Press him for an answer
Try Feksis instead
“It’s okay, I won’t put you on the spot.” You shrug. “I’ll speak to Feksis.”
“Thanks.” Hector grins, clearly relieved. “I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of the Takagi sisters. But be careful with Feksis. He’s a slimy son of a bitch.” You nod and cross the room towards the bar and stand next to the reedy looking Feksis. The Talosians are physically the closest race to humans, identical in all but their crimson skin colour. Feksis runs his fingers through his lank black hair and his beady little eyes flick from left to right as he hunches over his drink.
“Feksis.” You murmur, staring straight ahead. You watch his reflection in the mirror behind the bar, his vaguely demonic crimson face turning towards you, his eyes widening slightly in recognition.
“Trent.” He replies, barely concealed contempt in his voice. “Always a displeasure.” You smile. Feksis clearly hasn’t forgotten how you got the better of him last time you met, just as you haven’t forgotten how he tried to swindle you in the first place.
“I’m looking for two Earthwomen.” You tell him. “The Takagi sisters. You’ve heard of them.” It’s a statement, not a question. You watch a wry smile cross his face. He doesn’t even try to deny it.
“What’s it to you?” He growls.
“I want to know where they are.”
“Maybe I know, maybe I don’t.” He shrugs. “But the real question is why the fuck would I tell you?”
Bribe him
Intimidate him
“Not even for an old friend?” You grin.
“I don’t know.” Hector winces. “These aren’t the type of people you want to get on the wrong side of.” He pauses and sighs. “Okay Trent, but this better not come back on me. They’re on the second moon of Proxima VII. I’ll give you the coordinates.”
“Thanks Hector.” You grin. “I owe you one.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll remind you of it!” He grumbles as you get to your feet. “Wait. There’s one more thing. The moon is surrounded by an orbital minefield. They guided me into a narrow passage through it, but I wouldn’t be able to tell you the route.”
“I’ll figure it out.” You shrug. “See you around you big ugly lizard.”
“Yeah, see you, ya scrawny hairless ape.” He grins, before turning back to his drink.
An hour later, you drop out of hyperspace, the blue orb of Proxima VII’s second moon filling your vision. The sphere is mottled with the strange circular shapes of the orbital mines. Your eyes widen as you realise you have dropped out of hyperspace right in the middle of the minefield. You immediately reduce velocity, retro boosters firing. You curse your recklessness for not having dropped out of hyperspace further out. The way you see it, you have two options: Try to weave your way through the minefield or head straight towards the moon and shoot any mines directly in your path.
Weave your way through the minefield
Shoot a path through the minefield
You move over to the bar and order a drink. The Talosians are physically the closest race to humans, identical in all but their crimson skin colour. The reedy looking Talosian runs his fingers through his lank black hair and his beady little eyes flick from left to right as he hunches over his drink.
“Feksis.” You murmur, staring straight ahead. You watch his reflection in the mirror behind the bar, his vaguely demonic crimson face turning towards you, his eyes widening slightly in recognition.
“Trent.” He replies, barely concealed contempt in his voice. “Always a displeasure.” You smile. Feksis clearly hasn’t forgotten how you got the better of him last time you met, just as you haven’t forgotten how he tried to swindle you in the first place.
“I’m looking for two Earthwomen.” You tell him. “The Takagi sisters. You’ve heard of them.” It’s a statement, not a question. You watch a wry smile cross his face. He doesn’t even try to deny it.
“What’s it to you?” He growls.
“I want to know where they are.”
“Maybe I know, maybe I don’t.” He shrugs. “But the real question is why the fuck would I tell you?”
Bribe him
Intimidate him
“Last time I checked, you were a greedy, slimy little piece of shit.” You growl. “So I figure money will loosen that sharp tongue of yours.” You watch in the mirror as his eyes flick towards you.
“Information is expensive.” He smiles humourlessly.
“How much?” You sigh.
