30 OCT 3302: Lunchtime Encounter
31 Oct 2016Pitchzer0
There is nothing like the smell of fresh cooked food.There is a section of open store front shops right off the docks at Suri, called Ruanapur. Mostly stocked with the wares that comes straight from the port, You can acquire lots of goods here, legal or otherwise. Sometimes the crews bring goods here to try to turn a quick profit before they ship out. I have done it myself a few times, no sense in schlepping around a hold full of stuff you can't sell on the commodity market. Someone here can probably use it or they try to sell it to someone else.
Profit is profit.
But that is not my mission today. I came here for something else. See, one of the hidden gems of Ruanapur is this little open front noodle shop called The Green Jade. Han Lo and his wife came here to trade some goods, but for some reason or another, fell in love with the place and put down roots. Bless them, because this place is the best damn noodle joint on this side of the 'verse.
One of the reasons I love this place is because ol' Han has real deal seafood in his dishes. I don't know how he gets them or where he gets them, I just know it is an absolute treat to eat here. That alone is reason enough to come here. The other reason is that, The Green Jade sits right at the junction of two streets, with a clear sightline to the east and west and to the south.
So when I sat down to order, I got to catch a glimpse of the armed bodyguards doing a horrible job trying to blend in with the commoners on the avenues. One coming from the east, and one from the west.
C'mon guys, you have to be more original than this.
"Hi Zero, long time, no see. What can I get you? Today we have a special! Bell peppers and beef."
I gave Han a friendly shake of my head. "Not today. How about Udon with fried egg? And if you can throw some Menma in it, that would be great".
I side eyed guy coming from the east, who was doing his best to appear to be interested in a crate of cabbages. Guy from the west was still taking his time coming up the avenue. So that means...
Han came back with a steaming bowl of noodles with a fried egg on top. I took a set of chopsticks from the cup in front of me and began rubbing them together in anticipation of my meal. I inhaled the scents rising off the bowl and looked down...
"What the hell, Han? I asked for Menma!"
"Menma? When have you ever asked for Menma before today?" Han shook a towel at me and went back to cooking his next order.
That's when the 3rd guy sat down next to me. The one I was waiting for. The other guys were trained, but they weren't the kind that specialized in wetwork. Must be bodyguards. New guy? He doesn't seem the type at all. He smells a little too clean, like he spends alot of time under high efficency air scrubbers. I catch sight of his hands as he sat down. White gloves. He's definitely no boogeyman. Probably a desk jockey or someone's aide. I could have easily slipped away before he got here, but these guys have been looking for me since I was last at the Snake Hole. I was genuinely intrigued.
I started eating my noodles. Guy #3 takes off his gloves and places them on the table, in a deliberate sign of annoyance.
Damn, I hate the theatrical types...
"We have been looking for you for quite some time. You are a hard man to find, CMDR." He talked with a slight aristocratic accent.
Imperials.
"I'm a busy man. Freight has to move, and credits don't make themselves." I continued eating my noodles, intentionally slurping them into my mouth so that some of the soup got on Guy #3's gloves. I caught the slight flash of disgust that sneaked his way on to his face. Prissy bastard. I distinctly heard the sound of metal sliding out of a holster, and then I got confirmation that it was a weapon, when I felt the muzzle press itself against my ribcage.
"You will come with us, NOW." Prissy Bastard bared his fangs with barely contained anger. It took all I could to not look at him and laugh in his face. I could see his backup moving in from the sides in the mirrored back wall of Han's shop.
Speaking of Han, he was now staring intently at me, a knife in one hand and a kunai in the other. Where the hell did he pull that from? I caught his wife coming from the backroom, she was holding a serving tray, but I caught the tips of two kunai as well. She was staring at her husband, waiting for him to give the go signal.
Prissy Bastard had no clue, but at this moment, he and his boys were about to catch a serious case of being dead. See, I forgot to add an important factoid of Han's story. Han and his wife did come here to trade goods. But that wasn't their "real" job.
When I first met them, they were part-time assassins for Vesuvit Blue Brothers cartel. Now if that was still how they made credits, I didn't know, but I can't see a noodle shop being a more lucrative line of work. Or even an effective cover for that matter.
I finished my bowl and put the chopsticks down.
"As always Han, my compliments to the chef!" Prissy kept his weapon in my ribcage.
"You sure? You usually eat more than one bowl, I can make you one and take care of your friend here too." That's Han for you. Subtlety is not his specialty, but his House Angel Hair? To die for.
"I'm good. My friend here hasn't seen me in a bit, so we are gonna take a walk, got some catching up to do." I threw a couple credits on the table.
Han gave me the look and slowly turned back to his work. His wife came to clean up my bowl and flashed me a quick smile, the kind of smile that says " I will slay these 3 before they blink just say the word". I gave her a slight headshake as I stood up and smiled back. Prissy grabbed his gloves with his other hand while keeping his gun in my ribs. I could sense his disgust at being down here in the docks, and the soup on his gloves was the icing on the cake. As we got up, his wingmen swooped in to take up positions at our back as we started walking towards the elevator cars.
"I am going to come along peacefully, so why don't you put that peashooter of yours away."
Prissy wasn't ready for that. I could see his anger rising, he wasn't used to someone talking back at him.
"Shut up, or I will shoot you here and now, despite my orders."
He was clearly agitated, and wasn't used to this line of work. He was so nervous I bet if fireworks were to go off he would piss his pants. Time to play a little more...
"Huh, really. Well, if I were to threaten a man with death, I would first make sure the safety was off."
His bodyguards were back a few steps, Prissy made the dumb mistake of looking down at his gun.....
I reached out with my right hand to catch his wrist and locked his arm straight, the gun falling to the street. As I kicked the gun away, I looked up at his bodyguards trying to get to where we were, fighting their way through the growing crowd of onlookers.
I had Prissy Bastard in a full on armbar now, my left hand pressing down on the area above his elbow, while I continued pulling up on his locked wrist with my right. The anger and disgust that was apparent on his face just moments before was now being replaced by sheer terror as he howled in pain. His face was turning red as the armbar placed him at a downward angle, I twisted harder. Drool was running from his open mouth as he screamed and begged for mercy. I looked over my shoulder, his bodyguards were almost through the crowd.
I could feel Prissy's elbow was giving way, a little more pressure and it was going to snap.
"The next time your employer decides to send for a wolf, tell them to not send a sheep." The look of fear on his face was incredulous. I applied more pressure. I was going to teach Prissy Bastard an important lesson about poking people with a gun.
At least I was going to, when a small round canister slid to a stop by Prissy's foot.
Flashbang.
I released Prissy's arm and tried to cover my ears but too late.
<BANG!>
The world around me lit up brighter than a sun and my ears were ringing. I tried to blink away the bright spots from my eyes, but all I could see through the haze was a messy of blurry shapes. Who the hell uses a flashbang in a crowded place?
I kept blinking, as I was starting to making out shapes, like a pair of hands. Is that the butt of a rifle?
Oh yeah. It is.
I tried to rotate away from the blow, but it connected right at the back of my head. Combined with the disorientation of the flashbang, I just got a one-way ticket to a long nap.
Right before I lost consciousness, I had the distinct feeling that I was being dragged off somewhere. Through the ringing in my ears, I could still distinctly hear Prissy Bastard wailing in pain. I smiled to myself. I don't have a clue where I am going, or who these guys work for.
At least I got a chance to eat first...