Lucky Seven Chapter 2

[Ed Man]

Double Crossing Bankers
Chapter 2 Lucky Seven

Bob was getting a little tired of just setting and wanted to go get a better spacesuit and some kind of handgun or weapon now that he had a little cash to spend. Bob could see the Banker was getting a little uneasy himself about the long wait so Bob asked again. “Look man just give me my five thousand I need to get a few things.”

After a few words expressing his dislike, be careful and don’t talk to anyone Bob had six thousand credits and a order for a certain pistol the Banker wanted with a shoulder holster. Bob took one of the ships radios with him so he would know where the ship was and the Banker would know where he was.

Bob walked into the shop looking around at items he had been wanting and needing for a long time. After the needs were picked up he went to the weapons department. Bob had a new state of the art spacesuit and helmet, belt, jacket, boots and scanner now it was time to look at the weapons.
When Bob told the salesman the model pistol he wanted he perked up and came to life as he asked Bob to wait while he went into the back.

The salesman came out with the pistol and started explaining how great it was and all the features it had and it with the shoulder holster was only a little over 900 credits with a extra power cell, extra ammo clip and box of ammo. Bob as to see a plaster he had been wanting and holster Bob told the salesman he would take them both.
The Salesman smiled as he put the weapons into the lockbox and asked for Bobs card.

Bob handed his card over to the salesman and when he looked at the status his whole outlook fell as he said. “I’m sorry sir your status isn’t high enough to buy either of these items I wish there was something I could do for you. Let me talk to my supervisor and see if I can do something for you.”
The magic words of a person wanting to make a sale Bob thought as he laid two tokens worth a hundred credit each on the counter. “Will this help any?”

The salesman laid a cloth over the tokens. “I believe it will let me make sure first.”
The man came out from the back with a smile on his face so big you would have thought his face was about to break. “Yes Sir I’m glade we could help you. You are just transporting them are you not?”
[Bob] “Well yes I am thanks.”
Bob was headed back for the ship when he heard the radio come on. “What do you mean you’re going to take the tokens we had a deal! You double crossing!” The sound of a stunner charging then silence as the radio went dead.
Bob dropped the radio onto the floor and crushed it under his foot picked up the pieces and thought them into the trash. Then eased his way back to the docking area where he could watch the ship to make sure the Banker wasn’t just trying to pull a fast one on him.

Bob counted three large men in and around the ship loading the crates onto a cart. One stayed with the Disco while the other two pushed the cart with the covered up crates on to an elevator. Bob watched as the elevator went to the twelfth floor and stopped. Bob raced to a elevator and went up and got off on the twelfth just in time to see the two men turning down the hall to section C.
Bob knew better than to try and follow but went right back down on the closest elevator to the docking bay to watch the Disco.

Bob set in the waiting area near the Disco watching it in the mirror slick finish of his new PDA as he set looking the other way so no one would spot him. Bob watched as one of the men returned to the Disco with a drone. The two walked away and watched as the drone went onboard and the Disco eased out of the dock headed for open space.

Something wasn’t right and Bob knew it but he couldn’t just go tell Security what had happened or he would get dragged into the whole mess. Then killed by the crooks who just took the credits for talking bob knew what he had was all he was going to get as he set thinking about what to do.

The Banker saved Bobs life and he owed him for that and he may have saved his life again by warning him or intentionally double-crossed him either way Bob was going to tell Security somehow.
Bob left the room and went to the terminal to see when the next flights were going and when they were leaving. Bob picked the shuttle he wanted to leave on and bought a ticket and had decided to leave a note but seen a Pilot trying to sell his things.
Bob seen the man had a PDA. “Can I see that a minute.” The Man handed it over to Bob. As Bob looked it over he got the message ready to send to security and when he seen the transport was loading he mashed the send button and handed it back . “Here you go maybe it will bring you some look you better keep it here take this.”
Bob handed the Man a hundred credit token to help him out of his tight spot and for the trouble he was about to get in for the message Bob sent. Bob walked to the boarding gate and showed the attendant his ticket for the shuttle that was loading up and left the station.

Bob stopped off at the Shipyard to look for work and after some time in the simulators he increasing his rank enough to fly a small fighter. Then he went to a job placement center who guaranteed they would find him work and filled out a application.

