Tales from Omega Station: Abduction

by Buddhima soni

  ***

  Lieutenant Brakis saw his quarry and signaled quietly to the rest of his team. The young lady was with two pubescent aliens, playing some stupid game. This would be an easy enough place to abduct her.

  Brakis’s partner, Norix, gave him a dark look. "I still don’t like it. It’s too public." Brakis looked at the other gamers, each absorbed in his or her own little world for the most part.

  "It’s a minimal risk. Don’t get cold feet on me now. Do I have to remind you that Markus is giving us enough to retire on? Ten percent paid already, ninety percent once we deliver her."

  Norix shrugged, grumbling something about having a bad feeling about this. Brakis ignored him. His always-pessimistic friend could shove it. In all his years as a hired gun, Brakis had always imagined that his last job would be a doozy, not a simple kidnapping of the spoiled rich kid of some corporate exec.

  Brakis wasn’t like most mercs, though – he liked to know the ‘why’ behind what his employer wanted done, and he’d done his homework on Markus Anders. Apparently the vindictive Jeylani VIP wanted to sabotage Estevar Saunders’ chances of establishing the Jeylani Dome resort’s profitability. Making his daughter vanish was definitely a good way to start. With the grief of having his family torn apart, it would be that much harder for Estevar to maintain focus and get Jeylani’s Omega Station operation off the ground. It was a dick move, but Brakis had to admire the ruthless efficiency of it.

  Brakis and his companions all wore the Jeylani guard uniform. The ruse was set, and if all went according to plan she would even go with them willingly. This would go smoothly, and by the numbers…