Untold Stories of a Galaxy - Kysaek: The Beginning

Deep Down was formerly a mining pit, as there were hundreds of them on Themis, but this former mining crater had a certain charm of its own and was not just a large cargo port in which a foggy haze hovered. The gradual lowering of the round, tens of kilometres wide hole, however, simplified the overview immensely, despite the fog, and while the local complexes for storage and docking of the many ships dominated the higher rings, everything near the deep bottom was dotted with densely populated housing estates. Still, it was not bright there and only faint lights drew any attention at all to the houses, which together formed a steel ring in the crater and could be compared to a solar eclipse, where one saw a dark spot in the centre and the glistening arcs of light shining behind it. However, it was like a solar eclipse and the condition was not eternal, for either the approaching and departing ships provided enough light or the brutal, red giant sun cast its piercing glow into the pit, tempered only by the atmospheric shield and easily lending an ominous hue to the shallow mist.

“That’s it, isn’t it?” asked Kysaek. She had taken a twelve hour break after the death of Arolac and was riding a lift platform into the crater.

There was no one else around, which was why Thais could speak freely. ”Warehouse Three, just like the dock worker said. The ID and Reed’s signs in the corner match.”

“From a distance, it looks quiet. No great security measures,” Kysaek noted. She looked closely at the exterior of the wide-built hall, but from what Arolac had said, the place was anything but a fortress.

“Don’t be fooled. It might look different inside.”

“Yes, and how do we get in? The roof? The front door?”

Not far from the hall there was a docking bay from which a substantial transport ship had just been released. Magnetic mounts and gravitational supports deactivated and the wingless craft swung backwards into the air. “How about we wait for the next shipment?” suggested Thais. “With the workers buzzing around, it’ll give us extra backup.”

“By all means,” Kysaek nodded with satisfaction. “We still need to scout the area, though, and find a way in before that happens.”

“And we need to find the warehouse foreman,” Thais added. The women needed the person in charge of the stocks because otherwise it was impossible or pure luck to find the special bot.

“We’ll split up. I’ll take charge of the stock and you check out the compound,” Kysaek said, taking off her helmet. She didn’t want to look too suspicious here in case she was caught peeping. “But first we’ll see if Tavis has anything for us.” Since the death of Arolac, Kysaek had not made contact with the Palanian and she was curious to see if he had found out anything about Warehouse Three and sent him a text message

What’s the status?

Tavis’ reply was prompt.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find out anything about Warehouse Three. It was too dangerous for me to ask about it.

Shit. Do we at least have peace of mind from pursuers? Did you hear something?

Yeah, I heard. Word’s already out on the op. All the drugs have been recovered, and by Reed’s people. I think our helpers overplayed their hand and didn’t make it, which is good for us, though. That way no one can spill the beans and no one has discovered Arolac’s body yet and they already think he was killed in the attack and is rotting in a corner. Everyone classifies this as an attack by the competition.

Competitors we are, after all, in one way or another.

Better not say that too loudly or you’ll become the new target of the Killer Command.

Kysaek must have read it wrong.

Killer Command?

From PGI. The company apparently gave Reed a special squad some time ago to take out his enemies, like the Echo Cartel. At least that’s what some of Reed’s goons have told me. But that’s just hearsay so far.

Sounds bad, but rumours shouldn’t distract us.

Don’t forget you’re following a rumour right now.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Kysaek had to admit that Tavis had a sense of humour.

’I do, that’s why we don’t need a second.

I’m trying hard to cut down on the ‘important’ gossip. I have to stop now. Tavis out.

“Killer Commando?” asked Thais, looking over her leader’s shoulder. “That shouldn’t bother us at all. This is our everyday life. We’re on the PGI hit list and I’m sure we’re being hunted by TEN of them. Besides, I’m sure this command has other duties”

A smirk came across Kysaek’s lips. “We have a strange daily routine.”

“Conditionally. Adrenaline junkies would give anything for an adventure like this.”

“If I see one, I’ll ask if he wants to trade places with us.”

