How is that, you ask? Fine, let me take a moment and explain the process of independent, private and confidential product acquisition and transport. Or more commonly called 'theft and fencing' for those of us who don't live in the core. Here is how it usually starts...
Some rich, influential, famous, or just greedy person decides they want something that they want, need, desire, or just want to take away from someone else for what ever reason they have. Doesn't really matter in this field of work. Point is they want it so they contract the services of some one that can get it for them. These people really don't have a name because they like to keep it that way but you can think of them as the 'go to guy'. Reason is obvious.
The 'goto guy then puts out the word on what he has been hired to get and how much he is willing to pay for it. Now here is where it gets interesting.
Let's say an extremely wealthy businessman who has nothing else to do with his hundreds of thousands of spare credits decides to add to his collection of 'Earth that was' items that are floating around in the 'verse. So he contacts a 'goto guy' that then puts out the word to his contacts and feelers about what to be on the look out for.
Then you wait.
Till word gets out that someone has found a deck of cards, manufactured on Earth-that-was and brought along on one of the Ark ships and passed down through the generations to end up in the hands of some farmer out on the rim. Who doesn't realize that that deck of cards could set him and his family for generations up as a plantation owner on the rock he is working,ironically after selling everything he owns just to get him. And his family out there an on a small plot of land that might be big enough for them to survive on.
But the feeler and the goto guy isn't going to tell him this. No the feeler will get a price from the goto guy of what he will pay for it then he is going to take it for as little as he can from the poor dirt farmer. Then sell it to the goto guy who then sells it to the buyer for a goram mini fortune.
And in the case, literally cause that is what was suppose to be in the case I was carrying, of this deck of cards it was going to collect almost 100,000 alliance credits for it. YAH, FOR A GORAM DECK OF CARDS.
But that's not my problem. My job was or technically is that of currier. I take the package to the buyer. Drop it off, then take the money back to the goto guy. Simple... So it seems.
But now you see why you always get the key.
Cause for a hundred thousand credits guys like that will cut your hand off or worse, kill you for the case.
'Enough time laying in this to damn clean alley.' I thought pushing up onto my feet using the wall for help. 'Time to go get paid.'
I had to hold onto the wall for a moment till the alley stopped spinning like the spin cycle of a washing machine. Then it was just a moment longer to take off my belt from my jacket and sinch it down tight around my chest to hold the broken and cracked ribs tight enough so that I could breath and walk without wanting to get up and close personal with the ground.
Then it was one careful step after the other to the end of the alley and wait to hail a cab to take me to the address where the buyer was.
Now you are probably wondering why I didn't do that in the first place and save myself from getting jumped. Well that's simple. If those following you to jump you can't do so because you jump into a cab for the trip there. Then they will wait outside to do so when you come out with the money and get you there. And you will have no idea what they look like. So if your going to do this job always figure out who is trailing you befor you make the exchange. Its safer that way.
For some reason I was surprised that it took less then a minute to hail a cab, then I remembered that I was on a core planet.
The driver pulled to a stop and took a look at me and would have pulled off if I hadn't already opened the door and been half way in when he spotted the bruises and my torn shirt. He gave me a disapproving look then turned in his seat laying his arm across the back of the front seat and tapped the safety glass, "Alliance credits onl..." His voice trailed off as I held up a hand full of Alliance universal credits. There wasn't a single cab driver in the core and border planets that didn't prefer to be paid in those. For one they could pocket the full tip and not claim it on their log books so no taxes. Second all those things that you might want to purchase but would raise a flag with the authorities if you used your APIF (alliance personal identification and finance) card, could be purchased with these. Here in the core they were better then gold.
The driver smiled and turned back around " where to and don't bleed on my seats" he added.
"I'm bleeding?" I asked as I handed him a slip of paper with an address on it. I looked down and frowned, "Son of a- I was bleeding" I exclaimed out loud as I lifted my shirt. One of the guys,probably the one that took oh so much enjoyment in his work had ripped open the stitches from where I had been tackled by a reaver and he had gotten a good bite on me before I had shoved my blade into his eye socket and turned him into fertilizer.
I muttered a string of obscenities in at least three different languages as I fished inside one of my pockets and pulled out a small zip up leather pouch about half the size of my hand and fumbled to get it open.
"You sure you don't want to go to a hospital and get that--- is that a human bite mark?". The driver asked turning from looking in the rear view mirror around to look at me and my wound.
"You want to go to the hospital with me, cause that is where we will be going if you don't turn around and watch the road." I said point with my head "Umm, goram large cargo hauler" I called out as it pulled out in front of us.
The driver snapped his head back and swung the cab skillfully around the hauler as it lumbered along.
