Separate Ways

The further in Corvus walked, the more impressive Alpha One became. The hallways were all light grey metal with accents of light blue and lined with pristine white benches and potted flora which made the sterile white and greys look less monochromatic. Some lengths of the walls were massive screens that emanated windows looking out at different sceneries such as oceans, forests and other beautiful landscapes in order to not feel so cold and uninvited in the space station.

Corvus could easily discern the tourists apart from the locals as most tourists traveled in groups and dressed out of place from the rest of the citizens. A lot of the travellers here looked like hunters that were likely visiting the frozen wasteland of Algodra. They walked by billboards and posters advertising hunting weaponry and the next hunting season on Algodra, listed with prizes for the biggest and fiercest catch.

“Do you know where the slavers would dock?” Corvus asked Rik.

“Typically in docking back 83. It’s on one of the lower tiers of the station that doesn’t exist on paper.” Rik answered.

They made their way to an elevator that went down to the sub-levels of the station. There was a bouncer by the elevator that would most likely let them through if paid enough or given the right credentials. He held a large gun that had a thick barrel on it which was known as a Shock Gun, or a Shock Rifle, which was similar to a shotgun but instead of bullets it fired a spread blast of plasma. It was an incredibly dangerous and destructive weapon and a lot of bouncers and guards used it as a deterrent from getting aggressive.

“How much money do you have in that card?” Corvus asked quietly.

“Not enough.” Rik said. He suddenly grabbed Corvus’ arms and locked them behind his back and cuffed him with tight, steel cuffs.

“What are you doing?” Corvus asked, struggling to get Rik off of him.

“Shut up and trust me.” Rik whispered in his ear. Corvus calmed down and loosened his arms to allow Rik to properly lock them together. He hated being restrained and had been before by local police back on Fares for small crimes like trespassing, altercations with drunken bar-goers and small petty disturbances. He resisted authority with every ounce of blood and sweat he could produce, but this was mandatory. Swallowing his pride he looked up at Rik.

“We need it to look legitimate.” Corvus said.

“We do?” Rik asked, unsure of what Corvus had in mind.

“Rik, I’m a slave, I need to look like one.” He said.

“We’ll be fine without that, trust-“ he said but Corvus cut him off by kicking him in the shin and yelling back at him.

“Do it!” he yelled. Rik buckled back and clobbered Corvus in the face levelling him to the floor like a sack of rocks. The bouncer and a few other people glanced over at them as Rik dragged him by his arm toward the elevator. The bouncer was very tall and burly. He had bright white eyes, suggesting that he was of royal blood and belonging to the Royal Shield, a sector of the star system where the Rose Dynasty ruled as a monarchy over the entire region. They typically stayed out of the politics between the Galactic Federation and the IRP and dealt with their own matters regarding crime, drugs and slavery.

Rik could draw faster than the man without any doubt, but he looked like he could take at least a few shots and by the time Rik could draw a few shots the man would get one good shot with his shock blaster, which would be fatal at close range. Besides that, they didn’t need to draw any more attention to themselves.

“We’re headed downstairs for the auction.” Rik stated.

“Eat shit.” Corvus muttered under his breath. Rik thrusted his fist into Corvus’ gut which made him grunt loudly and cough uncontrollably for the next few moments, as the bouncer examined Corvus who was already scarred from the past few hours of hell.

“Shut your mouth, punk.” Rik demanded, while getting close to Corvus’ ear, “and if you speak up again I’ll cut the other one off.” He said quietly enough to sound menacing, but loud enough for the bouncer to understand it. The bouncer looked back and forth between them and slowly nodded.

“Very well.” He said, stepping aside enough for them to squeeze through. Rik smiled pleasantly at the bouncer and dragged Corvus through the doorway and tossed him into the elevator. The bouncer glanced back at the two of them and retook his post in the middle of the doorway. Rik pressed the second last button in the elevator and the door slowly shut and the elevator screeched into motion, bringing them downward.