“Twenty thousand credits.” He hisses. Your eyes widen and this time, his smile is genuine as he revels in the moment.
“Five thousand, and that’s being generous.” You tell him.
“Twenty thousand.” He repeats. “Take it or leave it.” He turns back to his drink, the negotiations apparently over. You silently curse. You have the money, but it will clean you out.
Intimidate him
Pay him
Try speaking to Hector instead
“How about you tell me what I need to know and I’ll let you carry on breathing.” You growl at Feksis, slowly turning towards him and fixing him with a flinty glare. Feksis simply smiles and sips his drink.
“Your threats don’t scare me.” He shrugs. “If I caved in every time some two-bit smuggler tried to strong arm me, I’d be out of business in a week. Besides, you think I’m stupid enough not to have a bodyguard?” You feel a heavy hand on your shoulder. You glance at a green scaly claw and the particularly stocky and muscular Proxian attached to it. The Proxian grins, rows of sharp teeth showing. You turn back to Feksis.
“You want information, you pay me for it.” He tells you. “Twenty thousand credits.”
Pay up
Overcome the Proxian bodyguard
You swing an elbow into the Proxian’s stomach and whirl around, smashing your fist into his face. You grunt in pain as you feel several bones in your hand break while the Proxian just smiles. You reel away, wincing and clutching your shattered hand.
“Teach this cretin a lesson.” Feksis tells the Proxian.
“It will be a pleasure.” He hisses advancing towards you.
You wake up three days later, your body smashed and broken. The nurse smiles sympathetically and tells you that while there shouldn’t be any permanent damage, it will take several weeks for your body to heal. You close your eyes, your heart sinking, knowing the heist of a lifetime is now out of reach.
THE END
Go back a few moments and rethink your actions
“I’ll remember this.” You growl, pulling your credit crystal from your pocket.
“I really do hope so.” Feksis smiles, eagerly taking it from you. He transfers the twenty thousand from it. “Not many credits left.” He remarks as your balance appears. “Let me buy you a drink. It doesn’t look like you can afford to.”
“Fuck you Feksis. Just tell me where they are.”
“The second moon of Proxima VII.” He tells you. “Northern hemisphere, co-ordinates 51.44, 0.33.” You turn to leave. “Wait.” He adds. “There’s an orbital minefield around the moon. Be sure to set your hyperspace computer to emerge in low orbit. You’ll miss them.”
“Thanks.” You reply grudgingly. As you leave the bar twenty thousand credits lighter, you hope the Takagi sisters are worth it.
You make your way back to the Eclipse and leave the orbital docks before setting in a course for Proxima VII. As you are already in the same system, you will only be in hyperspace for a moment. The stars fade before being replaced by the swirling crimson vortex of hyperspace for a few seconds before the stars fade back in, the blue orb of Proxima VII’s second moon filling your vision. You notice the sphere is mottled with strange circular shapes. Your eyes widen as you realise you have dropped out of hyperspace in the middle of the minefield. You immediately reduce velocity, retro boosters firing. You vow bloody vengeance Feksis. If you survive. The way you see it, you have two options: Try to weave your way thr
ough the minefield or head straight towards the moon and shoot any mines directly in your path.
Weave your way through the minefield
Shoot a path through the minefield
As you drop out of hyperspace, the stars fade back in, the blue orb of Proxima VII’s second moon filling your vision. You notice the sphere is mottled with strange circular shapes. Your eyes widen as you realise you are in the middle of the minefield. You immediately reduce velocity, retro boosters firing. The way you see it, you have two options: Try to weave your way through the minefield or head straight towards the moon and shoot any mines directly in your path.
