Hunted: Chapter 2

A New Job

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'Who's hunting us, Captain,' Raun dropped into the seat behind the pilot, Mae. Padoan sat beside her reviewing navigation charts.

'Hard to say, Raun,' Padoan didn't look up. If Hosgrith was the nearest system they should have reached it by now.

'Have a guess.'

'We shouldn't guess.'

'Yeah but that's the third pair of short range fighters we've fought off in as many months and remember those guys back on Kush? Think they were the same sort?' Raun crossed his arms over the back of Mae's chair.

'Would you mind?' Mae scowled over her shoulder.

'You're not flying, ship's doing that.'

'It's uncomfortable,' Mae shunted Raun's tattooed forearms off her headrest. He fell forward.

'Fine,' he opened his palms in a gesture of peace and leaned back. 'Kush, Captain?'

'I remember Kush. I remember the men who stalked us in the Jalul undercity and I remember them having no ID along with facial implants. Yes, they were hunters too. Is that what you want to hear, Raun?' Padoan set the monitor back into the console.

'No, I knew that. What I want to hear is who you think it is?'

'You gotta theory?'

'Who have we pissed off?'

Mae snorted, 'That's a long list. We're mercenaries who specialise in espionage and subterfuge, every mission we complete makes an enemy.'

'Until they hire us to take revenge and, besides, we shouldn't be getting seen in the first place,' Raun ruffled Mae's fringe.

'Right,' Mae rolled her eyes and set her fringe straight.

'Out with it, Raun,' Padoan leaned back.

'Qing. I reckon it's the Qing Corporation. We've done at least five missions were they were the target or involved with the target.'

'Stop. We ran sabotage mission on a Tarikay manufacturing plant the other year, much more damage than anything we've done to the Qing. Were you here for the run on Varis Peak Interstellar Consortium's mainframe?'

'I was injured for that one.'

'Right. That was a bigger deal than the Qing missions. What about that time we infiltrated that government on Sagitan, the Renis, Renuls, Re...'

'Renulis,' Mae finished.

Padoan clicked his fingers, 'That was it. Brought the government down and the three neighbouring countries invaded. Caused chaos over the whole planet and threw the system into war. That was a bad mission,' he hung his head.

'I get your point, we have a lot of enemies.'

'And a lot of allies, well the ones who pay well. Speaking of pay, any news of Trent.'

Raun spun his chair to face the comms console, 'Same as before, meet in Hosgrith System, doesn't say where.'

'Then we just have to pray Trent is on time,' Padoan leaned back and rested his heels on one half of the piloting console.

'Captain, do you mind,' Mae prodded Padoan's calf.

Padoan lowered his feet.

The pale yellow of Hosgrith was an inch wide through the cockpit window. A small mote of dust called Undaron crawled across the star, rings and moons too small to see from the edge of the system. The Firethorn was in a far off orbit of the star waiting for a ping, text message, or radio from Trent.

Padoan paced up the port side hallway until it curved along the stern, passed the engine room and workshop, before walking the length of the starboard hallway.

'Cap!' Sasha shouted.

'Boop, bzzzzt, dinnn,' Z3 chimed.

Padoan spun on his heel, 'Droid working?'

'No but I did find some interesting things rooting around in his chassis,' Sasha's eyes lit up, black grease streaks staining her tightly curled grey streaked hair. She nodded for him to join her. Padoan followed her back to the workshop. 'No serial numbers, no logos, marks, tonnes of unique parts, mechanical and electrical. This machine is a serious piece of work.'

'Qing prototype?'

'Don't think so. It's old, too old to be a prototype collecting dust.'

'These big corporations have a lot of ancient stuff hanging around in warehouses, governments too.'

'Sure but this was in a mining base and snuck on board.'

'Only to power down.'

Sasha hmm'd and err'd, 'Sure, which is weird in itself. There's parts missing too, like someone had been tinkering. Whole memory core not hooked up.'

'Can you connect it?'

'Need the cable.'

'Let me guess, proprietary?'

'Probably, or maybe an old standard. First I got to turn it on and... well I've had no luck. Power core's faulty, won't take a charge and won't self-charge. Will need to stop by a few places here in Hosgrith. Know where which port we're calling in yet?'

'Not yet, though we need to call at Anker regardless,' Padoan picked at a flake of rust on the droid's shoulder. 'When he wakes up, ask him if he wants a paint job.'

