Chapter 7

Scavenger's Drop was pretty cleverly hidden, at least as far as I was concerned. Built into the side of one of the numerous, deep, canyons that crisscrossed this part of Talkorr, there would be no way to find the place if you didn't already know where to look. Apparently, the constant presence of all the wrecks nearby in the Wrecker's Plain would also cause area scans to bounce around and give false positives if you tried to scan for it from so high up. That was a neat trick, or so Tros Karn said.

Personally, I wasn't too sure I agreed. After all, the main export of Scavenger's Drop was black market ship components and raw materials salvaged from the very wreckage that protected the settlement to be able to evade area scans. What happened when they finally managed to salvage enough of the wreckage that area scans could start picking the place up? Would they go legit? Pack up and move their operations? How would they manage either of those? Did the Nui Syndicate on the other side of the Plain realize that too? If not, what happens when they did? All-out war between the Syndicates? That would only draw more attention.

These were all good questions, none of which I needed to have the answers for as the Nth Talon touched down in the rear of the Canyon where the Settlement's small Starport was. Frowning, I looked out the viewports of the Nth Talon while we landed and couldn't for the life of me figure out how they managed to ship bulk quantities of components or materials out from a Starport this small. Honestly, it was almost as small as the one near Kha'mo had been, only that one had an entire field where larger ships could land to have cargo shuttled to and from. When I mentioned this, however, Tros Karn just pointed out to a platform that had a number of apertures installed along its edge.

"See that? That's a Zeta-Ray Platform. Randian Tech from about fifty years or so ago. It can ship objects up to a Zeta Beam Receiver up in orbit via teleportation. I've heard the Randians have figured out improved versions since then, but they don't share them with anyone else." Informed Tros Karn.

"Huh, that'd do it." I mused.

"Yeah. The way it works is actually pretty neat. See, unless you have a Zeta-Beam Receiver at the other end to hit you with a wash of Zeta Stability Particles, you'll just transport back once the Zeta Radiation wears off. The Randians made sure that was the case so anyone trying to use Zeta Beams to help them move forces around in warfare would be right back where they started from part-way through any offensive. They almost destroyed themselves centuries ago in their own giant cataclysmic war, you see. I hear there are new versions that don't need the receiver or have the time limit, but the Randians have kept those close to the chest." Explained Tros Karn.

"Karn, Geek Out about tech stuff later. You're on watch now. Rugulo, you're with me." Interrupted Shayera, breezing into the Common Area.

"Right. Kid, try not to blow up another hoverbike so soon. Fixing your armor was a pain in the ass." Grunted Tros Karn.

"All right, I'll try. No promises, though." I nodded, standing up.

And with that, I followed Shayera out of the Nth Talon and out onto the streets of Scavenger's Drop. As we made our way out of the Starport Area, she spoke up, glancing toward me as she did so.

"You know, you really should take Karn's advice about the armor. I know you PTO Guys are used to just having millions of spare sets of stuff lying around, but that's cause the PTO Vassal Companies on Planet Brench pump that stuff out in batches of millions. We don't have that same luxury. We're a small crew of a few people, we've got limited resources." Chided Shayera.

"I know. To be honest, it isn't like I was expecting to get hit with the full force of a micro-reactor, though. That sort of thing can happen in a fight." I pointed out.

"That you were fighting at all is the thing. What, did you go out looking for a fight?" Questioned Shayera.

"I don't go out of my when to look for fights, Captain." I frowned.

"So what happened, then?" Queried Shayera.

"I guess you might say the fight found me." I shrugged.

"Cute. Well, the next time a Fight finds you, try to keep your gear in better condition by the end of it." Smirked Shayera.

"I'll try to remember that." I affirmed.

No sooner had I said that, however than the dusty street cleared of people as a squad of what had to be goons of the Calth Syndicate made their way over to confront Shayera and I. These guys were clad in full, bulky, exosuits, the kind of thing you'd wear if you were worried about radiation, gas, or other environmental hazards. They had full helmets, and a backpack containing a large power cell that could power all sorts of systems, including the jetpacks integrated into the backpack, the powered frames that some had attached to their exosuits, the HUD and Environmental Systems of the Armor, and even various heavy weapons or tools that could be hooked into the backpack and feed off the power cell, such as bulkhead cutting beams or plasma cannons.

None of them were armed with anything like that at the moment, but the entire ensemble screamed Scavenger Gangers. That was supported by the patch they all wore on their exosuits. Two black wrenches crossed with a black sword on a red background. The symbol was flying on various buildings around town, so I figured it was the Logo of the Calth Syndicate. As the leader of what was clearly a squad of Goons spoke up, any doubt on that was removed from my mind with his words.

"You're the Bounty Hunters from Barter Town?" Asked the Leader.

"We might be." Spoke up Shayera.

"If you are, then the Boss wants to see you." Grunted the Leader.

"Why?" Questioned Shayera.

