The Sentinel Fulcrum, 4: The Dancing Man
16 Nov 2021Meowers
Yeah, looking as the most casual visitor at first was the best available plan. I had to go on foot.
So, I've disembarked and went to the camp, trying to get a few more glances on that Rumbling Pelican freighter, analysing the activities... No, no way to make a direct frontal attack, or just snipe the crap out of him from a distance. Can't see the guy, he must be somewhere around the main cargo hatch, working with the containers and machinery... Hah. Good disguise for someone from Imperial elites. Getting your hands dirty, doing that kind of simple work... However, crew access hatch in the fore part was open as well. Yup, let's go...
Being covered by the massive hull of T-7, hidden from the eyes, I've made my way to the hatch, with the pistol in my hand. Can't use the rifle in those corridors... But they were empty anyway. Crew was, kind of...Careless? Yeah, who would be interested in that rusty flying rubbish bin? Looks like my target was trying to look most casual too, without doing anything suspicious... And, that second guy? They both were careless enough. So, they may act as a team, or... He doesn't know about the secrets of his companion. Time will tell anyway.
Soon I've reached the cockpit. It was empty as well... So, I leaned on the pilot seat, to be covered by it and invisible from the outside, put the pistol back in the holster and took my rifle. 'Armed/Rds:80' on the ammo counter. Right hand on the grip, left on the handguard. Ready to rock. Gravity was soft enough to hold the heavy rifle steady for a long time, but I let it hang on the belt. Firing from the hip at that short distance won't be a problem. Pointing the rifle at the closed cockpit door, I went completely motionless and soundless. The ambush was set...
Patience is an assassin's most effective weapon. I was standing there, for minutes and minutes and minutes... Waiting for... Somebody to come. That guy, or his companion, or... whoever else. Regardless, I won't shoot without asking questions, as... I'm not somebody's weapon as well.
And then the cockpit door opened, and... What the heck?!
Seeing a man just..dancing into the cockpit, completely unaware of my presence... Hah, really. He was totally captivated by the moves of his own feet, listening to the music. So, I was..not just a bit confused, but also thought like, hey, guy, you're lucky. Any other merc would've pressed the trigger, making some see-through holes in your torso. However...
"Hands in the a... Aaah, dammit", he was not just unaware, but completely in his own world, moving to the co-pilot seat near the door. So, still standing tall and pointing the rifle at him, I've tried to sound louder. "You! Maximillian-something! Stop right there!"
Safety switch was on 'automatic' and finger was on the trigger, but, hm... That was definitely strange. That guy was just... Cleaning the place? Hah. This cockpit really needed some cleaning, with all those food wrappers and that...stench of sweat and, you know, seats that haven't been cleaned for years. So... He finally realised that he wasn't alone here, dropped the cloth and cleaning liquid sprayer, raised his hands and turned at me...
And then that sudden..spark of a memory hit me. Like.. Like I'd seen that face before. That..Well groomed, smooth face, more suitable for a movie actor, of that...carefree never-bothered bon vivant type. And... Isn't he too young for being a powerful Imperial figure? A target for a half-billion assassination contract? Maybe..Some inheritance-related mess? No, something just doesn't add up here. And, that face, anyway... Like, I'm quite bad at remembering faces, voices, names, all that stuff, but..Was it not too long ago? Where? Under what circumstances? So, he asked me about who I am... Station security or whoever...
Still. I have to be concentrated. Shaking off those thoughts with a slight "hmmm", I replied. With my own questions. As I was...More in the position to ask.
"And do I know you? You look familiar", I said, still pointing the rifle at the poor guy. But..Kind of..Removing my finger from the trigger. Really, really have to know what's happening... From all points of view. Brainless shooting is what I don't want to do. Ah, makes me a crappy assassin, I guess. But I'm not trying to be one. So..then I decided to reveal some details, ask about important stuff, like, his connections to those Herthans Labour guys, his position in the Empire, why he could be a target and so on. Those Imperials... Most of their nobles are wicked spoiled power-hungry scumbags, but..Not everyone. I had to try to unravel the truth. As I always do. Calm, without any threats, but pretty straightforward.
He just..shrugged and said that he has no idea, and also that he's quite a scandalous figure in the Empire... Kind of...Persona non grata or..what? Ah, doesn't matter anyway. As I realised where and when I'd seen that face, when he inquired about...
Jacqueline.
"Ow. The heck. Is that you?"
* * *
Jacqueline, a minor character of our earlier RP session, was a key figure of my previous story, 'Light and Haze'.
As it was mentioned in the previous episode, this story was played as a RP session by me and Creamy, and now I'm copying it into my personal Logbook to keep the whole thing 'integral' and preserve it from being lost in the depths of the RP section post history. I'll rewrite it from my perspective with some slight edits of my own lines, to make them suit my regular style of writing better. And Creamy's posts will be rewritten to show how his actions were looking from my side. Unfortunately, the ending was a bit unpredictable and messy, so I'll make that part shorter, including only important moments. Of course, anyone can found and read it in RP section, but I don't want to leave those three episodes hanging without continuing.
Also, I've made an artwork, a 'rifle blueprint', and placed it in the ending of previous episode, 'Decisions Precede Actions'.
There's no 'posting schedule', as it was with 'Light and Haze', I'm now quite busy with work and writing the next story, but I'll try to keep a reasonable pace.
Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy it.