FRIENDLY VISIT

Cassio smiled at a few people while he passed through the apartment’s courtyard, into the head office. Politely greeting a few more workers, who looked up from their consoles, to see who had come in.

Inside the manager’s office, a raspy voice greeted him. “Ah, Mr. Calvey, I didn’t think you’d really be here. You must be desperate.”

“Said I had goods, didn’t I? I never mess around with that,” Cassio said. His hand reached for a compressed transparent bag, white on the inside. “That’s a taste, the rest is on my starship. Desperation’s got nothin’ to do with it. You were on the way.”

“I’m not gonna ask. Discounted right?”

“Yeah sure, for you. I won’t forget those early deals… What do you say—”

The two were interrupted by the sound of the door smashing open, and plasma rifles activating.

“Cassio Calvey! Hands up and on the ground! You’re under arrest for breach of contract, abandonment of debt…” the enforcer read the charges on and on, as Cassio was bound.

***

Cassio was shoved into a room, with only one light above, a table, and two chairs. After some waiting, two aliens came in. A Sahnith carried an e-pad, its gilded stasis suit displayed a hologram of what the species used to look like displayed above the neck, not unlike a hammerhead shark. It carried an e-pad and typed as it sat opposite Cassio. “Mr. Calvey, I’m liaison Kedo. I’m sorry for your rough apprehension, but if you cooperate, you can be out of here in no time,” a honeyed tone spoke from a speaker mounted in the suit.

The other alien, a hulking Ylon, had an arthropod look, eyes like a fly’s viewing everything at once. Between his helmet and chest-plate, labeled multiple times as ENFORCER in bold lettering. Cassio could see the thick chitin of a male of the species.

“Look, I already sent in the report, and footage to boot. Yer pointin’ the finger at the wrong guy, two Task-cruisers showed up on my doorstep. It was either blow the station or give ‘em free goods. Now that’s just bad business, for me, and the Compact,” Cassio responded. “Am I gonna get some water while I sit through this?” he asked again.

Kedo spoke silently into its communicator, the projection turned. “Water is on its way,” it said, looking back to the human.

The Ylon slapped Cassio, then spoke. “That’s for turning and running, instead of holding your turf. Those two cruisers that blasted your spacedock have turned into four! And they’re cutting a nasty gash into the southern compacts. And you’ve managed to avoid every one of those attacks, not assisting at all. Cut the act. We know you deal with the Ultras; think you can move up on the High Table?” he asked, with a straight accusing look, making Cassio uncomfortable, queasy. “We can forgive that kind of stupidity. If you give us names, strength estimations, next targets,” the large alien offered, leaning in.

Cassio rubbed his cheek. “Easy with the face huh? That’s my moneymaker. I’m really a suspect? Gotta say that hurts my feelings. I’ve been workin’ that station for… Has it really been 50 years and more already? Who has a cleaner record than me? If I wanted to make a move, don’t you think I’d do it from my formerly cushy couch? In my nice luxurious space station? That racket was my only ambition. And deals, sure my people sold them some uh illicit products, nothing that’s gonna make ‘em more effective though,” he said with a smile. He paused as a bottle was brought in.

The Sahnith took the moment to speak. “Of course, that is in the record, but you must understand. No one else has connections to their soldiers like you. You expect us to believe you have no inside sources? And now as my colleague says, rather than seek revenge, you come closer to our Compact’s foundational worlds. Additionally, your outpost alone was hit. This isn’t suspicious. And then why flee from your only ambition? You raised alarm, but then went quiet.” Through the hologram, the alien’s true emotions and tone were impossible to guess. Besides the obvious accusations.

“Look, they tell me where you want the merch delivered and when. I don’t usually go on those runs anyhow, and now I’m not about to ring ‘em up and get traced for asking. As for why I’m here, I’m tryna cross the border, hit their strongholds, find some dirt. The best payback is planned out and executed thoroughly. Give me time. I can give you actionable info,” Cassio said.

“Very well, no one disputes your profits, and your loyalty over the years,” Kedo said.

“If you fail, don’t come back to Compact space, or I’ll break every limb off your body,” the Ylon said.

***

Glad to be out of the detention center, Cassio put his atomizer to his lips, breathing in the vapor and exhaling as he walked down a set of steps. Half-full water bottle gripped in his other hand. A large burly man met up with him at the bottom. “Guess it went well?” he asked.

Cassio nodded, taking another puff. “Yeah, Denis. Told me to get to the bottom of the crisis, or don’t come back. Looks like our leisurely getaway is gonna wait,” he replied. “Didn’t ask about my little fleet of cargo ships.”

“Then they either don’t know, or think we’ll need the stashes. What’s worse?”

“The fact they’re letting our ship into enemy territory. Yeah, either way, they don’t got a handle on this. And if we don’t figure an angle, we could be drowned in a sewer’s load of shit,” Cassio said. He took another puff. Neon lit apartment blocks piled on top of apartment blocks each with a different architecture, like a concrete quilt.

Matt Steelman is from rural North Carolina. Outside of writing, he enjoys video games, learning history, and walking his dog.