'Dark Horizons' - Pt.1 Never Was Alive...

[silentWitness]

'Dark Horizons' - Pt.1 Never Was Alive...

You know, as I look back and think of all the days of my life I spent... Trading energy in the wall for chump change I realise just how stupid I was... to think so many tazuras spent when I could have been out in the newly discovered sectors making the fortune of my life, perhaps even enough for a factory by now!!! Sure the missions were high risk but that's why the money was so good. Today was different, today I had arrived in Wastelands. It was against my father's wishes but then in fifty jazuras of trading he had only managed to scrape enough credits together to buy three transporters, we'd done it his way for long enough and it wasn't working!

Oh yeah... I forgot to tell you who I am! Lyss Kiran, daughter of Mancel Kiran, sister to Iann Kiran... but I was never a family person... since mom died I didn't see the point. Which I guess is part of the reason I'm out here... to get away from them... clinging to me... dragging me down... I needed to live my life for once! The station docking clamps caught the ship and the trading menu appeared on the holoprogector on the screen. I brought up the bulletin board system. Although there were missions to be had... Just not by me... A harmless 'petty vendor'... Same story at the next station... and the next... and the next... I slipped into the station bar, I was no closer to profit than I had been in argon prime... I'd order a drink but I needed these credits to buy food... I was going to have to crawl back home and plead for forgiveness... My father would like nothing better than to see me fail... It would mean he was right all along.

The bartender gave me a smile "What can I get you?" pulled out a credit from my pocket... "what can I buy with this???" He looked at me... "It's on the house" I smiled at him "Thank you". The drink was strong... this wasn't space fuel... it was something stronger... probably expensive... "So what's your troubles?" I laughed... what to say! "Well I'm out of money... And I'm going to have to crawl back to my father and beg forgiveness" "Ah I see... Well I could get pretty girl like you a nice job on this station, "Oh you could!" "If you don't mind doing some waitressing in the mean time" I should have asked what kind of waitressing "Ohkey when do I shtaart!" "How about tomorrow night?" I awoke... my head physically ached... most of the day had gone... I walked into the bar... The bartender smiled at me... "So ready for you first day?" I nodded... he handed me a keycard "alright get changed". As I entered the changing room the realisation hit me... I passed rows of women in sultry costumes... They watched as I walked past... I reached my locker... mmm... This was no ordinary bar... This was a strip club. I dug out my so called uniform... now I could tell you that this was utterly embarrassing and under any other circumstances I never have done this... but I was desperate. That night Vic... The bar man... I didn't figure him for a Vic... paid me 100 credits and give me my first freight mission... A simple transport to the trading station but it was something... a few stazura later I was back and it was 3000 in my account and into my soft clean bed.

As I entered the bar Carl the bouncer beamed at me. "Hi Lyss! How's tricks!?!?" Carl wasn't the best looking guy but Vanessa his wife could get off any man in the club... they made a cute couple... she's the one with more vennom... he's a bit of a softy... "Hey Vanessa!" "I need you to fill in for Jesse tonight" "Let me guess... She's off with her latest???" "Just get ready..." It's amazing that a few Mazura in a strip club will do for your confidence... Not as if men were ever a problem for me... "Hey girl" Beth strolled of stage "tough crowd?" "birthday boy in no 12... spending credits like water... You'll be fine" The music started and I went into autopilot... I moved out onto the stage... Ok we've got regulars... oh... Mr colonial... He always pays big for me... do you want to spend big tonight honey? Oh yes there we go... so no 12... how are you going to reply... Yes honey.... I want that new pair of shoes... Yes the 50... Oh... No touching baby... Oh look whose just come in... Ok... he'll go to no 5... he likes no 5... Whisky and Soda... And there it is... 100 credit bill... Come on baby... I'm not your wife you know!!! I'm expensive to maintain... As I walked off stage... Candy Girl walked out of the changing room... Her name was Christina... but her bubble gum pink hair and bad boob job made the nick name stick... "bloody hell!! You must have almost $700 you exotic bitch!!!" I smiled at her "Hey! I just warmed them up for you". Vic gave me one of his classy smiles as I walked up to the bar... "Nice show tonight baby!" I watched as the crowd slowly drifted from the stage as candy danced... "And they say she wants to be a porn star.... you know you could be a star..." My head whipped round closely followed by my hand... "Aww... Ok... here's your latest no need to get tetchy..."

As I entered the cockpit and took another look at the briefing... 14,000 the biggest pay yet... next pay would mean the end of the dancing... I thought of all my friends at the club and missed them... they had been good to me... ok so the pay was lousy and the management worse... but me and the girls enjoyed ourselves... "This is the midnight swallow requesting departure..." "This is control... how about I land in your doc..." I closed the comm... The clamps retracted... And I was on my way. A two sector hop... Didn't take too long at all... then back... and there it was... the biggest payment of my life... 15,000 for being so quick... that's a big bag of cash... but not only that... As I got back from the bar that night there was some big smiles... "It seems you neglected to tell us something..." "What?" "That our Lyss was moonlighting as a trader!!!" A little screech passed through her lips!" Vanessa produced a little certificate. My Universe Trader licence had came through!!!

