Long Shot

by Christopher Williams

  For the first time since the library, Aaron smiled. Sixty four hundred credits wasn’t going to get them a ship, but it was a start. And for the first time since they sold their ship, their supply of credits had actually increased.

  “Yeah, but I lost nearly eight hundred,” Adam said, sitting down at the small kitchen table that, along with the short bar, made up the boundary between the kitchen and the common room. “You still think it’s a good idea to send me along?” He shook his head. “I didn’t see anyone even look twice at Susan.”

  “Sooner or later, someone’s bound to notice,” Aaron said, he was still smiling, this little bit of good news had lessened the weight on his shoulders slightly. Not much, but that would take time.

  “You okay?” Susan asked, studying him intently. “You seem a little off.”

  “I’m fine,” Aaron answered quickly. The last thing he wanted was for her to be in his mind right now. None of them needed to know about those horrible images of destruction.

  Susan continued to study him for a moment and the silence was starting to get a little uncomfortable. He was just getting ready to say something, anything, when the door opened again and Russell and Jessica entered.

  “Everything go okay?” Aaron asked, relieved at their timing.

  “Yeah,” Russell said, leaning against the small bar. Jessica sat down at the kitchen table with the other three. “I did sort of screw up at first, though.” He looked a little sheepish at the admission.

  “How’s that?”

  “Well, I sort of won kind of big at the first game.”

  Ice settled in Aaron’s stomach at the words. They couldn’t have anyone noticing them. “How big?”

  “Not too bad. I won twelve thousand credits on one throw of the dice.”

  Aaron exhaled deeply, relieved that it wasn’t catastrophic. “Well, that doesn’t sound so bad.” In truth it wasn’t too bad, he had been afraid that Russell had won a ridiculous amount.

  “Yeah, but it was more than I was supposed to win, so I spent the rest of the day losing half of it back.”

  Aaron’s grin came right back. “You did exactly the right thing.” People hit it big all the time and then most of them lose it all back to the casino. It was the nature of things, casinos didn’t stay open for charity.

  “Good deal, between you and Susan, we’re up nearly twelve thousand today.” It wasn’t great, but it was better than yesterday.

  “What did you do?” Russell asked.

  “Spent some time over at the spaceport,” Aaron said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes. “There has to be a way to make some money quick, and if so, then I intend to find it.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. He had gone to the spaceport after the library, but all he had done was wander around. He had been struck by the brutal images of Gamma Crucis and it had weighed heavily on his thoughts all day.

  “Hmm,” Russell said after a moment. “I hope you find something quick.” He grinned at Susan. “I don’t fancy gambling the rest of my life.”

  “I know and I appreciate what you’re doing.” Aaron answered slowly. “I’ll do my best to get us off of this rock.”

  “Well,” Adam said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. “I think I’m ready for a hot shower.” He left the room first, followed quickly by Jessica and Russell.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Susan asked, watching Aaron intently. “Something seems wrong.”

  Aaron smiled at her. “I’ll be fine. I just got a lot of worries right now.”

  “You’re not in this alone.”

  “I know, but it sure feels like everything rests on me.”

  Chapter 7

  Aaron sat at the small table looking over the total number of credits they had amassed. It had been nearly two weeks since Russell and Susan had begun taking advantage of the casinos. Despite their early success, both Russell and Susan had their share of bad days while gambling. They won more than they lost most times, but not every day. Even the winning trips only grew their meager supply of credits by a small margin. In spite of his best efforts to stay positive, Aaron began to feel that owning their own ship would take years, if they ever managed it at all. It was becoming more of a long shot every day.

  Feeling eyes watching him, Aaron looked up quickly and caught Susan turning away. He resisted the urge to sigh. Keeping up the positive appearance was difficult around Adam, Russell, and Jessica, but it was damn near impossible around Susan. He had never known how much of a pain in the ass a telepath could be; he was only glad that he wasn’t married to one. It seemed that she could sense his moods and something about them troubled her. How much did she know about what they had done to him? Did she suspect what Dr. Moore had told him? With difficulty, he forced his thoughts to other things; one should not dwell on a closely guarded secret around a telepath.

