Consequences
by Mammal Tafren
Under the glare of the lights the hull of the ship felt warm, as if it were an organic thing. He rested his hand on one of the wingtips, fingers just poised on the surface, flexing against the vibrations which rose up from within like echoes.
In his other hand, he twisted a small beaded bracelet over his fingers with his thumb in a smooth motion. Every so often he would raise that hand to his face and inhale. The corners of his mouth would crease with memory as he let the hand fall.
“We’re ready.” The docking manager looked over.
Taking his hand from the warm metal, the man nodded.
“How did it take all this fire in the first place?” The docking manager turned away to key in a sequence in his display. He glanced over his shoulder at the gaunt capsuleer, who was watching his ship. “If you don’t mind my asking.”
The capsuleer turned, flicking a strand of black hair away from his face. He absently smelled at his beads again. “I don’t mind. I was taking it out to Intaki to take a look at the planet my parents came from. I’d never seen it, you see.”
“Dangerous area, Intaki.” Grunted the docking manager.
“Quite.” The capsuleer raised the beads to his nose again. “Some local pirates camped the gate into the region. One of them got off a volley before I managed to get her out of there. You know what a Taranis is like, though. Good lines. Fast. They gave chase, but she was too quick. She got me in and out without much trouble.”
He sighed and his eyes flicked back to the frigate which was disappearing, hauled by mechanical forces into another part of the station. “The did scratch her though.” The capsuleer shook his head.
The docking manager leaned back against the console and looked at the capsuleer. “The people who fly out in those lawless parts of space are no good. Scum, all of them. You’d do well to stay away.”
The capsuleer raised an eyebrow. “I’m moving there.”
The docking manager raised his hands. His eyes widened. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“No offence taken.” A smile crossed the capsuleer’s pale face. “You’re largely right. It reminds me of some things I’ve learned. You’re familiar with Gallentean philosopher Francois-Marie Anouet, yes?”
“Um.” The docking manager said.
“Yes, well, he said that we need consequences to remind us to act morally. That, without consequences, we tend to act in our immediate self interests, to take what we want. The problem with all capsuleers is they have had a fairly major deterrent, death, taken away from them. Once you aren’t afraid to die anymore, you take risks and undertake activities that others would not.”
“Ah.” The docking manager produced a hip flask from his pocket and took a swig. He offered it to the capsuleer, who shook his head.
“And, worse than that,” the capsuleer continued. “The people who fly out beyond the reach of Concord have lost a second level of consequences. They are no longer pursued by the law for killing people and taking their goods. It is small wonder then, that the morally weak among them choose to do this. Once the consequences are removed, we often decide to take the things we’ve always wanted but couldn’t have.”
The docking manager looked at the time readout on his display.
The capsuleer looked up. The ship had disappeared from view. “Reminds me of a story. I knew a man who grew up where my family comes from, in the Southern Hemisphere of Intaki. In the valley of a river called Ganga. It’s a highly spiritual place. I went there to see it. Anyway, this man, his name was Maninder, was something of an explorer, and one day, in space, he found an abandoned module. He had no idea what it was, or where it had come from, but he took it and examined it. It turned out to be some kind of cloaking module. Probably Jovian. The point was, that it allowed one’s ship to fire while cloaked.”
“Impossible.” The docking manager coughed.
“Indeeed, as far as we know, but Maninder always claimed to have found it nonetheless. He could have used it for all sorts of things, but he immediately used it to get the things he had always wanted. He put in in a ship just like my one.” The capsuleer gestured vaguely upwards. “A Taranis. And he flew and blew up everyone who had ever crossed him in space. He looted what he could and made the isk and set up his family in a nice house by the Ganga. But it wasn’t enough and he kept stealing stuff.”
“So what happened?”
“Eventually he got sloppy. Went to sleep in a room in a station near here. The FIO had been tracking the incidents and they grabbed him. Took the ship, seized his family’s property and put him in prison. He’s still there and his family are poor as ever.”
