Freelancers 01: Torianne's Awakening

The second version written in the style I only used for short stories so far.

The Freelancer series is set in a mixed fantasy and science fiction universe, in which the natural laws of movies (read physics plot holes) are somewhat made plausible (if all else fails, it's magic!).

Enjoy!

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The small, oblong shaped cargo ship approached the long ago abandoned and partially stripped space station, once used as an interstellar trade hub servicing many large transport ships for the nearby planet Houres and mining stations throughout the solar system, but put out of commission when a newer modular one was built with larger docks that could handle the large Behemoth class ships and included much more entertainment facilities, and was also easier to expand when needed. The cargo ship itself was an inconspicuous older shuttle type with a dark grey, crude oblong hull and two lower oblong external engines at the side, perfectly fitting the interplanetary cargo transport task it was designed for. It flew to one of the two unlit landing bays and touched down at a little distance from another ship, a sleek personal cruiser with a trendy blue coloured wedge shaped hull and too many chrome features.

Two casually dressed men with a broad build and armed with heavy automatic rifles and one holding no weapon stood alongside it and kept a close eye on the new arrival. The vast region of space around the station contained enough breathable air originating from the planet that they only needed a little extra oxygen from a light mask to breath normally while they weren't indoors.

The rear door of the transporter lowered to the floor with a clunk, and a young man with unkempt dark reddish coloured hair and wearing simple dark grey coveralls stepped onto the ramp. He put up his hand in a casual greeting, and guided an electric cart down the ramp carrying a metal crate the size of a large coffin. He stopped a few metre in front of the nearest armed man. The unarmed man named Amos thought the merry look in the young man's hazel brown eyes didn't match his idea of the supposedly serious look of an underground transporter of special goods, and glanced at the crate. 'Are you Kal?'

Kal gestured at the crate with his thumb. 'The one with the package if you're the one whom I'm supposed to meet and receive my fee from.'

Armos gestured with his head to one of the others to check the crate. The one with an expression as if he had never laughed a single moment in his life went over to the crate, inspected the locks for any kind of damage that could be a sign of tampering and the tracking numbers on the shipping label on the side, and returned a nod in confirmation to Armos. Armos pulled a thick unmarked envelope from his jacket, and tossed it over to Kal who deftly caught it, felt the thickness, and put it in the inside pocket of his coverall. Armos let out a single chuckle. 'You're also one of those people who doesn't count?'

Kal shrugged. 'I can tell from the thickness that it should be the amount I asked for, and I don't think you would risk future business relations by cheating on someone who can transport sensitive cargo for you in discrete ways.'

'True.' Armos said, and gestured to his companions to load the crate onto their ship.

Kal stepped aside for them. 'The cart is complementary.' he said, and walked without any hurry back to his ship.

Armos waited until Kal's ship left the station and was at a good distance, and boarded the cruiser. They departed from the station and headed towards the planet while he took the microphone from the radio on the bridge and selected a specific frequency on the dials. 'Delivery to post box.'

A few crackles from the loudspeaker later, the reply sounded. 'Post box to delivery, do you have the pizza?'

'We have the pizza and are on the way.'

'Good. Looking forward to it.'

Armos put the microphone back into the holder and sat back in his seat, quietly looking out of the window while the ship changed course to one of the designated entry lanes at the night side of the planet marked by rows of lit satellites.

#

The ship cruised leisurely through the almost clear sky, lowered altitude near one of the large cities, and followed the official flight paths throughout the city until it banked to the right near its destination, the large back yard of an exclusive night club. The crate went from the ship to the private office of Jallak Umtrus, the club owner, where he cheerfully welcomed it as the men rolled it inside. 'There they are, finally.' he said as he moved his fat frame in an overpriced and tight fitting, light grey suit towards the crate. 'I'm sure the clients will enjoy these two girls with their pure white skin and blue hair as much as I will this night.' He grinned at Armos and stroked his thinning hair back with one hand. 'I might even enjoy myself a second night if they are as pretty and tight as I expect them to be.'

Armos had no desire to imagine what that looked like. He had seen the naked torso of his boss a few times before, and that was twice as much as he liked. Seeing his fat face and stumpy nose all the time was bad enough, but the man paid well.

