The Tales of Jackson Stone

[nOmnomnOm]

Chapter 2

Meeting at last

Bar fights on Rogue bases were not rare at all, but most of them often were settled outside in space. No one died through, but sometimes people got severely wounded. This was different. This was a direct lethal attack.

I went through all the possibilities in my head. If I stood up now, the attacker might have a gun on him and shoot me on the spot. If I stayed down here, he could just leap over and finish me off. My only option would be to flank him and catch him off guard at the end of the counter.

As started my crawl below the counter the only sound I could hear was the sound of one pair of footsteps getting loader and loader. How could that be? Normally in a bar brawl everything turns into chaos. Had the attacker cleared the room? Had he killed everyone? What was going on?

I reached for my gun and was about to leap out and start shooting, when a loud low voice spoke up:

"Jackson! Quit hiding and acting like a damn fool! What the HELL are you doing!?"

I slowly stood up and my face went white.

Blain Spike was right in front of me.

"Son, if you don't speak up quick I'm gonna beat you in the face till you sober up" he laughed.

"Blain! What the hell man! You could have killed me!"

"Bah, I was never good at knife throwing anyway, I missed by a mile..."

"You skimmed my EAR!"

"Calm down man, let me buy you a drink. Lets talk."

We sat down at a table in the dimmed corner of the bar and Blain lit a cigar.

"So, Jackson Stone, how have you been boy? Liberty treating you well?" he asked jokingly.

"I was fine until you almost jammed a knife up my skull. I thought you were some kind of assassin or something!"

"What? You didn't get the clue with that official VR knife?"

"I did, but I didn't expect to see YOU out of all people at the other end of that counter."

Blain grinned.

"Listen boy I've been searching for you for some time now, there has been a change of plans." Blain reached into his coat and pulled out an official Liberty Rogue badge.

"Woah! Where did you get that from!" I asked, shocked as the sight of it. "Are you crazy? If they catch you with that your..."

He grinned. "Moka gave it to me."



A new beginning

"Close you mouth boy or you'll swallow flies," chuckled Blain.

I still couldn't believe it.
"You mean THE Moka gave you it?"

"Is there a different Moka?" he asked still grinning.

"But... how... I don't get how you..."

"I just sent him a message saying I was the VR leader and he let me in with open arms. And you know whats the best part?" He leaned in. "I don't have to do that damn Greyhound test."

"Whats a Greyhound?"

"Exactly!"
Blain laughed and continued.
"I've been talking to them about you, you see. Mokas looking forward to meeting you soon."

"No..." I gasped in surprise. "ME? I'm just a regular pirate..."

Blain slapped me in the face.
"Don't you remember boy, you where part of VR! Not a regular pirate! This is your big break! A game changer! Join me, join US, and it will be like it used to be, only better! Well boy, you in?"

"Hell yea i'm in! But what about Snowball?"

"Oh she'll be fine," chuckled Blain," They don't mind having an animal in the group at all. In fact, Moka loves animals!"