The docking manager took another drink from his flask. “So, are you saying the FIO has a Taranis that can fire while cloaked?”
“Who knows? Maninder probably made it all up. He lies like that. But he is in prison. I saw him there.”
Silence. The capsuleer fiddled with his beads. “So, What docking berth is my ship in?”
The docking manager glanced at his display. “Five.”
“Five.” Said the capsuleer. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
This is my entry to the Inspired By Images Of Eve Competition 2. More details and links to all entrants can be found at Starfleet Comms
Monday, July 26, 2010
Snakes
Here is an earlier story I wrote for an Silver Night's Eve Fiction Competition
Snakes
The alley was lit by flickering neon, filtering down from above. A figure, several of his features swathed in a blue glow, stepped from the shadows. The figure seemed to peer down the alleyway, then behind him, and then down the alleyway again. His hands were hidden from view inside the pockets of a grey coat. In the distance, there was the crash of broken glass, and the steady rumble of traffic.
Then, he took another step forward, and crouched behind a cluster of boxes. His eyes flicked up to the Quafe billboard, only partly visible, and seemed to stare for a moment. Blue-grey smoke or mist drifted past, covering the sign, and he looked away, taking in the door several metres away. Standing, he moved to the door, taking his hands from his pockets, in one of them, a gun.
He bent to the door, pressing the side of his head to it. Straightening, he took a step back and rapped on the door. He levelled his pistol at the door.
“Who is it?”
The man’s knuckles were white on the gun. “De Zwart.”
There was a fumbling sound behind the door. A latch was drawn. The door swung open.
A crack filled the alleyway as the gun fired. The man strode into the open doorway, stepping over the ruined head and lifeless body which had slumped to the ground.
The room was suffused with yellow light of a cheap live news feed screen. Several glass containers bubbled away on a counter. A slender man, green snake tattoo on the nape of his neck, was searching a drawer with his back exposed.
“Don’t.” De Zwart pointed his gun. “That snake makes a convenient target.”
There was a wordless cry of frustration.
“Sit down.” The gun gestured towards an old armchair. Some of the yellow stuffing was exposed.
Snake-Tattoo turned. His head was shaved and his eyes were hollow and dark-rimmed. Keeping his eyes on the gun, he edged to the chair and sat.
De Zwart slouched against a bench, fished in his pocket and produced a hand-rolled cigarette, which he lit. He took a short drag and exhaled almost immediately. The pistol remained half-trained on the armchair and its occupant.
“You ever see a snake?” He spoke around the cigarette, blowing a puff of smoke and gesturing with the pistol.
“Sure.” Snake-Tattoo scratched his neck. “In the Zoo in Lautremont.”
“I heard about those.” De Zwart took the cigarette out of mouth, holding it loosely. “What were they like?”
“Did you come here to ask me about snakes?”
The gun twitched. “Answer the question.”
Snake-Tattoo’s eyes dropped to the pool of blood now forming on the plastic floor. “Yeah, they were great, all right?”
“They must have been better than great,” said De Zwart, his eyes intent on Snake-Tattoo. “They must have been amazing. I mean, for you to have one tattooed on you.”
“Sure.” Snake-Tattoo coughed and rubbed his face.
De Zwart looked at the live feed on the far wall. Galactic news scrolled across the screen in yellow letters. “Is there no sound?”
“Um.” Snake-Tattoo looked at the screen. “It’s on mute.”
“Federation recaptures Intaki,” read De Zwart. “Isn’t that grand?”
Snake-Tattoo shrugged. De Zwart looked back at him. “You don’t think so?”
“What difference does it make to us, down here? Intaki could disappear forever and it wouldn’t make a difference. You’d still have a gun in my face.”
De Zwart took a drag from his cigarette. “True,” he pointed his gun at the news screen. “But surely you’re a Gallente patriot, yes?”
Another shrug.
