The Azuka Chronicles: Shattered Dreams [IC]

Momoka Azuka

Momoka Azuka
There was nothing very special about this particular Cobra MK III. Sure it was upgraded and had two full overhauls but. It was old, approaching 30 years of service. It was put through hell, barely surviving multiple battles that took it to the edge of it's existence. And it was run on a tight budget, sometimes going weeks, even months without proper repairs or service. There was nothing special about it, except for the memories surrounding it. From the moment it was purchased by my father and using it for his first job of delivering fruit, to it's first pirate run on a trade ship. From my brothers learning to fly at its helm, to my first time powering up it's engines and failing to release it form the pad before boosting on my first attempt to fly. From my first steps as a toddler, to my first kiss as a teen. This Cobra MK III was nothing special, but the Shattered Dreams is home. Some stories tell the tail of a white knight on a horse riding in to save the princess. Others of a man in a red cape protecting a world from evil. But this is the only hero that matters to me. This stories hero is my father's Cobra MK III, and my journey to survive through the galaxy of which it wonders...
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Momoka Azuka

Momoka Azuka
Sixteen Years Ago
Unknown System: Unknown Jurisdiction

"She'll be yours one day." A deep voice of a man said in shadow.

"Really daddy?" I said in reply. I remember the day well. I was 10, having dark hair wearing a pink dress with gold trimming and pigtails with gold ribbons. I was down on my knees staring through a vent in the wall. "You'll really give me that ship?" I asked as I peeked through to the hanger of the Cobra MK III.

"That's right. Only the best for daddy's little princess." The man spoke as he stepped into the light of the dimly lit room. Shinn didn't look like the typical pirate. A young man of Asian decent, Tall with a slender build, long straight black hair and a goatee. He was sharply dressed in a fine red and black Imperial suit with a gold pendent of our family crest, the Japanese kanji of the name Azuka written atop the crest of the Empire. I looked back at my father as he talked to another well dress slightly taller man I couldn't quite make out in the lighting.

"Is that all Shinn? This was barely worth the trip." the second man stated.

"Trust me, my friend, it'll be well worth it once the deal falls through." Shinn responded before picking me up and tucking me up into his arm.

"I hope you're right about this. War is good for business but if you're wrong..." the man replied as I turned back to look at the ship through the window now that I was high enough to view clearly.

"Relax. I'm always right. Now, do we have a deal?" Shinn asked before the man stepped slightly into the light. I looked back at the man once he leaned down to my level. He remained too far away from the light for me to make out his face.

"Hey there little lady. You really like that pretty ship in there don't you?" he asked me. Scared to speak, I simply nodded.

"Now now Momoka, be nice." Father said.

"Yes sir." I shyly replied. The man laughed and shook my father's hand.

"She's cute. She won me over. Hehe. Deal." He stated. Shinn held me up higher.

"Princess, remember how to power up snakes?" he asked.

"Yes." I responded brightly.

"Good. Run to the Shattered Dreams and get her ready to go."

"Really?"

"She'll be yours one day remember, you gotta know how to use her. Now run along, Princess."

I jumped down from my father's arms and ran through the door to the hanger.

"And one day you'll have a better life than me." Shinn whispered under his voice as I got closer to the ship. As I climbed up the ramp of the Cobra, I looked back at my father who smiled back at me.



The galaxy is an unforgiving place. Having grown up as the daughter of a Pirate Lord, no one knows this better than me. My name is Momoka Azuka. My father Shinn Azuka was once the most feared man in the Federation as the leader of the criminal organization, The Ten Swords. His reign of terror over every trader, miner, explorer and bounty hunter to ever cross him or his crew's path was legendary until the about a decade ago. That was when his luck ran out. At the end of his reign, he was betrayed by his right hand man and lead into an ambush that left his fleet in ruin and the pirate king himself captured by the federal navy. Shinn was found guilty of terrorism and executed a few years later for his crimes. Since then, us children, seven sons and two daughters, went into hiding in our native Imperial space. My eldest brother, Jin, has been slowly rebuilding the Azuka name by assembling a new pirate faction based near the Federation/Empire border. Myself, being the youngest, have relied on my brother since our father's death in the hope that I would one day gain my father's old Cobra MK III, The Shattered Dreams, and enough credits to escape the life of a criminal. But as I seem to keep learning, you can not escape your past...
 

Momoka Azuka

Momoka Azuka
Present Day
Nehet System: Empire Jurisdiction


"Master, wake up master." A woman speaks to me under the covers in a bunk. She is very pretty, 5 feet tall, slim build, young with long brown hair and brown eyes wearing a white robe. I let muffled moan out from the covers. "Master, we have a job. Please wake up."

I release another groan before the covers move. I sit up from under the covers and rub my eyes to wake myself up.

"Lana, I've told you a thousand times, I'm not your master. Just use my name, okay?" I say in a very groggy voice.

"Yes Mas... Momoka. I've prepared your flight suit." Lana responds.

"Thanks, but you didn't need to do that."

"But it's my job."

I sigh and climb out of the bunk, floating in the zero g slightly higher than the woman who was firmly planted to the floor thanks to the gravity boots she wore. I push myself over to view the mirror fitted to the wall opposite the bunk. I appear looking very different from the child from before. 5 feet 1 inch, slim build, long hair dyed pink and bright gray eyes.

"You said we have a job?" I ask before tying up my hair into a knot.

"Yes. Master Jin wants you to return to the station to stock the ship with a shipment."

"Right, I need to take a shower. Contact him and tell him I'll be there in an hour or so." I say and throw myself in the weightlessness for the sealed door on the far side of the small cabin.

"As you wish. Shall I also wake Amy?" Lana asks as I enter the shower.

"Nah, let her sleep. Last thing I need this early is her attitude. You can handle her task right?"

"Not very well... but I can try, Master."

"Lana, jeez... Momoka, or just Momo."

"My apologies, Momoka."


The large doors of the cockpit slides opens and Lana steps through and sits in the right hand side of the two pilot seats. She begins the ship startup sequence. Engines and shield power up on board the Cobra siting outside the ring system of a local gas giant. The Shattered Dreams has gone through several changes over the years, the most noticeable of which must be the most recent paint job I've added to the hull. The ship has a shiny purple painted body with a skull emblem on its starboard side. The ship, though old for a MK III, is in very good shape thanks to the modifications done by both myself and my brother Jin.

I walk into the cockpit shortly after my shower now wearing a dark white ancient Japanese style jacket with pink trim and a black and purple flight suit underneath with purple grav boots of my own. I sit at the helm, adjusting my hair and putting in my favorite golden hair clip before switching on several controls.

"All systems are now online, Ma'am." Lana says.

"Good. Locking course on Xuesen Orbital. Give me full power to engines and get ready for Super-cruise."

