A Justice Provider's Tale 04

Chapter 4

It turned out Moona was an excellent cook and one that took pride in doing it the traditional way. Using ingredients and preparing the meal from scratch, I was impressed.

I had spent the rest of the night in a new bubble room, this one suspended over dense foliage on the land side of the tree. I did not watch the Death Match as planned or did much in the way of relaxing. I had slept on the floor of the bathroom. Just in case the one-way transparency of the walls could be ignored by a sophisticated targeting sensor of a sniper. From the bathroom floor, I also had a good view of the entrance door and kept an eye on it. I did eat the nuts and the pretzels but of course did not touch the beer. Someone was after me there was no question anymore, what I could not figure out was, who it could be. I wondered who I pissed off enough to send someone after me, but gave up almost right away, there were too many.

Everyone of the runners I had caught, delivered or killed might have had a relative or friend with deep enough pockets to hire someone professional to go after me. That wasn’t something new or unheard of. As a matter of fact, this is how Brux ended his career. Shot by an upset life partner, waiting for him at the doorsteps of a police precinct after he delivered the runner. That happened eighteen years ago.

I cursed myself for forgetting about that, perhaps the most important lesson Brux had taught me, paying for it with his life. I had been careless and dropped enough breadcrumbs lately for anyone with half a brain to follow me. I was the prey and I was the runner now. Running from an unseen, unknown hunter that could be anyone and anything. Whoever was gunning for me was doing it slowly. If they wanted me dead, they could have shot me in the back right there instead of using clubs.

Moona had shown me the colorful temple of the Chuckians, with huge stained glass windows depicting Chuck, a colorful character in various situations welcoming face painted beings into a colorful paradise. I could not relax and kept an eye on everything, wondering who was not a pilgrim, tourist or local Chuckian. Of course, there were other means of surveillance. There was a vast variety of mini-drones freely available on GalNet and of course professionals had the money to get the latest and best. It was not difficult to secure a closed environment, such as a space ship, a building or a room against such spy gadgets, but here in the open there could be dozens and I wouldn’t know.

I had several top-notch mini drones in my arsenal of tools. All of them of course aboard Angel’s Wing.

But now in her apartment, I relaxed somewhat. I swept the room for bugs and was satisfied there wasn’t anything tracking me.

Moona pointed at my plate.”Care for a second plate of Moona’s lasagne?”

I nodded.”Yeah, it is really good. There is still a difference between auto prep and real cooking.”

She grinned.”Just as there is between auto sex and the real kind, eh?”

“You have figured it out.”

She helped herself as well to a little more.”So, if they after you. Why not wait for you in the room and do a number on you instead of tossing the place while you’re gone?” I put a fork of the delicious mass, gooey with cheese between my teeth and was thinking.”You got a point there.”

“What would they look for? Do you have anything interesting or valuable in your luggage?”

“You have seen my room, girl. I don’t travel with luggage. I travel way too much to be bothered with that. What I need I carry on me or buy on the spot.”

“What about weapons and such? I did see some things in a plastic bag on your nightstand.”

“While I do have some good and decent hardware, I doubt someone would go through all that trouble getting it. It’s all available either at a weapons dealer or on GalNet.”

I reached in my jacket pocket and pulled the plastic bag with the things of the dead Andorian. “This stuff is of that dead Andorian, you know the one that also left me those Skin Diggers. It’s just pocket stuff. A brain jack, A few coins, casino chips and a Shiss PDD of sorts. This is certainly not anything someone would risk breaking in a hotel room for.”

She shrugged and watched me put it back in my pocket.

“So why keep it, if it is worthless stuff?” “It’s not exactly worthless. I think I can get fifty credits for the jack, the Casino chips are hundred each and good as cash-credits. That Shiss thing is good for five to ten thousand on GalNet. I started out doing hunts for bounties less than that.”