But now no one would swap places with the women, whose paths parted for the moment at the end of the platform ride. Thais disappeared between some buildings, while Kysaek endeavoured to follow the path to the warehouse in an alternation of sneaking and normal walking. However, this was currently difficult and perhaps foolish, as the red sun bathed the entire Deep Down crater in a treacherous daylight and people were busy with their work. Because of this, Kysaek was soon walking along the ring more than sneaking.

Much of it was work space and that was diligently used, but in between there were still opportunities for diversion and their offerings enjoyed far higher and busier use than work. Because of the heat alone, gambling dens and brothels hummed and waited for their drinking and lusty clientele, although the taverns were out of all proportion to the whorehouses. They promised a rich and exotic selection, but the male and female whores from the street scammed half the customers before they even got near the brothels.

Kysaek also had to defend herself against such sometimes intrusive attempts. She pretended to be on the lookout and enjoyed the beautiful views, but when the opportunity arose, she ducked between the people and cheated her way to Warehouse Three.

Between a row of parked trucks, Kysaek spied her destination, which was neither surrounded by a fence nor heavily guarded. Only at a cottage, no doubt armed hoodlums bustled about and patrolled the area moderately. If there really was cargo of the highest importance stored here, the guards were either negligent or they were grandly disguising the high security of the place and no matter which was true - Kysaek crept into the area and tried to survey the rows of workers to find the warehouse master. Among the workforce, however, no one stood out that she could pin down as her target and so Kysaek eventually followed Thai’s plan and waited for the next transport ship to approach. Only when that flew into the bay did Kysaek spot fix potential, tone-setting figures.

“Get a move on people!” shouted a stressed female Galig. “We still have parts of the last ship’s cargo to accommodate and we still have to get the cargo for the new ship out of the hall!”

“Do you have any idea where this is going?!” asked a human. in a fully loaded forklift.

The Galig didn’t really know. “Take it outside the hall and ask the warehouse foreman!”

“Will do!” the man nodded and drove off towards the hall.

Following him was Kysaek’s chance, but the burgeoning workload and the speed of the forklift driver prevented her from keeping up. She almost ran into a group of workers and then almost came under the wheels of a honking van, so she reconsidered. Safety still came before her and the price was the loss of the driver, but at least she was closer to the building. There were more places to hide here, between boxes, containers, vehicles and trailers. From there she could catch a glimpse of something.

“Gather round, everyone!” a strange Sororan called out. He was without a Twin counterpart and instead carried a mechanical canister on his back, in which were six large vials. These sloshed full of yellowish goo as the Sororan stirred and half a dozen workers gathered around him. “You need to push your people more! We’re behind schedule and I don’t think anyone here wants a visit from the union!”

“And how are we supposed to do that?” a Calanian scowled glibly in reply. “Our workers already know all the threats and just hope it won`t be them getting punished.”

“What kind of overseers are you?! Tell them we’ll replace them with slaves if things don’t go better!”

“They know we’re bluffing. We can’t keep bringing in new slaves as soon as the old ones are used up - that would be an extreme effort and make us even slower.”

The Sororan stretched all four arms of himself. “Yes, re-training them all would be bad!” he said threateningly. “But you overseers are limited in your numbers! If the union visits you and I have to replace you, that’s less work for me in retraining than replacing the normal workforce! So you better think of something and now get to work!”

All the overseers were frustrated by the Sororan’s manner and as they dispersed some muttered to themselves, but one was clearly audible offside. “Slimy insect. Fucking warehouse foreman.”

So that was him, the man who could help Kysaek along, and he walked straight through the wide, lightly guarded gate of the warehouse. “Nhpf, can’t you run in my direction?” she sighed to herself as Kysaek suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and was jerked around.

“Who are you?!” snarled a Palanian man. He was unarmed and wearing dirty work clothes and a hard hat shaped for his head.

The guards were too far away and had heard nothing, and the nearby workers glanced briefly at the scene, but no one approached. Still, Kysaek couldn’t just steal away or punch the man. “You scared me!” she defended herself.

“That wasn’t my question! I’ve never seen your ugly face before! Are you from the competition and spying?! Or are you trying to steal?!”