“What was the first thing you cut off?” Corvus asked, looking back at Rik.

“Eat shit? I feel like that was genuine.” Rik retorted.

Corvus shook his head and they both smirked as they watched the numbers of the elevator count down into the negatives. The bright fluorescent lights above them nearly blinded Corvus and made the elevator feel sterile like the rest of Alpha One. Their smirks quickly faded into stone-like frowns as they descended into the darkest parts of Alpha One.

The elevator stopped abruptly and after a short moment the door slid open, grinding on the rails and holding it in place. The station upstairs was bright and welcoming, but down here it was much darker and the dead opposite of inviting. They walked out into the halls where many different people conversed and relaxed, many of them being homeless and less fortunate, the others being mercenaries like Rik which meant he was more likely to be recognized which could be a problem as he wasn’t on friendly terms with many people.

“Where to now?” Corvus asked. Rik led him into a small dead end hallway leading to an outlook over the hangar. He checked down the hallway leading to it to see nobody approaching. He unlatched Corvus’ restraints and hooked them onto the back of his belt. Corvus rubbed his wrists and looked down at the hangar scanning the area. There it was.

“Rik, look!” he exclaimed, excited. Rik turned and looked to where he was pointing and indeed, the slaver’s freighter was docked in the hangar.

“Good eye, kid. At least we know we’re on the right track. Let’s get going.” He said. They turned to walk down the hallway but two aliens were blocking the way. Corvus stepped back into the wall but Rik stood his ground, crossing his arms. The aliens began speaking to him in a strange language that was littered with harsh consonants and strange clicks.

“Guys, how have you been? Long time no see.” Rik said, trying to sound excited to see the two. Both of them were of the same race and looked fairly intimidating. They both had red glowing eyes and dark, charcoal skin that seemed flakey almost as if their skin was made from volcanic rock. They were humanoid in shape, but their heads were tall and thin, devoid of all hair. When they spoke, you could see their yellow, jagged teeth protruding from inside of their rose red gums. They wore shaggy looking outfits and looked like the mercenary type, but of a different cut than Rik.

They began shouting at him in their language, which Rik clearly understood and put his hands up to try and reason with them.

“Guys, guys, first of all, who says I took your ship?” he said, seemingly shaken. It was likely an act to make the aggressors feel as if they had an upper hand. Corvus examined the man on the right and noticed he was reaching for something behind his back. He knew what may be coming and wasn’t sure if he was prepared for it. Rik and the two aliens began arguing which began to elevate to a more intense level that would soon get violent.

Corvus could feel the sweat already dripping down his spine and his hands shaking. He took a deep breath and remembered what Rik told him about keeping his nerves in check. It was easier said than done, but was imperative to the situation. Shoot first and ask questions later. Corvus thought to himself.

Suddenly, the man reached fully behind his back and Corvus instinctively pulled his pistol out from his jacket and fired three shots, two penetrating the alien’s chest and one skimming off his shoulder and into the wall. Rik almost instantly reacted, pulling his blaster out and gunning the other down before he could even react.

The holes where Corvus shot him were steaming from the singed material of his clothes, and he slowly stopped flinching until he was lifeless. On the ground next to the alien, was a small pistol similar to Corvus’ but was smaller and had a thinner barrel. The alien beside him had been shot twice in the head by Rik, showing his superior accuracy and experience in such situations. Rik turned to Corvus and let out a quick sigh of relief.

“I thought you’d never shoot, kid. Damn near thought I was gonna have to do that all myself.” He said, impressed with Corvus’ response. Corvus wasn’t as shaken this time by the close call and he sheathed his gun inside of his jacket. Rik grabbed their vests and dragged them into the small area overlooking the hangar in hopes to hide the bodies long enough to make a quick escape. He beckoned Corvus to follow him and they jogged down the vacant hallway and into a crowded sitting area.

Corvus couldn’t help but wonder if he was getting used to the idea of killing another person, whether it was a man or alien; to him it didn’t matter. He felt as if killing another man should effect him more than it was but perhaps he was getting used to this life already, or maybe having been through a war zone changed him.

