Thousands of years after Earth became uninhabitable, humanity colonized other planets and moons around the solar system. Amid rising crime rate, the Galactic Space Force (GSF) set up a legal contract where registered bounty hunters (known as Coyotes...
Space News: Space Patrol managed to locate Paradiso's new location. But when they went there, it was gone. They assure space travelers they will find it again. And once they do, they will shut it down for good and arrest everyone involved.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Wolf sat on the pilot's seat while Wednesday steered his spacecraft—The Anastasia—through Venus' atmosphere. It was the third planet to be colonized after Earth and Mars, and the second to be terraformed after Mars. He swallowed the lump in his throat and tapped his feet on the floor repeatedly, his elbow leaning on the chair's arm while his chin rested on his palm.
"What's wrong?" Wednesday asked.
"Nothing," he lied. A sunken feeling had corrupted his stomach, and he was trying his best not to show his discomfort. The dryness in his mouth and lips only made it worse. This was the hunt of his life. It hadn't hit him how important it was until his spacecraft entered Venus and he saw the cities, artificial dams, and vast desert. "I'm nervous, that's all."
"What can I do to help?"
"I'll be good when we get to Coupon."
"Are you sure?"
"Have I never been?" Wednesday didn't persist with her questioning. "How close are we to the Parking Lot?"
"We have arrived."
After the destruction of its Opus Station, Venus established Parking Lots throughout the planet, connecting two to four cities. They were cheaper to employ and more effective, reducing the high unemployment rate that had plagued it for centuries.
The Anastasia settled on its booked landing pad, and Wolf went to his jet-car in the cargo hold. The red four-seater had two jet engines on either side. He brushed his finger against the dirty bonnet and trailed the mark all the way to the windscreen.
"Should I take it as it is or rent a car?"
"Rent a car."
"Great, more credits to spend." He walked out through the open side door, finding a brown-skinned male attendant waiting for him outside, wearing a white kanzu and kufi cap.
"yjb 'an takun Wolf," the attendant said with a smile.
Wolf smacked the back of his neck a couple of times. "What did you say?" he asked.
"You must be Wolf."
"The one and only." He smiled.
"I'm Abbas. Please, sign here." The attendant handed him a tablet with his face and credentials on the screen. He signed at the bottom right.
"Do you have a car I can rent?"
"Ye. Please, follow me."
The Parking Lot wasn't big enough to fit destroyers or battlecrafts, but frigates, corvettes, and cruisers filled the landing pads. Wolf swallowed the egg in his throat, jealousy poisoning his mind and heart as he gazed at the beautifully decorated and heavily armored spacecraft.