The party was beautiful... I promised to come back one day when I was a powerful mogul... A jump drive would to shipped to me in four to six Wozura... until then I would have to stick with small transport missions... It was an exciting time!!! Unlike my father and brother... I had managed to become a universe trader!!! The huge wage packet would soon be mine... Then I would buy my own factory... hmmm... Maybe a Crystal Fab... No... a Solar Power Plant... A nice little earner. Then I'd advertise in Argon Prime... My father would be proud... but you know I wouldn't let him take over... he can have a loan but he's not taking it from me... He gave me the transporter... it's in my name!!! He can't have it!!! WOW!!! Now that's a big payment... A simple transport to Thynn's Abyss... Uncle Thuruk would love me long time with that extra 50,000!!! So that station wasn't all that far away... one trip through the Xenon sectors... One little trip...

The inspector looked at my ship... "My my... You must have some big escorts little lady" "Escorts?" I looked up from his paper word... "Yes... You're going through 472 you'd be insane to travel though there without escorts." "Errr... I would.." "Sign here" I scribbled... Space seemed almost empty... Black hole sun was quiet... my scanner saw only a few Ts's on my monitor... maybe that duplex scanner would have been a good investment after all... The north gate beckoned... The gate opened and I was sucked through...

Xenon Sector 472... You know... You expect the worst... But never in my worst nightmares did I expect to see it... A Xenon K was culling traders foolish enough to brave the sector... I pulled out west... a nebula sparkled softly... but otherwise there didn't seem to be anything over there... no Xenon ships or anything... I looked across the sector with my vision enhancement goggles... the nebula seemed to go all the way round... until the shipyard... it was a long way round... but it looked safer than running the gauntlet of a few destroyers... The Red nebula sparkled... It was high radiation... I'd have to keep out of the thickest parts or run the risk of never being able to have children... It's amazing what runs though your mind... Never did feel alive... not til that moment... my calling... The ship came up from behind though the nebula... I didn't even see it coming... which is ironic considering it's twice the size of an Argon Titan!!! I was scooped up with their transporter device... Into the dark landing bay... It would have taken nothing for them to destroy me... a single L could have done the job... but that's not what they had in mind... a soft humming began behind me... then I backed out...

----------------------------

I rushed through this one... I hope to have more time to devote to the next... I'll have to check my work schedule...

Anyway... What do you think??? Like where it's going??? Want it to be darker??? But anyway... Part 1 of 4...

[Mon Mothma]

Too. . . Many. . . Elipses. . . and. . . excessive. . . use. . . of. . . Exclaimation points!!!

[silentWitness]

While you're reading my stories... tell me what you think of 'Of Future Heroism'...

You'll see it's a theme of mine...

[THESPEEKER]

I'm actually getting used to your way of writing,
and i did enjoy reading the opening to this one.
Their are a few typo's but a recheck will sort that.
Looking forward to the next part..

[silentWitness]

I'm actually getting used to your way of writing,
and i did enjoy reading the opening to this one.

hehe... Slowly brainwashing you all into thinking I can write!!!

Their are a few typo's but a recheck will sort that.

Not to mention a few more embarrassing mistakes... I'll do a proper read through later on...

Looking forward to the next part..

I'll be spending a bit more time on the next bit so hopefully it'll be a bit better... or atleast more discriptive...

[GoateeCat]

You're actually starting to slip back from the broken and eclectic style of OFH, in other words, your sentences are starting and finishing better and flowing on from one to the other as well.

In terms of the actual story. Interesting. I sense an assimilation in the works

The tone will have to become way darker now that the Xenon are in the picture.

Keep going.

[silentWitness]

You're actually starting to slip back from the broken and eclectic style of OFH, in other words, your sentences are starting and finishing better and flowing on from one to the other as well.

In terms of the actual story. Interesting. I sense an assimilation in the works

The tone will have to become way darker now that the Xenon are in the picture.

Keep going.

This one is a bit darker... I'm doing things to Lyss that I wouldn't do to Tikirin... You think the Borg are nasty assimilators... well the Xenon arn't even sure what each bit does!!! Oh yes this one is twisted...

[Avis]

Too. . . Many. . . Elipses. . . and. . . excessive. . . use. . . of. . . Exclaimation points!!!

oh leave her alone....
isn't it obvious she has a sticky '......' key like me

I think the writing style is fine, extra ,,, and ... just make it more dramatic

[Urashima Keitaro]

Another story, another few minutes of my life. But I can't help it, I'm addicted, I said, but they threw me in with the insanity crew, and wrapped my arms in a strait-jacket, closed the door and threw away the key. Suddenly, I knew I was alone...

Addictions can become hard to cope with, but, I really like the style and the extra ... and !!! and ,,, really turn this into a fairly atmospheric read, by that I mean it has a good atmosphere. You can really sense what she's thinking. And the bit about her being so pissed that she failed to spot that being 'offered' a job by that guy was going to make her into a stripper...

...............,,,,,,! Need I say more Now, back to the spacefuel...