"Yes ma'am. Full power to engines."

The Shattered Dreams comes to life, her engines roaring as I turn the flight stick to point us at the orange reticule on the holographic hud. I throttle up and throw the Cobra forward powering up the Frame Shift Drive. The vents open and the main drives glow as the ship prepares to jump. The standard ship OS counts down, 4,3,2,1 engage, and in a flash the Cobra jumps into Super-cruise.

Nehet is a system not far from the border of the Empire ruled by the Duval family. Though the Azuka family has been known as notorious pirates in the Federation and Alliance, our loyalty to the late emperor and our homeland meant we operate in Imperial space with far more discretion, presenting ourselves as more of a private military group only pirating from wanted targets or selling arms to forces within the border that proved their loyalty to the Empire. One such group is the Nehet Silver Ring, a less than legit organization operating out of two of the stations striving for control of the system. Jin has moved his base to the station just before the start of the last conflict between the Silver Ring and one of the other controlling factions. He rarely left his ship when docked at a station we didn't control in order to keep a low profile. Though his status was good with the local government, he was still a wanted man in a large portion of the galaxy.

The Shattered Dreams quickly closes in on Nehet 2, a large dark blue gas giant where Xuesen Orbital orbits. I disengage the FSD and the ship drops out in front of the station, several security ships fly past as I close in on the opening. I request docking, Granted, my usual pad 44 near the rear. Lana turns on the ship lights and lowers the landing gear as I guide the vessel into the station. I set down on the pad, and the engines disengage. I then trigger the pad to lower into the hanger and Lana powers down the ship.

"Lana you little lier, you did great just now." I praise my new co-pilot.

"Thank you. I really don't have much experience with navigational assistance." Lana replies slightly blushing.

"Could've fooled me. You're pretty good at it. I might not ever need Amy again."

"Thank you, Ma'am."
 

Momoka Azuka

Momoka Azuka
The Ten Swords, an Anaconda barring the name of our father's crew, sits in the large hanger surrounded by a few dozen men clearly armed with heavy weaponry ready to defend the ship from both enemies and authorities who dared tried to board her while docked. Lana and I however had free reign to due as we pleased and had no trouble walking onto the vessel. We make our way to the forward deck where Jin normally used as a command chamber, passing by several of the ship's crewmen along the way. Jin kept a large number of men on board to manage the ship so it was rare to see it empty. This made me somewhat nervous for I never truly felt safe knowing the company my brother keeps. Some members of the group were alright guys but most were hardened criminals with wanted statuses that made the much larger Kumo Crew look like boy scouts. Once we reached the doors of the forward deck that feeling came rushing to the surface as we meet by a tall muscular man wearing a simple military style tactical outfit guarding the entrance.

Kane was my brother's head security chief. Ex military, 6 foot 9, brown eyes, low cut black hair and thin facial hair to match. He has a thing for me, always flirting with me every chance he got. But he couldn't be farther from my type. Not to mention, part of me was slightly afraid of him. Not that he ever did anything to make me feel that way. But still, he made me feel uneasy.

"Momoka." the man speaks in a deep voice.

"Kane. Is my brother in there?"

"Yes, he's ordered me to let you in once you arrived." the man replies and punches in a code into the pad on the wall. The door slides open and Lana and I step inside.

"Only you. The slave was to wait outside." Kane adds.

"Yeah, no. She stays with me." I say and grab Lana's hand. "And she's not a slave."

"I'm afraid my orders were quite clear, my lady."

I look back at the man.

"Kane, she's coming with me. I'm not leaving her here with you." I say before Lana steps away from me.

"It's alright, Master Momoka. Master Jin is waiting for you. You shouldn't argue over me. I'll wait here." Lana says and walks back out into the corridor.

"Fine... but I'll be right back. Kane, if anyone touches her..."

"I'll make sure no one lays a finger on the girl." Kane responds. I turn back and head into the room to meet my brother.

Lana had the misfortune of being born into slavery on a backwater world near the Lave cluster. Her owner was a rich playboy prince to a dictator controlling a group of planets in a sector of space pledged with criminals. Slave trade of people with no rights of any kind was outlawed in most civilized systems in the galaxy, but there where some where people simply turned a blind eye to the trade. Jin happened across the man while docked one day during one of his many attacks on traders in the system and ended up playing a card game with him. At one point Jin insanely bet my ship on a risky hand and the man bet Lana. Jin lucked out and won the girl and upon returning home I found her being tossed around by several of Jin's crewmen. I, both hating the fact Jin now had a slave and allowed her to be treated so badly by his crew, shot over the heads of the men to force them off the girl. Following a heated argument with my brother and several threats to shoot the next person to touch the girl, I made a deal to buy Lana from Jin by working off the amount of money she was worth in the bet. However Lana was worth the current value of the Shattered Dreams, nearly 7.5 million credits, an amount I couldn't afford in the first place to buy the ship from Jin so I could leave. Unwilling to allow Lana to be treated like a toy, I effectively doubled my time of working for Jin. Lana has since then been under my care. Since I hate the idea of slavery in all its forms, I tend to treat Lana more like an employee and friend than property.
 

Momoka Azuka

Momoka Azuka
"Nee-chan, what's the deal ordering your brute to keep Lana out?!" I shout as I reach my brother sitting and the observation controls.
Jin is the splitting image of our late father. 5'11, toned build. Long straight black hair and gray eyes, his facial hair is trimmed much thinner than his old man's. He's wearing a white suit with gold plated trim and the same pendent of the family crest which father passed down to him.

"Hello to you too, sis." Jin says as he turns off the screens in front of him and rotates the seat to me.

"Seriously, you can't keep changing the deal with her."

"She's not allowed to be involved in this."

"In what?"

Jin stands and turns back to the the controls and turns the screen back on, showing a system map of Eotienses.

"Senator Patreus is drawing a lot of attention his way after the Emperor's assassination. Eotienses just went into civil war and my contacts are starting to request some pretty heavy gear be brought in Adams Market." Jin explains.

"Home? You want me to run weapons Home? Are you nuts?"

"You know I wouldn't ask you if I thought for a second you'd get caught. Besides, it's not what you're sneaking in. If it were I'd send someone else. It's what you're taking out." Jin adds and brings up an image of a man. "His name's Edwin Shaw. I need you to pick him up from the station after the delivery and bring him back here." he states. I look at the picture of the man.

"So I'm a shuttle now? What's so special about this guy?"

"Shaw works for the senator doing things he'd rather keep off the radar. Reason I need you to grab him is the senator would rather keep the Ten Swords involvement out of it as well but doesn't want his movements public knowledge. You're my best stealth pilot. That and Shaw... well..." Jin stops mid sentence and looks back towards the door. "Shaw had a hand in some of the dealings with the crew back in the day. He was one of father's higher ups. After his death Shaw disappeared for awhile before appearing again working for Patreus. I need to speak with him before he meets with the senator but I can't risk being seen talking to him. Or it could get... difficult."

