On the outskirts of Capital City on Crete, across the river and far beyond the bustle of the city center began a vast sea of hangar buildings. Stretching for miles, interlocked by dusty, uncovered dirt roads these buildings were just one area of many such areas on Crete. Leased or owned by various corsair businessmen, entrepreneurs and ne'er do wells. The house systems, would call such men pirates.
The hangars were built as general purpose facilities and most of them housed workshops, storage areas and maintenance facilities for the ever growing number of vessels that made up the dreaded Corsair pirate fleet. One such hangar, a massive, aging metallic skeleton covered by rusting reinforced metal plate, was where Ben Laowai made his home.
Walking into the building, the immediate impression was one of purpose. Tools, equipment, weapons, parts of weapons and parts of ships were scattered all over the workshop floor of the building. The room was lit, badly, by large industrial spotlights that seemed to hang suspended, star-like from the towering ceiling, which, looking up, was almost completely invisible, lost in the haze and glare of the lights, save for the mammoth metallic support beams arching like fingers from the walls. At the back, looming like some kind of predatory bird, was the unmistakable bulk and shape of a Corsair Cruiser, beside it, dwarfed by its larger neighbor, lay a solitary Corsair Titan, looking in various states of disrepair.
A set of stairs made its way up from beside the east wall, leading to a mezzanine level room jutting precariously from the wall itself, looking every bit like it would fall from the wall at any moment. It was only upon getting closer to the stairs that an observer would see the support struts made from highly refined basic alloy, lending an almost unbreakable support to the room above.
Inside that room, Ben Laowai tossed his holster belt onto a comfortable, but worn looking couch. Crossing the room he opened a window that looked out eastward, across a sea of hangar ceilings, to the mountians some kilometers away. "Computer, messages" he said.
A disembodied voice answered him. "Playing messages, 1 of 2:"
"Ben, this is Isabel, what the hell were you doing not saying anything when Matthius was stopped last week, dammit, after all the food he brings those ingrates on Crete! is it any wond..."
It was his sister, obviously angry, "Next message" he called out, abruptly cutting her off. "wait, " he said again, "computer, locate the source of message one"
There was a slight pause, then the computers voice chirped up again. "transmission signature began on Planet Houston, Texas System, Liberty Space, secto..."
So his sister was in Liberty, he thought to himself, no chance he would be heading there anytime soon. "Ok next message" he said, cutting the machine off again.
"Playing message 2 of 2"
"Mr Laowai, you don't know me, but i am interested in arranging a business deal with you, you can contact me on this comm channel, but please do so only between the hours of 0200 and 0300, hopefully, we can come to an arrangement."
Ben sat up, "play again" he said. The message repeated, the speaker was clearly Brettonian, his accent a complete giveaway, and by his tone, he had had a decent amount of money spent on an exclusive education.
"computer, locate the course of message two"
The computer paused, seeming to need to think. Ben stood up, walking to a cupboard in the corner he retrieved a small container which he then filled with water. He went back to the window, and carefully watered a pair of small bonsai trees sitting just inside on a ledge. These not native to the system and a definite rarity on Crete. He had always had them, his mother had taught him how to care for them as a child, and his father, a thorough Corsair killer, had come to also find the caring for the plants somehow therapeutic.
The computer spoke again "Message source has been encrypted, unable to locate source of message"
Ben looked at his watch, 23:00.. he still had some time. He sat down at a small terminal under the window and spoke "Computer display message source code"
The screen filled with a mishmash display of symbols and icons, none of which made any sense. He reached into a drawer next to him and retrieved a small data pad. Activating it he said "computer, run message through pad file named Hacker trace 003 and display message source".
The pad had been one of those fringe benefits of piracy, one that was infinitely more useful then the cash that pirates usually demanded from their victims. Some months ago, on a rare foray into the Magellan system, he had been intercepted by a lone Lane Hacker fighter, a brief fight had ensued in which he had destroyed the hacker ship and tractored its pilot and cargo. The pilot had been carrying the pad in his flight suit, and had been most reluctant to give it up. Not long after, Ben had discovered why, stored on it was a treasure trove of Lane Hacker programs, files and codes whose uses Ben was still discovering. Hacker trace 003's function was to unscramble and trace transmission source encryption, and Ben had found that whoever the hacker was that wrote this little gem had been short of Genius, for it even cracked military code.
"Transmission signature began on Cambridge research station, Cambridge system, Brettonia space, sector D6"
Well well... he thought, he had guessed right about the education, and he could guess what it was the boffin on Cambridge wanted, the question was, how he had known that Ben was in possession of the... cargo.
He shook his head... Matthius, he groaned... His brother in law, it had to be....
"Why didn't i just kill him, Isabel would have gotten over it....."
A few hours later Ben activated his comm monitor and opened a transmission to the agreed comm frequency. A nervous looking young man's face appeared on the screen.
"Doctor Remington" he said. The man's face flushed white, "how did you know my na.." but Ben interrupted him, he had traced the Doctors ID using the same program he had used to trace the signal, and now he was routing the transmission through a Brettonian military satellite, again courtesy of his Lane Hacker pad, he didn't want to linger lest it be discovered and the signal scrambled again.
"never mind that, you said you have business, what is it?"
The Brettonian looked nervous, "it's .. er... come to my attention that you, and others... like you, are in possession of certain... well, certain, things" he was sweating as he spoke "certain er.. things, creatures that i have a specific interest in"
Ben smiled, "you mean the blueskins, yes.. i am able to aquire them"
The doctor nodded nervously, "g..gg..good, i would be very, very interested in purchasing those from you"
"really? well, i have no problem with selling them, but, i will want to be paid for my labours, quite well... " he paused, somewhat enjoying the mans obvious nervousness. "and Doctor, there is the question of delivery, your station is, how do i put it" he smiled, wanting the man to stew on it " located somewhat inconveniently on a police patrol route, and next to a police base, i'm not exactly welcome there, and my ship, a cruiser, is somewhat.. conspicuous"
The Doctor flushed, he looked around him again and spoke quickly "Cryer is protected by the military but we are not in it, b.. b.. b ..but we have certain... influences" He held up a data pad " i can give you the patrol times and a secure comm frequency, i can also make s..s..sure that t t no one connected to the military will be near the docking latch at c..c..certain times"
"really?" Ben smiled. It was a peculiar kind of smile that seemed to cause more unease in the scientist than comfort. The Brettonian nodded.
"pass the data pad to the trader who gave you the information, when i have it, i will contact you again, Laowai out"
He cut off the surprised looking Dr quickly and looked up the cargo manifest of his cruiser, the Xibanya Nuren. 31 Nomad "brains" and 8 "minor Brains".
easy money, he thought to himself
The door to the hangar slid open with a loud metallic rolling sound. The light from outside cut the dim light within the cavernous room and suddenly a bound, hooded form tumbled through the doorway.
"get up you fool" Ben growled, grabbing the whimpering figure by his belt and shoulders he picked him up and forced him stumbling forward until he hit a workbench with a loud CLANG, scattering tools onto the floor. The figure stumbled and fell again, hitting the ground with a thud. His arms were bound tightly behind his back, and his head covered by a dirty cloth bag, which smelt strongly of engine degreaser, the man was whimpering.
"get up" Ben said again. Forcing the man to his feet he slammed him into the bench again, this time holding him in position, face down on the bench top. The man moaned in terror as Ben held him down. "Oh shutup" he said, removing his combat knife from his belt he sliced the man's wrist bindings apart. Suddenly, his wrists free the man reacted in terror, flinging his arms up quickly he caught Ben by surprise and broke free of his grasp, he went to run, but hooded and unable to see, he ran smack bang into an engine cowling by the bench, hitting his head with a loud clang and falling back to the floor.