Jallak gestured at the locks of the crate. 'Open it.'

Armos glanced automatically at the other men he commanded in the room to check their distance being adequately away from the crate, as he was trained to assume a lethal trap before opening any closed container, and activated his innate shield magic that led him to his bodyguard career. He changed the numbers on the two locks, pulled away the latches, and lifted the lid slightly. Nothing happened or changed after a moment, and he opened the lid all the way. Jallek and he gazed in wonder at the two black young women lying side by side in opposite direction in the crate, dressed in black sweaters, cargo pants, and knitted caps. Jallek huffed hard. 'What's the meaning of this!?'

He gasped when the girls opened their alert dark green and blue eyes, and Armos jerked him backwards by the neck of his shirt behind his shield defence when the girls sat up quickly and pulled out a pair of guns each.

The other men pulled out their guns but the girls were faster.

#

Heavy engine noise from the club's back yard attracted the attention of the back door guard inside, and he peeked outside thought the small window in the reinforced door. He barely jumped back in time before the back of a light lorry struck the doorway.

Kal drove the lorry forward, stepped out, and drew his special gun as he stepped towards the crumbling hole in the wall. The door guard pulled his gun when Kal stepped inside through the dust cloud, but Kal had already accumulated the bullet mass and energy in the barrel in his gun with his power, and shot him first.

#

Shots rang through the office as the girls took down anyone holding a gun first, with only two of the henchmen reacting fast enough to take cover. They returned fire but the girls jumped out of the way swiftly and fired again through the couch and the bar counter the men hid behind. Armos dragged Jallak roughly along the floor and through the doorway as he retreated into the corridor, then pulled him up to his feet and pushed against his back. 'Move!'

Jallak stumbled forward through the corridor until Armos stopped him at the sound of gunfire in front of them. He grabbed Jallek by his shirt again and pushed him through the side corridor towards the club's dance floor.

'Saeru, Viri, you all right?' Kal asked when his partners stepped out of the office. 'Where is Jallek?'

'He escaped with a bodyguard.' said Saeru.

Viri gestured back at the office. 'Only dead people there now.'

Kal moved towards the side corridor. 'This way then.'

They stepped briskly through the corridor towards the pounding dance music coming through the half open door at the end, and onto the dance floor where wealthy men and women occupied booths with scantily clad young women and men, this time not engaging in dancing in the flickering lights or drinking and making mostly unwanted but well-paid advances, but looking around confused after the owner of the club passed by with the rough help of his bodyguard. Saeru pointed at the other side of the floor where the two hurried away through the main doorway. 'There!'

Armos spun around and shot at the intruders, who dodged the bullets quickly and returned fire while the crowd screamed in panic and scrambled for safety. He did not hesitate though and pushed Jallek farther through the lobby while a few people ducked to the side at the sight of his gun. 'We have unwanted guests.' he said to two bulky doormen at the front doors. 'Eliminate them.' He went outside with the jittery Jallek while the doormen opened fire at the assailants from behind the cover of the lobby doorway.

It didn't matter to Kal how thick the walls were. He accumulated denser mass and energy in his gun, and took two shots. The doormen dropped dead when both rounds went straight through the walls and their body armour.

Kal and the girls rushed and spread out onto the street a moment later, just in time for Viri to see their targets enter a car close by, and she and Saeru fired at Armos at once.

He grinned only a little in wry amusement when the bullets hit the armoured windshield without any damage, and started the engine and slammed down the accelerator. He drove straight towards the trio with screeching tyres, mocking Kal for aiming his gun at him. 'Your gun can't do anything to this armour, asshole.' He never realised what happened when the high density projectile passed through the reinforced glass and shattered his skull.

The car swerved on the wet street and crashed into the side of another, and Kal and the girls stepped towards it, keeping their guns aimed at Jallek who sat in a daze in the passenger seat with his forehead bleeding from the hit against the dashboard. His presence of mind returned when Viri pulled him out of the car and onto his fat stomach on the ground. He glared up at the three standing around him. 'Do you even know what you're doing!? You're going to pay a slow and painful price for this!'

