Out of the Nest
07 Feb 2024Ryuko Ntsikana
Out of the Nest
Robardin Rock, Carcosa system, Colonia Region
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I dressed in a business-casual flight suit, with a well-maintained jacket to complete the look. I knew it would attract the eyes of those looking for their next prize. Sauntering around the concourse of the asteroid station, I checked off the ever-pervasive list of amenities common to most stations and outposts. There was the usual bar, and side shops where a person could buy and sell a variety of things, including oneself. None of those held any interest for me, but they did for my benefactor. I did not want to use the name "employer," as I was not hired by them but rather pressed into their service by circumstance.
An anarchy system felt as close to home as I could remember. This place was the end result of my own morality. Taking bounties from those who descended upon emergency relief cargo ships was more lucrative than general piracy, but it came with rules attached to it. It did not matter what or who I knew; firing on a pirate ship that was not wanted, nor had been scanned beforehand, meant that I was the one with the bounty on my head.
A pirate is an opportunist, and the one I fired upon knew I would now have a bounty on my head. Sure enough, he went to collect it. He failed, and I was jailed pending disposition. The investigator was thorough, learning about my prior career. The courts then added more charges to my ever-expanding list of offenses.
I knew what the end result would be. Whether I liked it or not, I would be made cannon fodder, either in the mines supporting the war with the aliens or pressed into the front lines to be sacrificed to them. Who, how, and where the gentleman who appeared on my behalf came from, I hadn't a clue then, and not much of one now.
Their proposal was simple: The charges would remain on my head, but I would be sent out to Colonia on their behalf. Upon completion of my task, I would be free to do as I pleased, so long as I did not return to the bubble. Failure would see the bounty on me tripled, with paid-for passage for anyone who wanted to hop on the nearest fleet carrier shuttle and collect.
There was nothing I missed back in the bubble, and this place was as good as any.
It was hard to miss the looks of those who noticed my presence. Amateurs were as abundant out here as they were back in the bubble. The dumb ones go first, as the old Earth saying goes, and I wouldn't say no to taking a few bounties.