Chapter 22

After several hours of flying in the jumpstream, the Enigma finally reached its destination. Only Lydia knew where they were, the rest of the crew was in the dark. The ship approached a three planetary system located in an uncharted sector just outside of Association’s space. Simona attempted to access the star chart, but access was denied. Lydia was serious about keeping their location unknown to the rest of the crew. The planets in this system were rich in resources, especially Helium-3, but none of the planets could support life of any kind. Each planet had several mining stations orbiting it. The mining stations would extract over 10,100,000 metric tons of Helium-3 per solar year. In theory, it was enough to power Earth for over 100,000 years.

Orbiting the second planet was a large multistory disk-like space station called Legba. The space station was home to over 50,000 residents, including the employees of the Legba Mining Corporation and their family and humans that didn’t want to live under Association’s rules and policies. Humans weren’t the only species that resided at the station. There were many Nessians and Ventures that called Legba home. The station was self-contain. It didn’t have to import any supplies or resources. It produced its own food and energy. There were hospitals, schools, restaurants and other forms of entertainment that a person could live a full life on the station. It received very few visitors and its location was unknown to most people. The top level of the station was the main office of the Legba Mining Corporation. The corporation also served as a front for Star Force Intelligence. Only the Board and the CEO of Legba were aware of this. The employees and the residents didn’t have a clue. The CEO was Richardo Rodriguez, but he was known by the Board as Commander Gaspar Cruz.

The Enigma approached Legba and got permission to dock at the station. Legba didn’t ask any questions, as long the ship captain paid the one million credit docking fee. Once the ship was docked, Lydia met with Faith privately in the briefing room.

“I need you to meet Cruz,” Lydia said.

“Why me?” Faith asked. “I never met the person. He is your contact.” Faith’s body tensed. She wasn’t sure what Lydia was planning.

“I can’t meet with him,” Lydia tried to explain. “There is a good chance that my name came across his desk. I don’t trust that he wouldn’t turn me in.” Lydia walked behind Faith and firmly message Faith’s shoulders. “Besides, I have to stay on the ship to keep a close eye on other crew members.”

Faith’s shoulders dropped and her neck leaned back as Lydia rubbed the stress away. Faith’s body still got a tingling feeling when being touch by Lydia. Faith took hold of Lydia’s hand and kissed it. “What you need me to do?” Faith asked with a slight hesitation in her voice.

Lydia kissed Faith on the neck. It wasn’t the most professional way to respond to a request, but Lydia had to make Faith comfortable. Faith leaned back into Lydia and let out several quiet moans as Lydia planted several soft kissing on the young woman’s neck. She wrapped her arms around Faith’s stomach. “I need you to meet him at the bar on the tenth deck called the ‘Crossroads.’”

“You want me to approach him?” Faith asked.

“No,” Lydia answered. Her arms squeezed tighter around Faith’s stomach and continued to kiss the warrior’s neck. “He will approach you. It has to be on his terms.”

“Why would he approach me?” There was a sense of confusion in Faith’s tone.

Lydia turned Faith around. She stroked Faith’s raven hair and stared into her blue eyes. “He likes pretty young things,” Lydia said with a smirk on her face. “You are a pretty young thing.” She gently kissed Faith’s hand.

Faith tilted her head to the floor and looked up with her eyes. “You want me to seduce him?” She said in a firm and strong tone.

Lydia lifted Faith’s head and kissed her on the lips. “I would never ask that of you, but be nice, flirt a little. There is an old Earth expression. ‘You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.’”

Faith giggled. “If you tear off their wings and break their legs, they’ll eat whatever you feed them.”

“You’re always the warrior.”

The Crossroads was different than the chaotic scenes that Faith witness in Nergali. There weren’t people getting stabbed in the hallways and engaging in sexual intercourse in the bar. There weren’t any primal beats and flashing lights. The music was settled and discreetly slipped into the background. The lights were soft and produced a blue hue throughout the bar. There were several partons, human and Nessians drinking from the many favors that the galaxy had to offer. No one was fighting and screaming to be heard. Everybody minded their own business.

Faith wore one of Lydia’s dresses. It showed off her legs, one of her best features. Her arms and shoulders were bare. Color of the dress matched Faith’s blue eyes perfectly. She wore make-up, for the first time, but not too much, just enough to highlight her eyes. She wore her hair down. She was several centimeters taller due to her borrowed high heels.

Faith sat in the middle section of the bar. She kept a low profile, but there were a couple of customers kept looking in her direction. Faith took out her datapad and pretended to read. She discreetly talked to Lydia through her earpiece.

“What time is he suppose to be here?” Faith asked. Her lips barely moved and she covered her mouth as she spoke.

“Relax,” Lydia answered. “He will be there. He is a creature of habit. Order a drink so you won’t look like an assassin. ”

“Like what?”

“Yiannis’s Wine,” Lydia said. “It’s his favorite.”

