Tales of the Courier – Luck of the Draw
The road is a constant companion, sometimes a little ahead, sometimes way behind, but always there. Sometimes the road taken is from the luck of the draw. 1courier thinks this road is from the luck of the draw, as he downshifts, and blazes around a heavy freighter.
This draw is the wildcard, and it’s the joker. He guides the ride back in line with the proper side of the road, and sets the auto drive. Time to double check the intel on this pick up. He turns to Cheeky and asks the obvious, “Scavenger liaison?”
She turns to face him, her eyes have changed again, the sapphire shimmers are different, in a good way. This time, she grins,”A client’s a client 1courier, and business is business.” She holds his gaze, while the road carries them along.
Now he grins, business is business, and even risky business is business. Then he decides this was starting to feel like monkey business, so he prods a little more, “Somewhat unusual for scavengers to give anything up”, the ride eases around slower traffic while they conference.
She has been holding his gaze and smiles slightly as she responds,”They are passing along something of importance. It was contracted, not scavenged, it falls under different parameters, and the deal is binding.” She returns her gaze to the road ahead, “we are five minutes out 1courier”.
With the call to action given, he switches the ride back to manual control, and amps up the speed. They would be there in three.
The Scavenger
After the first door had been opened, everything in 1universe changed. The race was on, it had become about more, more knowledge, more resources, more military might. Always more.
The transfer and proliferation of knowledge became wide open, as more doors were unlocked, and more secrets were found, and harvested. Harvesting was a scavenger trademark, and they could be counted on in environments that were extreme, or unusual.
They lived under a unique code exclusive to scavengers. They had no home world, and were comprised of the few remaining remnants, of civilizations long lost. 1courier thinks of them like the gypsies he’s read about in the old earth stories.
They were outside any system and were a system in and of themselves. They played by their own rules, and no one but a scavenger knew their rules. Their tech was sufficient to make them a formidable foe, if crossed.
It was unheard of, for scavengers to play by any system other than theirs, and this was a red flag that was not easy to ignore. Scavenger law knew no boundaries of space time. Where it is applied in one place, it carries to all. Immediately.
The Meet and greet
1courier spots the heavy freighters of the scavengers, pulled to a stop, just ahead. He moves the ride towards the lead freighter and pulls in behind the stopped behemoth.
“We are to wait for contact. The cargo is lightweight and is a key world contract. We are expected to complete this in under eight hours. The key has been disabled for this one, 1courier, it must be all road, no jump.” Cheeky smiles as she finishes with the update.
He wonders again who has access to the key, and what agenda they serve, as he listens. Her smile is real, and this is intriguing him, as the heavy freighter in front of them becomes active.
The rear cargo door begins lowering, like a drawbridge to a castle, as he watches. They are far enough away to avoid the heavy steel door, as it touches against the road side and stops.
The rear of the freighter is empty as far back as is visible. There are no scavengers, or beings of any kind, in the rear of the freighter. 1courier looks at Cheeky, she gives him a quick, quizzical look before tilting her head. She is hearing the internal communications of the AI again.
From behind them, 1courier hears the engine of the heavy freighter roar to life, and engage. Cheeky begins to shout the abort warning, but it’s too late.The heavy freighter behind them rams the ride. The impact sends them into the rear cargo hold of the freighter ahead.
The heavy freighter door begins closing behind them, the ride is stalled from the impact. 1courier thinks, grimly, so much for the liaison. They are trapped.
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