This ongoing sci-fi series will contain non-consensual elements.
All my debts were now settled, and my ship was now ready to leave. I had spent most of the remaining money on resupplying for the long journey. Hella had helped me greatly and I owed her more than money. Willow seemed to be settling into her new life at the medical center. It wasn't the luxury house she was used too, but in time she would get used to living freely.
Hogarth was also enjoying his new life. He mostly sat around the docks with a vacant look in his eyes, dribbling, and subsisting on food passing people would toss at him. There was nothing left of his mind, except the basic concepts of survival. I had been merciful not to kill him, although many wouldn't see what I had done to him as mercy.
I too was getting used to my new self. Cara was gone now and I was Emrah Jackson once again. It had been a lot to deal with, but I was finally accepting who I really was. More importantly I now had my destiny in my hands. I wasn't relying on anyone this time. I had a ship and a mission.
Ferrin was my destination, and according to Hella it was a pirate stronghold with little regard for laws or government. Getting there wasn't going to be a problem, but what I was going to find when I got there filled me with trepidation. In Dex's message he had given me a few scant details on how to find him. If he had found Talia, then he was going to need my help rescuing her.
I had bought some weapons, and kitted out the closets with clothes that could deal with all weather and atmosphere types.
With somewhat of a sad goodbye I left Hella and Willow, promising that I would send a message if I was successful in my goals. I doubted I would ever return, and I think they both knew that. Once Talia and Dex were back with me, we would be going back to UEN territory. We had all been brought to the free systems against our will, but our home wasn't here.
My long journey began with hope, but soon turned into boredom. I left the borders of the free systems heading towards the edge of the galaxy. Even the small highlight of passing transports ceased. I was well into deep space, and spent most of my time working out. My body had lost a lot of its muscle tone and it was an ideal opportunity to start getting back into shape. Thankfully the ship had a shower and a small sleeping area. I did regret not buying some books to pass the time. Instead I studied the star charts around my destination. The was little in the way of information besides the names of the planets. It was an area that hadn't been explored much, it seemed.
As I neared my destination I thought back to the beginning of all of this. Talia had been my junior officer on the Calypso when we were attacked by pirates, and Dex had been my engineer. We were the only survivors. I had been sold as a slave to a rich man, while the other two had been kept onboard the pirate ship. Dex hadn't told me much about what had happened after I left, but I could only imagine what they had done to Talia. She was young and pretty afterall. It was too much to think about, but I could be glad that she was still alive. On my ship she had been my lover, and friend. I was desperate to see her again.
I tried to imagine what her reaction would be, and thought back to when I had found Dex. Back then he hadn't recognised me due to my surgery, and my mid wipe had kept me in the dark. Some would think that looking twenty years younger than their true age would be a blessing and an opportunity for a new lease of life, but I only saw the disadvantages. It was harder to blend in anymore, and my beauty made me stick out in a crowd.
Two more weeks, I said to myself, and continued with my routine.
**********
I arrived at the system I wanted, and set my nav computer for the planet of Ferrin. I could see more ships now, and the traffic to and from the planet was more than I expected. The settlements must have a lot of trade, I mused. Hella had called the place lawless, but I knew there must be a type of order to keep everyone in some sort of check.
Dex's message had given me the coordinates for the main city, which I entered into the computer. The ship glided into the atmosphere, and I could immediately see how dry and dusty the place was. It was a desert world with rocky formations breaking the landscape up. The city emerged into view, and like the traffic, it was greater than I had imagined. It was spread out over many miles. Most of the buildings looked small and tightly packed together. I could pick out some pyramid structures, but I couldn't tell if they were buildings or monuments from this far away.
As I flew over the city, I noticed a large circular complex that looked like a sports arena with a large spaceport aside it. My comms system lit up with various landing co-ordinates. I picked one of the smaller ones. As I vectored in, it looked more like a junk yard from the air. I brought the ship into land, and then grabbed some gear from the back. A lazer pistol that went into my belt, and a long coat, that had a hood attached. I didn't want to walk around as a lone female, and the hood would provide some much needed discretion. As I changed I noticed how better my body was looking, there was a lot more definition in my limbs, and my stomach was very flat and hard. I had a much more athletic appearance now. I ran my hands through my short blonde hair, thinking that I may keep it this way in the future.
A young girl approached me as I stepped off the ship. She asked me for a docking fee, and I was surprised at how small it was. As I handed over the credits, I asked why they charge so little, and she told me that most people don't return from the city. It was an ominous warning delivered with glee.
For a few extra credits she gave me the lay of the land. The city was divided into districts. Some were safer than others. To the east was the arena, and beyond that a large dockyard that was exclusivly used by pirates. To the north was a more affluent area that would be off limits to me during my stay. The rich residents could afford better security and better services in their sections. She told me that I was in what was called the old town. It was mostly for visitors and less fortunate residents. To the west and south was the open desert and she told me that no one went out there.
She said, the pirates mostly kept themselves to themselves. Their docks were heavily guarded, and I wouldn't be able to get in there even if I tried. The rest of the population had grown over time around them.
The pyramids I had seen were in fact, ancient relics of a long forgotten civilization. No one lived in them anymore. They were far north and not somewhere she suggested that I visit. The sports arena was a gladiatorial arena, that was very much in service.
"Lots of people get killed in there," she said, with a wide grin.
I tried to put it out of my mind as I made my way into the old town. I knew roughly where I was heading. The buildings were mostly two or three stories tall, and built out of sandstone. They looked rundown and the streets had a shabby look to them. The place was bustling with midday activity, and the food vendors sold strange looking meats to passing customers. The people I saw looked poor, and a lot of them were openly carrying weapons. I saw no security, or police force. I kept my head down as did a lot of the locals. The girl had told me there was a security force, and even a prison. It was there to protect the richer residents though.
It was an odd place, not as lawless as I had first imagined, perhaps the girl had been teasing me for some fun. In some ways it reminded me of mars. The burnt orange sky gave the place a familiar feel. As I walked I could pick out the locals from the offworlders by the colour of their skin. The residents of Ferrin had a tanned, almost golden complexion. I must have looked very pale in comparison
Dex hadn't given me an address, just a set of coordinates and a brief description of a building. As I weaved my way through some back alleys, I came across a lot of beggars, who pitifully held their hands out for money.
Finally, I found the building I was looking for. It had no windows, and the walls were covered in crumbling white plaster. I knocked on a bare wooden door, and after a few moments, a gruff looking man answered.
"Yeah," he said.
"I'm looking for a man named, Dex."
He thought about what I had said for a minute, then nodded. "Yeah, he's inside," he said, opening the door for me.
It was a dark and dusty room, with little in the way of furniture. I could hear voices from the floor above, though.
"I'll take you upstairs to him," he said, "you got any weapons?"
I nodded, and he told me to leave them down here. I was a little wary, but he assured me that it was just a precaution as he didn't know who I was. It seemed fair, and I laid my pistol next to the foot of the stairs.
He smiled and let me go up first. There was a couple of doors, and I was directed to one at the end of the corridor. I felt the anticipation of meeting a long lost friend as I entered the room. Sadly though, he wasn't there. Instead, there were two people sitting on a ruined couch.
It was a man and a woman. The man had a shaved head, and thick arms covered in tattoos. The girl was bone thin, and was dressed in her underwear, she had a dazed, almost sleepy look on her face.
"She's looking for a man named Dex," the gruff man, announced.
"Is that your pimp?" the man on the couch asked, and laughed.
I smirked, and told him I had been asked to meet him here. They certainly didn't look like people Dex would associate with, but on this planet, what choice did he have.
