#5 Jane Gets Destroyed

When it comes to money in this System, it's hard getting.  It's all digital, based on your CivID, which you need to work just about any door.  A CivID is Plastech, meaning it double checks your DNA against the Civil Records to permit transactions. There's no such thing as an outlaw vigilante in these parts, only rush-junkies like me who are willing to play by the rules in exchange for a license to kill.

Richard and I departed from Boeman's tunnel, and before long reached the surface of Dockland.  The thud of bass filled the alley we walked, residual from the adjoining clubs behind sheet metal walls.  My eyes drift up to see the neon signs floating in mid air to advertise the various companies based on Dockland.  Beyond those, the stars.  I loved the way their simulated atmosphere didn't bother to simulate a sky as well.  I was about to drift off into the sea of stars above me any moment.  

Richard's arm snaps me back to reality and pulls me against him.  He's already acting like a bodyguard.

"At ease, soldier," I tease him.

But Richard's drawing his gun.  "Are you not paying attention?"  

I wasn't, but I sure started.  There were six of them.  They had arrived into the alley from an adjoining club and noticed us coming from Boeman's tunnel.  That usually means we have information.  Information can be bought and sold just like any other goods, and they were likely so Essenced up they thought they could handle two of Boeman's Attritionists.

Each one grabbed a nearby pipe or metal scrap.

I withdrew my pistol.  The pink veins were so pretty in the nightlight, it was a shame I was about to discharge it all into these rats.

Two of them started to charge but Richard shot a round in front of their feet and the whole group stopped suddenly.  

"Seriously, guys?"  Began Richard, "This is like a scene out of a bad movie, and I almost feel bad for you brats."

I lowered my gun and sighed in agreement.  The punks looked at me.  "I mean.. he's right guys.  At worst I risk a few more stitches.  Maybe he'll end up with a brand new infection.  But you folks... you're risking like.  Bursting heads and, like, holes.  In you."  I pointed my gun lazily at them and acted like I was shooting as I said, "Pew pew, you know?"  

The kids started to lower their arms until eventually the excitement from their drug started to wear off.   They agreed amongst themselves that 'we weren't worth it', and we let them leave without following.

"Can you believe that, Jane?" Richard turned to me shaking his head.

"Kids these days, Richard."  Myself I'm only twenty something.  An early twenty something.  Those 'kids' were probably my age.  "What did they think, they'd get the info about Ralsey?  Then what?"

Richard just shook his head and laughed, "Yeah, can you see those six heading off to Pentacle and going after a boun-?"  Richard stopped talking suddenly and made a strange noise.

It was like in slow motion I saw the blade coming out of his shirt.  I didn't quite understand at first.  Why was there a shard of metal coming out of Richard's chest?  And then the killer spoke, "That's exactly what I'll do."

I gasped and lurched back using my gun to cover my mouth instead of to draw on whoever it was standing behind Richard.  He was holding him up with the metal blade, and hiding behind him so I couldn't see his face.

Richard looked horrified, and weak.  I knew he was dying, and from the look of it, so did he.  He didn't ask me for help, and he didn't look at me.  I don't think he wanted me to see him.  He wouldn't like feeling helpless.  This was the worst way to go for him, better he went by my hand.  

I drew my laser and aimed it at Richard's heart.  "I love you," and I pulled the trigger without thinking twice. 

The laser's bolt went straight through Richard and into the assailant who fell back against the wall.  Richard's limp body fell to the ground.  I took another shot at the killer but he had moved, and I missed.  As he ran off he clutched at the graze in his side, and I very nearly chased him down.

I had a choice to make, leave Richard here and chase the assailant, or... no.

Leaving him was not an option.

I knelt by Richard's side, and I held him while I said goodbye.  He couldn't speak, so I just let him know how much he meant to me.  I let his eyes look up at the stars as his breathing got lighter, and lighter.  I watched as he fell up into the heavens.  And then I closed them.

"Okay," I said with finality,  "Now someone pays."

#4 Jane Gets Oggled

 

The planet Dockland was unique in the system in that it was the only place where Civil rule was lenient.  This was due to the origin of Dockland; once this sector of the system was colonized, the Civil decided to gather unusable waste and toss it into space.  Harvesters had a different idea, though.  