"What? Lady, that wasn't a suggestion." Insisted the Leader.

"No, really. I don't go anywhere unless I know why. So, why does your boss want to speak with us?" Queried Shayera.

"Lady, look around, there's five of us and two of you. Do you really think you've got that kind of leverage?" Asked the Leader.

I decided to do something to gut through all the posturing, reaching over to grab a piece of alloyed metal that was sticking out of a bit of Rockcrete, I yanked the metal free of the Rockcrete with a crunching noise before crumpling the metal into a ball that I then tossed to the leader with contemptuous ease. He caught it but struggled a bit with the speed of the thrown metal ball, even with his powered frame helping him out.

"That was nothing, I suggest you answer the Captain's Question before I start getting impatient and decide to peel you out of those tin cans of yours." I demanded.

"Fine, damn it. The Boss wants your help tracking down whoever killed the last gang that went out onto the Wrecker's Plain. He's willing to pay you for it, that's all I know!" Swore the Leader.

I looked over at Shayera and said, "Getting paid twice for the same job sounds neat."

"For you, it'd be more like three times after grabbing the Bounty on Vodrin." Huffed Shayera, clearly amused.

"That's not a no." I grinned.

"All right." Nodded Shayera before turning to the Goons and saying, "Lead on."

The goons grumbled but led us off the street and into a dance club with signage that was written in the standard Intergalactic Language proclaiming it to be the Nova Club. Inside was a dark bar and a dance floor lit in neon lights, but Shayera and I were instead led up to a second-floor office. In here, the lighting was a lot warmer. A small conference table with built-in monitors for meetings sat in the middle, while various nick-nacks lined the walls and shelves, holophotos of big scores, copies of completed contracts with the Black Market, and various other things, including what looked like a jury-rigged holographic star chart projector sitting on a shelf near a window looking out over the dance floor.

The room was empty except for one man sitting in a chair. He was bald, with the green eyes and red skin typical of the Ungarans, though he also bore a series of tattoos along his face and arms. He was wearing armor that was clearly much higher quality than the scavenger stuff that his Goons wore. It was a lot less bulky, for one thing, and a lot more streamlined. I was willing to bet he could wear that sort of thing under a suit if he needed. As Shayera and I entered, the Man stood from the seat he'd been sitting on, reading over a report on a datapad, and greeted us.

"Welcome. I am Tomic Vai, the current Leader of the Calth Syndicate. You would be the bounty hunters from Barter Town, yes? I trust my men weren't too pushy, after all, it's not every day we get Thanagarian Nobility here. And a Saiyan too, though curiously one who seems to have lost his tail. I've only ever heard of that happening to those few Saiyans who are veterans of intense combat." Began the Man, Tomic Vai.

"You know who we are?" Questioned Shayera.

"I do. Just as I know you have Ex-Sergeants Karn and Veld of the Thanagarian Wingmen guarding your ship." Intoned Tomic Vai.

"How do you know so much about us?" Queried Shayera.

"I have connections, Captain Thal. I have been doing this for some years now. Do you know how many people I have helped refit their ships? Sometimes people simply need repairs or replacement parts in a hurry. Even people who would normally not deal with the Black Market might do so in a time of desperation. The Thanagarian Minister of Protection, for instance." Smirked Tomic Vai.

"I get your point. It doesn't explain how you knew about Rugulo, though. Or what it is you want from us." Grunted Shayera.

"In truth, I didn't. It was an educated guess based on his appearance and the display he put on outside a few minutes ago. Add in that he matches the description of someone who walked into the Last Blast Cantina several hours ago, asked for Saiyan Yasai, and then not only fought but defeated Vodrin of Emana Branx and turned him in for the bounty? Let's just say there are few others he could be." Smirked Tomic Vai.

"Helmet Cameras in your Goons' suits?" I asked.

"Just so." Confirmed Tomic Vai.

"So you know who we are. Where do we go from here?" Questioned Shayera.

"You're in luck. I happen to have a problem that requires solving. I'll even pay you for it, one hundred thousand Credits. I had thought it to be the Nui trying to get an edge on us." Frowned Tomic Vai.

"But you no longer do?" I queried.

"No, no I do not. Some of my men came across this earlier today when trying to track whoever it was that killed our last couple of Crews." Answered Tomic Vai.

He reached into a nearby drawer and pulled out an armor pauldron. It was scuffed, dented, and bloody, but as he tossed it at our feet, the image of a white handheld plasma torch on red could be seen. I had no frame of reference for the symbol, but I could make an educated guess as to what it was from context. That guess would be confirmed a few moments later as Tomic Vai spoke up again.

"That is the Pauldron from the armor of a Nui Syndicate Enforcer. My Men came across a few corpses of them, all of which had been mutilated like they'd been attacked by some sort of wild animal. That's impossible, however." Insisted Tomic Vai.

"Why is that? Couldn't some sort of beast have been slumbering underground for years only to just wake up now?" I asked.

