Tales of Kid Crimson: Issue #4

Three systems away from where I ditched the Advocacy Agent. If I kept going I would start hitting more populated systems. The Arshop Mining Installation drifted among the titanic rocks of the Magnus System. What was an entirely automated operation near fifty years ago was now a run-down shell of its former technological glory, operated by a skeleton crew of excavators and deep-space miners.

I knew Klay from way back in my days as a debt collector (i.e. thug) for a wretched little piece of work on Armitage. Klay had been a Citizen but after some bad decisions and a mean heartbreak, he started doing laps down the drain. By the time I came calling, his Citizenship had been stripped, his family and life were gone. When I kicked in the door to his hotel, he told me flat out to hurt him. See he’d hit that wall, not the bottom, but an even more dangerous checkpoint. That point where you know the bottom is coming and you’d rather check out then be there when it hits. Well, I didn’t end up collecting and, over the years, did what I could to help him out. Now he was working as a (untrained) geologist on this little island paradise where he managed to clear me a docking bay.

“You’re not gonna stay long, right? I’m not sure how long I can keep this bay offline.” Klay said. He glanced around nervously.

“Easy, Klay. Only long enough to get my head straight and I’ll be out of your hair.”

“Thanks. Chief has been on me all week.” Klay relaxed a little.

“Don’t worry, buddy. It’ll be fine.” I said as I opened the cargo hold, revealing the stacks of comatose slaves. Klay nearly had a heart attack.

“What the… are you crazy?” He rushed forward and tried to shut the doors.

“Klay! Ease up.” I stared at him until he finally released the door. I went inside and started defrosting a human one. It took about twenty minutes for him to wake up, another ten of bodyshock adjustment, then fifteen where he passed out again. By the time he was conscious and moving, Klay was more than a little antsy.

The human was probably in his late teens. The local tattoos and processing code from a youth detention center placed him near Terra. I could see the tagging stud had already been implanted in his wrist. Used mostly as a locator it was also a universal sign to mark someone as property. He was shivering when I gave him the broad strokes of what happened. He was taking the news pretty well.

“Well, I did want to see the systems some day.” He said finally. Klay and I looked at each other. Joking. This kid narrowly dodged a life cracking rock on some distant moon or worse and he was joking.

“What was the last thing you remember?”

“Uh… a club on Prime. I was talking to this incredible piece of fine. Man, she had-“

“Please stay on topic.” Klay blurted out.

“We was dancing and suddenly she started talking about trying to find some Neon. Did I have some? Did I know anyone who had any? You know, the standard score.” He looked at us, not finding the validation he was looking for, continued.

“So I went to see this guy Kendrick I bought from in the past. He said he was out but said he might know a guy.” Klay’s foot tapped faster and faster. He was losing patience by the nanosecond. I wanted to let the kid ramble. Sometimes the best details are found in seemingly off-topic facts. But Klay did have a point, things could get real ugly should the wrong person come through that door.

“So we went to the landing yard. There…”

“Where was it?” I needed the kid to start dropping specifics.

“East side, I think. By a bridge.” I think I knew the one. “So we get there and the girl starts… wait, is she here? Did you wake her up too?”

The kid starts to get up to look in the cargo. I didn’t see a human female in the list. They must have sold her to someone else. I motioned for him to continue. He got the idea and slowly sat down.

“Yeah, well that’s when it gets creepy because there are already like six guys waiting. One of them grabs her. I start to move and then… then things went black. Next thing I know I’m here.”

“Was there anything about the guys who jumped you, anything specific?”

“I don’t know, alright?” He started getting flustered. His body started heaving again, his system’s still fighting off the effects of the drugs. Klay ran a bucket over to him. I gave him a second. Klay wandered over to me.

“What are you gonna do with him?” He whispered.

“Him? I got fourteen more in there.” I thought for a few seconds. If he doesn’t remember anything, I have nothing. Something resembling an idea waved down my attention. “Hey Klay.”

“Yeah?”

“You guys wouldn’t be hiring, would you?” Klay glared at me.

The rest of the slaves came out of sleep much like the kid. Confused, terrified. Klay spoke to the foreman and they figured out a way for the slaves to work off passage back home. I didn’t trust the foreman as far as I could throw him but I was pretty sure Klay would be on the level. If he said they could make it work, I’d trust that… because he knows I’d crash this station into the nearest star.

