The Place: Just outside Propadio, Tannakan I, The Bleak LandsThe Time: Yulai Convention 12.06.110 - EST 18:13
Drevek was still trying very hard to unravel this confusing mess and thought back to the day he had taken this damned job on.
His own words echoed through his head for the hundredth time. “If it is such a simple task then why is there such a high reward?”
The laugh had been too perfectly timed, too well rehearsed. “Well I guess I should have said simple for a man of your calibre.” The best holo-reel touch-up artists could have painted the accompanying wry smile on.
The question had clearly been expected and the response carefully prepared. Hell the whole conversation had been scripted before he’d even walked through the door. Why had he fallen for it so easily? Because he had needed the money of course. He should have smelt the rat but the smell of the money was stronger.
But in any case that was history and right now he had more immediate concerns. The harsh bark of a hound and muffled voices forced him to ignore his aching limbs. He crawled from his hiding place in a thicket of Asdeth bushes, stirring the sweet, sickly smell of their pollen, which he had hoped would hide his own scent. Striking a compromise between speed and stealth he headed back along the track for a few hundred meters, branched off in the direction of the port then doubled back once again making a crossroads of scent trails in an attempt to confuse the hounds.
Arcing round in a wide semi-circle to head back toward the port he decided to go as fast as he could, hoping to reach the river before the guard caught him up. Slaver hounds were well known for their incredible sense of smell but even they couldn’t track a scent across moving water. The guard were making plenty of noise themselves so he could risk making a bit of his own.
As he reached the river he heard the hounds and the voices of their handlers far too clearly behind him and it became obvious his attempts to confuse had not been as successful as he had hoped. Slipping into the icy water he stifled a gasp as it enveloped his groin and pushed away from the bank into the strong flow. He let it carry him downstream for a while expending energy only to keep afloat and stop his limbs from going numb.
He could see the tall buildings and smokestacks of Propadio spaceport only a couple of kilometres away, so near yet so far. Spotting movement in the trees ahead he realised the guard were downstream of him as well as upstream. Hope began to slip away as fast as his body temperature but the voice of his navy academy trainer, Flight Sergeant Baston, came back into his head “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.”
“Get out of my head traitor!”
But “Boss Man” Baston would not leave “I’m not going anywhere without my towel sonny boy.” His often bizarre phrases came from his beloved collection of movies, allegedly made millennia before holo-reels were invented, which he’d delighted in revealing to his star pupil. Drevek had never even known such things existed and he had never encountered them since.
Recalling a scene from one of these funny old 2D movies featuring a derring-do hero by the name of James Bond, the name of which escaped him at that point, he gently broke a reed and sinking beneath the surface of the water used it as a breathing pipe.
Boss Man’s voice came back into his head again, “Someday, somehow I’ll make this up to you Drevek.”
“I never imagined this is what you had in mind.”
The movement of the water refracted the shapes of the two men and the hound standing at the riverbank above him peering straight down at Drevek. He knew the distortion would be worse from above the water and the guards were shielding their eyes from the light of the setting sun bouncing off the water’s surface so he stayed as still as he could. He couldn’t quite work out what they were saying but he knew they had seen or heard something and the hound was sniffing and foraging eagerly at the riverbank. He set his mind for a fight but knew he couldn’t win with such a beast there.
Suddenly something splashed into the water right above his head snapping his makeshift snorkel and he fought hard to contain his surprise and hold his breath. The water was now too turbulent to see anything but he could hear the hound barking excitedly above him. He was readying to spring from the water when the view cleared revealing a water rat swimming frantically, making it’s break for freedom.
Satisfied that what they had spotted moving was just local wildlife the men moved off upstream, the pair of them having to drag the hound who clearly wanted to chase after the rat. He lifted his head above the water and sucked in air as quietly as he could. Knowing he had to make more progress he crossed the river and made straight for the port, but he couldn’t stop himself from trying to work out what Baston was up to and his mind wandered back to when it had all started to go wrong.
*****
The Place: A bar in the suburbs of Dionyus City, Oursulaert III, EssenceThe Time: Yulai Convention 24.12.102
Drevek Tesnar stared at the breaking news story showing on the holo projection in disbelief. The only one in the bar paying any attention to it he had to listen hard over the din of laughter and raised voices.
“Maroslak Baston became the first, and so far only, Amarrian ever to be on the staff of the Federation Navy fifteen years ago after docking at the Navy station in Oursulaert in a freighter full of thousands of slaves he had liberated in a daring raid on a secret Amarrian slave camp in Tirbam, Tash-Murkon.”
The newsreader continued, “One of those slaves was the then fifteen year old daughter of now retired Federation Navy General Enterek Poposki. We can now go live to our reporter on Luminaire, Kerr Horot, who is with General Poposki.”
The scene changed to show two men standing outside a grand building, possibly the General’s house. “Firstly, thank you for giving us some of your time General. Could you give us your reaction to the announcement by the authorities on Dammalin VII that they have issued a warrant for the arrest of Maroslak Baston?”
