On Galaxy's Edge: Ascendance

by Alex T. Kolter

  “Just take the most valuable augs, the high-end stuff,” Nero said, carefully placing the prototype aug on his sled, then taking a selection of other high-end augmentations. He found one particularly interesting arm replacement that apparently came with discrete, inbuilt weapons and hacking technology, for bypassing electronic security systems.

  The others began choosing metal boxes from the shelving around the room. There were plenty of low-end augmentations around, stuff that only functioned as a simple arm or leg replacement, but in amongst these were more interesting ones. Some vastly increased the strength of whomever had them fitted, whilst others increased the speed at which someone could run, for example. There were also visual enhancements, which either replaced a person’s eyeballs, or covered them with a small display. These could then be fed information based on what the user was looking at, from a cognitive chip implanted in the brain.

  “Hey, Col. I’ve found the perfect arm for you,” Nate said, picking up a box with ‘Basic Arm Aug H7 - Pink’ written on it.

  “Pink?” Col asked. “Not really my colour. Maybe it would suit our boss a bit better...?”

  Nero spared Col a glance, but didn’t bother replying. Col’s potential betrayal was still playing on his mind, and he was still thinking about how to reveal it. He and Tal had decided that he needed to be alone with Col, and confront him. If he truly had betrayed Nero to the Nostra, he’d probably try something, particularly if he felt Nero was vulnerable.

  With all of their hover-boards fully loaded, the repulsive lift engines hummed deeply, countering the large weight placed on them. They had already been in the building far longer than Nero felt comfortable with, and he decided it was time to leave.

  “I think we’ve got what we came for, guys. Time to head back to the ships,” he said. “Except you, Col. I need you to help with one last thing.”

  “Do you need me to help, Nero?” Jerad asked.

  “You could take our sleds for us,” Nero said. When Jerad nodded, Nero attached his and Col’s hover-boards to the back of Jerad’s, forming a small hovering train.

  The rest of them left the room, with Talyah giving Nero a meaningful glance as she passed, as if to say ‘be careful’. Once they were gone, Nero turned to Col.

  “This may not be the best place, Col, but I need to ask you something, alone, away from the others.”

  “Oh?” Col replied, the vaguest hint of nervousness entering his voice.

  “I think you know what it is, Col. I’ll be blunt. Are you working for the Nostra?” He watched Col closely, and though Col masked it well, Nero was sure he saw him flinch in a manner only the guilty can manage.

  “I... of course not, Nero. I’d never...” Col managed, looking appropriately shocked. Whether that was because of the accusation, or because Nero knew, he couldn’t be sure.

  “Save it, Col. I know you are. What I want to know is what you told them.”

  “Nothing Nero, I haven’t---”

  Nero cut him off before he could say any more. “I know you’ve been out to meet the Nostra. Those times when you’ve disappeared for periods...? I know where you went.” This wasn’t strictly true, but he was bluffing a bit. “You went to meet your contact in the Nostra. How much are they offering you? What do they want from me Col?”

  He could see Col beginning to cave. His face had crumpled, as if he knew there was no point in denying it, and he was staring at the floor, at the walls, at anywhere except Nero.

  “Why did you do this to me Col?” Nero continued. “How many years have I known you now? I’ve given you everything, food, shelter, a family. Was it power you wanted?” he asked, not expecting an answer. “You already had that. Was it me? Were you bored?” When Col didn’t say anything, Nero carried on. “No, I don’t want to know. I don’t care. You’re nothing to me now. Nothing. That’s why I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to let you go.”

  Col looked up at that, suspicion entering his eyes, and anger replaced the sullenness that had previously been there.

  “No Nero, I know you won’t let me go. Yes, I gave some information to the Nostra. They paid me a lot, it’s as simple as that, and I’m sorry I betrayed you. But I’m not going to let you do anything to me.”

  Col started to raise his laser rifle, but Nero was too quick. He was one of the fastest fighters around, and with little effort he stepped forward and grabbed the rifle out of Col’s hand, then threw it across the room. It made a ringing sound as the metal gun hit the metal floor.