  “Morning,” Adam said, entering the small kitchen and reaching around Susan to grab several protein bars off of the bar.

  Aaron instinctively looked over his shoulder across the common room to the living quarters, and sure enough, Jessica was walking towards them. “So, what’s your plans for today?”

  “Oh, the same as yesterday.” Adam didn’t make eye contact as he answered, but he grinned as Jessica entered the small kitchen.

  Aaron frowned at the two of them. For the past week, they had resisted going to the casinos with Russell and Susan; they both gave some vague excuses to wander the city, and they always left together and returned together. Jessica was cute enough, but he had been sure that Adam liked his women a little more on the wilder side. And he pictured Jessica with the more cerebral type, not Adam. Grinning at the pink spotted fruit he was eating for breakfast, he silently agreed with the poet; love is blind, not to mention confusing, ignorant, and obnoxious.

  “Well, I’m gone,” Adam said, moving to the door. “I’ll be back later.”

  “Hold on,” Jessica said without a trace of being embarrassed. “I’ll walk down with you.”

  The door had barely closed when Aaron turned to find Susan watching him again. He ignored it and motioned in the general direction of the door. “Those two? Really?”

  Susan smiled condescendingly at him. “You’re not as smart as you think.”

  Early in the afternoon, Aaron was wandering through the spaceport, he never tired of looking at the assortment of strange ships. Some of the ships seemed almost to call him and he found himself longing to own a few of them. He was even intrigued by the ships that he had no desire to own.

  Most ships had a guard or two and they always watched him as he walked around the ships admiringly. The guards rarely seemed inclined to conversation, most of them were fairly gruff and some didn’t even seem to understand basic. That was strange, as he thought basic was taught throughout the civilized systems. Then again, perhaps some of these systems weren’t so civilized after all.

  It was understandable that some of the aliens wouldn’t speak to him, in fact quite a few of the aliens species didn’t have the ability to make the sounds necessary to speak basic. Of those that could speak, most only seemed to know curse words.

  Away from the ships, in the bars around the port, he seemed to have better luck. Perhaps it was the liquor that loosened their tongues, but the humans and aliens in the bars had been more willing to talk with him. He had learned rather quick not to ask about jobs that would make him a lot of money quick, those types of questions made even the most honest of spacefarers nervous and had gotten him kicked out of several drinking establishments.

  He rounded a corner and stopped in his tracks. In front of him, and slightly off to the right, was an Austen P-101 light transport. The last Austen had been built nearly fifty years ago, but this ship looked to have been well maintained. The ship was a wedge design, like a triangle with the back end rounded. The ship rested on five legs that were taller than he was, making the bottom of the ship higher than his head. Aaron let out a low admiring whistle as he moved closer. The ship had been maintained w
ell. Parts of the hull were different colors from having been replaced, and two gun ports poked out of the nearest side of the ship. The gun ports were new, the hull having been modified to make room for them. That was actually a strange addition. Necessary as the weapons were in some areas of space, those very same weapons would draw attention to the ship on some of the nicer planets. It seemed that the more “civilized” a planet was, the less it liked armed strangers visiting.

  The Austen wasn’t exactly what he had in mind but he would have gladly taken it off their hands. The problem was that he had attended several auctions and been dismayed to see what prices the ships had been going for. Flying deathtraps easily fetched five or six hundred thousand credits and the more respectable ships had gone for more than one million. Still, his mouth almost watered at the thought of owning such a ship.

  “Hey,” a voice called out from ten or so feet behind him. It was a man’s voice and it sounded deep and rough.

  Aaron waved his hand without looking back. “I’m just admiring it.” People tended to be touchy about their ships.

  “Is your name Aaron?” the voice asked.

