WARS AND RUMORS: CHAPTER 3
18 Oct 2019Amar Epsilon
Chapter 3
Year 3303
Seating space was limited in the rounded cars. First passengers onboard began vying for the seats and elbowing everyone else to the sides. Amar and Jansen opted to stand and as the car began to move, the two returned to study their datapads. Having finished reading over the job for a second time, Amar began to browse the relevant data, descriptions of the target, brief transcripts, and reports. One stuck out in particular to him. The dossier of one of their bonus, the pilot of the Ascendancy. The person in question was named Jess Thames, her personnel file indicated that she had sophisticated and extensive flight training.
She had been raised in Imperial space, attending the merchant marines academy at Zorta. Her service record not only indicated and cited several meritorious actions against pirates, but also included a recommendation to promote her to “Lord,” one of the many ranks within the Imperial Navy. Finishing her service, she used her contacts she had garnered within the Navy to expand her horizons, eventually signing on with a well respected inter galactic shipping firm. Nothing outside of the ordinary, Amar noted to himself.
Every now and then he would look up and observe the other occupants listening to the numerous conversations. A mother trying to tell her child not to stare, a man professing his love to a young woman, an elderly couple trying to console each other over the loss of their son, a few refugees who had scraped enough money together to try their luck in one of the other wards. But one common theme ran through all the conversations that his implant picked up and translated as subtitles at the bottom right of his vision, uncertainty. It was the uncertainty brought on by a great disturbance, a disturbance of the comfortable balance all humans sought, a disturbance like the war on the horizon. He and Jansen stood in an almost meditative but firm manner, so did a few others. These men and women all had one thing in common, they had made their peace and were now content with uncertainty.
Amar watched the concerned faces of the crowd each contemplating what would become of them if war encroached on their lives and the lives of their professed loved ones.
“They’re all afraid,” Jansen remarked not looking up from his datapad.
“So were we at one time.”
“It’s easy to forget that these days.” Jansen remarked looking up and taking the crowd in. “With the training we received, it is as if they wanted us to forget the very thing that makes us human.”
“What is that?”
“Fear, people often look at courage saying oh that person is brave. Yet you and I both know that courage is not a human emotion.”
“Fear is.”
“Yes, and fear drives most humans.”
Amar shifted his weight from one foot to the other, “Don’t you mean all of us?”
Jansen shrugged and then went back to studying his reading material. With their philosophical discussion concluded, the two traveled in silence. Jansen lost in study, Amar deep in thought.
After some time, Jansen finally broke the silence. “Hey did you ever look at some of the terms of these odd jobs?”
“What do you mean?”
“Alright, so the shipping company contacted the station headquarters, and instead of sending an actual detective, they send us. A group of guns for hire. Not only that, but we are to report directly to the company first and foremost.” His voice trailed off as he continued to read, brow becoming more and more furrowed.
“What is it?”
“Bonus for ensuring the livelihood of all crew members. Amar, the bonus you mentioned wasn’t offered to us by the Fleet. It was by the shipping company the ship belonged to. Emphasis on getting to them before… Huh?”
“Before?”
“According to this, there might be a hit out on them.”
“Wait what?”
“Looking like it was issued by some wanna-be merc group. Most likely a shell corp. Want me to run it through fleet cyber?”
“No, I’m sure its nothing we can’t handle. What does it say about assailants?”
“Ensure you keep records of each confirmed take down. Please note only assailants confirmed hostile by the Pilots Federal Bounty Corporation Implant will be counted towards a hazardous contract bonus… No hostiles are to be recovered for interrogation purposes… Jesus Amar, this is sounding more and more like our time out on the rim.”
Amar flipped over to the last paragraph of the contract, “Should you accept, you will be required to operate outside of fleet jurisdiction and supervision. Upon acceptance of this contract proceed directly to pick up location, to be provided and accept custody of the items.”
This potential deal was getting continually more and more confusing. The contract was vaguely worded, giving him cause to be suspicious. However as with all contracts, he had to head to the nearest Bounty Kiosk to accept the terms of the arrangement.
Slowly the tram pulled into a small station, a soft electronic voice luring them off. The few people at the door stepped aside, no one got off at this terminal unless they were a hunter.
“Dirty bloodhounds.” someone whispered as they passed.
Bloodhound, Hunter, Sellsword, Enforcer, all the nicknames made no difference to the two of them, and they strode right off the tram onto the dingy dust covered platform. Ahead a single door beckoned, a soft orange glow illuminating the threshold.