Nai followed Deck into the cantina, they hadn't spoken much since they arrived at the station. Although it had been comical to watch him get frisked after trying to bring that blaster on station. His claim that he was here just to sell it and didn't know it had to be sent through unloading barely passed. Worse it had been confiscated as evidence. It didn't matter that the dope had actually intended to sell it. Nai knew how this would work, confiscated goods never made it back to their owner.
Stations like this made her feel out of place. They were too clean. Not just in appearance but in nature too. Unlike the smaller stations, very little of this one was for manual labor. No manufacturing or refining stations. Mostly paper pushers, bureaucrats, and support staff. This cantina was a prime example, she was standing in the darkest part where she could watch both the entrance and Deck yet it was more brightly lit than the main stage at a smaller station's cantina. When she caught Deck looking at her she realized she'd taken up the watch position out of habit. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was worried about him. She turned her attention back to the door in time for the tiny alien to come in.
When it waved and Deck waved back she shook her head. She was watching the entrance again when they walked in. Six of them wearing the heavy dirty clothes of a manual worker. On most stations, they would have blended in nicely. Here, they just stood out. Worse the way they moved told her they were concealing weapons. 'Fuck.'
She wasn't surprised at all when they zeroed in on Deck. One nodded and two headed back out while the other four started the process of covertly surrounding Deck.
**********
"You need transport right?" Deck asked.
"Correct." Aln smiled, their heavy mouth breathing made a slight whistling through their gapped teeth.
"Where?" Deck worked hard to keep the frown off his face. 'A one word answer?'
"The destination is not important, it is the journey that matters as they say." Aln finished then resumed grinning and mouth breathing.
Deck was just about to ask what the hell the little alien was talking about when Nai sat down right next to him. She leaned in close enough he could feel her breath on his ear. "Company. Don't look around." Her arm slid around him and she spoke with a smile on her mouth that didn't match her eyes. "Four, two more outside at the very least. They are moving into position." She then tittered a laugh.
"Oh, Hello. Is she a friend of yours?" Aln asked before wheezing away.
"Sorry. I don't think we can meet your needs." Deck said and pushed Nai away some, her being so close was… uncomfortable.
"But… But I've been unable to locate anyone else willing to take the job." There was a slight pause. "I have credits." Deck was standing up when he heard the magic words.
"Ok, then. You don't seem to care where you are going so we can hash out the details on my ship. Sound good?" Deck started to turn but found it hard to do, Nai was against him with an arm around his waist. "What are you doing?" He hissed.
"It's called a cover. Don't get any ideas." She glanced down at the small alien struggling to climb down from the stool. "We need to move fast. They will never keep up."
"No need to worry about me." They were on the ground and fiddling with their belt." Suddenly, they started hovering off the ground.
"A personal gravity well?" Deck couldn't help but lick his lips. That was an expensive piece of hardware. If they had something like that they must be loaded.
Together the three left out of the cantina. Deck expected an ambush and fight the moment they left but was surprised nothing happened. He was on high alert the entire time as they walked, half because of expecting an ambush and half because Nai was plastered against him.
"Eve?" He thought loudly.
"Yes Captian? Do you wish to speak with me now?" The AI's voice was sugary sweet.
"Eve. Update." He felt his hairs stand up on end, was his ship's AI mad at him? Could this AI actually get mad? That was a terrifying thought.
"There is a bounty on your head. I TRIED to tell you before but you cut me off. Demanded personal space." There was a definite huff in their tone.
'Great a moody AI.' he thought before he could catch himself. Luckily they weren't listening or at least ignored it.
"Can't you do something about it?" Deck asked.
"Negative Captian. It is out in the open. A closed system like the military records I can alter easily enough. But this is too widespread." Their tone sounded depressed.
"That's ok. What grade is it?" Deck found himself comforting the AI again.
"Grade One, Captain." Eve's tone was serious. "It issued while you were meeting with the first Alnimox. That means you don't have to worry about professionals just yet. But it appears some locals are already aware of your presence."
"Fuck. Grade one?" He spoke out loud. His words broke Nai's act and she just stared up at him wide eyed.
"No way. A grade one bounty? Fuck us. No fuck you." She shoved him away as if he had been the one clinging to her. She was the one that was pushed back though. "We need to go get this contract annulled right now. The station main office should be opening soon."
