"Come on, please!" Rex pleaded as he picked up his pace. "Please, I'll do whatever you want!" She kept a few steps ahead of him. He knew from experience that she could still hear him. He was getting desperate. He had spent the last several months pleading and begging with Patricia to no avail. He wished his Charisma skill was higher. There was no way for Rex to scan her, but he was confident that her skill was higher than 0 Mediocre.

They crossed an intersection and down another long alley. Despite this near-daily routine, Rex could barely keep up with her quick pace. He cursed his poor Strength skill between breaths. She was going to lose him again. His lips moved without thought. "I thought we were friends." escaped.

> Rex attempts to persuade Patricia with Charisma (0 Mediocre)

> Rex rolls [ ], [ ], [ ], [-] resulting in a total of -1 Poor.

> Patricia resists the attempt.

Patricia stopped, causing Rex to stumble as he avoided running into her. He stood there, awkward and silent. Patricia turned around to face him. Her eyes locked onto his. He could feel her soul, her sheer force of will, being pressed directly into his brain. It was the look of death. He gulped.

She jabbed two long boney fingers into his chest. "Look, we are friends. But I do not have time for your bullshit right now. Ok? Can you understand that?" She did not wait for his answer but turned and left.

Rex stood in the alley and watched her leave. He continued to stand there as the sunset. The shadows around him stretched and sheered. Rex leaned his back against the alley wall and slid to the ground. Sitting there, in the darkness, Rex watched little lights fade to life. Dozens of the little lights moved to form patterns of colored light. Tiny robots rolling around with their tiny missions. It was a nice distraction.

In his mind, Rex could see his dream falling apart. He was going to be a Mech pilot. Not just any Mech pilot but a Galactic Champion! He just needed a Mech. Was it really too much to ask, Rex thought, for the universe to give him a Mech? He *knew* he was going to be the Galactic Champion one day. So it would save him a lot of time if a Mech just showed up for him.

He dismissed the idea. Mechs were giant war tanks. They required crews and equipment to maintain. It all ran on the one resource Rex didn't have, money. Without a Mech, Rex couldn't earn money, without money Rex couldn't have a Mech. It was the perfect system to keep him down. Rex could see his dream turning into his worst fear.

> Concentration (+2 Fair) check triggered.

> Rex rolls [+], [+], [+], [ ], giving a total of +5 Superb.

> Rex passes Concentration check.

No! Rex thought, he was not going to accept that. He stood up, filled with a surge of energy. His plan was solid, he knew that. This was just some turbulence. He could solve it or work through it. The only way Rex was going to get a Mech was from a factory. So he would have to work through this particular problem.

Over the next week, Rex stood at Deboy and North, waving to Patricia as she passed. He didn't try to talk to her or follow her. He just waved giving her his best puppy dog eyes. Once she passed he went back to surfing the internet with his cybernetic eyes. Every day she showed passed him, he gained a little hope.

“If I tell you, will you stop bothering me?” Patricia said one evening.

Rex was dumbfounded, he had been surfing the internet and not actually paying attention to the physical world. His eyes focused on Patricia standing in front of him.

"Anything! Whatever you want." He guessed.

"You know what I want," she said. Her thumb and forefingers rubbing together.

"Uh..." Rex stuttered, "is there something I could? I have high skills and many stunts. You need something done I can do it!" he said.

"That's what worries me," she said. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down the alley.

"I owe a favor to this pilot down in Quapi spaceport. But I have too much work to run down there and deliver it myself." She said as they moved quickly down the street and into another alley.

"You want me to deliver it for you!" Rex interrupted.

"Since you are so eager. And bonus, it gets you away from me for a while." She said. She had stopped in front of a seemingly random nondescript building. A door opened and a short fat man waddled out, handed something to Patricia, and walked back inside.

Once they were alone again, Patricia handed the package to Rex. "I need you to deliver this to Safiyan Carlson at the Quapi spaceport before Saturday."