“Now stay relaxed,” Kysaek replied tightly, but she needed an excuse and became sarcastic. “Never seen an accident prevention officer before? What do you think I have the helmet on my belt for?”

The Palanian didn’t eat the lie, though fortunately he didn’t pay much attention to the combat helmet. “Accident what?” he murmured, grabbing the woman by the collar. “I think we need to have a word with the guards.”

Now Kysaek desperately needed an idea. “All right, all right,” she said soothingly. “You can’t take a joke, can you? I’m looking for work.”

“Work? You puny human female?”

“I bet I could kick your ass, but I’d rather save my strength for the more important things, like work. Empty pockets are unhealthy on Themis.”

“And what’s with the gun?!”

Kysaek’s gun and knife peeked out from under her jacket at her belt, but in the same breath she raised her eyebrow. “Is the question serious? What did I just say about where we are?”

The Palanian patted his own weapon, also a pistol. “My mistake, but if you want a job, what are you doing loitering around?!”

Casually, Kysaek pointed over her shoulder. “The warehouse foreman was just there and I wanted to ask him for work before you went all Davoc on me here.”

The Palanian had seen his superior. “Yes, he was there ...that’s right,” he admitted, disengaging his fingers from his collar. “But that’s not how it works, all right? You’ll have to check with the recruiting office.”

“Mh, a friend who works here told me to go straight to the boss.”

“Bullshit, I get that a lot. Off to the office. I don’t want to see you here again,” the Palanian admonished, pointing towards the exit.

Kysaek was relieved and headed there, but it was only a feint. The man didn’t look at her for long and when she was sure the coast was clear, she looked for a new, quiet corner. “Thais, where are you?” she asked quietly over the radio link.

“I was just on the roof next to the warehouse,” the Talin replied tensely. “I thought he got you.”

“That was a really close call,” Kysaek took a breath, yet played it down. “But nobody catches me that easily.”

“Yes, your mouth is your talent and a guarantee for trouble. Have you found the warehouse foreman?”

“It’s a Sororan and he’s in the hall right now. Have you found a way in?”

“None in a hurry,” Thais sighed defeatedly. “I’m afraid you’ll have to go through the main gate.”

“Security is weak, but walking through the door without further ado wont work.”

“What if I get you a overseer’s uniform? Do you think that will be enough?”

Directly Kysaek couldn’t answer the question and she looked to see how the guards were behaving. The security guards were more absent than fully there, as workers came and went at a pace that blurred their faces even for Kysaek. “Well, you just said it. With my mouth, that is, if I don’t pass for an overseer there.”

“Perfect. Do you see the garage, next to the outhouse?”

“I do.”

“Give me fifteen minutes and then come around the back of the building.”

“Fifteen minutes, got it,” Kysaek replied, and she didn’t know what Thais was up to, but she hoped it wasn’t too risky. The wait felt more like half an hour to her, though, and her long sense of time turned to embarrassment when she was at the corner of the garage and pricked up her ears. Some man was making distinct, excited moans and mixed in with them was a smacking, slippery sound. Oh please don’t tell me .... She hoped now that Thais was not doing what was going on in her mind’s eye. Was the Talin ready to go that far? Kysaek got goosebumps and they weren’t the good kind, but there was only one way to know what was going on and unfortunately it looked pretty much like her imagination.

A human overseer was leaning against the wall grinning in a relaxed manner and although his lower part was shrouded by a rubbish container, a tiny scrap of white talin skin kept flashing as a head snapped back.

That’s disgusting and real readiness. Kysaek didn’t know which thought to rank higher and she sat out the act’s imminent end. To her surprise, however, it was not Thais who ran away from the garage after the climax, but a lanky Talin who was a stranger to her, and Kysaek still got to see the satisfied man fall sleepily against the dumpster.

Thais had injected him with a sleeping pill with her injector. “Hurry up!” she murmured softly.

“You had me there just now,” Kysaek confessed as she appropriated the rather matching warden’s uniform while still keeping her helmet on her belt. “I thought it was you who gave that guy a -”

“Please - I want to keep my dignity.”