  “You think you can beat me, Col?” Nero asked. Col tensed, his muscles bunching in an obvious tell that he was going to punch Nero with his right fist. Seeing that, Nero ducked as Col’s hand flew over his head, and as he was crouched down, threw a punch himself that connected hard with Col’s jaw. Col’s head snapped up, and he staggered backwards.

  Nero stood still in front of him, waiting for Col to recover. “I wanted to wait until we were alone, Col. I wanted you to feel like you stood a chance, that you could fight me off. But you haven’t got a chance. I’m just better than you, I always have been.” Col, recovered from the first hit, approached again, waiting for Nero to make the first move this time. Only too happy to oblige him, Nero feinted left, then reversed and threw another powerful punch from the right, this time connecting with the side of Col’s head. He threw a couple of punches to Col’s torso, until Col collapsed over backwards, clutching his stomach.

  Standing over him, Nero had had enough. It wasn’t as satisfying as he’d hoped. He just regretted being betrayed by someone who had been a friend for such a long time. “Get up Col. I said I wouldn’t kill you. But you are right, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to punish you.”

  Picking up their two laser rifles, he aimed his at Col’s back once he was up, and ordered him to march out of the room, back down the corridor and down to the atrium.

  “What the hell happened to you guys?” Nate asked as Nero and Col returned to the ships, staring at the bruises forming on Col’s face, and the weapon Nero was pointing at his back.

  “I’ll tell you later,” Nero said, his tone brooking no arguments. For once, Nate didn’t say anything, and since the augs were all on board the ships already, they quickly left the Scraper.

  ****

  “So what the hell happened?” Nate asked once they had landed in the cave, the short journey having felt like an age to all those on board.

  “Col is what happened. He betrayed us, all of us.” Nero replied, looking at Col, who was sat on the ground in the middle of the main cave, bound and gagged and looking miserable. The rest of his men, both the ones that had come with him on the trip, and a few more besides, were stood around Col and Nero. “He sold us out to the Nostra.”

  Nero had had men betray him before, and it was something to almost be expected. Especially considering the nature of the work they did, but he had thought Col was different. He’d looked on Col as a friend, a friend who had been there from near the start. Now, though...

  “I can’t exactly let you go Col,” Nero said, “but I don’t want to just shoot you. It doesn’t seem... fitting. Besides, Tal didn’t like that idea very much.” He looked up at Talyah, who kept her gaze firmly fixed on Col.

  “So, I’ve got something else in mind. Nate, pass me that glue gun, will you?” he said, referring to the small tool on a nearby table. Nate passed it to him, understanding entering his eye as he did so. Col started to struggle on the floor, making muffled noises behind the gag.

  “Hold still, Col. It will just last longer if you try to prevent it.” Stepping into the middle of the cleared space around him, Nero paused to address the rest of his men. “Most of you know me to be reasonable, and that is what I try to be. However, I do not take betrayal well. I don’t ask much from you, but loyalty is something I require. We don’t obey the law out here - why should we, when those who create law know nothing of our situation - but we do have our own code. Col here,” Nero said, pausing to look down, “broke that code, and he bet
rayed the trust I put in him. This cannot go unpunished, and I hope this serves as a lesson to everyone.”

  Col sat still on the ground, knowing what was coming next. He’d stopped struggling as Nero was talking, but when Nero reached for the glue gun, he resumed his frantic, pointless struggles. Holding his finger over the trigger of the glue gun, Nero pulled down the man’s gag, and slowly raised the gun up to the man’s lips. Nate grabbed Col’s head, and Nero depressed the trigger, the tip of the gun glowing a dull orange as it turned the powder inside into searing hot liquid glue. Almost instantly, it began to drip out of the nozzle, onto the floor.

  “I take no pleasure in this, Col,” Nero said. Then he pressed the gun to Col’s mouth, squeezing the trigger again. The hot glue met the man’s skin, instantly turning it bright red and blistering it. Col screamed, but Nate grabbed his chin, holding his mouth shut. Nero continued applying the glue, until the liquid completely covered the man’s blistering mouth, sealing it shut. Drying almost immediately, Nero gestured to Nate to let go of the man, leaving him to collapse on the floor, his mouth permanently sealed shut.

