Chapter 3: A Rocky Start
"It's dark, cold, endless.
Frightening yet beautiful at the same time.
We were not made to traverse this vast expanse of nothingness.
Yet still we venture deeper, always on the the brink of destruction with but a thin shell separating us from the abyss.
Even I have fallen under it's spell. A traveler with no end in sight, leaving the light of earth far behind. In this all, we act like moths drawn to a flame and one day, it shall burn us.
The sad thing is, that we realise this all too well.
But that's not going to stop us.
Nothing will."
-Unknown space trucker-
A rustling sheet resounded on a bed. Aecuss grumbled as he threw off his blanket, a throbbing pain inside of his skull. That usually means he's had a long night's rest. His head's just not used to sleeping long stretches anymore. Insomnia's a real pain like that.
When you barely sleep, you "gain" a lot of hours for activities you'd otherwise spend sleeping.
Although after many years the nights became long and boring and nothing ever happened. There's a vast amount of interesting movies, series or other activities that could keep one busy.
But eventually you'll run out and have nothing to kill time with as the rest of the world happily snores away. This is without taking into account the physical downsides.
Insomnia made it feel like your mind was clouded by a fogg. The longer you went without sleep, the thicker the fog became. Even though your mind refused to sleep, your body still needs it's rest, resulting in countless hours laying in bed, staring at a ceiling as your muscles slowly relaxed.
Having done this for years, the fog didn't bother him that much anymore. As it's a constant nuisance it loses some of it's potency.
Giving himself a mental jolt, he decided it was time to get going.
He swung his legs down the side of the bed and got up, planning to get a nice hot cup of coffee. As he got up a loud bang resounded and he instantly squatted down holding the back of his head with his hands.
"Ghaa, holy shit that hurts!" He yelled out. At that moment a surprised screech resounded from somewhere above him.
Before he could look up another blow hit his head, pinning him against the floor. He could swear his vision went blank for a second.
As he opened his eyes, confused by the passage of time and body throbbing with pain, he noticed a figure looming over him. Too surprised to say anything, he simply stared for a few seconds at the bearded face of someone who had a similarly perplexed expression in his eyes.
Suddenly Aecuss sprang into action shoving the person hard which caused him to land against the bed with a loud bang, a groan escaping his lips. He didn't know who the man was, but there shouldn't be anyone in his house. His first thought was a burglar.
As he scrambled upwards he looked for something to defend himself with. He always kept a baseball bat near his bed in case he'd need it. But it was nowhere to be seen. It was then that he finally saw that this was an entirely different room than he was used to.
As another groan escaped from his supposed assailant Aecuss quickly took a defencing pose as he faced him.
The guy look up and the moment he saw Aecuss he held his hands in front of himself and yelled out.
"Whoa whoa, stop it, I give in."
Startled by the unexpected response he looked cautiously toward the guy unsure what to think of him.
"Where are we! Where did you take me!" Demanded Aecuss.
Clearly confused by the question the guy took a while to answer. As he looked around the confusion on his face grew larger still.
"I.. I honestly don't know." Stammered the man.
Clearly not the answer he was expecting Aecuss was dumbfounded.
An electronic voice resounded through the room, causing both men to slightly jolt.
"Reaching designated waypoint in 5 minutes."
It just wasn't making any sense. Last he remembered he was at home, more specifically in front of his pc, however the last bits of memory were fuzzy.
Though he still didn't trust the stranger it didn't look like he formed a threat.
As he relaxed his pose slightly he shifted his attention to the room. It was rather cramped and metallic. The bed the man got slammed against was in fact a bunkbed. To his right he could see a table with a bench and the soft glow of monitors permeating from an opening in the ceiling that could be reached with a ladder built into the wall.
Ignoring, but not forgetting, the other guy Aecuss went for the ladder as that was the only obvious exit and as he climbed up he could hear the rustle of clothes as the bearded man finally resolved himself as well and was getting up.
Upstairs Aecuss was greeted by what looked like a cockpit. A big window sprawled before him with a main seat in the middle and an auxiliary station on either side. One of them had a screen flashing brightly. As he went up to it, it lit up. "Estimated time of arrival is 30 minutes to the Cathcart system."
Aecuss has heard that name often enough. But that was back in Star Citizen. His mind was having trouble making the connection because it seemed too far fetched. But even if it was a dream he wasn't going to just sit by and do nothing.