Kal squatted in front of him and placed the muzzle of his gun against the heavily sweating man's forehead. 'I think we're quite aware of what we're doing, as you can see. And it's you who will pay a heavy price for your activities. A large stack of evidence we've collected over the last few months has found its way onto the desk of a trustworthy prosecutor, describing every disgusting thing you pulled off and naming plenty of high ranking clients, who won't hesitate to push the blame all on you.' He retracted his gun. 'Not that it'll help them much when it all becomes public.'

Jallek barely shouted a curse when Viri shoved his face against the ground, and Saeru tied his arms behind his back with a loop around his ankles to keep him from standing up. Sirens sounded in the distance as they stepped back, and Jallek's hateful glare intensified. 'I will find you and tear you through a shredder!' he bellowed. 'Cut off your head and piss down your neck!'

Kal shrugged. 'I've heard worse threats, but you're still just a tiny disgusting man.'

'I'll have you beaten and watch as I fuck up these bitches in every hole they have!'

Kal silenced him with a swift and hard kick into his side, and turned away while Jallek gasped for air. 'Let's have some fun before we go home.'

Saeru giggled and put her arm around his as they walked away from the scene. 'You never mind what they say about you, but always become mad when they talk about us.'

'What can I say? I have my priorities.'

Viri took his other arm in hers and kissed his cheek. 'You're such a sweet guy.' she giggled while police cars with blasting sirens went past them.

#

Kal carried the last small crate of groceries onto his cargo ship after a late morning of shopping, and slid it into the supply locker while Viri closed the side door of the cargo hold. 'I hope you girls didn't forget anything.' he said. 'Twenty crates seems like it might not be enough.'

She stuck her tongue out playfully. 'Us girls require extra care, unlike you simple men.'

He smirked at her. 'We're just more efficient.'

She slapped his behind. 'Be efficient flying home so we can take a long, relaxing bath together real soon.'

He growled in her neck and kissed it. 'For that, I'll fly extra fast.'

She giggled as she pushed him into the cockpit, and strapped herself into the copilot chair. She pushed the button for the intercom. 'We're about to take off, sis.'

'All right, everything's secure here.' came the reply from Saeru in the sleeping cabin above. 'I'll begin cooking when we have left the atmosphere.'

After receiving clearance, Kal fired up the engines, taxied on the ship's row of double wheels at the centre to the take off area of the small and quiet space port just outside the city, and increased upward thrust. The ship shuddered lightly as it ascended at a sharp angle upwards. Kal pointed the nose gently up through the clouds as the planet's gravity lost more of its hold on the ship and the floors imbued with gravity magic became the main force keeping everything in their place. He secured the flight controls and sat back. 'I think I want to stop by Gelard's and see if I can snatch a few more spare parts.'

Viri chuckled. 'Don't you already have so many that you can build another Reliant or two from them?'

Kal pondered. 'Well, maybe, but I want to make sure I can fly this trusty old ship until the end of my days. I'm really attached to it.'

Viri smiled, unstrapped herself, and gave him a kiss as she rose from her seat. 'I'm not sure if we should be jealous of this thing or not.'

He stroked the side of her thigh and smiled up at her. 'No matter how much I like something, there's only you two as my shared first priority.'

She giggled and ruffled his hair. 'Good boy.'

He sniggered and gently squeezed her thigh. 'Speaking of that, are you keeping your cap on during the whole flight?'

She looked up and giggled again. 'I kind of become used to it each time after wearing it for a while.' she said, removed her knitted cap, and stroked her large and black fox ears. 'This is still better though.'

'I'll say. You have beautiful ears and I hope you won't have to hide your identities in public one day. I just love to see those cute features of yours.'

She gave him a little teasing smile. 'Just the ears? Or also this?' she asked with a mischievous sparkle in her dark green eyes, unbuckled her waist belt, unzipped her wide pants, turned around, and slid them down slowly while she pushed her big and bushy black tail in his face and picked up her pants.

He growled playfully, embraced her bare hips, and rubbed his face against her warm behind and soft tail, while she laughed at the tickling sensation and wriggled to escape from his hold. He gave her tight skin a big kiss, then let her go and smirked. 'Does that answer your question?'