Harvesters are the sort of people that reject land living.  They dedicate life to the scrapping and hauling of space garbage to be reused in their ingenious machines.  Most of them don't run on electricity but rather on an intricate working of gears.  No one but the Harvesters know how they are powered, though, even to the point of gravity and atmosphere simulation.  The Civil itself can't seem to replicate the effect. 

Dockland was the first official homeland of the Harvesters, who took the scraps from settling these worlds and converted them into a working satellite.  Tunnels lace the structure, providing as much if not more living and working area within the artifice than upon the surface.  

Originally they called their world "7C", but once the Civil laid claim to the territory as part of their planetary system the name was changed to Dockworld and it became the trade center of the sector. 

Now, centuries later, Dockland is where the necessary evils are permitted by the Civil to conduct their works within the confines of loosely laid laws.  Blind eyes are turned to smuggling rings, drug manufacturers, human traffickers, bounty hunters, guild houses, and all sorts of nefarious activities which make up a necessary part of the System's Economy. 

Nestled in the gears, pipes, and tubes which make up Dockland's unique landscape, Richard and I were in Boeman's office where he was getting an eye full.

I'm such a hypocrite, but I won't deny it!  In fact, I embrace it.  Did I hate the way Boeman was staring blankly at my chest while giving bounty details to Richard?  I sure did.  But did I reject the extra pay I always seemed to receive as a result of being stared at?  Absolutely not.  

Say what you will about that making me less 'moral' than your average female hero, but if some stupid boy wants to believe paying me more will influence my feelings for him?  That's his fault.  

Stare all you want, I thought, just keep talking.

Boeman shook himself out of a haze with a, "What was I saying?"

Before I had the urge to pull out my pistol and burn a hole through Boeman's forehead, Richard restored the flow of the meeting, "You were telling us where the trail to Ralsey went cold."

Ralsey was the bounty of the decade apparently.  Every member of the House of Attrition with their ear to the ground will end up hearing this same information, so we wanted to make sure not to miss the one detail that might tilt the bounty in our favor.

"Right," Boeman continued.  His teeth were ratchet but it wasn't due to his hygiene.  Boeman was a very clean sort of a slum lord.  He made sure that his office was in as nice a condition as it could be in a world composed of gears and parts.  But no amount of hygienic cleanliness could stop the effects of Essence from rotting his teeth. 

He went on, "Ralsey used his fingerprints in a clinic on Pentacle."

Richard scoffed, "What's a wanted fugitive doing checking in with his real ident?"

Boeman grinned, exposing his black and blue teeth to the open air, "Lots of people think he was desperate.  Maybe someone clipped him and he needed help.  But that's why you're lucky to know me..." Meanwhile, his eyes were still traversing my body.

I let Richard handle it, "He wasn't there for treatment was he?"

"Negative," said Boeman proudly, "I think he was trying to visit someone."

"Trying," Richard cut in.

"He was blipped as soon as he scanned into the clinic," explained Boeman, "Must've known it might happen, he escaped before the Civil showed.  But they're mad about it, and that's why they're letting you all in on the chase.  And while everyone else is looking for a wounded bounty..."

"We," Richard said to both Boeman and myself, "will be on Pentacle, checking out who he may have been trying to see."

Boeman took his eyes off my chest and transferred them to Richard.  "I believe you have your plan of action?"

"I think we do," Richard replied with a nod, "Is there anything else, Boeman?"

Boeman held up a finger and stared at my rack again for a few seconds.  I scoffed and shifted my weight to my other leg.  Boeman nodded, "There, that's good."

I roll my eyes and begin heading for the doorway, "You know Boeman, you can easily afford to hire a girl to stare at like this all day long."

Boeman called after me, "But it's how uncomfortable you are that makes it so incredible!"

I turned to reply but Richard just covered my mouth and laughed as he picked me up to drag me out.  I kicked the whole way.  But once we were both outside, I calmed down.

"So," Richard said pleasantly, "Off to Pentacle."

"Freaks," I say judgmentally about the people who live there.

"You'll fit right in," Richard insists.  He wraps his arm around my shoulder and draws me in.  I act like I hate it but I allow him to do so.  "Let's go, kiddo."

