2954-07-15 – Tales from the Inbox: At Vendetta’s End
[N.T.B.] We have received several messages asking about the world of Braunweiss – evidently most of you have never heard of it, and the data available in most databases on the colony is quite sparse. As I’ve actually been there, I can provide a little color to this account.
While it is not strictly the farthest Coreward extent of human habitation, it is near enough to it as makes no difference. The population of the planet is about thirty thousand, and it is a pleasant enough world, exporting mainly platinum and palladium which are found there in abundance.
Before the War, its spaceport – the largest farther out on the Frontier than Adimari Valis - was a jumping-off point for survey and exploration efforts farther down the Orion Arm, and a trade hub for the dozen or so smaller colonies in its vicinity.
It remains ignored by Incarnation forces, but I have no doubt traffic to the area is rather impacted by the existence of Incarnation-held space between it and Maribel.
Anata Kearney smiled. Despite the changes to her coiffure and attire, it was the same pretty, innocent smile as always, and somehow, the black coat and mohawk didn’t do anything to detract from it. “That’s ancient history, Zeph. I swore off your mark after Blish Warren.”
Even now, even knowing as he did that this smile had disarmed many a spacer to his grave, Zeph had to suppress a smirk of his own. “You’ve never sworn off a payout, Ana.” Zeph arched an eyebrow. “You’re too damned persistent.”
The smile on the woman’s face faltered, and she looked down. “We’ve seen how well that’s been going, haven’t we?”
She didn’t seem inclined to say anything more, so Zeph put his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her away from the lift controls and selected his destination. Even if Anata wasn’t going to be an immediate problem, he had an appointment to keep.
She looked up at his touch, and permitted herself to be moved – in such a confined space, there was little she could do to stop him short of drawing a weapon.
"Well, if you’re not here for my valuable head, why are you out this far?” Zeph leaned against the back of the lift as it creaked to life, and glared at the woman suspiciously. “This isn’t exactly your preferred end of the Reach.”
Anata shrugged, and a smile began to tug at her lips once more. “You know. Business. Had a line that someone out here was paying top dollar for people who solve problems without asking too many questions.”
“What about your Hyadean friends?”
Anata scowled. “The Triad can go to hellfire. Job went bad last year at Hesperus, and they hung me out in front of it. I barely got away with my skin.”
“Ah.” Zeph nodded. “Hence the...” He waved one hand over his head, to indicate her radical change in hairstyle since last they’d run into each other. He realized she was probably using a false name, too – it wouldn’t exactly be the first time. He’d seen her smoothly switch between at least four legal identities when they’d been shipmates in the Strand.
Anata grinned, but the nervousness behind it was obvious. “If I’m not careful, I might end up in the same sticky spot you’ve been in all these years.”
“All the more reason to get back in their graces with a high profile mark?”
Anata shook her head vigorously. “Everyone who goes after you ends up dead. Starfire, even standing too close to you is a health hazard.” She looked down her nose at her fingernails, which were painted in a shock-white enamel that matched her hair. “I’ve got ways back in, after the heat dies down. I just need to stay off the plot for a few months.”
Zeph still wasn’t convinced, but the lift chimed and the doors opened before he could ask any more questions.
“Got to run. Nice seeing you, big guy.” With a wink, Anata slipped out.
When Zeph stepped out of the lift himself, Anata was nowhere to be seen. One wall of the upper level was mostly composed of angled viewpanels allowing pedestrians to look down onto the main concourse below, and a number of passages led away into the labyrinthine innards of the station that surrounded this open space. Checking the time on his wristcuff, Zeph looked around cautiously for threats, then headed for his appointment. If Ana was skulking around, it was a fair bet there were other syndicate-affiliated goons in Braunweiss. He didn’t buy her story about being burned by Triad for a second, even if she was telling the truth about swearing off his bounty.
That last, at least, was a bit more believable. She’d sent him an audio message some time after he’d shot his way out of the ambush at Blish Warren saying something similar, but he had assumed this was part of the next setup at the time. That had been two years ago.
Anata was smart enough to know when a mark just wasn’t worth her life, which put her head and shoulders over most of the syndicate hangers-on, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t sell him out to someone else who was stupid enough to have a go.
Reaching the entrance to the office complex where he was to meet his new employer, Zeph waved his wristcuff in front of the console, and tried to put Anata out of his mind for the moment. Once he had his contract, he could worry about how best to keep her out of it.
