Venture at Barabor

“Are you really trying to have us killed, you oversized lizard?” the insect humanoid rebuked harshly as he and his companion continued their walk through the street. “In case you haven’t noticed, we shouldn’t be attracting all that much attention”.

“Seriously, you think we stand out here?” the reptilian creature rhetorically asked, gesturing with one hand to the avenue filled with an assortment of different alien races. “You worry too much, Anarak”.

“Starting a fight in the middle of the street is standing out, Charnel!” the assassin shouted, flailing about all six of his arms as he gave the warrior a furious look. “What were you thinking when you tried to take down that alien?!”

“And how was I supposed to know he knew how to fight, huh!?” Charnel strongly rebuffed.

“You pointed fingers and lost control of your anger, you pea-brain!”

“Who are you calling a pea-brain, you six-armed freak of nature!” the lizard warrior roared back, hands balled into fists for another battle. Now he was mad; Anarak could be so difficult to deal with at times, especially in these times like this.

“Forget it” the shadowy mercenary concluded, curbing his anger as he started to walk briskly. “We wasted enough time as it is. Let’s meet up with Detranis and see what jobs we can find here”.


-+-


The cantina was abuzz with activity just as it was diverse with many non-human creatures. Since it was located on the extreme fringes of the Koprulu Sector, and every other civilization for that matter, it was a perfect place for aliens and humans to mingle and coexist. After all, many of the people had no other power to rely on. In short, it was eat or be eaten, live or die.

On a table in a shady part of the bar, a robed human quietly observed the other customers going about their business. A trio of brutish ape-like humanoids were drinking themselves to a stupor with consecutive servings of ale, while a diminutive abhuman, a dwarf, was engaged in a lengthy conversation with a couple of bounty hunters.

At a corner in the other side of the cantina, a young white-haired woman with a regal but distant bearing took a sip from a plastic cup filled with herbal tea. Her pale form was garbed in a hooded grey-blue robe, and she seemed to radiate a power uncommon among the known races.

There were many people present in the cantina, but Detranis was looking for a particular duo, a violet and black draconian and a six-armed arachna, both of whom were his companions.

And they should have been here a while ago.

The entrance to the cantina then opened as Charnel and Anarak walked in. The duo promptly located Detranis and approached where he sat.

“Took you long enough” the assassin remarked, giving the two a disappointed glare.

“We had a bit of a delay” Anarak explained, casting a brief accusing stare at Charnel. The draconian pretended to ignore it as he spoke next.

“Did you find any good jobs?”

“Very few, I’m afraid” Detranis replied. “Most of the missions available now are low pay. Almost all the good ones had already been claimed”. In the background, the white-haired woman had finished up her tea, and was about to leave when one of the apish humanoids walked up to her.

“So we’ve got nothing to do, again?” Anarak said in dismay. “This is the fourth time we’ve turned up no jobs, Detranis. We’re running low on supplies and fuel, and if we don’t restock soon, we won’t be able to last another trip”.

“Don’t be so hasty, Anarak. I didn’t say we had no job” the human added with a hint of mirth. The arachna gave him a half-shocked, half-annoyed look; as he listened to him continue. “You see, there’s a businessman of sorts looking for some help in requiring ‘stolen property’, and by help he means professional help”.

Now Charnel was interested. “You better start talking, Detranis. This might be our lucky break after so long”.

“If it gets us back up and running again, I say we take it” Anarak added, folding all six of his hands together in a gesture of satisfaction.

Pleased to see both his companions reacting to the news affirmatively, Detranis was about to continue explaining the details of the mission when the bar was filled with an earsplitting scream. All three turned in time to see the ape-man be blasted away by a beam of blue-white energy.

The white-haired woman was standing, but now her true self had surfaced. Her hair was now being madly blown by an imaginary breeze, and her hands were stretched out before her and pulsing with power. The woman’s eyes shone a bright purple, and her mouth was wide open in a furious wail.

Before the other two ape-men could react, the alien aimed her hands and fired another burst of energy, one that knocked one of the brutes onto the floor and unconscious. Enraged, the remaining ape brandished a club and charged, but the robed woman acted faster and conjured a third beam that sent the abhuman into the air.

Unfortunately, it didn’t end there as the brute landed on a number of bags and containers, spilling out their contents onto the floor. “Hey, that’s me’ stuff you’re on, you oversized carpet!” the dwarf, now practically fuming, grabbed his hammer and swung it at the ape-man, sending him crashing into several more tables.

