~Somewhere on the edge of unknown space, Beta Universe~
Lokar watched and waited. He had been waiting for several hours for this rendezvous. He and a few dozen others were stationed at various outposts and planetary settlements. Guides to those who wished to expand the limits of known space. Guides would often fail to protect their responsibilities from the harsh environments and species that "thrived" in the uncharted territories. If some guides managed great reputations for getting through difficult assignments, there were counterparts who occasionally benefitted from their charges disappearing.
A new waitress caught his eye. Light green scales crawled over her neck and elbows. Lokar wondered where else they were and what they felt like. He had lain with a reptilian woman a couple years before who had been quite intense. The waitress looked in his direction. Noticing his attention, her tan skin turned a deeper brown. Shy apparently, even better he thought.
He returned his gaze to one of the lounge's panoramic windows. The thick glass curved to give a view of one of the three docks and planet below. He felt the contact arrive before he saw it. A very tall individual approached his table. Tall, dark, and mysterious was the vibe the stranger tried giving off. Then again, who didn't out here in the Abyss. Every sort from smuggler to mercenary, slave trafficker to assassin, traveled through these stations.
"Greeting's pathfinder."
Lokar studied the being. It's flat mechanical vibrating voice gave nothing away as to its identity. The armor was unfamiliar to him but made to look ominous and sleek. Just over two and a half meters tall, the contact had him craning his neck.
"Do you have a face or am I talking to some android?"
"Is my presence not identification enough," the helmet fell back as soft and smooth as the finest cloth revealing pale smooth skin and shortly cropped sapphire hair, "your presence indicates you have knowledge of where I need to travel."
His contact still had that vibration to his voice, but it was deeper, less robotic, without the helmet. His eyes as blue as his hair but nearly devoid of any indication of emotion or soul.
He decided to poke a bit more before engaging the man in the charade that was to begin, "so, you have a face, do you have a name? I find it more comforting to speak on a first name basis."
"Devos, now let us divert to your vessel and embark on our journey if you are done trying to learn more about me."
Waving his hand as he stood, Lokar stepped around Devos and escorted him from the lounge. A shimmer beyond the window he was looking out of caught his eye for a moment before moving on. They proceed to the dock where his ship sat without another thought. He admired his ship every time he viewed it. At forty-five meters long and thirteen and a half meters tall, it was a sleek corvette. Not one designed for military use but for exploration in hostile space without being noticed. It was armed with its factory lasers and a single burst EMP defense system. Of course, he had a few adjustments installed and hidden in case bigger fish fell into his basket.
"Here we are, my lovely little Ordiza. What about your ride? Someone going to take care of it for you?"
Devos glanced at Lokar, "it will be present when needed."
A simple but open-ended statement. Present when needed? Whatever. His crew nodded and made comments letting him know things were smooth as he headed for the cockpit. Lokar settled into his chair and motioned for Devos to take one of the passenger seats. His engineer reported engines were purring and ready for departure. The Ordiza lifted off the flight deck smoothly and passed through the atmospheric forcefield keeping the oxygen in the docking bay.
As the ship cleared the docking area, he could have sworn he saw another shimmer right outside. Perhaps it was the distant sun shining on a passing vessel. He pushed the thrusters to clear local traffic and engaged the FTL drive. Space slid around him into a blur. Lokar relaxed and began fooling with his data pad. Glancing over his shoulder, the strange Devos sat staring blankly at the opposing bulkhead. Lokar shrugged and returned to his data pad. He looked at the figures on his cred account. There was no "extra haul" on this run, no one to double-cross, but he and his crew were making a killing to take this man to one of the Universal Exchange's market planets.
There was a retired Colonel from a distant Empire docked above the planet on business. No reason given for needing to meet with the man. He hadn't informed the Colonel that he was bringing someone to the meeting. Only contacted him that he sought information about employ in that far off territory. The Colonel's registration did not match any records he could find. Not his business though. Devos wanted to meet the man and did not seem to be concerned about any other issues.
Lokar punched in the jump coordinates and glanced over his shoulder as the ship slightly altered course. Only two other crew members were on the small bridge. The customer sat just inside of the doorway staring out of the bridge window now. He paid no heed to the sounds the rest of the crew were making throughout the rest of the medium vessel.
"Well, Devos, feel free to explore the ship, aside from areas marked crew only. It will take us a few days to reach our destination barring any issues."
Devos nodded and exited the bridge.
