Dressed casually, my status as a capsuleer went unnoticed, allowing me to indulge anonymously in people watching while my mind wandered. It felt good to breathe fresh air, feel the grounding tug of real gravity, brush away errant insects, and listen to birds twittering about their business without a care for the small human dramas unfolding below them. The nagging anxiety that was ever-present in space began to abate. Time enough for that when I was jacked in. In this place, I could let it go. Perspective is best served planet-side, as they say. I lounged comfortably at my small cafe table, sipped sweet strong coffee, and surveyed the crowd.
Nearby, a young couple conversed in low tones and giggles. A mother silenced her unruly child with a sharp yank of his dreadlocked hair. Typical Brutor disciplinary procedure--one I had been subjected to many times as a youth! Being hungry, I considered a nearby vendor who offered a mouth-watering array of jerked, smoked and barbecued meat served on sticks or wrapped in small packets. I was reluctant to give up my shaded table just yet, however.
Continuing to sip my coffee, I noticed a teenage girl talking with the meat vendor. She was a bit scruffy but quite fetching and thus had his full attention. Even from this distance I could tell she was flirting, despite their apparent age difference. She casually edged toward one end of his booth drawing his gaze in that direction. Preoccupied as he was, he failed to notice her apparent companion--another scruffy teenage girl--approach the booth from the other direction and stealthily nick an armful of packaged meats. Unfortunately, the first girl made the mistake of glancing at the other girl who was turning to sneak away. The vendor's gaze followed hers. He saw immediately what was going on and raised a shout. The first girl melted into the crowd. The second girl broke into a run, aiming straight for the cluster of tables where I sat. The vendor was clearly torn between pursuing the thief and remaining at his booth to thwart other opportunists.
I watched the thief approach. She'd be passing my table in seconds. This was too good to pass up, and I *was* starving. As she drew level, I casually stuck my foot out and tripped the errant teen. She hit the ground with a jolting thud, the stolen packages flying from her hands. A gasp went up from adjacent tables. People shoved their chairs back hard, standing up to get out of the way. The vendor, seeing justice within arm's reach, pushed through the gathering crowd toward us. I stood, leaned down to grab the stolen packages and pulled the girl to her feet by one arm. She was 14 or 15, dirty, with worn clothing, and now very clearly both pissed off and scared. She tried to twist out of my grasp but I held her like a vise and used my considerable height to intimidate her into acquiescence.
The vendor arrived, shouting and demanding payment. "Settle down," I said, tossing the packages onto the table and pulling out a few hundred ISK. Handing it to him, I said, "That should take care of it. Now piss off, I'll deal with the girl." The vendor smiled, suddenly soothed by the presence of serendipitous good fortune. "What girl?" he asked, then turned and went back to his booth.
I released the girl, sat down and began to unwrap a parcel. I was, after all, starving. Might as well eat. Surprisingly, the girl didn't flee. Instead she said rebelliously, "That meat belongs to me."
"Oh, really?" I said with a chuckle. "Seems to me I just paid for it, so I reckon it now belongs to me." The meat was smoked to tender perfection and spiced perfectly. I chewed appreciatively and indicated the chair opposite me. Warily, the girl sat down.
Finally she said, "You must be rich. Never seen that much ISK and you act like it's nothing to give so much away."
I shrugged and tossed her a parcel. "It is nothing to me. Eat. You look like you need it."
"You're not from around here." she observed between hasty bites.
"Not this place, no. But one like it. That's a clever operation you and your friend have." I said.
She shrugged. "She's not my friend, but I've been watching her work. She runs a....different trade...if you know what I mean. I just saw a chance and took it." She wiped her mouth on one grimy sleeve, having finished an entire parcel of smoked meat. "But you had to interfere."
"You stole meat from the original owner, I took the meat from you. Easy come, easy go, right? Besides, you're in the clear now, thanks to me." I said.
"Still feels like I'm the only one who missed out here." She scowled, then sighed resignedly. "Just have to try again, I guess. Not like that's the only vendor I can steal from around here. Gotta eat somehow." I smiled to myself. I recognized a pirate mindset when I saw one, even if SHE didn't know that about herself yet.
"Where's your family?" I asked, guessing the answer.
"Dead, I guess. All I remember is the orphanage." She looked pensive for a moment, then stared back at me and asked, "Where's yours?"
I pointed at the sky. "Up there, at Kaalakiota Station mainly."
She looked incredulous. "Up THERE? As in, the space station? The local news feed showed the inside of that station one day, something about the war and a new initiative against pirates in the region. I couldn't believe how big it was." She paused a moment. "Those places...the war in space...pirates...they all seem so far away from...." she indicated the mud at our feet with a gesture ... "here."
"Not so far, just a shuttle ride, really." I replied, looking at her thoughtfully.
"Maybe for someone rich like you." she said quietly.
"You seem pretty well informed for a ragged orphan," I observed.
She leveled a proud, steely gaze at me. "I might be homeless, I might be alone, but I'm not stupid. Access to Galnet, news feeds and other information is available if you know where to look for it."
I was liking this kid more and more. "What's your name?" I asked, extending my hand. She took it hesitantly but had a reassuringly confident grip.
"People call me Rockie, short for Rochanna which is the stupid name the orphanage gave me. Just one more reason to get out of there as soon as I could." She rolled her eyes.
"Well, it's better than...uh..."Meat Thief"...or something equally unappealing." I smiled. "I'm Mynxee. Pleased to meet you. And...I have a proposal for you."
***
Later that day, I typed out a message on my personal terminal as the shuttle prepared to depart.
Heya Kell: I am station-bound with a new project in tow for you. Maybe a replacement for Vertigo Falling, if she works out. I think you'll like her...she reminds me of myself at that age. See you in a few hours.In the seat beside me, Rockie was completely absorbed in the information on the screen of the personal terminal I'd acquired for her. She was clean and dressed in new traveling clothes, looking very little like the scruffy kid I'd met a few hours earlier. Her fingers flew across the small keyboard. Text and images flashed in quick succession. I smiled as I saw the familiar Hellcats logo fill the screen. After a minute, she stopped scrolling and looked up at me to declare with a grin, "Who says crime doesn't pay!"
I grinned back at her. Not stupid, indeed, I thought as I tapped the Send button. Something told me Kell was going to have her hands full with this one.