I climbed back into the pilot seat, ready to call this whole thing a wash when the kid jogged up, a bowl of soup in his hand.

“Hey, mister. I wanted to thank you for what you done and all.”

“Sure kid.”

“I’m sorry for losing my cool but I think there was something else. Before I went under, someone else showed up. Someone all the guys seemed to know.”

“Oh yeah? They drop a name?”

“Yeah. They called him Kid Crimson.” …to be continued

Drei Systeme von der Stelle entfernt, an der ich den Advocacy-Agenten losgeworden bin. Wenn ich weitermachen würde, würde ich anfangen, auf stärker besiedelte Systeme zu treffen. Die Arshop Mining Installation driftete zwischen den titanischen Gesteinen des Magnus-Systems hindurch. Was vor fast fünfzig Jahren noch ein vollautomatischer Betrieb war, war heute eine heruntergekommene Hülle seines einstigen technologischen Glanzes, die von einer Skelettbesatzung von Baggern und Tiefraumbergleuten bedient wurde.

Ich kannte Klay schon aus meiner Zeit als Schuldeneintreiber (d.h. Schläger) für ein erbärmliches kleines Stück Arbeit an Armitage. Klay war ein Bürger gewesen, aber nach einigen schlechten Entscheidungen und einem bösen Herzschmerz fing er an, Runden den Bach hinunter zu laufen. Als ich anrief, war seine Staatsbürgerschaft ausgezogen, seine Familie und sein Leben waren weg. Als ich die Tür zu seinem Hotel eintrat, sagte er mir, ich solle ihn verletzen. Sehen Sie, er würde diese Wand treffen, nicht den Boden, sondern einen noch gefährlicheren Kontrollpunkt. Der Punkt, an dem du weißt, dass der Boden kommt und du lieber nachschaust, dann bist du da, wenn er trifft. Nun, ich sammelte nicht und tat im Laufe der Jahre, was ich konnte, um ihm zu helfen. Jetzt arbeitete er als (ungeschulter) Geologe auf diesem kleinen Inselparadies, wo er es schaffte, mich in eine Dockbucht zu befördern.

"Du wirst nicht lange bleiben, oder? Ich bin mir nicht sicher, wie lange ich diese Bucht offline halten kann." Sagte Klay. Er blickte nervös umher.

"Ganz ruhig, Klay. Nur lange genug, um meinen Kopf gerade zu bekommen, und ich bin dir nicht mehr im Weg."

"Danke. Der Chief war die ganze Woche hinter mir her." Klay entspannte sich ein wenig.

"Keine Sorge, Kumpel. Es wird alles gut." sagte ich, als ich den Laderaum öffnete und die Stapel von komatösen Sklaven enthüllte. Klay hatte fast einen Herzinfarkt.

"Was zum.... bist du verrückt?" Er eilte nach vorne und versuchte, die Türen zu schließen.

"Klay! Immer mit der Ruhe." Ich starrte ihn an, bis er schließlich die Tür öffnete. Ich ging hinein und fing an, einen menschlichen aufzutauen. Es dauerte etwa zwanzig Minuten, bis er aufwachte, weitere zehn Minuten mit der Anpassung des Körperschalls, dann fünfzehn Minuten, bis er wieder ohnmächtig wurde. Als er bei Bewusstsein und Bewegung war, war Klay mehr als nur ein wenig kribbelig.

Der Mensch war wahrscheinlich in seinen späten Teenagern. Die lokalen Tattoos und der Verarbeitungscode einer Jugendhaftanstalt brachten ihn in die Nähe von Terra. Ich konnte sehen, dass der Tagging Stud bereits in sein Handgelenk implantiert war. Meistens als Ortungsgerät verwendet, war es auch ein universelles Zeichen, um jemanden als Eigentum zu kennzeichnen. Er zitterte, als ich ihm die groben Züge dessen gab, was passiert war. Er hat die Nachrichten ziemlich gut aufgenommen.

"Nun, ich wollte die Systeme eines Tages sehen." sagte er schließlich. Klay und ich sahen uns gegenseitig an. Ein Witz. Dieses Kind wich nur knapp einem lebensgefährlichen, knackenden Stein auf einem fernen Mond oder schlimmer aus und scherzte.

"Was war das Letzte, woran du dich erinnerst?"

"Uh... ein Club auf Prime. Ich habe mit diesem unglaublichen Stück Geld gesprochen. Mann, sie hatte...."