~3 days later, Universal Exchange Mela Market Station~
Lokar pulled his ship out of its jump. Letting the computer do this last part took some of the fun out of jump travel. It was risky, never knew when one would pop into a planet core or star. He usually got his mark within a hundred kilometers or so of the target though. Ahead of him were dozens of other ships. He punched in the communique key he was given upon first arranging the meeting. It took a moment for the expected response.
"Please let the Colonel know that I am ready to meet whenever he is."
A voice from the other ship responded, "the Colonel will be made aware. Please prepare to receive the shuttle. End Transmission"
Lokar stood from his seat and turned. He jumped when he saw Devos standing silently behind him,
"I guess you heard. Go ahead and get your stuff I guess."
"I am already prepared. I will be waiting at your docking hatch," he said and turned abruptly.
Lokar shook his head. His crew had complained of how silent the tall man was. This was the first time Devos had caught him unaware though. He didn't like it. Now that the contract was close to completion his gut was starting to tell him something was off. He was ready to get the meeting taken care of and get out of here. Devos' ship was supposed to be here to get him after everything was resolved.
His few crewmen nodded to him as he passed. Veronica was still on the bridge monitoring the situation and ready to communicate with him. Jax and Marco were waiting with Devos to stand as his personal security. Devos now donned a coarse brown robe. Why did that give him an uncomfortable feeling? Of course this guy needs to hide his armor now. Armor in the marketplace would likely make other patrons uncomfortable. Damn this needed to be over. His bodyguards looked to him nervously as the hatch hissed open. A young man in a white uniform waved them in while another sat at the helm of the shuttle. Taking their seats, the shuttle sealed back up and headed to the Colonel's ship. As the shuttle prepared to dock with its mothership a voice came across the speaker.
"Shuttle C, do you have visual clearance? We are reading a distortion to your starboard side."
The pilot turned the shuttle in a slow 360 degree turn and responded, "we are clear bridge. Perhaps the sensors need recalibrated again?"
"Copy that Shuttle C, proceed with docking"
The shuttle entered the hangar and landed within an area surrounded by blinking lights. As the rear hatch raised Devos let out a sigh. Lokar glanced at him. Devos had a nearly peaceful look on his face for the first time since they had met. Security personnel scanned them for unauthorized weapons and gear. The only beeps were on his own security's rifles. When had Devos taken off his armor? Not his concern. It was his fault if the armor was left on the Ordiza. Being taken to the Colonel's ship was not in the original communication. Devos was not thrilled by the unexpected change in itinerary. It was likely just an attempt to show off, but it was still unwelcome.
They were led towards a row of doors at the rear of the hangar. A wave of cold caressed his face in one spot. He couldn't see anything but perhaps vents above providing the atmosphere were responsible. Corridor after corridor, they were led deeper into the belly of the Colonel's ship. This vessel was far larger than the Ordiza and had a much larger crew compliment. It was a system he couldn't get comfortable with. Even though the Colonel was no longer in the military, whatever his sources of income, he was able to hire from a high-quality pool of employees.
They reached an ornately decorated door and Lokar moved to allow Devos to enter first. They sat on opposite sides of the lengthy table. At the far end sat the Colonel. He wore his embroidered military uniform as if he still commanded fleets across the quadrant.
His medals jangled as he waved across the room, "feel free to dig into any of the dishes that you would like. Only the best for potential partners or high-quality employees."
Lokar glanced across to Devos. The odd man's face was bordering on a smile. The more time Lokar spent around him, the more his senses tingled and put him on edge. He fondled the trigger built into his watch. An electricity filled the air. The Colonel had a glint in his eye. His grin like that of cat with a caged canary. Every fiber of Lokars being began trembling. His instincts screaming for him to get as far away from this room as possible. Devos smiled in return and reached for a red fruit.
It happened in the blink of an eye. One moment Devos' hand was reaching, the next it held a sleek pistol. The glint in the Colonels eye was removed as the eye was evaporated. The Colonels body fell backwards still grinning stupidly. Lokar lunged for the door. He saw an object appear in Devos' right hand. The object flew towards the wall as Lokar reached the doorway. An explosion tossed him the rest of the way and beyond into the opposing wall. He was suction back towards the door. His feet caught either side of the frame. Beyond the doorway he saw a shimmer grow into a full-fledged spacecraft. Lokar's armor flowed over him as he launched himself through the larger ships hull.
A glowing field slowly flowed over the hole, granting him relief from clinging to the doorway. He watched Devos float away and disappear into another doorway. The other ship turned and began to move away. In the star-studded distance, several ships began firing in his direction.