A Shot in the Dark

[pchwang]

I lit a cigar in the rain, shielding the tiny ember by looking down.

Only two matches left, but I didn't really give a f---. It was my last cigar. I kept on forgetting to restock. Took a few puffs and relaxed. I've smoked every single cigar in the world except for one, the one I've kept in my pocket for the past twenty years. Hell, I haven't opened the container in twenty years.

I wondered if the cigar had gone bad.

Then again, I smoked some Cretan cigar that I looted off some Corsair ship in the Malvada Cloud. It was pretty damn good, actually. I don't know how the 'sair's grow tobacco on that s---hole they live on, but they make a good cigar.

Maltese cigars, those bastards lace everything with cardamine. One thing they teach all the newbie trackers that join up is to stay away from the crap. Once you get on it, you're hooked for life. It's like getting on a one-way train that eventually goes off a cliff at the end.

Curacan ones are pretty decent too. Overpriced, but decent.

I checked my credit account. Sometimes, I swear that either the call girls overcharge, or the banks have been stealing my money. I decided I was going to shake up some Corsairs later for some smokes.

I didn't know why the hell that Rogue came after me. Fat bastard, really. I was surprised he fit in one of their dinky little scrapheaps. I should have told him to go on the Fanken's diet, just to inject a little humor into his day. Too bad he was lying in the Apollo Hotel with a cauterized hole in his face.

The Apollo is really a funny place. It's right across from the Artemis, a supposedly classier place, but it's really just the place where the rich folks who don't want to be see come down to have a good time with the girls. The guy who owns the Apollo owns the Artemis too. Derek Gunthram, good guy - used to be a Gaian. Nowadays, he stays on neutral ground. He's only got a head, an arm, and a leg. Rest of the stuff got sliced off by these insane Outcasts called Reapers. For your sake, I won't go into detail about the stuff he doesn't have. I can trust him to get the Rogue removed off the floor without me asking.

The Apollo is toned down a bit. It's got your regular amenities, fridge with complementary drinks, HV, phone, decent bed, and decent bathroom, but nothing too fancy. Nothing fake, like the Artemis, which is just a crap exterior over the stuff that goes on inside.

Regardless, few people know that I stay at the Apollo. The Rogue got in touch with someone on the inside. To be honest, I didn't really care who he got in touch with. I just wanted to enjoy my cigar, kick back, and relax.

Not much to hope for...except I was standing in the rain.

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[7:42:05 PM][6:51:36 PM] Igor (Smokey): btw terry
[6:51:48 PM] Terrance Cooper: Ye?
[6:52:00 PM] Igor (Smokey): nothin
[6:52:03 PM] Igor (Smokey): just sayin btw
[6:52:05 PM] Terrance Cooper: <_<

Johnny_Haas: you shot anti criuse speed rockets!!!
Johnny_Haas: but why????
Johnny_Haas: ??
Johnny_Haas: why you shoot criuse speed rockets?