#3 Jane Gets Briefed

After my vanity shower I came out looking really good.  I mean I looked hot.  My pink hair with the black tips, my green eyes, my face looking fishy fresh.  I really dig my spacer look, it fits my personality to a capital C for crazy.  Richard was taking care of the business end of things, so when I emerged and got dressed he started to fill me in on the details.

"Contact is Boeman," he started.

I groaned from within the sporty cut tank I was pulling over my head.

"So he likes to look," Richard said, "Get over it."

Fixing my shirt around my waste he received a death glare.  I crawled onto the bed, in my tank and undies.  Slowly I got right into Richard's face.  "Fine, I'll get over it.  And then let's see how you like it when every conversation we have, I'll be staring at your junk."  I wanted to bite his lip.

"Oh I don't mind none," Richard said with a crooked little grin, "I already caught you lookin' this morning."

"Ugh, really?" I replied with a rol of my eyes, "You just talked yourself out of a smooch."  I crawled back off the bed, and started to wrangle on my cargo pants.

"Aaaaaaanyway," said Richard, refusing to be sad about what he just missed out on.  What a jerk.  "Boeman's got leads on an attritionist named Ralsey.  Ralsey skipped out on one of the biggest bonds of his decade, apparently."

"Bond that big and they're coming to the House of Attrition for help?"  I shake my head and click my tongue, "The Civil must be getting desperate when they're outsourcing big time spooks."  We usually only get the run off considered 'lost causes'.

"Civil is involved, according to Boeman.  They don't mind the competition for this one, sharing their lead and all.  Only import is he's cuffed alive."

I groaned again, to which Richard nodded sympathetically.

"I know," he said, "Living only bounty.  Not your strong suit.  But hey, maybe this one will survive meeting you?"  Richard gave me a grizzled little smile.  He knows I live for his beard scruff.

I wanted to give him that smooch, but I didn't so I could continue our power struggle.  It's foreplay for the sadist.  "What'd he do?" I asked, buttoning my cargo pants just below my navel.

"That's the best part.  He didn't do anything.  Wanted on suspicion.  Apparently he's been off grid since his escape, til now."  Richard shakes his head sympathetically, "Poor dope.  One blip and now half the HoA isgonna be up his butt."

"So we're helping the Civil hunt down someone who..." I said this as I loaded a charged cells into my laser pistol, "Was held on suspicion years ago for something he never ended up doing, even after he escaped and got away?"

"Sounds about it," Richard replied, biting his chapped lip.  He knows this makes him dimple.  He was trying for the upper hand in our little game, trying to catch me staring at his dimple.

I slam the cap on the pistol's fuel cell, which made it light up pink along the 'veins' on the outside of it.  "Fun.  First we'll get our intel from Boeman, and then it's off to ruin an innocent guy's life!"

#2 Jane Gets Pretty

"Ow."

That's usually the first word which comes out of my mouth on a daily basis. And today was no exception.

"Ow," I said again.

I woke up with a bloody pillow and ruined stitches. My muscles were still sore from the beat down Banco gave me.

At at least I wasn't starving. In fact I was still full from the six course meal Roger and I shared at the Dying Maltese on Three Moon, where we were staying at a pretty low key resort called Rockbreak Retreat. It was a decent trip. But it was back to Dockland for us two spacers.

That also meant I had to tone down my look. Or tone it up. Depends who you ask. Either way I was way to classy looking for Dockland, with my regularly colored hair and subdued features.  I gathered the bed sheet around me and tie it off before standing to approach the vanity terminal.

As the sheets followed behind me they left Roger unceremoniously uncovered in bed. I ignored the sight, though, as Men are so ugly in the morning.

I plugged the vanity mirror's payment slot with my ident card to start using it.

Suddenly a range of options appeared on the silvered glass. I looked at myself in what I called my "Public Appearance". I was mousey. My hair and eyes were brown, I had a few freckles. Boring pink lips and virtually no make up. I hate this look.

I expanded the menu and a list of body parts comes up. But I wasn't looking to sculpt I just wanted some dye and a bit of dust. And for them to fix my stitches.