Rik led Corvus down a series of hallways until they eventually reached a wide hallway that was separated by a thick glass. The hallway had few people in it and had a few doors on the left side leading to a large Bar that Rik had been to many times. They began to walk down the hall and Rik stopped to look through the windows at the Bar, which was fairly busy for what time it was on the station. It was early morning for the people that lived and worked on the station. Corvus stood beside him and glanced into the bar.

“Is that where the auction is?” asked Corvus.

“No, but we’ll definitely be able to find out in there. Just stay close to me and we should-“ he responded but was cut off by something knocking on the window behind them. They spun around to see who was trying to gain their attention. Rik’s eyes widened and he jumped as if he’d been shocked by a taser. Corvus looked up at him, and then through the window at the five men standing there, four in black and gold military suits and the one in the centre dressed in a black jumpsuit that was fairly tight fitted and a red and gold leather jacket. His mask was a perfect oval that was black and glossy, resembling a thick black crystal ball. On his belt were all sorts of knives, vials and unpleasant looking tools; the most notable possession on the man’s belt was a massive cleaver that was stained with dried up blood.

“Rik, who is that?” Corvus asked nervously. Rik seemed to not hear Corvus as his gaze was so fixed on the man with the black helmet that Corvus could nearly cut the tension with a knife. The man slowly raised his hand and waved at Rik like he was happy to see him. Rik’s face was a mix of fear and pure anger. Corvus had an idea who the man was, and deep down he didn’t want to admit it.

“Son of a bitch.” Corvus said under his breath. Chills shot down Corvus’ spine and made his knees tingle. Knowing the atrocities this man had committed, being in his presence was surreal and neither Rik nor Corvus could keep their cool, especially Rik who was shaken with anger. The man closed his fist from waving and waved two fingers down the hallway which sent three of the guards running down the hallway to come around the other side. Rik quickly turned to Corvus and put his hands on his arms.

“Kid, go find your sister. These guys will kill us both, better me than you.” He explained.

“But, I don’t know-“

“Don’t argue with me! Follow your gut, and don’t trust anybody!” he yelled as he pushed Corvus toward the Bar. Corvus reluctantly looked back at Rik who was stricken with guilt and pain for having to send him off on his own. He knew how much this moment meant to Rik, and he didn’t want to tear this opportunity from him. Whether or not he wanted to accept it, he needed to find Sasha on his own. Rik had gotten him this far and Corvus wasn’t much good to Sasha dead. He ripped his gaze from Rik and ducked into the Bar and disappeared into the crowd.

Rik pulled his blaster from his coat and began charging the blaster pistol and cracked his neck, waiting for the guards to round the corner. As the goons reached the end of the hallway, Rik took aim and began to breathe deeply, keeping focused on blasting them as soon as they rounded the corner. His hands were as still as they had ever been and Rik knew if he were to falter now it would result in a quick death or the Butcher’s escape; neither were acceptable.

One of the goons poked around the corner and in that same instant Rik squeezed the trigger sending a thick red bolt down the hallway which slammed through the goon’s head and crashed into the wall, singeing the metal. The man flipped to the ground and landed with a great thud from the penetrating force of the plasma bolt.

The other two followed quickly behind him and began firing from behind the walls, ensuring they were in cover. Rik ducked behind a pillar outside of the Bar Corvus had ducked into. He took a quick breath and waited for his blaster to reach it’s cool down. The Butcher now knew what Corvus looked like, and now was in serious danger simply by association with Rik. He could not let the Butcher get to Corvus, as it would result in a long horrific end for Corvus and Sasha.

While the firefight was taking place, the Butcher approached two guards around the corner. The guards examined the Butcher, knowing exactly who he was and receiving him by standing straight and saluting.