"Yes!" Rex exclaimed as he saved the details. With a thought, he pulled up a map showing a route to Quapi spaceport.

"I am trusting you with this, do *not* let anyone else have this, do you understand?" Patricia asked finger outstretched, ready to jab.

Rex instinctively backed away. "Secret package, deliver directly to Safiyan only. Got it," he said.

She took a step forward. "I am trusting you, Do." she poked his chest. "Not." another poke "Let." poke.

Rex brushed her hand away. "I am not a child." He said.

Rex spent the rest of the night thinking about his soon to be life. He would get to the factory planet, find an amazing Mech, learn to pilot it, and become rich and famous. He smiled to himself, his plan was foolproof. He wondered if he would find an Atlas, one of the most powerful Mechs in the galaxy. It stood at 12 meters tall and could carry the ultra-powerful weapons, like the Gauss Rifle and the Particle Projection Cannon. The last three Galactic Champions had piloted Atlases. So when Rex dreamed about his future, he was in an Atlas. When the morning arrived, Rex hadn't gotten any sleep, but he had downloaded a few "Learn to become a pilot" simulations and watched some videos. He was feeling confident about his abilities, despite his Piloting skill of 0 Mediocre.

When the sun rose the next morning, Rex decided it was time to head out for Quapi. Normally he walked everywhere, not having the money to pay for a ride, but Quapi was on the southern continent. That left Rex with only one option, public transit. A high-speed train network that covered the entire planet. Rex arrived early, most passengers on their way to work for the day. That meant the trains leaving the city were almost empty. Rex found an empty train car and picked the best seat. His plan was to put himself in the mood by watching professionals fight. Then he would use the simulators to learn how to pilot a Mech himself. This way he would be the best pilot because he was watching the best pilots. Or so he told himself. It was not long before fell asleep, dreaming of giant machines locked in impossible combat.

Mechs are walking tanks. Originally invented to explore, colonize, and defend the galaxy. The machines were instead used in a war that lasted over three hundred thousand years. Once peace was reached. A new economy was created with Mech arena battles. These arenas allowed people to fight with the massive machines, but without the death and destruction caused by endless war. With the technology to build these machines lost, all new Mechs came from automated factories that survived the war, limiting the supply of new Mechs.

The moment before he awoke, Rex smelled something sour. A large weight pressed down on him, waking him up. A large blob of a coat and stale beer pressed him into the seat. Rex tried to yell at the man to get off, but his mouth and nose were covered, making it hard to breathe. Even when get did get a breath, it was the stale sour smell. The weight on his wrists was sharp like lighting. It traveled up and down his arm in hot bursts.

> Mert Terrell activates the Agility skill against Rex.

> Mert rolls [-], [-], [+], [+] with a +0 modifier resulting in a total of 0.

> Rex is untrained in Agility and defends with a +0 Mediocre.

> Mert fails skill check.

Rex twisted his right arm. The pressure increased. The pain sharp. His arm ready to break. He pushed and twisted. A loud POP! The weight was less for a moment, just enough time to pull his arm free. Rex wiggled his fingers, he could still feel them. He grabbed at fabric blob of a man and pushed. Rex pushed with all this Strength skill. He rolled the man just enough to squeeze out and into the aisle, splitting his lip as his face passed the armrest. Rex stood and yelled. "You could have killed me!"

The man repositioned himself in the seat. A scared smile looking back at him, head slightly cocked. "Excuse me," he said. "I am having some trouble standing. Could you help me up?"

The man talked in a steady deep voice. Something about it felt wrong to Rex. The coat was several sizes too big. And the smell was almost overwhelming. But the man looked focused, eyes locked onto Rex. "Who are you?" Rex asked.

Instead of a reply, the man leaped, arms outstretched. Rex saw a flash of metal.

> Mert Terrell attempts to Grapple Rex with Agility +0 Mediocre.

> Mert rolls [-], [-], [-], [+] for a total of -2 Terrible.

> Rex attempts to dodge with Agility +0 Mediocre.