"That was stupid" Ben said calmly, kicking the man square in the stomach as he lay on the ground. The man groaned loudly, but now completely winded was unable to resist as again Laowai slammed him facedown onto the bench top. Quickly grabbing the mans left arm he forced it out across the table top and before the man could do anything, cuffed him to a heavy grinder bolted onto the bench. The man struggled but was held securely in place by the cuffs, and was unable to move his arm.
"thats much better" Ben said. Reaching over he yanked the man's hood from his head. A wide eyed, bruised and battered man's terrified eyes looked out urgently. Ben cocked his head to the side and smiled " Welcome Dr Remington, do you know where you are?"
The man struggled again, a look of absolute terror crossing his face, but he was unable to speak, a rag had been stuffed deep into his mouth.
Ben went on. "In case you don't, you're on Crete". Remington, the Brettonian Dr that Ben had spoken too some time earlier, struggled again, trying to speak but only mumbling unintelligible sounds from behind the gag in his mouth.
Ben walked around the bench, "now Dr, there is no need for you to speak, only to listen"
"our little deal didn't come off as you promised, did it?" he said "Your station was on alert when i approached, my ship was fired upon, and the dock, was quite well stocked with military personnel wouldn't you say?"
Walking around the bench, Ben started picking up the tools that had been dropped when the Dr had hit it, but slowly, deliberately and one at a time. The man watched his movements, petrified. Ben shook his head at him "Don't worry Dr, I'm not going to kill you". The Dr looked at him, not struggling as much, he grunted something, a sound, that sounded like "really?
Laowai guessed his meaning "yes Dr, really, you will see your station again before tomorrow is out"
The Dr's head dropped to face the table top, his groan of relief quite audible. Looking down, he did not see the large wrench that Ben had retrieved from the floor. Nor did he see the sudden, quick sharp movement as Ben swung it forcefully down on his arm. There was sharp, sickening CRACK as the Brettonian's arm broke under the blow. He screamed in pain, the sound muffled, but an unmistakable sound of sheer agony. Unable to stop himself his legs buckled in shock and he sunk to the floor, his broken arm still cuffed to the table and bent at an angle no arm should bend, only increasing the pain.
Ben said nothing, as he reached over and unlatched the cuffs. The man's arm fell quickly to his side and he groaned loudly again, water filled his eyes and his sobbing cut through the rag in his mouth. Cradling his broken limb he looked up at Laowai in terror.
"Oh, don't worry about that, you'll see a medic before you leave" Ben said casually, tossing the wrench onto the benchtop with a loud clang. He crouched in front of the shaking man.
"now, here's what will happen now, you will go back to your little station, and your research, and we will keep our bargain, but...."
He paused and stood up, walking to a nearby container he retrieved a small metal cylinder like object. He held it up, and the Dr recognised it as asub dermal injector. Ben smiled and inserted another small metallic tab into the hilt of the injector. Walking back to the Dr again he placed the injector on the back of his neck and activated it, there was a small hissing sound and the Dr flinched.
"But" Ben continued, "this time, a different vessel will approach the station, and it will not activate the local defense net, when it docks... " he paused again, holding up the injector, "and it will dock, because if for some reason it doesn't, a transmission will be sent to the security tag i just injected next to your spine, and it will explode, the effect, is usually quite... dramatic" Ben gestured out with two open hands and fingers, the universal mime for BOOM.
The Dr was now shaking, a combination of shock, and fear... but Ben went on, "when it docks, you will receive your cargo of blueskin freaks for whatever you people do with them, and i will get paid"
He stood up, walking to a wall mounted comm unit he called for a transport, and a medic. "The tab is tamper proof Dr, try to remove it and it will go off"
Ben took the injector again and reaching into another container her took a small glass vial of clear liquid and inserted it into the hilt. he crouched in front of the Dr again "now, are we understood?" the Dr nodded franticly and Ben reached over and removed the gag. "yes yes yes" The Bretonnian gasped, "yes... yy... yes ok..k..k.., i understand"
"excellent" Ben said and leaning slightly, injected the Dr with high strength pain killer. The Dr slid further onto the floor, cradling his shattered arm, relief written all over his face.
Laowai stood up, walking to the cupboard again he removed a small green bottle of Baijiu and two glasses, pouring himself one, and filling the second glass he kicked a chair in front of the collapsed Dr and put a glass in front of him.
"To cement our new deal" he chuckled... downing his shot quickly.
"you see Dr?" he smiled, that same smile that the Dr had noticed, only seem to make the situation that much more fearful "we corsairs can be quite easy to do business with, don't you agree?"
Night hung over the hangar yards, a hot dusty Cretian night. If you were to look over the scene you would see hundreds of orange halos, some big, some small reflecting off the ever present dust that hung over the area after the evening northerly wind change.
This area never really slept. The business of being a Corsair was a 24 hour job, and these hangar areas existed to service a fleet that never had a weekend, business had to go on otherwise Crete didn't survive. There were no "Sundays" for Corsairs.
Suddenly from above, the dust was pierced by several powerful beams of light, seeking out one particular hangar. The lines of light being visible from the ground all the way to their source, which was a huge, hulking corsair Cruiser, the Xibanya Nuren. It hovered slowly and ungainly towards its target, a large, rusty looking hangar whose massive roof panels were currently opening with a loud clunking metallic knocking..
" The starboard aft thruster won't engage properly" the young helmsmen said, with a slight hint of worry behind his voice.
Captain Ben Laowai leaned over and looked at the indicator light on the helmsman's panel. An indicator light should be green, this one wasn't, in fact it was blinking, it's usual green flashing intermittently with an ominous red.
Red was bad.
Laowai creased his aging brow and frowned. "Compensate with the left, cut it and try a hard start".
"Aye" said the Helmsman, his expression clearly betraying his lack of confidence that the maneuver would work. He drove the left thruster and cut the right, quickly restarting it.
The ship have a sudden lurch and lunged. It's aft left side suddenly upwards everyone onboard was thrown violently to the side. Laowai fell hard against a sensor panel next to the Helm " Restart the other engine!" he yelled, The helmsman, a young Corsair called Phillip Alberto, hit the start command again. There was a distinctly loud BANG, and suddenly everyone was thrown in the opposite direction. "Stabilizing now!" Phillip shouted. Sure enough, the big ship began to level out. None too soon as it had continued to descend and was now much closer to the hangars below.
But it was still going too fast and at the wrong angle. Its right thruster, still not at full power had not leveled out the ship enough to avoid...
Laowai saw the angle of approach was not right, the lurching had thrown it off centre and there was no way to avoid the impact; the ship was going to clip the hangar roof.
He jumped back into his command chair and strapped a belt over his shoulder, he reached up and quickly activated the internal comm system control above his head. "BRACE" he yelled..
The ships rear crashed into the edge of the hangar roof doors. There was a hideous sound of tortured metal and the ships nose was brought sharply and violently down towards the hangar floor. Crashing hard into the ground it came to an abrupt stop, a cloud of dust and smoke filling the air. The nose, damaged and crushed lay on its left side, and the rear of the ship, sat tangled among the ruin of what had been the right side of the hangar roof.
Inside the bridge, Laowai unstrapped himself from his seat. No one spoke, save for some moans and groans as crewmen recovered from the violent thrashing they had just undergone.
