BV14

Zorgo Cave

I missed the Battle Armor greatly as I followed Nestor through the twilight of the coming night. The air was putrid and stank, almost as bad as the Enviro Tanks. I wore my black leather outfit, a tight leather mask and a cloak with hood. the Leather was lined with micro mesh, no animal or bladed weapon could do me harm. The personal force field generator on my belt was the last line of defense, it was currently off, not wanting to put all my cards on the table. Narth monitored my mind and could teleport me out of danger, so I was as safe as one could be in a situation like that. I still didn’t feel too good, especially after Nestor warned me what kind of surprises could hide between the trash. The Village, he told me, was a Skaakh settlement in the middle of Trash Island, made of old shipping containers and crates. The Village Skaakh had organized armed patrols and guards to fend off the bigger, more aggressive vermin that made trash island such a dangerous place. Narth had dropped us off about half a click from that village, so we could reach the Village unobserved. I was sure there were eyes on the Tigershark ever since the Togar had broadcast their demands all over the system. While I made sure we broadcasted back on the same channels, I was sure there could be some who didn’t hear all of it or didn’t believe my story. I knew I was walking on thin ice in regards of our mission and that exposure could lead to serious repercussions, all the way to open war. I kept my hand on my blaster under the cape and wished I had added a breathing mask to my disguise. Nestor knew his way around and avoided nests of curling tentacles, well hidden at first and exploding to life if something came near. The air was filled with insects of various sizes. I held the hood closed with one hand while Nestor was almost unmolested. Before we went he had had held up a dirty tub and explained.“The Stik make this ointment and it keeps most of the nasty stingers away, not all of them but most. I politely refused the smelly paste he had lathered all over his exposed skin. We finally made it, and after one more turn around mound of rotting plants and paper there was the village. I had rarely seen something more depressing. About twenty large shipping crates with plastic film roofs and dirty curtains stood in a rough circle around a large Standard freight container with an added lean-on out of wood and plastic planks. About a dozen fires burned and two meager, dirty looking men, one human the other some humanoid species I did not recognize, stood by the closest fire holding those primitive one shot projectile rifles. They grabbed those weapons but recognized Nestor and made surprised faces as they saw me. He exchanged a few words with them and simply pointed at the large container and they nodded. We went into the lean on through a plastic curtain. Nestor took a spray bottle from a shelf and sprayed it all around us. “It’s to keep the bugs out as much as possible. Gothar doesn’t like us dragging them in.” After that decontamination procedure we entered the actual container, there was artificial light from Lumi-Plates, shelves with knives and a dozen crude made rifles on one side. Barrels and boxes filled with metal pieces lined the other side. There was a crate with damaged ArtiGrav Coils next to a open sack filled to the brim with little metal disc, a tightly wound bundle of plastic film and a barrel full of E Boards, all damaged and worn. But right there were four tetragon shaped boxes with the same alien writing, filled with dark red fist size glass like spheres. There was a counter in the back that was a steel plank thrown over two barrels. Behind it sat a bird like, featherless creature with a large yellowish beak and small staring eyes. The creature was about man size and what went for wings had turned into arm like limbs with three fingered hands. He eyed us, especially me, with suspicious stares and then he said with a croaking voice. “Nestor, Nestor my old friend, are you coming to settle your account? You still owe me six Copper Flops or merchandise of same value.” Nestor pointed at me and said. “This woman I met on the Mainland wanted to talk to you. I told her you have plenty of ArtiGrav Units.” The yellowish beak looked sharp and a little black tongue flickered between the half moon shaped beak halves. He said with an unfriendly accusatory tone. “You had enough coppers to get a ride to the mainland and did not pay me first? Well we need to talk about that later.” The little speaker in my ear whispered. It was Har-Hi. “The Old Merchant is back. He is now seeing what you see and will give you advice.” I was connected via a safe Transdim link to the ship and the tiny camera built into my mask transmitted sound and image. Gothar the