"And you can't even trust your own crew with that info can you. Jeez, Nee-chan."

"I trust you. That's enough isn't it? So you're going to do this right?"

"As if you'd give me a choice. Probably already loading the 'Dreams' with the weapons now aren't you?"

"Hehe. You know me."

"Fine. I better not have to shoot this guy." I say laughingly before leaving to head to my ship.

"Sis. No guns. And If he ask, Lana's an Imperial slave. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. This better be a paying job this time."

-----

Back at the hanger holding the Mk III, another of Jin's crewmen watches over several drones guiding the before mentioned cargo into ship's hold as Lana and I reach the vessel. The older man with gray hair and a hunched back shouts at the machines several swears as they collide into each other before he takes notice of us.

"Oh Hey Momo!" He calls out and kicks one of the drones before moving to greet us.

"Hey Henry." I say with a smile.

"How's my favorite Imp doing on this fine evenin?"

"I'm fine, but it's morning."

"Oh mornin, evenin, what's the difference on these damn stations." Henry was a Federation farmer before his farm was destroyed during a battle between the feds and imperial forces over the system he called home. He ended up joining Father's crew after finding an old Adder and using it to steal beer from one of Father's rivals. Father witnessed his feats and brought him into the fold and Henry has worked for the family ever since. I always liked him. He never truly behaved like the rest of the pirates and was very protective of the women in and around the Ten Swords. "Jin gotcha headin on another of them weapon runs I rekon."

"Yeah, same old, same old. Nee-chan put you on cargo duty again?" I ask and look back at the drones crashing into each other again.

"Yeah... Hey you dang bots!" Henry responds shouting again at the drones. "I'll never understand them things. Back on the farm we used mammoths to move heavy 'quipment."

I start laughing. "I don't think mammoths are allowed to move around in the docks."

"Well they should. Be better than them drone things. And how are you today Ms Lana?"

"I'm doing well, sir." Lana says.

"You're looking lovely as always." He adds making her blush. Henry was one of the few who ever addressed Lana in passing among the crew. Like me, he feels all people should be free and goes out of his way quite often to make Lana feel like a normal human being.

"You're too kind, sir."

"Nee-chan should put you on public relations." I add in.

"Anything will be better than this." Henry says and sighs as the drones fumble out of the cargo hold after storing the final cannisters of the shipment.

"Tell ya what. I'll bring you back some whiskey on the return trip and you can tell me about the days back on the farm."

"It's a date. Take care ladies." Henry says and bows to us. We respond in kind and board the Cobra.
 

Momoka Azuka

Momoka Azuka
As I power the Cobra for launch, Lana begins to start the ship OS. I reach for her hand to stop her.

"You got this. Just do what you did earlier."

"But Momoka, if I'm not fast enough we could be in a lot of trouble. She's better for this."

"Sigh... I was hoping I didn't have to deal with her. Fine, wake her up."

Lana triggers the OS and the system spins up a holographic image of a young woman with long flowing hair wearing a short cocktail dress. The animation stretches out her arms in a waking fashion and looks around the cockpit at Lana and me.

"Good morning Amy." we both say to the image.

"Morning Commander Momoka, Lana. How may be of service?"

"We're going to work. You're on normal duty, Lana will handle navigational assistance but stay on standby." I state.

"Wait, standby? You are aware of my boot time right? You could've just let me sleep till you were shot at."

I throw my hands up as Lana giggles.

"Sorry master." Lana says.

"It's fine..." I reply grinding my teeth from behind a facepalm. "It's fine."

The ship releases from the pad and I throttle up to full speed. The cargo onboard was illegal so I needed to avoid being scanned by the security forces. I boost ahead, spiraling passed an incoming Type 7 in the entry point and rocket out of the station. My route plotted, I turn and aline with the next star. Lana charges the FSD and the ship begins the jump into Hyperspace.

----

Eotienses System: Imperial Jurisdiction


After several jumps, we arrive in Eotienses, our home system and Jin's original base of operations. I haven't been here in years but seeing the main star, memories of my childhood comes rushing back. Father teaching me how to fly the Shattered Dreams. The races I had with friends around the gas giant's rings in my old saker, the White Hammer. My first date planet-side on Eotienses A 3. Crashing into the side of the station after a dance. I had fond memories of this system. But this was the first time I've been back since the family went into hiding.
I stare at the main star for a moment to reminisce a bit before moving on to Eotienses A 3 and Adams Market to carry out the mission. Traffic was high, not surprising giving it was both Patreus' headquarters and a heavy population. As we make our way to the station, three of the many contacts zip around behind the Shattered Dreams. In a typical Azuka welcome home, warring sirens sound as the Cobra is tethered by one of the pursuing ships.

"Great, just what I need."

I throttle down and we drop out of Super-cruise spinning into normal space. The single vessel, an Adder, barrels in our direction.

"Scan detected. Contact has deployed it's hardpoints." Amy announces.

"Seriously? Good call Lana." I say and Lana nods. "Amy, weapons hot."

"This would have been a good time to actually wake me up. Time to bring the heat." Amy replies and deploys our own weapons.

The Shattered Dreams had been recently rearmed with an all burst laser setup, two class 2s on the nose and two class 1s on the wing tips. The Adder, which was showing up as wanted, remains slightly out of our firing range. I do a quick scan of his layout. The ship is poorly equipped for combat, only having two pulse lasers and the interdictor as well a limpet controller. Clearly this guy was new to this or he'd be way higher suited.

"Drop the cargo and you can go free." the voice of a young guy orders over the comms.

My confidence climbs even farther after hearing his voice, this guy was just some brat who happened to have a semi decent ship and he thinks he can take on a fully kitted Cobra. Kids these days.

"Yeah. Don't think I'll be doing that, kid. Tell ya what. I'll count to 10 and if you hyperspace out I won't blow up that pretty little ship of yours."

"You're in no position to make demands." he says as two more ships drop in to the area.

They turn out to be Sidewinders setup equally as poor as the Adder. I start laughing uncontrollably. There was no real way they could take me in such ships.

"Are you mocking us? We'll show you!" he shouts in anger and boost into the 'Dreams' range.

"1." I say and open fire on the approaching Adder. He banks to the left after taking the first round head on. I spin past the attacking Sidewinders and concentrate my fire on the Adder.

"2." I pull up and tuck in behind the Adder firing several shots into his shields before he ducks away. One of the Sidewinders gets a shot off that hits our shields but causes minimum loss to the outer ring.

"3." I pull the 'Dreams' around putting several more blast into the Adder's shield, forcing them down. The Adder maneuvers around and hits our shields with several burst of his own.

