Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail
03 Jan 2018MMMMMalcolm
03 Jan 3304I left Commander “Crystal Cross” a message detailing my whereabouts. I told her to bring Warm Embrace to Firsoff Orbital in HIP 8758. I met the ship while it landed on the pad and began boarding soon after the engines shut down. There were two reasons for my haste.
Kay had just finished post flight checks when I reached the bridge. The door opened for her to exit right when I wanted to enter.
“Oh, well hello there,” she said, startled by my presence. “Happy New…”
I grabbed her waist and pulled her close. I kissed her like it was the first time. Reason one. When she folded her arms around my neck, I only wanted to kiss her that much more. We had to stop to breathe.
“Welcome Commander,” I said. “It’s good to have you back aboard.”
She smiled, stepping back a bit but keeping her hands on my shoulders.
“It’s good to be back. With greetings like that though, I may leave more often.”
“Don’t play. We have business to discuss.” Reason two. “Come.”
She quietly followed me to my quarters and sat on a small couch in the main room. I removed my shirt.
“Babe, it’s been a long trip. Let me get a shower, a bite to eat, and some rest first.”
I ignored her and turned so she could get a better view of the large discoloration on my right side. Even with my dark skin it was visible.
“What happened?” she asked in shock.
“My guardian stopped by to spread some holiday cheer while you were away.”
“Does it hurt?”
“No the physical pain has long since passed. We need to get rid of this guy now. I’m not staying under his thumb another month.”
“It’s not that easy. Do you know who we are dealing with?”
“Yeah, I heard all about them. ‘The Club’ – a shadow organization that was manipulating the three major factions before their conspiracies were exposed by Kahina Tijani Loren. I still can’t figure out why they would be interested in little ole me?”
“It’s been rumored that once their actions were exposed, their leadership went deeper underground. But they shifted their focus to the pilots; individuals who have a great influence on the galaxy, but are paid very little attention to compared to faction leaders. They work both ends now; string along the pilots while they sink their claws back into the affairs of the factions.
I’ve heard they manipulate the exploration payment rates, they bait pilots away from their operations through Community Goals, and they monitor and track the best bounty hunters and combat pilots through the CQC. Some believe they are pulling the strings of the Aegis Initiative. Using you and others like you to amass wealth and collect ships is not a big stretch.”
“But this guy has been squeezing me long before they were exposed.”
“Like I said, everything is whispers and rumors. No one really knows what’s going on.”
“Well I’m done with being used; I want out.”
Kay sat quiet for a moment before asking, “What do you suggest?”
“First, I want a gun.” I answered, pacing the floor. “He took my blaster the night we met. I want a replacement.”
“I’ll look into that while you continue working on your self-defense. Sometimes gun play is not an option, so you need to be prepared. Good news is personal weapons are not illegal here.”
“Second, we need to lure my guardian to us. Even though my piloting skills are better than my hand to hand skills, I want to take him on the ground. No ship logs recording anything, no chance to alert authorities, just him and us.”
“Makes sense, but how do we do that?”
“We reenact his holiday visit. He is so concerned about ‘Club’ assets; let’s use it against him. Do you want a new ship?”
Kay was thrown off by the question and didn’t respond. She just waited for me to clarify.
“We buy a ship that’s not on the list, an expensive one. The transaction will show on his account, but I fail to include it in my weekly report. This will be my third strike with him so he will come in guns blazing. But, he will be so blind with rage he won’t see the trap. He arrives, I shoot him in the face, and we leave; what do you think?”
“I think it may be best that I don’t leave you alone again any time soon.”
“What’s wrong with that plan?”
“First, he got the drop on you over the holidays. He always gets the drop on you. What’s to stop him from just killing you and walking away?"
"Me shooting him in the face, that's what!" I reply. "Besides, my fighting skills are quite good thanks to you. I can take him!"
Kay ignored my bravado and continued her assessment.
"Second, he knows you’re not alone but I have no clue what he looks or sounds like. How do we keep him from coming for me first before killing you? We need complete control of this hunt and we don’t have it.”
She was right. The huntress had much more experience in these things than I. I continued to pace the floor, dreading anything happening to my new friend.
“How about this?” she asked after a moment of thought. “Instead of using the credits as bait, we use you. Let’s step out of the shadows, where he has the advantage, and into the limelight. Ahaut Front is trying to gain control of this system, let’s help them. You become famous, indispensable around here and he is guaranteed to show up. Only, your notoriety will slow his actions a bit and give us a small window to strike.”
“I don’t know, we still can’t dictate when and where he shows up.”
“Maybe not when, but definitely where. Get in good with the Colonel running Ahaut Front and we can hang around his estate, behind his security.”
“What if he chooses to attack us in space?”
“Once you’re famous, he won’t attack in space for the same reasons you didn’t want to fight in space.”
You see; much more experience in these things than I.
“Okay, but only if I can shoot him in the face,” I said.
“If the opportunity arises, I’ll make sure you get to take advantage of it.”
“Good, that only leaves one last thing,” I added. “I want it all. The system permits, the ranks, the ships, and the credits. I earned them, I’m taking them.”
“That’s a BIG risk Malcolm; maybe too big. I have a ship, a Fer De Lance. Let’s just get away. We can earn it all back.”
“No way. I’m not grinding those ranks again. When we leave, we’re taking everything with us. I’m done helping these pricks. If they want ships and credits, they can get them themselves.”
Kay stopped arguing. I wasn’t listening anyway. I was planning something bad. When you hang with bad people, you tend to pick up bad habits. I handed her a list.
“After you locate a gun, get me a black-market Galnet computer and some black-market ship logs; one for each ship. The other items are important, but these two things are essential.”
I was planning something very bad. Kay looked over the list. A worried look covered her face.
“This may take me a while. There’s no black market here.”
As she stuck the list in her pocket, I took her hand and changed the subject.
“I have complete faith in you and your expertise. Now, you mentioned something about a shower?”
Kay smiled and followed me into the bathroom.