Dan Silince - the short story

[Dan Silince]

"Going contracts all libertonian, round and round, while I keep thinking about the next stage. Cute, yeah do think that.

Being private agent is no drama and habits, so no bores any. Filatures in Manhattan streets up to spaceports drug dealers spying, I barely have the time to breath. Target elimination has gone for exceptions, Which is more of my liking. Intelligence use and gathering is more fuel-consumming, more challenging. Crack ain't no smartties who can chop over you, see ? Down-side is, it's less profitable.
"What ? No more gun-blazing ? This is an outrage !" Y'say, hu ? Well piracy hunting isn't a hobby, num-twuk. And it's not my duty to take care of Colorado. So to have my due I need to go where you're sure to find your meat: deep space. Over the Border, far into the night, gale of dawn. Outcasts flow of broken T-29 is a dream come true, a bad dream, when you find your smart-face outgunned ten to one. Can't deny how much you've got to be there in order to pay for your ship expenses.

And then, sometimes, things go horribly wrong... Why can't it just be the Gallic invader with toe-to-toe fighter on Newcastle and Leeds ? I believe my wishes are too good to be true, especially when you don't want it to happen.

That's just one big craft. From Omicron Alpha. And it's god-damn TALKING to you. I'm no joker here. Talk to all of us. Three thousand years of questions and finaly we know it: intelligent and sentient lifeforms exist elsewhere near us. In the form of blue translucide cruiser-class crap that talks. Even if it's non-sensical. IMGs and Outcasts were speechless too. And don't get me started on the AI drone (and AI cruiser which came later). yeah, we were pathetically hepless... What do you expect from poor hot-blooded humans facing a third type encounter in the middle of a common conflict zone ?

Quite fast, the mind babbling and total mess was too much for us, and that didn't well when (out of boredome too I guess) IT rained death on us. Brave resistance, futile stand, the AI fell first, no one was able to down their kinetic shield. I got caught in the fire, got ejected in time. Good-bye money love. The operating crew of Java Station get comms fast and retrieved my pod with similar velocity, fortunately. My thanks to you, people. I own them my life. Don't even dare say these people are lazy again.

As I fled from the Taus and the madness that was raging there, I talked about this to several friends in the Liber Navy as soon as possible. They know I can't make that up. Sane for sure. But they can't do anything about it. But who's job or responsability is this ? There's no much world-savior around ! I guess I'll have to get contact with the Zoners. They know more than us guys from the big cities what's the deal back over here. I don't really know them well, but moonlighting a little with them can't be a bad thing...

I've heard rumors from mercenaries at Barrier Gate, of a far system where you can find a human space station inbound with alien stuff. Start of a lead ? Not much. Who knows...

...I need a new ship..."

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