He took a seat behind the console and opened up a ship manifesto. An inventory popped up.
The goods he was carrying seemed to be pretty normal. Tobacco, all kinds of alcohol. Most of the things seemed to be rather high quality though.
A loud rumble and some cursing he didn't recognize were resounded from the deck below him. Reminded of his unwanted companion he pulled up a passenger list, not even bothering to pause about how easily he navigated the console.
Ship class: Caterpillar
Ship designation: Trade
Registered owner: Aecuss Diabolicus
Registered crew : Rexxar Haraldson
He frowned as he read the last entry. Rexxar was an old friend of his. Yet the guy downstairs looked nothing like him. Rather, the beard the guy down there had was a full grown bush, yet the Rexxar he knew was nothing like that. A beard simply wasn't an option for him.
Yet he couldn't just dismiss it. So he decided for the simplest ways of putting it to the test.
"Rexxar?!" He called out toward the ladder leading downwards.
After a short silence he finally got an answer.
"WHAT!"
Aecuss smirked. "Yup, that's definitely him." Even though he didn't sound too happy. No wonder considering the kick he gave him earlier. He wasn't holding any punches on that one.
The reason he was pretty sure of himself wasn't only because he knew his mannerisms, it's also a logical deduction. If it was someone else they would have simply ignored him. But Rexxar's a guy that'll respond to his name without a second thought.
"Should I tell him my name." He murmured to himself.
The thought didn't last long as he smirked and though "Let him figure it out for himself."
A small icon began blinking on the top right of the screen. As Aecuss clicked it a new screen opened. His face instantly became serious.
"You might want to have a look at this!" Aecuss yelled.
Downstairs Rexxar had caught a bit of his breath and was feeling his painful ribs. He didn't think any of them were broken, but they sure as hell were bruised quite badly. The request of the guy that had just attacked him confused him. Why the hell would he want to go up there. He'd probably just kick him right off the ladder.
"Like hell I am!" He yelled back, clutching his side as a pang of pain stabbed into the bruised area.
"Note to self, no more yelling." He thought to himself.
He looked around the room for something he might recognize. But his vision was filled with nothing but unknowns.
Considering he had quite the rude awakening it was the first time he noticed this prickly feeling he had under his chin. As he reached toward it he touched something bushy. The voluminous beard that had been pressed into Aecuss's face finally came to his attention.
He tugged it to confirm it wasn't just a fake set piece. The twinge he felt convinced him of it's authenticity.
He actually felt quite happy with this change, yet he wasn't sure how it happened.
A light blue glow caught his eye. He had an odd contraption strapped to his wrist. As he moved his hand towards it, it sprung open a screen.
"Whoa!" he yelled out as he staggered back.
Aecuss could hear a muffled yelp from down below. But he had completely forgotten about Rexxar already. The console in front of him was worrying him. Rather, it was the destination that got him on edge.
The situation didn't give him much time to think things through, but the name rang all sorts of alarm bells. The Cathcart system was a well known system in Star Citizen. Notorious would be more fitting rather, as it contained the man made construct called; The Spider. It was the biggest and probably only publicly known "free port". Though it's technically in UEE space, it's in name only.
Governance here consists of larger pirate groups uphold the peace by blowing up anyone that doesn't abide by them. But that applies mostly to the interiour of Spider and it's surrounding aerospace. The lanes leading from the jump points towards it are known as gank areas where low-caliber pirates try to pick off hapless travelers.
His fingers were gliding over the keyboard as he looked up additional information about the cargo and shipping rights. He knew that Cathcart had a very peculiar rule set.
As long as he was affiliated to an existing and known pirate clan he'd be completely ignored as he warped into Cathcart as the other pirates wouldn't want to provoke a large scale clan dispute. This seemed to be covered, as his ship's registration was under the name of Forsaken. A fake org that he set up for him and the other syndicate members to use. They obviously couldn't fly under the banner of Titan Union without getting blown up the instance they were dealing with the more shady parts of society.
They were still a few minutes out, but he made sure his ships credentials were being broadcasted way ahead of time. He wasn't taking any chances with trigger happy fools.
Having hopefully solved the main issue at hand, he now had to focus on a second problem. Getting Rexxar to calm down. He'd grown quiet downstairs, which worried Aecuss.