'Will do, Cap.'

Padoan continued his laps around the ship. He passed by the crew quarters, the armoury, and was about to enter the mess hall when sirens began wailing. Sprinting for the cockpit he could ready here Mae reeling off the news.

'Contact. Trent is on Anker, northern hemisphere, coastal...' Mae's voice trailed off as she scrolled over the map of Anker. The circle of Trent's beacon flashing red before shrinking.

'Take us to the planet, worry about exact coordinates closer in and be thankful he's alive,' Padoan strapped into the co-pilot's seat. The Firethorn rumbled as it broke out of long-range orbit, the engines growling, and raced for Anker, the second planet from Hosgrith.

'Padoan,' Raun started, 'Cassius will see us when we get close. Sure we need a new job so soon?'

'Can't jump system to system on fumes, Raun. We need fuel, fuel requires money, Cassius has jobs worth big money,' Padoan enlarged the surface of Anker's northern hemisphere waiting for Trent's beacon to ping a more precise location. The red ring flashed and shrank to the eastern edge of the Jaktan continent before shrinking further to a forty mile radius around the seaport city of Faraxis. 'Trent may already be with Cassius.'

'That's not good. Trent can't negotiate for shit.'

'Or he is leverage for a failed job.'

'Trent doesn't fail.'

'Only one way to find out.'

Interplanetary traffic clogged the orbit of Anker, a green and blue marble rolling through the infinite black. Skiffs, heavy haulers, and transports gathered at the orbital spaceports or in long lines waiting for admittance to the surface starport of choice. 'We'll be here all day,' Raun leaned over Mae's seat. 'Look there's only two security fighters out there, blast for the surface. We'll land before they catch us.'

'We have enough heat as it is,' Padoan scanned for empty bays across Faraxis. 'Here's one. Extortionate fees, run by... well that's a shell company, of a shell company.' He tapped the same button again and again delving deeper into who owned the port in question.

'Criminal, is that wiser than jumping the queue.'

'You're right,' Padoan relented and returned to the main map.

'Got one,' Mae said, her right hand hastily typing a message. 'Small bay, possibly too small, but the fees are low, no inspections, and looks like no-one else wants it.'

'Sign us up, take us down,' Padoan said.

Mae tapped out an affirmative message and received a confirmation of slot plus permission to land seconds later. The Firethorn glided passed the haulers and transports, boomed into the atmosphere of Anker, the clouds ensnaring them through the upper levels before vanishing to reveal crystalline seas and the luscious green continent of Jaktan with Faraxis a gleaming pearl perched upon its mountainous coastline. An overlay lit up on the cockpit window and highlighted the location of the starport in the deeper levels of the city.

'We'll be lucky not to be mugged down there,' Raun said.

'We'll be better armed than the criminals,' Padoan reassured. 'Besides, we won't have to go through any security checkpoints this way.'

'Good, I hate those ceramic and plasteel rifles,' Raun said.

'It's a risk but given the location, meeting Cassius, and finding Trent, one we have to take,' Padoan rose and made his way to the armoury. The Faraxis skyline towered three-hundred stories over the ground level and Mae made it look simple flying the Firethorn between the skyscrapers and into the eternally shrouded underbelly of the city.

'Why are you complaining, Raun? Aren't you former military, used to a fight and all that?' Mae asked as if she didn't know him.

'Six guys with knives can cut anyone up with a little coordination,' Raun leaned over her and ruffled her hair before making for the armoury.

The ships shuddered left and right, 'Hey! You idiot, you could've made be crash into the side of a building or another ship!' Mae guided the ship down into the steam of the lower levels. An oval of green emitted from a bay door to her right, this wasn't a bay but a garage and the Firethorn was not a planetside vehicle. 'Ahh that's a problem,' Mae held the ship steady in front of the garage. The autopilot refused to operate declaring the garage too small in large capitalised red letters over the cockpit. 'Coward,' Mae disengaged the autopilot and guided the Firethorn toward the pill shaped bay. 'Easy... easy,' she repeated to herself, eyes flicking left and right, up and down, with every move of the stick. She hadn't used the stick in a long time and the ship jerked left and right as she barely moved it. A shrill grating sound tore down the side of the ship, the hull and deck rattling hard enough to chatter Mae's teeth.