Bob was watching the news in the break room waiting on one of the staff to call him back for a face to face when he heard the news reporter. “Two of the so called lucky seven that had escaped death by hiding in a vault while under a attack that destroyed their station were killed yesterday in their Discovery after the drone flying the ship crashed it into a asteroid.”
Bob was paying close attention as the report went on to show pictures of the Banker and his Daughter with a quick story of how they escaped only to die in a crash.

Bob heard his name being called to the interview room as he wondered if the Security on that station even looked at the message he sent and why didn’t the news mention anything about the stolen tokens.
Bob thought as he entered the room he was called too at least he tried.

Bob opened the door as a man replied. “Please come in and have a seat I need to ask you a few questions Mr. Fisher before they can finish finding you a job.”
“And just who are you?” Bob asked.
“I’m with Argon Security Mr. Fisher. Just set down I have a Guard outside the door so it wouldn’t do you any good to try and run he likes to shoot people in the knees when they try and run. He’s funny like that.
You help me and I’ll help you it’s a win, win arrangement and I’ll keep you out of the backlash just tell me what you know and I’ll put them away.”

Bob looked at the Man. “I don’t know what you’re talking about officer?”
[Officer] “Now don’t play dumb Bob I know it was you that sent the message and flew the Banker to the station with the Tokens! We been watching them for quite some time now Bob and we know they’re durty! I just need you to tie up a few loose ends and tell me everything you know. Let me put it this way you tie it all together for me now or a lot of questions will come out in there trial and you’ll be found out and most likely killed because of it. Like I said Bob it a win, win for us both now start talking.”

Bob knew he was in a tite spot and he had to talk so he asked. “Only if you guarantee I won’t get into any trouble of any kind!”
[Officer] “Bob I guarantee you won’t! Your just a very small fish compared to this gang. I’ll keep you out of it and out of trouble you have my word.”

Bob started telling how he had meet the Banker in the first place and all about how he had been left to die on the station. Bob went on to tell the officer everything he knew or had seen right down to the men that he seen on the Disco from the waiting room at the docks and the section they took the credits to.
When Bob was finished and the officer had closed his laptop he looked at Bob and smiled. “You been a great deal of help Mr. Fisher. I can’t offer you a Disco but I can increase your rank so you can keep the weapon you have and maybe get a better job that’s about all I can do for you right now without dragging you into the whole thing. The Bank will give a reward to the one that helped get the tokens back it can be you or the poor guy you used to send the message.”

Bob shook his head. “No thanks I’ll stay out of it he can have it. I don’t want the guy to get hurt or killed but he’s willing to take the reward and risk his life give it to him I’ll pass.”
[Officer] “As you wish Mr. Fisher. And Mr. Fisher don’t show up on my radar again understand!? I don’t know you and we never met and it better stay that way!”

A guard stepped in and asked Bob to set back down and told the Officer something. The Officer set back down and open his laptop back up. The first thing Bob thought of was the lying rat was about to lock him up until he spoke up. “Well Mr. Fisher it seams we’re not finished after all we need your help again and this time I can pay you for your troubles. A job just opened on a mining outfit for a pilot to fly a Disco that’s shoots rocks up for the miner to pick up.
We want you to take the job what ever the pay is and when the three month contract is over you don’t resign but return to here and put your name back on the list of people looking for work and we’ll contact you. All you have to do is watch the Captain we believe he’s involved with Pirates. We need to know the extent of his involvement.”

[Bob] “And what’s in it for me? I could get killed for doing something like that. Why don’t you send in one of your men why me?”
[Officer] “Because you’re unknown and fit the part like you were made for it and we’ll pay you 1500 credit’s a week for every week you work for them plus you get to keep whatever you earn. It’s just 13 weeks and we’ll pay you when your done.”

Bob thought about the offer for a minute and decided to up the payout. “Make it 2000 a week and you got a deal. What happens if I don’t get hired? And how do I get in touch with you if I need to?”

The Officer looked down at the floor. “First he’ll hire you because you don’t have a Military background. And you don’t contact me I’ll see you when the job is finished no matter what happens! If you get me what I want and I know something is going on! I just need to know how deeply involved he is you find out and I’ll see you get 30,000 credits hows that?”