“Well Kerr, frankly I am finding it very hard to accept. Maroslak Baston not only saved my daughter’s life but he was one of the finest men I ever had the privilege of working with. He clearly demonstrated his opinion on slavery when he docked in that freighter and then with five years of exemplary service for the Navy. I just cannot comprehend the accusation that he had a secret hideaway full of young slave girls. This makes no sense to me.”
“Thank you General. Back to the news desk.”
“Thank you Kerr. The Criminal Investigation Board on Dammalin VII have clearly stated that the evidence they have is overwhelming. They have passed on their findings to both the Gallente and Minmatar governments asking for their help with bringing Baston to justice and are offering a reward of two hundred million isk for information leading to his arrest.”
The report ended with a holo image of Baston rotating behind the word “WANTED” in large flashing letters.
“In other news….”
Drevek stood up and left the bar, leaving his drink half finished. His apartment block was just a short walk away. He was still struggling to take all this in when he opened his front door. Closing it behind him he heard a voice say “Don’t turn the light on Drevek.”
By the pale light of the moon filtering through the closed but thin curtains he could see the shape of his old trainer, his old friend, sitting in the corner. After a pause Drevek said, “I would ask you how you got in but of course you trained me how to do that a long time ago.”
“I assume you’ve seen the news?”
“I’m just trying to decide whether I should ask you if it’s true or not.”
There was silence for a few seconds, then “So, are you going to?”
“No.”
“I really need your help Drevek. There’s nobody else I can trust.”
Drevek opened a cabinet, took a bottle and two glasses and sat down. He poured the drinks and taking one of the glasses, drained it in one gulp. “What do you need?”
“An exit off this rock to a station with a shuttle. And…err…”, Baston’s voice failed and he had to cough to clear his throat, “…a new identity.”
If the situation had not been so serious Drevek would have roared with laughter. “Well, I think you know that I can, and will, do the first for you….but a new ID?”
“I know it’s a big thing to ask but you’re the only one I can turn to.”
“What makes you think I know anyone who can get such a thing?”
“Because I trained you to know such things.”
“NO.” Drevek became angry but managed to bring his voice under control, “You did not. You trained me to know how to get ships, weapons, hacking computers, stuff like that.”
He picked up the second untouched glass and drained that too before continuing, “I haven’t seen or heard from you in…what? Two years? Yet you let yourself into my apartment, a fugitive, and ask me to get you a new identity? That’s something altogether different. Only the government can do that.”
“And you work for the government.”
“I work for the Navy!”
“Same thing sonny boy.”
“DON’T CALL ME THAT…not right now…I’m not in the mood.”
Baston got up and shuffled despondently towards the door. His head hung low and he mumbled “I’m sorry Drevek, I shouldn’t have put this on you. Forget I asked.”
“Wait…maybe there is someone I can talk to. But you’ll have to get out of this apartment. I doubt it will be long before they come to visit me.”
The old man slumped to his knees fighting back the tears. “Someday, somehow I’ll make this up to you Drevek.”
*****
The Place: An interview room in the Navy office at Oursulaert III - Federation Navy Testing Facilities, EssenceThe Time: Yulai Convention 26.12.102
Drevek had been standing stiffly to attention in full uniform for nearly two hours but he had been trained to endure such discomfort and the ease in his face showed it. They’d been running the good cop, bad cop routine on him for some time now. He had seen it in so many of Boss Man’s movies he knew how to read it and how to play it. Right now it was good cop’s turn. Bad cop was pacing at the back of the room as if he begrudged this backseat position and ached to get back in and shout at this soldier some more.
“Come on Corporal. We know you helped him get off the planet. It’s not too late yet. Tell us what you know and maybe you could still qualify for that reward. Two hundred million!”, the last three words said slowly for effect.
They didn’t know anything. If they did he would already be busted and in a military prison in some out of the way system. They only guessed and that was all he had on his side. He had considered the money for a few seconds but knew no amount would be enough to compensate the debt on his conscience.
“Listen Drevek.” Ooh first names now! “The top brass are all over this. They need heads to roll. They’re highly embarrassed at being duped into letting an Amarrian slaver into the Navy in the first place, not too mention letting him get away. Right now your head is the only one they have. Believe me, they will finish you if you don’t start cooperating. I’m your only friend here, let me help you. Start helping me.”
Drevek stuck to his story that he had not seen Baston for over two years and good cop’s assertion that he would be finished turned out to be true. Two days later the military police had knocked down his door in the early hours of the morning and arrested him on various charges ranging from fraud, deception and impersonation through money laundering, theft and misappropriation of Navy assets to assault, illegal imprisonment and even torture. His defence that every single charge, whilst true, related to operations he had undertaken as a special forces operative for the Navy went unheard. He was informed that no records of those operations existed.