'MAE! What are you doing to my ship?' Padoan stormed back in, lasrifle tucked under his jacket and a sidearm on his thigh.

'Parking.'

'This is a starship, it docks or lands it does not park,' Padoan glared out the cockpit as Mae guided the ship the last few feet.

'We're in.'

'The question is will we get out intact.'

Padoan and Raun stalked the passageways of Faraxis's lower city. Marred by graffiti, stained with piss, and sporting orange splatter painting from the previous night's partying. A homeless man lingered by a drain, a trickle of green water running behind him, while he lay wrapped in a thermal bag, the hood over his head.

'I hate the undercity,' Raun sighed.

'Yeah, well beats having to go through security checkpoints every ten minutes up top,' Padoan riposted.

'True. Maybe I just hate cities.'

'I think you hate planets. You're a spacer through and through. Why'd you join the military?' Padoan asked as if he needed to hear the answer.

'To explore,' the pair said together.

'Precisely. We won't be long,' Padoan checked his datapad for Trent's location. They were close, in fact the ring intersected with Cassius's bar. Padoan swore to himself as the beacon updated.

'What?'

Padoan showed him the screen.

'Trent's drunk and with Cassius. That's not good.'

'We don't know he's drunk.'

'He's with Cassius. You get drunk with Cassius and you don't drink.'

'Much. I don't drink much,' Padoan corrected. The pair exited the passageway into a square, up top that would mean green park with water fountains and benches will little stalls serving coffee and cake. In the undercity square meant large metallic box with huge air recycler fans for clouds, rusting metal for sky, and UV lamps for a sun. Benches were metal cuboids and water fountains were a dream. Children played in one corner, a game of tag or bulldog or some other game that involved chasing, tapping, and nothing else. Out of work men lounged on the balcony overhead while women of the night prowled during the day, there was no work for them, day or night, unless it was for pills, alcohol, or something harder. 'I pity these people.'

'I don't,' Raun said.

'They didn't choose it.'

'Sure they did. Everyone has a choice. I chose out, they can too. Let's get to Cassius's before we get mugged,' Raun marched across the square ignoring the legions of eyes following him along the way, man, women, and child alike.

Padoan shivered and felt a tingling. He hated that tingling, always appearing before...

'Raun,' Cassius stepped out of his door, arms wide, an affectionate grin across his lips, gold teeth flashing. His eyes were bloodshot. 'How is my best?'

'Managing.'

Cassius's eyes drooped, 'Only managing? My boy! You need to be thriving! Come in, I have just opened a bottle of Visivian Red for your man Trent.' The man was bald on top with long dusty hair down to his shoulders. His jaw was solid, his chin worthy of carving, but the stubble and twice broken nose gave him a daytime drama villain look. The long velvet smoking jacket didn't help either. His bleary eyes flicked up, 'Padoan! Are you a sight for sore eyes,' he staggered over as Raun entered his “bar”. 'Wait, what's with that look? What's wrong? Have you... don't say. Tell me inside. Inside,' Cassius put an arm round Padoan and guided him into his office.

Trent sat on a stool at the bar end of the office while a companion of Cassius's lounged on the bedroom end of the office, her red lingerie slipping a little low. Cassius darted behind the bar and filled four glasses with Visivian Red. The scent of the spirit reached up Padoan's nose and tugged at the back of his eyes. 'Sweet, smokey, and so strong as to be banned in nearly forty systems. Whole crate just came in, half it is already sold. This bottle, is just for us.'

'Can I get a glass?' Cassius's blonde companion called.

'After you pay me for last week,' Cassius replied.

The woman groaned and rolled over to face the mirrored wall, her firm arse revealed for the room. She stared into the gold smoked mirror at the men at the bar, 'You know I don't have the cash to pay you.'

'Then find some, because this,' Cassius pointed to himself up and down, 'isn't free.'

She rolled her eyes and started playing on her datapad.

'She's still listening, don't fall for it and don't stare at her arse,' Cassius grabbed Raun's chin and spun it round to face him.

Raun cleared his throat, 'Yeah. Sure,' he took a mouthful of the red spirit and promptly coughed. 'You could fuel the Firethorn with that.'

'Don't,' Padoan sniffed at his glass and let a small drop roll onto his tongue. The warmth radiated through him, the sweetness lingering, while the smokiness reached down his throat and grasped his lungs. He swallowed. Coughed. 'Wonderful stuff,' he wheezed.