Moona’s apartment was on one of the higher floors of a sickle-shaped building that followed the inside curving of the huge transplast dome. From her dining room, you could look straight down onto lower buildings, a small, rectangular city park of well-groomed grass and normal-sized trees and a business and shopping area. The building was big and the windows only transparent from the inside. I started to look at everything now as a potential target and could not deny a certain nervousness and uneasy feeling that kept slowly building in my stomach. I imagined that was how runners felt all the time. Knowing there was someone like me out there, looking to take them down.

A sound from the apartment door caused my hand to fall onto the but of my TKU.

She shook her head gently.”No worries, that is Leeza. This building has excellent security.”

A tall very dark-skinned thin woman came in. She had long, shiny black hair parted in the middle, high arched eyebrows over big, expressive eyes of a deep cobalt blue. I also instantly noticed the long pointed ears to each side of her head peaking from between her long tresses. I had never met an Ebony-Elfin before, but form what I understood they were a lost Saresii colony, that had been re-discovered about six hundred years ago. What was, of course, amazing that all Saresii colonies had been deemed lost and destroyed over a million years ago in a terrible war. Little to no information had survived about the nature of that war, but it had ended the First Age of Knowledge for the Saresii.

Unlike the Saresii, Ebony-Elfin had distinct male and female members. Like their all-female appearing relatives, the Saresii they were known to have psionic abilities, in general not as potent and almost exclusively telepaths. This one was of exquisite and flawless, exotic beauty that send a shiver down my spine.

She was dressed in the local fashion, which seemed to be the Bio seal suit in various color schemes. A Bio seal suit was as far as I knew just a spacesuit without the radiation shielding or insulation. Basically a one-piece body encasement, that prevented biological contamination. Bio seals came with attached hoods or helmets. No one wore them so it seemed. Instead, locals opted for water repellent coats with hoods and these hoods could be zipped or closed up all the way to form some sort of mask with a transparent material over the eye openings. Her Bio suit was tight, a wide dark blue stripe down the center and white on each side of the body. Despite it enclosing her entire body to her neck, I had hardly seen an outfit sexier than that.

Moona laughed. “Stop drooling, Angel and finish your Lasagna, the way you ogle my friend I am most likely never going to cook for you again.”

Leeza greeted me with a smile.”Didn’t you tell me he is a bounty hunter and will be gone in a few days anyway?”

I grinned, “That’s me alright. I certainly never had nicer looking company in my life, but I am a rolling stone and right now someone is out to get me and I better find me an environment and neighborhood I know so I can fight back.”

The tall Ebony Elfin did the impossible, she made her suit even more appealing. She opened the sure stick zipper to her waist and sat down.”I have some of the Lasagne if there is any left.”

I had to concentrate on something outside the windows, not to stare at the skin and partially revealed dark-skinned orbs, supported by something made of black and delicate lace.

Moona piled some of her delicious food on a plate before the other girl and said.”He is pretty good at making me happy, you should try him before he leaves.”

“I just might. Seems he is a breast man too.”

I grinned broadly, forgetting my troubles for the moment.”This planet becomes more appealing by the moment, despite the fact I am the one being hunted.”

Leeza was eating and said.”Normally I would not reveal department secrets or tell anyone about what we have found, but Captain Pulzier said it would be okay after he dropped me off.”

I forgot the two pretty, no those beautiful ladies across the table from me for a moment and reminded myself to be professional once more.”That makes me feel a lot better. I didn’t want to get you girls in trouble and frankly, it restores my faith in the system.”

He did make one request though and come to the precinct. He wanted me to assure you that you are not under arrest or anything, but he wanted to make sure we share the information with the real Marifou.

Leeza held up her Union police issued PDD.”I scanned you Mr. Marifou just to make sure we talk to the real one and not someone trying to get a beat on you.”

“I am glad you are thinking in these lines.”

“We might be still considered the Fringes, but we aren’t all that naive.”

He also wanted you to give him details on Sodiban Renow and your chase after him. The captain thinks there might be more to the Andorian than originally thought.”

“It seems he also has cursed me somehow. First I can’t get rid of the stiff, then Andorian Skin Diggers and now he might be the cause of all this?” But it actually could be an explanation, not that I could figure out yet exactly how, but my troubles only started recently, so instead of considering everyone I ever hunted, why not start with the most recent one.

