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Poseidon’s Winged Horse

RIV

F rom the outside, The Righteous Pegasus appeared modest, folksy, and well-maintained.

Plex synth and boards made up most of the building’s outer structure.

It was a challenge to discern what lay beyond through the stained flex-glass windows, but the loud sounds, music, and chatter from within reverberated on the street.

Riv entered the tavern through a gaudy awning, where a towering Ccyth guard met him.

The Rider revealed his fake ID, which a droid bot scanned.

It flashed green, indicating that he had no System-wide flags that would warrant him paying a bribe to the Ccyth to be let in.

Still, the Ccyth glowered at him, and Riv sighed, longing for Zane’s psionic powers to shift sentiment and memories in his favor.

Riv tapped his commtab and flung a few schills towards the bot. The guard snarled an unintelligible command and swept the Rider through.

Inside, he was greeted by the scent of rich, deep hops and fried food—the quintessential ingredients to a good tavern and bar.

His stomach rumbled as he made for the bartender, an elfin Falasian woman. Although she was attending to customers, she still welcomed Riv with a wink.

He settled on a stool at the far end of the steel counter and glanced around as he waited for service.

It had a distinctive style. Squared-off rock beams supported the upper floor, and a phalanx of voluminous lamps was attached to them.

Signed holographs of infamous individuals and creatures who’d passed through the bar’s doors covered the walls.

Lit candles were inset into holes in the walls and dripped wax in thick layers over the surface and floor.

The tavern itself was packed. Miners were the primary clientele here, which was a promising sign. Riv preferred mingling with honest laborers rather than hard-core crims and kinais . Less trouble that way.

One gregarious group of Allorians occupied several long counters.

They sat alongside Falasians and Rhesians, indulging in the fare while deep in nefarious deals and trades.

Also present were packs of rough Ccyth colliers wolfing down oversized plates of appetizing grub.

It was a raucous, loud gathering. Even though most of the stools at the bar had bums on seats and space was limited, nobody minded more company.

Riv wondered at the place’s popularity. Judging by the number of heaped platters swinging past from the kitchens and the hearty reception from the punters, the chow and brew had fervent fans.

There was also much to say about the bartender’s good looks and elfin charm.

Judging by the many punters’ failure to hide their not-so-subtle stares.

Her voice rang loud and strong, her cheerfulness promising an excellent evening.

Even though she flirted, Riv noted that she glanced ever so often to the Ccyth at the door.

The tenderness on her face as their eyes met told him everything there was to know about their relationship status.

She came round to him soon enough. ‘Welcome to The Righteous . What can I get you?’

Her holo badge announced her name.

Riv served her a sloppy grin. ‘Halima, give me a bottle of your most excellent whiskey and a tray of the highest-rated items on your menu.’

He flicked his virtual schill black ID to her, and her brows rose. He’d just told her he was a big spender, and she grinned at the upcoming windfall.

‘Anything else?’

‘That’s it for now.’ He intended to squeeze his money’s worth from her soon enough, but only after satisfying his genuine hunger and sudden thirst for a good brew.

‘I’ll get it to you before you know it.’

She flitted away and moments later returned with an amber-colored bottle in which swirled a golden liquid flecked with glittering ions.

‘Tansinian star whiskey, the finest in the house.’

He’d once sampled the brand, which was middling, but still, he jerked his head to approve the pour into a tumbler.

Subpar whiskey was better than none at all.

He sighed as he sipped the spirit, feeling it warm his body and lift his spirits.

Soon, Halima set a tray of food before him.

The aroma coming from the steaming presentation was buttery and delicious. The regen steak even had the texture and appearance of the real thing.

It came with fried dough balls, frozen peas steamed and coated in butter, and a thick, rich, peppery sauce that singed his nostrils.

He ploughed through the first meal in weeks that had not come from a pouch.

Lost in his repast, Riv escaped from his crowded surrounds, yielding himself to savoring the savoring, satisfying his belly, and teasing his taste buds.

Finally, he sat back, taking a deep breath as the food and ‘hol settled.

As he leaned into the back of his stool, his ‘noids fired up as he sensed eyes on him.

Someone was watching him.

He thought of flicking a casual once-over to spot them, but resisted. He wanted to give whoever had eyes on him time to scope him out and some false reassurance that he had no idea of their presence.

He was nursing a third glass of whiskey when the elfin Halima sauntered his way.

‘Everything to your expectations?’

‘’Tis. Better than I expected. I can see why you have good reviews.’

She simpered. ‘We try our best. Anything more I can get you?’

He assessed her for a long moment. ‘I’m looking for someone. A business contact who owes me schills. Any chance I can show you a holo, and you tell me if you’ve ever chanced on them?’