With the driver watching the road again I went back to opening the pouch and pulled out a couple of pain-killer cinch strips and pushed the flap of skin closed and held it in place as I pressed the strips tight over it. That would hold till I could sew, staple or glue it shut when I got back to my ship. I closed the pouch and slid it back into my jacket and relaxed back into the seat and closed my eyes.
I was back on my parents farm out on the rim. It was late in the growing season, I could tell by the fields of wheat that surrounded the homestead. They were taller then me and swayed softly in the breeze. I could hear my younger siblings running around playing in the fenced off area around the house. In amongst all the noise of my siblings and the sound of the tractor my father was riding across the field, I could hear my mom ringing the lunch bell and calling out "time to lay down kids, time to lay down"
I was trapped in the dream now and knew what was coming. My oldest sister started screaming as so did my brother. But hers was in fear. I could hear the drums. My mother kept ringing the bell and calling for us to lie down. The drums. Another sister was screaming. The drums , the drums. My brother was screaming something I couldn't understand. The drums the drums the drums. One of my sisters fell silent and the rest started screaming but I couldn't hear them any more. All I could hear was the drums the drums the drums the drums.
My eyes snapped open to the sound of the driver rapping on the protective shield, "We're there, are you alive back there?" He asked even though I was already shoving a hand full of bills into the slot box and reaching for the door. He quickly counted it and smiled at the tip. "You want me to wait for you or something?" He asked. It had been that good of a tip.
I didn't look back, "Yah wait for me."
"No problem." The driver said pocketing the tips. "By the way, what drums?" He asked before I shut the door.
This time I turned back, I must have been talking in my sleep. I have been told I do that. "The one's that never stop." I shut the door and turned for the front door of the residential sky rise. "The one's that never stop." I said again to myself as I placed a hand to my forehead and walked. One foot in front of the other.
No time to lay down now, never lay down.
The doorman had good eyes and spotted the blood on my shirt before I got there and handed me a towel the blocked the doorway. "Can I help you?."
"I have a three o'clock appointment with Mr Kennedy."
"Mr Kennedy's three o'clock has already arrived." He informed me as he looked at his watch, "about ten minutes ago... At three o'clock"
Fuck how long had I laid in that alley.
"Call Mr Kennedy and ask him if he would like his real three o'clock and if he doesn't understand then he will soon enough.". I said pointing to the ear-piece in his right ear then turned and walked the couple of steps to the couch and flopped down into it letting him know I wasn't leaving till I got in.
He must have gotten the hint cause he called up to someone and after a couple moments of conversation he walked over and opened the door to inside, "Mr Kennedy will see you now. Take the elevator all the way to the top and you will be greeted there."
I walked in and through the lobby of the sky rise holding the towel against my side where the wound had opened up. It wasn't bleeding any more and the pain killers on the strips had done their job and there was no pain. But it was my hope that the towel would soak up some of the blood and save this shirt. It was a good shirt and only a few years old.
Several people looked at me with obvious disapproval of my presence in their fine residence and a couple gave me looks like they disapproved of my breathing their air. That was core Alliance equality for you. Everyone had a place in the verse and was expected to stay there.
I reached for the button for the elevator and wasn't really surprised when an elevator opened and a gentleman in a suit stepped forward and informed me that he was there to show me the way. Obviously they were not going to let my kind run un-escorted through the place. Even if I was expected.
The elevator doors closed and I barely felt it begin to move. The guy in there with me was obviously security as he didn't bother to look me in the eyes or face. He was watching my hands. I took the towel from my side and lifted my shirt making it look as if I was looking at the wound but more importantly to let him see it.
"It's really amazing how hard a man can bite." I said poking at the wound.
He couldn't help himself and asked "That's human?"
"If you can call reavers human." I responded.
"No such things." He snapped back but couldn't take his eye's off the wound. "And that one?" He asked pointing at another scare on my chest.
"Yep, reaver." I said then decided to give him the run down as I pointed at the different scars and marks on my chest and sides "reaver, reaver, raider, reaver, raider, scavenger, girlfriend" I pointed at a bite mark on my upper chest, then went to go on but he motioned for me to stop. "Girlfriend?" He asked.
I dropped my shirt and looked off at nothing, "Ex actually. Don't think she took me calling off the wedding to well."
"Not if she bit you I would say." He almost laughed.
"Oh no this was from much better times, if you get my drift." I smiled.
"What did she do when you called off the wedding?" He asked as the elevator stopped and the doors opened.
"I don't know, I just left." I said as I stepped out of the elevator and up to the young attractive brunette lady in an immaculate suit who was waiting.
I smiled at her and watched as she hid a smile back and looked me over. Her eyes said it all. Professional, smart,educated, but if we had been at a bar she would have been licking her lips in approval at what she saw.
I smiled again, this time leaning down a little to look her in the eyes. It had it's desired effect.