The irony was both bitter and a joke to Kysaek. “Ah yes, shooting a guy in the face is easy for you, but when it’s the other way around, is that where the line of dignity is for you?” chortled Kysaek, stealing the camp master’s frequency from his Vortex cuff.

“My method is cleaner,” Thais opined, heaving the half-naked overseer into the empty waste container with her leader. “Do you have your injector?”

“Got it,” Kysaek nodded. Killing was only an option for her in the hall as a last resort, because most of the people inside were innocent, ordinary workers, and that was where the injector with a lightning-quick sleeping agent was more suitable. “I’m activating my locator beacon. Maybe I can let you in from inside somewhere else or I can come out the back door.”

At the front door, at least, Kysaek had no trouble. She had picked up an abandoned data log and was pretending to read it as she went in and the guards and workers took no offence. She didn’t want to push it, however, and avoided all contact in the hall, which hadn’t seemed as huge from the outside as it actually was. Boxes upon boxes on spacious shelves and containers, formed little aberrations and provided shelter for her. Moreover, the bright sun had no presence in the building and this bathed nooks, corners and dead ends in soft shadows.

Suddenly a Calanian sentry appeared. “Hey overseer,” he said sceptically. “What are you doing in here? There’s work waiting outside.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Kysaek asserted brashly. “I need to find the warehouse foreman because there’s a problem.”

“If there’s a problem, why don’t you contact him through your vortex cuff?”

“Mine is broken. See?” asked Kysaek, showing her cuff. When the Calanian guilelessly lowered his head to check, she chased the injector down his throat and intercepted the man’s fall, but his mechanical legs dragged him down heavily. “Woah, wet Calan skin,” she said, and an uncomfortable shudder went through her body. Her victim had been put into a deep sleep for hours and so it suited Kysaek for her to deposit him under a shelf. The man’s flabby tentacles made a lot of extra work for her to slide under, though, like a cable that couldn’t be rolled up properly, and once that was done, she pulled on her helmet and used the captured frequency to contact the camp master. “Warehouse foreman, come in.“”

“What is it?!” it came back rudely from the Sororan.

“I’ve got damaged goods all over here in one of the new containers,” Kysaek lied. “Someone’s trying to trick us, or they’ve been really sloppy with the loading.”

The warehouse foreman didn’t suspect anything and was upset. “What?! Where are you?!”

“Row F22.”

“What a great day! I’m coming!”

Sleep was not something Kysaek wanted to send the Sororan to, at least not right away, and to get him to talk she needed her pistol. The man took forever, though, while she lurked on a pile of crates and kept flinching whenever she heard anything.

“I really need to change my staff. Just loud incompetent cost factors,” the storekeeper complained loudly as he arrived. “Hello?! Where’s the broken goods?!”

Getting too close or holding a gun to his head was not an option for Kysaek. The Sororan was too tall and she didn’t want to stand within his reach anyway. “Shut up!” she warned.

The warehouse foreman bumped into a box because of the unforeseen shock and aiming at him at a distance was threat enough for him. All four of his arms went up in the air. “How dare you!” he retorted quietly.

Kysaek didn’t have to be quite so quiet, though, for the bustle in the hall and outside covered a lot of it. “I am an eccentric customer and in search of rare merchandise - what do you think I am allowing myself?!”

As Arolac had done, the phrase repeated itself at the Sororan. “Are you aware of where you are here and wh-?”

Kysaek interrupted him. “Roskor Reed, I’m going to die, I’d better get out of here and so on and so forth. We don’t have time for all that and all I want to know is where the special bot is and I’m off again.”

“There are no bots stored in the hall. I don’t know what you want.”

“I wasn’t kidding, okay? I want to know where the bot is or you’re about to have a hole between your black googly eyes.”

The Sororan didn’t believe in shooting. “If you shoot me, it’ll echo off the walls a thousand times and the guards will take you down.”

“Please,” Kysaek countered confidently. “I came in with my uniform on and snuck through the building. By the time the guards get here, I’ll be out with it. Are you still hoping they’ll kill me now? Are you betting your life on that?”

“No, I’m not,” clacked the storekeeper. However, he continued to profess his ignorance. “I still have no idea what you want. If this has anything to do with dirty business - I’m not directly one of Reed’s people. I’m just a regular worker under his foot.”

