Chatper Two - Revised (1.3)

Intro to Ariella. Jeremiah meets an old friend.

Chapter Two

Sedna Station

Dwarf planet 90377 Sedna

Sol System

“Damn it. S**t! What do we do?”

Ariella was pacing back and forth in a panic.  Her hand gripped a pistol holstered to her thigh.

“How could they even know we’d be here?” The man with her asked.  He sat on a pile of boxes near the back of the storage locker.  The room was dark, the only light crept through the poorly sealed door and a small security light in the back of the room.

Ariella stopped and turned to him.

“We were set up, you idiot!” she hissed.

The man frowned.

“Hey, come on.  I’m not the enemy.” He said sympathetically.

She stared at him for a moment and calmed herself.

“No, you’re not.  I’m sorry Pink, but we gotta get out of here.”

Carson “Pink” Banner, had been Ariella’s closest friend since childhood and they had been on countless missions together.  He was a big man, nearly two full meters, a body of solid muscle to back it up, and rosy red cheeks, thus his nickname, Pink.  He was also extremely intelligent, even though he frequently played the dumb card to get an edge on people.  He was a good man and Ariella loved him for it.

“So what do we do?  Security is everywhere looking for us.” Pink asked.

“The ship is Section three.  We could maybe cut through the Market and�"”

She cut herself off.

“Did you hear that?”  She asked.

“Hear what?”

“Ssshhh! Guards. They’re in the hall.”

Pink stood slowly and pulled out his pistol.

“Guess we’re shootin’ our way out.” He whispered.

“Sounds like two of them.  They’re coming towards the door.” She slid to the side of the door, pressing her back against the wall.  Pink stepped behind a row of shelves as Ariella motioned for him to use his silencer.  She didn’t have a silencer so instead she pulled out her knife.  She always preferred knives anyways.

The footsteps stopped outside the door.  She heard the beeping from the access terminal and the door slid open filling the room with light from the corridor.  Pink didn’t wait.  A single round fired landing in the center of the first guards face. His head whipped back and his body fell to the floor.  The second guard hesitated, in shock from his coworker falling dead right before him.  

Ariella used the chance to drop low and swing her knife in to the man’s inner knee, severing the tendons that kept him standing.  As he collapsed under the weight of his own body he managed a brief scream before she swung upward, slicing through his jugular.  She grabbed his head and pulled him to the floor inside the storage locker.  Fear covered his face as she dug the knife deep in to his neck to end his suffering.  He struggled for a moment, trying desperately to pull the knife out.  What little good it would do, she thought.  Just let go.  It all lasted a few short seconds.

Pink stepped out from behind the shelves and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Get his ID, we need to go.”

Ariella stared at the blood soaked guard for a moment then fished through his pockets for the ID.

“Why do you always have to make a mess?” Pink asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Shut up.  Take the ID.” She said, tossing the tag at him.  She wiped her blade off on the body’s uniform and sheathed it.    Pink caught the ID and started pulling the clips of ammo off the guards along with their pistols.

“I’ll see if it’s clear” Pink said and inched his head out of the door.  A gunshot sounded and he heard a ricochet ping near his head.

“Damn.  They have the end of the corridor blocked.”

“Then we go the other way.  On three.” She said.

They both readied themselves at the door.

“I’ll cover.  You first.” Pink said.

Ariella counted down.  At three they bolted from the storage locker, Pink firing two guns down the hall at the security blockade.

“Go go go!  Run girl!” He shouted.

Ariella could hear bullets pinging off of Pinks body armor as the guards relayed their positions over the coms as they rounded the corner.

“We can’t go straight anymore.” She shouted at Pink. “There should be a service hatch nearby.  That will be our only chance to get to the market.”

“Well let’s go then!” Pink shouted back.

They took off down the labyrinth of corridors.  A few turns later, there it was, the service hatch.  They ran to the hatch and pried it open.  Ariella went first.  Pink was half way in when a bullet whistled past his head.  He returned fire as the guards rounded the corner.

“Hurry up, Pink!”  She shouted.

“Go on babe!  I’ll catch up.”  She scowled at the ‘babe’ comment, but knew Pink well enough he’d probably be fine.

“Fine.  Meet at the ship.  Hurry.” She turned and ran off through the maze of service tunnels.

After climbing down a few levels and running what must have been a couple kilometers, she found an exit leading to another storage locker.  She kicked open the hatch and moved as quickly and quietly as she could.  She could hear the noise of the crowds form the market growing in the distance.  As she came to the market her senses were overwhelmed.   She stopped for a moment to catch her breath.  The moment was too long.