She turned away with a practiced move to hide a blush at her perceived mistake of being caught checking me out. "This way sir." She said leading me through a set of double doors.
I followed quickly not looking back so as not to give the security guard in the elevator time to realize that our bazaar conversation had caused him to forget to search me or for the lady to have the chance to remember that she hadn't looked to the guard to make sure I wasn't carrying any weapons.
I wasn't but I did have something more important that I really didn't want to be separated from. Cause my life depended on it.
She led me past doorway after doorway that opened into luxurious rooms that could make a companion envious to enter.
Two more security guards standing at a set of double doors at the end of the hallway looking me over with intense scrutiny as I walked up told me two things.
One, Mr Kennedy was inside.
Two, he had opened the case.
I smiled, that had been expected after my message had been sent up by the doorman.
The guards were not charmed by my smile like the lady had been but gave a nod of approval as I took hold of both sides of my jacket and opened it then raised it and turned around so that they could see that I wasn't carrying any weapons. This also gave the continued impression that I had been thoroughly searched in the elevator.
One of them reached out and opened the door for us and we walked on in.
It was really difficult to tell that this was an office with all the fountains, plants, flowers, statues, paintings, couches, and recliners arranged around the place. There was a desk set against one wall of windows with several chairs in front of it. But the place of interest to me was the long mahogany table and its dozen chairs that were occupied by three scared looking gentleman that I recognized easily but probably give boot prints from my skin and cloths to confirm it was them, and one really annoyed looking gentleman in a suit that probably cost as much as my last ship.
He looked from the security guards that stood behind the three thugs to those those that had stepped in behind me and the young lady. "I must assume you are Trent Drew." He said lifting the note card size flexxy from the open case in front of him.
I moved to the table and pulled out a chair on the opposite side of the table from the three thugs but closer to Mr Kennedy, then they were. That was a power play move to keep them off guard and develop a re pore with the buyer. Said 'I am the one you deal with'. "My name is as much Trent Drew as yours is Mr Kennedy but we don't need each others real names to do business now do we?". I asked as I sat down and reached inside my jacket.
Mr Kennedy's eye flashed to the two guards behind me and I felt them moving for their weapons. "Tell Trigger and Happy behind me to go easy with those weapons or they are going to seriously decrease the value of your purchase with my blood." I said pulling out a leather wrapped bundle slowly.
He nodded at the guards to relax but also with a look that asked 'I thought he was searched?' And I could almost hear the guards look at each other then shrug.
No, I had not earned points with the guards but I really didn't want them in a good mood either. I had plans for their foul moods.
I laid the bundle on the table and slowly unwrapped it to show an old beat up metal cigarette case.
"There is no smoking in here." Mr Kennedy said as he eyed the case.
"Good cause I don't smoke." I said opening the case to show an Earth-that-was deck of cards.
He raised a single eyebrow in surprise then calmly stated, "You will understand if I wish to view them before I give payment." He reached into the case and pulled out a common day deck of cards, "I nearly overpaid for these plums." He tossed the deck out on the table giving the three thugs a look that sent them squirming like school boys. This rewarded them with a hand on each of their shoulders from the guards behind them.
I let myself smile st their uncomfortable situation then turned back to Mr Kennedy as I closed the lid of the case and flipped the leather bundle closed over it and gave it a push sending it sliding down the polished table to him.
He frowned back at my casual nature towards something he held valuable then opened the bundle and paused before opening the case. He actually took the time to pull on a set of surgical gloves before opening it.
I examined him as closely as he did the cigarette case then the deck of cards. He carefully slid them from the almost completely faded blank from age box they had originally been sold in and carefully fanned them out on a cloth that the well dressed lady laid out before him. He pulled several cards from the deck and examined them then looked up at me and smiled.
"They are amazingly well kept for their age." He almost glowed as he spoke. And I could just about see the hours of sadistic pleasure he would receive from showing them off to other collectors and friends.
He motioned to the young well dressed lady who brought forward a glass hermetic case on a mahogany cart. He carefully started to move the cards into it.
"Don't you want them all?" I asked and he froze.
He smiled as he pushed back the sudden anger he had felt at me implying that he would be so careless as to not have counted them. "There are fifty-two cards in this kind of deck and there are fifty-two here." He resumed moving cards.
"Actually I have been told they came with fifty-four cards. Two of them were joker cards and sometimes called wild cards.". I leaned back in the seat and waited.
He stopped and in unmasked awe asked, "Are you saying this deck has the jokers?"
"Had, yes. Have, NO! I hold the all the wild cards and will happily sell them to you for a little extra on the price."
Okay, here is where things get really dangerous in this job. A buyer can really get pissed off if he thinks you are about to milk him for more money then agreed on.
"Mr Eisenhower and I have already agreed on a price." His tone was controlled anger.