Kira had been there on every day of the three week long trial, sitting silently at the back of the public gallery and her eyes had never left him once. She had been the only wholesome and decent thing in his often dark and violent life. He’d only ever asked her once what she saw in him. She had thought for a second then replied with her cheeky grin “Well, of all the rocks that I bend to my will, you are my greatest triumph.” He hadn’t really known what to make of that but she’d kissed him and he forgot all about it. She was a geologist and not in the armed forces like most of the girlfriends and wives of the men that he’d worked with. He had stumbled across her whilst uncharacteristically lost on a hiking expedition. He’d asked her for directions but instead she had flashed him that smile, nodded at a pot bubbling over a fire and asked him if he was hungry.
On the final day of the trial, when the foreman of the jury read out the unanimous guilty verdict, she had cried openly amid the cheers and jubilation. That evening in his holding cell, awaiting transfer to his new “home” for the next six years, the guards had kindly brought him a copy of that evening’s newspaper. The front page announced triumphantly that the good name of the Federation Navy had been cleared of the atrocious accusations levelled at it by this heinous monster. The public could not believe he had committed those acts on behalf of their government. In their eyes democracy and justice had been well served.
Two months into his sentence he learned that the investigation into the fraud charges had resulted in another guilty verdict and not only had all his assets been seized but he now owed a hefty sum in fines and compensation payments for his “victims”. So much for Gallentean democracy and justice.
Every single morning for six years he woke up in that dingy prison cell hoping, praying, that that day would be the day when Kira would come to visit him – but she never did.
*****
The Place: Just outside Propadio, Tannakan I, The Bleak LandsThe Time: Yulai Convention 12.06.110 - EST 21:46
It was dark by the time Drevek neared the outermost buildings of the spaceport. His mind was becoming foggy with exhaustion and he knew he had to find a damn good place to hide, rest and dry his clothes. It was only his continued movement that was keeping hypothermia at bay, driven on by the training imbedded into his sub-conscious. There were few floodlights out this far from port’s centre and he managed stay in shadow right up to the wall of a warehouse still some way from the bustle of the main port area. A voice from around the corner only a few metres away broke through his hazy mind and he listened intently for any useful information.
“Ah Jutta, just the man! Fancy a few games of poker?” Then the added enticement “I’ve got an unopened bottle of Hekian whiskey!”
“Nah man, can’t. Kort called in sick again so I gotta pull a double shift. Just here to grab my bag.”
“Shite, so I’m here all night on my own again.” Drevek’s hopes lifted at this news.
“Sorry man, I need the cash. Loose women don’t come cheap ya know!”
A laugh then the reply “Yeah, no worries mate. Next time.”
A door opened spreading light onto the concrete. Shadows of a man moving around played in the light and barely a few seconds later the door closed again ending the lightshow. The hum of a personnel buggy started and headlights brought a new splash of light into view.
Jutta’s voice came again raised over the hum, “That tobacca will kill ya ya know?”
“Not before the wife does mate.”
The two men’s laughter was muted by the motor’s hum rising to a whine and the headlights moved off taking the sound of the buggy with them.
Back inside Karag cracked opened the bottle anyway and shuffled the cards for the first of many games of patience. Hearing the door open again behind him he said without turning “Whadja forget this time?”
Not hearing any response Karag looked over his shoulder just in time to see a dirty, bedraggled man he did not recognise and a hand sweeping down before blackness enveloped him.
Drevek paused for a few seconds listening carefully for any sounds in the building while he quickly took in his surroundings. The coffee machine and cooking facilities showed this to be some kind of rest area for the port workers. A corridor leading off revealed a line of four doors, the first three of which were numbered but the last one had a sign announcing “Shower Room”. Not hearing anything he quietly opened each door and checked inside. The first three rooms each contained a bed, a side table with a lamp and a wardrobe and the last was indeed a shower room. All were empty as promised.
Scarcely believing his luck he dragged the card player’s limp body into the only room that had any personal belongings in it. Stuffing the corpse unceremoniously into the wardrobe he took the man’s wallet and ID badge before leaning on the door to shut it. He heard the cracking of bones before he realised the man’s fingers had slipped over the edge of the base, stopping the door from closing. Bending down to poke them back through he dropped the wallet, which fell open revealing a picture of a plain but not unpleasant looking woman with her arms round two smartly dressed and smiling children.
Drevek felt remorse for the first time in so long he spent a few seconds trying to recall when the last time was. Not coming up with any definitive answer he had to satisfy himself with the rather general “before my life fell apart.” Despite his self-pity, perhaps in spite of it, he opened the wardrobe door again and arranged the body into a sitting position, crossed arms cradling the picture against the man’s still chest. “Sorry…”, he read the name on the badge, “…Karag Harpmon. Nothing personal. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
He quickly collected the cards and whiskey bottle, resisting the temptation to take a swig, and, sitting on the bed, rummaged through the man’s holdall. Finding a clean set of overalls and a wash-kit he went to the shower room, stripped off his still damp clothes revealing a body covered in dark bruises and deep cuts. He paused for a second with his hand on the tap then went back for the bottle.
A few minutes later the last of the liquor found it’s way around the glass shards of the broken bottle to the drain, driven on by the water cascading off Drevek’s body slumped in the corner. Only random twitches and short ragged breaths giving away the fact that he was still alive.