I started with my eyes, and after basic coloring adjustments I checked my face's reflection to see what it would look like when applied. Slowly the edits came in.  Thicker eyeliner. Black eyeshadow. White highlight. Eye color... I thought on this for a moment. I choose red, wanting to be daring, but the face in the mirror started to look evil, so I changed the eyes to orange. 

Better, but still too inhuman.

So of course I selected green. I always end up using green eyes after brown. Just the right amount of flash without being too plastic

Hair: standard pink with black tips. A non-negotiable trademark of mine for the spacers district on Dockland. I flip through hair styles until I saw two cute and curly pig tails on my reflection. This would do.

Lips, nude. Cheeks, washed and plain. I'll let my eyes do the talking.

As I closed the options, a window popped up on the mirror to quote me the cost of the style. I agreed, and once the bits were taken off my ident card, it was returned to me.  In the bathroom I heard the vanity shower unlock for me to have the changes applied.

First, I took off the bed sheet and tossed them onto Roger. He was.. shall we say obviously cold?

That was when the call came in from our contact.  Not wanting to get caught staring at Richard's Little Richard, I shouted for him to answer the comm and slipped away into the vanity bath to get pretty.

#1 Jane Gets Backhanded

"Ow," I clicked my jaw back into place and groaned, "This sucks." It was all I could say. By then my mouth was so filled with bloody spit that I gagged on whatever would have come next.

Either way my would-be bounty backhanded me again. In the same spot, too, right above my left cheek bone. I felt the skin split with that familiar sting. There'd be stitches tonight.  If I didn't hate this guy before I really did now.

I spit out the waste in my mouth and rolled my eyes so hard, "You know, Banco..."

Banco stopped just before back handing me again. That smug little look on his copper tone face.  I took a deep breath through my swollen nose and cracked my neck before looking my captor in the eyes: "You're a real jerk."

Banco put his palm on my face and shoved me backwards. The entire chair I was strapped to came with me.  But I expected this, or some variation of it, so I braced for impact and taunted Banco with a laugh to spite the pain.

Banco put his boot right on my neck - just enough for me to feel it - and he leaned down into my face, "And you know what, Spacer Jane?" 

That's me, Spacer Jane, I'm tied to a chair on the floor with a boot on my neck by the guy I was supposed to capture. I looked at him inquisitively trying to pretend that I wasn't blacking out.

He continued, "You're a real bi--" but the last moments of his comment were cut off by the bullet piercing his neck.

As I watched Banco gag on his blood and fall to his knees, I got to see who pulled the trigger behind him.  It was Richard, my ... Uh.... Partner? It's complicated. But either way I was glad to see him.

"Only I get to call her that," said Richard arrogantly, pocketing his pistol and kneeling down to untie me. 

"Took you long enough," I told him, kicking the ropes off from around my ankles.  I gave Roger a kiss on the cheek while Banco bled out next to us.

"Bite me," he replied with a dimply grin.  I wanted to bite his cheeks, but I was distracted by all the bloody gurgling.  

I got to my feet and groaned at the body below me. "There goes my payday."

"D or A, babe," Richard finished undoing my ankles and heaved the corpse up onto his shoulder.

My eyes lit up with the promise of a payout, albeit reduced. D or A bounties means Dead or Alive.  It means they're wanted alive, but dead works too for less money.  

That's my life. I'm Spacer Jane and I'm a bounty hunter for the HoA, the Hunters of Attrition. We specialize in bringing in people whose statute of limitations are coming up on their crimes, also called attritionists. Which, in a galaxy as expansive as this one, with this many planets, there's a lot of work to be had.

Sometimes it's dangerous, like Banco.  Sometimes it's downright stupid, too.  Nevertheless, me and Richard always seem to make a decent payday by turning perps into the government, aka the Civil.  

Banco's  would've been worth a vacation on the Beltloop Astroids if I got him alive. But I'm okay with being able to afford a nice dinner on Three Moon. 

We get Banco's remains onto our SRS, our short range shuttle, and we all headed out as one big happy family. 

this post was originally published here as a blog entry but has been edited for this page and reported by the original author, which is me: http://www.bubblews.com/news/4559225-bubblews-fiction-spacer-jane-1