Rod and Reel
20 Feb 2024Ryuko Ntsikana
Rod and Reel
Giles Station, Deriso System.
Colonia Region
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I changed out of my dress to impress attire into something more subdued. With the ship's repairs and painting complete, and all consumables restocked, I ended the day's missions with 5.8 million credits in my pocket. While there was everything I could hope for onboard my ship, I needed to stretch my legs and see what this place had to offer.
I gave Aby instructions to begin keeping a list of docking ships, thirty minutes after we had docked, that were capable of the same, if not better, jump range than our own, and to continue this for one hour.
Damn, there he went again, staring at me in that creepy fashion. "What has you confused now?"
"Why do you care about arrivals?"
I reminded myself that Aby was a personal assistant android provided by my benefactor.
A small shiver crawled across my skin at the memory of the way they looked at me, eyes more deadpan than Aby's.
"Listen, it is simple. Whoever is ghosting us has to have a jump range equal to, if not greater than, my own. They are smart enough to use each system's host star to interfere with our sensors, meaning they are likely smart enough to be in something that can either match us or get away, which definitely is not a Type 10, 9, 7, 6, or Keelback class ship."
I leaned over to look forward to where the cockpit was, as Aby looked in the same direction, following my gaze.
"It has been my limited experience that passenger turnarounds are as quick as running commodities. They will wait for us to reappear and sniff around outside of the station's sensor range. When we do not appear, it will be reasonable to assume that we are stopped for a significant duration, and they will come in to take a peek."
"So this is a trap," Aby stated flatly, staring at me again.
Tossing my jacket over my shoulder, I looked at Aby and smiled. Not exactly, I thought to myself. That comes later.
***
There was nothing in the main concourse area that interested me. The usual bar on that level was subdued and quaint, not where those I was looking for would go. Those types would be on the more subdued atmospheres of the lower levels.
Streamers of pulsing lights emanated from the den of iniquity that I sought, as waves of strong bass beats permeated the air around me. The smell of sweet smoke and alcohol was as familiar to me as the dark matter was to the vacuum of space that it permeated.
There was a reason I chose this location, with or without that last passenger mission. The minor power in charge of this station and the system as a whole was experiencing a nice boom status along with a bump in their civil liberty, which meant that bounty hunting was good. The one ghosting me would notice it as I had and be more cautious.
Their nearest system rival was sharing part of that boom, along with being embroiled in a local election against a democratic minor power. What all of that meant to me was this place would be filled with the lean and the hungry. A million credits would go a long way to feed one or more of their appetites and help to rattle the chains of my ghost.
***
You could tell who were the most greedy from the drunken bravado. There were few if any true professionals in this mix. The few who were in here would in the darker corners of the bar–with a look of annoyance in their eyes. The pulsating lights, loud beating rhythms, and the drug and alcohol fueled hormonal displays of their lessers, spoiled their dockside moment away from their ships.
For every speck of the light there is dark. All things in their balance. The subdued commoner areas in the concourse above, and the swirling pits of the depths below.
To the average person this place would look like a den of pirates. Most normies, as we called normal people, never realized that many bounty hunters had their start as pirates. The line was grey at best, with profit being made where it could be found. Usually that was in the bounty of their prey plus a little extra on the side for any occupied escape pods, and whatever cargo that could be salvaged.
There were others of my type, from what little I gained from Aby. How many there were, was unknown. That one or more were tasked with being my shadow, I had little doubt. If I was as connected and deep pocketed as my benefactor, I would want to insure my investments generated a positive return.
After a couple of walks around the bar, I got a good sense of its layout. There was the casual gaming tables towards the back, with a raised area near them, where the more professional types would be situated. I caught the glow of a cybernetic eye from that corner, following my movements and sizing me up. My reconnaissance of the place wasn’t exactly discrete. I wanted to get noticed in hopes of luring one or more to question my business in hopes of making them an offer.
Now it was time for me to leave and go check out the other amenities this place offered. Nothing was more tempting to a fish than dangling the bait.