Thanks. I'll see if I can use it.
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
Quote:Greenhaven was neither green, nor a haven.________________________________
“Greenhaven calls itself a free asteroid. They don’t recognise the Space Patrol, or Great Justice authority there, just their own. It’s an outlaw town in space.The vast majority of people here aren’t violating the Convention. And not wanting to live with the Space Patrol’s protection isn’t a crime in itself so they mostly get left alone. That means you get all sorts here, from Blakes and those who just don’t like some of the prime-movers behind the Space Patrol or think that GJ has become too political, up to the real Boskone picking up or fencing supplies,”
A cool chill bolted through Anika’s body. Zwilniks were one thing. Zwilniks were criminals. The Boskone were something else beyond. They were the stories told to keep children quiet. She scanned around, hoping to spot them among the crowd before they found her.
It was hot and dirty and steamy, and was making Anika feel just a little bit overheated just walking around. She could feel herself being leered at by anyone and everyone. One of these things is not like the other, and the others knew which one it was. It was an immune response by the locals, clustering around the invading cell.
And with her brilliant flame-hair, yellow jacket and red knee-length skirt, she shone out like a beacon.
A grey-furred dog-taur seemed to glare at her, before adjusting all the backpack of equipment strapped to his back and padding on away into a side passage.
The air was heavy and smokey, and it seemed to her to be almost the exact opposite of Frigga. They both had that same industrial flavour, but Greenhaven turned it up to 11. Where Frigga always felt like an abandoned factory, this place was oppressively overcrowded, rock and steel walls looming in out of the smoke and steam. A neon sign over a dead-end bar buzzed a warning at her to stay away.
“Sorry about locking myself in,” she said, trying to get her mind off it.
“No problemo.” Ford said. Her mind was obviously elsewhere. She was carving her way through the crowd while Anika struggled to keep up. Behind every pair of eyes was another Flint who’d treat her like a tool if they knew the truth.
Or worse.
Ford paused outside a bar that was thumping with music. It stank of stale smoke and whiskey. A neon sign gave it the simple name ‘Baos’.
“Hmmm....They fixed it up after that android maid went nuts,” she remarked. “He’ll be in here. Stick close,”
“I was afraid you’d say that,”
Some tattooed woman with what she’d heard Senshi call ‘a lot of talent’ was in the middle of a drinking contest with a beansprout of a man in an offfice shirt and slacks. There was a cardgame at one of the tables. And worst, the whole place stank of alcohol and cigarrette smoke. This really wasn’t going to do her heat sinks any good.
This was beyond being just the fish out of water. This was being the fish flopping about on the floor, while surrounded by a pack of hungry cats all ready to rip her to shreds. Every single eye was staring hungrily.
Ford led her to an almost vacant table in the corner, away from the activity. A blond man in a hawaiian t-shirt sat waiting, nursing a glass of milk. At least, she thought it was milk. He smiled a warm, unshaven smile at the pair of them.
“Hey Ford, nice to see you again,”
He had a British accent, she thought?
“Andrew,” she smiled back, taking a seat opposite him, “You’ve got the information I asked.”
“If your new partner has a name I sure do,”
He fixed Anika with a terrifyingly soothing stare... Slip into my parlour said the spider to the fly.
“Her name’s Anika. Anika Daini. She’s new.”
“Well, hello there Anika. I’m Andrew Jackson, the New Hickory around here even though I’m not even one of you yankees,”
The reference naturally went flying straight over Anika’s head. She heard it flying with a whoosh. Ford slid a chair back, the obvious intent for her to sit down.
“Hi,” she said in a voice so small it was swallowed by the smash of a beer bottle over a skull.
She sat down and did her best not to draw attention to herself by speaking.
“So, where’s Jet gone to?” Jackson asked, popping a peanut into his mouth. “You call me up asking for a meeting and I’m all expecting to see my favourite armoured amazon again and...”
“She’s busy.” Ford slammed the door on him. Anika could taste her irritation.The metal fingers on her cyber arm were drumming on the table, making it obvious what would happen if he pressed it further. A metal fist was far more painful than a flesh one.
“Too bad.” A Crush, Anika wondered. “So what is it you wanted to know?” He paused, the expression on his face mutilating into a smile that belonged to a Great White Shark. “Let me guess, it’s about a little Blackbird,”
“And if it is?”
Ford had her poker face on.
“Well, that’s a hot little scoop. You’re not the first to come looking for it. And the price is naturally set by the demand,”
Ford made a show of sighing,”I’ll give you an extra thousand on top of the usual,”
“Make it two...”
“One and a half,”
“Throw in some pics of Jet with that...”
Ford glared at him, “One and a half, dead.”
“Worth a shot,” he shrugged. “Well bargained and done.”
They shook on it, and he immediately handed over a flash drive. “What I know’s all on there. Name, transponder codes, sightings, suspected and known ports and routes. Good hunting Ford, there’s at least five others after the same bird.”
“Shit,”
“Better get going. You can wire me the cash when you verify the information’s good.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll get on it when I get back to the Wagon.” She tapped Anika on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s get out of here before someone shoots it up again,”
They left just as the fight began with a shattering glass.
Ford was half running back to the Wagon.
“If one of tho other five gets the ‘bird...” Anika called after her.
“Then we don’t get paid. Then I’m going to have to find a way to pay him a couple of grand, or I lose a good contact and my good name. So Hurry!”
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?