> Rex rolls [+], [-], [ ], [ ] for a total of 0 Mediocre.

> Mert fails to grapple Rex.

As he leaped, the oversized coat caught on the chair's armrest. The man stopped mid-arc like in a cartoon before gravity slammed him down. A knife fell to the floor. Rex's mind saw the knife and panicked.

Rex ran down the train car. He squeezed through the door and into the next car. He ran through and squeezed into the next car. He ran blindly from car to car until he reached the end. Legs and arms burning, his chest heaving. Rex finally looked around. Most passengers pretended not to see him, or really didn't see him with their glazed eyes. One girl in the corner was recording him. She probably thought he was about to do something crazy. Instead, he tried to catch his breath and found a seat.

Rex wondered who the man was, and why *he* was attacked. Was it the package? How could he know? The package was safe and hidden in his jacket. As he pulled out the package to confirm, he felt pieces instead of a hard edge. The package was crushed. Well Shit, Rex thought. He hoped for the best and he opened the remains. He found a small blue vial, no bigger than his thumb. Rex didn't know what it was, but he was determined to deliver it Safiyan on time. He kept the crushed package, just in case.

Rex thought about going to the police, but they wouldn't help him. He was a nobody spacer. He didn't have any real proof of the attack even if they believed him. No, he thought, the only person that could help him, was him. He decided to hack into the Railroad Security system. With all the cameras, he was sure he could find something useful.

> Rex attempts to hack Railroad Security with the Internet skill at +0 Mediocre.

> Railroad Security resists with +2 Fair.

> Rex rolls [+], [+], [-], [ ] for a total of +1 Average.

> Rex fails skill check.

The railroad security was more modern than Rex had expected. The trains looked twenty years out of date, so he expected the security to be just as old. He was able to make some progress, but he could not find where the videos were stored. Everything he found was part of an identifier or API arguments. He had the keys, so to speak, but he couldn't find the lock.

Rex was sure he could figure it out, he just needed to spend more time on it. He checked his map. It would take the train another twelve hours to reach Quapi. He had plenty of time.

> Rex attempts to hack Railroad Security with the Concentration skill at +2 Fair.

> Railroad Security resists with +2 Fair.

> Rex rolls [+], [+], [+], [ ], a +3 for a total of +5 Superb.

> Rex succeeds skill check.

Rex almost leaped out of his seat with joy. He was right. The IDs matched a format that Rex was able to reverse engineer. From that, he was able to and discover the final endpoints. He had full access to every security video. The number of videos was overwhelming. It looked like the central rail system never deleted a video. Everything was tagged with a GUID, but that also obscured any metadata that would have helped Rex's search. It took several more hours of digging to find what he was looking for; video footage of the attack.

The video showed the scarred man enter the train, holding some device. As he walked down the train, he scanned each passenger. Once he reached Rex, the man put the scanner and attacked. After Rex's undefined looking escape, the man got off at the next station.

Rex sighed in relief. He should be safe for now. Once he was off the planet it wouldn't matter anymore. Rex felt the fear and anxiety flow over him. He let himself feel it without acting. And then, once he had calmed, he told himself to stay focused. There was only one path to his dreams, and he was not about to let this stop him. So Rex decided to stay on the train, keeping an eye out for any more attackers.

Rex was getting ready to disembark at the Quapi station when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped back and turned to face an attacker. It was a police officer, a man with a soft smile and curly brown hair.

"Sir?" the officer said.

Rex looked him up and down, then he sniffed the air. The man smelled like cotton.

"Sir" the officer repeated after a moment.

Rex's eyes were wide, searching for ... something, he was not sure. He wasn't being tackled to the ground, so maybe this was an officer. "Yes?" Rex croaked.

"Could you come with me?" The officer asked. His soft smile never fading.

"Why?" Rex said. He wanted to say a thousand things. Everything from why the police let him be attacked, to how he was innocent, to how they should reward him for bravery. Anything that was not about the package. He assumed it was illegal, whatever it was.

