No Shelter Among the Stars

Chapter 8- Gypsy

Her dirty blonde hair was pinned back in a messy bun. Here and there she had died her locks a bright violet, one died lock of her hair was loose and hung against the left side of her head like a violet ribbon.

She pushed her way through the crowds that choked the streets. Her long dark coat just kissed the ground as she walked, catching trails of the puddles of refuse littering the streets. All the mist, glittering from the hundreds of light sources built across every wall and building, made the streets seem even more crowded than they actually were. People constantly appeared and disappeared into the thicker parts.

She turned down an alleyway and into one of the many makeshift pubs that collected in Black Mary's dirtier corners. This one had no name. It was little more than a cave dug into the asteroid. The far wall was rumored to be thin enough that one good smack would open the place to the void, killing everyone inside. She dismissed such rumors, there were more solid threats in her life than a nebulous possibility of death by space. She made her way to the far corner, right next to the supposed wall.

A pale man leaned back in a cushioned chair, the only one in the place. His large ice gray eyes caught sight of her instantly. His lips creased in amusement and he waved her over.

She crossed the room in a couple quick strides and sat in the stool across from him. Laid out across the cheap metal table was a collection of data laminas. Each one was paper thin, with images and charts from around this sector of the galaxy constantly updating.

"Gypsy," said the thin man. His bug eyes looked her up and down before settling on her face.

"I got your message, Luben," she said spreading her gloved hands. Each black glove ran all the way up to her elbow. "What do you want?"

Luben shook his head, shadows clung to this sunken cheeks. "You misunderstand, I called you here because I have something that you want," he said.

Gypsy was immediately on edge, or more so. Her eyes flicked to the handful of dirty half dressed men sprawled across cheap tables and barstools. She slipped her hands off the table. The problem with this place being a cave was that she only had one line for the exit. "What do you mean?" she asked.

He held up a small plastic vial. It looked empty at first, but when he turned it the top was a magnifying glass, revealing a black strand inside, thinner than a human hair.

"Just came in," said Luben. "I told you I could get anything."

Gypsy glanced at it and smiled. She kept her gaze steady, but her heart was racing. "Our disagreement wasn't about that, as I recall," she said.

"Sure, sure," said Luben. "I believe our last discussion was on pragmatism. Have you learned any, living on the streets?"

"I do what I need to do to survive," said Gypsy. Her hands fell to the hidden compartments stitched into her black pants under the table. She really couldn't tell if the drunks surrounding them were real, or if they could see what she was doing.

"I've heard," said Luben shaking his head again. "That job you did on the big ship, Black Colossus? Did you truly slice their system for a couple protein bars?"

"Starvation makes one reevaluate priorities," said Gypsy. And professional pride she added in her head.

"You don't need to starve. Work with me again, like the old days. Do a couple of jobs and I'll put you up for retirement, and," he held up the vial. "I'll give you your ticket off this rock."