Before he could stand up he heard the clunking noise from someone climbing the ladder.
Rexxar's bearded face peeked over the edge of the scuttle wary of any incoming boots.
He stared intently at Aecuss who just sitting in the chair staring back.
In the end Rexxar nodded shortly as if he had confirmed something and spoke up.
"I can see the resemblance now. You're definitely Aecuss. Well,... not the real you. But I know it's you because I've had to see that ugly mug of yours often enough on my screen to recognize it." His glare clearly displeased. Aecuss's hair was also rather long, like Rexxar's. But his was dark brown and wavy in structure. Though young looking, he had a rather grim face. One you'd come to expect of the less savoury types of society. Oddly enough, the face felt upright to Rexxar. Faces don't always reflect the person underneath. Yet on the other hand they do tend to give damn good hints.
A frown formed on Aecuss's face as he was surprised Rexxar had managed to determine who he was.
"And how the hell did you come to the conclusion it was me?" He asked.
Holding his arm up he showed his mobiglas shining dimly.
"I had a few messages on here with your game name on it."
A slight grunt escaped Rexxar as he lifted himself up onto the bridge of the ship.
"So… where are we?" He asked straight away.
"On a Caterpillar. Heading to the Spider." He opted to add station to it's name, but it wouldn't feel appropriate. As technically you couldn't call it a station. More like,... a stationary collective of bolted together ships would be more appropriate.
All Aecuss got in response was a blank stare. He could swear he heard Rexxar's brain grinding away as he tried processing what he just heard.
The only reason that Rexxar didn't dismiss it right away was because it actually made sense, in a wild and twisted way.
There's wasn't any other way he'd be able to explain the change in Aecuss's appearance and the room they currently found themselves in.
A deep breath heaved his chest.
"I'm going on a whim here. Star Citizen right?"
"How ever could you have guessed." Aecuss responded sarcastically.
A slight jolt could be felt as they finally exited the jump point, causing their heads to bob forward.
The sun's distant rays casting eery elongated shadows as debris was slowly spinning around in space.
The cockpit's view was entirely filled with it. An endless pile of outdated or discarded ships and trash.
It was no wonder that this eventually grew into what it is today. Even though most of the parts floating about are older than any living person, as long as it's usable it has a price. Especially for people that don't really give a hoot about how effective something is, as long as it does it's job.
There was one irregularity in the view though. What seemed to be a debris free tunnel winding it's way inside this tangled mess of hulls. Even the pirates saw the usefulness of a safe lane to travel to and from the jump points.
It didn't take long for a small light to come to life on the dashboard, immediately followed by the electronic voice.
"Scan detected."
Rexxar looked out the window rather skittishly as Aecuss simply shrugged it off as normal. He felt rather safe knowing that they were flying as Forsaken. It worked in the game, so it should do now as well.
Rexxar had flown with him several times, yet it was always as part of Aecuss's crew. Simply because he didn't trust coming to these kind of sectors on his own.
It wasn't because he was afraid of them.
Rather, he felt uncomfortable dogfighting. He wasn't a bad pilot, he just wasn't especially good at it either. He prefered running around with a gun rather than sitting behind a joystick. Aecuss didn't mind though. Having an extra gun never hurt anyone. Especially someone that he could trust and actually knew how to hit a target.
The scan didn't last long. Aecuss reckoned it was more out of curiosity rather than animosity. No pirate in his right mind would deliberately attack a fellow thief unprovoked while in the Cathcart system. Yet the numbers of times he had repeated that inside his mind did start to sound as a mantra. Almost like he was trying to convince himself and push out any doubts.
A small red bleep was detected as the scan broke off. The pirate that was scanning them must have moved off causing his engines to leave a small heat signature.
Internally Aecuss felt some relief knowing that the rules he remembered still applied.
Unsure what to do next they both looked at each other in uncertainty.
Rexxar glanced at the pilot seat, Something that Aecuss didn't fail to notice. They both knew that they couldn't stay here indefinitely. The sooner they got a move on, the better.
Rexxar knew better than to think it'd be just like using a controller behind his screen. So he felt uncertain about being able to fly this thing. The many dimly lit buttons that dotted the control panel next to the steering column only added to this insecurity.
"So, you just gonna stare at it or are you gonna try fly it?" Aecuss scuffed.