"is anyone hurt?" Ben asked, there were mutterings to the negative and once again he activated the internal comm system. "Everyone out, evacuate the ship"
The crew around him rose to respond, shutting down controls and making their way up the awkwardly sloped deck to the rear bridge exit. Helmsman Alberto handed Ben a data pad. "thats the helm logs" he said quietly. Ben nodded without expression and took them from the young man. "ok, get out as well, there is no point hanging around here, we will have to start the repairs tomorrow".
Ben lingered... the bridge now empty save for himself.. blinking lights, mostly flashing red flickered on and off around him. He looked around him, I 'm doing a great job of getting this thing shot to bits
.......
The title of Captain came to a Corsair when they commanded a corsair Capital ship. It was not a title bestowed by a command structure, as a house militaries' would be. It denoted that a Corsair had command of a certain type of vessel and that the vessels' crew knew who was in charge. It didn't give that Corsair authority over other Corsairs who were not of his crew, as say a Brettonian captain would have authority over anyone of a lower rank but nevertheless, the title did come with great responsibility.
Corsair life was hard, but needless, foolhardy or dishonorable waste of Corsair lives was considered very poorly. Captains were expected to protect their crews, provide them with an income, and hopefully, give them opportunities for glory.
At this moment, embedded and upended in a hangar, the Xibanya Nuren did not look all that glorious.
Her crew were congregated outside the ship. Muttering amongst themselves they grew silent as Ben leapt out of a port escape hatch, now much closer to the ground that it should be. He approached them and looking them over he asked "anyone hurt?". Several of the crew had burns and cuts, earned during the battle with the Nomads that had led to their current predicament, others nursed broken bones from the Xibanya Nuren's less than textbook landing.
Laowai checked them over, and called for medics to treat the more seriously wounded. Mercifully, and almost incredibly, no one had been killed.
"those of you who can, make your way home, I'll need you technicians here tomorrow" There was a murmur of affirmatives and Ben went on "go home, get some sleep, you fought well today". They huddled and slowly made their way to the hangar doors, stepping out of the way of the medical crew as they arrived to take care of the injured.
"Tomorrow" Ben called out as they left. He sat down on the bent and broken nose fin of his cruiser. Leaning back he exhaled loudly. It had been a long day and he was exhausted.
This was the second time in as many weeks that he would have the Nuren in for major repairs. Caught in the Malvada cloud, unable to maneuver effectively among the asteroids against the smaller nomad ships the Nuren had been given a thorough drubbing. The damage was extensive and it was a miracle that the crew had been able to restore life support and thrusters.
He watched silently as the medics patched up the few remaining crew members still in the hangar. They had done well today, and he smiled quietly to himself. These thrown together recruits from the poorest parts of the capital city; They served with the Kusari Corsair, a name spoken usually as a form of contempt that Laowai had gotten used to dealing with. He wondered what they really thought of that fact.
The day before, he had conducted a few raids in Cambridge in his Titan. The traders there had grown complacent as Corsairs were usually thin on the ground so Ben had managed to get a pretty good haul of plunder.
I'll give that to the crew he thought to himself.
He looked at the battered hull of the Xibanya Nuren.
You I'll have to fix myself.
The weapon laying on the large metal workbench emitted a faint blue glow from its interior. At odds with the dusty yellow lights beaming down on it from above the light from the weapon pulsed softly, as if it had a life, a heartbeat, of its own.
The man standing over it held a large cutting torch in one hand and a dark eye shield in the other, carefully, he cut a small section of metal casing free, exposing just the tiniest speck of blue light and what appeared to be organic tissue. He took the metal fragment to a neighboring bench and fixed it into a clamp. The fragment was square and uniform, except for one small section which seemed chipped and scarred. Carefully he held another small fragment beside it and slowly began to weld the pieces together. The gap on the weapon casing had to be completely sealed, any gap or exposed section risked the weapon malfunctioning, and, some said, exposed the user to possession by the weapon itself.
Nomad weapons were considered highly dangerous by some Corsairs, others refused to even go near them, so great was the fear of "possession" by the weapons. Such things had never concerned Ben Laowai though, superstitious paranoia.... he thought to himself, as he carefully finished the weld of the two fragments. He had no qualms about using Nomad weaponry if and when he could get his hands on it. It was notoriously fickle in its maintenance, and indeed, adapting it to use on a human vessel was in itself a touch and go process, even the slightest miscalculation in power levels would lead to a burned and fried lump of tissue and hours of wasted labor. He had grown quite adept at fitting the weapons to his own vessels over the years, and recently, owing to an "understanding" he had with a certain Dr at the Cambridge research institute, his knowledge of the weapons had grown in leaps and spades. These days, it was the exception, rather than the rule, when he fried a weapon and ruined a casing.
Looming in the darkness behind the glaring lights was the great bulk of the cruiser "Xibanya Nuren", her hull only recently repaired, (along with the roof of the hangar). Ben put down the welding torch, realising that the fragment he had would not quite fit he decided he needed more basic alloy, a small amount of which, was in the Nuren's hold. Climbing up into the ship he spoke out "Lights!" and the interior corridor lights lit up suddenly, illuminating the inside of the ship and stabbing the surrounding gloom of the hangar with pinpricks of light emanating from the windows.
"So, you finally got it flying" a voice said behind him. Ben whirled around in surprise and below him on the hangar floor he saw a woman, standing arms folded, looking up at him with a smile. "Isabel!?" he said, unable to hide his surprise and happiness, a rare genuine smile crossing his face. "Hello stranger" the woman said, smiling back.
Ben leaped down the last few rungs of the ladder to the ship, "how did you get i..." he said but was cut off, "you have never been able to set up a security system i couldnt get through" Isabel chuckled. He stood looking at her a moment, shocked to see her there. "Don't you have a welcome for your little sister?" the woman said. Snapping out of it he walked towards her and hugged her tightly, laughing out loud, "of course, of course!" Holding her a moment he then let her go and looked at her. She had aged since he had last saw her, but still looked younger than her fifty years of age. Her dark, half Kusari features, similar to his own in shape, showed none of the outward scarring and aging that his face did. Her hair had not yet begun to grey, something Ben had never been blessed with, and was tied neatly behind her head. Her narrow frame was clothed in drab, civilian clothes but still an aura of energy seemed to emanate from her, as it always has he thought to himself. His sister had always been unpredictable, unstoppable, and entirely untameable.
She smiled back at him "You've got a lot more Grey hair than the last time i saw you" she said. Ben laughed, "well, yes i guess i do"
She looked around and then said, "So, do you have a drink in this place or what?" Ben nodded, "yes of course, baijiu, upstairs" he motioned across the room to the stairs that climbed up to the overhanging mezzanine that served as his living quarters.
"Still have it straight up" he asked her once they had climbed to the top. Isabel leaned over the window looking over the hangar floor below, looking down on the Xibanya Nuren, its hull still showing the scarring from its last encounter with the Nomads. "Of course" she said. Ben handed her a small glass of the colorless spirit and poured one of his own. He stood beside her looking down at the ship. "when did you finish it?" she asked. Ben nodded, "she has been flying for a couple of months now, had her baptisms of fire, and is doing more or less well". Isabel took a sip of the drink, "Dad would be pleased" she said. "i would hope so" Ben said. They both stood looking at the ship for a moment until Ben asked; "How did you get out here?"
"Matthius" Isabel said, motioning to her left. Ben looked in the direction she had indicated and saw, far off below in the corner of the hangar the silhouette of a man standing in one of the hangars small doorways. Ben scowled, "Him, here? you brough...." But he was cut off quickly, his sisters smile quickly vanishing. "Don't you start on him!" she snapped "we are not having this conversation again, I'm tired of you going on about it, and you wouldn't have ever finished your precious ship if it wasn't for him"!!!