She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Discretion is one of the pillars here at The Righteous Pegasus.’

‘What if I pay you well for the privilege?’

Her eyes lit up. She was nothing if not a shrewd businesswoman.

‘How much is it worth to you?’

He leaned close and whispered a number.

She countered.

He lifted his offer.

She shot him a side eye and kept him waiting, her face impassive.

He matched it.

She conceded, nodding her agreement.

He pulled in as he flicked up a holo on his commtab, placing proximity shields around it.

She stared at the visage of Ankis, the man Riv was hunting down.

‘That is a strange mask he wears.’

‘’Tis,’ Riv rasped, shutting down the screen. ‘Seen or heard of him?’

Halima gave it some thought. ‘I haven’t observed him in here. But I did catch chatter of a stranger touching down at the port. Some of the porters said he had a face that was quite unusual, that it changed form often. They put it down to a fashion fad. He tried to recruit a few of them to operate his ship. I hear one of two Falasians took up with him. Soon after, he fueled up and left.’

‘How long ago?’

‘Two or three weeks now.’

‘Headed where?’

Annoyance furrowed her forehead at his rapid-fire questions. ‘Do I look like the port master to you? Query the station’s AI. They might tell you.’

‘ Sante ,’ Riv said with a wry smile and shrug.

‘We done here?’

‘For now.’

She strolled off as Riv sent word to Mirage. Check her story out, please.

The Sable AI replied soon, confirming Halima’s words. Ankis lifted off with a crew from this rock, and his ship was spotted heading toward the storm-packed nebula nearby.

Riv frowned. Damn. Do you think we can still give chase?

Mirage paused for a moment. The tempests around that celestial tornado are vicious this time of year. The Station AI suggests we wait it out for a few more weeks.

That AI has no idea of Glimmer’s capabilities.

Mirage agreed. We’ve weathered worse.

Riv clenched his jaw. Nothing to it, then. We hunt down our mark and keep to the plan.

If you say so.

He spent the next minutes studying a holo of the mist-roiled entity that Mirage dropped into his node.

The nebula covered a massive area over fifty light-years across, made of an intricate haze of ionized hydrogen gas and raven-dark dust clouds. One capable of pumping out vast amounts of ionizing ultraviolet radiation that knocked electrons loose from their atoms in the surrounding hydrogen gas.

It was wild, engulfed in violent and intense stellar hurricanes generated by hot stars, churning funnels of glowing reactions, and energetic explosions.

He discerned a series of intricate structures through the dense, roiling murkiness.

Narrowing his meta vision, he focused on a bright celestial body embedded in the dark billows at its centre.

He wondered what existed within it, why Ankis had headed inside it, and whether there was a livable planet beyond its misty, stormy cloak.

Just then, Halima sidled past him at the bar.

Riv had a sudden thought. ‘One more thing. I need to know if you’ve seen someone else.’

Halima raised a brow, her interest piqued. She leaned in again, her eyes glittering as she anticipated more schills. ‘Another target?’

He shrugged. ‘An old friend who’s been missing for some time.’

She caught the fleeting sorrow on his face and must have felt pity for him. ‘Oh, go on then. I won’t charge you for this one. It’s on the house.’

He gave her a grateful look, then pulled up the holo montage he always kept on the ready.

Her pupils widened in recognition while her face hardened with caution.

In that instant, Riv’s heart slammed in his chest.

He reached out and nabbed the elfin woman’s arm. ‘You know her. It’s in your eyes.’

She started at the roughness and the rapid change in his demeanor. ‘Let me go,’ she warned.

He lifted his hand away and apologized, ‘ Pole . I need to know where she is.’

Halima was now wary, giving him a cold look. ‘Who wants to know?’

‘As I said, I’m an old chum.’

It was a mistake to have insisted on the friendship angle.

Halima’s face turned hostile, her eyes cutting through his lie. ‘You know what, stranger-with-the-schills? The one you seek is a lone wanderer with no friends except for us. Plus, your story doesn’t add up. While miners have the cash to flash, they don’t spend it on buying data, so I think you’re a bounty hunter with a shit guise as an info broker, a spy.’

He’d been rumbled but had zero control over the surging emotion within him, the desperation of wanting to know more after years of nothing. ‘Hey,’ he rasped. ‘I’ll pay you well for anything more you can tell me.’

He was on the verge of begging.

Halima’s jaw clenched even harder, resolve set in her eyes. ‘ Fokk off, stranger. I won’t entertain your bullshit because I prefer to protect my patrons from the likes of you. Shoulda’ gone with my gut, not to help you. It would be best to quit while you’re ahead and get the hell out.’

