Illumination

[Virus]

Julius Kane made a slight gesture with his hand, and the system map in front of him shrank to the corner of his heads-up display. Leaning back in the cockpit of his ship he watched as the strange, dagger-like pillars of black rock loomed in the purple cloud ahead. The glow of the HUD did little to offset the purple light that filtered in all around him. He sighed contently.

I love this place. So dark, mysterious, it's such a wonder! And with a good home not far away, there's always time to hit and run. Speaking of home... He dropped a nav marker on Buffalo Base, and let the simple brain of his fighter carry him there. He lay back and relaxed, propping his feet on the display in front of him and closing his eyes. His path was his own.

*AT LAST. ONE WE CAN TALK TO.*

The mental words resounded throughout Julius' skull. His eyes snapped open, lookeing for hostile ships. His own sensors showed nothing, not even on the long range scanners.

"He-Hello?"

*YOU ARE THE ONE WE MUST TALK WITH. COME TO OMICRON THETA. WE SHALL TELL YOU MORE.*

"Who are you!?"

The last echo's receded from his mind, and Julius felt a presence leave the area. "I must be out of my ****ing mind..." He canceled the nav marker, and placed a new one that would take him to Omicron Theta. "All right, let's see what this mystery thing wants." The ship pivoted and started to head on a new course.

It was quite a trip out to the Omicron systems from New York. Long and harsh, considering the lack of available jump holes. However, it was done and now Julius found himself sitting on Freeport 9, waiting out a group of Bounty Hunters. They had appeared on long range scanners shortly before landing and he was not in the mood for a running battle with those dirt-bags. He was sitting at the bar quietly nursing his Sidewinder Fang when a group of Bounty Hunters, likely the same ones, entered.

****! Julius downed the rest of the drink, and attempted a discrete exit out of the other side of the bar. Unfortunately, he was spotted.

"There he is!"

Why is it I can never get a clean get-away from a station? The Bounty Hunters were busy contemplating just how much they would get from Julius, and safe knowing there was 5 of them, and only one of him. What they didn't account for was Julius' reflexes. He reached behind him and pulled out two blaster pistols and fired off a couple of shots before turning and running. One bolt slammed into a Bounty Hunter's chest, knocking him over a table. Another suddenly saw a bright flash of blue, and was missing his face. He twitched and shuddered, long dead even before he hit the ground. The other Hunters took cover and pulled out their own blasters.

Julius was already through the door and down the hall. He had almost made it to the hangar before running into a sixth hunter. This just isn't my day, is it? A white flash, then darkness.

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Into the Maelstrom - A Measure of Salvation - Reaver Company Database