“But you’re in charge in that warehouse! A few weeks ago there was a heated discussion about where to hide the special bot and they decided on warehouse three!”

“Discussed where to put hot goods? Is it about that stupid box?”

If he really was a normal worker, maybe he was out of the loop and Kysaek assumed that for now. “What stupid box?”

“The one in row D. I don’t know what’s in it, but the union said there was a lot of trouble and fighting over the goods weeks ago and I’d better forget it even existed.”

“Ha, show me that box. Go ahead and just don’t fuck around. My finger is nervous.”

Obediently, the warehouse foreman led the way for Kysaek and from row F22 to D30, it wasn’t far. Halfway there, however, they ran into a group of workers and Kysaek hurriedly put her gun on her belt. “I’m warning you!” she hissed calmly.

“Oh boss,” a female Galig worker acted innocently, as if she and the others had been caught at something. “What brings you here?”

The warehouse foreman struggled with his answer. “W-what would I want here! I’m doing my job! And your lazy lot?!”

“Nothing, nothing. We sure as hell didn’t want to take a break in one of the containers!”

“What was that?! I should tell you all-”

Kysaek rudely interrupted her hostage. “What the boss means to say is, you’ll all be replaced soon!” she asserted. “You’re all working far too slowly, just like all the overseers!”

The intimidation quickly took effect and yet the Galig questioned one thing. “So is he replacing you too?”

“I’m already new!” said Kysaek. The topic from earlier suited her situation beautifully. “I’ve replaced someone else and I’m being inducted! And I like to crack the whip and shoot without warning and that’s not just saying it!“” She pulled out her pistol and pointed it at the staff. “Get to work!”

As if bitten by gnats, the people hastily piled out and the warehouse foreman pretended to be astonished. “That was really good. Let’s just forget the crap here and you’ll work for me?”

“I already have a job. Maybe some other time,” Kysaek replied calmly, pushing her hostage with the gun. “Chop, chop.” The longer she took, the higher the risk that something could go wrong, but the Sororan cooperated dutifully. He took Kysaek to a shelf and had to move some stuff aside to pull out a rusty, dusty metal box for her. “This is it?”

“The box was brought by the union and they check on the goods often,” nodded the storekeeper. “I’ve never looked inside.”

“Then do it now. Open it,” Kysaek instructed. She noticed that the container was not particularly well secured and, as Arolac had said it would be, the box contained a strange-looking bot, disassembled into all its component parts. “A unique design, no doubt.” What the thing looked like was secondary to her, however, because first she had to get rid of the Sororan and she had already thought of something. “Our paths part here.”

Uncertainly, the warehouse foreman crossed his arms in front of him. “Please, I helped you!”

“Yes, and you will help me again now: Which of the containers is ready and will be shipped today?” asked Kysaek. She was shown one and had the Sororan open it. “Get in there.”

“I have nothing to do with Reed! Are you really going to kill me and ship me across the galaxy?!”

The no-frivolous-killing principle continued to hold for Kysaek, and she tossed her hostage the injector with the sleeping drug. “Across the galaxy, but asleep. I’m not a hardened killer. Inject yourself with half a unit and you will wake up safe and sound in another place.”

“It must be poison ...”

“It’s your choice. Will you trust me or refuse?”

Thoughtfully, the Sororan clutched the injector and hesitated. “It’s my turn if they find out what happened. And even if they don’t, I’ll die of thirst! That thing will be on the road for several days!”

“I’m afraid I can’t think of everything,” Kysaek regretted, but alas, this was no wishful thinking. The Sorornaer was innocent, but he could still betray her if she made a mistake. There was only one thing she could do and she threw him an injector of retro adrenaline. “Not exactly the best and meant to be drunk, but soldiers survive more than wounds with it too and wherever it takes you, stay there: shape your future and keep your distance from such things as being around criminals.”

“Great advice,” the warehouse foreman said grimly, but he did it. What else was there for him? It was at least a chance to survive. He injected half a unit of the sleeping drug down his long throat and collapsed, exhausted.