Rexxar didn't seem entirely against the idea, obviously curious. But his nervous shuffling made his true feelings shine through bright as day.
"Guess I have no other choice." Aecuss proclaimed as he got up from behind the auxiliary control panel and sat himself behind the steering column.
He was quite happy Rexxar didn't jump on the chance, as he was aching to try it himself. Well, it was within his expectations that he'd refuse.
Unlike others, Drake Interplanetary wasn't really known for it's comfort. So there's no fancy captains chair that slid into place once you sat in it. One could easily adjust it to make it more comfortable, but it had to be done the old fashioned way. With lots of fiddling.
It also didn't come with the standard cup holder the 300 series had, to great disdain to some of his fellow Syndicate members. It has its own miniature grav plate to ensure no spillage in case of wild maneuvering. He remembers them rambling something about wanting to sip martinis as they conducted missions. All fictional of course. At the time Aecuss had shrugged it off as idle chatter and delusions of fancy spy movies like James Bond, but now that he's physically sitting in the captain's seat the prospect seemed rather enticing. Although it wouldn't be a martini. After all, whiskey would be much more satisfactory during such an occasion.
The moment he sat down any doubts he might have had vapourised like snow in the sun. He could tell at a glance what each button was for. The landing gear was on the right, that button activated outside lights, these were to control the airlocks remotely. It all seemed so natural to him. When he realised this he couldn't help but grin. Rexxar, who was watching from the side, wondered if his friend has lost his mind. Such a wolfish smile wasn't something you'd be able to see on a sane man.
Engaging his thrusters, the Caterpillar set off into the tunnel of empty husks. Inertial dampers made it feel as nothing but a small jolt forward, even though the acceleration was rather abrupt.
Aecuss was handling the ship with an ease that implied he'd been doing so for years.
"Could you perhaps take over the side controls?" Aecuss asked.
Baffled what he was asking of him, Rexxar was a bit unsure whether he was even talking to him. A silly proposition considering they were to only ones here.
"Wha… me? And how you reckon I do that?"
"Just trust me, you'll get the hang of it."
It was nothing more than a hunch of course, but what else could Aecuss tell him.
"Alright, sure. But don't blame me when I blow up the engines." Rexxar said as he flung his arms into the air yielding to Aecuss' suggestion.
He'd be in charge of shields, power distribution and damage control. Most people didn't fancy doing this job, but it was a necessary evil if you wanted to keep yourself and the ship alive.
As soon as he sat down, a frown appeared on his face sending a flutter through his beard.
"What the... Hey Aecuss, is it just me or is this thing actually making sense. I really feel that this should all just be random gibberish. But…. ."
"Yea, noticed the same thing with the flying. Let's just count our luck shall we. If it was any different we'd be in some deep shit."
Rexxar grunted in approval. as he ran a quick systems check. He didn't feel like leaving anything open for coincidence.
The spider. The biggest cesspool mankind has ever created. A flimsily welded together congregation of wrecks that act as the homes and halls of humanities scum, yet many call it home.
Humankind is a incredibly adaptable. Being able to make even the void of space a place to live. Generations have grown up and died on what is nothing more but a floating hunk of metal held airtight by duct tape and sheer willpower.
It did it's name justice. The various branching structures could easily be mistaken as the legs of a spider reaching out from the main body which was an ominous silhouette in the middle of it all.
No such thing as neon billboard floating around like you'd expect from sci-fi stories. They had no practical use here. The only illumination being small windows with the faint glow of life shining through.
The Caterpillar closed in, maneuvering between the many intricate shapes that the station had.
It wasn't easy finding the docking bays. As the shapes tended to be so irregular and ever changing that orientating oneself was always a challenge. Nevertheless, the docking station was one of the more permanent constructs around here.
Many long pathways stretched out, mimicking the shape of the overall station. Giving it an organic feel. The different branches ending in docking collars making the ships that had connected to them seem like fruits hanging from a tree.
A fully fledged docking hangar was a rare thing around these parts. Most cargo was unloaded by depressurizing the cargo bays of the ships and hauling the cargo over to a cargo terminal.
Weld a few low grade maneuvering thruster on a frame, add a pair of grapplers and you've got yourself a rudimentary and cost efficient hauler.
As they approached Aecuss opened up a text file. It dictated the docking procedures currently in use. This was an absolute must, as failing to follow these commonly ends with a scorched wreck.