“He had no one that wanted his remains.”

“Not true, there were several requests for his body, right after you left the precinct. None of the requests could later be traced to anything other than public GalNet terminals. What did you do with the body?”

“I sold it at ‘Simmi’s Cash for Everything’. He even gave me 28 credits for it.”

“How did you find Simmi’s? He is too tight to pay to be listed with Info bots. Besides, while he doesn’t break the law as far as we can tell, he prefers the shadier clientele in general.”

“A GalDrifts or a Non-Cit bummed me for credits outside your police station. He even showed me the way.”

“Panhandling is strictly prohibited all over Blisterbahl II. It’s a local ordinance but Union police is enforcing it and we have no Gal Drifts.”

That made me hit the table surface with my flat hand.”Damn. I am the king of fools. I keep making mistakes. I was even thinking about that when he asked me for creds. But what would he want with dead Mr. Renow?”

She flashed her bright white teeth in a wide smile.”If we can answer that, Mr. Marifou I think we know why someone is after you. The captain thinks it is not you they are after, but the stiff or something the stiff saw, knew or owned.”

I got up and helped Moona in her raincoat.”I never met him, he was already dead when the Sheriff of Gullster’s Paradise brought him to me. He never spoke to me.”

“But they may not know that, whoever they are.” The pretty police scientist said an added. “Let’s swing by that old fence, maybe he remembers what he did with the body.”

“If he does, you know?” I was hinting at her possible psionic abilities.

“And violate our sacred PSI laws? No way, Mr. Marifou.”

“I know about those laws of course, but I had no idea they are sacred.”

This time there was almost an angry flash in her eyes.”They are sacred to Saresii, Ebony Elfin, the Leedei and pretty much anyone with psionic abilities. The Psi laws are what made us Elfin join the Union without hesitation. Do you know how ingenious they are? Can you imagine what real privacy means to a race of telepaths?”

Moona rolled her eyes smiling.”It’s her favorite subject.”

I shook my head. “I never really thought of it. I am just glad we have them I guess. Psionics aren’t really on my mind a lot. I guess because I don’t have them maybe. I do check the HPI if possible of those I hunt. The lower the better, I almost fell victim to a telekinetic Arilou.”

Both women followed me into the Inter Building transport. Moona said.”Taxi port.” and we were moved towards the roof. Leeza still in lecture mode, zipped her suit back close.”The Heidelberg Psi Index, in itself an ingenious development from a species, Earthers or Terrans I believe, who are not uniformly psionic gifted or have been exposed to the phenomenon for a very long time. A series of quite accurate and simple tests, measure the psionic abilities and give them a value that then relates to an index.”

“I know that much. I have an HPI of one hundred and ten. Putting me safely in the Non-talent group of citizens.” I said. “Everyone is tested upon entry into Union school.”

“I’m even lower than that, “Moona said.”Eighty-Eight, I couldn’t read the mind of a Neeezz, those are small annoying stinging insects that plaque this world and the main reason for Bio-seal suits.”

We reached a level near the Apex of the dome. Four other identical inward curved buildings touched each other at the Zenith.

There was a lobby with a transparent wall and double doors, that led to a small ledge and I estimated a drop of over one thousand meters to the small green park below, with a small pond at its center. At the moment the doors were closed.

This lobby, obviously a place to hail and board taxis, was identical to similar rooms in the other four buildings.

Leeza had her PDD out and called for a cab, while Moona stepped close to the transparent doors.”I love these Talon Curve towers, believe it or not, ‘Mr. Fugitive Retriever’ but all five towers are pretty much sold out in terms of condominiums and the few rental apartments never stay empty, despite the steadily climbing prices. That’s why Leeza and I share accommodations.”

“I am not complaining. You could share the place with a Kilonian or a grumpy Botnaar, so I am quite happy it’s an Ebony-Elfin.”

I was just saying that when I noticed a dark green Nofret-500 with a Taxi sign virtually shooting from the distant below, almost colliding with a bright yellow robotic cab that was just approaching most likely summoned by Leeza’s call.