She put her hand defiantly in her side and looked back over her shoulder. 'I'm pretty sure I'll forget soon.' she said, and giggled as she dodged his hand and climbed the ladder to the cabin above, while he enjoyed the view of her backside curves swaying left and right along with her tail. He let out an amused sigh as he sat back again, hoping to arrive home soon.

#

Gelard's place was a warehouse for all kinds of ship parts, located near a part of space that saw plenty of traffic passing through from one place to another. He also knew how to take advantage of the frequent enough mishaps and accidents in that area to obtain parts for a cheap price. Kal docked at the wide customer cargo bay where crews of a fuel tanker and a light class cargo carrier performed quick repairs with the parts they acquired. Saeru and Viri stayed on the ship while Kal strolled trough a corridor at the side of the bay to the office, where Gelard hung lazily in his big and old leather chair with his feet atop his messy wide desk, watching players run after the rugby ball in a game on a portable television set on the corner of his desk out of boredom. He looked up at his visitor and slid a hand over the top of his balding head. 'If it isn't my favourite antique junk buyer.'

Kal leaned with his elbows on the worn and dusty long counter dividing the space in two. 'And my favourite overpriced seller.'

Gelard laughed and put his hands in his neck. 'The usual, or something special this time?'

Kal looked around casually at the lightly faded promotion posters featuring once young women almost as bare as the mechanical parts they posed with. He thought the only thing missing from the whole picture was Gelard in sleeveless shirt and smoking short, fat cigars. 'Just browsing. Thought I might stumble onto something.'

Gelard glanced at the list of recently dismantled ships on his desk. 'I don't think you'll find anything special this time. Most of what came in here lately are standard parts.'

Kal nodded slowly. 'I didn't think so either, but I thought I'd take a look anyway while I'm passing by.'

'All right, you know the way.'

Kal gave the counter top a light slap. 'See you after I'm done.' he said, and walked to the storage entrance.

The large space smelling of oil, electronics, and steel in the chilly air was more or less organised by ship type and part size, with the small ones all in the front on rows of shelves, increasing in size to the largest pieces like partially stripped engines in the back. Kal navigated the by now familiar paths between them and took a closer look at the occasional item that caught his attention under the lights hanging from the sides of the racks, pondering if he could use it somehow. He returned after a while and found Gelard fidgeting with papers on his desk. 'I didn't find anything indeed. I'll see you next time.'

Gelard stood up. 'Wait. I remembered I do have something you'd like.'

Kal had never seen him acting nervous before and it raised a suspicion in his mind. 'What is it?'

'It's a,' Gelard said as he glanced at the product brochures scattered on his desk. 'navigational system.'

Kal leaned slowly on the counter. 'I already have a spare one.'

Gelard wiped his hands on his scruffy pants. 'This is an upgraded version. A custom job but still compatible with the original. It's really good. You're going to love it.'

Kal gave him a casual smile. 'Well, let's see it then.'

The man stepped towards a short row of filing cabinets, pulled open a drawer, and shuffled through disordered folders. 'Ehh, I'm not sure where I left it.'

Kal made a friendly shrug. 'I'm not in a hurry. I can drop in next time to see it.' he said and took a step away from the counter.

Gelard quickly spun around. 'No, I can fetch it quickly enough. You just wait here for a minute.' he said as he gestured at Kal to stay. 'It's somewhere obvious, I'm sure. You just wait.'

'Don't worry about it. I can see you're a busy man and I'll be around in a couple of days anyway.'

Gelard moved up to the counter. 'No no, it's fine. There's another interested party and I'd rather sell it to you because you're my favourite customer.' he said, and put out his hands in another gesture to wait.

Kal grabbed his wrists in a flash and pulled Gelard against the counter. 'You're sweating more than usual all of a sudden, and it doesn't feel like you turned the heater up, Gelard. What's going on?'

Gelard tried to pull back but lacked the strength to free himself from Kal's tight grip. 'I'm just having a heat flash, you know? Growing older, health not so perfect as it used to be?'

Kal leaned his face a little closer, and Gelard averted his eyes from Kal's gaze. 'I'm thinking you received some news about your future health while I was browsing. About how it might deteriorate rapidly if I don't stay put for a little while longer.'