She turned towards the door and nodded to her burly Ccyth man. He came striding over in seconds, his bejeweled face tight with tension.

Riv sighed. He’d pushed his luck too far.

He held up his roughened miner hands in the air. ‘Relax, buddy. I’m leaving.’

Halima shot him a hate-filled glare. ‘Out!’

By now, a few of the punters were looking their way.

Including the intense gaze he’d sensed on him earlier. It stabbed even harder, and the hairs on his neck rose.

As he stood, he did a casual sweep of the room. His eyes fell on a dark, hooded figure in the shadowed recesses of the establishment.

Got you.

It was the same kinai who’d been following them in the skiff.

He released a cloud of metanoids, commanding them to anchor onto the stranger’s robes.

Once he left the place, they’d transmit their location to him and give him a closer look at the unknown lurker, who appeared very interested in him.

Riv slammed back the remainder of his whiskey, gave Halima a sloppy grin, and lit out of the bar.

The Ccyth guard growled as Riv tracked past. ‘Make sure you don’t return, stranger. My woman doesn’t like you, which means neither do I. Find someplace else to haunt and never darken our doors again.’

Riv strolled away, seeming nonchalant at being kicked out.

Inside, though, he was a mess. His heart pounded, and his mind raced, battling the squall in his soul that threatened to surge and detonate all over Neron N13.

Muttering a curse, he mulled on what he’d learned, fixating on the bartender’s revelation.

All thoughts of trailing Ankis had long flown out of Riv’s mind.

The only one that remained was that he was closer to his one pursuit for the first time in decades. It almost had him sinking to the ground.

Getting this far had been an agonizing, ne’er ending and winding journey.

One where his heart lurched for years in his chest, broken into pieces that would only heal when he found whom he sought.

He slipped into an alleyway and bent over at the knees, gulping deep breaths.

Riv, what’s wrong? Mirage said. I’m sensing an alarming elevation in your heart rate. Are you safe?

There was a short silence as the Rider fought for control.

Riv?

He managed to reply through a fog of deep, bitter pain . Naam, I just had a breakthrough.

With our inquiries on Ankis?

Nada. élisa.

Mirage paused for a moment. Are you certain?

The AI sounded stunned.

Riv gave a laugh scrubbed of all humor. One mired in disbelief and agony. Sure as shootin’. The publican of The Righteous Pegasus knows of her. She reacted when I showed her élisa’s holo. Please find out everything you can about that place, its owner Halima, and the Ccyth guard at the door, who is her lover or partner. Tap into their systems, and get me as much of their cam feeds as possible. That woman is an acquaintance of élisa’s, and I plan to find out how.

I’ll get started now.

Sante. I’ll ask around more and return to the ship when I can.

Noted.

Riv stalked through Neron N13’s central marketplace.

He sidled between merchant stores and hawker stalls, making discreet inquiries.

None yielded the same response he’d had with Halima.

He took extra care not to stand out like he had at the bar, reminding himself that caution was his calling card, crafting his disguise to exude an air of complete inconspicuousness.

He knew it worked. Most people were unable to identify him minutes after he left their presence.

He tried several pawn shops and vendors. No leads, however, were forthcoming.

Until he eventually got a hit at a food stall.

Its owner, a burly, cheerful Rhesian grocer, stirred at the face on his holo display.

‘She looks familiar, like a woman who stops by every few months to refuel and stock up. I can’t be sure. She cloaks well, maintains a private Sys-ID, and keeps to herself.’

Riv’s heart rate picked up. ‘She a local?’

The man waggled his many chins. ‘ Nada . She’s got some ship. I think she always gets my bots to deliver to her. She’s careful, though. She always adds extra to wipe its memory when it’s done. It’s a service I offer my customers, which pays in spades.’

This was progress. ‘Does she use a charge card?’ Something traceable .

The keeper shook his head. ‘Only schill notes and coins.’

Riv nodded his thanks and moved away, dejected.

Mirage, can you hack the station cameras to look out for her? You may need to go a few months back.

Sure.

Sante. I’ll work on tracing the deliveries to see if I can find anything about the ship the stall owner said his bots delivered to.

Riv continued his search, moving with panther-like grace from one stand and shop to the next.

Exiting one outlet, he paused when three hulking creatures crept past.

They stood out, their looming height towering above the other punters on the street.

Their long, flowing robes hid most of their form, but he glimpsed silver and chrome eyes, aquiline-beaked nostrils, skin as crimson as cinnabar, and the hint of predatory power under their hoods.