Following them was easy enough. But knowing the correct one was something else. Positions in the spider were rarely permanent, or stable for that matter, resulting in last week's portmaster being replaced by a new one. Who obviously insist on having his own procedures. The more elaborate and eccentric, the better.
This had resulted in ludicrous requirements that could take up to half an hour to do properly and a fair number of "accidental discharges" of the station's defenses. Eventually resulting in the Council restructuring the amount of steps in a procedure to a hard limit as one of the portmasters had "foolishly" fired on one of the councilmembers ship as he attempted to dock.
Still, the issue of it changing every so often is still there.
Currently the docking procedure consists of Hailing the port control 3 times, after which you state your allegiance. Wait for 2 minutes and then hail them another 2 times at which point they will assign you a dock number.
As Aecuss begrudgingly went through the procedures Rexxar had moved down into the lockers, flicking on the light to ward of the shadows. He was nervous as all hell, but he had resolved himself to think of this as nothing more than a game. What would he be doing now in such a situation.
He opened the locker next to what he presumed was his bunk bed. The inside was filled with the random junk you'd expect from prolonged use. A pair of boots at the bottom. A vest, some drinks, a drawer that was full of underwear and socks randomly piled together, only god knows how anyone would find a matching pair in there. At the side a holster containing an LH-86. A small mirror on the inside of the door reminded him once more of the sudden appearance of his beard. It wasn't the only thing that changed. His straight hair was now dark blond and just about shoulder's length. His face had an overall different composure to it, still look the same age though, early twenties.
"That beard though." He pondered. It gave him a more manly feeling. Which was completely understandable.
"Right,.. some clothes." He muttered.
He didn't waste any time putting on the shoes and vest. But he hesitated as he reached out for the handgun.
As he took it into his hand it felt a lot heavier than he expected, yet familiar at the same time. It was a feeling he couldn't quite place.
Shaking it off, he buckled the holster around his waist and slapped his face a few time to gain some composure. It didn't really have the effect he hoped for as the beard absorbed most of the slap.
Turning around he glanced at the opposing locker. He raised his eyebrows a little as he saw a pin up girl covering over half the door.
"No doubt about it." he thought to himself. That had to be Aecuss's locker.
He found going to the spider a stupid idea. But where else could they go.
Nevertheless, saying he didn't feel any pleasure in going onto the spider would be an understatement.
"Now where was that armoury again." He murmured before walking off.
A slight tremor went through the ship as the docking clamps attached themselves and the docking collar hermetically sealed itself.
Aecuss had finished the steps diligently and it all went without a hitch.
"Goddamn, it was a pain in the ass to do all this before, but it's even worse in real life." He exclaimed.
"Right, where did Rexxar head off to."
He got out the seat and without hesitation slid down the ladder along the handrail.
It wasn't a long way, but he surprised himself with the action. Never considered himself the acrobatic type.
"Hey Aecuss, you should dress up as well." Rexxar's voice resounded from behind him.
Turning about it took him a second before he burst into laughter.
"What the… heh…. oh god,... haha …..no, why …."
Rexxar had dressed himself up in full battle gear. Machine gun in hand, heavy bodyarmour covering him from top to bottom. A couple of grenades hanging from his belt. In most situations it would be a menacing sight.
"Don't you think you ….pffft…. overdressed a little?" Aecuss managed to force out as he tried to calm down. His sides heaving from laughter.
Behind the visor Rexxar's face had grown red, either from anger or embarrassment. Probably a bit of both.
"I'm not trusting any of those pirates out there. It's a pirate base for crying out loud."
"So you want to waltz in like you're planning to invade the place. That's the fastest way to get shot mate." He responded still a bit gittish.
"Fine, fine, I'll go get something else."
"Wait wait, I'll come along, before you decide to bring out the mech suit." Said as he hurrying along.
As the airlock opened up Aecuss and Rexxar set their first real steps into the Spider.
Rexxar had exchanged his heavy gear into more manageable and less obvious light armour. He wouldn't take any less, no matter how much Aecuss tried convincing him otherwise. Luckily he got rid of his heavy machine gun and stuck with just his LH-86.
Aecuss on the other hand didn't bother with armour whatsoever. He got himself a nice leather jacket over the clothes he had on before. A slight bulge giving away the holster he had underneath.
