Workers clambered down the step ladders that had been rolled up beside Cavalier. They had just put the finishing touches on the dorsal turret. It was identical to the ventral gun they had mounted that morning.

  Cavalier and her crew were on a trade station. Countless bays were positioned around the enormous, tiered structure. It was a civilized place, clean and organized.

  Eli and Tarl inspected the new weapon’s systems. They were duel barreled, designed to spit out a lot of pulses of directed energy at fast moving targets. Both of the guns had been wired up so that they could be controlled from any of the multi-purpose consols on the bridge.

  “These will work great!” Tarl exclaimed.

  Eli smiled, “We won’t be a sitting duck anymore.”

  “The only problem is how bad it hit our funds.”

  “About that. Go ahead and take the ship to hangar 53. They’ll load up the cargo that we’re taking to Vorgax.”

  “Vorgax is a less than civilized place,” Tarl warned, “I guess that is why they are paying us well.”

  “We’ve got the turrets now. We reloaded the mine launcher. We’ve got the forward guns. And most important, we’ve got you behind the controls. We’ll be fine.”

  “Fair enough. What are we hauling?”

  Eli turned to leave, adopted a dismissive tone, “Don’t worry about it. I’m going to go find Gami.”

  ***

  Gami fell, smashing into the deck plates. Her opponent moved in. She performed a kip-up, took on a defensive stance.

  Gami wore a pair of blue and white coveralls. A rivulet of blood ran down the left corner of her mouth. Her right eye was badly bruised.

  Her opponent was a humanoid woman, hairless, with a spiky head and several piercings. She wore a colorful leotard.

  The place had no mats, only a crude chalk circle to mark out the ring. The surfaces were hard metal and industrial plastic.

  Gami was taken to the floor again. The bounty hunter’s mind rapidly browsed a catalog of options. The pain was terrible, the thought of losing was just as agonizing. Anger rose up and made the choice for her. She sprang back up, launching a series of brutal attacks that were the base moves of the Kinski style of kickboxing. These were expertly dodged.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  The counter attacks came quick and hard. Gami switched styles again. One of her most catastrophic defeats had been at the hands of a being that practiced Namun grappling. She had started learning it as soon as she had recovered.

  Her adversary threw a punch. Gami grabbed her wrist and using her opponent’s own momentum, redirected the attack. The woman with the spiky head landed on the floor. The problem was that at some point during the execution she had seen through the move and countered it. Gami found herself off balance. The opponent sprang back up and delivered a powerful blow to Gami’s ankle, followed by a leg sweep. She landed hard again. Despite the pain, she moved to get back up, a merciless kick put a stop to this.

  A row of battered and bruised beings sat on a bench. These were Gami’s previous opponents, although their wild cheers made them seem more like they were her victims.

  She became aware that someone was standing over her, “You gonna make it?” Eli asked.

  “I’ll live,” she said, her pride dueling with the pain as she struggled to get up.

  “Don’t get too badly hurt. We’re headed into dangerous space.”

  “I know. I’ll be fine. I’ll rest on the way,” she realized that she was explaining herself to him, making excuses.

  “Come on. They’re loading up in bay 52 now.”

  “And the turrets?”

  “Installed. You ever use one?”

  She took her pistol belt off of the hook she had hung it from and after checking her piece, put it on, “Yes, during my time in Isenmok.”

  They started walking, “I should have known. The place that we’re going to isn’t much different, or so I’ve heard.”

  “There are many such places.”

  “Hey, more opportunities for us.”

  “That’s one way to see it.”

  They left the engineering area and entered a thoroughfare.

  Eyes and other sense organs shifted around. The ones that wore survival suits contrasted with those who were clad in fine clothes.

  One being wore a faded rain slicker. Another carried a small arsenal of weapons. Gami allowed her eyes to run across the side arms that the pedestrians carried. She was particularly fond of some of the tried-and-true models.

  Gami became aware that she was walking with a bit of a limp. Experience told her that it would get worse before it got better.

  “I wouldn’t have thought that you were the type to engage in underground boxing,” Eli commented, she could detect no malice in it.

  She managed a little smile, which was paid for with pain, “Just a little innocent fun.”

  They entered the bay where Cavalier was parked. The hangar was stuffed with pallets, each covered by tarps of every color and condition. Workers were starting to move them onto the ship.

  “What are we hauling?”

  “The kind of stuff that people who live in less than civilized places need.”

  Eli lifted the edge of one of the tarps, revealing packages of food and drink.

  ***

  The hangar was empty. Gami and Tarl were waiting onboard the ship. Eli approached a lumpy being, whose garments were heavy black leather and a pair of safety glasses with dark lenses.

  “Everything ready?” the human asked.

  “Yes, you will collect your payment from the receiver.”

  “Good. We’ll get going.”

  “One more thing. You came highly recommended by Kirjen and Jussco. So, I’ll give you a warning. The people that you are delivering these goods to are new customers, and they are known to be less than trustworthy.”

  “Thanks for the heads up. I’ll take special precautions.”