Something about them rankled him, and he noted the locals gave them space, so he, too, shied away from them and their companion, a shifty-looking Falasian.

Seen those kinais? he comm’d Mirage.

The oversized hooded variety?

Naam. Are they any danger to us?

Nada. But I recorded their arrival not so long ago. In a giant bird-like ship, one I’ve never tracked before. It’s armed to the teeth and homicidal in design. In battle, it’d probably match us like for like.

Few crafts compared to The Sable Group’s, and Riv was intrigued. Any idea about their origin?

Nada, they’re not coming up on the station’s registry. Or the Galaxy-wide one. It’s as if they’ve ghosted into town.

Sounds like we need to avoid them.

That would be wise. I’ll make a note of them and keep a close eye in case they interfere with our business.

A ping alarm rang in his neural node. The metanoids he’d spread at the food stall had found something on the owner’s POS system.

They’d retrieved data from one of the bot deliveries that had not been wiped.

His node connected to the evidence, which revealed a ship code.

Score, Riv smirked.

He went to the docks and chanced on a bored port attendant.

He initiated an innocuous conversation about the goods they’d been trading and even shared a few yarns from his mining treasure trove of stories.

All the while, his metanoids crawled the station system’s software.

Finally, they found something and sent a security holo video to him.

Laughing with the porter, he tapped his node to study the details of the ship where the bot delivered the food cargo.

There was no image of the vessel, but its logged destination appeared.

His eyes widened as he over garments the same storm-like nebulae caught in roiling flares into which Ankis was alleged to have disappeared.

A coincidence? Or was Pegasi leading him to this one place after all these years?

He remembered the bizarre incidents on his way to Neron N13 and pursed his lips, wondering about the nature of the mysterious and unseen.

His mood lifted now that he had a target he could work with.

Moving away from the station, he headed to where his flyer sat.

Just as he rounded a corner, another ping went off in his node network. The noids he’d implanted on the robed kinai were sending out a proximity alert.

He messaged Mirage. I’ve got a shadow on me. It’s the same figure from the skiff. They followed me to the tavern and now here.

I know. I’m tapped into the noids and can spot them in motion.

How far behind me?

Mirage sent through live footage from the station’s cams showing the dark-cloaked pursuer. They’re keeping a few hundred meters. But they’re tracking your every move. What’s your play?

In the shadowy recesses of a rabbit-warrened spaceport such as this one, a soul could hide for days.

However, life as a Sable Rider had taught Riv many lessons.

The most important one was never to indulge a lurker on his trail, especially when he was in the wind. He had to handle them now so they wouldn’t inconvenience him later. Besides, he had places to get to.

The cat and mouse game was on.

Maybe he’d even permit them to capture him because he had the proficiency to fight his way out.

He decided on the latter option, which would give him the most leverage to discover who they were and what they wanted.

They’d be more willing to share if they knew they had the upper hand and, in so doing, let their guard down.

Riv? Please don’t leave me hanging.

He jolted at Mirage’s prompt. Here’s the scenario. I’ll allow them to snag me. Then I’ll capture them. Find out why they’re following.

He moved towards Neron N13’s outer habitat. Tapping into his neural vision, he got a 360 panorama of his surroundings.

It showed a shadowed figure in the distance, flitting in and out of view.

Riv darted among the containers and parked flyers abandoned throughout the port. He dropped his stealth mode every so often, hoping it’d lull his stalker into thinking he was an easy target.

At one point, he doubled back.

By his calculations, his lurker would be along within minutes.

Riv cradled his laser weapon in both hands, moving with care.

It was a rare slim-line model he’d had for many years and modified to his needs.

It was accurate, lethal, and never missed.

Riv, however, had it on stun to ensure he didn’t ice his skulker before finding out what he was after.

He turned a corner in the shadows and realise he hadn’t seen his kinai for a minute or two.

He sent a command to the noids he’d planted on them, and they returned a location ping.

His lurker was at a standstill. They were not moving at all and were far behind his current position. So he swiveled on his heel to head that way.

Without warning, a blur appeared just as a blast aimed at his forehead exploded all over him.

Thousands of electrons ratcheted through his bones and arced with such velocity that he lost control of his weapon.

It clattered to the ground as his limbs spasmed and jigged, his noids trying to fight off the electric pulse.

It was useless; his meta-atoms gave out, and his body began to shutter.

He had no time to react, just enough to send a preset command to Mirage before he fell backwards, limp and inert, his metanoids in complete shutdown.

Just as he hit the floor, a face appeared above him. His entire being, soul and mind, lurched in wild response.

Darkness’ blessed embrace arrived like a slap to the mug as Riv passed out.