Old Friends

[Zapp]

Just another part of the crowd, blend in, just another tired worker just off his shift, trudging home...

It's not hard to slump my shoulders and mimic the defeated crowd, but it is hard to keep pace with them. The shuffle is infuriatingly slow, and the security officers are visible. It's very easy to pick them out, they're the only ones moving with diligence, with purpose. The rest of the crowd on Freidstadt parts way for the officers as they prowl for someone suspicious. I can feel the sweat tumble down my neck.

My destination, the docking bay, is up ahead to the left. Most of the crowd is turning right at the end of this promenade, towards the dormitories on the station. At the large doors to the docking bay, maybe half a dozen security officers stand guard, checking the faces of anyone who goes through. The corridor, called the central promenade, is lined with stores that sell food and other supplies to the miners. I duck into the last store on the left side before the docking bay. It sells clothes, mainly for manual laborers. At the very back is a register with a sales clerk, who looks bored. He's probably a miner's son, must be in his teens. I look behind me to make sure it's clear, then jog to him.

"Greetings mein Herr, does this store connect to the docking bay?"

He gives me a suspicious look, but I pull a credit chip out of my pocket and hold it in front of his face.

"If it does, I would be most grateful if I could use it."

He eyes the chip -- marked for 10,000 credits -- hungrily.

"Yes sir, right through the back. Can't miss it." He blurts it out and snatches the chip from my hand. I thank him and move quickly through the back of the store and into the docking bay through a door labeled "Loading Dock."

There are rows of ships here, some in the back are being attended to by mechanics. Most of them are mining craft, with a few escort ships. The security officers are all watching the door: confident, they must have already swept the docking bay and figured that if I came this way it would be easy to catch me at the doors. I do my best to keep a nonchalant pace to my ship, but it's difficult. Once I have my Eagle in sight, I can't help but check to see if it's clear before jumping in the cockpit and powering it up.

Almost immediately the dock authorities are aware that a ship flagged to be grounded is taking off.

"Power down your ship at once. We have a warrant for your arrest."

I ignore it and punch the thruster, then the weapons which rips a hole in the docking bay. The shielding is designed mainly to keep ships out, not in. The bulkheads immediately slam shut back where the guards are, sealing the docking bay off, but the people inside are sucked out into the vacuum. More blood on my hands, though I don't give them a second thought as I fly off into the orange cloud that is Omega 7.

I can't believe I almost fell into that trap.

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