  “Tie his hands up,” Nero ordered, and one of the other men hastily grabbed some plastic restraints, fitting them on Col’s hands without any resistance.

  “Let him walk,” Nero said calmly.

  Nate and another man grabbed Col roughly by the arms, and dragged him towards the entrance of the cave, leaving a trail in the dirt.

  Without a word, everyone followed the grim party of three out, passing through the cave where the shuttles were kept, up the large tunnel that ascended to the surface, and out of the cave system, into the arid desert that surrounded the mountains. There, the two men dragging Col let him go, allowing him to slump to the ground in a barely-moving heap.

  “You will walk, Col. You will keep walking until you are far from here, and you cannot see these mountains. You are never to return here. Do you understand, Col?”

  Nero waited for a response, but didn't get any. “Get him on his feet,” he said, and watched as Nate roughly pulled Col up onto his feet, where he stayed this time without assistance.

  “Walk,” Nero repeated. The defeated man then moved his left foot forward one step, his right following, and slowly he walked forward. He walked off, into the arid desert, with his mouth sealed shut and his hands behind his back. He slowly disappeared into the dusty haze.

  Nero turned around, and strode back into the cave, his men following close behind, none daring to say anything to the man who had just turned his friend out to meet his death.

  ****

  “It was hard on him. He was close to Col, as was I,” Talyah was saying. She was stood next to Nate in the dim cave, looking at the boxes of augmentations they’d unloaded from the ships. That seems so long ago now, she thought.

  “Nero’s a tough piece of shit, Tal. He’ll be fine. Just needs a bit of time to recover. I still can’t believe it myself, actually. I mean, Col! I liked the man.”

  “We all did, Nate. Perhaps that is why we were all so blind to it.”

  Nate agreed, nodding his head. “Well, no sense thinking about any of that now. We did just pull off a rather successful job. I say that calls for a little celebration, dontcha think, Tal? I did promise myself some fun tonight, and I’m a man who keeps his promises.”

  “Yes, I think you are right, Nate. We could do with a distraction.”

  “I know a great little place in the city. We can all have a little bit of fun there, Tal. Even you, I daresay.” Tal raised an eyebrow at Nate. “I’ll go talk to Nero,” he finished, standing up.

  “No, Nate. I believe it would be better if I talked to him. You can be a little bit--”

  “Exuberant?”

  “I was going to say rambunctious, Nate, but yes.”

  Talyah walked across the cave, passing a few dejected men and a few exhilarated men. It’s good to remember which men are which, she thought as she passed. If she was ever selecting men to go on a mission, she’d think carefully about bringing the men who enjoyed seeing one of their own punished.

  She reached Nero, who was stood on his own, watching the other men in the cave. Talyah couldn’t tell what he was thinking, which was a rare experience for her. She paused when she reached him, and stood in silence for a time.

  “I think,” she said eventually, “it would be a good idea if we forgot this situation, and celebrated instead. It doesn’t pay to think too hard about things like this, and we do have something to celebrate.”

  Nero looked into Talyah’s large, golden eyes. She looked into his eyes in return, but still couldn’t work out what he was thinking. He seemed to be keeping his emotions buried well below the surface. “Yes, of course you’re right, Tal,” he said. He returned his attention to the men in the cave, most of them looking rather down. “I think the men need to forget this, too.”

  “Nate says he knows a good place in the city, and I’m inclined to follow his advice.”

  “You want to follow Nate’s advice?” Nero asked, quirking his eyebrow at Talyah. “Well, that’s a first. Alright then, let’s see where that leads.”

  ****

  The skies had opened, and the rain was pouring down out of the darkness when they arrived in the city. Nero was flying, doing it himself as usual, without the assistance of the AI computer. He felt freer, more in control, when he flew the ship. It was one of the rare occasions when he could truly enjoy himself.

