Chapter 12: Black Markets

“I don’t like this,” Kella said from the pilot’s chair on the Praetorian’s bridge.


“I don’t like this either,” Gavin said from the remote floating by the starboard window. Gavin could easily see the planet below from all of the external and internal cameras embedded throughout the plane, but confining his consciousness to one avatar seemed to make things easier. Gavin felt like he could breathe in one remote. Otherwise he just felt overwhelmed. “But it’s not like I can go to the Military for help.”

“You have a point,” Kella conceded. “We probably should hail Tal Rho’an control.”

“Got it,” Gavin said while scanning for available beacons broadcasting the tower frequencies. Even though Tal Rho’an was a world with barely any Military presence, some of the small formalities were still followed. After all, a privateer can’t sell his stolen goods if he can’t land, and if he can’t sell, the planet doesn’t make any money. And on a planet like Tal Rho’an where 90% of the surface is covered in half-frozen tundra, money was king.

“Tal Rho’an Control, please respond,” Gavin called out, dialing into the tower frequency. There was no response, only static.

“Please respond, Tal Rho’an Control. This is 11-201 Heavy inbound, requesting landing clearance. Please respond Tal Rho’an Control.”

Kella looked askance at the remote floating by the window, but Gavin merely shrugged and attempted to raise the tower again.

Finally, a rough voice cut through the static. “Whaddya want?” The voice was loud and sounded grouchy, like someone rudely awakened from an afternoon nap.

“To land?” Gavin replied simply. Kella shook her head in amusement.

“Business or pleasure?”

“Uh, business-“

“Of course,” the controller interrupted. “What was I thinking? Clear to land on platform 332 Alpha, 11-201 Heavy. Try not to break the platform, would ya? Tal Rho’an out.” Static filled the com again and Gavin closed the channel.

“This is gonna be awesome,” Kella said with mock excitement.

“Yeah, yeah,” Gavin sighed. “Strap yourself in.”

The Praetorian dipped downwards from its parking orbit and entered the upper atmosphere. The heat shields and re-entry barrier fields made the transition into the lower atmosphere uneventful and smooth and soon the Praetorian was soaring over endless tundra. Snow, scrub, and hearty trees stretched beyond the horizon. Looking at it from above, the surface was colorless with its mixture of whites, grays and shadowy blacks. Any color was muted by a covering of ice, and even the trees seemed to be gray instead of a usual green. Forbidding was the word that sprang to Gavin’s mind.

“Yeah, this looks like an awesome vacation spot,” Kella said from the pilot’s chair as she watched the scenery zoom past below.

“Makes for a terrific pirate world actually,” Gavin quipped. “Forces the people to live in concentrated areas making them easier to control, and serve as a shield should the Military ever decide to bring them to heel.”

“Great,” Kella said.

The Praetorian, following the Tower beacon, was directed over the main population center, a sprawling city surrounded by high walls and towers. It ranged for miles, and was built vertically just as much as horizontally. According to the latest Military Intelligence, nearly six billion called this desolate world home, and a large percentage lived within Port City, an uninspired name if there ever was one. Vast areas of the city were devoted to open air markets and bazaars. Auctions ran twenty-four hours a day selling everything from games to people. If one had the money, anything could be purchased in Tal Rho’an.

Of course, half the fun was getting off-planet with your newly purchased goods. Also according to Military Intelligence, nearly half of the galaxy’s greatest criminal syndicates were headquartered on Tal Rho’an. Crime was an every-second occurrence and most people viewed it as the planet’s national sport. ‘Great profit comes with great risk’ as the saying goes.

Three large barges cut in front of the Praetorian and Gavin immediately performed evasive maneuvers. He was nearly twice their size, but they paid no heed to him as he threatened them over the com. It was just another every-day occurrence on the lawless world of Tal Rho’an.

Gavin brought the great bird in line with the tracking beacon and realized with a start that he was being berthed nearly at the bottom of the dock. Rising from the center of Port City like some immense inverted pyramid, the Port City Dock was a conglomeration of thousands of docking gantries and landing platforms. The whole structure had the appearance of being cobbled together, with pads or gantries added on as time wore on and traffic increased. The lowest of the docks, the oldest, were draped in shadow from the structures above and were the worst when it came to hijacking, theft, or other nasty crimes.

Pad 332A was a massive pad near the bottom, intended for use with old style cargo craft. Gavin figured they had originally been used for the first colonization ships, and his guess was confirmed when he saw the gravity ‘catcher’ beams and the rail-gun launch tube for take-off. Without those systems, the old cargo haulers, and his Praetorian would never be able to land or take off from the platform. The pad would not have been his first choice. But then again, it wasn’t like he was a VIP customer bound for the top shelf. Next time he came, he’d have to remember to forge a believable VIP ID.

“This looks like shit,” Kella complained from the pilot’s chair. Obviously concerned, she was half-out of the chair scanning the shadows around the platform. “You’re going to get jacked before you even find this guy you’re looking for.”

“That’s why you’re going,” Gavin said gently as the docking gravity beams grabbed hold of the mighty ship and slowed it down gently.

“What?” Kella said turning around to the remote.

“Obviously, I can’t go. I can run security here, and besides I don’t have an avatar equipped for this type of situation. And really, my contact will never believe my situation, probably get insulted and walk off before we even get to the greetings,” Gavin said perfunctorily.

“So you’re going to send me? An innocent girl out into the streets of hell?”

“Innocent, right,” Gavin said disbelievingly as the remote turned back to the holo-display emblazoned over the starboard window, finalizing the docking procedure.

“Now just a damned minute,” Kella said angrily as the ship bounced a little on touchdown.

“You want the ship?” Gavin asked simply.

“Yes,” Kella said biting her tongue.

“Then please? Help me out?” Gavin pleaded mockingly.

Kella heaved a sigh and got up from the pilot’s chair. “You’re going to owe me for this,” she said as she walked from the bridge.

“I know,” Gavin said after she’d gone.