  The hair stood up along the back of Aaron’s neck and he turned quickly. There were three men standing behind him. They were spread out with a good ten feet between them. The two outer men were rather large and had the look of hired muscle. They also held long poles, which appeared to be very similar to the shock sticks Aaron and his friends had liberated from the research facility.

  The man in the middle was tall and muscular. He had the look of a very capable fighter, even though he didn’t carry any weapon. His muscled arms were entwined with scars, which in turn had been entwined with tattoos. He was completely bald, his eyes fixed on Aaron.

  Glancing around, Aaron realized that the street was quickly emptying out. It was perfectly normal, somehow people could sense trouble and they tended to disappear; well, the smart ones did anyhow. He turned his attention back to three men. “Who are you?”

  “Who we are is not important. What is important is that you have been invited for a conversation,” Baldy said. His eyes never left Aaron; they were fixed on him and not moving.

  “A conversation with whom?”

  The men on either side of Baldy grinned, but he did not. “Our employer and that’s all you need to know.”

  “Really? You expect me to just come with you? To a meeting that I know nothing about?” Aaron shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  The two men with the poles gripped them tighter, betraying their nervousness. For the first time, the bald man in the middle grinned. “Actually, I was kind of hoping you would resist.” He hesitated, glancing at the two men on either side of him. “If by some chance he gets past me, don’t let him escape.”

  The one on the left only grinned, but the other one turned towards Aaron. “Has anyone ever got past you, Xim?”

  “Not in a long time,” Baldy, whose name seemed to be Xim, said moving forward.

  Aaron watched him approach, alarm bells ringing in his head. This Xim was dangerous and not just because the two cronies thought so. There was a deadly grace in Baldy’s walk and as he neared, he dropped into an Ingushi fighting stance. Aaron had never so much as heard of the Ingushi before, but he recognized the stance. The only possible reason was the organic program in his head was supplying him with the information.

  Xim’s approached slowly, his left arm horizontally at an angle out in front, and his right arm held close, but also horizontal. His knees were bent, making him walk funny, but Aaron knew it was to maintain the balance of the stance.

  How in the hell had he learned the Ingushi martial arts? Aaron thought furiously. That alien race had died out centuries ago, and the only record of their fighting techniques were in a computer, or so he had thought. Then again, the experimentation at the research facility had also taught him to fight in the Ingushi way, although he hadn’t realized it until just now. Chances are, that this Xim wasn’t used to encountering anyone else who knew this fighting style and perhaps that would give him the surprise he needed.

  Aaron also bent his knees, but his stance was from a more human martial art. No reason to show my hand just yet.

  In a flash, Xim jumped forward, aiming a kick with his right foot directly at Aaron’s head.

  As soon as Xim began moving, Aaron shifted his stance. He chose a Ingushi defensive posture and noted with some pleasure the briefest look of surprise on Xim’s face, just before the fight really began.

  Using both hands, Aaron blocked the kick and then flowed into a different posture, blocking the two quick punches that Xim had used to try and surprise him. Then, Aaron lashed out with a kick of his own, barely missing Xim as he jumped back out of reach.

  Xim regarded Aaron through wide eyes. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”

  “You first,” Aaron answered, enjoying himself, but knowing this wasn’t the kind of thing he should be enjoying.

  Xim’s eyes hardened at the answer and he gave Aaron a slight bow. “Let’s see who’s the best then.”

  Xim moved forward slower this time, his eyes watching Aaron relentlessly.

  Aaron took a deep breath. This man was good, very good. He wouldn’t be surprised anymore.

  Xim bounded forward, his right foot arcing upwards in another kick, this one much lower than the first. Aaron reacted, placing his arms in the proper block, but the kick never landed. It was a feint. Stopping the motion of the kick, Xim jumped, spinning in the air. He landed on his right foot, the very same foot that had been the initial kick, and followed through with a long powerful kick, using his left leg.