  As he flew down some deserted streets, he saw an out of the way alley, large enough to fit the shuttle, and brought the ship down to land there. He killed the engines, plunging the alley into darkness, and hoped they hadn’t been spotted. A strange ship, landing on a city street, might raise questions that he’d rather not have to address.

  Once out of the ship, it was Nate who took the lead, walking quickly to get out of the rain. “You’ll love this place,” he was saying, “gambling, drinking, girls. It’s awesome.”

  A few blocks away they came to a rather grimy alley. There was trash littered on the ground, and the faint whiff of dried urine mixed with puke lingered in the damp air. Part way down this alley, which was lit by a few glowing orbs of light on the walls, was an open door that led down to some steps. The garish coloured lighting above the door proclaimed the place to be the ‘629 Club,’ a name that rung a bell for Nero. He couldn’t recall why, precisely, but he thought it was a hotbed for crime and indecent behaviour, even in this city of crime and indecent behaviour.

  The group of them, numbering almost fifteen, descended the stairs to the cellar, where the club was housed. A smell of strong drink and fragrant smoke increased as they descended, masking the other less pleasant smells, and there was thumping music that increased in volume too. They emerged into a large, dark room, filled with perhaps fifty other patrons, most of them slumped on cushions strewn haphazardly on the floor. The red lighting gave the place a rather calming atmosphere.

  “Welcome to the 629 Club, chaps. The grottiest, dingiest place in the city. But the most fun too,” Nate announced, as they stood in the entrance. Very quickly, seeing the potential customers, a group of young girls approached them, some that couldn’t be much older than sixteen, though joined by some that couldn’t be much younger than fifty. They strolled over in the fashion universally recognised as advertising carnal pleasures, accentuating the movement of their hips, with sultry looks on their faces.

  Most of Nero’s men quickly picked a woman, and went off to find some vacant cushions on the floor, whilst the women in his group went to the bar. Nate managed to snag two of the women, placing his arms around their shoulders and strolling off to the bar for drinks.

  “You’re not in the mood for this tonight, Nero?” Talyah asked, still standing next to Nero near the entrance, carefully watching his face.

  “Yeah, come on man,” Jerad urged, “I hear they have that qiameth here. It’s pretty fun. I tried some the other day with, erm, well...” He trailed off. “Anyway, you coming?”

  Ner
o stood watching the people sipping their drinks, kissing women, both human and alien. “No, I have some things to finish tonight. I might join you when I’m done. Otherwise, I’ll see you at the shuttle in the morning.”

  Talyah grabbed his arm as he turned to leave, her golden eyes boring into Nero. “What are you going to, Nero? Where are you going?” He hated it when she did her mind-reading trick on him.

  “It doesn't matter, Tal. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Just try to enjoy yourself,” he said, glancing towards the crowded bar. “That guy’s been staring at you since you came in. Maybe you can have some fun with him.”

  Talyah glanced at the man Nero was indicating. “Just don’t do anything stupid, Nero. I’m getting a strange feeling from you today.”

  “See you later, Tal,” Nero said, turning around and heading back up the stairs, leaving Talyah down in the basement with the rest of his team.

  He wasn’t actually planning on doing anything stupid. He’d been planning what he was going to do for a long time, ever since he had started planning the operation to steal the augs, but he knew that Tal wouldn’t really approve. That wasn’t going to stop him, though.

  Nero emerged from the club, coming back out into the odorous alley. Turning left, going back the way he’d come, he made his way past a number of run-down buildings before he returned to the ship. He pressed the panel that opened the rear ramp, and climbed back in. Instead of going to the cockpit, though, he opened the access to the cargo area at the rear of the ship. Inside, amongst the oddments that were never cleared out, were a few gleaming boxes of augmentations.

  He placed these on a small hover-board, and then pushed that out onto the rainy street, making his way down a few alleys and backstreets. Entering the more run-down area of the city, the sort of place he’d grown up in, he arrived in a predominantly residential area, with living quarters built in the cellars underneath the vast Scrapers. The alley Nero was standing in had a number of doors leading down, into these homes. He looked carefully at the markings on the doors, and walked along until he found one with ‘Chirurgo’ scrawled on it.