The cigarette was dropped. A booted foot crushed it into the floor. “You know why I’m here?”
Snake-Tattoo nodded.
De Zwart moved to the chemical apparatus. He wafted some of it over to his nose and immediately coughed. “Nasty stuff. How much you get for that?”
“How much for how much?”
De Zwart made an impatient sound. “I dunno. Per pill or whatever. How much?”
“Depends on demand. Up to 30, 40 isk.”
A low whistle. “Good money, if you can get it.”
There were a few moments of silence. De Zwart looked at the glass bottles and tubes. There was a brown smear on the bench. A stain, or a burn. De Zwart ran a hand along it. Snake-Tattoo shifted in the armchair. “Are you going to kill me?”
“Depends.” De Zwart picked up an empty glass tube, coiled like a snake. He hefted it. “Don’t need this one?”
“It’s broken.” Snake-Tattoo was terse. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face, catching the dim yellow light. “What does it depend on?”
“On you, of course,” De Zwart replaced the coiled glass tube. “See, I’m not interested in you, not really. I want the next ones, right up the chain. The people you work for. The head of the snake, as it were.”
The other man shook his head. “The heads are off-world. You can’t get to them.”
“No doubt, but I’m sure you have someone you report to, someone you give a cut to. Someone local.”
Snake-Tattoo looked at the gun. “Um.”
De Zwart chuckled. “Of course you do. You’re small time. No offence, of course. You still manage to do plenty of damage.”
“I’m sorry, man.”
There was a sharp intake of breath. “Don’t bother. Don’t.”
“But...”
“I said...” De Zwart surged forward, gun pointed. “Don’t. Just give me the name.”
Snake-Tattoo raised his hands in front of him. “The remote,” he said, pointing.
De Zwart tossed him a grey plastic remote. The name and address came up on the feed screen seconds later.
Pocketing his book, De Zwart stood. “You know what the worst thing about being a snake?”
The man shook his head, gripping the remote.
“You have too much poison for your size, so people fear you. They destroy you on sight, if they can. Stomp on your head. You are too dangerous to live.”
Snake-Tattoo half-started up from the arm-chair. “You said you wouldn’t kill me.”
De Zwart firmed his grip on the gun, shaking his head. “This is Dodixie. Do you really expect people to keep their word here?”
He squeezed the trigger.
Snakes
The alley was lit by flickering neon, filtering down from above. A figure, several of his features swathed in a blue glow, stepped from the shadows. The figure seemed to peer down the alleyway, then behind him, and then down the alleyway again. His hands were hidden from view inside the pockets of a grey coat. In the distance, there was the crash of broken glass, and the steady rumble of traffic.
Then, he took another step forward, and crouched behind a cluster of boxes. His eyes flicked up to the Quafe billboard, only partly visible, and seemed to stare for a moment. Blue-grey smoke or mist drifted past, covering the sign, and he looked away, taking in the door several metres away. Standing, he moved to the door, taking his hands from his pockets, in one of them, a gun.
He bent to the door, pressing the side of his head to it. Straightening, he took a step back and rapped on the door. He levelled his pistol at the door.
“Who is it?”
The man’s knuckles were white on the gun. “De Zwart.”
There was a fumbling sound behind the door. A latch was drawn. The door swung open.
A crack filled the alleyway as the gun fired. The man strode into the open doorway, stepping over the ruined head and lifeless body which had slumped to the ground.
The room was suffused with yellow light of a cheap live news feed screen. Several glass containers bubbled away on a counter. A slender man, green snake tattoo on the nape of his neck, was searching a drawer with his back exposed.
“Don’t.” De Zwart pointed his gun. “That snake makes a convenient target.”
There was a wordless cry of frustration.
“Sit down.” The gun gestured towards an old armchair. Some of the yellow stuffing was exposed.
Snake-Tattoo turned. His head was shaved and his eyes were hollow and dark-rimmed. Keeping his eyes on the gun, he edged to the chair and sat.