"4." I boost past the Adder heading straight into the fire of the Sidewinders taking the shots as I bank hard to the right, ducking back in behind my main target.

"5." I bombard the small vessel with several more burst before he banks back towards the Sidewinders. It seems his tactic of having them attack this ship is to buy him time to get his shields back.

"Amy, Target his shield generator." The Cobra's weapon fire focusing on its mark, I take the bait and boost after my prey.

"6." I fire several more blast into the Adder's as the Sidewinders begin to eat away at my shields. The waring sounds to alert me of our shields beginning to fail just as the Adder's generator blows. I boost away to open a gap between us and the three would be pirates, spinning and banking in random directions to avoid any more hits to my own shields.

"7." I swing to the left and boost after the Adder again after my shield recover to half strength. He turns to face me, still not willing to give up, firing his weapon in our direction.

"8." I dodge his incoming fire and blast away several more pieces of his ship and boost past. My enemy now down to 15 percent hull indicated on my hud. I turn hard to make one final pass to finish it.

"9!"

"OKAY OKAY! We'll leave! This isn't worth dying for! Who the hell are you?" the guy shouts and turns to flee, stowing his weapons.

"Name's Momoka Azuka. And stay out of my system, brats!"

The three ships boost away charging their FSD, and in seconds flash away into Hyperspace. I sit back and take in a deep breath as Lana starts cheering.

"That was amazing Master! I... I mean Momoka."

"It was alright. If I had a shield booster I could've ended it way quicker."

"Why didn't you finish them off? They were all wanted." Any chimes in.

"They were worth like 500 credits each. Wasn't really a point. Anyway let's get back on track here. Retract weapons."

"Aye Ma'am, Weapons retracted. We could've still gotten the bounties though." Amy responds.

I turn the ship back to our destination and charge the FSD, as fun as that little encounter was I was still on the clock and needed to get back to the mission.
 

Momoka Azuka

Momoka Azuka
Adams Market

I drop out of Super-cruise in orbit of my homeworld. Adams Market spinning in front of us. I couldn't have lined up better for a full speed run with the dock nearly dead ahead at 9kms out.

"Amy, give me everything you got to the engines."

"Aye, ma'am. Engines to maximum."

I punch it for the door, topping out at max speed. The Cobra shaking violently under the strain as I push the old thrusters to their limits. Under 7k and I request docking. Granted, pad 1, right up front. Typical, a full speed assault on a station and it's the first freaking pad at the door. I have no time to over think it. Under 3k and I kill as much speed as I dare but continue to rush in. Three security Vipers start to move in to scan me but my speed's much too high to give them a chance catch up. I reach the cage of the letterbox, full reverse to kill my speed. We're in, no scans, I bring the ship to a stop and drop down from alignment of the door to avoid farther scans. Another fine smuggling run handled well with no issues. Lana takes in a deep breath as I set down on the pad I was now screaming swear words at for being so close to the door.

"I swear Air Traffic Control knows I'm carrying illicit cargo when that happens."

"Then perhaps you shouldn't be carrying such cargo and we'll have an easier time with landing." Amy responds in a very sassy tone.

"Why are you programmed to have such a bad attitude, you stupid bot... Hail our contact would ya?"

"Aye, Ma'am."

"Thank you. Lana, stay with the ship. I need to find this Shaw guy."

"Yes Ma'am."


The black market merchant in contact with Jin as normal responds rather quickly and has his crew of drones taking delivery in no time. I leave the 'Dreams' heading for the park where I was to meet Shaw. It's been awhile since the last time I was on this station. It was a date I had with a guy from Sol who had a thing for Imperial girls. I had a knack for attracting weird men. Didn't really matter if it was a date or a contact my brother wanted for a mission. It was rare I met anyone I'd call normal. When I did things always went wrong. Largely do to my name, Azuka. Pride be damned if that name didn't bring more trouble than fortune. I reach the spot we were to meet. A fountain at the center of the park.

I remember the events of my last date here ten years ago. We sat on that very fountain, looking up at the ships flying past the superstructure. I laughed at his jokes and talked for hours about ourselves, trying to learn more about each other. That is, until he asked about my parents. I remember trying to be as vague as I could about them. Only saying my things about my mother who died when I was still a teen. But he managed to put two and two together after I slipped up and said something about my father during the conversation. I remember what he said well.

'It's true then. You really are the daughter of a murderer.' A murderer. It was true my father was a pirate lord but it was really the first time I heard that word describing him. I remember trying to defend him but then the guy told me a story about his dad. How a band of pirates from my families crew took down his Type 9 and killed everyone on-board. I couldn't remember his name or even what he looked like but I remember those words as clear as he spoke them just now.

"Momoka Azuka?" My thoughts on my last time here were broken up by voice of the man I was here to greet. He was taller than I expected, 6'2, thin build, short brown hair and a rugged beard wearing a very understated white button-up shirt and black pants. "You are her correct? Shinn's daughter?"

"Ah, Yes that's me. I'm here to take you to Nehet."

"Err... Nehet? I was expecting a more direct route."

"I was told to take you to my brother. I'm not aware of anything beyond that point."

"I see."

Shaw seemed far more reserved than I thought he'd be. Not saying much at all as we head back to the Shattered Dreams. I took notice to the fact that he was constantly looking around. Watching everyone in eyesight quite closely. So much so that it put me on alert as well. It wouldn't be the first time Jin sent me on a mission where guns were needed. I tap my wrist-comm to alert Amy, notifying her to prep for a hot evac. My bot might be rude but she was great at saving us from certain doom. I had a feeling this would get ugly and Amy needed to be ready well before we arrived.


We reach the ship thankfully with no issues. Lana was on hand to greet us and Shaw quickly came to a halt before boarding once he saw her.

"What's wrong?" I ask thinking I might be needing my weapon.

"I wasn't told you would have a crew."

"Oh. Yes that's Lana. My... err... second. She's my only crew member though. Unless you count a discount second hand ship computer."

"Ah. Well as long as there's no more surprises you have in store..." he replies before boarding the Cobra. Lana bows in tradition as we board.

"Welcome back, ma'am."

"Thanks. Are we ready to go?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Okay. Lana, 'Heavy Evac' got it?" I add letting her know things might get heated. She looks back at the man who disappears within the corridor of the entryway then back to me. I nod to indicate to protect him best we can. The Shattered Dreams had a small compartment fitted I use as a cabin but it's true purpose is to be used as an escape pod.

"Right. Yes ma'am."