Ben went to interrupt but his sister continued "He has paid any debt he owed you, and he risks his goddamn life every time he brings one of those damn food shipments here that you demanded". She downed the last of her glass of baijiu and slammed it down on the windowsill with a violent BANG!.
Ben glared at her, he had not seen his sister for many years, and the last time he did they had had this same argument, it always ended badly, sometimes violently. Since then, they had communicated by long range transmission, and the man in the doorway, was a constant source of friction between them.
The man was his sisters' husband, Matthius Ren, a liberty trader whom she had run off and married years earlier, against the very heated objections of her brother. Isabel had always been fiercely independent, and though half Kusari like Ben, she had not lost any of the famed Corsair temper. A trait that often seemed more pronounced in Corsair woman than in the men. When Ben objected to the union, she had threatened to remove certain sensitive parts of his body with a crowbar. And when later, Ben tracked them down and attempted to break up the wedding ceremony with several Corsair thugs, Isabel, the glowing bride, produced a blaster from underneath her wedding dress and threatened a firefight.
You just don't mess with a Corsair woman, especially on her wedding day.
Later, when she learned that her Brother had threatened to send her husband home in a box should he ever cross him in space, the two siblings had worked out a compromise (with much interceding from the unfortunate husband). Money was agreed on, and the trader would (against his better judgment) perform certain duties for the Corsairs as a whole until the debt of honor was repaid.
Laowai and his sister had both suffered ostracism from other Corsairs because of their mixed heritage as they grew up, and it had continued long after they had left childhood behind. Despite this, Ben had decided to remain on Crete, to claim what he believed was his Corsair heritage passed down through his father, and to live by the code of conduct and honor that his father had taught him.
Isabel had simply chosen to leave.
Ben had always found her a contradiction, believing as she did in the one instance, that all Corsairs were fools, and on the other, shooting some random pilot in the bar on Yaren because he had yelled out in a drunken slur "I'll shoot any Corshair i come acroshhhh".....
Despite this, and their disagreements, Ben loved her dearly.
She looked at him, trying to calm herself. " I dont want to fight you about this again, that isnt why i came". She sat herself down on the dusty couch in the center of the room. Ben took a swig of his Baijiu and sat down in the couch opposite her. "Do you know he brought a shipment of food here when we came in?" she said "and that he picked up a downed Corsair pilot in Sigma 13 , turned around and came all the way back to this miserable place, with an empty cargo hold, just to bring him home?!"
Ben frowned, he did not know these things, in fact, he avoided Matthius as often as he could, whenever he heard that the trader had landed with a shipment of food, he tried to not be around. "Well.. no, i didn't know he did that" he said, he hated having to back down, the damn fool libertonian "farmer" as he called him, irritated the pants off him.... "He's probably still scared im going to kill him"...
Isabel shook her head "No you idiot, he did it because he knew I'd want him to, he treats me well, which is more than any Corsair man ever did"
Slumping back into his chair Ben admitted defeat, for today he thought to himself and asked "ok ok, so why did you come here?" Isabel smiled, sensing that for this round at least, she had won the Matthius discussion. " After we spoke last i decided to come and talk to you". She reached into a pocket on her shirt and held out small photograph, which she passed over. On it, was a young man in a pilots uniform, standing outside what looked to be a spaceship hangar. The man was young, no more than 21 and he stood proudly in the picture, as if he was very pleased to be where he was. On his shirt was pinned a set of Liberty Civilian pilots wings .His light brown hair was tossed by the wash of landing spacecraft and he looked like any new and excitable liberty pilot recruit.
All save for his eyes, which, when Ben looked closely, had an almost Kusari appearance....
a sinking feeling hit him.
"who is this?" he said, knowing he wasn't going to like the answer,
Isabel smiled, "Ben, that is Donny, He's your nephew, and he'll be coming to stay for a while"
Ben groaned... a nephew, a nephew who looked like his damned annoying farmer trader father, and he was coming here.
This could only end badly...
A small warning light blinked on the control terminal high in the mezzanine room. The room was dark, save for a desk on which sat a computer workstation. Behind which, his skin lit in a sickly white glow from the worklamp, sat Ben Laowai.
He stared transfixed at a data pad linked to his workstation by a chaotic array of wires and cables. The light continued to blink but he ignored it. The Hacker pad that he worked over was taking longer than it usually did today, and he found himself having to tweak it using some of the techniques he had learned over the years. It was not easy going, for all his natural tinkering ability he lacked the patience for computer hacking - if the pad was nearing the end of its usefullness... well... "I'll just have to kill another lane hacker" he thought to himself.
The blinking light was starting to grate on his nerves..
"computer, what is it?" he growled
The computer's voice, metallic and at once everywhere and nowhere spoke up "Incoming transmission from Planet Crete docking control"
Docking control? he wondered, that was certainly odd. He put down the pad and looked at the light itself. "Computer wh...". But he stopped.... There was only one person who would call him specifically from docking control. He sighed... "computer play message"
A robotic voice not unlike his own computers' came over the comm system. "Pilot Ben Laowai. Incoming pilot ID Civilian ship marked Donny Ren, requesting access using your docking codes. Please confirm"
Ben sat back in his chair. He knew the boy had been coming, and despite his dislike for the situation, he had promised his sister he would take him in for a while. "Till things blow over"... she had said.
"computer, access confirmed" he said tiredly. "Let the boy land"
He stood up, "computer Main lights" he spoke, and the room and surrounding hangar suddenly blazed with light. He rubbed his eyes. This boy would be a nuisance, and if he was anything like his father he didn't know what he would do...
His thoughts were interrupted by the unmistakable noise of ship thrusters drawing closer. He put on his jacket and walked down the stairs to the main floor of the hangar. "Computer, Main Doors" he spoke loudly above the din from outside. The room was suddenly filled by the metallic clanking sounds of the hangars massive main doors slowly drawing apart. As they did, the revealed a cloud of smoke in which hovered a small liberty starflier transport. He flew here in that? Ben thought to himself, The boy must be a bigger fool than his father.
He stood in the doors, arms folded, watching as the ship powered down. As the smoke of its landing cleared he saw climbing down from its cockpit a fair haired young man in civilian clothes. As he turned around and proceeded to walk across the tarmac Ben could recognise him from the photo his sister had showed him.
The boy smiled has he approached. Ben watched him impassively, damned if i have to enjoy having this son of a farmer here he thought to himself again.
"You uncle Ben" the boy asked, nearing and extending his hand out in greeting. Laowai looked at him, Uncle Ben??? an irrational urge to hit the boy washed over him but he ignored it. He grunted, "yes, that would be me" The boy stood smiling, his hand still extended out into the air. For a moment Ben thought about ignoring it, but as he looked at the boy, he noticed his Kusari eyes, looking much like his sister's, and much like his own. He had commited to do this..
He shook the boys hand and the young man laughed "well hell uncle Ben, i sure am proud to be finally meetin' ya, mama sure does talk about you all the time"
I strongly doubt it, Ben thought -"I'm Donny!" the lad said still smiling and shaking is hand, he looked around him "So this here is your place?"
The sound of his voice stung, and a slight scowl creased Ben's mouth. The boy might have his mother's eyes, Laowai thought , but he certainly has his fool of a father's voice.
"Yes this is my place" he answered, "Bring your gear and follow me".
They entered the hangar and Ben called out again, "Computer! Main Doors". The massive doors began to close slowly as they crossed the hangar floor. Donny Ren walked wide eyed, staring around him until his eyes landed on the Xibanya Nuren, Its huge form standing still inside the hangar, lit by the above flood lights
"Well i'll be" Donny exclaimed, "Is that there a real Corsair Cruiser?!"