  Aaron just managed to shift his block from the false kick to the real danger, and his arms went slightly numb at the blow—Xim kicked like a mule.

  Xim slid to Aaron’s left, reigning blows down on Aaron’s upraised arms. Blow after blow fell, each one numbing Aaron’s arms just a little bit more.

  Aaron pulled his right arm away from the block, punching out. He paid a price for it though, as Xim landed a solid left punch to Aaron’s jaw. The only consolation was that Aaron had connected with Xim’s mid-section. Both men pulled apart, Aaron rubbing his jaw and Xim holding his stomach.

  So far, Aaron had managed to hold his own, but Xim was truly a master. It was only a matter of time before Xim’s skills in the Ingushi arts overwhelmed Aaron. Of course, he thought suddenly. The answer was so simple. The Ingushi martial arts were simple: attack, attack, attack, and then attack. They were mainly offensive. In the five seconds that they had been fighting, he had used every defensive posture known to the Ingushi. But what if he used a different martial art, one that was not offensive but defensive?

  With a plan, he waited for the next attack. He didn’t have long to wait. Xim bolted forward, intent on reigning more blows down on him, but this time Aaron didn’t block them. Instead, he jerked backwards and shot out with his left hand. Just barely, he managed to close his hand around Xim’s wrist and he twisted with all his might.

  The sudden move caught Xim off-guard and the twist applied an enormous amount of pressure to Xim’s elbow. He twisted slightly and went up on his toes trying to lessen the pressure.

  Aaron snapped his head forward, slamming his forehead into Xim’s face. There was a satisfying crunch as Xim’s nose broke. With Xim still immobilized by the pressure to his elbow, Aaron brought up his right arm in an arc and brought it hard across Xim’s throat. Then, he released his hold on the man’s wrist and kicked him hard below the belt.

  Xim fell backwards, landing in the dirt. His mouth worked soundlessly as his hands hovered in confusion. It seemed that he couldn’t decide whether to grab his broken nose, his battered throat, or his extremely sore testicles. So he decided to do none of the above and passed out.

  Aaron turned his attention to the two men with the long poles. Their looks of nervousness had returned and they seemed hesitant to approach. The man on Aaron’s left moved farther away so that Aaron was directly in the
middle of the two. They didn’t say anything but they continued to look wary.

  Aaron kept his eyes down so that he could see if either man moved. Neither man seemed to be in a hurry. That was troublesome. Spaceport security should arrive soon. He frowned in thought; actually security should have already been here. The only reason that he could imagine for their tardiness was that they had been bought or warned off.

  Kneeling down, Aaron scooped up a handful of dirt with his right hand.

  The man on the right took that as his signal to attack. He jumped forward, his staff held out in front of his body.

  Aaron jumped back to his feet and slung the dirt directly at the charging man.

  The sand spread out in an arc, hitting the attacker across the face and chest. The man turned his face to avoid getting the dirt in his eyes.

  Aaron moved closer to the charging attacker. He grabbed the staff, being careful to avoid the end. Giving a yank, he pulled the staff out of the attacker’s reach. He continued the move and threw the staff at the second attacker.

  The second man had not remained idle but had charged into the fray hoping to get up close behind Aaron. He tried to sidestep the staff but was only partially successful. The end of the staff touched his left arm and there was a powerful thump as the staff’s charge rushed through his body. He collapsed to the ground and lay there motionless.

  Aaron turned his attention back to the first attacker before the second had even hit the ground. He was blinking dirt from his eyes and backing away, trying to put some distance between himself and Aaron.

  Aaron jumped forward and punched the man in the throat. He went down and his eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets.

  Not waiting to see how the man fared, Aaron rushed past his crumpled form. His intention was to get as far away from the spaceport as possible, but he only made it two or three steps. Something slammed into his back and Aaron collapsed to the ground. He caught a glance of a dark haired woman walking up to him with a stun gun held in her hands, then he passed out.