"Please come with me." The officer said, that smile never changing.

Rex nodded, he wished the officer was an asshole so he could justify resisting. Instead, he was lead to an office in the back of the station. Rex tried to see as much as he could during the short walk. Quapi was huge. Buildings towered the sky. Ships taking off or landing in the distance. Rex even saw a Drop-ship. This was not the steal cave he was used to, this was a silver forest, tall and open in the sky.

The police station was little more than rows of hard benches bolted to the floor. There were a few closed doors along the far wall, Rex assumed they were conference or interrogation rooms. A large cage took up one corner of the room. The officers motioned Rex to sit and then handcuffed him to the bench.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

From somewhere behind him, a gray-haired man built like a brick walked up to Rex.

"You hacked the security system," the man said.

> Brian Saxe attempts to charm Rex with a Chrisma +4 Great.

> Brian rolls [+], [+], [ ], [ ] for a total of +6 Fantastic

> Rex defends with Chrisma 0 Mediocre.

> Brian succeeds.

The security system! That's why he was here, not the attack. Of course, Rex thought, he would be attacked and the only thing the police cared about was getting another fine. Rex figured he was already screwed at this point, so he might as well tell them everything. Maybe they would surprise him. "Yeah, but I was attacked ..."

Brian made a gesture with his hand that silenced Rex mid-sentence. A screen projected in the physical world. It hovered in front of Rex.

* Rex, 19 years old, space born.

* Current address: none.

* Occupation: none.

* Skills: Concentration +2 Fair, Cybernetics +1 Average.

Rex tried not to look, but he couldn't help himself. Seeing his own stats on the display made him feel naked, violated. Those were his personal stats, and everyone in the room could see them.

Brian spoke, "What do you want to be?"

"A Mech pilot" Rex answered. "But I don't see how..."

Brian made the gesture again and Rex could no longer speak. Rex was still moving his lips, but no sound came out. Brian waited until Rex stopped trying to speak, then he continued. "Shame, 19 years old with skills this low. Don't they have schools in space?"

Rex scowled.

"Someone needs to be honest with you kid. You will never be a pilot. You need a +3 Good or better to get into an academy program. It does not matter how hard you work, or how smart you are. You will always be at a disadvantage. You will never be a successful pilot."

"I'll show you!" Rex said surprised that he was able to speak again. "I am going to be the greatest Galactic Champion! Just watch!" Rex was starting to feel a bit confused. They were supposed to be talking about the attack, not telling him he will always be a worthless nobody.

Brian shook his head. "Being stubborn explains your Concentration skill kid. You don't have to keep going down this dark path. Bad people will take advantage of your desire. It blinds you."

"I was attacked!" Rex shouted. "I am the victim here!"

Brian made a gesture and Rex was silent again. "You were a victim, and we are looking for the guy who attacked you. But that doesn't give you the right to hack into our security system."

Rex scowled. He could have died, were where the police then? This was just more of the same treatment. They talk nice for the camera and the official logs, but really it is all about money. Rex was angry at Brian. He was angry at his attacker. But mostly Rex was angry at himself.

"You have two choices." Brian continued. "Pay the fine or work it off at the Repayment Facility."

Rex sighed. "I don't have any money," he said.

"Do you have any friends or relatives that could bail you out?" Brian asked.

"No." Rex hung his low head, staring at the tips of his shoes.

"Very well, we will take you to the Repayment Facility tomorrow. Because you are so low level, it might take a few weeks for you to pay off the debt.

"Weeks! But I didn't hurt anyone! Please, I have a job, I am trying to get my life on track. I'll lose this job if I don't finish by Saturday. Please, I'll be back to living on the streets and begging for scraps."

> Rex attempts to charm Brian with Charisma +0 Mediocre.

> Rex rolls [-], [-], [-], [ ] for a total of -3 Terrible.

> Brian resist attempt.