"Bitte bleiben Sie beim Thema." Klay platzte heraus.

"Wir tanzten und plötzlich fing sie an, darüber zu reden, wie sie versuchte, etwas Neon zu finden. Hatte ich welche? Kannte ich jemanden, der welche hatte? Du weißt schon, die Standardpunkte." Er sah uns an und fand nicht die Bestätigung, nach der er suchte, fuhr fort.

"Also ging ich zu diesem Kerl, von dem ich in der Vergangenheit Kendrick gekauft habe. Er sagte, er sei nicht da, aber er sagte, er könnte einen Kerl kennen." Klay's Fuß klopfte immer schneller und schneller. Er verlor die Geduld um die Nanosekunde. Ich wollte das Kind laufen lassen. Manchmal finden sich die besten Details in scheinbar unkonventionellen Fakten. Aber Klay hatte einen Punkt, die Dinge könnten wirklich hässlich werden, wenn die falsche Person durch diese Tür kommt.

"Also gingen wir zum Landeplatz. Da...."

"Wo war es?" Ich wollte, dass das Kind anfängt, die Details zu verraten.

"Die Ostseite, glaube ich. Bei einer Brücke." Ich glaube, ich kannte den einen. "Also kommen wir dorthin und das Mädchen fängt an.... warte, ist sie hier? Hast du sie auch geweckt?"

Das Kind fängt an, aufzustehen, um in die Ladung zu schauen. Ich habe keine menschliche Frau auf der Liste gesehen. Sie müssen sie an jemand anderen verkauft haben. Ich habe beantragt, dass er weitermacht. Er kam auf die Idee und setzte sich langsam hin.

"Ja, nun, das ist es, wenn es gruselig wird, denn es warten schon etwa sechs Typen. Einer von ihnen packt sie. Ich fange an, mich zu bewegen, und dann.... dann wurde es schwarz. Das nächste, was ich weiß, ist, dass ich hier bin."

"Gab es etwas über die Typen, die dich angegriffen haben, etwas Bestimmtes?"

"Ich weiß nicht, in Ordnung?" Er wurde nervös. Sein Körper begann wieder zu wuchten, sein System kämpft immer noch gegen die Wirkung der Medikamente. Klay fuhr einen Eimer zu ihm rüber. Ich gab ihm eine Sekunde. Klay wanderte zu mir hinüber.

"Was wirst du mit ihm machen?" flüsterte er.

"Er? Ich habe noch vierzehn weitere da drin." dachte ich für ein paar Sekunden. Wenn er sich an nichts erinnert, habe ich nichts. Etwas, das einer Idee ähnelte, winkte meine Aufmerksamkeit nach unten. "Hey Klay."

" Ja?"

"Ihr würdet doch nicht etwa jemanden einstellen, oder?" Klay starrte mich an.

Der Rest der Sklaven kam aus dem Schlaf, genau wie das Kind. Verwirrt, verängstigt. Klay sprach mit dem Polier und sie fanden einen Weg für die Sklaven, um den Weg nach Hause zu finden. Ich vertraute dem Polier nicht so weit, dass ich ihn werfen konnte, aber ich war mir ziemlich sicher, dass Klay auf der Höhe sein würde. Wenn er sagte, dass sie es schaffen könnten, würde ich dem vertrauen.... weil er weiß, dass ich diese Station in den nächsten Stern stürzen würde.

Ich kletterte zurück in den Pilotensitz, bereit, das Ganze eine Wäsche zu nennen, als das Kind nach oben joggte, eine Schüssel Suppe in der Hand.

"Hey, Mister. Ich wollte dir für das danken, was du getan hast und so."

" Klar, Junge."

"Es tut mir leid, dass ich die Ruhe verloren habe, aber ich denke, da war noch etwas anderes. Bevor ich unterging, tauchte jemand anderes auf. Jemand, den alle Jungs zu kennen schienen."

"Oh ja? Haben sie einen Namen erwähnt?"

"Ja. Sie nannten ihn Kid Crimson."


...wird fortgesetzt

Three systems away from where I ditched the Advocacy Agent. If I kept going I would start hitting more populated systems. The Arshop Mining Installation drifted among the titanic rocks of the Magnus System. What was an entirely automated operation near fifty years ago was now a run-down shell of its former technological glory, operated by a skeleton crew of excavators and deep-space miners.