“At ease, men, I have a task for you.” The Butcher said slyly. His helmet masked his voice and made it sound more mechanical than it really was. This made him far more intimidating as there were very few people that knew what he looked or sounded like; Rik was one of them. Rik had tried so many times to kill the Butcher and he was impressed with his persistence. He could’ve killed Rik many times but that’s not how he conducted business; he wanted to toy with him as long as he could.

“There is a man in that hallway, he’s killing three of my men and he’s a wanted criminal in this sector. Lock him up until I’ve concluded my business here.” He demanded as he slid a wad of yellow notes in the guards’ pockets. There were various different types of currency in the system and yellow notes, which were also referred to simply as ‘notes’ or ‘notary’, were the most common. Many people just kept a card with them that would access their Galactic Bank Account and was accepted widely throughout the galaxy, much like the one Rik had borrowed from his last bounty.

The guards nodded and pushed passed the Butcher as he stepped aside and walked through a doorway into another large sitting area with the last of his goons. Alarms began to blare in the hallway and other guards from the station poured in, armed and locking all doors around them. Rik looked around and knew exactly what was going on and figured he may as well take some of his guards with him. He rounded the corner and began approaching the goons while firing in their direction. One of them jumped out to try and get a shot off but Rik disposed of him before the goon could even aim. The second jumped out after and Rik blasted three shots into his chest and he slammed into the wall behind him.

Guards flooded the hallway behind him and he raised his arms in the air and dropped to his knees, letting his gun fall to the floor. He looked over at a window that split the hallway and the Bar and Corvus watched in dismay as his friend had given up the fight. Rik hoped that Corvus understood that some fights weren’t meant to be won, and that sometimes patience was the key. He was young, and he would not understand either of these ideas without explanation. He hung his head as guards piled on top of him and restrained him violently. Rik tried to put up a fight but the guards overpowered him and snapped metal cuffs onto his wrists and dragged him down the hallway.

Corvus sat by the window looking out at the three bodies Rik had shot and then back toward the other end of the hall. He turned his attention to the Bar to see all sorts of different races and robots. The Bar smelt of body odour, alcohol and smoke from cigarettes that weren’t allowed; in this part of the station, laws were more of a guideline. He more than ever needed a drink right now and figured it may be a good way to mingle with the locals to see if he could get information on the auction.

He got up and walked over to the bar and took a seat at the long oval shaped bar that sat roughly fifty people. There were three robots on a rail system behind the bar serving drinks to patrons and behind them was a massive wall lined with all different types of alcohol from across the galaxy. Corvus had only ever known the whiskey and gin that was brewed on Fares. To him, it was the finest alcohol in the galaxy but he’d never tried anything else. One of the bartending robots pulled over to him and looked fairly impressive compared to the rusty robots he was used to seeing.

This robot was silver and it’s metal frame glistened under the bright Bar lights. It was human shaped but had a long curved neck and a perfectly oval head with no frame. The body had bright blue accented lights on it’s arms, legs, torso and head. The eyes were large, circular blue discs that even resembling blinking even though Robots didn’t need the function of blinking; Corvus believed the strange flickering was blinking but these Robots were programmed to take photos of every patron that entered the Bar, just in case they were killed or needed to be arrested.

“Can I help you, sir?” asked the robotic barkeep in a monotonous, droning voice. Corvus was displeased with how simple the robot’s vocals were and expected something more soothing or welcoming, but the galaxy was imperfect.

“Yeah, do you have any Black Deruvian? It’s a whiskey they make on Fares.” He said.

“Yes, I know what it is, sir. Would you like a single, double, triple-“ the robot began to list off but Corvus interjected before the Robot could drone on for too long.

“Just a single, please.” He said. The robot nodded and held his hand out to receive payment. Corvus, wide-eyed, realized that he didn’t have any money in his account. How was he supposed to pay for his drink? He searched his pockets feeling for any form of payment for the alcohol and the Robot waited patiently. Reaching into one of the inside pockets, he could feel a card that he pulled out.