Faith used her pad to place the order and the Venture bartender brought her drink to her table. Faith never saw a Venture before. They were a race of cyborgs. They had an organic torso that looked like a globby one-meter pile flesh and blood. It was covered with a glass dome. It gave them a unified look, which made acceptable to other species. At first, humans would vomit at the mere sight of them, but after decades of dealing and working with them, humans had grown custom to their looks. Their lower body was a large disc which was one meter in diameter, which consisted of a respiratory system, a language network, three robotic limbs with eight digits hands and four robotic legs. The organic part controlled everything. The Venture had a powerful mind, but the robotic part was the only thing that kept them alive and mobile.

Yiannis’s Wine was bright yellow in color and had a mildly sweet taste, which Faith found appealing. As she took a couple of more sips, a tall human walked into the bar. His long dark brown hair came down to his shoulders. He was clean-shaven and wore a gold-colored two-piece business suit. His white shirt was opened at the top and Faith notice a forest of chest hairs sticking out. His light brown complexion worked well with the gold colored suit.

“I think he is here.” Faith covered her mouth. She scrolled through her datapad and pulled up his picture. A smile appeared on her face. “It’s him,” she confirmed.

“Try to keep a low profile,” Lydia said. “The Yiannis’s Wine will get his attention.

Faith pretended to read but kept looking up at him. He wasn’t paying any attention to her. Faith started to worry. Faith finished her glass Yiannis’s Wine and after a few minutes, the bartender brought over another glass.

“I didn’t order this,” Faith said.

“It’s from the gentleman over at the bar,” the bartender said in a monotone robotic voice.

Faith looked over to the bar and saw him holding up a glass of Yiannis’s Wine and smiling at her. Faith smiled back and nobbed her head to signal him to come over. He took the bait and walked over to her table.

“Great minds think alike.” The man was referring to Faith’s taste in wine. “Do you mind if I join you?”

Faith leaned back in her seat. “Not at all.” She smiled and waved him to the chair across from her. “Thank you for the drink.” She crossed her legs so he could get a better look at them.

His eyes did focus on her legs but quickly moved to her face. He sat down across from her. “My name is Richardo Rodriguez. ” He took hold of Faith’s hand and kissed it, a bold, but classy move.

Faith giggled but didn’t snort. Some people didn’t find snorting sexy or classy. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Rodriguez, and again, thank you for the drink.” She took a sip and smiled. “It has been a while since I had a glass of Yiannis. It isn’t easy to find.”

“Maybe, I can give you a bottle from my private collection, Ms...”

“Faith,” she answered. “My friends call me Faith.”

The man leaned in closer and Faith could smell the sweet reminiscent of Yinnis on his breath. “Am I a friend?”

Faith smiled. “Maybe, after I finish this glass.” She took another sip.

“You have beautiful eyes,” Richardo said. “I know it is an old line.”

Faith leaned in and rested her head on her hands. “It is, but still effective.”

Richardo felt he was making process with this dark haired beauty. He continued to tell stories about his job and business. Most of his stories were lying and full of mistruths, which Faith was aware of. Faith also entertained Mr. Roderiguez with stories and lies of her own. Faith played the role of a flirty temptress. She laughed at his jokes, touched his hands several times during conservation and lightly stroked her foot on his. She learned a lot about seduction from her friend Ezi. He felt it was time to close the deal. He rested both hands on the table.

He moved closer to her. “Well, bright eyes. Do we need to move this conservation somewhere more private?” He smiled showing his perfect white teeth.

Faith ran her fingers through her hair and then placed her hands on top of his. “You already have a nickname for me.” Faith gently massaged both of his hands. “I have one for you as well, Commander Cruz.”

His eyes widened. Faith held his hands, so he couldn’t move. He knew his cover was blown.

“Don’t even think about reaching for your gun,” Faith whispered, “or contacting security. Take me to your office. If you try anything funny, I will rip out your throat. Don’t worry, I’m not here to steal any Star Force secrets. I just need one thing, the location of the Hannibal.”

“Hannibal?” he said. “What’s that?” Faith applied pressure to his hands and he let out quite gruff.

“Don’t fuck with me,” She tightened her jaw and her grip. “You know what I’m talking about.”

“If I refused,” he clenched his teeth to cope with the pain, “are you going to kill me?”

Faith showed him her toothy grin. “I will tell everybody about our special friend, the Svantevit. Before you deny anything, I have proof, a detailed client’s list. There is enough evidence to destroy Star Force and several world governments. Is all the chaos worth it to save one fucking ship?” ”

“Okay,” he pleaded with her. “I will see what I can do.”

“Good,” Faith said. “I will be taking a bottle from your private collection. I find Yiannis very refreshing.”

“Fuck you!”

Faith laughed. “That’s not happening.”

Faith took hold of his arms and the two walked towards his office. Faith kept a sharp eye out for any of Cruz’s security team. It appeared that they were in the clear and Cruz kept true to his word. They made it into the elevator with no problems.

“The main office,” Cruz ordered. The door to the elevator closed and quickly ascended to the top of the station. They moved through to the main office with no problem. Most of the employees thought Mr. Roderiguez was entertaining an investor or a sexy lady friend, either way, it didn’t raise any flags.