Deck glared at her, she was the reason he was in this mess. Why did she act like he was the one dragging her into things? He started to respond when he froze. Around them the corridor was empty. It wasn't a small side passage but a main section of the station. Despite the time, there should have been people around. as they say, a station never sleeps. But it was empty and quiet.
His eyes darted around, there were various shops though most were closed right now. Several benches for people to rest and even a few bits of decorative flora. "Don't ignore me." Nai jabbed him in the chest.
He turned his attention back to her intent on telling her where she could put that attitude when he saw movement. Before he could think he grabbed a fist full of her shirt. Her eyes went wide before he yanked her aside and behind him. He felt all the air leave his lungs as he went sailing back. His lower back slammed into the edge of a bench and he went over it to crash down gasping on his back. In the distance, he heard a shout of joy while he wheezed staring at the ceiling overhead.
Glancing down at his chest his eyes bulged out slightly. His shirt was destroyed. The tattered remains of cloth and skin sprayed out from the center of his chest. There was blood but not much, mostly what he saw was a smooth layer of shiny dark material that had been UNDER his skin. Almost like a subdermal shirt. He sucked in a breath just as Nai and Aln moved over next to him behind the bench.
In the distance, they could hear someone shout. "Get the body and his whore. Grab the Xeno too while you are at it. Might be able to get some creds for accomplices with the body."
"Deck? DECK?" Nai was crouched down staring at his chest, her hands hovered over his chest as if not sure what to do with them.
In his head, he heard. "Captian I can explain."
"Later." he spoke out loud. "When we aren't being hunted. "He touched his chest and pulled his fingers away. They were wet with some blood and he rubbed them feeling a gritty texture.
"Powder slugs." He groaned. A ballistic round of tightly packed powdered metal. If they hit something solid like a station wall they would do very little damage making them safe for station fights, like sonic rifles. The difference was the amount of energy they carried was still lethal against most organics. They also had a greater range. "Eve. We need an escape route. Fast."
"Yes captain." Overhead sirens blared and the world became one of flashing lights.
"Move." He pushed himself to his feet and started stumbling in the direction of the docks. Whatever Eve had done had kept a huge hole from being blasted in his chest but the impact alone felt like it had scrambled his insides. Nai pulled one of his arms over her shoulder and grabbed him around the waist with her other arm. It was almost the same position they had been in before only this time she was trying to push him along instead of clinging to him.
"Down captain!" Deck pushed himself forward and down taking Nai with him. Something whizzed overhead to strike the wall nearby. There was a low thump of impact and a small cloud of dust. He could see a mass of what looked like grey white powder still stuck to the wall. "Thanks."
"Your Welcome." The words echoed in his head and from next to him as Nai huffing was trying to push him up to his feet but finding his bulk too much.
After the first round the strobing lights grew in intensity and there seemed to be a fog flooding the corridor. Probably a fire suppression system. Deck assumed it was Eve's work. Several more rounds were fired at them but none required any more diving to avoid. Footsteps were rushing up behind them though and that would be a problem. "Eve I may need you to activate my implants."
"That is ill advised captain. Also, unnecessary now." Behind them, there was a hissing sound and he looked back to see a fire partition sliding into place. It dropped down and closed off the corridor behind him. There were several loud impacts as more rounds hit.
"You are awesome." He chuckled some as he thought at the AI.
"I know." The tone was chipper and happy. Then it took on a more serious tone. "There are a three just outside the ship waiting in ambush. Should I disassemble them for base materials?"
Deck didn't like how she phrased that and suddenly pictured the slop from lunch. "NO. I mean I am sure we can figure out something less lethal. Let us not add a body count to our problems."
"What is going on?" Nai asked, he only then realized she was practically cheek to cheek with him while he was leaning on her.
"Ambush at the ship." He managed to straighten some. "I can walk on my own."
"Stop being a macho ass and let me help." Her grip on the wrist of his arm tossed over her shoulder tightened. Before he could process that another voice spoke up.
"Perhaps I could help. I have a few toys I have been dying to test." He had forgotten about Aln.
"Uh, you sure you want to get into this mess. You don't know what is going on." He glanced over at them hovering silently beside them. Those beady eyes seen through the goggles were staring at him intently, almost hungrily.
"Oh definitely. After all, you agreed to my request. Just think of me as part of your crew if you want. Only I am paying you instead of you paying me. Pretty good deal, right?"
"Alright, show me what you've got then." Deck didn't have time to worry about their odd speech pattern or the mess they were getting into.