Savan Trengotti. Rik you sly son of a bitch. He thought to himself as he handed the card to the barkeep. The barkeep inserted it to a slot just under it’s neck and handed the card back. Corvus put the card back into his pocket and waited for the barkeep to pour the drink. He began to look around at the crowd of people in the Bar and wanted to see who was more likely to know about the auction and where it was. Corvus didn’t know how to read people, let alone species of aliens he’d never seen before. This was going to be difficult.

“Enjoy your drink, sir.” The robot said as he slid the dark brown whiskey in a small crystal glass that gleamed as he spun it around on the steel bar-top. He lifted it up and put the glass to his lips and sipped on the familiar liquor. It stung at first but then became as smooth as he remembered and it made him think of home, which was bittersweet.

He remembered sitting on the balcony of his apartment complex they lived in before it was demolished by the war. The late night weekends sitting out under the stars with Sasha, who he’d let have one small drink after she begged him for hours on end. She was young but she was tough, and smart; Corvus felt a little reward here and there wasn’t such a bad idea. He wanted to be able to pass the drink next to him so Sasha could have a sip, but when he looked over to his right it was a small alien that looked over at him strangely, and back forward.

Corvus felt it was wrong to have a drink shortly after Rik was arrested and Sasha was still out there, but he needed a game plan. He couldn’t go in guns blazing, especially not knowing where to go, who to kill and where Sasha would be in the massive station. He sighed and took another sip.

He looked to his left to see a large, stalky man sitting beside him. Corvus looked at the man as he sat down with his large, black tricorne hat and long black duster that was stained with dirt and dust. The man looked forward toward the bar and had a thick handlebar moustache. Borin Viloff. He thought to himself.

Corvus stared wide-eyed at the pirate without being able to break his gaze. It was her kidnapper, sitting beside him at a bar in some station so far away from his home. His hand began to shake with fear and rage as he tried to pull his gaze away. Borin turned to Corvus and locked eyes with him for a moment and gave a small frown.

“Whadya lookin’ at, punk?” he said growly.

“Sorry.” He said and turned away. Sorry? Corvus you wimp. He thought to himself. He surely couldn’t let Borin walk away unscathed from the bar. His hand vibrating like a fresh struck tuning fork, he slid his hand into his jacket and felt the handle of his pistol. He could blast the pirate right in the side of his head and end this entire thing, but it wouldn’t lead him to Sasha. Borin wasn’t alone and if he turned up dead his alien partner might be tempted to kill Sasha or leave with all of them.

There was a smarter way to do this. Corvus was used to tearing things up, yelling and fighting his way out of a problem but he knew he had to do it the way his sister would do it. Maybe talking would get the answers he needed. After all, Borin didn’t seem to notice who Corvus was and he seemed slightly intoxicated.

Corvus removed his hand from his coat and rested it back on the bar and took another sip of his drink. Asking directly about Sasha would be a poor idea, and most likely result in a bar fight that Corvus didn’t want part of. Asking about the auction may be a little bit fishy too, but maybe they did private viewings of the slaves? If he got that far, would Sasha keep her cool or would she blow his cover and get them both killed? Both options were out of the question and far too risky. Maybe, he didn’t need to talk at all. Borin wasn’t going to miss the auction, and all Corvus had to do was follow close enough to not lose him, but not so close that it would reveal his true intentions.

The plan was decided but he wondered what he would do about Rik. He couldn’t just leave Rik in the prison cell for who knows how long after everything he’d done for him. Rik told him to go on and get his sister, but could he execute the whole plan without him? He didn’t have enough money to purchase her, he didn’t have any knowledge of the auctions so even when she was purchased how would he find out who bought her, and even if he did, tracking her new owner would be impossible for Corvus.

He kept peeking over at Borin making sure he wasn’t doing anything strange. The urge to pull the pistol on him and blow him away was intoxicating but he had to be stronger than that. Taking the last large sip of the alcohol, he finalized his plan inside of his head. He would follow Borin to the auction, and find out who would purchase her. Once she was purchased all he would need was a name, then he could focus on breaking Rik out of jail. Rik could track whoever purchased her. He could track anybody. It was far fetched, but it was all he had to go on.

