A Second Chance

Somewhere in the fog between being awake and asleep Ian could hear someone calling his name. He just couldn’t figure out if it was a dream or not. The fatigue could be felt throughout his entire being and he desperately wanted to slip deeper into unconsciousness.

“Ian! Come on… get up! Dyrke wants to see us right now! Ian!”

Ian rolled over onto his back and then struggled to an upright position. When he opened his eyes he found it difficult to focus on the shadowy form at the foot of his bed. He put a hand down to steady himself as he rubbed his eyes in an effort to clear them up.

“Are you coming?”

Ian nodded and looked down to the other side of the bed. He started to reach out to wake Amber.

“Just you,” the figure said, now in a whisper.

Ian nodded again and then slipped his feet over the side of the bed. When his feet hit the cold plascrete floor it sent a jolt through his system that kick started the adrenaline. His mind was still a little foggy, but now his blood was flowing.

The Steel Spider’s medical bay was still dark. Ian guessed that it was about halfway through lights-out, the orchestrated sequence of lights to give Necromundan’s a sense of day and night. Fortunately he kept his Infra-goggles on the small table by the bed. It seemed like a waste to use precious battery power on something as frivolous as looking around his own room in the dark, but he would rather waste the batteries than wake Amber up.

As the goggles systems warmed up Ian looked around the bay. The six tables were all empty as the Spider’s were enjoying a peaceful season beneath the Bifrost. The workbench along the back of the room was undisturbed, and the half dozen partially finished projects littered it from one end to the other. He loved to tinker with gadgets but once Dyrke had found out that he was as good with humans as he was with gizmos, most of his time was spent fixing up the other Spiders. Still, he often found time to roam around the market place on the bridge span above. Always on the look out for that one piece he could use to complete his little projects. Right by the door, hanging on improvised pegs in the wall, hung Ian and Amber’s kit. Ian’s snatched up his woefully under equipped medic bag and lasgun and then took one last look over his shoulder. Amber sighed in her sleep and rolled over. Ian smiled to himself and headed straight for the gang’s briefing room. He was lucky. Most gangers rarely get to share a life with another.

Ian was the last to arrive. Sitting around the room were Renny, and Rogers.

“About time!” Rogers said as he walked in.

Ian knew from when he first joined the Spiders. He was a good guy to know. He was the quiet type around the bunk house, but was ferocious in combat. He was an oddity among the Van Saar because he favored close combat and carried a Bolt Pistol and a Power Sword. Renny had recently been elevated to a full fledged member of the gang and fancied himself as a gun slinger, carrying a las pistol on each hip. He was also good at ringing out a few extra credits on his rounds.

“What’s all this about Rog?” Ian asked as he sat down.

Before Rogers could answer, Dyrke walked in with a man in lockstep right behind him.

“What this is ‘all about’ is you doing as your told Ian,” Dyrke locked eyes with Ian as he strolled into the center of the room. It was more to make sure he had the group’s attention than anything else. Once he was satisfied that he had achieved just that he continued.

“This here is Gelder,” he said motioning toward the stranger with a wave of his arm. “I hired him from the Union Houses on my last trip uphive to report to the elders. He will be working with Boanerges in the shop.” Ian looked the man over, he carried a Plasma gun in a ‘Y’ sling across his shoulders, and a Bolt Pistol on his hip.

“While I was there I was given an assignment by Elder Korvan.” Ian had no idea who that was and looked around to see if there was an semblance of recognition from the others. “It would seem his son has decided he wanted a little adventure downhive here, and while he was sowing his oats, got himself captured by House Cawdor. This was confirmed by a ransom demand while I was there. It would seem that Elder Korvan would rather not pay this ransom, and would prefer to not publicaly engage in his son’s release. He has given us the privilege of accomplishing this task for him.”

Dyrke began to walk back and forth between the assembled gangers.

“That is why I’ve woken you all up in the middle of the night,” he said making eye contact with Ian once more. “I have placed Cacee in charge while we are away, and he is the only one who is to know where, and why. Any questions?”

Ian watched his leader for any hint of how long they were going to be gone, but he gave nothing away.

Dyrke looked around the room and saw that no one was willing to ask anything more. “Alright, we’re leaving right now.”