No you idiot, Ben thought, Its an Outcast garbage Scuttle. But he bit his tongue and merely grunted an affirmative. They walked upstairs into the mezzanine and Laowai motioned to a cot in one of the far corners. "That's you" he said. Donny, still smiling, dropped his pack on the cot. Looking around him he took in the room and then said "Well Uncle Ben, it sure is mighty nice of you to take me in an...
"dont!...." Laowai interrupted, "call me uncle Ben.. Ben is fine"...
Donny gulped, "er. sure thing .. Ben"
Laowai was about to show him around the room when the workstation he had been tinkering with gave a series of rapid beeps. Ben stopped mid stride. " I have to check this" he said to the boy and quickly sat back down behind the screens. The beeping was coming from the Lane Hacker data pad, indicating that it had succesfully broken the encryption he had tasked it on. It was asking him if he wanted to continue.
He hit "yes" and the machine beeped again, the first lines of text beginning to appear on the screen.
Minutes of Corsair Elder meeting
"AHHH CHOOOO"
"Excuse me hermanos." Said Juan, putting away his handkerchief and preparing to speak. Taking some whiskey to clear his sinuses, he gulped greedily, thanking Gentle for the drink.
"Now, Gentle. Good to see your still alive and kicking...." Silence came as the unintentional pun floated across the room.
"HO LEE COW!" a voice said over his shoulder, taking him by surprise, "Thats a Lane Hacker program!" Donny was standing behind him looking at the equipment. Ben looked at him a moment, "you recognise Lane Hacker equipment" he asked curiously. Donny beamed in unmistakable pride, but a wink in his eyes suggested that this boy might not be the simpleton Laowai initially took him for. "Yessir!" Donny said " Me and my buddies had a few in pilots course, used to make weekend trips out into Magellan, drink with some of the Hackers there..." He paused.. suddenly looking awkward. Laowai smirked, he knew why the sudden change of demeanor. The Lane Hackers were no friends of the Corsairs, Allies to the Outcasts, if the boys mother knew where he had been sneaking off to he more than likely would have suffered an injury.
"course... my ma.. well.. she di" he went on to continue, but Laowai stopped him. "stow it boy" he growled, "im not going to tell your mother, but i wouldn't let people around here know of your past company, it wont do you any favours"
Donny shook his head quickly, "Nossir! i wont say nuthin'! And all that was in the past, i dont run with them no good sons of bitches anymore!"
Ben chuckled to himself, amused to see the boy a little intimidated. The computer next to him beeped again and he turned his attention back to the screen, more words began to appear.
Right."
"About the TT. We have intelligence that they have been blockading Artifact trade whenever they can. Now, how do you think they can afford those ships of their's? Girlscout cookies? They are incredibly deep into the smuggling trade and do it almost as often as the Brotherhood. The point here is that they've started to realize the TT can make more money if it has exclusive rights to the trade."
"Now, I don't mind the average Corsair getting a ship of his own and making a living for himself. That's just natural. But actually blocking the trade from others brings us one step closer to the corrupt House corporations that corner the market to line their own wallets. But, instead of destroying these brothers, I agree. We need to help them come into the fold."
"Also, about the true Independents. These are the brothers that stay on top of the daily news and try with all their strength to bring glory to the Corsair people, and glory to themselves. Most regular Independents wouldn't bother with any of our factions in the slightest, mostly because we don't have any kind of punishment for not joining. Which is fine, but if they don't know our allegiances, nor do they have the courtesy to follow orders in a heated fight. I don't see why we should tolerate their presence one second longer than we have to."
"Therefore, I call the only one who actually bothered to try and listen in on this conversation, and give his opinion before this Council." Juan yelled his last sentence, startling the others and making them look around themselves in confusion.
"I picked up some sort of attempt to access the Council logs and retrieve our records of this session. The Hacker tool, that whoever this person is, used is somewhat old roughly by 12 or 13 years. Our potential hacker is much older than this, but I believe he has earned his right to speak before the Council, any disagree?"
Brought to you by Hackerz systemz 101 - have a nice day :lol:
As he read the last lines he sat back in his chair in shock. He read and re read the lines again... surely they didnt mean him. He ran a test on the pad immediately to look for any traces, he was so used to the machine being foolproof that he never bothered to check it. Donny read over his shoulder, "Wow..." he muttered... "Are they talkin' about you?"
Laowai looked at the boy and then the screen again, Surely not he thought. The Hacker pad chirped again, and Laowai spoke aloud; "Computer, play results of trace test"
The computer paused, then quickly and without emotion said "Trace test positive, hack was intercepted at the source, security of hack cannot be confirmed"
Ben sat back in his chair, feeling slightly bewildered... If it was him that Lucendez was referring too then it was him that they had called to the council. Me?? he thought, Appear before the council? The idea of it alone stunned him.
Donny stood silently reading, he stood up and nodded, "well Uncle Ben, your hack was made, I'd say y'all be busted, these here council fellas sound like they wanna see you"
Laowai shook his head. He needed to collect his thoughts.
"DON'T" he snapped "CALL ME UNCLE BEN!"
Donny gulped audibly and backed off "sheesh" he said, "Ma did say y'all had a bad temper!"
The Xibanya Nuren's engines throbbed deeply as she cruised slowly towards the Planet Crete. She had completed a patrol from Omicron Delta to Omega 5 and aside from a few minor brushes with some Hessians and Bounty Hunters, including a hapless Bounty Hunter gunship, she had little to report. The crew were winding down and finalising their pre-landing shut downs, and looking forward to getting paid.
Though that pay, with no major combat, and thus, no major plunder, would not be as high as they had hoped.
Ben Laowai sat reclined in the captains chair in the middle of the bridge. The trip had been a taxing one for him in another way. It had been his first voyage with his Nephew, Donny Ren on board, and regretfully, the boy had survived. Aside from that, he had appeared to have flourished, several of the crew had reported that he appeared to have a strange affinity with the ships computers, and was also quite adept in Corsair weapons systems. Which was strange, considering he had never set foot on a Corsair cruiser before.
Just what else did his sister teach the boy? he wondered.
He was studying a data pad containing information from the engineer on fuel consumption. It was dry reading and he was reading the same sentence for what seemed like the 6th time when the crewman at communications broke his thoughts. "Captain" the young woman said, "we're being hailed".
Laowai sat up, only slightly, a hail was not much news. "Who is it?" he asked. The crewman looked down at a screen in front of her, her already green Corsair make up turning a strange fluorescent as the light of her screen hit it. "It's an unregistered ship, showing pirate ID" she called out. Laowai swiveled his chair around to face her. "Ship class?". The crewman looked down again, "She's a civilian sir, an Eagle by the look of it".
Laowai raised an eyebrow. A generic pirate, loyal to no one, drifting through space. Hardly worth his time, or bother. He was tempted to ignore the hail but protocol demanded otherwise. He sat back into his chair, slouching into its padded cushioning. "Put it through" he said in a monotone... Lets do this so i can get drunk he thought
"This is the Corsair Cruiser Xibanya Nuren, State your business here".
There was a pause, a faint static hiss echoed from the speakers in the ceiling above his chair, indicating an open channel. "I want to buy that mini razor you have in your hold" came the reply, the voice, metallic over the comm channel.
Nice to meet you too.. laowai thought again. "The Mini Razor is not for sale, it's being used"
Indeed it was, that weapon was being held to be mounted onto his titan, after the last one had been shot off in a skirmish in New Berlin. The pirate vessel spoke again. "I'm prepared to make an offer, i'll send it, check your screens". Laowai swiveled his chair around to face the crewman, Lucia Mendez, one of the newest recruits on board. Young, but talented with communication equipment. And like all the crew on his ship, from the poorest, nameless parts of Crete.