“I think we should be leaving, don’t you think?” Anarak remarked as the others in the bar began to join in the fight.

“Good idea” Detranis, already on his feet, replied as he darted for the door, followed by the arachna and Charnel. They managed to slip out thanks to all the commotion going on.


-+-


“So let me get this straight, this businessman needs a team of professionals to procure a product stolen from his company?” the draconian asked.

“That’s pretty much it” Detranis affirmed as they neared their destination. “But he did add that the ones who stole it bypassed over a dozen security measures before that”.
“We can worry about who we’re up against later” Anarak stated. “I’m just concerned about our potential client’s preferences, especially in regards to race”.

That made the illusion specialist chuckle. “Don’t worry, my friend. The man isn’t a citizen of the Imperium, and he doesn’t care whether his henchmen are aliens or humans. All that matters for him is the quality”.

“If that’s all he wants, then that’s what he’ll get” Charnel concluded, grinning. “After all, I’m ready for anything”.

“Good, because our client’s personal suite is just a few blocks ahead” Detranis said, hand raised and pointing at a far-off building. It was neatly furbished and maintained, and its appearance reminded both Charnel and Anarak of the architecture at the Isani Republics, with some slight differences.

A few minutes later, the trio was in.


-+-


The inside had an even more oriental feel to it. Detranis simply let the suite’s attained serenity wash over him while Charnel and Anarak stared curiously around them. There were several scrolls hanging on the walls, all containing writing in different languages. Anarak, who was the linguist among the three, couldn’t translate most of them, but he did recognize a few.

Aside from the scrolls, there were other pieces of decoration, plants of many varieties, beautiful pieces of pottery, and wood carvings. All this added to the calmness present in the atmosphere.

Detranis continued to lead the group through several hallways before finally reaching a door guarded by two men. They were human, with big-boned musculatures and clad in protective body armor. The two guards eyed them calmly but suspiciously.

“I’m here to see your boss” the illusionist stated. Charnel clenched his hands into fists while Anarak discretely took out a few knives. The sentries regarded them for a moment before finally opening the door and let them through.

The next room was large and rectangular in shape, with the floor a deep red color and the walls being white. At the center was a wooden table, and sitting behind it was a human in a white business suit. His facial features hinted oriental ancestry, and his expression indicated he was hard-working and duty-filled.

“Welcome back, Detranis” the man greeted before eying the two non-humans. “And these are your companions, I presume?”

“Yes, sir” the illusionist replied before moving to the introductions. “The arachna is Anarak. He’s a fellow assassin and an expert tracker. The draconian is Charnel, our muscleman and pilot”. He indicated each with a hand.

“I’m quite satisfied that you’re willing to take on the job” the businessman remarked. “As for me, you need only know that I’m in a high-ranking officer in my corporation back at Caldari”.

“Did you say Caldari, as in the Caldari State at the Eva Sector?” Anarak queried, with his answer being a nod of affirmation. “You’re a long way from your jurisdiction, I must say”.

“On urgent business” was the officer’s explanation. “To begin with, I’ve been assigned to track down a cell of the Angel Cartel that stole a weapon entering the final stages of development. That weapon is the finest innovation we’ve made in the field of war, and we were hoping to use it in an attempt to break into Jovian space”.

Detranis took over in the explanation. “The Angel Cartel is one of the most notorious organized crime groups in the Eva Sector, with members coming from a number of races. They are murderers, plunderers, and saboteurs at heart”.

“That is correct” the Caldari businessman spoke again. “The State has constantly had trouble fending off the cartel’s forces, more so since its cells have recently allied with elements of Sansha’s Nation. It was inevitable that our forces would be stretched thinly, and that was enough for a taskforce to sneak in and steal one of the prototypes”.

“In response, my CEO ordered me to lead a detachment of the corporation’s forces to retrieve the prototype” the man paused for a moment before continuing. “Since then, I’ve been spending two months pursuing the thieves through Imperial territory, taking great pains to keep my activities secret. Time and again, I was close to catching them, but they somehow manage to get away”.

“So I decided to take a different approach. The cell will probably be expecting my troops, but they might not anticipate the coming of three elite mercenaries”.

“Those mercenaries are us” Detranis concluded.

Charnel was already clenching his fists in excitement. “Let’s get started then”. Anarak simply sighed. He had a feeling that something bad was going to happen, one way or another.