Frozen Soul, and other works: Chapter 45

Alok Paxisys was surprised to see us so soon, it seemed. Especially since our ‘other business’ had eventually resulted in a navy cruiser blasting a building from orbit. The fact that our heist hadn’t made the local newsnets was a definite plus, since it proved we could do a job that didn’t leave a station in ruins.

The knelfi looked at me appraisingly across the table at a local bar we had met at to cover the exchange. “To be honest, I expected to hear that you had blown up half of Shadara Station, and were returning to Charybdis with half the quarantine force on your trail. Especially given your activities within the Empire. It is pleasant to see myself proven wrong.”

I chuckled, and said, “So, you’ve been checking up on us, then? Not surprised. But yeah, there was that little incident on Choson Ring, where a couple people were upset and wanted things that didn’t belong to them, and when their friends caused problems, I endeavored to make sure that they never caused problems for me or mine again.”

“Yes, you’ve certainly gained a reputation amongst certain groups for a rather… emphatic method of problem solving. Which does bring up questions about why you are in the Confederation.”

I leaned forward across the table, and said, “There are always questions. Some deserve answers. Some don’t. Suffice to say that the Empire as it stands is no friend of mine, but I see no reason to further antagonize them. Staying out of their way seems to be the simplest course. So I’m going to do a bit of trading and exploring, see where things take me.”

“So you are putting truth to the title of Nomad, then?”

I chuckled, and said, “Well, if people are going to call me that, might as well have fun with it, no? Plus, things get dull if you’re not seeking out new experiences.” I took a drink of the whiskey in front of me, and then said, “Of course, being your own boss ain’t bad, either. Well, as much as any man is his own boss when there’s women in his life.”

Despite himself Paxisys smiled at that. There were some truths that were universal, held deeper than even physical laws like gravity. “Very well then. Since this job is completed, I will take my leave. Until the next time, Captain Mollen. Perhaps we’ll be in touch again.” And with that, he rose from the table, and left the bar, but not before he passed me a digital card.

Kiki showed up at the table moments later, and said, “You know, Captain, you deal with a lot of shady folk.”

“Oh, that guy wasn’t shady. He was a spook.”

“Really? He just said that to you?”

“Hah! No, but check this card he gave me.” I showed her the card, which had Alok Paxisys’s name, and some contact information on it. The company given was Confederate Industrial Systems, or CIS.

Kiki looked at the card and groaned, bringing one hand to cover her forehead. “That has GOT to be the most in your face cover I’ve ever seen. There’s no way the Confederate Intelligence Service doesn’t know about that.”

I shrugged. “If I were to lay a wager, I’d bet that the CIS set it up for some plausible deniability. The company may even be legit (or as legit as a front gets), and just have a few agents in places where they can use ‘business contacts’ to get things done in grey areas, instead of the black spooks like. Having a front makes recruiting easier, for instance, since ‘job interviews’ are common, and when you’re going into a ‘new market’ you can use that to find the people you want.”

Kiki nodded. “So, what is the plan now that you’ve done your heist?”

“Well, how far have you come on the custom weapons the crew asked for?”

“Already did one for Jaynie, like you know. She’s real happy with how Vera handles, and has been treating her right. Cali, on the other hand, wanted something so crazy I had to spend extra time on it to make sure it worked right, and wouldn’t break her hand when she fired it. Crazy bitch wanted a goddamned minigun with an attached flamethrower and bayonets.”

“That… sounds like extreme overkill.”

“It is, but there are times when you just can’t wait for backup, and need to kill everything around. Setup eats ammo like a homeless man at a buffet, but anyone that’s downrange will still say that it doesn’t run out near soon enough. And those fucking spinning bayonets!” Kali shuddered. “Remind me never to piss that girl off. She’s clearly known too many marines in real life.”

Thinking back to the times we’d had marines on board while I’d been in the Navy, I nodded. “Yeah, they do tend to bring refined mayhem to whole new levels. And you haven’t gotten to any of the others?”

The gunsmith chuckled at me, and said, “Well, I did get your ‘Special Order’ done. Getting materials was easy. Figuring out how to make it happen? That was the tough part.” And with that, she handed over a pair of pistols for me to examine.

They were a matching pair of beautifully made heavy pistols, each with ivory handles and four barrels in a two over two design. They were made in what we’d call the Metal Storm design back in the real world with the barrel being the magazine. But it was the ‘special features’ of these guns that really made them shine.

Fury
Type	Heavy Pistol	Rank	Unique
Damage	40 – 50	Damage Type	Piercing
This weapon is a beautiful combination of classic styling and modern technology. It has few moving parts, making jams and failures almost a thing of the past, and reducing the need for intensive maintenance. Designed to be heavy hitting, even without its special features, this pistol is meant to end fights as quickly as they start. The four ‘magazine barrel’ design allows for an impressive ammo capacity, but increases reload times. Capable of Semi-Auto or Burst Fire. Durability 50/50 4 x 15 round barrel ammo capacity. Psymetal Etching: Demon’s Fury – Psymetal allows the weapon to act as a conduit for the wielder’s Psy. Can spend 20 PP per shot to increase armor penetration by 25%.