Weave your way through the minefield
Shoot a path through the minefield
Setting a course directly ahead, you turn your attention to the Eclipse’s weapon systems. You target a mine directly ahead, plasma fire lighting up space before you as the turret locks on and fires. The mine detonates in a symmetrical explosion before you, the flash lighting up the cockpit. You grin, growing more confident of your decision as you target the next and the next, the mines erupting one after the other. The array of mines silhouetted against the surface of the blue moon begins to thin. You smile grimly, knowing you are approaching the edge of the minefield. You see one last mine floating in space ahead of you. You lean forward, targeting the last deadly sphere. You fire, watching as plasma bolts streak through space. The hit is not clean, dealing the mine a glancing blow. It spins wildly off to one side like a miscued pool ball, tumbling through space before hitting another mine. It explodes, the tumbling debris smashing into other nearby mines. Your eyes widen as a deadly chain reaction sweeps towards you. You have just enough time to curse before a nearby mine explodes and rips the Eclipse apart.
THE END
Go back a few moments and rethink your actions
You grip the controls tightly as you pilot the vessel through the dense minefield. While the relics from some long forgotten war were no doubt designed to prevent the larger battle cruisers or carriers passing through, the Eclipse is a bulky freighter and not exactly designed for agile manoeuvers. You can feel beads of sweat running down your brow as you thread your way through the floating balls of death, knowing that to so much as brush one would detonate it, ripping half your ship apart and subjecting you to a quick but painful death in the frozen vacuum of space. Your heart thumps in your chest and your head pounds with concentration as you pitch and roll the ship, squeezing it through the narrow gaps in the field. The array of mines silhouetted against the surface of the blue moon thins as you work your way closer and closer to the edge until finally you are through. You breathe a deep sigh of relief. The Takagi sisters have certainly gone to some trouble to keep the universe at arm’s length, hiding on a remote moon behind a shroud of mines. As you lock in co-ordinates on the surface, you hope there are no more nasty surprises in store.
You manoeuvre the Eclipse through the atmosphere, descending steeply towards the dark blue carpet of the treetops. As you close on your destination, you smile seeing a pagoda climbing up above the trees in the distance. Not exactly subtle. You slow, circling the ornate building before spotting a landing pad in a clearing nearby. You set down next to what you presume is the Takagis’ vessel, a small, sleek shuttle. You switch off the engines and climb from the cockpit. As you descend the boarding ramp, you glance about you at the strange blue forest. The trees are actually large gaseous organic sacks anchored to the ground by thick vines. You gaze up at them in wonder as you walk along a narrow path towards the pagoda. As you approach it, a red light dazzles you. You squint, searching for the source. A glittering red beam shines down from the roof and drops lower, a red dot settling on your chest.
“My sister Mariko is an expert sniper as well as a skilled hacker.” A voice calls out. “I hope you have a good reason for her not to shoot you, stranger.” A petite woman steps out of the shadows at the edge of the forest, a blaster pistol in her hand. If Mariko is on the roof, that makes her Aki. She’s just a few paces away and while she suggests her sister is an expert marksman, she holds her own blaster like a novice. If you’re quick, you could wrestle the blaster from her and strengthen your position. Still, if Mariko genuinely is a good shot, you’d never reach Aki before she put a neat hole right through you.
Attempt to talk your way out
Wrestle the blaster from Aki
“Your sister looks like she’s trying to signal something to you.” You tell Aki. Her glance flicks away from you only for a split second, but you grasp the opportunity and launch yourself at her. You hear the booming report of the sniper rifle a moment after the round pierces your chest. You hit the ground hard, your momentum making you slide towards Aki. You glance helplessly up at her, gurgling blood.
“That was pretty fucking stupid.” Aki chides you before raising her blaster, aiming at your head and pulling the trigger.
THE END
Go back a few moments and rethink your actions
“Aki I presume?” You reply, your voice confident even though you are at their mercy. “I have a job for you.”
“We’re retired.” She replies.
“You might want to reconsider that.” You smile. “The job is a heist. How does a share of twenty million credits sound?” While still wary, her expression softens slightly.
“Yes, my name’s Aki.” She replies. “And you have my attention.”