"Mr Eisenhower sent those three to steal the case from me, then come in here with some story about how I supposedly tried to run with your product and they had to incur additional expenses to get it back for you. Expenses were part of the agreed price correct?"
He paused for a moment the looked from me to the case, then the three sitting very nervously at the end of the table. "What's you're price?" He asked looking back at me after giving the security guards a nod to remove the three thugs, who had suddenly become very vocal about their not having anuy knowledge as to what I was talking about.
"One hundred thousand for the deck of cards and the wild cards,payed to 'Me' in specific terms" I said holding my hand over the breast pocket of my jacket "may I?" I asked not wanting to push the situation by reaching unannounced into my clothing again.
"Sure seems you have a nack for getting things past my security today." He growled more at the two guards behind me.
I pulled out a slip of flexxy and slid it down to him. "That has all the details. You own agricultural equipment and supply companies. I want all that equipment, seed, supplies, and parts at your cost, delivered to the ship berth listed there by morning. I want twenty four hundred payed to that account listed. And the remainder given to me in Alliance universal credits before I leave."
He laughed "And what makes you think I am going to do all that?"
"Well, I hold all the wild cards". I grinned back.
He paused, laughed and pointed his finger at me. "I like you .Mr Drew. You had me thinking you were going to try to take me for more money and all you want is my cost on some agro-supplies." He roared with laughter. He didn't even look at the flexxy. Instead he held it out to the young lady "Pay this man his money and fill his order"
She quickly took the flexxy and left the room.
Mr Kennedy laid his hand on the metal cigarette case and slowly opened and closed the lid looking its features over, "I can only assume you know what you have here."
I nodded
"And if your intent wasn't to sell it you wouldn't have brought it." He continued as he opened it once more and ran a finger around the inside.
"I didn't bring it to sell.." I corrected him bringing a questioning look on his face, "I brought it to trade."
" What is it you want?" Mr Kennedy asked.
"I want to get my money, my supplies and get on my way without fear of those three or Mr Eisenhower coming or sending anyone after me." I stated leaning forward and resting my forearms on the table.
He looked me over real quick to assess whether I was asking him to kill those named or not. “I thought you a better business man then this. You could have kept this or sold it cause if you were able to figure out who I was to know what companies I own then you should have known that I don't like people messing with my business or trying to screw me. I take it personally. So believe me those four will not be bothering anyone again.” He said looking the Cigarette case over again. “I am assuming that I won't have anyone coming looking for this.” He stated passing on a message of what will happen if they do.
I stood up and adjusted my jacket. “If you do let me know, I would love to have a talk with my father. He has been dead for years.” I joked, smiling as I turned and waited for the two guards to step out of the way.
They looked to Mr. Kennedy who must have nodded cause they parted for me to go by.
“I some times need a reliable currier for special deliveries, Mr Terry Drew.” he called out from behind me. “Any interest in future work with me?”
I turned back and saw that he had stood and was holding out a hand. I took a few steps back and took his hand in mine. “Good doing business with you Mr. Kennedy.” I nodded and turned back for the door. “I assume your assistant will be outside to pay me?”
“Yes, she will. And what of my business offer?” He asked in a tone of a man that obviously doesn't like asking twice.
“If you can find me I would be happy to work for you. But that is what makes me good at my work. When I don't want to be found... I won't. Good day sire.”
“Are you forgetting something?” he asked “My jokers?”
I looked at his security guards and grinned. “You already have them sir”
The security guards looked at each other then scowled at me as they realized what I was saying.
I laughed then walked over to the table and picked up the deck of Plum cards and opened them and fanned them out till I found the two I was looking for and tossed them out on the table. Then put the other cards back in the deck and headed for the door. As I passed the guards I pushed the deck up into one of the guys chest. “A gift, Something for you to help pass the time while your waiting your turn at 'talking' to the three outside and their boss.” I chuckled and left to the sound of Mr. Kennedy saying “I like that guy. Now go pick up Mr. Eisenhower and bring him back. I want to have a talk with him and his three employees down in the basement.”
Payment was waiting as promised, along with the assistants phone number written on the back of a business card. I tossed that on my way out, wasn't planning on being back any time soon to keep it. The elevator was empty on my way down. And the door man smiled and told me to have a nice day. The cab driver had waited, again with what I had tipped him it was no surprise.
I looked out the window of the cab as we made our way through the city to the spaceport. No sleeping for me. I was caring over 90,000 Alliance credits in a briefcase at my side. And it would have been a great day if my mother wasn't at the back of my mind telling me it was time to lay down. At least I thought it was my mother. It was how I remembered her voice sounding. I listened to the sound of the drums to keep me awake and thought.
'Maybe someday I will get to mom. Maybe some day I will get to lay down.'
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