Post by Eric Moreau on Jun 11, 2005 7:26:10 GMT -5
]Assassination Nexus Part 5
[/b][/u]The Meritor Class IV effortlessly glided through the asteroid field, zipping between and around the large floating rocks of the field. The Class IV was the top model of Meritor civilian spacecraft, the ship, built by Meritor Industries on Jealan Alpha is probably one of the most common ship models in known space. Asani had bought her Class IV brand new a couple of years ago and it was a big step up from the Class II she had operated before. Her ship, which she had named “The Forever Searching” doubled as her home, the spacious two level twenty-room ship gave her plenty of living space. The spec sheet of the Class IV stated that it could house a crew of six comfortably but Asani enjoyed having it all to herself, besides a bounty hunter had no use for a crew. She had converted a few of the rooms into a training facility and a shooting range. Her fingers smoothly float across a control panel pushing buttons easing the ship past another large rock. As the ship flies around the asteroid, Asani’s destination comes into view. There on a very large asteroid was a massive iron door set into the asteroid’s surface, a large parabolic dish can also be seen installed on the surface next to the door. She had arrived at the most exclusive relaxation center in the galaxy. Here in a non-descript asteroid field was the hotspot for the galaxy’s elite, where they could relax in peace without being disturbed by the troubles of the galaxy. The prices were outrageous and normally Asani would not have been able to afford one day at the center but she had done a huge favor for the owner of the center and he had given her a lifetime free pass. AS the ship approached the asteroid, she transmitted her membership code. After a few seconds the iron door opens and she guides her ship inside.
After docking her ship at one of the available docking ports Asani grabs her travel bag and disembarks. It will be nice to sleep somewhere other than the ship tonight thought Asani as she approached the check-in desk. The brunette behind the counter looks up from her computer console and flashes a big smile.
“Welcome to Valhalla Resorts, can I have you membership card please.”
Asani unzips one of the front pockets of her jacket and retrieves a golden card and hands it to the woman behind the desk. The woman takes the card and scans it through the reader unit connected to her computer console and returns the card to Asani.
“Excellent, welcome Asani, how long will you be staying with us?”
“I think a couple of week should do it.”
“Very well, would you like me to schedule a massage for you?”
“Not right now, I think I’ll just got to sleep.”
“As you wish, here is you key card for the room, you will be housed in Sector C. Should you need help locating your room simply push the red button at the top of the keycard and follow the direction it gives you. Have a nice stay.” The woman behind the counter says handing Asani the key card.
“Thank you.”
After a short tram ride to Sector C and then a two-minute walk Asani arrives outside her room. She pulls out the key card and prepares to insert it into the slot next to the door frame when she is stopped by a commanding female voice behind her.
“Halt!”
Asani turns around to see a female wearing the jet black body armor and helmet of the resort’s security force.
“What seems to be the problem?” Asani asks.
“I heard you are a trouble maker, I’m here to tell you that I have my eye on you. Don’t even think about causing any kind of trouble here.”
“There is no reason for that, I am here to relax and nothing else.” Asani replies irritation growing in her voice.
The security officer reaches up and removes her helmet exposing the fresh face of a young blonde headed girl who is smiling at Asani.
“Did I scare you?” the security girl asks.
Asani looks at the girl in confusion, the security officer’s smile turns to a pout.
“You don’t recognize me do you.” The security officer asks.
“Sorry, I don’t.”
“Uh…and I thought you bounty hunters had a sharp memory, it’s me Elisha.”
Asani thingys her head to one side and looks intently into the girls face.
“Elisha…little Elisha Homner.” Asani replies motioning to height of her waist.
“Yep, it’s me Asani, I’m all grown up.”
“Wow, where does the time go, the last ime I saw you was…”
“Eight years ago.”
“Yes I remember now, you were fourteen then, my you’ve sprouted up quite a bit since then. What are you doing with the security uniform?”
“I’m running the security forces now. Have been for the past two years after Jeiner retired.”
“No way! You’re the security chief, but you were always the little princess, wearing the pink dresses and tiaras…”
“Yes and father still blames your influence for changing my way.”
“Me? I did no such thing.”
“Sure you did, remember those self-defense moves you taught me and the talks about women being able to anything a man can do only better.”
A smile crosses Asani’s face at memory from long ago, Elisha had reminded Asani of her long lost sister, seeing Elisha all grown up now could not help but bring up the questions of where her sister was now or if she was even still alive. Tears started to form in her eyes.
“Asani, are you alright?” Elisha asks.
“Yes, of course, it’s just that you’ve grown into such a beautiful young lady. You are no longer you’re father’s spoiled little princess.”
“Oh I’m still spoiled.” Elisha replies. “Only father calls me his little warrior now. Father would like to know if you will have time to see him in between your little vacation.”
“Of course. I always have time for the great Nelson Homner.” Asani replied with a smirk on her face.
“Great, how about diner tonight? We’ll all have diner together and we can catch up then. For now I have to get back to the security center.” Elisha says as she returns the helmet to her head.