Security entering the station was nothing to speak off.
Weapons laws were nonexistent and relied more on common sense than anything else.
The entrance hall was filled with shabby seating that lined the metallic wall and a rough looking man was standing behind a counter handling new arrivals.
There was no such thing as a security check. No questions asked. Just a quick check to ensure everyone paid their docking fee.
It's odd how even out here the all you had to do was transfer credits over from your Mobiglas. Lacking credits one could always opt to pay in cargo. The truly unfortunate would probably have to pawn a part of their ship to make due. A practice that was quite commonplace. Pawn one of your engines, conclude your business on the spider, hopefully making a profit, and pay the money you owe in exchange of the safekeeping of your precious engine.
No need to go into detail regarding what happens if you don't pay up.
The man nodded Aecuss through as he saw the credits transferred onto his main screen.
Leaving the docks they followed along the hall that connected this part of the station to the rest, a loud buzz growing stronger as they neared the end.
It opened up in one of the main arteries of the Spider. A long hallway consisting of welded together ships that ran in relatively straight lines. Occasionally narrowing to accommodate for the bulkheads that separated the different sections.
The sides were lined with stands where all kinds of goods and commodities were sold. Ranging from Corellian pastries to Exotic slaves. Some not even human.
The merchant were advertising their wares as obtruse as possible. Anything goes, whether it be hightech holograms or simply shouting at people as they passed by.
The remaining space was completely taken by a mass of people moving about, mostly on foot with occasionally a small vehicle that tried squirming its way through the throngs of pedestrians.
It was a surprisingly pleasant atmosphere. If it wasn't for the rusty constructs and slightly dank air you'd almost forget you're inside a selfmade station. Everyone bartered away without a care in the world. Why bother distrusting each other, everyone here was the same afterall. The occasional fights did break once in awhile. But weapons were rarely drawn, as decompression by a stray shot was extremely likely. And nobody likes running out of air to breathe.
"So please remind me, why did I agreed to this?" Rexxar said shoving his way through the masses.
"We've got cargo to sell." Aecuss responded not batting an eye.
"I appreciate your drive for capitalism. But making credits isn't really the first of my worries right now."
"Getting information is."
Rexxar kept looking at him, signalling him to continue his train of thoughts.
"Look, most people here trade in more than only goods. And the guy we're selling to trades in intel as well if I remember correctly. We might aswell ask some questions." He stated. "Also, I don't feel like flying around with all that cargo."
"Alright. So let's presume we find him and sell our stuff to him. What are you going to ask for? Where are we? Are you real? There's no subtle way about it."
"Just leave the talking to me will you. I'll find a way. Speaking of which, I think we need to turn left here." He responded as they turned into one of the side corridors that branched from the main artery.
The trader in question was one of the more uncommon quest givers. He unlocked after you reached the maximum reputation points with the Smugglers in the Spider. Aecuss remembered reading some fluff text regarding this particular trader, because it was slightly out of the ordinary.
He's an old ex-pirate that decided to "retire" after having a few too many close calls with death. This was apparent by the bionic leg he liked showing off to everyone. The leg was an interesting construct indeed. Though it worked excellently and was well maintained the owner had a peculiar taste of fashion. The closest Aecuss could get to describing it was steampunk. The many gears and appliances that were strapped onto it were purely cosmetic of nature. He loved it, but it was no big surprise he got the nickname "Scrap Leg". Though nobody in his right mind would call him that in his vicinity. So most people just called him old man Greg. Which was also fitting, as his face resembled the surface of the moon, small scars and irregularities covering the many wrinkles.
Though he had his own shop, he preferred bartering in the local pub, which the bartender happily obliged too as he brought in many thirsty customers, not including the old man's own drinking habits.
As the duo entered the bar in question, a slightly run down establishment nestled in the remains of an old hauler module, Greg was finishing up some business. The man that stood up didn't look to happy about the deal he managed to haul in.
Greg's face on the other hand was gleaming with happiness.
The owner of the bar had tried going with a western feel to his interiour. The old wooden chairs and big mirror behind the counter. He had partially succeeded, the shoddy furniture adding to the feel. The metal flooring, walls and counter on the other hand counteracted it dismally well.
Aecuss had built up a favourable reputation with him, running errands and missions. That is to say, in the game world. Interaction through an options screen and meeting him in flesh and blood were nothing alike.