Lana takes Shaw to the waiting compartment as I prepare to launch, waiting until she returns to the cockpit to launch. I quickly get vertical and Amy raises the landing gear, giving me the power to boost out of the station. We blast out, rocketing away from the station as I quickly set Nehet as our destination. I turn the Shattered Dreams to line up for the jump but sure enough my gut instinct was right. Right at that moment three ships appear on my radar following us at a really high rate of speed. No scans, they've had enough time to do so at their speed. They clearly knew what ship to look for. Someone on the station was watching us. How else would they know to follow the purple Cobra. I better make these jumps fast or this could be a real fight on our hands. Amy charges the FSD. Hyperspace will be the easiest way to lose a tail but wake scanners will make it possible for them to follow. No time to think of a plan. Charge complete, a flash and we're in Hyperspace.
 

Momoka Azuka

Momoka Azuka
Pai Huldr System: Imperial Jurisdiction

Once we dropped out of hyperspace in the next system I quickly scan around for the next jump point and sure enough three ships jump in behind us. I knew for sure they're after my particular cargo. I just didn't know why. I open the ship-wide comms.

"Alright, start talking. Who's following you? What do they want with you?"

Shaw hesitates to reply and before he can say anything the interdiction warning sounds as the lead ship tethers the 'Dreams'. Realizing our position near the star I decide it's best not to fight it and submit, allowing my opponent to pull us into normal space. However, nobody threatens my ship without a fight and I have no intent on giving these guys what they want. The lead Imperial Courier deploys it's hardpoints as it's two Eagle wingmen drop in behind it. Still no scans.

"Okay. Let's dance. Amy, Weapons hot. Combat protocol."

"Weapons deployed. Engines to combat speed, Weapons power to maximum."

Once I have a clear gauge of what I'm up against my confidence goes up as the only ship I need to worry about is the Courier.

"Commander, Are you seriously going to fight them?" Shaw shouts over the comms.

My plan was clear to me now. Though we were outnumbered, the Courier was the only real threat in this group. A quick scan of their weaponry and I knew the Shattered Dreams had an angle. Enemy missiles, a missile pod on the lead ship means realistically, I needed to keep my shields intact. Which meant keep my distance from the Eagles.

"I've survived worse."

The Courier opens fire and I barrel roll past it's lasers, firing a quick burst into it's shields before breaking off. The Eagles chase after us, each doing a small amount of damage to the shields. I quickly duck out of their line of fire focusing on the Courier, firing a volley of burst lasers into it's shields. The pilot ducks around and arches the nimble ship in line to hit the Cobra with its beams. I fire off the chaff launcher and bank hard to the left to avoid farther fire as the eagles close in. I spin the Cobra around their incoming fire and duck back in behind the Courier but the ship slows down and I dart past, putting the dreams back in its line of fire. These guys knew what they were doing. But they didn't bet on me being willing to do crazy things in the heat of battle.

"Amy. Target the Courier's shield gen." I order as I boost away from our attackers.

"Target locked. You're going to do what I'm thinking aren't you." Amy ask as I turn back boosting for the ships.

"Yup. Lana, hold on tight!"

I get back in firing range and pull the trigger, unleashing as many burst into the Courier as my weapons would allow, launching more chaff to break his target lock on us. I barrel ahead in a galactic game of chicken. However my plan was never to not hit the vessel with my own. I crash into the Courier forcing both our shields down. Sparks start flying across the Shattered Dreams from the impact and I twist around to keep her out of line with the missiles. I fire several more shots into the Courier, crippling it's shield generator. Once the Eagles get back into range I boost away from all three ships. My trusted Cobra was just fast enough to stay out of their range as I continued to boost, making a circle around the three vessels as I bought time for my shields to return. The Courier briefly coming into weapons range as I looped around.

"Shields online." Amy says as the blue sphere covers the MK III.

I launch back into the fright knowing the Courier's shields wouldn't be returning as easily, focusing on the bird as it closes in. I manage to get a fix on the ship, ripping into it's hull as the Eagles rush in to aid their partner. I realize the damage level to the Courier was just low enough that if I took the beating from them, I could finish it before my shields collapse again. The Courier's hull counts down as they bombard my shields. 15, 10, 5, 2 and my shields go. We start taking damage but I continue on. Then flames appear from the hull of the vessel, I boost past to open a gap as the Courier blows. The hard part down and my shields back, I turn back and make quick work of the Eagles. Barely giving them time to fight back before both follow the fate of the Courier.

"Amy, retract weapons. Status report." I say as Lana brings back up our course to Nehet.

"Aye, Hull down to 75%. Power Plant and Shield Generator took the bulk of the damage at 67% and 50% respectively." Amy responds.

"Shaw!" I shout of the comms.

"Yes commander, I'm here."

"Your welcome." I add as Lana charges the FSD to get us out of this place.
 

Momoka Azuka

Momoka Azuka
Xuesen Orbital
Nehet System: Empire Jurisdiction


We reach the bridge of the Ten Swords and Shaw, nervous as ever, twitches as he walks past the crowd of men that make up Jin's security. Jin stand up from the command chair and I instinctively slap him for yet another mission that got me shot at. In a continuing motion I move by my stunned brother and flop into the command chair he just rose from. Jin smirks as he shakes off my assault on his face and steps forward to greet the man I just risked our lives to get here.

"Shaw, I'm Commander Azuka, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I know who you are. Shinn's eldest son." Shaw looks around at the bridge. "You're truly following in your father's footsteps. This ship sure hasn't changed much."

"You would be one to know what she was like back then."

"Indeed. So why bring me back here now?"

"I'd like to know that myself after having to fight off mercs trying to kill him." I add in as I lean back in the seat, throwing my left leg over the armrest and tucking my arms behind my head to rest it better against the back of the seat.

"What's this now?" Jin responds.

"Oh come on now, Nee-chan. Like you didn't know."

"I swear I didn't."

"How do you know they were mercs and not pirates?" a stunned Shaw asks.

"You're not one for combat are you? First off, no Id tags, which means a few things, no true allegiance to any power, and no faction tag either. Which narrows it down to bounty hunters, pirates, or wondering Pilot's Federation commanders. No scans at any point once they were on our tail, which rules out pirates because any real pirate would practice targeting a ship with something on board which we didn't have. And a wing of three with a Courier as your lead and two beam laser outfitted eagles all for a single Cobra MK III. Someone with cash to burn that didn't want it to lead back to them wanted you dead." I explain as I twirl a strand of my hair around my finger.

Jin stares at me for a second. Clearly he didn't expect an attack on us. It was rare I saw a look of concern on his face. It was so rare that I wasn't too sure if it was concern for me or for the mission at hand. Technically, the mission was still ongoing. Shaw could possibly still be a target and Jin knew that from my statement of our attackers.

"Sis, go ship-wide." he finally says to me. My elbow was near the switch to open the button to hail the crew and I hit it on his command. "All Hands. Yellow Alert. Lock down the ship and be on the lookout for suspicious activity around the Anaconda."