*****
Over-riding the safety systems on the transport’s door release mechanism would have been a simple matter had it not been for the pressurised high-altitude suit and the added weight of all his equipment plus the breathing apparatus. “Should have allowed for that Drevek”, he thought to himself. Not only was his precisely timed schedule now behind but he would touch ground on the wrong side of the complex. Circling round would alert the security teams below and he would most likely miss his opportunity if he orbited the planet again so he hit the final key in the sequence and let the pressure change suck his body out through the open door.
He let himself enjoy hurtling head first towards the ground at over fifty meters per second. It was one of the few experiences that still exhilarated him, despite the number of times he had done it before, but kept his composure enough to watch the altimeter. He levelled his body, spread out his arms and legs opening the air brakes built into the suit before finally opening the chute, touching down gently just a few seconds later.
High up in the planet’s atmosphere the transport’s door had closed, as it had been programmed to, and the ship continued on a preset flight pattern to make it look like just any other going about it’s daily business, waiting for the signal from the ground to land and collect it’s pilot.
*****
Drevek cursed the one stupid error of not accounting for the difficulty of typing in the suit. He’d had to ditch the plan and wing it the whole way and now he was surrounded by a ring of high-powered energy weapons. The man in front of him motioned with the barrel of his blaster rifle for Drevek to raise his arms and he had no realistic choice but to comply. He sensed movement from behind and felt an impact on the back of his head a split second before blacking out.
*****
He knew he was dreaming. Partly because, even though the woman straddled over his naked body didn’t look anything like Kira, he knew it was her nonetheless, and partly because Kira had been far too nice and innocent even to have gone on top in a brightly lit room let alone tie him to the bed and slap him in the face. But the more he tried to cling on to sleep and keep this memory going the more he came round to consciousness.
The disappointment of reality was crushing. He was indeed naked and tied down but on a cold bare metal table in a shadowy, damp, windowless room and the weight on his crotch was some kind of restraint and not Kira’s heavenly naked body. A single bulb flickered high above him, it’s feeble output failing to illuminate anything around him. Not that he could move his head to look around as it was strapped down firmly across his forehead and chin, as were his arms, legs, chest and hips completely immobilising him save for the tiniest of movements. He was aware he was not alone and strained his eye sockets trying to locate any shapes in the shadows about him.
Then suddenly there was light, very close and incredibly bright, shining right on his face and even closing his eyes failed to stop the pain it caused. “So”, began the voice, “We know who you are and why you are here. What you will tell us now is who hired you.”
“Well maybe you can help me then because, actually, I’m wondering why I’m here.”
A heavy blow to his left kidney sent pain shooting through his chest and Drevek decided quickly to quit with the sarcasm. Not that silence brought him any better treatment and it wasn’t long before he fell back in unconsciousness again.
*****
He couldn’t decide which was worse, the beatings or “the tank”. The tank was a solid metal box with a hatch at the top just big enough to allow a person through. It was completely dark inside and filled with filthy water just high enough that he had to stand on tiptoe to keep his mouth above the waterline. The ceiling was too low to let him tread water and the walls too close to lie flat on the water’s surface. The rhythmic thumping on the outside of the tank was beginning to drive him crazy and there was a constant ringing in his ears from the echo. Somehow they knew when he finally fainted from exhaustion as he would come round strapped to the table again. The one time he had tried to fake it, going limp and sinking to the bottom, had brought an electric charge to the water, which really did make him black out. The pain had been short but incredible, which was why he had only tried it once.
*****
Drevek had discovered that he could fool them for short periods after coming back round, giving him a brief respite from the torture. He gave no reaction as he heard the door open and footsteps, unmistakably in high heels, entered the room.
“Has he given you a name yet?” He recognised the new voice immediately from the holo-reels he had studied. It was his mark, the woman he had been sent to kill.
“No. He’s a tough one. I’m not sure we’ll break him before we kill him.”
“Well I want that name so don’t let him die before you get it or you’ll be following him to hell in a handcart.”
Pausing in the doorway the woman added “Actually, I want to be the one to deal the final blow so don’t kill him at all.” before closing the door behind her.
After a few seconds came the sarcastic “Yes Ma’am!”, then quite some more seconds later the barely audible “Fucking bitch.”
Drevek would have taken a great deal of pleasure in his tormentor’s discomfort if he had not recognised the phrase “to hell in a handcart” from one of Boss Man’s movies, but he now saw a way to get out of this and maybe even still complete the mission and collect his fee.
*****
He was back in the tank again. Clearly that conservation had brought a shift in the torture methods from mostly physical to mostly psychological. The rhythmic thumping on a single wall of the tank was replaced with heavier and rapid banging on all four walls interspersed with repeated shouted phrases.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM. “I WILL BREAK YOU.”
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM. “I WILL BREAK YOU.”
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM. “I WILL BREAK YOU.”
Bang-bang-bang-bang. “I’ll break the door down.”
The sudden change confused the hell out of him until he realised he was on the cold, hard floor of the shower room, the water still cascading over his head.
Bang-bang-bang-bang. “Karag! Are you alright? What are you doing in there?”
