Hi all, welcome to a little bit of fiction I have been working on for the last week or so, please enjoy and let me know what you think.
I Just Killed A Man…
“I just killed a man…”
Head.
Desk.
Head Desk. Head Desk. Head Desk.
Or in this case, Head. Bar-top.
I stopped my self-inflicted punishment and cracked open an eye staring past an overfull shot glass sitting just beyond my folded arms, the bottle of liquor sat right next to it, cap off, ready to reload and glared at the barman. He pretended that he hadn’t seen what I was doing and continued to absently polish an over-clean glass, the same one he had been working on since I walked in five minutes ago.
“I just killed a man.”
I let those words rattle about my head as I stared at the untouched drink, mumbling them beneath my breath too low for anyone to hear, not that there was anybody around really, just the guy behind the bar and an old man sitting near the observation windows reading a plastifilm recyclable paper trying to look suave.
I shifted my head slightly so I could look about some more. I hadn’t taken the time to do even that when I slouched in here. The bar that I slumped across was a faux-mahogany. The atmosphere was bright, plenty of light leaking in through the open vista screens looking out onto the cavernous docking bay beyond. Hidden speakers played soft music, that vague and annoying peaceful sort of tune you can’t quite remember. The only other notable object in here was a potted fern adding some green to the decor. The bar was one of those ritzy affairs, more a lounge attached to a Pilot’s Federation hotel than some of the rough and tumble places you’d normally see my type in.
Hell the barkeep had lost his stoic, disinterested airs when I had staggered in still clad in my black flight-suit, I think he was about to toss me out when I threw some creds at him and pointed to the wall of bottles behind the bar.
“Frak.”
“I just killed a man.”
I wasn’t really even sure where I was, some Coriolis station in orbit of some planet, the port was one of those where the designers lined the inside with trees and small parks, make the place feel less industrious and more welcoming. I knew where I wasn’t, Haeduwong, a busy Federation system under the control of the Alliance, it had been a nice little joint to earn some cash in. At least it was, not so much now.
I shifted slightly in my seat so I could wrap a finger and thumb around the rim of the brimming glass with as little effort as possible, didn’t want to disturb my slouch. I gazed at the liquid as it shifted between completely transparent and a rich golden glow whenever a ship passed by outside.
Given its location this bar was probably meant to be pretty exclusive, normally the sort of place that caters to passengers getting off from an Orca or trust-fund babies who flew space-tanks for s and giggles. Not normally my kind of joint, but it was the closest to where my own ship docked and I hadn’t been in the mood to travel far.
“I just killed a man.”
“I’m not sure what mood I’m in.”
See I was a hunter, a marshal, a lawman or I liked to think that. I had made my way up to my current position after spending far too long running corporate jobs, first working as a rating on some navy vessel to get my basic qualifications, then more time as an engineer aboard a Type-9 after that I had enough to buy in onto a new “independent contractor” scheme which landed my first solo flight on a crappy little Sidewinder. Now though I was flying something much meaner, that could pack a punch, something that could kill a man.
Haeduwong had been a great location. I had been in and out of the system for several days, using it and a neighbouring location to alternate my activities. This time though I had got an alert that a near mythical pirate lord called OJ had been spotted and as I was the closest vessel with the right clearances and licenses for tackling that sort of work, so I’d been tapped.
It wasn’t my first rodeo they’d been piling up all day. I think this was my seventh such task in a row, combined with running needed cargo and hunting down two-bit pirates trying to strangle the local trade routes. I looked pointedly at shot glass held in my fingers tilted ever so slightly, the contents threatening to spill. Somewhere out of sight I could hear the crash-tinkle of the cooks shifting cutlery about in the kitchen.
It wasn’t even my first kill to be frank, the number of bounties I had racked up over the last few months was staggering, and while ejection systems, personal survival canisters and single use point-to-point micro FSD’s were all fitted standard to ships these days, there was always some chance of system failure.
“Damn, now I’m thinking about the Concordia”
The bartenders looking at me out of the corner of his eye again, shifty , must have thought too loud. I had jumped into Haeduwong thinking this would be my last assignment for the day, I was running on fumes, shipboard time was just after 0300, I could blame the fatigue I suppose, but I won’t.
Like every pilot before me I popped out of Witch-Space near the sun and peeled away along the most expedient route, not even bothering to scoop some fuel. I cast a glance for local sensor contacts, checked my nav-panel and focused in on the nearest USS, I needed a couple more low level pirate bounties to fulfill a quota and this guy OJ then I’d be done, already I was looking forward to powering down safe in a station and getting some rack time.
