Annals of the Keepers - Deception by Christiaan Hile & Benjamin Halkett

Author:Christiaan Hile & Benjamin Halkett [Hile, Christiaan & Halkett, Benjamin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781502745385
Publisher: Jovian Werks
Published: 2014-11-14T07:00:00+00:00

Data Cell 20

The Greater Rings system was the place to be if you were in the trades. This was the intersection for cultural diversity in this quadrant of the Milky Way. Commerce came to deal in the main city of abundance, Aba-Qun Ta. It was the, whose-who of those seeking prosperity, as well as those who would wheel and deal amongst the galaxy’s finest tradesmen and most notorious hustlers. You either did your trade dealings legally within the confines of the Domain’s and Vrae’s control, or you belonged to the black market. Either way, you were still required to pay your dues to the local magistrate to keep your head from being blown off at the slightest misstep of disobedience. This city was money. It was power. It was pure greed at its best. But, above all else, it was a place for information, if you knew who to find.

I walked the city’s marketplaces as I’ve done many times before, unknown by the races that traded and bartered here. I had my contacts, but they were few and far between. I liked it that way. The rest don’t cast a suspicious eye as long as you blend in with the culture and the goings-on of the trade system. Play by the rules and they leave you alone, or at least make sure you’re not the one they catch.

I decided to stop for some food as I awaited my contact. I always met associates in the worst of weather during heavy city activity. The night was dark and the rain was coming down in sheets. The wet winds carried the variety of vendor aromas through the streets and passages of the ore district. The alien fare was hard to acquire a taste for in these parts. One of the many places I hung my hat was a little side-street joint known as Lu-shoo. It had a good central location to get the low-down and survey any exchanges, as I didn’t come here for the service or entrees. The menu here served up yantinon larvae, a Mertiklask delicacy for sure. Stomach pains and toilet duty waited me with this choice. It was always the greengage I chose, larvae were not on my chosen list of acceptable proteins. I also ordered what was the closest thing to Human coffee. It does the trick, if you can get it down.

Before I sat down at the outside bar, I noticed a little Cuukzen in the corner. Cuukzen were used as maintenance crews for the city’s subterranean works. I knew every Cuukzen in the city, so this Mistuuk character would be easy to spot. Commander Parejas said he would find me. I found that hard to believe, as I am the one that finds, not the other way around. It wouldn’t matter though, this Cuukzen had some good intel on my target and I agreed to work with him. Rather, he work with me.

I kept my eye on the Cuukzen. He was trying to be inconspicuous; it wasn’t working.

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