Hired Gun Pt. 01

"You look like Indiana Jones," Troy quipped, as they walked toward the structure.

"Who?" she replied.

"Never mind."

The skunk girl carried a kit containing her archeology tools and a small pistol on her belt. She rarely made eye-contact with Troy and said few words. Troy had on dark sunglasses and a green baseball cap. He held the rifle in his hands, but didn't see another soul in any direction he scanned. They went inside the temple to escape the harsh weather.

Inside the ruins, it was markedly cooler in the shade, and the moisture-sucking winds were mostly blocked. Audra produced a bright illumination lantern from her kit and lit up the temple. The sandstone walls were covered in carvings of a language Troy was unfamiliar with.

"So what is this place?" he asked.

"It's a temple of Oshkat, The Great," she said.

"What do you hope to find in here?"

"The captain didn't tell you, did she?" Audra frowned.

"Tell me what?"

"We're hunting archeological treasures alright, but not just vases and trinkets to sell to dealers and museums."

"Alright, so what are you hunting?"

"The Healing Stone."

"The what?"

"The Chelali race was both primitive and advanced at the same time. They traveled the galaxy in ships greater than anything either of our two races could come up with, yet they held on to their ancient traditions. This temple is a fine example. The sandstone was carved with proton-lasers, yet the design structure is not much more advanced than the ancient Egyptians of your world. So, the Chelali believed in certain forces in nature, and legend has it, they possessed a stone which could heal even the gravest of injuries when properly used."

"And you believe that kind of bullshit?" Troy asked.

"The girl speaks the truth," a voice from deep within the darkness of the temple announced. Troy readied his weapon and aimed it at the darkness.

"Oh come now, Troy, put the gun down."

"I know that voice," Troy said bitterly. "Vince Catelli."

"It's been too long, Sergeant," a human with slightly grayed hair slicked back and icy, blue eyes said as he stepped in the light.

"I ought to kill you right now, Major," Troy said as he aimed the gun at him.

"You could, but you and the girl would be dropped by my men," Vince said as he snapped his fingers. Three heavily armed human soldiers in nondescript uniforms appeared from the shadows and trained their guns on Audra and Troy.

"You two know each other?" Audra asked.

"He was the commanding officer of my division," Troy said. "And he's a murderer."

"Troy, Troy, Troy, you call me the murderer, and yet you were the one disgraced and barred from the military. How many men in your platoon died? Ah yes, I remember, twenty-two. Only three of you survived."

"Fuck you, Major."

"Sir, this temple isn't the one," a woman with short, blonde hair and green eyes said as she approached from behind the Major and stepped in the light. "Oh, it's you," she said, looking at Audra.

"You two know each other?" Troy now asked Audra.

"Leslie Franks, she thinks she's an archeologist," Audra said.

"At least I went to a reputable school, where they teach archeology. Hacks like you in the state-sponsored schools wouldn't know a Qin dynasty vase from a broken bottle of whiskey on the ground."

"Ladies, ladies, please," Major Catelli interrupted the argument. "We could stand around and insult each other with our guns drawn until the sun sets, but frankly, it bores me. I suggest you take your little skunk pet and return to your ship. I'm in no mood for violence today, Sergeant."

"C'mon Audra," Troy said as he kept his gun trained on the major.

"Must be real sad, Troy, to be living in a petting zoo. Don't they smell bad?"

"He Major, why don't you do the universe a favor and take that big mouth of yours, wrap it around your head, and swallow."

"I'm sure we'll meet again soon, Sergeant."

"And fuck you too, Major."

Troy and Audra cautiously exited the temple and made their way back to the ship.

"Get off this rock, now!" Troy told the captain.

"Trouble?" Captain Riley asked, to which Troy threw his hat on the floor in disgust and went to his cabin.

"Our old friend Vince Catelli and his bimbo girlfriend beat us to this one. Apparently, Troy and Vince have met before," Audra explained as the ship lifted off.

"Really?" Ember said with interest. When she laid in a course for their next objective, she decided to pay her newest crew member a visit.

The door ringer chirped as Troy sulked on his bunk.

"Go away," Troy replied, but the door opened anyway. Ember walked in.

"Look, Captain, if you're coming here to collect your dues and come in for a friendly fuck, now is not the time."

"Wasn't on my mind. What is on my mind is what happened there on the planet," Ember said as she pulled up a chair next to his bunk.

"Major Vince Catelli, that's what happened."

"I see you two know each other. He's been a constant thorn in our side. He won't dare harm us, because he knows Audra is the better archeologist."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know you knew Catelli."

"No, I mean about the healing stone."

"Oh..."

"Oh..." Troy mocked.

"You don't know the full story. Our people the Furvoids are suffering from a debilitating disease called Cysteria. It's a protein breakdown, there's no known cure, and even the best treatments we have can only ease the pain slightly. It has a one-hundred percent mortality rate, and it's spreading. Nearly a tenth of the population already has it."

"And you think this stone will cure your people?"

"Audra does, even Suzy's on board with the science. Assholes like Vince want to sell it to the highest bidder."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Would you have agreed to get a twenty percent stake of...nothing? There's no profit in this venture."

"You had a gun to my hip. I would've agreed to dance in a tutu."

"I'm sorry we deceived you. I can let you go at the next sign of civilization," she said.

"I never said I wouldn't help. I just like knowing what I'm getting into."

"What happened on Mytar 6?"

"My men died and I lived. You read the report."

"There's more to you than meets the eye, Troy."

"There really isn't."

"What happened there?"

"Goodnight, Captain," Troy said as he turned over in his bunk and pulled the blanket over him.