Tales of the Courier – Boondocks Haul
Road rules matter because it keeps the wheels moving. The road was made for moving wheels. Stationary wheels are for parking lots. Moving wheels are also good for amusing thoughts. 1courier decides to keep these thoughts to himself as he pushes the ride into overdrive.
Hours earlier the disappearance of an entire enclave reset the day’s agenda. Now it’s a boondock’s haul of the eerie kind. Without hesitation he downshifts and blazes past the first of the scavengers arriving on Deritrous. Their heavy freighters litter the highway as the news of the rain event spreads.
To make matters worse the AI, now Cheeky, has disappeared along with the enclave. All that’s left, is to drive and deliver the defector. With little to go on, and only the map to locate the endpoint, it’s assuredly going to be a crapshoot. He decides Cheeky would agree, and pushes the ride for all it’s worth.
Tell Tale Signs
Knowing that he’s missed tell tale signs along the way has a dampening effect on this joyride into the unknown. The last time this occurred, he had woken up on a cold stone floor, with no knowledge of how he had come to be there.
The road runs ever onward, leading the way to the horizon. Navigation begins the tracking procedure, and the destination is on the map, finally. Nothing but open terrain as far as the eye can see. It is comparable to the deserts on Earth, in 1universe. Deritrous is mineral rich, both in rain and terrain. It is unlikely there will be ambush, call it a feeling.
He thinks back to that stone chamber again, and all the conditions and details of this assignment. Then back to the bridge that guaranteed a wipeout. He had missed much, with so much information passing into his mind from the key. The visions and emotions were still fresh in memory. It was the tell tale signs, small and easily missed.
Delivery
The upside is the delivery could be completed without the missing pieces of the puzzle. Do the job, fill in the blanks later, backup plan in motion. He quickly doesn’t try to avoid the pothole. Judging by the location beacon they were thirty minutes out. Out, being relative to the middle of nowhere.
A Boondocks run, plain and simple. They were all the same, out to the middle of nowhere, find the needle in the haystack, beat a trail back home. Nothing wrong with reliable, he thinks, as the second, smaller sun of Deritrous, eases below the horizon.
The bitter cold happens almost instantly, as the golden orb disappears. It isn’t unexpected, and the chill air is invigorating. Deciding to shorten the time, 1courier floors the accelerator, the effect is instant as the unleashed power catapults the ride forward. Within minutes the navigation beacon tags red, and destination is within range.
An unexpected thud from the rear compartment shakes him from his musings, as the miles tick away. There hadn’t been any well placed potholes for some time. The unusual thud happens again, this time with attitude. The cargo was getting restless. The terrain is unchanged and barren as they near the endpoint. No details on the delivery, must be a drop and run. He grins, those are the quick kind.
The ride stalls. They have arrived. The courier and the defector, here, at last.
New Contract
Disembodied voices are the norm now, he thinks, as a voice with no source begins speaking, from everywhere.
“Welcome 1courier, you are late.” there is a short pause, he guesses for effect, and the voice continues,”your methods are unusual, and far from the agreed upon terms.” This time the pause is longer, more effect effort, it would seem. He grins, deciding he likes the effect, as the voice continues, “It has been decided another contract will be issued. It begins immediately. Secure the cargo to the road and depart. Further instructions will arrive when the area is cleared.”
Dropping cargo in the middle of nowhere is never a good idea. But there are exceptions to every rule, he thinks, as he drops the container on the road. Package delivered. He jumps back in the ride before the bitter night cold can seep in any further. There is no concern if it will start, it is a known unknown. The motor fires immediately. There is another brief statement from the all around voice, that chills him more than the bitter coldness of the night.
“No passengers 1courier, no exceptions.” then silence, as the sight of the container in the road, diminishes behind him. There are rules, and there are stipulations, there is also don’t give a damn. He decides he likes the last option best, as he doubles down on the return to the missing enclave.
Rules
He is more than half way back to the missing enclave when the blocked road ahead, comes into view. Checking the m-com reveals no link, still. The enclave is many miles further on, which means the block has nothing to do with HQ. It’s a scavenger block, tourism has become serious now, and the ‘tourists’ were hunting for more souvenirs, from the pockets of other tourists.
Time for some creative driving. Flooring the accelerator he aims straight for the road block. The scavengers are serious about scavenging, couriers are serious about driving. Oil and water don’t mix. He grins as the roadblock rushes to meet the ride, sounds like a plan.
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