“Alright sounds good, see you tonight.” Asani replies, she turns, inserts the keycard into the slot and enters her room. The room has a pleasant scent of whatever expensive perfume is all the rage these days.
Had it really been eight years since she had been here she thought to herself. She had been twenty-three years old at the time and had been a bounty hunter for only six months. The owner of the Valhalla Resort, a man by the name of Nelson Homner had hired twelve bounty hunters from various agencies along with some freelance mercenaries to attack and destroy pirates who had been attacking his guests on route to his resort. The trail of the pirates had led to the resort itself where some of the pirates had gotten jobs at the resort and had used their jobs to intercept the names of the incoming ships. Upon being discovered the pirates on the resort had given the freelance mercenaries more money to protect them. They kidnapped Elisha and fled the resort, but not before a violent firefight between the bounty hunters still on the payroll of Homner and the freelance mercenaries. When it was all over Asani was the only surviving bounty hunter. Asani’s mentor, Deriminius, who she had accompanied on this mission, lay dying on the floor of the resort’s docking port. His last words were orders for Asani, she was to pursue the escaping pirates and rescue Elisha. Asani had chased the pirates down, killed them and successfully rescued Elisha. After that Nelson Homner had given her a lifetime membership to the resort. She had stayed at the resort for a month after her rescue of Elisha. She and Elisha had become very close during that time. But in the end the call of the hunt beckoned for Asani. So she left, she had told Elisha that she would return to visit. She had not known that it would take eight years for her to make her way back to the resort. Nelson had told Asani that there would always be a spot open for her on the resort’s security force if she ever wanted to retire from the bounty hunter business. Perhaps it was now time to take him up on that offer, bounty hunting was a young person’s business and at thirty-one she was no spring chicken. Perhaps it was time to stop killing and enjoy the rest of her life. For eight years as a bounty hunter she had flown to every corner of known space, she had always been successful at locating her bounty. But the personal target, her long lost sister had evaded her. She had searched for years for her but it had been hopeless. When slaves were sold, the paperwork didn’t list the slaves by name, only numbers, the trail of the number had led to a dead end long ago.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the door to her room was ripped off its hinges. Asani who had been lying on the bed springs up as a large humanoid robot with glowing red eyes walks into the room. Two silver orbs float into the room hovering around the humanoid robot.
“Knock knock!” the robotic voice emanates from the humanoid robot.
Asani lunges for a blaster pistol sticking out of her travel bag at the foot of the bed but the robot is faster and fires a shot from a forearm-mounted blaster. The shot hits Asani in the right knee searing into her flesh and coming out the other side. Asani yelps in pain as she stumbles to the floor still reaching for the pistol. The robot fires another shot this time hitting Asani’s hand that was reaching for the pistol. Asani screams and clutches the injured hand close to her body. The robot slowly walks towards her; he stands over her looking down.
“What’s the matter nothing to say? Don’t you like my make-over?” the metallic voice of the robot says.
“Wha…I don’t know you.” Asani musters.
The robot grabs her by the throat and lifts her up with surprising ease.
“Of course you do, you kille me.”
“I’ve killed a lot of people and they all deserved it. But I’ve never killed a tin can.”
The robot delivers a brutal punch to the side of Asani’s face and throws her into the wall across the room. Asani coughs up blood and tries to get to her feet, blood dripping from her nose and her right eye socket is completely shattered pouring blood all over the side of her face.
“Smart mouth! Because of you I’m like this!”
The robot bounds across the room and leans in close to Asani’s face.
“Unlike me however, your going to die nice and slow.”
The robot stands upright, lifts a foot and stomps down hard on Asani’s thigh with a loud crunch of bone splattering blood in all direction as Asani screams in agony. She takes a swing at the robot but the robot effortlessly grabs her fist, with a quick jerk Asani’s wrist, forearm and elbow snap and the robot crushes Asani’s fist.
“Goodbye bounty hunter.” The robot says as he raises his foot above Asani’s chest in preparation to stomp down.
“Wait…wai..t” Asani struggles. “I want to know why…please.”
“I’m the guy you killed at the Emperor’s palace, bet this is the first time one of your marks has come back from the dead.”
“Impossible…” Asani mutters.
“No, not impossible…just justice.” The robot replies.
As the robot’s foot begins to move, everything seems to move in slow motion for Asani. Is this what death what the moment before death is like she asks herself? She can only see through her left eye, the right one is completely gone. The foot gets closer; sooner or later we all pay for our sin Asani thought. You can’t out run it. The foot is almost onto her chest now; her last thought is of her long lost sister, it echoes through her head. Jayna…. I’m sorry. The foot strikes her chest crushing her rib cage and her heart.
Cadeyrn pulls his foot from the corpse of the bounty hunter. He examines the dead bounty hunter’s body for a moment and then looks up at one of the floating orbs.
“Alright I’m ready to go. Have our forces taken down the dampening field?”
:: Yes the field is down. We may now transport back to the ship.::[/i]
“Excellent, let’s go.” Cadeyrn replies.
A teleportation beam encircles the Cadyrn, the two silver silver orbs and the body of Asani. A couple of seconds later the beam disappears along with all that it encircled.
The End