Chapter 2…
Erebus II was a hot little moon, its environments mostly consisting of humid swamps and marshlands. High up in the sky was the massive view of the scorched desert planet it orbited, as well as two suns far off in the distance.
Ashley tugged the collar of her old IMC jumpsuit in discomfort. The fabric was designed to be coarse and durable and was anything but comfortable in the stifling heat.
Two dark irises narrowed in the glare of the sun, struggling to adjust after leaving the dank little hut that Ashley called home. She had awoken as she always did, wearing the same clothes as the night before and surrounded by an adoring congregation of liquor bottles...
She was living every retirees dream…
But maybe she would be coming out of retirement now… maybe…
Ashley continued her half-inebriated and uneven walk down the main street of the little shanty town she called home. When she first arrived she had received sneers and rude gestures from the local flavour, most likely due to her uniform. Those little unpleasantries ended when she became a town regular, and while she had certainly not made friends with her neighbors, she was at least accepted (or ignored) by the community.
"Hey, IMC!" One of the many street vendors called out to her. "You looking for some kebabs? Just made a fresh batch!"
Ashley half-heartedly waved him away. "M'good…"
"Suit yourself…"
The ex-pilot coughed into her hand and wiped the spittle on her leg. Her vision still swam slightly from this morning's hangover. She could have used some food now that she thought about it, but the tugging in her throat and pressure in her chest indicated that she would throw up if she did eat anything.
Ashley paused for a moment when she reached a small vista point, high up in the foot trails of the shanty town. She rolled her neck side to side and set her hands on a wooden fence before turning her attention to the horizon. Before her stretched a glimmering sea, its waters coloured a sharp crystal blue that reflected the sunlight.
Ashley bent herself over the wooden fence and promptly vomited up any stomach bile she had. She straightened her back and crudely wiped her mouth.
Now it was time for breakfast… or lunch… or whatever fucking time it was.
After purchasing a pork bun from another vendor and scarfing it down as fast as she could to trick her metabolism, Ashley was ready to keep her appointment.
Blisks' tiny ship stuck out like a sore thumb on the landing pads; it's white and red colour scheme made it unique amongst the other vessels. The horned beast that was crudely painted on the side was a dead giveaway of whose allegiance it belonged to.
The man himself was sitting just in front of the ship where a small table and chairs had been set up. The mercenary was at the head of the table and three strangers sat at the other sides, their ragged states of dress betrayed them as natives of the little shanty town.
Ashley smoothed her ruined jumpsuit and loudly cleared her throat.
"Ah!" Blisk gave her a small smile. "You comin' along then?"
"Not yet," Ashley shook her head. "I want to talk terms…"
"You always had a good business sense," Blisk nodded. The South African man stood up from the table and set his cards face down. "Gonna have to sit this game out gentlemen… if you look at my cards I'll kill all of you…"
The three strangers chuckled nervously and nodded in affirmation; Ashley remembered her interactions with Blisk before Demeter, the man wasn't joking.
"Shall we?" Blisk gestured to his ship.
"Lets…"
Blisk used his forearm mounted computer to unlock the door of the ship, a small ramp extended to allow them easy entry. The interior was sparsely decorated, consisting of a small bunk room and separate bathroom, as well as a corridor that led up to the cockpit.
"You're doing well for yourself…" Ashley complimented.
"Well enough, I s'pose," Blisk gruffed. He pulled up two chairs and set them up across from each other, allowing a few feet of space in between. Blisk took a seat in one chair and Ashley occupied the other.
"Oi, you want a drink? Cigar? Anything…?" Blisk offered, using his gloved hand to rub his left bicep.
"I'm good," Ashley answered, although in truth she could have used a stiff drink. "I want to talk out exactly what you offered me…"
"If I may reiterate, I offered you a spot in the Apex Predators… on my personal squad to be exact."
"And what would that entail?"
"It's all pretty simple, Ishikara," Blisk chuckled. "You see, General Marder tells us to do something… and then we do it to the letter… There's no real thinking involved, just simple work and easy money to reap afterwards…"
Ashley considered the offer for a moment.