End of part one.
Drevek was still trying very hard to unravel this confusing mess and thought back to the day he had taken this damned job on.
His own words echoed through his head for the hundredth time. “If it is such a simple task then why is there such a high reward?”
The laugh had been too perfectly timed, too well rehearsed. “Well I guess I should have said simple for a man of your calibre.” The best holo-reel touch-up artists could have painted the accompanying wry smile on.
The question had clearly been expected and the response carefully prepared. Hell the whole conversation had been scripted before he’d even walked through the door. Why had he fallen for it so easily? Because he had needed the money of course. He should have smelt the rat but the smell of the money was stronger.
But in any case that was history and right now he had more immediate concerns. The harsh bark of a hound and muffled voices forced him to ignore his aching limbs. He crawled from his hiding place in a thicket of Asdeth bushes, stirring the sweet, sickly smell of their pollen, which he had hoped would hide his own scent. Striking a compromise between speed and stealth he headed back along the track for a few hundred meters, branched off in the direction of the port then doubled back once again making a crossroads of scent trails in an attempt to confuse the hounds.
Arcing round in a wide semi-circle to head back toward the port he decided to go as fast as he could, hoping to reach the river before the guard caught him up. Slaver hounds were well known for their incredible sense of smell but even they couldn’t track a scent across moving water. The guard were making plenty of noise themselves so he could risk making a bit of his own.
As he reached the river he heard the hounds and the voices of their handlers far too clearly behind him and it became obvious his attempts to confuse had not been as successful as he had hoped. Slipping into the icy water he stifled a gasp as it enveloped his groin and pushed away from the bank into the strong flow. He let it carry him downstream for a while expending energy only to keep afloat and stop his limbs from going numb.
He could see the tall buildings and smokestacks of Propadio spaceport only a couple of kilometres away, so near yet so far. Spotting movement in the trees ahead he realised the guard were downstream of him as well as upstream. Hope began to slip away as fast as his body temperature but the voice of his navy academy trainer, Flight Sergeant Baston, came back into his head “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.”
“Get out of my head traitor!”
But “Boss Man” Baston would not leave “I’m not going anywhere without my towel sonny boy.” His often bizarre phrases came from his beloved collection of movies, allegedly made millennia before holo-reels were invented, which he’d delighted in revealing to his star pupil. Drevek had never even known such things existed and he had never encountered them since.
Recalling a scene from one of these funny old 2D movies featuring a derring-do hero by the name of James Bond, the name of which escaped him at that point, he gently broke a reed and sinking beneath the surface of the water used it as a breathing pipe.
Boss Man’s voice came back into his head again, “Someday, somehow I’ll make this up to you Drevek.”
“I never imagined this is what you had in mind.”
The movement of the water refracted the shapes of the two men and the hound standing at the riverbank above him peering straight down at Drevek. He knew the distortion would be worse from above the water and the guards were shielding their eyes from the light of the setting sun bouncing off the water’s surface so he stayed as still as he could. He couldn’t quite work out what they were saying but he knew they had seen or heard something and the hound was sniffing and foraging eagerly at the riverbank. He set his mind for a fight but knew he couldn’t win with such a beast there.
Suddenly something splashed into the water right above his head snapping his makeshift snorkel and he fought hard to contain his surprise and hold his breath. The water was now too turbulent to see anything but he could hear the hound barking excitedly above him. He was readying to spring from the water when the view cleared revealing a water rat swimming frantically, making it’s break for freedom.
Satisfied that what they had spotted moving was just local wildlife the men moved off upstream, the pair of them having to drag the hound who clearly wanted to chase after the rat. He lifted his head above the water and sucked in air as quietly as he could. Knowing he had to make more progress he crossed the river and made straight for the port, but he couldn’t stop himself from trying to work out what Baston was up to and his mind wandered back to when it had all started to go wrong.
*****
The Place: A bar in the suburbs of Dionyus City, Oursulaert III, EssenceThe Time: Yulai Convention 24.12.102
Drevek Tesnar stared at the breaking news story showing on the holo projection in disbelief. The only one in the bar paying any attention to it he had to listen hard over the din of laughter and raised voices.
“Maroslak Baston became the first, and so far only, Amarrian ever to be on the staff of the Federation Navy fifteen years ago after docking at the Navy station in Oursulaert in a freighter full of thousands of slaves he had liberated in a daring raid on a secret Amarrian slave camp in Tirbam, Tash-Murkon.”
The newsreader continued, “One of those slaves was the then fifteen year old daughter of now retired Federation Navy General Enterek Poposki. We can now go live to our reporter on Luminaire, Kerr Horot, who is with General Poposki.”
The scene changed to show two men standing outside a grand building, possibly the General’s house. “Firstly, thank you for giving us some of your time General. Could you give us your reaction to the announcement by the authorities on Dammalin VII that they have issued a warrant for the arrest of Maroslak Baston?”