De Zwart slouched against a bench, fished in his pocket and produced a hand-rolled cigarette, which he lit. He took a short drag and exhaled almost immediately. The pistol remained half-trained on the armchair and its occupant.
“You ever see a snake?” He spoke around the cigarette, blowing a puff of smoke and gesturing with the pistol.
“Sure.” Snake-Tattoo scratched his neck. “In the Zoo in Lautremont.”
“I heard about those.” De Zwart took the cigarette out of mouth, holding it loosely. “What were they like?”
“Did you come here to ask me about snakes?”
The gun twitched. “Answer the question.”
Snake-Tattoo’s eyes dropped to the pool of blood now forming on the plastic floor. “Yeah, they were great, all right?”
“They must have been better than great,” said De Zwart, his eyes intent on Snake-Tattoo. “They must have been amazing. I mean, for you to have one tattooed on you.”
“Sure.” Snake-Tattoo coughed and rubbed his face.
De Zwart looked at the live feed on the far wall. Galactic news scrolled across the screen in yellow letters. “Is there no sound?”
“Um.” Snake-Tattoo looked at the screen. “It’s on mute.”
“Federation recaptures Intaki,” read De Zwart. “Isn’t that grand?”
Snake-Tattoo shrugged. De Zwart looked back at him. “You don’t think so?”
“What difference does it make to us, down here? Intaki could disappear forever and it wouldn’t make a difference. You’d still have a gun in my face.”
De Zwart took a drag from his cigarette. “True,” he pointed his gun at the news screen. “But surely you’re a Gallente patriot, yes?”
Another shrug.
The cigarette was dropped. A booted foot crushed it into the floor. “You know why I’m here?”
Snake-Tattoo nodded.
De Zwart moved to the chemical apparatus. He wafted some of it over to his nose and immediately coughed. “Nasty stuff. How much you get for that?”
“How much for how much?”
De Zwart made an impatient sound. “I dunno. Per pill or whatever. How much?”
“Depends on demand. Up to 30, 40 isk.”
A low whistle. “Good money, if you can get it.”
There were a few moments of silence. De Zwart looked at the glass bottles and tubes. There was a brown smear on the bench. A stain, or a burn. De Zwart ran a hand along it. Snake-Tattoo shifted in the armchair. “Are you going to kill me?”
“Depends.” De Zwart picked up an empty glass tube, coiled like a snake. He hefted it. “Don’t need this one?”
“It’s broken.” Snake-Tattoo was terse. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face, catching the dim yellow light. “What does it depend on?”
“On you, of course,” De Zwart replaced the coiled glass tube. “See, I’m not interested in you, not really. I want the next ones, right up the chain. The people you work for. The head of the snake, as it were.”
The other man shook his head. “The heads are off-world. You can’t get to them.”
“No doubt, but I’m sure you have someone you report to, someone you give a cut to. Someone local.”
Snake-Tattoo looked at the gun. “Um.”
De Zwart chuckled. “Of course you do. You’re small time. No offence, of course. You still manage to do plenty of damage.”
“I’m sorry, man.”
There was a sharp intake of breath. “Don’t bother. Don’t.”
“But...”
“I said...” De Zwart surged forward, gun pointed. “Don’t. Just give me the name.”
Snake-Tattoo raised his hands in front of him. “The remote,” he said, pointing.
De Zwart tossed him a grey plastic remote. The name and address came up on the feed screen seconds later.
Pocketing his book, De Zwart stood. “You know what the worst thing about being a snake?”
The man shook his head, gripping the remote.
“You have too much poison for your size, so people fear you. They destroy you on sight, if they can. Stomp on your head. You are too dangerous to live.”
Snake-Tattoo half-started up from the arm-chair. “You said you wouldn’t kill me.”
De Zwart firmed his grip on the gun, shaking his head. “This is Dodixie. Do you really expect people to keep their word here?”
He squeezed the trigger.
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