The crew springs into action, security teams lining the halls and crewmen move to their assigned stations around the various sections of the Anaconda. Jin grabs my hand pulling me to my feet.
"Sis, get back to your ship a wait there until I return. Kane, take Team 2 and escort Momoka to the Shattered Dreams."

"I took em out. You're overreacting don't you think?"

"Sis, things are going on here that you're not aware of. We need to get this mission done."
 

Momoka Azuka

Momoka Azuka
Kane and his team surround Lana and me as we head back to the Shattered Dream, Jin's Anaconda lifts off it's pad as two escorting Fer De Lances marked with the family crest follow closely behind. We watch as the squadron heads out of the dock for their destination. I look ahead to Kane who seems to be on his wrist-comm with someone. His grip on his weapon tightens for a moment before relaxing and letting it go as he ends the call. He turns to me and I turn my focus back to the ships flying in and out of the dock. This mission was already feeling odd but it no longer had anything to do with me now that Shaw was with Jin. Still, I had questions, but that was a fairly normal thing when dealing with my brother.
We reach the Cobra as the repair crews did their magic to heal the battered snake. Kane's crew surrounds the ship ready to defend it from trouble while Lana and I head up the ramp. Kane follows and I pause turning to stop the man.

"Where do you think you're going?" I ask as I put my hand to his chest to halt his approach.

"To secure the ship. Boss want's you fully protected."

"Kane if anyone was stupid enough to board my ship, Amy would ruin them and I'd know by now."

"You were already attacked by these men, darling."

"And where are they now? Space dust. And I've already told you stop calling me darling."

He smirks and looks back to see Henry standing nearby tinkering with his drones.

"Then at least have to old man come on board. Ease my mind a bit." he suggests.

"Yeah that's works. I owe him a drink anyway."

He calls over the old timer and he greets us with a bow. As Henry comes up the ramp I turn back to Kane and think back to Shaw. If anyone in the crew was to know why Jin needed to speak with the man it was him.

"Kane..." I call back to him. "On second thought, join us for a drink."


We sat around the table of the Dreams makeshift mess hall drinking our chosen poisons while Lana stood nearby with a drinks tray. Kane and I had one thing in common, we had an unhealthy relationship with vodka. He and I were both on our third glass. Henry take a huge swig from the whiskey bottle while he speaks of a memory when his farm was overrun by feds.

"So I walk out the barn with two double barrels ready to go and decide to unchain my rapture Becky right. You shoulda seen them boys shakin in their boots. They go screamin back to their Dropship." he says and we all laugh. "Becky looks like a demon but she's a real angel that girl. Y'all a love her, Momo. I oughta see if the boss'll let me bring her round." He adds and takes another big gulp of the alcohol.

"Ha. I'd love to see her one day." I say as I finish off the vodka. Lana refills my glass.

"Darling, don't you think you're hitting that glass a little hard there?" Kane says while he just starts on his third.

"You're cute." I say with a chuckle patting his cheek slightly. "I barely got a buzz here. I gotta catch up to Henry." I add. Henry nods and raises the bottle in a toasting fashion.

"Relax my boy. Momo can hold her liquor with the best of em."

"If you say so." Kane replies.

"So Kane, any idea why Nee chan's so interested in that guy Shaw?" I ask.

"What you don't know?" he states. I simply shake my head. "Shaw managed the meet-ups with all the heavy hitters in the Federation and Alliance back when your old man ran things."

"I see."

"He middle-manned everything between Beta 1 and Eranin and all the way back to Lave. The man had his shaky fingers in everybody's business. You want to sell to or buy from someone over the border, Shaw's your man."

"So Nee chan want's to bring him back in to the fold? Cut down on his spending on contacts?" I say and take a sip from the glass.

"Wouldn't you?" he says then stands and looks at the banner I had attached to the wall of our family crest. "You know... Shinn was a lot of things in his time and one of them was he knew where to spend his credits."

"Ain't that the truth." Henry says, "Jin's good at what he does but he's nothin compared to the big man. Dontcha go tellin him I said that."

"You know I wouldn't." I say to the old man and throw my arm over his shoulder.

"He was a hell of a business man. Bad guy or not." Kane says and turns back to face us. "That and he made one hell of a pretty daughter." he adds.

"Hehe. You're starting to lose it Kane." I reply.

"Maybe so. But I'm right. On both fronts." he states and lifts his glass. "To Shinn." he toast.

"To Shinn." we all reply.

We drink to the toast and I lean back an stare at the banner, the memories of my father flooding my thoughts. I stare on, lost in the memories as Henry starts to tell another of his stories.
 

Momoka Azuka

Momoka Azuka
Flashback Ten Years Ago
Cosi System: Federal Jurisdiction


I remember the day well, June 6, 3291. Who wouldn't remember their sixteenth birthday. But that day was different for us triplets, Kaito, Mai and myself were to return home for our party. But it wasn't meant to be. My father's Anaconda fell under attack at the might of the Federal Navy. Our fleet was moving for Imperial space when my father received word of a mole in his ranks. He had no time to react before we were met by the full might of the Federation. The ship was under heavy fire and we had already lost several of our escorts in the battle. They outnumbered us five to one. I remember us kids running to the bridge as the explosions across the ship's hull threw us around violently. We entered the bridge to find it a mad house. The crew was fighting desperately to save the vessel from meeting an untimely end.

"Father!" Jin called out as one of the secondary Anacondas exploded in front of us.

"Jin, son."

"What's happening out there?"

"An ambush!"

"Father... what do we do?" Jin asked as the shields collapsed.

I can remember the look on my father's face as most of the fleet falls all round us. It was a look I only saw once on his face, the same look when our mother died.

"Sung!" he ordered his navigator. "Order all remaining vessels to stand down and open a channel to the Federal fleet!"

"Father... what..." Jin asked before his voice cracked.

"Jin, you know what to do. They're in your hands now." he said taking off the pendent and placing it around Jin's neck.

"Y... Yes sir." he responded and bowed to him. I panicked as did my sister Mai. I run to him.

"Wait... Wait, father... What are you doing?" I ask while I hugged him in tears.

"Ah my sweet princess... I'm doing what I must to protect you all."

"Daddy, don't do this... don't..." I said and broke down. I realize now I reverted back to that bright eye ten year old scared to leave her parents.

"Forgive me my children. I've never been a great father to any of you. This is my fate, my curse. This curse won't take you with me into the hell I created. I love you all." he says and pushes me into Jin's arms. "Go." he ordered.

"Daddy! DADDY!!!" I cried as Jin lifted me off my feet.

Jin and Kaito carried Mai and me from the bridge as he turns back to the hud. The last thing I see is another Anaconda barring our family's crest with its weapons trained on us before the doors slide closed in front of us. My brothers boarded the nearest pods while Jin takes us to our own waiting pods. He forced me inside as I start to cry knowing what my father was doing on the bridge of the cursed ship. Soon after, the eight pods that held us launched into the darkness of space. The Shattered Dreams flown by Jin soon followed collecting the pods and Hyperspaced away from the madness of that system, leaving our father to his fate...


