Bay 21
16 May 2020Tharik Otoli
The Adventures of Prince Tharik Otoli: Space PirateFollow this link for the full anthology!
TAPINAS RING
MORAM
BAY 21
PRIVATE
NO ADMITANCE
The sign was clearly marked, and yet the young guttersnipe could not help his curiosity. It was a tight squeeze through the ductwork, but the small waif had become quite adept at this method of entry. Surely there must be something of value on the other side, why else would this bay be sealed off?
A few turns through the short maze led to a loose grill which the boy carefully pried ajar, conveniently, it opened behind a stack of cargo canisters within earshot of some very serious looking and well-armed men. The young urchin peered above the canisters to get a better look.
There were two men in the middle of an assortment of several nondescript ruffians. The men were standing alongside the gangway to a large, clearly Imperial ship. One of them, an ostentatiously dressed man, was speaking and the boy could make out what was being said, “Aye, Chief Donovan! Battle Weapons for a just Imperial cause, surely! Landmines, all is fair in war! Narcotics? A soldier often needs respite. Though certainly sir, I WILL NOT transport unregulated slaves! I cannot suffer such a thing!”
Another man, opposite the flamboyantly dressed man responded, “I wish you would reconsider Prince Otoli, we are paying you handsomely.”
The finely dressed man pulled a cigar from his jacket and adjusted an array of medals pinned to the same, “Indeed you are, but my principles cannot be bought so easily. I shall covertly transport that which has already been loaded, but you shall not bring undocumented slaves onto the Justicar.”
The other man sighed, “Very well. There are many other commanders in Straylight that would gladly do so. Your loss… Prince.” The last word rolled off the man’s tongue, in an almost mocking fashion.
At that moment sparks erupted from a panel next to the large sealed entry door to the private docking bay. The metal groaned and then quickly slid open. A contingent of heavily equipped police rushed in and the boy instinctively ducked behind the cargo canisters.
The disheveled youth tried to steady his breathing. He could feel his heart about to leap from his chest and he thought to himself, “How did they know I was here?”
Moments passed, but to the boy, it felt like hours. He huddled against the cargo canisters hidden from view and braced himself, yet none of the constables came. After some commotion and shouting, he heard voices.
“Easy! Easy! No one wants to die here,” it sounded like the garishly dressed man, a high-Synteini regional accent.
Another voice, the second man from before, “Come all the way from Hu Jini to see us off, eh?”
Then a third voice, a new man, “Maybe I did! Either way, I’ve had just about enough of this nonsense! The price for us looking the other way has just gone up!”
“Has it then? That’s funny, I heard the same thing from your boys over at Ziemianski,” replied the second man.
“Bastard! One day you will pay for that,” shouted the third man.
Again, the voice of the nobleman, “Gentleman, surely we can work something out. Let’s not be so hasty...”
“You’re a long way from Yawa, Otoli. Yah, I know who you are. You think your family can’t be reached on Cemiess,” asked the third man.
“Animal! How dare you,” came the reply from the gentleman.
The argument continued, but it was hard to make out what the men were saying as they were now shouting over one another. While carefully staying hidden the boy leaned over to examine one of the cargo containers. There was a small window on the canister and as he looked inside he noticed a young girl, perhaps a few years older than himself, in a deep, chemically induced slumber.
The boy gasped and scurried back into the air duct kicking over the grate as he moved. From behind him, he could hear shouts, “What was that!?” “Who’s there?”
Fortunately, one of the ducts turned and led back into the station’s superstructure. The boy kicked in yet another grate and slid out onto a busy market street, never to return to Bay 21.