==^== Chapter 6: Phoenix Drift – The past ==^==
Harper, looked in the window of another shop as he leisurely strolled down the street. This drift was know for its availability of weapons and technology. He'd be needing both on his mission, and he figured he'd start here, plus his mission specs said he'd be meeting a contact here.
He paused when he saw a shop with the sign White Shadow Weapons, they couldn't be that obvious could they? So to satisfy his curiosity he went in.
Entering the shop, he saw a man behind the counter. He looked like he could have been from Earth, he had on a long sleeve turtle-neck, and a gun in the holster on his hip. Harper went up to him and asked about a weapon on display under the glass. When the man returned with the weapon, Harper turned so that his arm with the tattoo would be visible, he then held the weapon to the light for a 'closer' inspection, allowing his sleeve to travel up and reveal his tattoo. The man saw the tattoo and his eyes went wide for a moment, before returning to their normal state.
"Well, sir, is the weapon what you though it would be?" he asked Harper.
"Yes it is, is it new, I've never seen this model before."
"Oh, yes sir, just came out this month, it's called a Banshee. Made by the Wraith Corporation, fires a hollow point .375 caliber projectile that can pierce even the hardest Dragan armor."
"Wraith, good company, makes very good guns, so how much for it?" Harper asked, following the script downloaded with his instructions.
"I'm sorry sir, that is a display model only, but if you'll let me lock the store I will show you the for sale model."
Harper just nodded and the man went to lock to door, he returned a moment later.
"Banshee?" he asked.
"At your service."
"Wow, may I just say that this is an honor and a pleasure to meet you sir. Now if you'll follow me I'll take you to look at the weapons available for your mission."
"So what's your name?" Harper asked as he followed the man.
"Medusa, sir."
"Medusa, good name, beautiful woman with snakes for hair that could turn a person to stone. Fitting for a weapons dealer."
"Yes sir, it is. Ah, here we are."
They had stopped at a crate with an Earth smuggler's logo on it. He was the only smuggler the Order used, and anything that came through him was straight from the Order.
"Have you opened it yet?" Harper asked him, paranoia setting in.
"No sir, I was waiting for you, but I did scan it for any explosives or booby traps."
"Good, stand back while I open it."
The crate required a fingerprint and voice scan in addition to an alphanumeric password downloaded with his instructions. The hydraulic hinges opened to reveal various daggers and guns. There were also several vials of powder and several of liquid. There was a dart gun and a short ninjato, a sword similar to, but shorter than a kitana.
"Looks like it's all here," Harper said as he eyed the inventory.
"Good, you can rest here tonight before your mission, I have some quarters setup in the back for you."
"Can you bring all this to my quarters? I need to go pick up a few items from some local shops."
"Yeah sure, no problem, I'll stay open until you come back."
"Thanks, be back in an hour," Harper said as he disappeared out the door and into the street.
Harper silently browsed the electronic components that lined the shelves of the store, he picked up the ones he needed and moved to the front counter and the Chichin sitting behind it. Harper paid for the parts and left, no haggling just in and out.
He returned to the weapons shop to find Medusa talking to a customer, Harper looked around the shop as though he wanted to buy something, when the customer left Medusa came over to him.
"It's closing time, I'll lock the doors and then I'll take you to your room."
So Harper stood by the back door, waiting for Medusa to return, when he did he followed him to a little room in the back corner of the shop, tucked back behind the inventory racks, where no one could see or find it.
Inside Harper found his crate unpacked and spread across the bed, all the weapons were there along with his requisite infiltration suit, or 'shadow suit' as he called it.
"Thanks, I'm going to get some sleep. Wake me in six hours, I need to make sure everything works before I leave."
"You got it," Medusa said as Harper cleared his bed of weapons and laid down to a well deserved rest.
Harper awoke from his nightmarish sleep to the sound of silence, complete and utter silence. He turned his head, no Magog, no Nietzscheans, no terror, only silence. Deciding that he needed a walk, he grabbed his gear bag and left the shop through the back entrance, which he made sure sealed itself.
Slinging the carry-all over his shoulder, Harper made his way to the small but adequate Entertainment District, the only place open all hours of the day.
Arriving at a bar called 'The Phoenix' Tear' he went inside for a drink. The inside was nicely decorated, simple paint job, plush chairs, tables with all the legs the same length, and a filtration system second to none, not a trace of smoke from the pipes, cigars, and cigarettes.
Sitting at the bar Harper ordered a Sparky Cola, having developed a taste for them. When asked how he could drink it he replied 'it's better than what I used to eat and drink on Earth,' that was always effective in stopping the questions.