Hate
Type	Heavy Pistol	Rank	Unique
Damage	40 – 50	Damage Type	Piercing
This weapon is a beautiful combination of classic styling and modern technology. It has few moving parts, making jams and failures almost a thing of the past, and reducing the need for intensive maintenance. Designed to be heavy hitting, even without its special features, this pistol is meant to end fights as quickly as they start. The four ‘magazine barrel’ design allows for an impressive ammo capacity, but increases reload times. Capable of Semi-Auto or Burst Fire. Durability 50/50 4 x 15 round barrel ammo capacity. Psymetal Etching: Hatred’s Spite – Psymetal allows the weapon to act as a conduit for the wielder’s Psy. Can spend 20 PP per shot to reduce enemy’s Physical Armor by 5 for 1 minute. Multiple shots stack effects.

I smiled as I slipped those two beauties into my bracers. I’d have to pick up some ammo before I could use them, but I was definitely going to be using them. They looked like they’d be good for taking down high-level targets. “Excellent. We’ll probably be sticking around Charybdis for a week or two. Depends on what work we find around here.”

Kiki nodded, her tail twitching in happiness. “All right. If we’re going to be here for a while, I’ll rent some shop space, and get to work doing maintenance and repairs, and maybe selling a couple of my basic designs, not the custom gear you wanted.”

“Fair enough. I’ve got an appointment over at the shipyards, but just call Raven if you need anything. We’ll keep you up to date on our travel plans.” And with that, I rose, and left the bar. Wasn’t lying when I said I had an appointment at the shipyards, after all. Outside, Nyna and Jaynie joined me from where they’d been quietly stationed to make sure the meeting between Paxisys and myself stayed civil.

Jaynie was the first to break the silence. “So, what are you planning on getting down at the shipyards, boss? Way Raven tells it, the ship’s as upgraded as it can get unless you go adding on some of the really expensive shit.”

I chuckled, and said, “Well, the kinds of jobs we’ve been getting, and the places we’re likely to go in the future, there may be times when we need a couple extra guns, or need to be in two places at once. The shuttle isn’t bad, but using it to fight ship to ship for anything other than a sneak attack is plain suicide. So I’m thinking a second ship would be a good investment.”

“Ah, so what kind of ship are we talking about? Another blockade runner, like the Raven? An armed freighter? Or maybe break down and get an actual escort?”

Smiling, I placed one hand on Nyna’s rear as we walked along. “Well, part of that depends on what hulls are available. I don’t really want to spend a ton of time in this system. The longer we wait around, the more likely the virus might spread, or the navy shows up in force to blast everything to atoms. And the other part depends on the captain of the new ship. Nyna will be running the second ship, so she’s going to be involved in the decisions.”

Nyna looked up at me, her eyes wide. “Really, Master?” She squirmed a bit as I playfully groped her rear in public.

“Yes, really. You’re going to be the Captain of the new ship, even if you’re still my property. So you’ll be helping make the decisions on what kind of ship it will be, and we’ll be stopping by the slave markets when it is close to finished, to get what crew you’ll need.”

Jaynie looked thoughtful at that. “Hmm. So you’re basically going to have a slave empire thing going on?”

“No, not an empire. Maybe a fleet, eventually, but I don’t see any need to bring in outsiders who are just looking to capitalize on our success without helping build that success. Slaves, at least, have a known motivation. And if we recruit mainly locals, then we don’t have to worry as much about other world problems and egos.”

I paused, and then said, “Take that old EVE game. Sure, it was mostly endless accounting with space battles thrown in for kicks, but because it was all based on the people playing the game, you had a history of people getting butthurt about things, and carrying out massive betrayals in the game. I want to avoid that kind of thing, if at all possible.”

Jaynie grinned, and said, “Hmm. I’m kindof liking the idea that I’ll be one of the only free Nomads in this setup. Anyone who joins up later will probably be as a slave of the company, then?”

I nodded. “Unless I can find a way to prove their loyalty, or they work hard to impress me, then yeah. Of course, if you wanted, you could always accept the collar like the other girls have.”

Jaynie laughed, and said, “Nah, as fun as rolling in the hay with you is, boss, I’d like to keep my freedom, and my paycheck, for now.”

Nyna yelped as I pinched her rear, while still looking at Jaynie. “Fair enough. But let me know if you ever change your mind. And if you ever decide to start trying for your own ship, let me know that, too, and we’ll see what we can do.”

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Tales of the Void Traveler https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy LitRPG):

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Volume 2 - Beginning the Journey https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VR7M41/

Volume 3 - Wyrmwood https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072QKVBYV

Volume 4 - To the Deeps https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073QSD9S4

Volume 5 - Power Base https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074KGVN5T

Into the Black (Sci-Fi LitRPG):