"Is he sending data?" he asked her. She nodded, still staring at her screen. "Yes captain it's coming up no..." she stopped suddenly and then said quickly "Oh my god!". She sat up straight. Laowai sat forward, his brow creasing "what? what did he say?"
Crewman Mendez looked at him, her mouth agape, "he, he sai.." Laowai stood up and walked across the bridge to the screen she was looking at stunned. "Let me look" he said, he brushed her aside and looked at the screen.
40,000,000.
He stood back startled, and looked at the crewman. He looked again. Yes, it was there, he'd read it right.
He stood back, his hands on his hips. "Pirate Vessel, please confirm amount, did you say FORTY million?"
The comm line crackled again, "yes, thats right, do we have a deal?"
Who was this fool??? Laowai thought, the weapon was only worth a few million. He was caught off gaurd and his face mirrored his young crewmembers'. Who pays 40,000,000 for a weapon available on the common market for a tenth of the cost?
"Pirate Vessel, yes we have a deal, prepare for transfer"
He turned back quickly to crewman Mendez. "set it up" he said quickly, "send him the transfer details, ready the cargo transfer pods"
She did has he asked, by now, there was a tangible air of energy on the bridge, the crew, on the edge of their seats. Below decks, unaware of the events unfolding above them, other crewmen were man handling the heavy Mini Razor into a cargo transfer pod, to be shot out at lighting speed to the waiting receiving lock of the pirate vessel.
"He's got it" Said crewman Mendez.
"And the money?" Laowai asked.
There was a pause, no one spoke. "It's in" Mendez said quietly, looking up at Laowai with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"open the in ship comm system" Laowai said to her quickly. Her hands, danced quickly across her control panel, "open" she said.
"My crew, My brothers, My Fellow Corsairs" Ben spoke out loud. "Tonight, you, and your families, dine at my pleasure, all may eat and drink their fill. And you.." he paused, looking around at the smiling faces of the young Corsairs around him. "You all just got a bonus"
A loud cheer went up around the bridge and echoed around the ship. Laowai, seating himself back down in his chair smiled one of his rare smiles. The life of a Corsair still never ceased to surprise him.
"Alberto" he said out to his jubilant Helmsman, "Alert Crete docking ring, we are coming in to land, they had better have stocked up on drinks"
The 4 thrust engines of the Corsair gunboat hummed through the deck plates. The "Outsider" had proven herself well over the last few weeks. She was a lucky buy courtesy of an over zealous pirate's desire to buy a mini razor - and one that Ben Laowai had chosen to take full advantage of.
The mid sized bridge was silent, and he sat in the command chair, leaning foward to view the information coming through on his helmsman's screen.
The badlands in New York were no place for a Corsair to be caught alone.
"What is it?" he growled quietly, as if the sound of his voice could be enough to alert others of his vessels' presence.
The Helmsman, Phillip Alberto, the same helmsman that Laowai had picked to fly his Cruiser, the Xibanya Nuren replied with an equally hushed tone of voice. "A four bird patrol of outcast vessels, they will have us on their scopes, but they are not moving to engage."
A loud rumble echoed across the bridge from the energy discharges outside. The badlands deserved their name. Even if the strength of the enemy patrols was not altogether that bad, the place just had an eerie BAD feeling about it. Laowai slightly enjoyed it. He had brought the Outsider into Liberty space as a trial run for some of the newer crew he had chosen and to conclude some business he had on Rochester.It had been successful, the weapons deal he had set up ensured him a shipment of arms for the Nurens' crew, and then some, and the Lane Hacker technology he had acquired, which would no doubt take him weeks to decipher, would inevitably prove useful.
He studied the screen. Timing was important, he needed to make for the gap in the Zone 21 mine field without there being a Navy patrol in scanner range. The outcasts were the least of his worries, for, at the very least they were not likely to reveal their own position to the Liberty Navy by revealing his...
"it's clear" the helmsmen whispered.
"engage Cruise engines, ahead full, maintain comm silence" Laowai hissed.
The Outsider jumped forward as it's cruise engines kicked into life, bolting out of the last clouds of the badlands as she entered free space. Liberty comm traffic started to filter in over the comm speakers; A gun trader here, a cop there, a liberty rogue taunting them all. Thats fine he thought to himself, just keep talking and not looking where you should be.....
The dark haze of the zone 21 minefield now filled the ships scanners and view screen - "located the gap in the minefield" Alberto said, still whispering. Laowai sat back, allowing himself to breathe for a moment. "take her in Phillip, steady..:
Why the Liberty Navy did not station a permanant battle station at the mouth of this minefield was something he had never understood. But the fact they did'nt was a blessing for every pirate and trader who wanted a back door into liberty.. that is if they survived the Alaskan patrols and the nomads they would inevitably meet on the way.
The ship thrummed slowly towards the jump gate. "send the activation codes" Ben said, starting to feel considerably less tense. Once they had reached the Alaska system their chances of interception decreased massively. The systems sensor interference, nomads and sheer size meant that avoiding detection was not too difficult. "Codes sent, jump gate has returned an ok, we're heading through" Alberto said. A sense of tangible relief passed throughout the small bridge, and Ben himseld slouched back into his chair.
"Once through plot a course for home" he said, "Take us via Yaren, i need a drink...."
There was a faint chuckle amongst the crew. Laowai closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled, Tomorrow morning would see him back in his hangar on Crete, and then onto Cambridge for a meeting with a certain Dr....
He was wondering if he needed a vacation. But where, he thought, does a Corsair take a holiday?
He stumbled out of the council chambers......
As he reached the ancient and vast doors before the final courtyard he stumbled against the doorway. He leaned against it painfully, cradling his side which split with agony, streaks of blood staining his shirt.
I'll be damned if i stumble here... he thought....
This had begun more than a week ago, a few weeks after he had been summoned to the Elder council to speak. His memory of the specifics was..... vague.
He had woken up on a surgeons' bed. The unmistakable smell of a hospital filing his nostrils.
He woke up with a start..
"Where am i!??!!" he cried out, straining against the restraints that held him fast to the bed in which he was lying."Hold it, hold it... easy" a Dr next to him spoke, his hand gently on his chest and steadying him against the sudden movements which he was trying to make. "Take it easy brother, you're on Crete, but you have had a mishap... rest".....
The Dr steadied him with trained words, But Laowai struggled to recall how he had even arrived at this point. His last coherent memories placed him at the helm of the Outsider, his newly bought Corsair gunship.... they had been in Omicron Delta, and had engaged an unknown enemy. His first recollection was bounty hunters, but then, his Helmsman had called out the dreaded cry:
"NOMADS"
He tried to concentrate, to see through the haze in his memory and remember the battle.. He recalled a pair of nomad gunboats trying to broadside him. He remembered flanking them and out gunning one, its hull finally being cracked by his Brothers from Yaren, scrambled to attention in Titans. He remembered the second falling to the Outsiders' guns. An unmistakable explosion filling his view screen as the gracefully illuminated blue vessel erupted in a rude expulsion of atmosphere and organisms.... its contents spewing into open space.
Some of his last conscious memories were of his helmsman crying out "Nomad Battleship entering our co-ordinates, they are engaging"
He vaguely recalled the console on his command chair shorting out. He had turned quickly to his XO for an update on the Nomad command vessels' position when the front navigation panel in front of his helmsman had exploded in a violent eruption of metal, super alloys and electronics, showering the small bridge with lethal shrapnel
The Helmsman, knocked from his chair by the initial shock of impact, avoided the worst of the blast. Laowai, in his position in the command chair immediately behind the helmsman had worn the brunt of it. It hit him full square in his torso, his ceremonial Corsair command garments absorbing almost none of the impact.
