Space: Deja Terra part 8

They met as equals.  Ruzzio and Praxton.  Ruzzio was holding orbit around Deja Terra, making much needed repairs to his ship after his last engagement with the pirate renegades.  Praxton was a new arrival to the planet, lured here by the prospect of a job opportunity.  Now he wanted out. Actually, both of them wanted to leave the accursed planet as quickly as possible.  The UN Space Command’s Army was still around which was a sure indicator of more conflict to come, which equated, on a larger scale, to a chance of death.

They met at a bar, Ruzzio nursing an imported beer in a corner, Praxton, recently entering, ordering a glass of water before setting himself down on the table beside Ruzzio’s.  He glanced around quickly before noticing the frazzled space captain sitting opposite him.

“Hey, aren’t you that merchant guy, Ruzzio?” he asked.
“Yea, I’m him.”

Praxton’s eyes lit up, “Wow, I’ve heard so much about you, giving those three pirates out there the runaround.  Way to go!  That ought to drive the stake of fear into those vagabond rascals.
The other responded enthusiastically, “You betcha, it was pretty rough out there though.  Them damned pirates are getting their hands on black-market technology that’s almost as good as the stuff I can get from the Space Command armoury.”

Obviously this guy was proud of his achievements, he had that certain swagger about him.  Praxton had seen it often enough back home on Earth, the swagger of an employee who had just received a promotion, the swagger of an athlete who had just won.  Pride was the source of the swagger and this far away from home, it was no different.
“What brings you out here?” asked Ruzzio.

“Oh, name is Praxton, I’m the new manager of the research programs here on Deja Terra, got in about a week ago.”
“You don’t look so happy,” Ruzzio ventured.
“You want the long story or the short story?” replied Praxton.
“I’ve got time, give me the long story, but make it short,” joked Ruzzio.

“I was against this whole idea of colonization from the start, but I came out here because of my wife and kids.  They needed this relaxed atmosphere, back home on Earth it was just simply too much pressure for them.  But now we’re all sick of it, the stench of death is still in the air and there are rumours that there is resistance from the natives.”
Actually, Praxton was sick of it all.  He had come here on his wife’s urgings but upon arrival had found that life was a lot different.  He had initially abandoned all his ideals and values but he had quickly recovered them.  He wished to return home, back to the confined, but predictable environment of Earth.  Here on Deja Terra, events were unpredictable, a building a few blocks down from his had been demolished in an apparent guerilla attack by the local natives.
“Aye, I’ve heard those rumours too.  The damned military command here tried to commandeer my ship for their own sickening purposes,” said Ruzzio.

There was a moment’s silence in which both men let the natural sounds of the bar filter into their ears, the sound of glasses clinking, people chatting, drinks being poured.  Suddenly they both spoke, one to offer assistance, the other asking for it.

“Say look here, Praxton, how bout you lend me some of your funds to help me repair my ship and I’ll offer you free passage back to Earth?”
“Funny, I was kind of thinking along the same lines.  I suppose that would be beneficial for the both of us, yea?  How much do you need?”
“Fifty thousand credits, just got to get my left engine nacelle reconfigured.”
“You guarantee us safe passage?” a pause, “no more pirate encounters?”
“Yes, yes, I’ll take the safest shipping lanes back home, it’d be nice to have some company on the ship for once.”
“I’ll have the money for you tomorrow then.  Meet you same place, same time?”
“You have yourself a deal partner.”

The two individuals met as equals in a bar, they left as partners in a trade agreement.  One had confidence, a newly refitted ship and a large sum of money in his pockets, the other had managed to sort out the conflicts within, rediscovered his inner character and was headed on his way back home. Deja Terra had brought two separate lives together and entwined them together.  It was the way of things, stories come and go, people meet and drift apart, events happen and fade.

~ by anarhawk on August 31, 2009.