged as she took another drag, the outcome of the ship and its crew beyond her capacity to care.  She finished the cotine stick and threw it to the ground before heading back to the ship, where she could cleanse herself of the impurities of the day.