by C. G. Mosley
Despite his inability to accurately identify the woman’s race, Sno had no regrets regarding his lack of ocular implants. Too many planets, systems, stations, and cities flagged anyone with more than a simple aural implant for comms and holo display implant for connecting to the grid. Once flagged, that person was tracked relentlessly, depending on the security measures in place for said planet, system, station, or city. In Sno’s line of work, he couldn’t afford to be constantly monitored. That kind of non-stop surveillance ruined an agent’s career quickly.
And Sno liked his job.
The pilot slowed when Sno still didn’t respond to her cheery hails. She didn’t stop completely, but her eager gait became hesitant, wary.
“Denman Sno, yes?” she said when she was only a few meters away. “I sure hope so because I raced against that storm to get here, and we only have about twenty minutes before it turns the atmosphere into an unnavigable mess.”
“Pass phrase,” Sno said, still seated on the ground.
“Excuse me?” the woman asked. At that, she did stop. “Pass phrase?”
Sno cocked his head, but said nothing else.
“Uh… No one gave me a pass phrase,” the woman said. Steely gray eyes blazed with danger. The woman’s hand went to her hip, but there was no holster or weapon there. The hand fell away empty and her fingers began tapping the side of her thigh. “If I’m supposed to have a pass phrase, then you are shit out of luck, friend. All I have is a swift ship idling back there with an empty seat inside that has your name on it. If your name is Denman Sno.”
“Sorry. Wrong guy,” Sno said. “Maybe check at the station ahead.”
“Station ahead…? Are you daft? This is the only station that is no longer a station on the entire line,” the woman snapped. “I was sent to pick up Denman Sno at the station that is no longer there. That pile of smoking rubble fits the description.” She pointed a finger at Sno. “And you fit the description of Denman Sno. Either you want a ride back to Egthak City or you don’t. Better tell me now because I need to get back to my ship and take off ASAP before that shit storm comes down on us.”
“Who sent you?” Sno asked.
“Don’t know the gentleman’s name,” the woman replied immediately. “Only name I got was Denman Sno. But he was a Dornopheous. You know, those putty people? All one big blob constantly moving unless you scare them then they turn into a puddle of fear at your feet. You ever been around a Dornopheous before?”
“I have,” Sno said and stood up slowly, wiping grit and sand off his ass as he stretched his legs and watched the woman carefully. “Dornopheous give you a name?”
Alarm bells were going off in Sno’s head. His local FIS liaison was not Dornopheous. The man had been a halfer, part human and part Spilfleck, a lizard race with neck frills that extended whenever they became excited or frightened. The only Dornopheous Sno knew was…
“Don’t answer that,” Sno said before the woman could reply to his question. “You already said you only have one name. I think I know who sent you.”
“Great on you, friend,” the woman said, bowing and twisting at the waist so she could sweep an arm back towards her ship. “Would you care to grace me with your presence in my ship so we can leave before we’re torn apart by fifty kilometer-wide cyclones?”
Sno glanced past the woman, past her ship, and saw what was coming straight for them. She was right, the storm had worsened and they were dangerously close to being overtaken by it.
“Yes. Thank you,” Sno said and started jogging towards the ship.
The woman joined him, matching his pace as they both hurried to the swift ship and climbed inside. The cockpit closed and sealed and the ship lifted off before either Sno or the woman had finished strapping in.
“AI?” Sno asked as the ship turned, banked, and shot across the sky towards Egthak City.
“What?” the woman asked. “Oh, no, not AI. Simple identification protocol I created. I activated it when I left the ship so it would be ready to take off as soon as I was back aboard. Like I said, friend, we’re cutting it close.”
Sno nodded. He was seated behind the pilot in a simple jump seat. No safety frills or extra padding. A place for his ass and a place for his back; cross-strap harness to keep him in place if the flying got dicey. As he studied the swift ship, he realized he was safe. Contractors and illicit operators liked bells and whistles. They liked spending money on equipment that made their jobs easier and lives more comfortable. Sno hadn’t met a single contractor or operator that wasn’t that way.
But the swift ship he was in was so stripped down that Sno wondered if it even had basic tech interfaces. He leaned slightly forward and was amused at the sight of the woman piloting the ship with a very retro-looking flight stick. Nothing indicated that she was jacked into the controls with implants or physical enhancements. Throttle and flight stick, that was about all Sno could see other than some simple holo navigation displays.
“Got a question, friend?” the woman asked.
“Name?” Sno replied.
“I have one,” the woman responded.
She didn’t give him her name and Sno didn’t press. He never confirmed with her that he was actually Denman Sno, so fair play with her being coy too.
“I’m going to drop you off on the outskirts of the city,” the woman said. “I was told to bring you in to a specific landing zone, but the way you’re acting, I think you might prefer an indirect delivery. You’ll be about a two-kilometer walk from the landing zone, so it’s not much of a hike, but it gives you a chance to observe the location before heading in.”
“That’s nice of you,” Sno said. “Where’d you learn that bit of trade craft? Not here on Egthak. Nothing happens on Egthak.”
“That’s not true or I wouldn’t have been sent to fetch you, friend,” the woman replied with a snicker. “Plenty happens on Egthak, just like any other planet. And what makes you think I’m using some type of trade craft? Common sense says that you’re in some sort of trouble and I’d rather not get too close to whatever climax or conclusion your trouble leads to.”
Sno liked the woman. She wasn’t from Egthak, the automatic motion of going for a holstered pistol told him she was used to having a weapon on her at all times. So not from Egthak. But she was a professional. Sno just couldn’t figure out at what.
“Deliveries,” the woman said without Sno asking a question. “I’m a courier. Plain and simple. I get goods delivered fast, friend. That’s my job. Wasn’t expecting to pick up a quick gig like this while here on Egthak, but you never turn down a job when one is placed before you. Especially when it pays in chits, not credits. Cash in hand always gets my attention.”
“Good to know,” Sno said. “I don’t have any chits on me, so I hope you’ve already been paid.”
“Handsomely and upfront,” the woman said. She cleared her throat. “I’m going to ask a question that I want you to answer.”
“That a threat?”
“Not specifically, no. But I would like to know if you destroyed that station back there. And if you did, will you riding in my ship end up with me catching blow-back from that destruction?”
“I didn’t and it won’t,” Sno replied. He felt comfortable answering those questions. “Care to tell me your name now that I’ve been a huge help?”
Sno could only see the back of the woman’s head, but he caught a tightening along the skin of her jaw and assumed she’d grinned.
“Maybe sometime,” the woman responded. “Not today. You’re too much of a wild card for me to be giving you my name. We meet again and we’ll see then. Okay, friend?”
“Okay, friend,” Sno replied.
Ahead on the horizon were signs they were approaching Egthak city. Small dwellings that were scattered about quickly became densely packed until they were wall to wall and gave way to taller and taller buildings. The storm had kicked up so much dust that Sno could only make out the outlines of the modest skyscrapers that constituted the ce
nter of Egthak City.
“Gonna put down in about two minutes,” the woman said. “Right over there by that strip of shops. Once on the ground, you’ll want to head northwest until you reach a primary school. Landing zone was supposed to be the sports field. Another reason I’m not going there. I’m not about to tear up some kids’ sports field because a Dornopheous paid me a bunch of chits.”
She laughed.
“Oh, and reach behind you. Should be a shirt back there that fits. I always keep extras lying around. That one you have on, well…stinks like death and smoke. Change it.”
Sno was really liking the woman. He reached behind him and pulled out a shirt that looked like it would fit. It neither looked nor smelled completely clean, but it was better than being dropped off in Egthak City with the nasty shirt he had on.
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