“Well Kerr, frankly I am finding it very hard to accept. Maroslak Baston not only saved my daughter’s life but he was one of the finest men I ever had the privilege of working with. He clearly demonstrated his opinion on slavery when he docked in that freighter and then with five years of exemplary service for the Navy. I just cannot comprehend the accusation that he had a secret hideaway full of young slave girls. This makes no sense to me.”
“Thank you General. Back to the news desk.”
“Thank you Kerr. The Criminal Investigation Board on Dammalin VII have clearly stated that the evidence they have is overwhelming. They have passed on their findings to both the Gallente and Minmatar governments asking for their help with bringing Baston to justice and are offering a reward of two hundred million isk for information leading to his arrest.”
The report ended with a holo image of Baston rotating behind the word “WANTED” in large flashing letters.
“In other news….”
Drevek stood up and left the bar, leaving his drink half finished. His apartment block was just a short walk away. He was still struggling to take all this in when he opened his front door. Closing it behind him he heard a voice say “Don’t turn the light on Drevek.”
By the pale light of the moon filtering through the closed but thin curtains he could see the shape of his old trainer, his old friend, sitting in the corner. After a pause Drevek said, “I would ask you how you got in but of course you trained me how to do that a long time ago.”
“I assume you’ve seen the news?”
“I’m just trying to decide whether I should ask you if it’s true or not.”
There was silence for a few seconds, then “So, are you going to?”
“No.”
“I really need your help Drevek. There’s nobody else I can trust.”
Drevek opened a cabinet, took a bottle and two glasses and sat down. He poured the drinks and taking one of the glasses, drained it in one gulp. “What do you need?”
“An exit off this rock to a station with a shuttle. And…err…”, Baston’s voice failed and he had to cough to clear his throat, “…a new identity.”
If the situation had not been so serious Drevek would have roared with laughter. “Well, I think you know that I can, and will, do the first for you….but a new ID?”
“I know it’s a big thing to ask but you’re the only one I can turn to.”
“What makes you think I know anyone who can get such a thing?”
“Because I trained you to know such things.”
“NO.” Drevek became angry but managed to bring his voice under control, “You did not. You trained me to know how to get ships, weapons, hacking computers, stuff like that.”
He picked up the second untouched glass and drained that too before continuing, “I haven’t seen or heard from you in…what? Two years? Yet you let yourself into my apartment, a fugitive, and ask me to get you a new identity? That’s something altogether different. Only the government can do that.”
“And you work for the government.”
“I work for the Navy!”
“Same thing sonny boy.”
“DON’T CALL ME THAT…not right now…I’m not in the mood.”
Baston got up and shuffled despondently towards the door. His head hung low and he mumbled “I’m sorry Drevek, I shouldn’t have put this on you. Forget I asked.”
“Wait…maybe there is someone I can talk to. But you’ll have to get out of this apartment. I doubt it will be long before they come to visit me.”
The old man slumped to his knees fighting back the tears. “Someday, somehow I’ll make this up to you Drevek.”
*****
The Place: An interview room in the Navy office at Oursulaert III - Federation Navy Testing Facilities, EssenceThe Time: Yulai Convention 26.12.102
Drevek had been standing stiffly to attention in full uniform for nearly two hours but he had been trained to endure such discomfort and the ease in his face showed it. They’d been running the good cop, bad cop routine on him for some time now. He had seen it in so many of Boss Man’s movies he knew how to read it and how to play it. Right now it was good cop’s turn. Bad cop was pacing at the back of the room as if he begrudged this backseat position and ached to get back in and shout at this soldier some more.
“Come on Corporal. We know you helped him get off the planet. It’s not too late yet. Tell us what you know and maybe you could still qualify for that reward. Two hundred million!”, the last three words said slowly for effect.
They didn’t know anything. If they did he would already be busted and in a military prison in some out of the way system. They only guessed and that was all he had on his side. He had considered the money for a few seconds but knew no amount would be enough to compensate the debt on his conscience.
“Listen Drevek.” Ooh first names now! “The top brass are all over this. They need heads to roll. They’re highly embarrassed at being duped into letting an Amarrian slaver into the Navy in the first place, not too mention letting him get away. Right now your head is the only one they have. Believe me, they will finish you if you don’t start cooperating. I’m your only friend here, let me help you. Start helping me.”
Drevek stuck to his story that he had not seen Baston for over two years and good cop’s assertion that he would be finished turned out to be true. Two days later the military police had knocked down his door in the early hours of the morning and arrested him on various charges ranging from fraud, deception and impersonation through money laundering, theft and misappropriation of Navy assets to assault, illegal imprisonment and even torture. His defence that every single charge, whilst true, related to operations he had undertaken as a special forces operative for the Navy went unheard. He was informed that no records of those operations existed.
Kira had been there on every day of the three week long trial, sitting silently at the back of the public gallery and her eyes had never left him once. She had been the only wholesome and decent thing in his often dark and violent life. He’d only ever asked her once what she saw in him. She had thought for a second then replied with her cheeky grin “Well, of all the rocks that I bend to my will, you are my greatest triumph.” He hadn’t really known what to make of that but she’d kissed him and he forgot all about it. She was a geologist and not in the armed forces like most of the girlfriends and wives of the men that he’d worked with. He had stumbled across her whilst uncharacteristically lost on a hiking expedition. He’d asked her for directions but instead she had flashed him that smile, nodded at a pot bubbling over a fire and asked him if he was hungry.