----

Present Day
Xuesen Orbital
Nehet System: Imperial Jurisdiction


I awake from the nightmare of my past in a cold sweat. The cabin was quiet, completely still in the silence of the night. My head splitting with the ache of a hangover from the heavy drinking from earlier. I realize it was early, very early since there was no sign of Lana on her usual routine of taking care of the ship and making us breakfast. I climb out of the bunk and walk out the cabin across to Lana's. Sure enough she was still sleeping, hugging on tightly to a doll she had bought with the credits I gave her to by something nice for herself.

I close the door and walk to the cockpit, reaching the helm placing my hand on the headrest. I look out to the hanger seeing the gunmen hired by my brother with his back to the Cobra guarding the ship. My thoughts go back to the last words my father told us. 'the curse of the hell he created'
We were to escape this life of crime, yet here we were. Jin and I were still in neck deep. I start to wonder what my father would think if he could see us, his eldest and youngest children doing exactly what he wanted us not to do. Would he be angry? Would he feel betrayed? Or would he be proud? I sit in the co-pilot's seat and look over to the command chair and picture my father looking back at me. I picture him reaching over and placing his hand on my cheek the same way he used to when I was younger. I realize I didn't know.

"Forgive me father... I'll leave this life as soon as I can... I just... I can't do it... I can't leave this ship... I can't leave the only thing you left me..." I say out loud to the ghost.

I tuck my legs up into the seat as the image fades from my mind. I wrap my arms around them and stare at the empty seat, thinking of my father as I drift back to sleep.

----

[OCC] This part touched a nerve. It took me a good two hours to write. When I was writing it I was thinking of my actual real life father who recently passed away from a sudden illness. I won't go into details or say my father's real name but I feel I should take this moment to say to this to him. I'll do my best to make you proud. Goodbye Daddy. I love you. Rest in peace
 

Momoka Azuka

Momoka Azuka
I return to Jin's ship after receiving a message I had a new job. I nearly ignored the message until I read on as saw my cut, 100k. I knew this would surely be just as dangerous as bringing Shaw here, maybe more so. Still, I needed the money. I had one hell of a debt to pay my brother just to get away from here. I reach the ship to find the crew is unusually quiet. I had a bad feeling as I continued to the forward deck. Kane was standing at his post like normal.

"Momoka." he addresses me as usual.

"What's going on? Why's everyone so quiet?"

"It might be best if your brother explains it." He says punching in the code to open the door. He grabs my hand before I step in to the room. "I wouldn't be your normal defiant self right now dear. He's in an bit of a bad mood." he explains. I look back at him and into the chamber an notice there were others in the room with my brother.

I make my way into the deck and see Jin holding his diamond in-crested 9 mm pistol. He rarely took that gun from the lock-box in his cabin unless he was sending a message to someone.

"About time you decided to join us Momoka." he says as I reach the circle. He was really mad if he called me by my actual name and not sis.

"Nee chan? What's going on?" I say as I notice the men around him were the commanders of the other heavy ships in our fleet.

"Now that you're here, we can begin." he says and brings up the ship-wide comms bringing on the camera feed and broadcasting it to all the ships. "You all know why I'm making this broadcast. Several of you know of our dealings in the I Bootis Sector. You all also know of how I conduct business with buyers of our products. Now I shouldn't have to explain this to anyone with half a brain cell that you do not screw over any of my buyers." he says and loads his weapon.

The look in my brother's eyes was one of pure unchained rage. I knew that look well from as early as back when I could barely talk. Jin had a dark side which frightened most people. With good reason, it was a deadly side of my brother. The side of him I knew never to unchain.

"Now some of you may be new to this but most of you know not to cross certain lines. When you do stray past said lines, lessons need to be taught to make sure it doesn't happen again." Jin continues to say. He snaps his fingers.

The door sides open and his men drag in a pilot of one of our battle fitted Asp who was tied and gaged. They throw him to our feet and Jin lifts the man up by his hair onto his feet.

"Cable Grey here has been with us for quite some time now." Jin says and pulls the tape off and sock from underneath from the man's mouth. "How long has it been now Cable?"

"Thr.. three years..." the shaken man responds.

"Right. Three long years of service under our banner. Now you would think after all that time you would know the rules." Jin says and brings up an image of I Bootis on the screen. "You see people. Cable here decided not only would he screw over my buyer in I Bootis by not delivering 115 tonnes of personal weapons. He would go a step farther and rob the buyer's transport ship for a mere 8 tonnes of slaves. Now who here thinks that was a good idea?" Jin says as the man begins to sob.

"Nobody boss." The other commanders reply. I remain silent trying to remain calm.

"See Cable. Not a man in this room thinks it's wise to bite the hand that feeds you. You made me look bad, untrustworthy. Now I have to fly across Federation space, an area where if I'm found I do life in prison, all to meet with the buyer and clean up your mess." he states and puts the gun to the man's head. Jin then looks to me.

"Now normally I'd make an example of you by shooting your head off with a class 2 cannon. But since my darling sister just risked her life the other day to make me a very wealthy man, I thought I'd reward her by letting her take a break at some vacation spot. But since you basically undid all her hard work I figured I'd put your fate in her hands. Lucky for you she's not a cold hearted SOB like me." Jin says and looks at me with the gun to the man's head. The man shakes in fear as he stares at me.

"So what's it going to be Momoka? You gonna prove me wrong and scatter this guy's face into the black, or you gonna show him a little mercy?" He asks putting me in a horrible spot.

I pause for a moment. I know what I need to do to show strength to the Ten Swords. But I'm not that person. I never have been. Jin knew I'd never take a life if it can be avoided. I can't do what he wants.

"Nee chan. You have made examples of many before. But he clearly regrets committing his acts. A lesser punishment may be more in line for him." I respond, holding back the urge curse at him for putting me in this position.

"The Princess of the Ten Swords has chosen. She spares this poor soul from death." Jin says lowering the gun and stepping away from the man. "But there still needs to be an example." He adds, pushes the man and shoots him in the back. He falls screaming in pain and Jin fires two more times in both knees.

"A lesser punishment than death! Never walking again!" he says and looks back to me with and evil smirk. He was enjoying this. The thought alone was starting to make me sick.

"We are the Ten Swords! We are NOT just a band of pirates stealing from every Hauler in our gun range! We are businessmen people! We DO NOT screw over our business!" He says as the man cries loudly in pain.

Jin violently kicks the man in the face and snaps his fingers again. The guards pick him up and hold him up next to my brother.