"Here's hoping the reputation carries over." Aecuss thought.
"Ah, Aecuss. I was expecting you, it's about time you showed up with more goodies for me."
Aecuss raised his hand in greeting took a seat at the table as Greg invited him over.
He's had a quick look at their previous dealings. The latest one mentioning the cargo he was currently hauling. They must have agreed on the payment beforehand as the prices were neatly written down next to each article, suggesting a custom order. This reminded him of fetch quests.
Nevertheless; he'd have to bluff his way through most of the conversation. At the very least the fact that Greg instantly recognized him was a godsend.
"You going to introduce me to your friend?" Greg said as he nudged his head towards Rexxar, still standing behind Aecuss.
"Oh, of course. Where are my manners, that's Rexxar. I'm sure I have told you about him before."
"Rexxar, Rexxar. Hrmm, the name does ring a bell." A deep frown formed on Greg's forehead as he pondered for a second.
"Ah yes, the gunslinger." His face gleaming as if he had just solved a difficult problem. "You keep some good company. I knew you flew with him often, but this is the first time I've seen you lads together. Hope you aren't expecting trouble." Though he said it jokingly, his eyes were dead serious.
"I always expect trouble." Aecuss said looking back. "But the only thing I expect from you is a drink as we conclude our business."
Greg hit his hand hard on the table.
"I knew I had forgotten something!" He burst out loudly, lifted his own empty glass toward the counter. "Jenny! Give me another one and get me 2 more for the lads."
Aecuss smiled at the scene, but Rexxar couldn't help but suppress a worrisome premonition.
"Don't just stand there, have a seat. One can't enjoy a good drink that way." Greg blurred out towards Rexxar who after a short hesitation complied.
The delivery was quickly handled. Price was a non issue, so the only thing that needed to be done was handing over the cargo and receiving payment. Greg had some of his men sent out to collect the goods.
As soon as they had received their drinks Greg had downed his with great vigor and didn't waste any time ordering a replacement. Aecuss had taken a quick glance at it's transparent and colourless content. If the smell was any indication it was akin to moonshine. But not just any moonshine, space moonshine. Homebrew from Spider itself.
He downed it quickly steeling himself for the burning sensation that he knew was soon to follow. It wasn't the first time he'd downed strong liquor. Though the taste was unsavory to say the least.
Now Rexxar on the other hand wasn't a drinker. Even in the past when there was the occasionally night that the majority of the people on teamspeak were smashed, he was always the sober one.
Rexxar was fiddling with the glass, glaring at it's contents with intense suspicion, as though it threatened to combust at any moment.
Looking up Rexxar saw Aecuss nudging him onward to drink it.
He begrudgingly raised it toward his lips, the whiff sending him dreams of fiery doom.
In a move more foolish than brave, he imitated Aecuss and downed it in one go. Immediately his eyes grew murky with tears and he was desperately suppressing a violent cough.
Aecuss had a similar conundrum, but his was because of amusement and his attempt to suppress his laughter.
Greg didn't notice any of this as he was engrossed in his mobiglas, going over all the cargo and checking it's quantity. As soon as he finished he turned to Aecuss who was still smiling sheepishly.
"There we go, everythings been finished and the credits should be in your account. Now then, I presume there's more to you showing your face to me than just handing over my goodies." Greg said as he leaned back, his hands locked around his substantial beer belly.
"You know me too well." Aecuss said acting like he'd just been discovered. "I would like to ask you about a certain organisation."
"Hmm? It's rather rare for you to ask about an org in general. You planning something big?"
"Not in particular, just curious."
Greg threw him an incredulous stare. "Oh whatever, I'm old enough to know not to pry. Even so, it can't hurt to try." He said half grinning. "So go on, feel free to ask."
"Do you know of Titan Union?" Aecuss asked leaning forward in interest.
"Doesn't ring a bell. Yet again, there's thousands of them out there. Give me a minute." He said as he toggled away on his mobiglas. A few seconds later a small ping resounded from the device.
"Ah yes, here we have it. Doesn't appear to be anything of real importance happening around them so I'll give you this one for free. Hope you'll remember me for it." He said taking a big swig from his drink.
Aecuss was overjoyed to hear that he had some kind of lead.
"So what is it you want to know?"
"Nothing in detail. Just where their headquarters are and if there's been some unusual movement lately."