After a few tense moments of watching Borin chug at least three shots of a clear liquor which Corvus assumed was gin or something similar, he watched Borin stand up and make his way back to the rear entrance of the Bar. He waited until Borin was just out the door and quickly got up to pursue him. Pushing through the crowd of patrons he slid out of the door and quickly looked down both hallways to just see Borin turn down the right hallway. He began to follow keeping in mind what Rik said about getting into a duel, especially with an experienced slave trader. He had to shoot first, and he had to be calm, if it came to that. He prayed it wouldn’t.

Corvus trailed Borin to a massive courtyard area where hundreds of people milled about. Some of them had slaves with steel collars around their necks and chains tied to the owner’s belt. Maybe he would see Sasha within the mass of people, but he couldn’t risk losing Borin’s trail. Most of the slaves were human held by aliens, but there were a few alien slaves held by other aliens, and some humans. There seemed to be little discrimination between any one single race in the room, but the tension was palpable and in a room full of criminals which was not out of the ordinary.

Suddenly, after looking around at all of the slaves Corvus realized he’d lost Borin’s trail. He cursed to himself and searched around frantically but turned up no results.

This isn’t the end of the world. These are obviously all slave traders, and they’re obviously all here to sell somebody. Just ask around until you get an answer. He thought to himself. It was a risky plan but he found the least harmless person in the room which was a human like him. He wouldn’t bother speaking to an alien in fears of not knowing their language and the fact that he could very easily become one of their slaves in an instant. He approached the younger man holding onto another human girl slave, which to Corvus seemed horrific but he needed to remember where he was. He had to act tough.

“Hey, got a question for you.” He said. The young man looked over at him, frowning but soon gave a small, strange smile.

“Yes?” he responded, sounding almost snake like.

“Where is the auction this time ’round?” he asked.

“Which one?” the man responded quickly. Corvus didn’t realize their was more than one option which made his situation go from simple to complex.

“I’m looking for a girl similar to the one you got, for obvious reasons.” He said. The words made him nearly vomit in his own mouth.

“Oh, you’re lookin’ for some fun are yah?” the man asked and chuckled. Corvus forced out a chuckle to try and gain the man’s trust. The man pointed forward toward a set of doors on the far side of the room.

“The third door from the right is where you want to go, unless you want to make an offer on my little lady here? She is a treat, I must tell you.” He said. Corvus looked down at the poor girl who was no older than his sister and was stricken with bruises and cuts. Her eyes were red and glossy and she looked up at Corvus with pleading eyes to help her. Corvus’ conscious began to terrorize him and guilt him into making a stupid decision that would end his life within seconds. He could gun the man down and free her, but he would surely be gunned down immediately after. He couldn’t risk it, and as horrible as he felt for the young girl there was nothing more he could do.

“She’s… not really my type, friend.” He said reluctantly.

“Very well, enjoy the auction. Pick a good one!” he said yelling. Corvus forced a smile and turned away from the man and walked quickly away trying to forget the young girl’s tear soaked face. He wanted to kill the man, more than he’d ever wanted to kill anybody. In fact, he wanted to kill everybody in this room and rid the galaxy of a few hundred slave traders but that would do nothing for Sasha. That poor girl would be purchased by someone else soon and put through horrors that no person should face, but if he got himself killed then Sasha would go through the same thing.

Corvus was getting closer to Sasha now and he yearned for the moment he could embrace her again, and tell her that everything would be okay. He walked through the door to a massive hall with a stage at the bottom of what looked like a lecture hall in a University. The slaves were to be paraded on stage like zoo animals which was not how Corvus wanted to see his sister again. Soon she would be brought out onto the stage and he prayed she would be okay. Everything led up to this moment and he couldn’t mess this up. He needed her to be purchased and he needed a name. Sasha’s life depended on it.