[Bob] “Sounds good to me what do I do?”
[Officer] “You don’t do anything just wait and take the job. Keep your mouth shut, pay attention and listen then report back to me when your contract is up that’s all! Can you do that?”
[Bob] “I can do that.”

[Officer] “Good go get you something to eat or whatever you want to do for about two hours then return to the waiting room and wait on the call. I’ll see you in 13 weeks at this station be here!”

Bob left the office and went to get something to eat and try and relax before his interview. Bob waited till it was time to return to the job placement center and waited on the call just like he was told.
Bob knew he could do the job 13 weeks were nothing he had waited years till he was old enough to look for the Gambler.
And had chased him for months having to work at any job he could find along the way to get the credits he needed to go on with his search. Besides the thirty thousand credits would go a long way in helping him buy his own ship.

Bob was called to the office where he set down to a interview with the man he was going to work for and after a little while Bob had the job. Bob gathered his things thinking he had wished he had asked the Argon agent before hand what sector the miner worked out of because he would have tried to up his payment a little more knowing he was headed for Elena’s Fortune.
A known hot spot to get rich quick or get killed quick and it was the killing part Bob wanted to avoid.

The Captain had a neat little payment plan he payed his workers by which made it somewhat worth while. Each worker made the same 100 credit’s a day plus a end of tour bonus and a weekly pay based on what you mined that week. So the harder you worked the more you made and according to the Captain the average pay was over a 1000 credit’s a week not counting the end of the tour bonus.

Bob was going to replace a pilot that had taken a job flying escort for a freighter that supplys the stations in the Pirate sectors. The pay was high and it lured the Pilot in to take the risk for the big payday and over look the dangers.

Bob had worked as a waiter at a lot of places and heard the many stories of how some brave pilot had made his fortune in the Pirate sectors fighting off attacking ships for the big payoff at the end of the run.
But he also heard more people talking of how friends, ships and everything they had was lost in the Pirate sectors trying to get the big pay or just taking a short cut more people ended up loosing it all.

Bob loaded up on the special outfitted Disco made to work the asteroid felds. The top speed was slow compaired to a normal Disco as the Captain opened the ship up on the trip back to the Miner to start a new 13 week work cycle.
The crew had just taken a short two day break and was going to start back to work to keep there contracts with the local stations as soon as they got back with the Disco.

Bob had time to put his things in his room and lock them up look at the crew and start work. The job was simple shoot rocks till they were ready to collect till his eight hour shift was over. If he needed to us the rest room he had to have enough built up for the Miner to stay busy first.

The first day was a little slow but Bob quickly picked up on how to work a area by the second day. The Disco worked a area staying ahead of the Miner while it while collected ore from the area the Disco just left. Before the Miner filled up a freighter showed up from the local stations to offload the ore like clockwork every four hours so collecting never stopped.

After a week and his first payday Bob was starting to get us to the routine. He had learned the Names of the other crewmen and had settled in the best anyone could as the constant sway of the ship never stopped.
He was past the sick filling from the constant movement of the ship and had learned how to eat and keep his food down.
The second week Bob was starting to work up more ore than the Miner could collect in one shift so he would watch the local traffic and random battles between Sector Security and the local Pirates.
But the fighing stayed away from the asteroids they were mining keeping mainly in the large open areas so they had room to dog fight in their ships each trying to overtake his opponent.

Second week out Bob noticed a Pirate Harrier headed for the asteriod field and hailed the Captain who quickly replied. “Keep working and ignore the ship and stay away from it.”

Bob keep working but keep his eye on the ship that shut down and went dead when it reached a holding position near a asteroid. A half hour later a pilot ejected and flew toward the asteroid and dissapered which ment he eather splattered himself on the outside of the asteroid or he went inside it.
Bob watched on as the Pilot showed back up on the HUD a half hour later outside the asteroid and reboared his Harrier.
Bob watched on as the Harrier eased off out of range from normal traffic headed for the South Gate.
The Harrier never seen the Disco with its small range scanner as Bob worked the broken rocks up for the Miner watching every move the Pirate Harrier made on the Discos medium range scanner.

This must be what the Officer was wanting to know about. Now to find out how deeply involved the Captain was that was what he was there for.
Bob knew better that to just come out and start asking questions if the whole crew was in on it he could end up dead rear quick. So Bob decided to tread lighly and watch his back now that he had seen the Harrier.