scrap dealer now turned to me and said. ”I usually don’t do business with folks I don’t know. It’s a habit that has kept me in business for a long time.” Hearing Sobody’s voice in my ear, I simply repeated what he said. “I am sure Ms. Polo Coin will do for a name right now and this is a name that should be familiar to you.” I parted my cloak, took out a little plastic bag and placed it with a heavy thud on the counter. It was filled with hundred Polonium Full-weights. His little button eyes blinked and the small round tongue flickered across the beak. “I believe we know each other. What can I do for you?” Again I was simply repeating Sobody’s words in my ear saying. “I have a customer who is in the market for ArtiGrav Coils. It just so happens I have room in my freight bay and I am going that way anyway, so I would take them off your hands for a fair price.” I had his undivided attention now. “All of them? I got ten more boxes like that.” I made a sweeping gesture and said. “Yes, all of them.” He said with a whiny voice. “I would gladly sell them to you but they are already promised to Warktur and he is my best customer.” Sobody’s knowledge was truly invaluable and he had me say. “Warktur never pays you more than five Polos per box on a good day. I give you twelve full weights right here and now.” His voice and demeanor relaxed somewhat and he said. “You know the scrap business, I can tell.” He raised one of his wings and produced a little Hand laser he casually played with and continued to say. “Let us imagine and for arguments sake, I shoot you, take all your money and dump your body out there somewhere?” I flipped the coat and he saw my hand on the Nul Graviton and I said with a relaxed voice “What if for arguments sake, I introduce you to my friends?” He did not even try to blink because TheOther, had appeared right behind him with one of his terrifying Y’all combat swords and poking it into the dealers back, growling. ”Did you just threaten our Captain or was this just a joke?” Gothar dropped the little laser, despite him being from a species I knew nothing about, it was obvious he was utterly terrified and he croaked. “A joke. It was a joke.” Har-Hi parted the plastic curtain with a sword swipe."Captain, do you want me to slice that avian offense?" I said. “Not yet, Dai! You both can leave me alone with Mr. Gothar. I am sure we will come to an agreement now.” TheOther acknowledged and stomped past him, making the container shake with every step and left through the entrance.Har-Hi right behind him. How the Y'All managed to get in, without making a sound despite his cloak was a mystery even to me. But not for long as I noticed Narth behind the dealer waving at me and disapearing into nothingness. I crossed my arms and said. “Now how about those coils. I am still willing to deal fair, but don’t test me again.” He raised his three fingered hands. “Of course. I think my friend Warktur must find salvage coils elsewhere, your offer is good business.” I made my voice sound pleased and said. “Splendid. Why don’t you give me a good price on those bundles of Polymers and that sack of Boron discs too?” He actually rubbed his hands together and straightened his position behind the counter.“Of course, it all makes sense. You are dealing with the Dai, they are always in the market for raw materials and recyclables. Good customers if they let you live after a deal. He pulled a greasy PDD with a busted case and tapped on the screen.. “140 Polo for all of it, is that acceptable?” I pointed at the boxes. “I say 135 if you throw in those red bulb things, and you got a deal.” He looked at the boxes and clacked with his beak.“Frankly lady I don’t know what those are. I tried to melt a few but they simply crack. But I am glad to get them out of here. You can have them all for 150.” I actually enjoyed this haggling a little and said. “Now you talk sense. Let’s say 145 and we shake hands.” He extended his claw like hand and I shook it. He croaked.“You are a good business woman. I like your style. How do you want this delivered and where?” “Get it to my ship by tomorrow and I’ll throw in two Full weights more.” “No problem Lady. I have a bunch of lazy hands out there and will have it loaded and delivered in five or six hours.” I gave him directions and said. “The Silver Streak at Gorotolah Spaceport. It’s the Karthanian at the end of the field, not too far from a recent crater.” "Oh I heard about poor Hythagh idiot Hegor. He was always a shrewd one. Why he invited the worst cut throats into his ship and turned off the shields, only Niplkiar knows. Well he and the Tight Squeeze weren't customers of mine, but he did occationally take a load of Wartkur to the Karthanians. Ah well he was never smart enough to come to me, like you. Hope to see you again."