-=-=-=o=-=-=-

During their trip downhive Dyrke had filled the rest of his quintet in on their mission. Apparently the Elder’s son, Solby, had some kind of “spiritual revelation” and was on some kind of personal spiritual journey, for whatever reason that had led him to the underhive. It was not clear how, or why, he was now in the hands of the Cawdor, but they apparently were not pleased that he was passing through their territory.

What was known was that a Cawdor gang known as “The Harbingers” were now holding the Elder’s son, and that they had holed up after their last fight. Not just anywhere though. They had staked a claim in a recently discovered dome. Ian could not help but feel some sense of irony. It was the same dome he had implored Dyrke to strike out for not a fortnight ago.

-=-=-=o=-=-=-

The “Steel Spider’s” quietly approached the entrance to the Cawdor’s territory, a reinforced plas-steel door that served as a choke point. It was located smack dab in the middle of what had used to be an old industrial shipping hub. Old servo-lifts, and dismantled cargo carriers littered the landscape. Dyrke call his team close.

“There’s only one sentry, but the door looks to be locked tight. We’re going to have to blow it open. That’s your job Gelder,” Dyrke said. The new comer just nodded his acknowledgement. “Ian, you’re his cover man. Rogers, Renny, and I will move through to take out the sentry and secure the area. Once the door is blown we collapse on the doorway and move in to get this kid back. Any questions?”

Ian was not happy having to babysit the new guy, especially because he was so green. He had no idea what to expect of him, or how he would react once the shots began flying. As they came within sight of their goal the men broke up into their two groups.

As they approached Gelder wanted to stay on ground level but Ian shook his head sternly and pointed up to an overhanging gantry. It would provide a clear shot at the doorway, the sentry, and block of what appeared to be empty habs. Ian thought the latter looked as good as any for the Cawdor’s barracks.

Ian practically had to restrain the man. While Ian was trying to be cautious and ensure a clear shot, Gelder was anxious to get his shot on the door. Ian could hear the plasma chambers heating the stored plasma cells. The scent of charged ions was unmistakable. As Ian glanced over to try and point his partner to a better firing position the distinctive hiss of a plasma gun discharge filled the air.

“Crap!” Ian thought to himself and immediately sighted back on the sentry. The hooded man’s image leapt into view of his Infrared sight. One of his little gizmo’s created back on his work bench back under the Bifrost. Before Ian could squeeze of a shot with his las gun the sentry was banging a set of metal bars together. The alarm was raised and they were about to have some company.

“Zzzaaap!”

The las bolt knocked one of the metal pipes out of the Cawdor’s hands causing him to flinch and duck for cover. “Calm down Ian,” he said to himself. “Breath,” Ian said counting to three to himself.

“Zzzaap!”

“Son of a…,” Ian cursed himself out loud as his second shot sailed wide. It wasn’t even close. “You gonna take out that door Gelder? Or am I going to have to do it with this lasgun!

As Ian went to take another shot he saw the red led indicator blinking on the charging chamber.

“Piece of junk!” Ian cursed to no one in particular as he cycled the charging handle. “Gonna have to look at those connectors again.”

The smell of super heated plasma and the hiss of Gelder’s plasma gun filled the air again. “Take that!” Ian heard the heavy say.

Suddenly the area around the two men was peppered with incoming shots as the Cawdor responded to the attack in force. Gelder groaned as he was hit. Ian couldn’t tell how bad it was, but when the heavy collapsed to the floor he went right on over the ledge. Ian looked on in horror as the man fell three levels and landed with a solid thud.

“That’s not good,” Ian thought to himself.

There wasn’t time to worry about it. Several more shots began landing in and around him. To get more cover Ian went prone and began searching for targets. BY this time Dyrke and the others were among the closest of the new arrivals. But then he spots a juicy target.

Towards the back of the pack is man draped in deep blue robes and a full face hooded mask. If there had been flames or some other telling mark, Ian could have sworn it was a Redemptor. “Come to papa,” he thought to himself, and squeezed off another shot from his las gun. This one struck home and he saw the Cawdor leader drop to a knee grabbing his shoulder.

“Ping, ping, ping!”

“That was close.” Ian flinched as several large caliber rounds hit the railing to his left, chips of paint a metal flayed across his arm. It took a second but Ian found the source of his troubles, a bounty hunter. But before Ian could return fire the Cawdor were falling back to regroup.

“Come on! I’ve got the door open and we’re getting out of here!”