Brian sighed. "Well, you can't say I didn't try." He waved at the officers. They unlocked Rex from the bench and re-locked him up in the cage. It was just a bar cage with a bench on one side and a toilet/sink combo on the other. There was no privacy. The entire office could see every inch of the cage. Rex sat down on the bench. He needed money, he needed power, he needed to be able to take care of himself. He laid down on the bench and tried to cover his eyes. He didn't want to cry, but the torrent of emotion flooded him, bursting through his eyes and whimpering softly in his lungs.

The Repayment Facility was a long shallow building designed to handle crowds of people at a time. The walls were made from a blast resistant clear plastic. The roof held a large solar panel. Inside was a long line that snaked the entire length of the building several times before reaching a series of counters.

When it was Rex's turn, the man behind the counter motioned for Rex to place his thumb a pad. As he did, he felt a prick as it sampled his blood. A floating display blinked to life on the counter. Rex's stats displayed again. He was too exhausted to care anymore. He wanted to be numb and held back his indignation.

"Hmm, it looks like most jobs are out of your skill range. Well, there is always paperwork. Nothing a bureaucracy loves more than paperwork." The man said from behind the counter.

"Is it at the spaceport? I would really like a job doing something there." Rex said.

"No, nothing like that. It's in the offices upstairs. Mindless work, you'll be done in three weeks."

"Three weeks!" Rex almost shouted but caught himself at the last moment. "Please, is there anything that gets me out by Friday?" Rex pleaded. "Or even something I can do in the Spaceport?" "Carry boxes?" "Load ships?" "Something, anything?"

> Rex attempts to charm Ray Chang with Chrarisma +0 Mediocre.

> Rex rolls [-], [ ], [ ], [ ] for a total of -1 Poor

> Ray Chang resists attempt.

"Ha," Ray forced a laugh. "You are not qualified to carry boxes. Even the simplest job requires Strength +1 Average. You have no skills. Just be happy with what you get."

Emotions stirred inside of Rex, begging for release. He tried to suppress them. He needed to focus on delivering the package. He had to get to the spaceport by Saturday afternoon. The clock in his quest log was counting down. He took a deep breath and tried again.

"Please, you probably won't believe me, but the love of my life is leaving on Saturday. I have to get to the spaceport and tell her my true feelings! If I don't I know I'll regret it for the rest of my life!" Rex paused for a dramatic moment. "Please, help me out for love!"

>> Rex attempts to charm Ray Chang with Concentration +2 Fair.

>> Rex rolls [-], [ ], [ ], [ ] for a total of +1 Average.

>> Rex succeeds.

Ray leaned in. "Well, I do have one thing."

"I can do it," Rex said.

"It would get you out on Friday, but it is dangerous. You will have to sign a waiver absolving responsibility."

Rex hesitated for a moment, but he hadn't come all this way to back down now. "I'll do it," he said. He felt like he was standing a little bit taller than before.

"The morgue has victims from a cyber virus. The virus is highly infectious. The higher a person's Cybernetic skill, the more likely it will infect them. I was hoping to find someone with a +0 Mediocre. But as long as you are careful, you should be fine. The hazard bonus means you'll be done by the end of day Friday."

"Thank you," Rex said.

That night Rex checked into the free hostel provided by the Repayment Facility. He wanted to ignore the law and just go to the Spaceport. He could go after work or during lunch. But that would be illegal. He was being tracked until he repaid his debt. If he went anywhere other than the hostel or work, he would be fined and possibly arrested. He could wait, he would have to wait.

When Rex arrived at the morgue the next day, armed security pointed him to the basement stairs. The air was fridged, Rex blew out his breath to watch it condense mid-air. A tall dark woman with curly hair was sitting at a desk, hands typing away at an invisible keyboard and display that only she could see.

"Hello" Rex squeaked out. "I'm from the Repayment Facility".

The woman's head turned and her eyes focused on Rex. A thin smile formed on her neon red lips. In a moment she was standing with a hand outstretched for Rex to shake. "I have been waiting all week for you." her voice was sweet like candy. Her teeth white like freezer burn.