After passing an hour and a half just staring into the mug of his third Sparky, he paid his bill and left, he had some business to take care of. Deciding to thank Medusa, he began walking back to the shop, and that is when he heard the sirens. Abandoning his leisurely pace he began running, fearing the worst.
Arriving on the Weapon Shop's street he saw the building ablaze. Staying in the shadows he watched as the fire crew tried to put the flames out, the automatic counter-measures were offline for upgrading. He saw the ferociousness of the inferno and knew that Medusa never made it out, another casualty in the line of duty.
Turning his back on the fire, Harper slipped into the shadowed alleyways, despite the young man's death, Banshee still had a mission to complete.
Sitting in the storeroom, Harper changed into his infiltration suit. Checking once again to make sure he would be able to leave the drift once the hit was done, he attached his accessories to the utility belt included with the suit.
His instructions were to eliminate the local general of the Drago-Katvoz, a man that was heavily into the human slavery ring.
His orders said to remove him with any means possible, but to make it quick and painful. Quick and painful? That was easy to do, now it was all a matter of patience.
Slipping from the storeroom, he made his way through the shadows to where he would intercept the General's escort.
"So, how many kludges do they want this time?" The General asked his Lieutenant.
"They want," he looked at the flexi in his hands, "3 dozen, it's only a small mining facility and that's all they can afford."
"Well, then round up as many as we have here, and if you need more raid the planet, but take only what you need! We don't want to decimate our cash crop now do we?" The General asked with an evil laugh.
"No sir! Now, if you'll excuse me sir?" the General dismissed him with a wave.
Turning with a sigh, he looked at the small empire he had built on and around this drift. He had a thriving slavery ring, he was a General of the Dragan fleet, he had several wives and numerous children, yeah,life was good.
Taking his eyes from the map in front of him, he called for his escort, it was time to retire for the evening, he wanted to get home to his wives.
Harper waited in silence, his knives ready to strike, his silenced Gauss Gun at his side.
He was in the shadows of the back corridors of the drift, the only route the General took. This path let him move about without any lesser drift residents touching or being in the same area as him. This would also be his tomb.
Not having to wait long, Harper prepared himself as the doors to the General's command center opened and the first vanguard exited. They were comprised of three heavily armed Dragans with Gauss Guns as big as their arms, Harper smiled, a nice little warm up.
Quickly and effectively, he took all three out with a minimum of fuss. A high powered Gauss blast into their knees took them all down, as they fell he slit their throats, preventing them from calling for help and thereby preventing them from firing back. Now all he had to do was hide them. He quickly removed the grating from the walkway and shoved their bodies into the expanse beneath. All three fell several stories before being stop by the floor with a satisfying Thud.
Now for the general. A few minutes after he returned to the shadows the General's main escort entered the corridor, five more guards and the General himself.
They passed over the grate he had shoved the bodies through, never knowing their comrades lay 2 stories below. As they approached Harper's 'gauntlet' they were completely unaware of what was about to happen. The 'gauntlet' was something Harper had setup earlier, it was several hidden Gauss Guns lined up with different parts of the body in different areas of the 10 foot section. Once they entered, they wouldn't leave.
With a sigh Harper pushed the remote button to activate the trap. All needed now was their heat signature. Sitting back he watched as they entered and five feet in all hell broke loose.
Three of the guards were eliminated instantly, having had their heads removed from their bodies. The General and the other two sought refuge from the blasts, but there was none to be found, and they too soon fell to the blasters.
Pushing the button to deactivate the guns, Harper stepped forwards and walked to the General, making sure his guards were dead first. The General was alive, barely.
Kneeling by his side, Harper looked at him.
"Humans shall never be cowed by you filthy Ubers," Harper then took his knife and drove it deep into the man's black heart, forever silencing this murderer of thousands. Leaving the knife there along with it's message, Harper simply walked away. When someone finally came to look for the General they found the gruesome scene and the knife, written on the handle was one simple message, Human Freedom.
Harper had to run to catch his ship, he had left anything associated with the assassination in the recycler, leaving no evidence on his person.
Setting into his bought bunk, he sighed as he thought about the bunk he once had on the Maru.
'Maybe I'll see her again', he thought as the ship left dock and entered Slipstream, destination unknown.
Harper sighed once again as he laid down, he knew he'd never see Beka or the Maru again, that was the curse of his life. Good things had a way of slipping from his grasp no matter how tightly he tried to hold on. Just once, he'd like to not have to keep looking over his shoulder, just once he'd like to be safe, just once he'd like to be loved.