"No. The nature of this world as a ship graveyard also makes such things impossible. The very soil is radioactive, to the point where we have to grow our own food hydroponically. This is something else and I think you know what it is." Refuted Tomic Vai.

"We might. If it is what we think it is, though, the Oans are paying a lot of money as a bounty for its capture. We won't kill it if it means risking our payday." Pointed out Shayera.

"But it will spend the rest of its miserable existence in a Sciencecell on Oa, yes? And thus no longer be around to fuck with my bottom line?" Pressed Tomic Vai.

"Yes. If we succeed." Confirmed Shayera.

"Then I don't care. So long as it's not killing my men, I'll be happy." Nodded Tomic Vai.

"Right. We'll do our best. We were going to do that anyway." Agreed Shayera.

"Excellent. Then so long as you uphold your end of the bargain, I see no need to tell anyone who you are and that you were here." Smirked Tomic Vai.

"Great. Can we go, then?" I demanded.

"You may. The sooner you capture whoever this is, the sooner I can rest easy." Affirmed Tomic Vai.

"Come on." Grumbled Shayera before turning on her heel and walking out.

I followed, waiting until we had begun to leave the settlement of Scavenger's Drop before speaking up. We were halfway up the trail that climbed along the canyon wall and led out onto the Wrecker's Plain before I finally did so, clearing my throat to get Shayera's attention.

"What is it, Rugulo?" She questioned.

"So. . .about what Tomic Vai said, about you being Nobility and all. What was he talking about?" I queried.

"Can we do this later?" Asked Shayera.

"If the others already know, then no, we can't. Leaving me out of the loop isn't a great way to start a partnership, you know." I insisted.

"Fine. If you must know, my father is Andar Pul, the Thanagarian Minister of Protection. Before you ask, no that doesn't mean I can get us special treatment or high-paying jobs from Thanagar. I was born out of wedlock to one of my Fathers' Mistresses. He won't acknowledge me publicly and is likely to react poorly to any attempt to blackmail him with that knowledge, which is one of the reasons why Tomic Vai letting the information slip would be bad for us." Explained Shayera.

That was interesting. I didn't know a whole lot about Shayera from back when this was just a Comic Book World. The Hawk People had never really interested me too much aside from Carter. Certainly, I hadn't kept up with any of the Thanagarian Hawk People outside of knowing they existed and spotting them during crossover events. I mean, there were also hints that this wasn't strictly Comics Accurate Shayera and that she had some bits of her DCAU Counterpart mixed in amongst all the comics stuff, so even if I was a Hawk People Aficionado, that alone would throw me off.

Before I could ask any follow-up questions, however, we reached the lip of the canyon and the Wrecker's Plain unfolded in front of us. A vast, sandy plain littered with the wrecks of crashed ships, metallic debris, and shattered components opened up in front of our eyes. The wrecks that dotted the plain were like headstones in a graveyard, and just as lootable to the sort of folks who needed the cash badly enough.

"I've got nothing on my scanner, just a bunch of interference. What about you? That's Tuffle Tech, right? It should be pretty advanced." Tried Shayera.

I hit the buttons on the side of my Scouter to take a scan. Unfortunately, I was only coming up with myself and Shayera, who surprised me with a Power Level of One-Hundred-Twenty-Five in Arcosian Power Levels. I hadn't thought she was that strong. Mind you the scouter didn't register technology as part of Power Levels, which was a thing that would allow Shayera to punch well above her weight. Aside from Shayera and myself, though, I had nothing. I wasn't getting the interference that Shayera was, Tuffle tech was good at cutting through that sort of thing, but since Arkillo could hide his power, and had just killed a bunch of people, it was likely that's what was going on.

"Nothing. I'm guessing he's suppressing his power right now to avoid any possible reprisals." I announced.

"That means we'll have to head into the wrecks and search manually." Grumbled Shayera. Then, she started forward, with me following, ready to get to our appointed task.

After all, the sooner we started, the sooner it was likely we would find Arkillo. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have the next chapter. It turns out that the Oans aren't the only ones pissed at Arkillo. The Local Syndicates want him gone too and are willing to pay, threaten, or otherwise strongarm anyone they think has a reasonable chance of doing the job. After all, if their Salvage Work Crews keep getting butchered, even with escorts, then that means they aren't salvaging materials and components, and that in turn means they aren't making any money.

Interestingly, that bit about Shayera being the Bastard Daughter of a High-Level Thanagarian Government Minister is as per canon. Andar Pul is the Thanagarian Minister of Protection, which is sort of like being the Attorney General in the US, or the Lord Chancellor in the UK, only there's a requirement that the Minister of Justice has to have actually served in the Thanagarian Wingmen to get the position. It's the main reason that Shayera became a Wingman in the first place.

At any rate, the next chapter will have Rugulo and Shayera hunting Arkillo through the Wrecker's Plain. I'll also have some other images out before then as well.

Stay tuned. . .