“Ariella Darzi, stop right there!  We will shoot!”

S**t!  How do they know my name? She thought.  She didn’t even bother to turn around. She just ran.  Fast and hard in to the crowded market.  The crowds were starting to disperse as they realized security was chasing someone.  Suddenly a loud crack echoed through the air.  Her body flew forward in to a man standing in front of her.  Her motion knocked them both to the ground.

“Hey, what the… What’s wrong with�"“ the man said before ending his sentence early.  

She looked up at him; his dark hair and pale complexion intrigued her. She groaned as she rolled off of him.

“Hey, are you okay?” He asked.

She had to snap herself out of it.  She visibly shook herself from her daze.

“No.” She stood up. The guard who fired was moving closer through the crowd relaying his position over his radio.  She ran.

The market was full of people screaming in fear now.  The gunshot shook them from their daily routines.  They scattered.  The chaos was the only reason she managed to lose the guard.

Finally making it to the opposite end of the market, she rounded a corridor and slammed her back against a wall to catch her breath again.  A sharp, hot burn spread through her shoulder and down her spine.  She gasped.

“Damn it. He actually shot me.” She said to herself as she slid down the wall to a slump.  It had been quite a long time since she had been shot, and this one looked bad.  The lead rounds typically used by station security were designed to not pierce bulkheads.  They were soft.  And as such, they had a nasty habit of exploding once they hit their target.  At least it wasn’t a charged round, she thought.  Otherwise she could add radiation poisoning to her growing list of problems. She tried to regain her composure.  Keep moving, Ari. Keep.  Moving! She stood and started slowing moving down the hall, trying to pick up her speed.  Blood drops framing her footsteps.

Suddenly she felt an odd pain pierce her neck.  

“What the�"“ Oh no.  Panic filled her mind.  Her body froze and he head began to throb as he vision went blurry.

“No, no, no!”  She knew before she even touched the dart, she had been tranked.  The drugs were already coursing through her.  She fell to her knees, and then to her hands.  She tried to set her head down gently, but her body had already given up. It bounced on the metal deck as she collapsed.  She managed to roll herself over to face her attacker as a giant armored hand came down over her face and her world went black.

* * * * *

Jeremiah stood up as the woman ran off.  He looked down to see blood on his hands and quickly checked to see if it was him who had been shot when a security guard pushed him aside and went chasing after the woman.

“What the…” his words trailed off.

His terminal chirped.  It was Thomas.  

You okay, J?  I just saw the guards pushing past you.

Jeremiah looked up and searched for Thomas’ bar on the second level.  There he was, standing at the balcony waving to him.

Yeah, I’m good.  Be right there.  He sent.

“Hey Thomas.” Jeremiah said as he reached the top of the stairs where Thomas was waiting for him. “How’s life?”

S**t, J!  Did they get ya?” Thomas shouted with slightly mock concern.

“No, I’m fine.” Jeremiah said.

Thomas extended an arm and began guiding Jeremiah towards his bar.

“It’s good!  Well, you know.  As good as it can be.”

“Yeah, about that.  What’s going on with this station?  And what was that about?” He pointed over his shoulder to the market below.  Thomas then noticed the blood on his hands.

They walked in to the bar, it wasn’t crowded, but it was clear that Thomas really was doing pretty well for himself.   The bar was slightly larger than many places on Sedna.  There was a bar in the middle surrounded by several tables.  The edges were lined with several booths of various sizes, lit only by the glow of the lights hanging over the bar.  Hanging from the ceiling were various artifacts from peoples space travels, old engine parts, dead wildlife from alien planets, war memorabilia.  It was a very eclectic place.  Jeremiah had always wondered why he chose to buy a bar on Sedna with his severance pay from the military.  

“Tanya!” Thomas called to one of his servers, “Can you grab us a wash cloth and a bottle of the good stuff. Two glasses.”  

“Yes, Mr. Ward.” The young girl said.

“Tanya.  How many times do I have to tell you?  You can call me Thomas.”

“Yes, Mr. Ward.”  She replied and went to the back room.

Thomas turned to Jeremiah.

“She’s new.  Refugee from Trader’s Landing.”

“Traders Landing?  What’s going on out there?

“Well, I’m not really sure.  There’s talk of some kind of rebellion.  Maybe a war between some of the pirate factions.  Some say it’s the Wan-Ren.”

“The Wan-Ren?  Come on, no one has heard from them for over fifteen years.  Not since the war ended.  Pretty sure the plague killed them all off.” Jeremiah said

“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger.  I’m just telling you what I’ve heard.”