They made it into his office. Faith ordered him to close and lock the door. His office was a large as the bridge on the Enigma. The walls were covered with several monitors, except the wall behind his desk. That was a large window looking out into space. Once they were alone, Commander Cruz spoke with Faith.

“Whatever they paying you,” Cruz said. “I will double it.”

“This is not about money,” Faith said. “This is beyond you. Sit down!” Faith shoved him several meters back. He rolled over his desk and landed in his chair.

“This isn’t about money,” he chuckled. “So, what is it about? Justice?Revenge?”

“What is the difference?” Faith asked.

“Justice serves the public good,” Cruz explained. “Revenge only serves you.”

“I don’t have time for this. Just give me what I ask for.”

Cruz laughed. “What did they do to you?”

Faith walked up to his desk and tossed it across the room, smashing it into the monitors. She grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the window, breaking his collarbone. “I don’t want to play anymore. I could kill you and still release the evidence against you and Star Force. I’m getting tired of your shit!” She released him and he fell to the floor.

He grabbed his shoulder. “They made you stronger.” He prompted himself up against the window. “What else can you do?”

“Do you want to find out?“Faith said speaking through her teeth.

He delivered a loud laughed and said, “I feel obligated to find out.” He pressed a button on his jacket.

“What did you do?” Faith grabbed Cruz and again slammed him against the window.

“My personal security team will be here in fifteen seconds,” he boasted. “They are all former Nessian’s commandoes. This should be good.”

Faith dropped Cruz to the floor and kicked off her heels. “Don’t cry if I kill them.”

Nessian’s commandos reputation was known throughout the galaxy. They were well trained, smart and disciple. But their skills were second to none. There were reasons why no species wanted to go to war with the Nessians. Their commandos were the first and last line of defense and they were about to go up against one petite human female.

They busted into the room. Their guns were at aimed and ready. Faith jumped and flipped towards the desk and got behind it. She didn’t know what she was going up against. She had to size them up. Nessians, as a species, were stronger and faster than humans, of course, Faith wasn’t an ordinary human. They located Commander Cruz, who they believed was Richardo Rodriguez and determined that he was no longer in danger. They were armed with Haymaker’s shotguns, one of the most powerful personal arms in Association’s space. They opened fired. The desk provided some protection for Faith. She wasn’t wearing any ballistic outfit and she didn’t have a weapon. She heard their shots whistled by her. The desk wasn’t going to last too long from this bombardment, so she had to think quickly.

Faith used both of her feet and kicked the desk in their direction. The commandos didn’t expect the desk to fly with such velocity. Three of the commandos dodged the attack and two didn’t and were knock out. Faith attacked before they regroup. She kicked one across the face, it seemed like a good idea until her bare foot was cut by his diamond-like skin. The other two fired at her, but she was able to dodge the shots. The commandos were wearing suits that were similar to the one that Commander Cruz had on, but theirs came in black. They weren’t wearing any body armor or any ballistic material. If Faith could get her hands on a gun, this fight could be over quickly. The Nessian she kicked; recovered and fired at her. She jumped and flipped to avoid the shots. The desk was no longer an option as a barrier and it also blocked the only exit out of the office. Cruz was an option as a human shield, but she needed him alive. She couldn’t avoid there shots forever. So, she only had one option; she had to fight and take them down.

Faith ran toward the window, which was an interesting plan. The commandos didn’t fire at her, maybe they were cautious about cracking the window, which could cause a more serious problem. Faith took advantage of their delay. She jumped onto the window with both feet and sprung herself towards two of them and clotheslined them. The blow knocked them down, but they weren’t out. Fortunately for Faith, they dropped their guns. She grabbed the gun, sat up and fired at the chest of the Nessian that she didn’t clothesline. The blast ripped through the suit and his diamond-like flesh and left a fifteen-centimeter hole where his chest was. She turned the gun onto the others and at point-blank range fired at their heads. Their grayish blood and brain matter spatted all over her once sexy dress and some on her face.

Faith walked over to Cruz and aimed the gun at him. “Are there anymore test?”

Cruz’s body shook and his hands kept shaking, but he was in awe. He never saw anything like it. He asked permission to get up. Faith allowed this by motioning her gun slightly upward.

“I can’t believe you killed them all,” his voice was shaking.

Faith smiled. “Not all of them, the two I knock out with the desk are still alive.” She laughed. “I could go over there and blow their heads off if you want.”

“That won’t be necessary.” He calmed himself down and adjusted his suit with one hand. “If you get me a first aid kit, I could attend my shoulder.”

“You aren’t in the position to give orders.” She aimed the gun closer to his head. “Just give me what I want and then I will be leaving.”

“Okay!” Cruz shouted. He reached for his datapad and entered several keystokes and gave it to her. “That is the frequency for the Hannibal.”

Faith lowered her weapon and looked over the data. “If this is a trap, I will kill you and everybody on this station and release everything I have about the Svantevit. Do we have an understanding?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Now, I will take a bottle of that wine.”