'I think it's a great idea, I'd be willing to raise my rifle and keep us safe too, but it's not up to me. You and-'
Ayan gave him a warning look, she didn't want to hear Jake's name aloud, or have anyone hear that there was another authority above her, especially in front of a cabbie who seemed to enjoy sharing information.
'You and the rest of the senior officers.'
'I'd second the idea of securing space before we return to our ships, even though it looks like a disaster,' Laura agreed. She was staring at a group of mag cycles making their way across the black and light blue mixed sand road just ahead. There were a dozen or more, and they snaked through the streets at a great speed, despite the fact that the riders seemed relaxed, riding at leisure one or two per vehicle.
'Like those? They were popular where I come from. Gangs loved them, hard to track on planetary sensors because they ride so low to the ground,' Jenny commented with a smile. 'And they're fast.'
'They look dangerous.'
'We called them skids, but I think those are the larger mag cycles. They're good for hauling ground transport.'
'Still, looks dangerous. I mean, what's the point of being so close to the ground while you're moving so quickly? You're bound to collide with something.'
'That's the thrill; you have to ride one to know it though. Not that I've tried, I prefer my go-betweens to have all sides covered,' said the cabby over his shoulder as he pitched the vehicle down towards a side street. 'Lots of people use 'em here though. Bike like that costs next to nothing used, and takes a beating like a heavy fighter. Good to have around if you're just bouncin' from one place to another, though I shouldn't say that, or you won't be calling someone like me back.'
'Speaking of which, what's your ident so we can get you back here when we're done?' Ayan asked.
'Already sent it to your data unit there, just give me a buzz when all your business is sorted. Good luck.' The shuttle touched down lightly and the doors opened as Ayan passed him a twenty-five GC coin. He gave her three fives back.
'Thank you for the safe ride,' She smiled.
'My pleasure, lass. Grace like yours is always welcome in my cab.'
“One more thing, can you tell me anything about the people who do business on this slip?” Ayan asked as everyone else was making their way off the shuttle.
The cabbie glanced over her shoulder; “This slip is just a storefront where a few Captains park, no one here actually owns anything except for maybe their own ship. The folks who trade here are selling someone else’s merchandise, probably set you up with a good deal. Lots of captured product comes through here, no knowing where it’s from and that’s the point of places like this. Most of the folks on this slip are British types from the Outer Core, I thought you knew 'em already, because of your accent.”
“I'm afraid not.”
“Well, treat 'em like any other Captains or merchants, with respect. Keep your eyes and ears open, don't ask too many questions and don't let them know where you keep your valuables.”
“Are they a good sort?”
“They're no worse than the rest.” Ayan was just about to walk off when the nafalli called after her in a whisper. “Just wondering; is everything they saying about you true? You took Valance’s operation over?” She didn’t know how to answer, but he must have discerned something from her expression, because his eyes went wide. “So he’s here, isn’t he?” he said in a hush.
“You’d know if he were here. As for who might be in charge, you need look no further,” Ayan said with a wink before turning her back to him.
The worn twelve person shuttle lifted off straight away, gaining a few meters of altitude before accelerating into an extreme upward curve. 'I think I'll tell Jake to check cab companies if he ever needs more pilots. He was tracking at least two dozen other shuttles and God knows what else up there and it looked like it was as routine as brushing his hair,' Laura said as she watched the old people mover disappear into the overhead traffic.
'There's nothing routine about grooming for a nafalli, except that they're always grooming,' countered Victor.
'You have a point.'
Ayan looked at the old, crooked metal archway ahead of them. There was a thick bodied five deck ship filling the centre of the circular landing pad. Layers of armour were piled onto some sections of the ship, and she could see where at least three gunnery turrets had been built into the vessel after her initial manufacture. The thing was nearly two hundred meters long with clamps along the bottom of her hull, giving her the look of some fat, misshapen cockroach.
The walls of the docking space were obscured by hundreds of stacked transport containers. Some had been welded together to form permanent multi storey warehouses. Metal stairs had been added, and she could see at least a dozen brand names that were absolutely foreign to her, and pictures of all kinds of products.
Several of the containers were marked SPACERWARES, the only brand name she recognized. Seeing it made her feel a little less dubious about dealing with the seller, 'Looks like at least some of these people steal from Regent Galactic. I feel better about this already,' Ayan commented.
'Regent Galactic owns Spacerwares? I love that store, it's like heaven for, well, spacers.' replied Jenny, disappointed.
Two guards stepped out from the sides of the archway as the groups started walking towards it. They brandished heavy rifles, wore thick, mismatched armour and had slicked hair and grimy, greasy skin.
'What's your business here?' The taller of the two asked in a thick British accent.
Ayan pulled out the bulletin listing and held it out. 'I'm looking to buy some food and supplies if you have them.'
'You've come to the right place then, miss. I'll call Captain Sima straight away.' He half turned and shouted; 'Oi! Skipper! We've got customer!'
Ayan couldn't help but be reminded of the British holomovies she'd seen growing up. She couldn't get enough of them, holomovies, documentaries, anything she could get her hands on. Before her teen years she was close to her mother, so close that she'd picked up her accent, what some of the British called the aristocratic version of their accent, clean and clear. Ayan preferred more of a colourful, charming, street born accent, but when she used it everyone stared, especially when she did so in jest. When she was younger she had difficulty understanding why people were amused by the way she spoke. To Ayan everyone but her and her mother had accents.
It was her first time meeting someone who used such a bent, localized accent, and when she saw the Captain come down in brown trousers, a long sleeved shirt, dark brown vest and short cropped violet hair Ayan was surprised at how young she looked. By her best estimation, she couldn’t be more than twenty.
The woman had all the markings of one born of British heritage, in fact, many of her crew were the same. 'We've a sister with us, I see,' she smiled as she got to the bottom step, resting her hand on the hilt of her sidearm, a silvered heavy pistol.
Ayan stepped forward and offered her hand. 'Ayan Rice, of the Clever Dream.'
'Can’t say I’m unawares of you setting down on this watery rock, the newsies mixed you right in with the rest of the chatter and gab. Surprised you’re standing here though. Your people still stuck in the Dower Wastes?'
'Unfortunately. We haven’t found an alternative yet.'
'I'm Captain Ruby Sima, good to meet someone else who's fighting for the right side. Keep out of the gutter politics around here and you should do fine if your people are as well armed as that fleet of yours. What can I do for you?'
'I'm looking for a new place to set down and need to stock up on food and some extra survival gear, do you have anything?'
'Food, gear, I can help you with, but I don’t own any of the slips here, just a renter myself. I might be able to get you in touch with someone who’d be pleased to deal. Let’s start with what I can provide. What sort of food are you pressed to buy?'
'Well, we have a food processing unit that can work with base form proteins and we could use some pre- made stuff.'
'Like meal bars and the like?' She asked.
'Exactly,' Ayan smiled.