"Let this serve as a warning! Even my mercy comes with a heavy price for betraying me! If any of you step out of line, DO NOT expect me to show you the same mercy as my sister!" he says and ends the broadcast. "Get him out of my sight before I change my mind."Jin orders.

They take him away and the room clears as I turn away, leaning against the chair fighting desperately not to lose my breakfast at Jin's cruelty. I was just barely able to keep my composure during the whole thing but I was disgusted with my brother in that moment.
 

Momoka Azuka

Momoka Azuka
"Nee chan... what... the hell... was that?" I ask still not able to look at him after he brutally shot that man.

"That..." He calms himself with a deep breath. "Was me sending a message."

"Why would you put me in that position?! You know I'm no killer..."

"I know. I need people to know I have other methods of punishment than just killing them."

"But you made me choose..."

"I knew you weren't going to let him die. It's not you." he says and turns me to face him. "Some men don't fear death. They need to know I can still make an example of them as well. You did exactly what I wanted you to do."

"Then why have me do it? Why not just shoot him and leave me out of it?"

"Come on sis, you know why. I can't show any weakness to these people." He says as I take a deep breath.

"You... wanted me to do a job?" I say regaining my composer.

"You know I'm heading to I Bootis to fix things with the buyer there. I can't take this ship but our new cripple just happened to loan me his." Jin says jokingly.

"Get to the point."

"Fine, jeez sis. Learn to relax would you. I was making a move in Kui Hsien and Mahei but since I can't now. I need you to do it. The cargo is 30 tonnes of battle weapons to Saavedra Dock in Kui Hsien. From there you'll be picking up 25 tonnes of narcotics to take to Kempf Refinery in Mahei." He explains.

"Narcotics? I thought we weren't dealing with illegal cargo in Empire space."

"Saavedra is run by an independent company. Kempf is unsanctioned. Both are deep in Imperial space but don't belong to the Empire."

"Okay but their both outposts. If my cut's that high it's gotta be something up."

"Well..."

"Nee chan..."

"The systems are both run by a small time group called the Diamond Head, a pirate group that are loyal to Mahei Holiday Company. They have both systems locked down pretty tight. Which is why I was going myself, stir the pot sort of speak. But I need you to go in my place. The buyers at both have ties to Patron's Principles so it's in our best interest to stay on time here. Both systems are just... difficult to travel through with cargo."

"Meaning I gotta fight my way to both outpost. Great."

"You can handle it. Just a few Adders and Cobras, maybe a random Courier at most. They rarely fly wings so you'll be fine. It's just a lot of em." He states. I twirl my hair around my finger a bit thinking about the money. "Once I get back we'll be wrapping up our business here in Nehet so after you're job head to base. We should be back by then."

"Right. Should I rearm the Dreams?"

"Nah you'll be fine with your setup. There is... one more thing."

"What?" I say back not liking his tone.

"I... kinda need Lana to come with me..." he says avoiding eye contact with me.

"What?! Why do you need Lana?"

"It's the buyer in I Bootis. He kinda thinks I own her still and I kinda... made it seem I had more slaves than just her. I need to keep up the image so..."

"Dammit Nee chan, she's not a slave anymore."
"He doesn't need to know that. Plus she has a habit of still acting like a damn good one."

"Fine..." I say grinding my teeth. "But you keep her safe. Not one of your thugs put a finger on her. I mean it, Nee chan. She comes back and there's so much as a hair on her head out of place and they all end up like the guy you just shot."

"Alright, alright, jeez. You'd think you just shot the man."
 

Momoka Azuka

Momoka Azuka
Kui Hsien system: Independent Jurisdiction


Sure enough the system was full of Adders and Cobras securing the area between me and Saavedra Dock. By the time I reached my first destination, I had crippled the drives of six vessels. Once I dropped out at the outpost, I had a thought I couldn't shake. 'Nee chan you cheap dog. 100k isn't enough for this much work' These guys weren't skilled enough to pose a real challenge but still, six dogfights just to get to a place. It was tiring. I sit the Shattered Dreams onto to pad 2 of the very heavy trafficked outpost. The place had a bar so I leave the Dreams to get a drink. I had a few days before the drugs would arrive. I'm hoping this place has something strong enough to knock me out for awhile.

I reach the bar to find it surprisingly empty for such a heavy amount of traffic, only two people, an older lady at the back of the bar and a guy my age. I sit at the bar and signal over the bartender. The man walks over and simply takes a look at me. He then grabs a glass from under the bar then takes a bottle of vodka from the wall. He fills the glass to the brim and slides it over to me then walks away all in complete silence. I stare at the man as he walks away. It catches me by surprise so hard that it puts me on edge. The guy at the bar then slides over a seat while I continue to eye the glass in suspicion.

"Yeah. It freaked me out too the first time." He says.

"I... Didn't... How did he..."

"I learned not to ask. You're not from around here are you."

"I... Umm... I'm here on a job." I reply.

I finally take a sip from the glass. It doesn't hit me any differently from a normal shot of vodka, it doesn't appear to be poisoned. The guy to my side smirks at my reaction.

"A job huh? You the one in the purple Cobra?"

"Yeah."

"Ah so you're here for the drug shipment. I'm the middle man on that one. Name's Stefan." He says and holds out his hand for me to shake.

"Momoka." I respond and shake his hand.

"The delivery's running a little late but as far as I know it's on its way. Sorry about the wait." He says with a cute grin.

He was good looking. About 6 feet tall, on the skinny side, short brown hair, green eyes. He had on a black flight suit with matching jacket, jean and shades he wore on his head. He gave off a vibe that didn't suit this life style. It was more the vibe of a trader, it was so strong that I looked him over quite closely. He wasn't armed with anything big enough for it to be seen through the gear he wore. He was polite, well spoken, and his movements were relaxed for someone being so close to someone that was clearly armed like I am. He clearly was used to being around pirates but he didn't fit the part himself. It made me take interest in him.

"It's fine. I'm actually looking forward to the downtime after having to fight my way here."

"Ah yeah. Those Diamond Head brats are trying to take the system for themselves. Making it hard to work for the family business."

"Family? Patron's?"

"Yeah. Montoya to be specific. You must know how it is. Working for Jin and all." He replies. I look up at him briefly then back to the glass.

"Hmm. I guess I shouldn't be surprised you know who I am."

"I just put two and two together."

"You don't seem like the type to be in this line of work." I say as I take another swallow from the glass.

"You think?"

"You seem more like a..."

"A Space Trucker?" He says as his comms buzz. He checks the message and stands. "If only things were that simple." he says walking over and signaling over the bartender. "Her next two on me Nico." He says and heads for the door. "See you around, beautiful." He says and leaves the bar. I watch him as he leaves and smile before downing the rest of the vodka.

"See you around." I say to myself as the bartender refills my glass.
 
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