Rex mumbled for a moment, his mind trying to decide if he should shake her hand. "uh yes, Yes. I am ready to work." He studdered while holding her hand.

"Good to hear, my name is Esme Sanford." She pulled her hand free from his grip. "Change into a clean suit and come find me." she walked back to her desk.

Once he was changed, she led him to a locked room in the back. In the middle of the room was a metal table. The back wall had a dozen metal hatches, all closed.

Esme walked to the table and placed a tablet on it. "You can use this as your bench. All you need to do is scan each body. Then look at it to make sure the scanner did not miss anything. Ok?"

"Yes," Rex said quickly. "So I just look at the body?"

"That's what I said." She must have heard this question before because she started into a lecture. "Legally a human has to verify all scan results. You get to be that human," she explained. "It is very easy, and very pointless. My Cybernetic skill is too high, which is why you are here." She turned and walked to the door. "Lunch is at one, you can go home at five." and then she was gone.

Rex turned back to face the wall of hatches. His skin crawled at knowing there was a dead person behind each of those little metal doors. Taking a deep breath, he set to work.

After the first few bodies, Rex had gotten over the shock and really started to look at them. The scan told him a lot of information. All the cybernetic implants, medical records, social history, and of course their skills and abilities. It was amazing to Rex. He knew intellectually that all this information existed, but seeing it made him feel like a small part of a large machine.

>> Automatic Cybernetics skill check.

>> [+], [+], [ ], [ ] plus Rex's +1 Average for a total of +3 Good.

>> Rex succeeds.

Rex was about to put the body away when a lump on left peck caught his eye. He looked at the scan, and it showed the area was clear. Rex pressed lightly on the lump. It was hard. His fingers felt along the edges of a small cylinder. Rex tried scanning it again, but it came up clear.

He wanted to cut it out. But the thought shocked him as quickly as he felt it. Was he crazy? How could he cut someone? But it was a dead body and not a person. A body marked for the incinerator. If he didn't try, he would never know.

Rex found a scalpel and brought it to the body. He felt around the shape with his finger and made a small cut. With a push, the object popped out of the dead man's chest and onto the floor.

It was a silver container, slightly larger than a finger. Rex twisted the cap off and a small blue vial fell into his hand. Imedadily Rex recognized it. Where all of these people courier like he was? He scanned it, the vial identified as "medical jell". Rex didn't know what that meant, but it had to be valuable. He even knew a potential buyer. Rex spent some time daydreaming about trading the vials for piles of money.

When he finished, Rex found a total of three vials. All labeled as medical jell. There was a brief moment when Rex considered reporting the vials. But he was still hurt by the way he had been treated. And besides, Esme said this was all pointless. So he took the vials and package with him to the Spaceport.

"I have a delivery for Safiyan," Rex said into the speaker. An enlarged eyeball stared back at him from the video projection.

"What are you dumb? Deliveries go into the box." the eyeball said.

"This is for Safiayan, personally." Rex tried.

"Put it in the box." The eyeball pulled back revealing a tall woman in a sparkling gray coat. Rex assumed he was supposed to know her. He had no idea. Maybe a celebrity? Rex was starting to worry that he had the wrong ship.

"I was sent by Patricia" he tried.

The screen faded away. Great, Rex thought to himself. He would just have to hope this counted. The pneumatic system sucked the package from his hands and down the dark tube.

>> Mert Terrell attempts to sneak with +3 Good.

>> Mert rolls [+], [+], [+], [ ] for a total of +6 Fantasic

>> Mert succeeds.

Darkness surrounded him. For a moment Rex imagined he had fallen into the box. The reality was quickly cleared as someone lifted him off his ground and their shoulder. Each step shook Rex, causing small eddies to churn in this stomach.

Rex felt a moment of weightlessness. Then gravity returned with force, slamming his entire body the ground. The bag was ripped off, followed by a quick kick to the gut. Rex curled into a ball. He hacked and wheezed, his lungs struggling to refill. A tall man in a midnight black suit stood over him.