I dropped back into sub-light my engines leaving greasy smears of brownish exhaust across space as they cooled off, when my proximity alarms started shrieking. A pair of vipers had jumped in and I quickly tagged them for exactly what they were, pirates, the paintjob’s a giveaway, always wondered why pirates advertised like that. They sent some local transmission but I ignored it, powering weapons and locking on with the KayWiz, one, two, done. I was ready to fire when the heavens exploded and a much bigger ship appeared right above me.
A thrice-cursed Anaconda blew into real-space it was that so-called pirate lord. His minions scattered as I switched targets, my ship responding as I hurriedly input commands and bellowed for the automated systems to do what they could. I dumped chaff and locked onto his power plant, cycling back from his point defense weaponry, no sense faffing about in this situation had to go for the kill.
OJ though must have been asleep at the controls as I burned into his hull with a couple of Beamers and my Pulsers… yeah I know, really should diversify a bit, but not needing to re-arm kept me in the field for longer, made me more money, made me a more efficient Bounty Hunter, a better killer.
“, I just killed some poor punk.”
The Anaconda went down quick, it’s easy if you’ve the rocks to take the punishment, coupled with knowing what you’re doing and a reckless disregard for your own safety, the viper wingmen though, they were all over me and my ship took a beating in retribution. Still, twist and turn and weave and boom, reactor overload on the first Viper, the second I just sliced apart, didn’t bother with anything fancy. Finally peace, shields down though, hull wasn’t in too good a shape and that damn fragile canopy was about to pop, still everything was fine, a nice bounty for the pirates, a reward from the assignment with some bonus thanks from the locals for taking down OJ, more than enough to cover the repairs I was thinking, right up until a new group of contacts appeared angling in from starward.
Eagles’ verses a Python, you think even in my damaged state the pirates would know better, and attacking without shields how is that ever a good idea. Things got rough as they tried to outflank me, I manoeuvred hard, a call from below decks let me know my engineer was being tossed around by the rapid course corrections. Target to front, locked, activate Kill-warrant Scanner, briefly check for valid local bounty, keep him in sight and don’t let him outflank you, warrant scanner checks in, fire. One second there’s an Eagle, the next just dust, rinse and repeat.
I did that six more times, Six! There was an Asp in the second wave but it was all becoming a rote series of exercises as my mind went into hunting mode, that’s when I got sloppy. It wasn’t against the Asp, he was valid it was the next poor guy.
What a Hauler was doing in our little conflict I don’t know but it was there and flying directly at me, my hands had it targeted with practised ease and my HUD indicated its trajectory was dead on giving me a nice clean lock with my forward weapons.
I think I saw the computer report the Hauler had its weapons out, though in fairness I had just scratched five Eagles, an Asp, a pair of Vipers and an Anaconda so my own were deployed, it could have been a defensive gesture.
I think I saw the “Wanted” indicator flash up on my side panel, but I was tired and hurt and my ship was falling apart, it was just a Hauler so I skipped giving it a full scan or checking the validity of the target, with it right there in front of my I fired the Plasma Accelerator.
Energy rippled across its hull, stripped its shields and fried its power plant, boom.
“I just killed a man”
He was probably just some punk kid who either thought his life was in danger and decided to make a go of it, or maybe it was his first time out, a newbie ready to make his first foray into the world of piracy. I’ll never know, don’t even remember a name just the red light of a Bounty being tagged on my own system.
Wanted: Murder
Just like so many of my former targets have had. I swore. For a moment I sat stunned then cursed and shook it off, I switched to my nav panel chose a random course, time to get out of here before the local authorities made things worse. I scrolled down and selected the first planet my cursor stopped at, spooled up the jump drives and ended up here… wherever here is.
“From Hunter to Hunted”
All ‘cause I didn’t check, follow the right procedures, took shortcuts.
“Dammit.”
That got the bartenders attention who glared at me as I spoke. I ignored him and slipped off the barstool grabbing my old overcoat from where I had thrown it earlier. I strode towards the door leading out of the lounge whipping the coat through the air and settling it around my shoulders with practiced flair, it was the only major motions I had done since I first reached the bar. The barman started to call after me as I shouldered the door open and burst out into the passageway beyond, the shot glass still sitting full beside the open bottle back on the bar.