"My friend, those things are open knowledge, there's no need to come to me and ask this." He replied as he showed a disappointed face.
"True, but if I ask it from you I'll be certain it's accurate."
"Hah! Now that's certainly true." As he tapped the table with his finger. "Know what? I'll just send what I have on them over to you, there's no need to tell you this all myself."
As soon as he had said that Aecuss received a message on his mobiglas.
Thanking Greg for his help and promising to visit him again in the future for another drink both companions got up and made their way out off the bar. The thought of having to drink that firewater again was enough to make a shiver go down Rexxar's spine.
Aecuss so focused on the new file he got from Greg that he failed to notice the argument that was taking place at one of the tables.
It wasn't sure what it was about, but the dice that were sprawled all over the table suggested a gambling game gone sour.
One particularly burly guy lashed out at the one in front of him causing him to fly back against another table flinging it's contents all over. The people who had their drinks displaced from their tables onto their clothes weren't too happy about this, inclining them to throw their weight into the already on-going brawl. From here on, as these things have a habit to, things escalated quickly. More table got dragged in and it grew into a free for all.
Aecuss looked up at the moment a fist was headed straight toward him. His unexpected movement made the attacker miss his mark and hit him straight on the forehead, flinging him against Rexxar. The attacker yelping in pain as the surface he hit was harder than he had hoped for.
"Ghaa! Why is it always my head today!" Aecuss yelled out as he grabbed his throbbing forehead.
He didn't have time to grouch as the fight continued on. Rexxar instinctively suckerpunched the next guy headed for them and then he kneed him to the head while he hunched forward gasping for air.
Rexxar, briefly awestruck by his own moves, was roughly brought back into reality as someone suckerpunched him right back. Sadly for the assailant, Rexxar's armour absorbed most of the punch resulting in his nose being flattened as Rexxar's fist connected with his face.
Aecuss's, having recovered from the initial cheap shot, mingled into the fight, set out for avenging his pounding headache. Both didn't have much time to think about their actions. It was a mechanism that was set into motion. During the brawl they never strayed far from each other's sides, instinctively covering each other's blind spots, dishing out punishment to anyone foolish enough to pick a fight with them.
It didn't last long till only a couple of people were still standing upright. Rexxar and Aecuss were two of them. Standing back to back breathing heavily. A few painful bruises being a reminder of the previous maelstrom of limbs.
A clap resounded as Greg was laughing away on his chair.
"Haha! Splendid! It's been awhile since we've had a good fight in here. You two did admirably. Remind me never to pick a fight with you guys." He said.
The barkeep didn't seem too pleased with the whole wreck. But he wasn't worried about the cost. The losers pay for the damage. Aka; the people knocked out on the floor.
Rexxar felt exhilarated. It has been a while since he had this much fun. He didn't consider himself to be a violent person. Yet the blood splatters on his gloves were a stark reminder of the contrary.
Aecuss waved a goodbye to Greg and urged Rexxar out of the bar.
"Dammit, i had hoped for a nice and quiet get together. My head's gonna be all messed up at this rate." Aecuss complained. "Still, those were some nice moves you had there man." He said with admiration in his voice.
"No fucking clue where those came from. Heck I don't even like fighting." He said more to convince himself than anyone else.
His face was foul as he didn't like discovering this side of himself.
Aecuss didn't butt in any further, knowing better than to argue with Rexxar when he was in a bad mood.
"Let's just get back to the ship, I'll have to read through all the stuff I got on the Union."
Rexxar just nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile at the bar. Most people had recovered and were either slumping off or continuing their previous conversations.
The barkeeper was sweeping the floor with a lethargic expression, shoving aside the occasional arm or leg of the defeated.
In one of the corners a woman was sitting quietly enjoying a smoke. Her short purple hair covering half her face. Her top barely reaching to her jeans shorts. Slender arms covered with intricately shaped and coloured tattoos.
She could have joined the fray, as she had spotted someone of interest among the participants.
But she prefers to stay on the sidelines. Seeking attention is only good if it's to distract, obviously. Only fools revel in the spotlight.
Nonetheless, she was smiling like a child that had just found her favourite toy. And she was dying to be able to play with him again.
Author's note:
Many thanks to Jammy for proofreading all this.
Apologies for taking so long, life keeps interfering with progress.