The thing about Thomas was that he had eyes and ears all over the station.  And those eyes and ears had their hands involved in everything from government to the black markets all across the populated galaxy.  If there was something going on, Thomas most likely knew about it.  He frequently heard about things before anyone else.  He went on.

“One story I heard was of a ghost fog rolling in to a settlement and when it lifted, there were bodies ripped to shreds littering the streets.  I’m tellin’ ya.  Something spooky is going on.”

“And why hast the News Net mentioned anything?” Jeremiah asked.

“It’s the Fringe.  Why the hell would the CSA care?  Anyways, have a seat.  Lets talk.”  Thomas pointed to a booth in one of the far corners.  

A few moments later, Tanya had returned with a bottle of alcohol and a wash cloth for Jeremiah’s hands.    Thomas took the bottle of brown liquid and poured out two glasses.

“Cheers, J.  Welcome back.”

“Heh, yeah, some welcome. I’ve already been beaten up and nearly shot. Cheers.”

They drank.

“You’re such a cynic.” Thomas said.

“Oh this is good.  What is it?”  Jeremiah asked.

“It’s the scotch you brought me from Earth last time you were here.”  Thomas said.  Jeremiah grabbed the bottle and looked it over.

“Oh, so it is.  Damn, I have good taste.   So tell me something good Thomas.  I need some new jobs.”

Thomas took a deep breath.

“Look, don’t let this bar fool you.  Things are getting pretty bad out here.”

“What do you mean?”  Jeremiah asked.  He took another sip of his drink.  

“Well, for one thing, some of the gangs have been getting pretty aggressive.  It’s getting crowded here.  People are starting to fight over space. Turf wars and such.  The CSA doesn’t care anymore.  The old Wan-Ren contracts required the use of this station for trade to keep them out of Sol’s inner system, you know that much.  But now that there’s no threat, all the real trade just goes straight to Earth, bypassing us.  No one cares about this place anymore.  A lot of jobs are moving to the outer systems now that the CSA is focusing on expansion in the Galactic Center Quadrant. Hell even the security here spend more time hustling than they do securing. The cartels run everything now.”

Jeremiah nodded.  “Yeah, I ran in to an overly greedy inspector at the dock earlier.”

“Nelson?” Thomas asked.  Jeremiah nodded.  “Yeah that guy is one of the worst.  That’s what I’m talking about J.  Earth has turned it’s back on us and it’s turning in to a free for all. They’ve shut their doors to people trying to move in, and Sedna is the closest anyone can get to Earth.”

“Right.  Well, what have you heard?  Can you get me anything?”

“Nothing I’d be proud to give you.  I know you prefer to do legit gigs.  But those are getting pretty hard to find.”  

“Surely you’ve heard of something. Honestly, I’ve been working with the black markets for years now.  I’m already in deep.  Might as well just give me what you got.” Jeremiah insisted.

Thomas thought for a bit.  

“There’s a new guy in town. Word has it he’s a cyborg.”

Jeremiah thought about the man Simon had warned him about.

“I can see what he’s got.  How long are you here for?”

“A few days.  I’ve got some product to move.  Need to see if Alec can do some repairs for me.”

“Still flying that piece of junk, are ya?” Thomas said mockingly.

“Call me sentimental.” Jeremiah replied.

“Alright.  I’ll give you a shout after I talk to some people. Have you seen the Old Man yet?”

“Not yet.  How is he?”

“He’s been better.  I think he’s been skipping his cell therapy.  But hey, he ain’t looking bad for a hundred-eighty-three.”

Just then Tanya came back to the table with a plate of hot food.

“Eat up, J.”

“Aw, thanks, Thomas.  Now this is the welcome I was expecting.”

Jeremiah took a bite of the food. And thought to himself.

“Ya know, if things are getting so bad out here, why do you stay here?  You could be living the high life on one of those new colonies in an independent system.” He took a large bite of the meal.  “Damn this food is good.”

“It is.” Thomas said in agreement.  “That’s why.  I like this place.  I like this life.  And I like what I do, I’m good at it.”

“I’ll give you that.”  Jeremiah finished off his beer and stew and asked, “How much?”

“Don’t worry about it.  Welcome back.”  

Author's Note

Comments and critiques welcome. First round edit of second chapter.

Reviews

[Skywatcher]

I definitely like your work. I want to read more.
And your sentence "it’s turning in to a free for all" ? It's pretty damn cool.

[Chui]

I believe you meant "her" in these;

“What the"“ Oh no. Panic filled her mind. Her body froze and he(r) head began to throb as he(r) vision went blurry.

[Chui]

Did you mean 'in to' or 'into'?;

Suddenly a loud crack echoed through the air. Her body flew forward in to