Cassius grinned.

'How you been Trent?' Raun said.

The former soldier stared into his own glass of Visivian Red rocking side to side, 'Huh?' he burped and looked up in a hurried way, his eyes failing to focus.

'How much have you drank?'

'We made it through a bottle of Magollen Twenty Year before you showed up and before that enjoyed a couple of Bethsemanni Jungle Punches, and punch has nothing to do with the fruit!' Cassius burst into laughter.

'Alright,' Padoan set his glass down. 'We're here to talk business. You have a job for us. We need a job. Let's talk.'

Cassius stood straighter, cleared his throat. 'Come on, just wait a little bit. A little bit longer. Have some fun. Unwind.'

'Cassius, we flew through a whole system on sub-lights while being hounded by two unmarked fighters. Then we landed on a Qing Mining Facility to find it abandoned to repair. Soon enough those hunters are going to show up again and I don't want to be here when they do.'

'You're being hunted? There's no price on your heads, I'd have heard, and no-one knows about your ship because it's a piece of junk. You've got yourself a private feud. Exciting, really made it into your own. Proud of you, Padoan,' Cassius cheered the air and down his glass. He reached for the bottle of Visivian Red

'I'm not messing around. We need a job that will provide cover and get us far away from here for a bit while we figure out who is hunting us,' Padoan grabbed Cassius's hand on the bottle, locking eyes.

Cassius chewed his lip, exhaled through his nose, and looked to Raun, then to Padoan. Trent leaned over and rested his head on Padoan's shoulder, 'I'm gonna throw up,' Trent said.

'Alright, I've got a job for you. You won't like it. You,' he looked to Raun, 'really won't like it.' Cassius spun around and opened a cabinet above the spirits shelf. He pulled out a hefty envelope and set it on the bar, the glasses rattled. 'Big job. Or small one, depends how you do it. Anyway, it's in the Munon System on the planet, Bethsemanni. A war has broken out on the largest continent between Kalgoss and Talasar. The Kalgossian government wish to hire a crack infiltration team to investigate some suspicious movements on the moon of Duln. They thing the Talasar are trying to restore some ion cannon or something on Duln that was meant to defend the planet but with a tweak could be used on the planet itself. The Kalgossians believe Talasar to have hired their own PMC for this and so the conflict on Duln is strictly off the books.'

'Which means there's no rules. No laws,' Padoan sighed and swigged his Visivian Red. He grimaced as it burnt going down and would likely burn coming out, up or down.

'In a way. Don't get caught, as always,' Cassius spun the bulging envelope around to Padoan. 'The pay is considerable plus the possibility of extra work. I will take fifteen percent, as always.'

'As always,' Padoan finished his drink and grabbed the paperwork. 'Come on, Trent. Time for you to get to bed,' he hoisted Trent to his feet, the soldier's head rolled side to side as his feet kicked at the floor trying to stand.

'He's been paid too, don't worry. He did a marvellous job flying solo,' Cassius smiled. 'Now get out. I have another guest shortly.'

'I don't like it,' Raun said. Him and Padoan had Trent between them, their arms around his torso while he half walked and was half dragged back to the ship. They stumbled through the passageway, passed the homeless man in his thermal.

'Where's my drink?' Trent slurred.

'On the ship.'

'Where's the ship?' his head lolled back.

'Close.'

Trent burped his understanding.

'I know you don't want to go back to Bethsemanni but this is a good job. Duln's a jungle, right? Easy to get lost in. Dense vegetation messes with signals and scans and all that. We can lose our hunters, get rich, and score a couple good jobs,' Padoan shifted Trent's arm around his neck. 'Did he put on weight or something?'

'Well he drank his weight.'

'Oh he's gonna throw up on my ship,' Padoan groaned. They turned into the garage when a figure appeared ahead of them in the passageway.

'Padoan of the Firethorn,' the stranger declared.

Padoan shoved Trent inside the garage and reached for his lasrifle. Raun was a step ahead and already firing, the air singed with ozone.

The stranger slipped behind a steam pipe, 'Is that how you greet everyone?'

Padoan and Raun took cover in the doorway, 'Only those hunting me.'

The stranger whistled and the wall beside Padoan exploded with las fire. He stumbled into the garage, the homeless man firing wildly at him.

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