"And who are we going up against?" Ashley questioned.
"Only one power makes the IMC mad," Blisk deadpanned. "You'll be dealing with Militia jokers… just like the old days…"
Ashley looked down at her feet, studying the crinkled and ruined leather of her boots. "I'll be more specific… are we fighting against guys holding guns? Or a bunch of farmers…?"
Blisk was silent for a moment.
"Just like the old days, huh?" Ashley muttered. "Because if you want me going up against civilian targets again… I'm walking off this ship and leaving to grab a good drink, you'll never see me again."
Blisk shook his head. "Ain't no money in killing farmers these days… the IMC is focusing on actual targets now."
"So… no collateral damage then?"
Blisk placed his hand against his chest, as if he was swearing an oath. "Just fools with guns in their hands who have fat prices on their heads… no collateral."
"I'm gonna hold you to that," Ashley warned. "Now what about pay? How many credits are we talking about? I'm not gonna leave my blissful retirement for breadcrumbs."
"The little job I've got lined up is dishing out two million credits upon completion," Blisk answered, seeing some light return to Ashley Ishikara's dark eyes. "As for percentages… I can guarantee you a seven percent cut-"
"Ten," Ashley spat back, dark eyes narrowing.
Blisk studied her for a quick moment. "You really think you're worth a ten percent cut?"
"You wouldn't have come to this swampy shithole looking for me if you didn't," Ashley quickly responded.
Blisk laughed loudly. "You got yourself a deal… clever girl. I can give you a nice cut of the profits then…"
"I'm glad that you could see reason," Ashley responded. "One more thing… I'm not signing any contracts… my soul is not gonna sit on some bottom line, got it?"
"No paperwork in the Apex Predators, just profits," Blisk nodded. "Anything else then?"
The woman across from him stayed silent for a long few seconds. Blisk could see his reflection in her obsidian coloured eyes; she was clearly deep in thought.
"This isn't the ship we're using, right?" Ashley finally spoke.
"Never… there's an IMC destroyer up in orbit, the rest of the new recruits are up there as we speak."
"Does the IMC ship have a training deck? Does it have simulators?"
"Yes and yes," Blisk nodded. "Getting some practice in?"
"It's been a while…" Ashley admitted, snapping her eyes up so her gaze burrowed into his. "If these requests are all met… we have a deal…"
Blisk said nothing, merely holding out his hand for her to shake. Ashley accepted it with only a moment's hesitation, her grip felt like iron against his.
"Y'know," Blisk began as he pulled away. "I've got a nice bottle of liquor stashed away… you want a drink?"
"Fuck yes…"
Blisk laughed and walked over to the ship's tiny bunk bed. He reached under the mattress and withdrew a bottle of dark coloured alcohol. The man grabbed two glasses from the kitchenette and poured the liquid in before handing one to Ashley.
He sat across from her again and they clinked their cups together. Blisk was impressed at how well she handled the alcohol, she swallowed the burning liquid without a hint of distress.
"I've got a little game to finish outside… bloody fools here think that they can beat me at Poker! I'm fleecing them at every turn…"
"Don't be too hard on them," Ashley stuttered back as she wiped her mouth with her dirty sleeve. "Most people around here barely have two credits to rub together…"
"Some credits are better than no credits…"
"Touche…"
"Well then," Blisk stood up and dusted off his pants. "There's a fresh jumpsuit in the locker, it should be about your size… I can't have you showing up in rags… I would suggest you use the shower too…"
"Sounds good to me," Ashley nodded and stood up. "When are we leaving?"
"As soon as I finish this little game," Blisk answered. "The ship doesn't have a lot of hot water… be warned…"
Ashley set her cup on the ground and walked over to the locker that Blisk pointed out. She swung open the metal door at the same time Blisk left the ship, the hissing of the door seals indicating that she was alone.
Inside the locker was a fresh jumpsuit, coloured in dark reds, whites and blacks to match the colour schemes of the Apex Predators…
The woman quickly slipped out of her old suit and carried the new one towards the shower.
