Karadin

[Stoat]

The rest of the trip to Gran Canaria was uneventful, and Karadin was soon landing on the planet. A quick look around the space docks revealed a multitude of Bounty Hunter ships, everything from Sea Serpents to Battle-cruisers. He took one of the Zoner mechanics to one side.

My friend, I have, ahm .. some escape pods in my hold that I need to get to the relevant authorities, but Im .. worried about repercussions. Whats the deal here?

The mechanic smiled broadly. Mister, if I had a credit for every time Id heard that question Id be..well, Id still be skint, but Id have drunk more! Theres an office over there that will happily mediate the return of any captured pilots to their comrades. The office will take a smaller percentage of any ransom payable to you, and complete anonymity is assured. Believe me, before that office started up, things could get a little heated around here. It has helped to stop almost all the trouble that we used to get.

My thanks, friend. Thats good to know. He shook the mechanics hand, then headed towards the offices that had been pointed out. Once inside, he was greeted by a row of soundproofed cubicles, some of which were empty. Entering one of the empty cubicles, he was greeted by an ethereal voice.

Welcome to Gran Canarias prisoner exchange facility. Please take a seat, and one of our officers will be with you shortly.

Slightly bemused, Karadin sat himself in one of the large, comfortable chairs. A few seconds later, a middle aged man entered the room.

Welcome, sir, to Gran Canarias prisoner exchange facility. My name is Kent Hughes. Have you used our facilities before? Karadin shook his head, and he continued. Well, in that case, may I take your name?

Karadin looked slightly alarmed. My name? I thought this was anonymous?

Well, yes, it is to those we return prisoners to. Of course, we require your details for our own records, and to allow us to ensure any payments due you can be honoured. Minus our very reasonable fee, of course. Kent Hughes smiled obsequiously, as he smoothed his hair back from his forehead. Here, you can enter your details yourself, if it will make you feel more comfortable. He handed a portable data terminal over to Karadin. He looked at it briefly. He needed money, that was certain, so he entered the data required, while offering a silent prayer that it didnt get into the wrong hands.

How many prisoners do you have to exchange? asked Hughes, as Karadin returned the terminal.

Ahhh, six.

Excellent! What affiliations do they have, and are they all healthy?

Ummm, Bounty Hunters. Readings on the pods say theyre all alive.

Hunters, eh? We get a lot of them passing through here! Hughes laughed, and the skin on Karadins back crawled. Hunters have a set return of fifteen thousand credits per head, so you will be credited the sum of ninety thousand credits once we have retrieved the pods from your hold. The retrieval is done from all ships at the same time, and no-one is allowed to be present, again to protect your anonymity. The next retrieval is scheduled to take place in 2 hours. You will receive your payment shortly thereafter. Hughes stood and offered his hand, so Karadin rose and shook it. It has been a pleasure doing business with you sir. We look forward to you using our services again.

With that he turned and disappeared out of a door. Karadin was about to follow, when a different door opened automatically, and a green neon Exit sign flashed above it. Walking through it he proceeded down a short corridor to another door. As he approached, the door opened automatically and he stepped out into the docking bays again.

Karadin stood still for a minute, while the figures settled in. Ninety thousand credits! For a few poxy Hunters that had been stupid enough to take on a ship far superior to their own. He chuckled, and set out to find a bar to wait in until he got paid.

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