“ I could really use a drink”
I mumbled scowling, pity I never did like to lose control like that.
I Just Killed A Man…
“I just killed a man…”
Head.
Desk.
Head Desk. Head Desk. Head Desk.
Or in this case, Head. Bar-top.
I stopped my self-inflicted punishment and cracked open an eye staring past an overfull shot glass sitting just beyond my folded arms, the bottle of liquor sat right next to it, cap off, ready to reload and glared at the barman. He pretended that he hadn’t seen what I was doing and continued to absently polish an over-clean glass, the same one he had been working on since I walked in five minutes ago.
“I just killed a man.”
I let those words rattle about my head as I stared at the untouched drink, mumbling them beneath my breath too low for anyone to hear, not that there was anybody around really, just the guy behind the bar and an old man sitting near the observation windows reading a plastifilm recyclable paper trying to look suave.
I shifted my head slightly so I could look about some more. I hadn’t taken the time to do even that when I slouched in here. The bar that I slumped across was a faux-mahogany. The atmosphere was bright, plenty of light leaking in through the open vista screens looking out onto the cavernous docking bay beyond. Hidden speakers played soft music, that vague and annoying peaceful sort of tune you can’t quite remember. The only other notable object in here was a potted fern adding some green to the decor. The bar was one of those ritzy affairs, more a lounge attached to a Pilot’s Federation hotel than some of the rough and tumble places you’d normally see my type in.
Hell the barkeep had lost his stoic, disinterested airs when I had staggered in still clad in my black flight-suit, I think he was about to toss me out when I threw some creds at him and pointed to the wall of bottles behind the bar.
“Frak.”
“I just killed a man.”
I wasn’t really even sure where I was, some Coriolis station in orbit of some planet, the port was one of those where the designers lined the inside with trees and small parks, make the place feel less industrious and more welcoming. I knew where I wasn’t, Haeduwong, a busy Federation system under the control of the Alliance, it had been a nice little joint to earn some cash in. At least it was, not so much now.
I shifted slightly in my seat so I could wrap a finger and thumb around the rim of the brimming glass with as little effort as possible, didn’t want to disturb my slouch. I gazed at the liquid as it shifted between completely transparent and a rich golden glow whenever a ship passed by outside.
Given its location this bar was probably meant to be pretty exclusive, normally the sort of place that caters to passengers getting off from an Orca or trust-fund babies who flew space-tanks for s and giggles. Not normally my kind of joint, but it was the closest to where my own ship docked and I hadn’t been in the mood to travel far.
“I just killed a man.”
“I’m not sure what mood I’m in.”
See I was a hunter, a marshal, a lawman or I liked to think that. I had made my way up to my current position after spending far too long running corporate jobs, first working as a rating on some navy vessel to get my basic qualifications, then more time as an engineer aboard a Type-9 after that I had enough to buy in onto a new “independent contractor” scheme which landed my first solo flight on a crappy little Sidewinder. Now though I was flying something much meaner, that could pack a punch, something that could kill a man.
Haeduwong had been a great location. I had been in and out of the system for several days, using it and a neighbouring location to alternate my activities. This time though I had got an alert that a near mythical pirate lord called OJ had been spotted and as I was the closest vessel with the right clearances and licenses for tackling that sort of work, so I’d been tapped.
It wasn’t my first rodeo they’d been piling up all day. I think this was my seventh such task in a row, combined with running needed cargo and hunting down two-bit pirates trying to strangle the local trade routes. I looked pointedly at shot glass held in my fingers tilted ever so slightly, the contents threatening to spill. Somewhere out of sight I could hear the crash-tinkle of the cooks shifting cutlery about in the kitchen.
It wasn’t even my first kill to be frank, the number of bounties I had racked up over the last few months was staggering, and while ejection systems, personal survival canisters and single use point-to-point micro FSD’s were all fitted standard to ships these days, there was always some chance of system failure.
“Damn, now I’m thinking about the Concordia”
The bartenders looking at me out of the corner of his eye again, shifty , must have thought too loud. I had jumped into Haeduwong thinking this would be my last assignment for the day, I was running on fumes, shipboard time was just after 0300, I could blame the fatigue I suppose, but I won’t.
Like every pilot before me I popped out of Witch-Space near the sun and peeled away along the most expedient route, not even bothering to scoop some fuel. I cast a glance for local sensor contacts, checked my nav-panel and focused in on the nearest USS, I needed a couple more low level pirate bounties to fulfill a quota and this guy OJ then I’d be done, already I was looking forward to powering down safe in a station and getting some rack time.