“Trent.” You smile, drinking in the attractive sight before you. Aki is perhaps in her late twenties, slender with her long dark hair gathered neatly behind her head with two long wooden pins. She wears a slim fitting Japanese style red silk dress with a floral pattern embroidered onto it in gold thread. She regards you curiously before lowering her blaster and signalling to her sister. The red dot disappears from your chest.
“You had better come inside.” She tells you, eyeing you warily. “I trust you’re not going to try anything stupid?”
“I wouldn’t dare.” You grin. Aki gestures for you to lead the way while she falls in behind you.
“The pagoda’s hardly inconspicuous.” You comment dryly as you walk towards it.
“We indulged ourselves with a small taste of our heritage.” Aki replies. “We’re deep inside Proxian space, so we’re relatively safe here. Besides, what’s the point of stealing all those credits if you’re not going to spend some of them?”
“I guess so.” You nod. It is certainly a bizarre oasis amongst the strange indigenous blue flora of the Proxian moon.
You enter the building, the pagoda a strange mix of the old and the new. The doors hiss closed behind you while before you is the sparsely decorated living space of a traditional Japanese home, with bamboo framed screens lining the walls and low timber furniture. To one side of the room, a fountain patters as the spray arcs back into a recessed square pool.
“And who said crime doesn’t pay?” You grin.
“Certainly not us.” A voice replies behind you. Mariko leans casually in the doorway, a sniper rifle slung over her shoulder. While there is undeniably a family resemblance in their features, she is quite different from her petite sister. Tightfitting pants and a black vest fit snugly over her tall, athletic frame. An elaborate dragon tattoo extends from her right shoulder all the way down to her wrist. Her hair is dyed bright pink at the roots before gradually turning to purple just above her shoulders. She has a piercing through the left side of her nose.
“Mariko.” She tells you, the light reflecting off another piercing through her tongue.
“Trent.” You grin. She does not return your smile, gazing at you with cool detachment.
“What are you doing here Trent?” She asks. You spend the next few minutes outlining the plan and their role in it.
“So let me get this straight: You want to steal from the Aurigan Empire?” Mariko asks incredulously. “The Aurigan Empire who have subjugated hundreds of worlds within their territory. The Aurigan Empire known for their ruthless brutality.”
“Hey, if you’re go
ing to steal from anyone, why not an evil, fascist regime?” You shrug with a grin. The sisters glance at one another before withdrawing and whispering between themselves and throwing cursory glances in your direction. While most of the conversation is inaudible, you hear the odd few heated words: Mariko snapping that they ‘don’t need any more money’, while Aki hisses back that they ‘need a little excitement back in their lives’. Finally they finish their exchange and turn back to you.
“We’ll sleep on it.” Mariko tells you.
“Okay.” You shrug. “I’ll go back to my ship and await your answer.”
“Please, stay as our guest.” Aki smiles. “We have a spare bedroom. I’m sure it will be more comfortable than a cramped freighter cabin.” You bristle slightly at the implied criticism of your precious ship, before shrugging. She has a point.
“I’d be delighted.” You grin.
“I’ll show you to your room.” Mariko tells you, with a fleeting though curious glance at her sister.
A few hours later, you are stirred from your sleep as light spills across your futon bed. The screen door slides slowly open and a figure is silhouetted in the doorway. Your hand fumbles for your blaster beneath your pillow.
“You won’t need that.” The figure purrs.
“Oh?” You reply, squinting and trying to make out if it is Aki or Mariko.
“It’s a lonely existence here.” She murmurs, stepping into your room. “It’s a beautiful place, but I miss Earth space. The familiar sights and sounds of our own people and of course male companionship...” She reaches the end of your bed and a shaft of light falls across her face. Aki, her dark hair tied in pigtails. She is wearing a loose fitting silk kimono and you can’t help but notice the outline of her nipples through the flimsy fabric.
The Seductress of Andromeda Page 9
