Coup via Murder
15 Jun 2017Orkekum
I’m here in Seliu Benas to discuss trade with the current controllers of the system, or at least that’s what they think. It’s helps that I’ve convinced them that I’m a faction leader. All I have to do is negotiate this contract, then I will have a foothold in the system.As I recall, this system recently had a run of “bad luck”. One of the executive leaders met an unfortunate end in a tragic accident. After that, there was a food shortage that resulted in a famine. Of course this lead to my invite as a potential trade partner as I’m the one who brought food into the system again. They praised me as a hero, when in fact I’m the one that arranged the accident and the one that diverted the food shipments. The famine ended only after I delivered their own food.
Dangerous and dirty work, yes, but it had to be done if I am to seize control and build my laboratory. Their mineral and metal trade just makes everything easier, providing a stable flow of credits.
The office is simple enough, box-shaped with an overall style that verged on the old fashioned. Dark brown floor, something that resembles wood but missed the mark. A bookshelf stands on one wall while the other has some screens displaying various information. Opposing the door that just closed behind me is a table. An elderly man is sitting behind it, clearly the boss of the operation. Behind him is a large window with a nice view of the orbital station we were in.
“Welcome, welcome!” the man greeted as I approached.
He insisted I take a drink of whatever brandy he had in the decanter that sat beside two glasses. My eyes clearly making out a clear foreign substance in the glass he was filling for me. Two large men behind me, who I presume are bodyguards, stand on each side of the door. Each wearing a small sly grin that I noticed in the reflection on the window.
This is smelling so much like a trap, but I decide out of curiosity to play along. I move over to the chair. Just a week ago this organization contacted me about a trade agreement. Which is just a little odd because they trade in grain and food, not metals and minerals. Thus, I agreed to visit out of curiosity.
“What is your capacity to ship per week?” the man opposite of me asks.
“10.000 tons guaranteed. Plus added tonnage depending on my mine-”
“Go on have a drink!” he rudely interrupts me. “We drink as a sign of friendship.”
Smiling to the crazy old bastard, I smell the liquid, trying to figure out what he spiked it with. He is a little too eager to drink and hasn't even got the courtesy to engage in the usual small talk about who I am or where I am from. Very well you old shit, I shall spring your trap.
I take a sip of the drink. The cheap liquid has enough alcohol and synthetic materials to cover the foreign substance, at least he got that right. About a minute of unpleasant, awkward silence passes before my eyes go wide with shock.
“W... what is the meaning of this!?” my voice stutters as I get up from the chair. I manage a couple of steps before I collapse behind the table. I hear the man laugh, obviously thinking I’m dead.
“This is how a Coup is done, you freak. Now your faction, and the system is mine, as it belonged to me from the beginning!” the man boasts. he orders his bodyguards to dispose of my body.
The bodyguards come closer and one of them lean down to grab me. He doesn’t see the glass still tightly held in my hand. As he is about to touched me I turn around quickly to lob the glass into his face. He stumbles back, cursing as blood trickles down his face. The second guard proceeds to pull out his gun, clearly just a common thug as he was too slow. Still using the momentum from my first action, I already had the chair I was sitting on earlier in my hands. I swung it hard enough to break the wooden chair over his face, rendering him unconscious.
With only the legs of the chair in my hands now, I look at the first guard just as he regains balance from the glass hitting him. Quickly leaping over the unconscious second guard, I stab the first in the throat with the sharp points of the broken chair leg in my left hand.. He falls to the floor, horror showing on his face as he realizes that he cannot stop his own bloody death.
I turn my attention to their boss, the old man sitting behind the desk.
He gets up, shaking in fear from seeing his plans crumble, he attempts to point a gun my way but his shaking causes the firearm to drop to the floor. I walk slowly toward him to give him time to realize how outclassed he is. The old man whimpers as he feels his back against the window.
“I don't know who you think you are or what you want with my organisation, but I am clearly not who you think I am!” I say with venom. As I get close, I raise the second broken chair leg to his throat, pressing gently, and I speak softly. “Now, you clearly have plans to put sticks in my wheels, and I do not like that. You should learn to slow down your approach old man.”
A delicious combination of panic and fear fills his eyes. I take a step back to allow him to move a short distance from window. Just as the first signs of relief start to show, I reach out and grab his face in my right hand.
“Even at only one G, gravity can be fatal.”
With that, I thrust his head towards the glass with such force that it shatters. The momentum of the movement makes the old man fall out the window and down to the crowded streets below. Unfortunately for him, the outer areas of the station have normal gravity.
“Well isn't this a bloody mess.” I mutter to myself as I lean out to watch his fall down the building.
The second guard starts mumbling as he slowly regains conscience. As I turn to look at the guard, I grab the crystal decanter and throw it at his head. A loud crash sounds as his skull and the decanter breaks.
I decide it's a better option to climb out through the window instead of walking down the hallway. There might be guards outside the room wondering what is going on. Besides, automated systems will alert the authorities about the corpses soon.
I climb out through the window. And slowly start making my way up a couple floors hearing people in the room i was in. Finally a open window three floors up i climb in through.
I ignore the man and woman in this office playing on the desk. And hurry out through the door, feeling their stares on my back.
I discard my bloody coat into a bin hurrying towards stairs. Elevator too risky, too many cameras. I start walking down the emergency stairs down. Enjoying the quiet and the occasional shout about looking for a murderer.
Finally outside. Or still inside station but outside the bloody building. Frustrated making my way towards the shuttles that will take me to the docking bays Avoiding the folk masses surrounding the man that accidentally fell from the tenth floor.