The doors of the Building transport slid open at the same time and two men with drawn Neuro-Rippers stepped out. Both wore dark brown Bio seal suits, same-colored raincoats, and the hoods zipped up all the way. I could only see their eyes behind the clear lenses of their flesh-colored masks that featured printed human faces.

“Mr. Marifou, unless you want to take a long dive into that pond below, you hand us the Nituzzuzh.”

Behind us, the Yellow Robo taxi simply abandoned its approach in favor of the dark green piloted one that had approached the Taxi stand.

“The what?”

The doors opened because the approaching Taxi had triggered them.

Even though Blisterbahl-Green was a domed city, a steady breeze had caught my hair and that of Leeza.

Moona stepped to the side. “Sorry, Angel the money they offered was just too tempting. I really like you Leeza, but I rather have my own apartment. I can afford it now.”

She held out her hand.”The Shiss PDD, I know you have it. I saw it on your nightstand in the hotel.”

“Moona, you can’t be serious.” Leeza burst out.”You never get away with this. How do you know these men even?”

“Who do you think they came to, with the wounded hand?”

“Enough!” Barked the one to my right. I was certain I had heard that voice before. I tried to put a face to it, but right now I was not thinking much else, but trying to get out of the situation.

“I don’t have it. I didn’t even know what it was until I checked GalNet. I sold it on the XChange.”

“Liar!” The other one said.”We checked all offers for Nituzzuzhs on the Small Items XChange. None was offered anywhere within 200 light-years. Hand it over or I cook her brain first and then yours. These Kermac Rippers are made for maximum pain!”

Leeza said.”Don’t give it to him. They already decided to kill all of us. Even you stupid Moona. They never going to let a witness live!”

“I can’t give it, I left it on my ship with all my other things. I planned to blow this planet as soon as possible.”

Despite her face paint, I knew she believed her former friend and yelled.”You try to cross me?” While pulling a small Walther Laser. In the process of doing so, she was caught by the invisible nerve stimulating waves of a Kermac Neuro ripper. I knew every single nerve in her body was signaling excruciating pain to her brain, she died screaming and in utmost agony. Showing that the highly illegal weapons were set to maximum intensity. Even with my Auto draw gloves, I could not hope to shoot one before they could kill me first. I also had the taxi pilot to consider, not knowing what weapon he could bring to play.

“No more delays or games. The Nituzzuzh now!” One of them commanded I wasn’t even sure which one.

“Alright, I give you that frikking thing. All you had to do was ask me and I would have sold it to you, I have no need for it.”

I actually was planning to give it to him. Not that I had a particular attachment to the pretty Ebony-Elfin other than physical attraction, or was I interested in the Shiss thing if it came down to my life. But I despised the two cowardly arses. I hated myself for being so stupid and trusting that face painted bitch and for not blowing this planet right after I cashed in. In other words, I was as pissed and as irritated as can be.

No matter what, the Elfin girl did not deserve to die screaming her lungs out while every nerve in her body burned with overloading neuro-electrical impulses.

I pulled the thing out of my pocket and tossed it between the two on the ground. The left one did not bend over but bent his knees while keeping the weapon aimed.

The other one smashed the breakable cover over the Emergency door controls and pulled the now exposed bright red handle. A robotic voice warned.”Vehicle dock safety systems now disabled.”

The other waved his weapon. “Both of you to the ledge, the fall is pain-free and the impact that kills you very fast, you saw what the Ripper does.”

I followed his command, getting close to the edge.

She protested with fear in her voice.”You are killing a Union Police officer, there is no place you can hide they will not get you! They are already on their way!”

“The more the reason to wrap this up fast, besides you are bluffing!”

“I am a Telepath, you idiot! “She said.”I know who you are and I called for help!”

She and I stood close to the ledge, the hover taxi was at least five meters distance, besides it had its doors closed. There was nothing in its smooth surface to grab a hold. “Take my hand! Let us die together.” I said trying to sound defeated. I held her hand as tight as possible, then I jumped!