On the final day of the trial, when the foreman of the jury read out the unanimous guilty verdict, she had cried openly amid the cheers and jubilation. That evening in his holding cell, awaiting transfer to his new “home” for the next six years, the guards had kindly brought him a copy of that evening’s newspaper. The front page announced triumphantly that the good name of the Federation Navy had been cleared of the atrocious accusations levelled at it by this heinous monster. The public could not believe he had committed those acts on behalf of their government. In their eyes democracy and justice had been well served.
Two months into his sentence he learned that the investigation into the fraud charges had resulted in another guilty verdict and not only had all his assets been seized but he now owed a hefty sum in fines and compensation payments for his “victims”. So much for Gallentean democracy and justice.
Every single morning for six years he woke up in that dingy prison cell hoping, praying, that that day would be the day when Kira would come to visit him – but she never did.
*****
The Place: Just outside Propadio, Tannakan I, The Bleak LandsThe Time: Yulai Convention 12.06.110 - EST 21:46
It was dark by the time Drevek neared the outermost buildings of the spaceport. His mind was becoming foggy with exhaustion and he knew he had to find a damn good place to hide, rest and dry his clothes. It was only his continued movement that was keeping hypothermia at bay, driven on by the training imbedded into his sub-conscious. There were few floodlights out this far from port’s centre and he managed stay in shadow right up to the wall of a warehouse still some way from the bustle of the main port area. A voice from around the corner only a few metres away broke through his hazy mind and he listened intently for any useful information.
“Ah Jutta, just the man! Fancy a few games of poker?” Then the added enticement “I’ve got an unopened bottle of Hekian whiskey!”
“Nah man, can’t. Kort called in sick again so I gotta pull a double shift. Just here to grab my bag.”
“Shite, so I’m here all night on my own again.” Drevek’s hopes lifted at this news.
“Sorry man, I need the cash. Loose women don’t come cheap ya know!”
A laugh then the reply “Yeah, no worries mate. Next time.”
A door opened spreading light onto the concrete. Shadows of a man moving around played in the light and barely a few seconds later the door closed again ending the lightshow. The hum of a personnel buggy started and headlights brought a new splash of light into view.
Jutta’s voice came again raised over the hum, “That tobacca will kill ya ya know?”
“Not before the wife does mate.”
The two men’s laughter was muted by the motor’s hum rising to a whine and the headlights moved off taking the sound of the buggy with them.
Back inside Karag cracked opened the bottle anyway and shuffled the cards for the first of many games of patience. Hearing the door open again behind him he said without turning “Whadja forget this time?”
Not hearing any response Karag looked over his shoulder just in time to see a dirty, bedraggled man he did not recognise and a hand sweeping down before blackness enveloped him.
Drevek paused for a few seconds listening carefully for any sounds in the building while he quickly took in his surroundings. The coffee machine and cooking facilities showed this to be some kind of rest area for the port workers. A corridor leading off revealed a line of four doors, the first three of which were numbered but the last one had a sign announcing “Shower Room”. Not hearing anything he quietly opened each door and checked inside. The first three rooms each contained a bed, a side table with a lamp and a wardrobe and the last was indeed a shower room. All were empty as promised.
Scarcely believing his luck he dragged the card player’s limp body into the only room that had any personal belongings in it. Stuffing the corpse unceremoniously into the wardrobe he took the man’s wallet and ID badge before leaning on the door to shut it. He heard the cracking of bones before he realised the man’s fingers had slipped over the edge of the base, stopping the door from closing. Bending down to poke them back through he dropped the wallet, which fell open revealing a picture of a plain but not unpleasant looking woman with her arms round two smartly dressed and smiling children.
Drevek felt remorse for the first time in so long he spent a few seconds trying to recall when the last time was. Not coming up with any definitive answer he had to satisfy himself with the rather general “before my life fell apart.” Despite his self-pity, perhaps in spite of it, he opened the wardrobe door again and arranged the body into a sitting position, crossed arms cradling the picture against the man’s still chest. “Sorry…”, he read the name on the badge, “…Karag Harpmon. Nothing personal. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
He quickly collected the cards and whiskey bottle, resisting the temptation to take a swig, and, sitting on the bed, rummaged through the man’s holdall. Finding a clean set of overalls and a wash-kit he went to the shower room, stripped off his still damp clothes revealing a body covered in dark bruises and deep cuts. He paused for a second with his hand on the tap then went back for the bottle.
A few minutes later the last of the liquor found it’s way around the glass shards of the broken bottle to the drain, driven on by the water cascading off Drevek’s body slumped in the corner. Only random twitches and short ragged breaths giving away the fact that he was still alive.