His sides and chest erupted in spurts of blood and the restraint on the captain's chair, neatly severed by the shrapnel, dropped him to the floor.
Against his will, he collapsed onto the deck in front of him
He recalled the terror on the faces of his young crew, the uncertainty. As he lay there, semi conscious on the deck of the Outsider, its' 8 strong bridge crew looking to him for leadership, he spat out a desperate command:
"Engage cruise engines, target the nexuses in their shields, ramming speed."
The young men and woman around him hesitated, and he sat up, gripping the arm of his helmsman, who had left his post to offer support to his elderly fallen captain...
Laowai grunted against the agony that gripped him....
"Dammit, you are Corsairs, RAM THE BASTARDS"
The helmsmen, Alberto, who had proven himself time again on the bridge of Laowai's Cruiser, the Xibanya Nuren, hesitated for only a moment. Releasing his fallen Captain he leapt up and echoed his captain's orders.
"Engage cruise engines" he screamed. "Come about and prepare to ram the Nomad vessel"
Laowai recalled seeing a violent explosion on the Outsider's viewscreen, a swarm of Corsair Titans and Preatoriens arching gracefully across his vision, and he lost consciousness.
He awoke. in an infirmary on Crete. His personal comm link beeping a message from the Corsair Elders.
"you are required to attend the council session on the date of..."
[/b][b]
And so he had....
After stating his final piece, his injuries, barely attended, had started to take their toll.
As he stumbled out of the Council chambers, he thought of his crew. The young and houseless Corsairs he had selected for the Xibanya Nuren. He knew in his current state, he could not command the vessel, and he did not know how to break the news to them easily. They relied on him, for he was one of the only corsairs that they knew would speak for the poor and houseless Corsairs that endevoured for a brighter future amongst their people. He was the only one, despite his status as an Outsider, despite his mixed heritage as a half Corsair and half Kusari.... who had fought for them, and brought them wealth, honour and fortune.
This would not be easy.
He sat in his hangar. The imposing bulk of the Xibanya Nuren behind him. Its shadow covering the scarred hull of the Outsider, which shadowed the much smaller hull of his Titan, the "Old Laowai":
" i am sorry my friends, while i am like this, i cannot command you, and i cannot lead you"
He had said to his crew. " I am sorry, but i will not risk your lives on our voyages, unless i am truly fit enough to command you"
The parting had been emotional. His crew had no status, beyond the money he had brought them. They had no hope of joining a noble house, such as the Brotherhood, or the Familia Benitez. They had trusted in him to make their own family names noble. Laowai felt, that while he had striven to advance his nameless crew, he had failed. He could not shake the belief that the Nobles of the Corsairs would forget the Albertos, The Ibanez's, the Regalos. the Holandas......The poor and clanless of the Corsairs, who lived for the honor of their people, but who fought the spectre of poverty far more than noble Corsair house member ever did.
He stood before them in his hangar, the shadow of the Xibanya Nuren, and the battle scared wreck of the Outsider behind them. "I am sorry my brothers and sisters" he spoke..... "Our noble venture together is at an end... for now, until i can command again..."
His crew muttered in disbelief and he went on : "Were i to try to continue now, in my current state....."
He paused, his emotions overwhelming him. Perhaps his views of the Corsair code of honour were old, as he had heard others whisper. perhaps it did not fit into the new version of who Corsairs were. But, he would always remain true to what his father had told him. And that was his legacy to his crew, he would not change it, nor sacrifice it, and even now, in his weakened state, unable to fly, he would still shout it from all the mountains of Crete.....
"Defend your brothers and sisters" He said sternly, 'never ever side with our enemies". He looked around the assembled in front of him...
"and never forget, you are Corsairs, and no matter what a council says, no matter what anyone says"
He paused, his wounds aching " You owe loyalty only to your own, we are the Children of Hispania, and we have a galaxy to claim,, our Elders claim they know our path". He coughed violently, the sound echoing around the hangar. "But they are not you, they have not suffered as you have, the do not know what it means to chase honour from a house that has no place....."
He grunted a final command to his crew. "You are Corsairs, the heart of our people and our nation. Never forget the honour that binds you to our Brothers and Sisters, even if others will"... He coughed violently, small flecks of blood spattering his shirt, Those who cradled him knew they must get to a hospital now. But he went on. "Command what you will" he spat," And do so with honour, your are the bravest and the best of the Corsairs that i have the privilege to serve with"
There was a loud cheer as his Helmsman Alberto and his Nephew, Donny Ren, helped him from the hangar. He Felt exhausted, he knew he needed rest, but he also knew that so much amongst his people was unfinished and unresolved.
His strength began to fail him. He looked up to his Nephew, the young Libertonian lad that when he was coherent he could not stand; "Tell your mother" he said simply.... and unconsciousness overtook him.
The cabin stood hidden in a small hollow next to an almost dry creek bed. A small flow of water trickling down its path a reminder that this was not a planet blessed by nature. It was nestled in a valley in between two mountains miles outside the capital city on Crete. Huddled amongst trees and shrubs, were a casual observer to stand overlooking the valley, he would see no sign that any human ever went there.
This was precisely why, many years ago. Ben Laowai had decided to build the cabin in this spot. It allowed him quiet, privacy and plenty of places to test his more "explosive" weapons trials. On this trip though, he would not be testing any fancy new weapons. Not much beyond the Liberty "Sharpshot" long range blaster he had only recently procured. It was this that he held tight into his shoulder, its digital sights reading windage, distance and movement as he trained it on a small native quadruped, locally known as a "Sloucher", owing to its hunched forelegs, munching on one of the local shrubs.
The Blaster shot rang out sharp in the silence of the valley. Its sound reverberating up and echoing off the surrounding mountains. Ben looked up and around him as the sound retreated quickly away across the nearby countryside and turned to check the results of his hunt. His aim had been true and the small creature lay dead on its side. That's dinner tonight... he rose from his hide and collected the animal, slinging its short and stocky frame over his shoulders. He turned and made his way back to the cabin.
It wasn't much to look at, but then again he had never been one for appearances. A corsair who looked Kusari could never really afford to be. It was made from locally gathered timbers and its roof seemed to sag slightly in the middle. But it kept the wind and rain out and its one small room inside was cosy enough for his needs and easy to keep warm in the frigid Cretan winter nights.
He dropped the Sloucher onto the porch and kicked open the front door. The room inside was small. A bed to one side on which sat another smaller blaster pistol and a workbench on the other, littered with junk and communications equipment which other than the blasters were the only visible sign of technology. A table in the middle of the room bore several stacks of clothing and utensils. A small pile of wood behind this stood in front of a large open fireplace, ready to go should the temperatures outside warrant it.
He slung his blaster on a hook by the door, followed by his coat. Kicking off his boots he slumped down onto the bed. He exhaled loudly, cradling the ache in his side. The injuries he had sustained in battle would never fully heal he had been told, though in time, he would learn to manage them. Despite his age, he had always been active, now though, with too much exertion his body would remind him of its own mortality with sharp internal pains that would cause him to flinch and lose his breath. The entire thing frustrated the bejesus out him.
After he had paid off the last of his crew, he had mothballed his ships in his hangar and on Tripoli. He knew he would be planetside for an indefinite period of time and his disappointment at this, and his own feeling of failure when it came to his crew had changed his usual surliness into something more inward. As he recovered he felt more and more withdrawn. His Nephew had left Crete, his troubles in Liberty seemingly miraculously sorted, and he had ignored the calls from his sister. Soon, all had become quiet, and his hangar seemed strangely, empty and old.