I dropped back into sub-light my engines leaving greasy smears of brownish exhaust across space as they cooled off, when my proximity alarms started shrieking. A pair of vipers had jumped in and I quickly tagged them for exactly what they were, pirates, the paintjob’s a giveaway, always wondered why pirates advertised like that. They sent some local transmission but I ignored it, powering weapons and locking on with the KayWiz, one, two, done. I was ready to fire when the heavens exploded and a much bigger ship appeared right above me.
A thrice-cursed Anaconda blew into real-space it was that so-called pirate lord. His minions scattered as I switched targets, my ship responding as I hurriedly input commands and bellowed for the automated systems to do what they could. I dumped chaff and locked onto his power plant, cycling back from his point defense weaponry, no sense faffing about in this situation had to go for the kill.
OJ though must have been asleep at the controls as I burned into his hull with a couple of Beamers and my Pulsers… yeah I know, really should diversify a bit, but not needing to re-arm kept me in the field for longer, made me more money, made me a more efficient Bounty Hunter, a better killer.
“, I just killed some poor punk.”
The Anaconda went down quick, it’s easy if you’ve the rocks to take the punishment, coupled with knowing what you’re doing and a reckless disregard for your own safety, the viper wingmen though, they were all over me and my ship took a beating in retribution. Still, twist and turn and weave and boom, reactor overload on the first Viper, the second I just sliced apart, didn’t bother with anything fancy. Finally peace, shields down though, hull wasn’t in too good a shape and that damn fragile canopy was about to pop, still everything was fine, a nice bounty for the pirates, a reward from the assignment with some bonus thanks from the locals for taking down OJ, more than enough to cover the repairs I was thinking, right up until a new group of contacts appeared angling in from starward.
Eagles’ verses a Python, you think even in my damaged state the pirates would know better, and attacking without shields how is that ever a good idea. Things got rough as they tried to outflank me, I manoeuvred hard, a call from below decks let me know my engineer was being tossed around by the rapid course corrections. Target to front, locked, activate Kill-warrant Scanner, briefly check for valid local bounty, keep him in sight and don’t let him outflank you, warrant scanner checks in, fire. One second there’s an Eagle, the next just dust, rinse and repeat.
I did that six more times, Six! There was an Asp in the second wave but it was all becoming a rote series of exercises as my mind went into hunting mode, that’s when I got sloppy. It wasn’t against the Asp, he was valid it was the next poor guy.
What a Hauler was doing in our little conflict I don’t know but it was there and flying directly at me, my hands had it targeted with practised ease and my HUD indicated its trajectory was dead on giving me a nice clean lock with my forward weapons.
I think I saw the computer report the Hauler had its weapons out, though in fairness I had just scratched five Eagles, an Asp, a pair of Vipers and an Anaconda so my own were deployed, it could have been a defensive gesture.
I think I saw the “Wanted” indicator flash up on my side panel, but I was tired and hurt and my ship was falling apart, it was just a Hauler so I skipped giving it a full scan or checking the validity of the target, with it right there in front of my I fired the Plasma Accelerator.
Energy rippled across its hull, stripped its shields and fried its power plant, boom.
“I just killed a man”
He was probably just some punk kid who either thought his life was in danger and decided to make a go of it, or maybe it was his first time out, a newbie ready to make his first foray into the world of piracy. I’ll never know, don’t even remember a name just the red light of a Bounty being tagged on my own system.
Wanted: Murder
Just like so many of my former targets have had. I swore. For a moment I sat stunned then cursed and shook it off, I switched to my nav panel chose a random course, time to get out of here before the local authorities made things worse. I scrolled down and selected the first planet my cursor stopped at, spooled up the jump drives and ended up here… wherever here is.
“From Hunter to Hunted”
All ‘cause I didn’t check, follow the right procedures, took shortcuts.
“Dammit.”
That got the bartenders attention who glared at me as I spoke. I ignored him and slipped off the barstool grabbing my old overcoat from where I had thrown it earlier. I strode towards the door leading out of the lounge whipping the coat through the air and settling it around my shoulders with practiced flair, it was the only major motions I had done since I first reached the bar. The barman started to call after me as I shouldered the door open and burst out into the passageway beyond, the shot glass still sitting full beside the open bottle back on the bar.
“ I could really use a drink”
I mumbled scowling, pity I never did like to lose control like that.