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We had returned to the ship without any incidents. Yeoman O’Connell handed me the daily order sheet and situation report.Lieutenant Senhadjii, the new crewmember that had left the ship, and I had almost forgotten about was mentioned in the report. True to my promise, I read the report this time and informed myself about this new officer, I had not really met so far. Mehdi Senhadjii was attached to our S-2 department. That was the official fleet designation of the Security and Intelligence department headed by Hans Neugruber. Mehedi, so I learned, came from one of the oldest Colonial worlds of former United Earth called Vande Mataram. Mehedi specialization was infiltration. According to Har-Hi’s evaluation he spoke many languages on a truly native level, was a master of disguise and an expert in Observative Combat Psychology. A little known branch of the secretive NAVINT service. The term unlocked information in my brain that was part of my neural upload I received at Pauli Station. COMPSY, was not related to psionics , but was a special field of applied psychology and sociology that took detailed observations of individuals and groups to scary levels. According to Har-Hi our new officer could watch someone and give you a detailed analysis of their character and intentions. This was impressive even if you could only do that on humans. Meghi could apply this to many non-human species as well. He had left the Tigershark and carried the same micro fiber communication equipment we had used on Brahma Port. Currently he was in the role of a Freelancing Ill-goods merchant, dealing with any kind of product that was illegal in the influence areas of one of the Big Four. Meghi had contacted Elfi moments ago and she told me that we could hear and see what he did right on the main viewer. It was fascinating and a little scary. Especially since the technology used was very advanced but not impossible for any technological society and I thought to myself how scary and morally wrong Intel work really was. Mehedi had contacted us because he had recognized the Half-Dai Dimon Honshu and had followed the man inside a Zorgo-Cave. Mehedi, spoke to us via a wet-link interface, so his brain speech impulses could be transferred directly into transmitted speech without making a sound. It was the next best thing to actual telepathy, and unlike telepathy, it could not be detected by a telepath. It was easily transmitted via GalNet Nano Bursts.. I didn’t know what a Zorgo-Cave was but didn’t want to distract him with unnecessary questions. I leaned forward in my seat and watched our man go inside a darkened half spherical room with hammock like cocoons hanging on silvery threads from the ceiling. Mehedi talked to the first fat Spindlar I had ever seen and said. “Two trips to the pink Ocean.” The Spindlar took five Full weights of Mehedi and handed him a coat hanger like metal piece with a hook in the middle of a boomerang shaped metal bar. Our infiltration expert passed the Spindlar who sat on a green force field bubble and placed the metal contraption into a slot made, some adjustments to a control panel, and a white sheet unfolded. He grabbed the hanger and swung himself onto the sheet that immediately wrapped him tight but left arms and head free. Then he was pulled to the ceiling joining the other cocoons that hung there. Now I could see a skin colored maggot like creature was sliding down the thin thread. Mehedi squeezed something out of a small plastic tube and smeared it around the thread that was holding his cocoon. The maggot approached but did not pass the spot with the smeared substance. From up there Mehedi had a great view, especially with his enhanced cybernetic micro fiber periscope. Narth explained to me, “Those are Zorgos, a semi sentient lifeform of Kermac origin that is bred and sold everywhere in Freespace. They lure their prey into submission by inducing lucid and pleasurable dream states. This ability has been somewhat enhanced and its mandibles and sucking mouth have been removed. They starve to death after three or four weeks and are replaced by a new one. Those cocoons simulate how they store their victims.” I shuddered. “Why would anyone have this done freely and even pay for it?” He transmitted his answer. “Why corporal species do things and what motivates them is still largely a mystery to me, but I assume it is some form of escapism. Zorgo-Caves are even legal in the Union but many individual members prohibit them on their planets.” I was still thinking about that when our agent focused his surveillance equipment on the Half Dai Honsu, who hung a few meters away in another cocoon. Narth said, using Mehedi as a psionic relay and this Honshu person opening his shields to allow the Zorgo to transmit the dreams .I can get past his mental shields without him noticing as I use the same opening he made to allow the Zorgo dreams.” “Your psionic abilities are scarier than I imagined, my hooded friend. Not that I really understood any of the details.” “And you still refuse to accept the fact that you too have such abilities.” While Mehedi monitored the man, Narth sat back and begun to describe the thoughts of the man: Dimon Honshu relaxed as the colorful unsubstantial dream colors soothed his mind. He liked the Zorgo caves. Here he could relax and these mindless creatures had no need for his secrets. As he was a good telepath, he knew many Zorgos and that the many dreams they produced and transmitted would