He did not want to stay.
So, telling no one, he packed some things and early one morning had made his way out to his hidden cabin in the mountains. He had spoken to no one since. That had been over a week ago.
The communicator in his bench crackled to itself, small snippets of comm traffic from Omicron Gamma filtering through, a trader here, a Corsair there. Occasionally he caught what sounded like battle, but it had been short, fast and over as quickly as it began. He raised himself off the bed with a groan, going out to the porch he dragged the Sloucher round behind the Cabin, slinging it up by its hind legs he quickly slit its throat to drain its blood and then gutted and skinned it. The Hides were useful, Once prepared they could make a tough form of leather which was often used in Corsair garments. He slung that up on a separate rack to let it dry. After letting the animal drain he took it down and began to slice off the best cuts of meat, Tonight he would eat his fill, drink his baijiu and hopefully pass out into a dream and pain free sleep.
A distant sound caught his ear and he looked up. Through the canopy of trees above him he could see a small speck arching across the sky. It burned intensely at first and then suddenly vanished, leaving only a faint hint in the sky as indication that it had ever been there. If he was one of ours, i hope he got out, Ben thought to himself.
Later that night, as he lay on his cot, he listened to the faint chatter of radio traffic, he replayed the last battle with the Nomads in his head, questioning his actions, wondering what he could have done differently, replaying the scenario in his head over and over until eventually he drifted off to sleep.
The fire could be seen in the distance, a faint pinprick of orange light in a sea of darkness, visible from miles away.There were several smaller glowing shapes nearby that could be seen through the magnifying eyes of a pair of optical scanners. They were men, probably traders. This route through a sharp valley between the high Ferdinand mountains was sometimes used by caravans from Corsair Capital city to many of the smaller outlying settlements that were scattered around for miles. These caravans were made up of poorer Corsairs mostly, unable to afford trade ships and vessels, shipping non taxable goods or just small amounts not worth the H Fuel. So they did it the old fashioned way, horse, mule and manpower. Many of them had dreams of a greater future, hopes to take to the skies like the Corsair heroes of old. Many others, were just trying to eke out a living.
These men had no inkling that they were being watched. High up in the mountains, an old but steady hand held a pair of Order issue optical scanners and surveyed the men carefully. They carried few weapons, save a few antiquated low charge blasters used for fending off the odd scavenger that might come sniffing around. Seeing that there was no cause for caution, Laowai switched off the scanner and resolved to get himself some rest. He had two rolls of cured Sloucher hides that he had hoped to peddle off if he crossed a caravan such as this. He would head down to their camp at dawn.
......................................................................................................................................................
As the sun broke its first rays over the mountains he approached the camp quietly, not wanting to alarm the men within, He unslung his blaster and called out "Coooooeeeee!". He waited a moment, and from the within the camp he heard a hesitant voice holler back. "Err.. who goes there?" Laowai called out in response - "Trapper - i have hides for sale".
He waited a moment, scanning the scrub in front of him he knew the path to the camp was clear. These men were not cautious, and had posted no guards. A voice called out again from in front of him "Ok senor, you can come in, but come in slow, Si?"
"Si" Laowai called out in return. He slung his blaster rifle back over his shoulder but carefully unclasped his blaster pistol holster on his hip. This was hardly the most dangerous of situations a Corsair would face, but Sloucher hides were valuable, and poorer men had been known to kill for them before.
He walked slowly towards the camp and entered the clearing that he had thoroughly reconnoitered the night before. The traders were standing around the smoldering remains of last nights fire, 4 of them, standing, eying him carefully, behind them, a small boy lingered nervously by one of the tents holding a leash on which a small hunting dog sniffed excitedly.
It was up to him in this situation to prove he was who he said he was. So, visibly, so none could mistake his intent he unslung the two roles of hides from his side and they slipped down into the dust. "Sloucher hide" he said calmly, "pure, cured and ready".
One of the traders, a squat man standing in front of him, whom laowai had already pegged as the leader, nodded, and making a grunting sound, flicked off the power latch on his blaster, its power drooping with a quiet barely audible descending hum
"Have a seat Senor" The man said, gesturing to a log sitting by the remains of the fire. Laowai nodded and seated himself down. The trader turned to the boy behind him, "Eh, you, get the man some food".
The boy scurried off behind the tent.
The trader smiled "So, you hunt these yourself?". Laowai nodded. The boy returned with a metal plate of what looked like chicken and a few small tomatoes and vegetables, he handed it to Ben timidly who accepted it with a small smile. He turned again to the trader. "Yes i did".
The trader raised his eyebrows and nodded "Si, si, you don't say." He picked up some food from a plate sitting next to him and took a bite, chewing loudly he continued. "Sloucher, he is not an easy beast to find senor, and i did not know anyone to hunt them this far out" He spat out a small piece of bone as he spoke and said "how is it you have so many and are finding us all the way out here?"
"i like the solitude and quiet" Laowai replied, "and the sloucher is not that hard to find, if you know where to look"
The trader nodded, "fair enough senor, fair enough" He tossed aside the boney remains of the chicken leg he had been eating. " I will need to look at these hides before we talk price, Si?". Ben nodded, "Of course, Please" and he gestured to the hides lying on the ground between them. The trader stood up, groaning as he did so and picked up the rolls, nodding to Laowai he took them over to a portable wooden bench that had been set up near one of the side tents, unrolling them he and his companions began to look them over.
Ben sat quietly eating his meal. The boy was standing nearby, eying him nervously. Ben smiled at him. "Are you a Corsair?" the boy said. Ben smiled again, "Yes i am". The boy moved closer now, curious. "But you don't look like a Corsair" he said, "You look different".
"Looks can be deceiving my friend" he said with an amused chuckle. "Are you a Corsair?" The boys brow creased defiantly "I am! and i have my own Titan!"
Laowai chuckled again, "A Titan? well, then i am speaking to a brave Corsair pirate no less!"
The boy came over and sat beside him. He pointed to a scar on Ben's hand. "Whats that from"?
"Why that?" Ben said, holding his hand out flat. "that was from an Outcast, do you know who they are?"
The boy nodded. "I heard they don't like Corsairs, i heard that they want to kill us".
Ben nodded and leaned close to the boy, "Thats right, they do, but they won't, you know why?"
The boy shook his head and Ben pointed to the sky above them and said "Because all the other Brother and Sister Corsairs will fly their Titan's beside yours and won't let them!" The boy stared wide eyed.
Ben chuckled again, and looked up as he heard the trader walking back over to him. "Senor" the trader said "these are prime quality hides, I'm afraid i cannot pay you what they are worth". Laowai nodded, he had suspected as much. "Give me 10,000 for half, and I'll throw in two for free for the lad here." The trader raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Senor, two? for free?" Ben stood up, brushing the dust and crumbs from his pants. "Yes, for free, an investment if you will, towards the boys first flying lesson".
..........................................................................................................................................................
As he climbed back up into the mountains he turned and watched as the Caravan, now packed and traveling again moving off into the distance down the valley trail. The hides had been worth far more than he had charged, but he knew they would be put to good use. He wondered if the boy would ever one day get to fly his own Titan, and if he did, would he do it with honour?
He smiled to himself and took a deep breath, ignoring the pain in his side that this action seemed to always bring. The view from up here was fairly spectacular - a small benefit of living on a barren sparsely populated world was definitely the views.
He turned back and began to make his way back up the mountain. His cabin was about 3 days hike away and he decided it was about time he made some calls.