Kysaek retrieved the injector from him and locked up the Sororan. Now nothing stood between her and whatever this bot was all about. Without power, however, the machine was useless and although Kysaek was no technical genius, she had had so much to do with bots through her time in the military and PGI that she at least knew what a power cell looked like and how to use it. After all, it wasn’t necessary to completely assemble the bot as long as the data storage got juice and that usually sat in the head. “It should be starting up now.”

The bot’s eye was a single, transparent piece of glass that formed the shape of a thin, curved line and a tiny, blue dot sparkled within it. “My system has been reactivated?” the machine said in a masculine, strong voice. Its lack of energy was noticeable, however, and it spoke impaired at first. “That’s strange.”

Kysaek tried commands right away. “Unit, run a systems check. Are you fully operational?”

The bot in turn asked a question of its own. “Who are you?”

“User, Nora Faith. I need a breakdown of your files, now.”

“I don’t have any files,” the bot said as its voice improved. “And I don’t know any Nora Faith. What do you want from me?”

Tech and Kysaek, were just like fire and water. “Listen, you stupid tin bucket: I’ve been under constant stress for days and I’ve got a lot on my plate - I can just rip out your memory unit and deal with this another way,” she grumbled, even though she realised that a threat against mindless and uncaring machines was useless.

Fear was a foreign word to the bot. “Be my guest, everything I know is in my head and not in my avatar.”

Avatar? What the? Had Kysaek heard wrong? “Avatar? What does avatar mean?”

Like a program, the bot explained. “An avatar is a physical manifestation that is remotely controlled by Someone Else.”

“Am I being pranked here right now?”

“I’m not sure?” came oppressively from the voice. “Do I prank? If so, that was unintentional.”

“Wait, so you’re a person? You’re controlling this thing? This isn’t a typical bot?”

“It certainly sounds curious at first and yet it’s true,” the man said in a drained but friendly mood. “”My name is Dorvan and you don’t seem to be one of Roskor Reed’s people.”

“No, though I’m pretending to be right now.”

“That can be shown. Connect your vortex cuff to my data storage.”

“Eh, no?”

“You said you wanted data. Give me some and I’ll return the favour.”

What kind of guy was this? Why did he want data and more importantly - what kind did he want? What the hell was going on here? Kysaek felt like she was in a bad movie, but lacking time and opportunity, she gave in to the complete stranger’s request. “Don’t you dare try any tricks,” she murmured guardedly. Of course, she could have turned him down and left again, but then all her efforts would have been in vain and she would be back to square one.

“You’re telling the truth,” Dorvan said guardedly but excitedly, and after not even a second, went on. “I thought this was just some kind of feint by Reed!”

“And I thought I’d find something completely different,” Kysaek sighed. “What do you know, about Reed and PGI’s slave business? Or are you a slave?”

“My knowledge of such business is limited. Question two, on the other hand, is accurate.”

“Then tell me everything now!” demanded Kysaek overwhelmed, having to bring her voice under control. “Why does PGI need so many slaves? And where are all the slaves!!!! What do you know!!!”

Suddenly Dorvan was in a hurry. “All in good time! Read the data packet on your vortex cuff and we have an agreement! Now I must ask you to shut down the bot and stow it away again, just as it was!”

“After all that work? Not so fast my dear!” denied Kysaek. It was all happening far too fast for her just now.

Dorvan insisted, but he remained friendly. “Trust me! Please. I promise you, you will get your answers if you do what I say!”

“Trust ... ... You’ll get your trust, Dorvan.”

“Thank you! You won’t regret it!”

“Will I? That would be a miracle and I’ve never seen one. I’m curious to see what they’re like,” Kysaek laughed tensely as she took the energy cell from Dorvan’s bot. Was that naïve? Was it stupid? Or was it totally absurd? She didn’t know and her choices were very limited. Kysaek only knew that if she forever assumed that everyone was against her, it might eventually be so. Her blind faith in Dorvan was possibly her failure, but sometimes one had to walk bluntly into danger and Kysaek remembered a wisdom that was ancient and the tried and tested motto of the Luna Alliance - who dares wins.