The Wandering Gun - Part 4

Source

       "What brought you to Jex, off-worlder?" The Beskin asked with a throat half full of mucus, which he soon spat. The glob landed somewhere out of sight.

       "What makes you think I'm an off-worlder?"

       "Answering questions with questions, eh? I know the type." The pilot said while focusing on the panel in front of him, and then he leaned back in his chair and shot a glance at Kai. "Well, it's easy to spot really. You look a bit too clean to be a local. Also, the transportation situation. Locals tend to know somebody who'll fly them where they need to go, or they'll just pick up their own vehicle."

       "Maybe I haven't enough money for my own transport," Kai said.

       "You got the money to hire someone for a round trip though."

       Kai remained silent. He felt stiff in his seat, unable to relax as the pilot did so easily. His arms were fixed to his chest so tight that it almost impeded his breathing.

       "Nah, the real giveaway is someone willingly heading into Dead State territory; especially someone who looks unprepared for the trip." The Beskin said.

       The rattle from the ship took over Kai's senses and stopped any silence when the pilot finished speaking. He knew he wasn't unprepared for the journey. A firearm tended to quell any issue.

       "Dead State territory," Kai said softly as he looked out the window, at the encroaching darkness on the horizon.

       The light from the city seemed to be disappearing fast, leaving them wandering into a void of black. It left him thinking of 'Operation Drop' and some of his old comrades. Echoes in his mind now, but once they were so real.

       "Yeah, that's kind of a nickname we have for it." The Beskin replied. "Imagine a world that were dead; people who'd just given up. Imagine you had nothing, and decided to set up a home in a bomb-blasted building. Living off of whatever rolled by, be it drugs, crawlies, whatever." He started to type in a few commands on the control panel and the lights went out. "Sorry, better not to let them know we're coming."

       "So, why don't they just leave the area? Move into the city?" Kai asked.

       Red emergency lighting dimly lit the cockpit, and it gave the pilot warped features as he moved. His snout was elongated and cast deep shadows across his face as he moved. One eye was lost to it, and the other seemed discoloured. His fur seemed far more spikey, and his smile seemed more like he was bearing razor-sharp fangs.

       "Nobody wants them. They're junkies, killers, thieves. They're better off staying put anyway. Some try to cross the border walls, but they get a hot welcome if you know what I mean." The Beskin started to chuckle, but all Kai could focus on were its teeth. "There were droves of them at first, but soon the checkpoints were put in place, and now not many attempt to cross."

       Funny how things can change in just a few short years. Kai thought. Only a few years ago, Free Space was a relatively peaceful place. It had its problems, but most worlds were hospitable to all. It would have been considered one big intergalactic family. Now though, nowhere seemed safe for anybody. Mainly made unsafe by people who could surely remember how good life was.

       "War changes people," Kai whispered.

       "Guess you could say that." The Beskin replied. "What are you doing down there anyway, what's your goal?"

       "De Meck wants me to search an old ruin for him; retrieve something."

       "De Meck?" The Beskin straightened up. "Tell you what, off-worlder. The trip. We agreed on 150 right? Let's call it 70."

       "Why the sudden change?" Kai asked.

       The Beskin just waved off the question with his hand and focused on flying.