I knew Klay from way back in my days as a debt collector (i.e. thug) for a wretched little piece of work on Armitage. Klay had been a Citizen but after some bad decisions and a mean heartbreak, he started doing laps down the drain. By the time I came calling, his Citizenship had been stripped, his family and life were gone. When I kicked in the door to his hotel, he told me flat out to hurt him. See he’d hit that wall, not the bottom, but an even more dangerous checkpoint. That point where you know the bottom is coming and you’d rather check out then be there when it hits. Well, I didn’t end up collecting and, over the years, did what I could to help him out. Now he was working as a (untrained) geologist on this little island paradise where he managed to clear me a docking bay.

“You’re not gonna stay long, right? I’m not sure how long I can keep this bay offline.” Klay said. He glanced around nervously.

“Easy, Klay. Only long enough to get my head straight and I’ll be out of your hair.”

“Thanks. Chief has been on me all week.” Klay relaxed a little.

“Don’t worry, buddy. It’ll be fine.” I said as I opened the cargo hold, revealing the stacks of comatose slaves. Klay nearly had a heart attack.

“What the… are you crazy?” He rushed forward and tried to shut the doors.

“Klay! Ease up.” I stared at him until he finally released the door. I went inside and started defrosting a human one. It took about twenty minutes for him to wake up, another ten of bodyshock adjustment, then fifteen where he passed out again. By the time he was conscious and moving, Klay was more than a little antsy.

The human was probably in his late teens. The local tattoos and processing code from a youth detention center placed him near Terra. I could see the tagging stud had already been implanted in his wrist. Used mostly as a locator it was also a universal sign to mark someone as property. He was shivering when I gave him the broad strokes of what happened. He was taking the news pretty well.

“Well, I did want to see the systems some day.” He said finally. Klay and I looked at each other. Joking. This kid narrowly dodged a life cracking rock on some distant moon or worse and he was joking.

“What was the last thing you remember?”

“Uh… a club on Prime. I was talking to this incredible piece of fine. Man, she had-“

“Please stay on topic.” Klay blurted out.

“We was dancing and suddenly she started talking about trying to find some Neon. Did I have some? Did I know anyone who had any? You know, the standard score.” He looked at us, not finding the validation he was looking for, continued.

“So I went to see this guy Kendrick I bought from in the past. He said he was out but said he might know a guy.” Klay’s foot tapped faster and faster. He was losing patience by the nanosecond. I wanted to let the kid ramble. Sometimes the best details are found in seemingly off-topic facts. But Klay did have a point, things could get real ugly should the wrong person come through that door.

“So we went to the landing yard. There…”

“Where was it?” I needed the kid to start dropping specifics.

“East side, I think. By a bridge.” I think I knew the one. “So we get there and the girl starts… wait, is she here? Did you wake her up too?”

The kid starts to get up to look in the cargo. I didn’t see a human female in the list. They must have sold her to someone else. I motioned for him to continue. He got the idea and slowly sat down.

“Yeah, well that’s when it gets creepy because there are already like six guys waiting. One of them grabs her. I start to move and then… then things went black. Next thing I know I’m here.”

“Was there anything about the guys who jumped you, anything specific?”

“I don’t know, alright?” He started getting flustered. His body started heaving again, his system’s still fighting off the effects of the drugs. Klay ran a bucket over to him. I gave him a second. Klay wandered over to me.

“What are you gonna do with him?” He whispered.

“Him? I got fourteen more in there.” I thought for a few seconds. If he doesn’t remember anything, I have nothing. Something resembling an idea waved down my attention. “Hey Klay.”

“Yeah?”

“You guys wouldn’t be hiring, would you?” Klay glared at me.

The rest of the slaves came out of sleep much like the kid. Confused, terrified. Klay spoke to the foreman and they figured out a way for the slaves to work off passage back home. I didn’t trust the foreman as far as I could throw him but I was pretty sure Klay would be on the level. If he said they could make it work, I’d trust that… because he knows I’d crash this station into the nearest star.

I climbed back into the pilot seat, ready to call this whole thing a wash when the kid jogged up, a bowl of soup in his hand.

“Hey, mister. I wanted to thank you for what you done and all.”

“Sure kid.”

“I’m sorry for losing my cool but I think there was something else. Before I went under, someone else showed up. Someone all the guys seemed to know.”

“Oh yeah? They drop a name?”

“Yeah. They called him Kid Crimson.” …to be continued