Dawn over Drastin's Fall was an eerie affair. The dim white sun crept over the horizon, illuminating the city in a ghostly pale glow - locally this time had come to be known as "corpselight". Considering the nature of the city, the name was quite appropriate.
For over one-hundred-and-twenty-years, the planet Nobruna in the Beta2 Sagittarii system had been the primary source of Titanium for the Terran Federation. The vast bulk of the Terran fleet was plated in that resilient metal, so the Federation's hunger for Titanium was voracious. The starport at Drastin's Fall had been the central hub for exporting Titanium from Nobruna, but the city had begun to decline when the Titanium deposits started drying up.
Now the mining had all but ceased, with only a few minor players still attempting to chisel out the last of the Titanium the planet had to offer. All the major corporations had moved on, levelling off the strip-mined areas of the planet and simply letting the jungle reclaim it, keeping the environmental groups happy and the Federation's green subsidies rolling in. However, when the corporations left, there was a power vacuum on the planet, and as Aristotle once said, "Horror Vacui" - nature abhors a vacuum.
There were scores of docking bays in Drastin's Fall, which had previously been swamped with ore transporters but now lay idle for the most part. The bay owners were desperate for berthing charges and therefore more than willing to turn a blind eye to the shadier elements of the Federation. Drastin's Fall had become a hotbed of illicit activity, with many a smuggler and black-market dealer making their base. The Beta2 Sagittarii system was located on the outer-rim, not far from the border with the Trankaran Republic. This far away from the bright glare of Terra and the Core Worlds, there were always citizens seeking to lose themselves in the shadowy underbelly of the Federation.
That was how William Fallow had come to arrive on that wretched planet. That wasn't his real name of course, but he'd been forced to swiftly abandon his old life - it had been a prudent move, considering the charges of treason laid against him. He opened the lobby door to what had once been a plush apartment complex, but like the rest of Drastin's Fall, the building had seen better days.
At the sound of the hydraulic door sliding open, the bundle of clothing huddled outside began to stir. "Spare a few credits for a meal, chief?" the man asked, holding out a shaky hand - a dead giveaway for stim addiction. "Used to be a miner... fallen on hard times."
William jumped at the sound of the man's voice, then studiously ignored him just as he'd done every other day for the last few weeks. He walked briskly down the steps to the street, grimacing when he saw that it was raining that morning, as was often the case on Nobruna. Leaving the protective cover of the awning over the lobby entrance, he walked straight into the squall, the rain lashing his face. Lifting up the collar of his ill-fitting coat, he hunched his shoulders to stop the rain dripping down the back of his neck. He'd paid a lot for that coat nearly six months ago and he was loathe to get rid of the designer item, even though it was much too big for him now.
All the stress of being on the run had severely affected his appetite and he'd lost a lot of weight. His old self would have been overjoyed at the drastic reduction in his waistline, but William Fallow knew better. His gluttonous hunger had been replaced with a tense bundle of nerves during the day and bitter pangs of loneliness in the night.
Pale, unfriendly faces loomed out of the darkness, appearing like ghostly wraiths from the shadows. The rain pattered on the road, the constant spray of water forming an eerie mist across the tarmac, adding to that spectral illusion. William was constantly wary for danger, his eyes darting to every face as he searched for any glimmer of recognition. A hovervan with blacked-out windows drove past and his hand twitched to the pistol at his belt, just in case assailants jumped out and rushed to attack him. The vehicle cruised by with the loud thrum of anti-grav cyclics and he only let himself relax when it disappeared from sight.
It took William about ten minutes to walk to the leisure and shopping complex, striding past the holographic billboards that lined the upper walkways along the street. Their flickering neon backlights provided a splash of vibrant colour, contrasting sharply with the drab greys of the gloomy morning. Amongst the unending barrage of advertising, punctuated by overly-cheery tunes and upbeat voices, his eyes were drawn to the gorgeous Lead Anchor for TFNN. He wasn't paying any attention to the advert - TFNN was yammering on about some exclusive interview - instead he gazed at the girl's long dark hair and flawless dusky skin. She reminded him of another girl, the one who had got him into this predicament in the first place...
Tearing his eyes from Jehanna Elani's shapely form, he heaved a sigh of relief when he realised he'd arrived at his destination and could get out of the relentless, driving rain. His shirt collar was soaked by the time he walked into the lobby and shook off his over-sized coat, showering a man standing by the entrance in raindrops. The smartly-dressed man glared at him and tutted in irritation, before opening his anti-grav umbrella and venturing outside into the morning downpour.
Ignoring the indignant shopper, William squinted as he glanced around the broad mall suspiciously, searching for anyone or anything that seemed out of place. There were a dozen well-dressed citizens in there at that hour, representing the last remnants of Nobruna's dwindling middle class, the rest having abandoned the planet when the corporations left.
William had rented one of the more luxurious apartments in Drastin's Fall and while it meant he lived in the nicer part of the city, it was also quite expensive. He'd made over five million credits selling decommissioned fleet assets to pirates and another two million tipping the slavers off with flight-path data. Unfortunately, six months on the run had quickly eaten into his savings, especially with the way he'd thrown money around on designer gear and call girls.
He had no income to replenish his funds, and there were always bills to pay. Being forced to purchase several new identities on the black market had cost him a hefty chunk, but he'd had no choice, considering the grim alternative. Of course, he'd also blown two million credits in a moment of rage, taking out a contract on the bastard who'd stolen his girl and wrecked his life.
His temper flared just thinking about them both again. It was all so unfair! He'd been a Terran Federation Commander once, one of the most powerful men in Port Heracles and in effective control of that entire sector! There'd been no shortage of desperate young women out near the border with Kirrix space and he'd been able to enjoy all sorts of lewd payments in exchange for expedited transit papers to the Core Worlds. Then that bewitching Latina had been assigned to the base, thoroughly entrancing him with her olive skin and smouldering eyes. The stuck up bitch had rejected his advances time after time, even going so far as to transfer to the corvette "Griffon" when he was sure he'd been wearing her down!
When he'd told Everett Hitch about the Griffon, the Pirate Lord had promised to capture Calara, then hand her over to him. William had it all planned out, and was going to enjoy every minute of wiping that haughty look of disgust off her face... That was until John Blake had stormed in and fucked everything up! Snarling with anger, he stomped across the reception area, making his way towards the holo-net cafe.
He winced against the bright glare of the advertising boards that surrounded the foyer, then sighed with relief as he entered the dimly-lit cafe. Glancing around the room, a predatory smile appeared on his face when he spotted the young woman running the establishment. Forcing himself to calm down, he scuttled over to the young woman, trying his best to look as disarming as possible.
"Hello Justina!" he said, trying to sound bright and cheerful. This was one of the few times he got to interact with people during his day and he was determined to make the most of it. He'd been trying to convince the attractive brunette to go out on a date with him for weeks, but so far to no avail.
"Same again, Mister Fallow?" the attendant asked him, sounding bored and entirely disinterested.
"Yes, please," he replied, frowning slightly at her tone. His eyes were drawn to her erect nipples, which were just visible through her bra and white shirt, hardening with the chill of the air conditioning in the cafe. He gave her a lascivious grin and added, "Is it just me, or is it a bit nippy this morning?"
Justina glared at him in annoyance, meeting his lecherous gaze for a second, then turning away with a shudder of revulsion. She pointed towards a booth on the opposite side of the cafe to her desk. "Number twelve is free, you can use that."