confuse the best Saresii or Kermac spy. He had landed on Sin 4 and noticed the large number of pirate ships already there. Of course it would be Pirate Market soon and the worst cut throats, killers and deep space scum started to congregate and descend onto Sin 4. He had seen the market a few times before and he had to admit  that some of the things offered were indeed rare treasures. A man with a good nose could make a killing. He knew most of the ships and the was familiar with the more famous or infamous pirates, privateers and corsairs. Every time the market commenced one of them did not show up because he got caught by officials, bit into a victim that knew how to fight back or met an early demise by one of his or her esteemed colleagues. Pirates never had a big problem raiding other pirate ships if the opportunity was there. But then there always was a newcomer that took their place. The Worm operated and supported three pirate ships in Freespace but only the Throat-Cutter was currently present. He had landed at the smaller Winkthr port. Captain Ivok of the Throat-Cutter did not know him as Dimon Honshu as he had never met the Captain in this disguise persona. Of course the Worm sponsored captains had also never met the Purple Worm in person either. The  Bloody Mary owned  by Crimson Curse, one of the oldest and most experienced Pirates, was about to land on the big port. Being in this business and surviving in this dangerous business for many decades was not easy and spoke volumes of the experience of this particular and well known pirate. Crimson, so he had heard, never bit more off than he could chew, was not excessively brutal to his victims and usually stayed away from Drugs and Slaves. Maybe that was the secret of his success. Along with the Bloody Mary he was informed an old Saran Destroyer that was heavily modified and modernized had just touched down. Captain Meateater who owned that ship was not a man to be trifled with. He killed first and never asked any questions. The large Karthanian Armed Merchant somewhat separated at the far end he had briefly seen at Brahma Port before he left, not far from where the Hythagh and the Tight Squeeze left a nice little crater in the surface belonged to that mysterious privateer who called herself Black Velvet. He knew there had been a ship and Captain with the same names about 400 years ago and she made a name for herself back then, before she vanished. Now she reappeared and lived up to her legend. He had seem her in action at Brhama Port and there was no doubt in his mind, it was her who dealt with the DE turret and the Port Rats She was also on the Union Top Wanted list. He decided to keep an eye on her and maybe approach and recruit her for the Worm. He decided to stick around on Sin 4. First of all he waited for an audience with Duke Donheer. All his information indicated that the Duke had the Gray Nul in his posession and then he wanted to visit the Pirate’s market to see if that Red Dragon would show up. He was a thorn in the Worm’s side, because the Red Dragon had started to create and operate his own criminal organization, known as the Sinister Alliance. Normally this would not necessarily be a bad thing, but the Sinister Alliance was growing fast and he did not like Competition he knew little about. Especially now that Union ground was getting hotter by the day. The Red Dragon operated a ship that he could not identify, but rumors claimed he was closely associated to the First Hull Builders guild of the Karthanians. That in itself was a remarkable fact,if it panned out to be true. The Karthanians were xenophobic to the extreme and never associated themselves with a Non Karthanian, at least not on a mutual level. His mind wandered back to the Silver Streak. To examine that Black Velvet person a little closer. She was something else for sure and besides it never hurt to know a little more about a pirate. Her ship didn’t look like much at first glance to the laymen, but to expert eyes it was a different story. The ship had large ISAH thrusters probably making it quite fast, but he doubted it was very maneuverable. He was especially impressed with her weaponry. He considered himself a Nul technology expert and that ship over there sported impressive Nul fire power. Either she had a connection to the Nul or, what would not be any less impressive, had raided Nul Ships. If she had connections maybe she was here for the same reason, looking for the Nul Prince. Or maybe she was the one who abducted the Nul in the first place. In any case a worthwhile lead to follow. But first he would hire himself a Sojonit and then check out a few contacts and see if they heard anything about a Nul slave. Mehdi Senhadjii interrupted Narth’s narration on the thoughts of the man and reported, “He is moving and it looks like he is not finishing a full dream session. I better get ready to follow him.” Narth severed his mental  connection. “Even in this state, this Dimon  was very alert and well shielded I could not go deeper without him noticing, but it is not a Shiss or Dai mind. I am certain it is Human." We all had listened to this fascinating insight into another being’s thoughts and I said. “He seems to be a very high figure in the Worm organization as it appears he knows the Purple Worm himself. To our S-2 man I added. "Mr. Sehadjii, stay on his tracks if you can, but do not risk to much.” Mehedi lowered himself to the ground and said. “I’ll try my best, Captain.”

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