Hunting Grounds (pt1)
13 Jan 2021Jubei Himura
Robardin Rock
Carcosa, Colonia sector
June 3306
“Thanks again Jubs. Always happy to take your money!” Ouberos waves as I exit his ship. Damn smartass. Anyone would be happy takin’ a hundred-grand off o’me. Stupid card game.
“Next trip Oub, I’m gettin’ it back from ya. One way or the other!” I yell back.
I know full well he’s got a snappy reply ready and he’s probably yellin’ it back to me, but I’m not listening. I got things to do.
Rubin Rock had seen its share of action. Wars have been fought here between the Explorers’ Nation and The Nameless. The last war was short-lived, thanks to The Nameless’ backers: Lorren’s Reapers. Those hapless explorers were nothing but cannon fodder to the hardened military might of the Reapers.
Lorren’s Reapers, the ragtag band of unlikely comrades that came out of Lorren’s Legion. I’ve kept my eye on ‘em for a while now. Started with an infiltration mission to watch the top brass, back when they were still a part of the Legion. I didn’t take the mission for my former bosses, I did it for me. I knew they’d be after the Club, just as I was. So, I made it my mission to keep them off of the radar so they could do their jobs. Did my job so well that my own friends never knew.
Those days are over now, I ain’t in the position I once was. I’m alone, no Imperial clout to back me up and there’s only so much contact I can risk with my clan. So, if I’m gonna finish this crusade o’mine, I gotta talk to the only people still in the fight.
I just hope the info I found is worth the price of admission...
* * * * *
“I was hoping for a beautiful woman to walk through that door,” Phisto says bitterly, staring at me over folded hands. “But all I get is you. The Gods really do hate me.”
“Fuck the Gods.” I snap back. “I make my own way.”
“It’s been a long time, Jubei. You get sick of being fucked by the Empire? Word is: you ain’t an Inquisitor anymore.”
His words are meant to sting, and I’d be lyin’ if I said they didn’t. But I know his game, and I know I’m not immune to it. Gotta keep calm and centered. Phisto doesn’t see me as a threat, so he’s lookin’ to blow off steam. He loves to get a rise outta people, especially Imperials.
I shake my head. “Come on, That isn’t a secret anymore, if it ever was.”
“Yeah, I suppose not.” Phisto nods. “We could’ve used your help back in ‘04 when we got here.”
“If I came out here back then I would’ve unwittingly brought more trouble. I was being watched.”
“What makes you think you’re not being watched now?”
“Oh, I know I am.” I give a sly smile. “Your people have been on me since I got on Oub’s ship. But, the ISS, Federal Agents, and other controlled cronies aren’t. They’re looking for me back in the bubble or maybe they think I died fightin’ Oub’s crew.”
The former Newton’s Fusler leans back in his chair and laughs. “No one’s going to believe that you died to a pirate. You hate pirates, everyone knows that!”
I smile. He’s absolutely right: it’s no secret that I hate pirates and slavers. “I have my ways.”
“Riiight.” He scoffs, waving his hand dismissively. “So what do you want? I’m busy.”
I finally pay attention to the office I’m in. Though it looks unfinished (complete with wires hangin’ from the ceiling), it’s an administration office. Monitors showing major hubs of the station line one wall, and screens depicting various logistical information on another. I never pictured Phisto being responsible for the operations of anything but his own ship.
“I want to be a direct part of your anti-Club operations.” Simple and to the point, no use beatin’ around the bush.
“Well, you’re about a year too late bub.” he replies bitterly. “Isaiah’s gone. Fuckin’ ghost in the wind.”
“He’s dead?!”
Phisto looks at me hard for a long moment before speaking.
“No, he’s not. But, Linnea is.” he finally answers.
My hands clench tightly, turning my knuckles white. She was a non-combatant, a scientist! What the hell happened?
The Reaper notes my reaction with a slight nod and continues in a strained monotone, “I think losing her fucked him up good, ‘cause after that happened he just disappeared. Poof. We looked for him, Jub. We did everything to find him, but he was gone. For a long time we thought he was dead, but I know better. He’s out there, he just doesn’t want to be found.”
I’m no stranger to loss. Hell, half the damned galaxy’s lost something or someone important to them. It ain’t a rare occurrence, but it’s always personal, and that’s why it cuts so deep every time. Some people crack and never recover, some come back from it. It’s when it happens more than once that you really have to be made of stone to work through, and most aren’t. We’re not supposed to be.
But that’s gonna have to wait.
“Phisto,” I start, finally deciding to just tell him. “They have caustic weapons now, engineered from the bug’s tech. Missiles, guns, and bombs. I’ve seen ‘em.”
“Who’s got ‘em?” Sobanii asks with a raised eyebrow.
“Black Flight and PRE.”
“Both? Shit.” the senior reaper swares and looks over at a holo screen on his desk. “You know if they’re shipping any to Colonia?”
“Only systems I saw on any manifest were systems in the bubble,” I reply. “But, I didn’t have time to go through all their files.”
Phisto continues to look at the holo, scanning lists and reports. I haven’t got a clue what he’s looking for. But, if I were a bettin’ man, I’d say he’s going through his intel for any sign of odd shipments in the sector. That’s the first thing I’d do.
The reaper finished looking at the holo and sighed. “Nothing here. But, that don’t mean it ain’t coming. Fuck! A year of this shit… looking at holos and watching security. I’m sick of this.”
“So, leave?” I shrug.
“I can’t,” he snaps back. “The men lost most of their fight a year ago when my people died or disappeared. I fuck off, and they’ll have nothing left. We’ll lose this rock for good. Dammit, I hate to say it but, we need Isaiah here.”
Phisto’s right. Like it or not, Isaiah was the point-man against the club. He was the one who gathered this rag-tag group to perform anti-club operations and to continue Lady Kahina’s work. The kid had a good head on his shoulders, when he kept it on straight.
“Any idea where he is?” I ask.
“Why? You going to bring him back?” Phisto shot back. “I can tell you where he isn’t: here!”
I just stare at him. He ain’t getting the satisfaction, and I’m dead serious. “I’m a hunter, it’s what I do.”
“Oh shit, you’re serious!” Phisto snickers before considering what I said. “Fine. I suppose I can’t stop you, short of killing you, and unfortunately I need all the help I can get right now.”
The reaper tapped the holo screen a few times and read it’s contents. “He sent a message a little while back. The content got deleted, but I traced the signal. He bounced it from system to system to cover his location, but the earliest bounce point was from the Inara system.”
That’s all I need: a starting point. “Then I’ll head there first.”
I would like to thank M. Lehman and Isaiah Evanson for allowing me to be a part of the continuing story. I'd also like to thank Ouberos for allowing me to once again use his character. Please note that wherever the story goes with Jubei, real-life Jubei is still an active and loyal member of The Kamadhenu Chapterhouse of Inquisition - the best group of awesome Imperials in all of E:D. Please enjoy his continuing story!