Xandia

Look out the window, you might be able to see it. Since the first amino acids assembled themselves into the most simple forms of life, another life form has had a vested interest in taking what it had for itself. A mantis crawling on a tree viciously tracks and butchers a prey, only to have it’s fresh kill and itself abruptly snatched from an overhead bird. Having everything that made it it broken down and reassembled as part of the thing that snuffed out its own life. This is something we’ve heard countless times, and probably seen even more. But one thing’s for sure, nothing achieves this by doing things for something else; at least not without getting an upper hand out of the deal.

John Canmore weighed this in his head as the battered old ship he’d been living in for decades by this point experienced turbulence from malignant space junk, blasted into the void from what could be one or more of billions of surviving and forgotten species. At this point of the universe space junk was common, as it had been for longer than space travel. The Maralogan came into view, where he hoped to stock up on amenities, get some rnr, and confront his supplier. It was made up of a giant oval orb, with faded and crackling holo text displaying MARALOGAN circling it’s central structure. From it’s base sprouted a long, thin star-port.

Docking, checking his weapons, and being sure the ones he wasn’t giving up were out of blatantly obvious sight, he strutted up the several stories of the central hub. From the seedy underbelly to the relatively less seedy higher levels, where Daniel was waiting for him in their ancient swivel armchair. John waltzed down the beige hallway and gripped the door handle, cocking it and shoving the thin hunk of wood ajar, not even making eye contact with the bewildered guard standing watch. “Where are they, Daniel?” John grunted in his deep, raspy voice.

“E-Excuse me?” Daniel said, their tiny figure jerking away from a thin woman in what could charitably be called a business suite.

“Oh yeah, and I don’t know the queen of the Secarmi sector. Let me make this clear, I made an order, you take an order. It’s been that way since day one.” Their sleek leather jacket creaked against the much more worn leather of the chair, as they tried to get a foothold in the situation.

“Woah, woah, let’s take a step back big guy.” John recognized a strain of well rehearsed hurt enter their voice. “I take care of my people, and you’re my people. If you let me explain I won’t straight up ask my pal right their to give you a one way trip to the infantry ward.” Daniel gestured to the bewildered guard, who really wasn’t picking up the hint to act tough.

“Get to it.” John growled through his teeth.

“Okay, so this is about the extra cells I’d throw in for you, right?”

“No, I knew better than that. What I need right now is for you to explain to me, and more importantly the mother of a now near turned child, why we’re short on neuro depressants.” Daniel leaned back, mascara eyes swiveling under a furrowed brow.

“Get. To it.”

“Listen big guy, things have been tough around here. I know that’s what I say every time, but I can’t help that every time you bust down my door it’s still true.” Daniel tossed an elbow on the table and a hand through their curly side faded hair. “What we’re facing now is shittier than I’d like to admit, and shittier than you’re willing to believe.”

“Try me.”

“Sure, fine.” They gestured at the blue buzzing holo screen on the left wall. They covered their face with their arms on the table, before gliding their hands across the respirator on the base of their neck. “That means explain, Jennifer.”

“Oh! Oh! Uhm, the supply chain from the Secarmi sector has been complicated with the shortage of radiance filters. Not to mention that the attack in the north of the sector from the Necclivions.” The woman explained, gesturing with a clip board at a graph on the screen, trying to cover her shakiness with a professionalism that was steeply undercut by the fact that her blazer showed her navel.

“You don’t think I know it’s hard out there right now?” John scoffed, closing the distance but stopping when guard put his hand on his holster. “And you don’t think that I know the kind of destructive power those bastards can bring down on a sector? I put my and my men’s hides on the line to keep you dickheads safe. We can’t keep using the Noskgree disks unless we have those neuro depressants. Do you know what happens if the lights go out, Dani?” John leaned back, boring holes into Daniel with his weathered eyes.

“Hey Jennifer, Gomez, you can go ahead get out of here for a while.” Daniel commanded in a cool voice, silhouetted by the window behind them, featuring a bustling star station.

“But-” Gomez started, only to be cut off by them.

“As a matter of fact, go treat yourself for about an hour, do what ever you want, all expenses paid.” A smirk glistened across their face. “And sweet cheeks, I do need a special massage after this, got it? To get rid of some of this stress.” They got up and ushered both of them out, giving a firm smack to Jennifer’s ass, barely covered by a skirt that was way too small to leave anything to the imagination. John bit his tongue, knowing all too well how that kind of treatment feels. God, what a monster his friend had become.

A click of the door, and a turn of the lock, and all that remained was John, Daniel, and the floorboards. “Big guy, let’s get down to brass tax, got it? We both know you’re very old hat. You pay me, I get you your gear at a steep discount, and I get a nice little bit of protection. It’s simple, it’s elegant, and it works. Beautiful, right?” John crossed his arms and continued to glare Daniel down as they shook their head. “But the world, she’s a changing, you know? We both know the Secarmi don’t like you, and I don’t think they ever will. They like to know what’s going on, and believe you me, they figure out what’s going on. They know about our little deal, John, and they aren’t the biggest fans of one of they’re biggest cell suppliers being in cahoots with someone they view as a threat.” Daniel sat back in their chair, leaning back and gazing out the window. “And imagine my position! An old, good friend of mine decides to come storming down the hallway to bitch me out every other week! We can’t have that can we?”

“Hold up your end then, Dani.” John snorted. Daniel laughed an old familiar laugh John never thought he’d hear again.

“Ahh, speaking of deals, big guy, the Secarmi have a good one for me! Take a guess as to what that might be?”

“Not. A. Clue.”

“You’re head, alive, big guy.” And before John could even think to react, Daniel had pressed a button under their desk, and thick green smoke billowed from jets in the ceiling. John raced to the door, only to find it locked from the outside. Normally he’d break it down, but the noxious gas was already sapping his strength.