"You have caused me quite a bit of trouble young man." the suit said.

"Who are you?" Rex choked out.

"That is not important." The man said.

Rex was pulled to his feet. His arms held behind his back. A stale sour smell wafted over his ear. "Remember me, sweetheart?"

Rex remembered. He would never forget that smell. Rex mentally flagellated himself for getting caught again. The vials, the attack, everything snapped into focus. This was the killer, the man with the cybernetic virus. He was about to die.

The suit leaned in closer and looked deep into Rex's eyes. Rex could see his own reflection staring back at him. "Do you still have the package?" the man asked.

He was no hero. Rex was just a dumb kid in serious danger. He was willing to say anything. Do anything, just to stay alive. He landed on the truth. "I delivered it," he said.

Rex fell to his feet, his arms snapped back into place like rubber bands. His muscles blazed with fire. Rex looked at his attackers, and at the door. This was his only chance to escape. His only chance to survive. His feet turned.

"YOU DELIVERED IT!" The suit erupted in red rage and spittle. He yelled obscenity after obscenity at Rex. Frozen in terror, he stood there and took it. After several minutes, the man stopped yelling. "You are of no use to me," he said before he poked Rex in the chest with two fingers.

Where the fingers touched, spread a coldness, a tightness. Rex could feel the weight of his own chest, and it was heavy. He was getting tired just breathing. Rex fell back on the floor. The coldness spidered out from his chest and down his arms and legs. With it came a deep desire for sleep. Rex closed his eyes.

Gray shapes and blobs of light-colored Rex's vision. Then the realization that he was awake. His body sat up and gasped for air. In thick lungfuls, he heaved in and out. The fresh air burned away the numbness. His eyes focused on a woman that sparkled like the stars.

She was moving, her mouth forming shapes. Rex wondered why she was mimicking speech instead of talking. He turned his head to look around. Everything was silent and the woman moved to stay in his vision. It frustrated Rex as he tried to understand. She really should just talk or leave him alone. His thoughts drifted to sleep and he closed his eyes.

A sharp slap forced Rex awake, a hand instinctively touching his hot cheek. The star woman was looking into his eyes, one hand up and ready to slap again.

"No," Rex squeaked.

The woman put her hand down. "How do you feel? Are you going to pass out again?"

"Who?" Rex said. His lips felt dry and numb.

"I'm Safiyan," the woman said. "You delivered a package to me." She smiled at him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You will be alright. I saved your life."

"Sorry," said Rex.

"You are well... what Why?" she asked.

Rex thought. He didn't know. He felt bad, so he was sorry. He was attacked, he was a victim. But he was alive. He was confused as his feelings twisted around each other. "Thank you for saving me," Rex said.

She smiled. "And at no small cost to myself! I hope you can pay for it."

Rex rolled his eyes. Was this a money thing again? He was having trouble understanding so he pulled out the three vials. "I need transport off this rock," he said.

"Holy fuck, Where did you get those?" she asked.

Rex frowned. "The morgue. I assumed they were couriers like me."

Safiyan reached to take the vials. "No need to worry about those now. I will be on my way and you can go back to your regularly scheduled life."

Rex pulled his hand back.

"Give me the vials," she said.

"Not for free. I need a ride." Rex put the vials back into his jacket.

"I saved you," she said.

"Please, just need you to drop me off on a planet." He tried to stand, but his legs gave out. Safiyan caught him and pulled him up, letting him lean his body weight on her. "A factory planet. I am going to be a Mech pilot."

They walked out of the warehouse. There was an automated car waiting for them. She placed him in the car before getting in herself.

"Fine," she said after a long time. "You sell me all three vials, and I drop you off on an abandoned planet."

"Is there a Mech factory there?" Rex asked.

"I have never seen it myself. Some guys I know flew a couple of Drop-ships there. It is a forest, so I hope you like camping."

"Love it" Rex lied. He handed her the vials.