*****
Over-riding the safety systems on the transport’s door release mechanism would have been a simple matter had it not been for the pressurised high-altitude suit and the added weight of all his equipment plus the breathing apparatus. “Should have allowed for that Drevek”, he thought to himself. Not only was his precisely timed schedule now behind but he would touch ground on the wrong side of the complex. Circling round would alert the security teams below and he would most likely miss his opportunity if he orbited the planet again so he hit the final key in the sequence and let the pressure change suck his body out through the open door.
He let himself enjoy hurtling head first towards the ground at over fifty meters per second. It was one of the few experiences that still exhilarated him, despite the number of times he had done it before, but kept his composure enough to watch the altimeter. He levelled his body, spread out his arms and legs opening the air brakes built into the suit before finally opening the chute, touching down gently just a few seconds later.
High up in the planet’s atmosphere the transport’s door had closed, as it had been programmed to, and the ship continued on a preset flight pattern to make it look like just any other going about it’s daily business, waiting for the signal from the ground to land and collect it’s pilot.
*****
Drevek cursed the one stupid error of not accounting for the difficulty of typing in the suit. He’d had to ditch the plan and wing it the whole way and now he was surrounded by a ring of high-powered energy weapons. The man in front of him motioned with the barrel of his blaster rifle for Drevek to raise his arms and he had no realistic choice but to comply. He sensed movement from behind and felt an impact on the back of his head a split second before blacking out.
*****
He knew he was dreaming. Partly because, even though the woman straddled over his naked body didn’t look anything like Kira, he knew it was her nonetheless, and partly because Kira had been far too nice and innocent even to have gone on top in a brightly lit room let alone tie him to the bed and slap him in the face. But the more he tried to cling on to sleep and keep this memory going the more he came round to consciousness.
The disappointment of reality was crushing. He was indeed naked and tied down but on a cold bare metal table in a shadowy, damp, windowless room and the weight on his crotch was some kind of restraint and not Kira’s heavenly naked body. A single bulb flickered high above him, it’s feeble output failing to illuminate anything around him. Not that he could move his head to look around as it was strapped down firmly across his forehead and chin, as were his arms, legs, chest and hips completely immobilising him save for the tiniest of movements. He was aware he was not alone and strained his eye sockets trying to locate any shapes in the shadows about him.
Then suddenly there was light, very close and incredibly bright, shining right on his face and even closing his eyes failed to stop the pain it caused. “So”, began the voice, “We know who you are and why you are here. What you will tell us now is who hired you.”
“Well maybe you can help me then because, actually, I’m wondering why I’m here.”
A heavy blow to his left kidney sent pain shooting through his chest and Drevek decided quickly to quit with the sarcasm. Not that silence brought him any better treatment and it wasn’t long before he fell back in unconsciousness again.
*****
He couldn’t decide which was worse, the beatings or “the tank”. The tank was a solid metal box with a hatch at the top just big enough to allow a person through. It was completely dark inside and filled with filthy water just high enough that he had to stand on tiptoe to keep his mouth above the waterline. The ceiling was too low to let him tread water and the walls too close to lie flat on the water’s surface. The rhythmic thumping on the outside of the tank was beginning to drive him crazy and there was a constant ringing in his ears from the echo. Somehow they knew when he finally fainted from exhaustion as he would come round strapped to the table again. The one time he had tried to fake it, going limp and sinking to the bottom, had brought an electric charge to the water, which really did make him black out. The pain had been short but incredible, which was why he had only tried it once.
*****
Drevek had discovered that he could fool them for short periods after coming back round, giving him a brief respite from the torture. He gave no reaction as he heard the door open and footsteps, unmistakably in high heels, entered the room.
“Has he given you a name yet?” He recognised the new voice immediately from the holo-reels he had studied. It was his mark, the woman he had been sent to kill.
“No. He’s a tough one. I’m not sure we’ll break him before we kill him.”
“Well I want that name so don’t let him die before you get it or you’ll be following him to hell in a handcart.”
Pausing in the doorway the woman added “Actually, I want to be the one to deal the final blow so don’t kill him at all.” before closing the door behind her.
After a few seconds came the sarcastic “Yes Ma’am!”, then quite some more seconds later the barely audible “Fucking bitch.”
Drevek would have taken a great deal of pleasure in his tormentor’s discomfort if he had not recognised the phrase “to hell in a handcart” from one of Boss Man’s movies, but he now saw a way to get out of this and maybe even still complete the mission and collect his fee.
*****
He was back in the tank again. Clearly that conservation had brought a shift in the torture methods from mostly physical to mostly psychological. The rhythmic thumping on a single wall of the tank was replaced with heavier and rapid banging on all four walls interspersed with repeated shouted phrases.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM. “I WILL BREAK YOU.”
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM. “I WILL BREAK YOU.”
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM. “I WILL BREAK YOU.”
Bang-bang-bang-bang. “I’ll break the door down.”
The sudden change confused the hell out of him until he realised he was on the cold, hard floor of the shower room, the water still cascading over his head.
Bang-bang-bang-bang. “Karag! Are you alright? What are you doing in there?”
End of part one.
No comments:
Post a Comment