Social Order

Part 2

Sean rose off his bar stool, taking a quick swig from his beer bottle. Nate did a quick head count, then informed Sean confidently. "Almost everyone is here. Just few that are out on late night deliveries." Sean nodded, asking the group loudly. "Anyone working tomorrow morning?" Quite a few hands went up. Sean didn't expect anything less. Most of the people did odd end jobs for credits. Typically, during morning and noon hours. Nate gave him a small shrug with a look that questioned what he was up too. Sean pointed to the few people that didn't raise their hands and told them commandingly. "You guys follow me." Sean finished his beer, slamming it on the counter before leading them to a closed off back room. The room was usually empty unless they held important meetings. This would be one of them. Flicking the lights on, he waited for everyone to file in and take a seat in the metal chairs.

Once everyone was seated, he closed the door, announcing straight off the bat. "Tomorrow morning, we are going on a raid." One of the men, quickly intervened in a bold tone. "What? We only do raids once a month. Too many and the Valkyries move in to reclaim property. Besides, I didn't hear any news of anyone big coming in from the outlands." Sean cleared his throat, strolling casually to the head of the table as he informed them dryly. "I'm not talking about our normal raids on rich Nobles. I'm talking about raiding the Red Cyclones. Stealing their share of credits." The room fell into a dead silence. The looks of fear and unsettlement spread among them. A few shifted in their seats wearily. Nate was the only one brave enough to question him on this sensitive matter. Leaning on the table, Nate asked him in a cautious tone. "I hate the Red Cyclones as much as anyone... but they work for the Trading Company. They deliver pets to the auction house in Valhalla. That's a BIG risk."

Sean shrugged carelessly, stating out darkly. "The Red Cyclones threaten our raids by alerting the Valkyries. So now, we'll cut into their pockets a little. They'll have no choice but to go through us for supplies. We bleed them out. Force them to join our side. Once we claim the entire Slum territories, we'll control everything. Nothing will happen in the Slums that we won't know about." One of the men at the end of the table, huffed loudly before stating out. "You're asking us to start a war with the Cyclones. We do this raid... They'll come for us. You'll start a god damn gang war." Nate reluctantly added in more gently. "That's not counting 'if' we can even pull this off. The Trader can tell the difference between US and THEM. He knows who works for him. The people in Valhalla know the Red Cyclones. We get caught... Who knows what will happen." Sean pulled a folder off a rusted rack on the wall, tossing it onto the table for them to look at.

While they opened it, Sean confidently told them. "Two weeks ago, the Cyclones were told to deliver a pet worth seven million credits to the pet auction in Valhalla. Instead, they made a side deal with a Noble from off world. They pocketed seven million credits. They made the Trader look bad. He's pissed. He gave us the badges. All we've got to do is get there before them. We take the pets. We deliver. We get paid. The Red Cyclones take a huge hit to their monthly wages." Nate looked over a badge, then retorted coolly. "How do you know this one raid will hurt them so badly?" Sean smirked, leaning forward to rest his hands on the table as he told them smugly. "Because Bradley spent a lot on upgrades to that bike of his for the race. Not counting their recent spending habits. New gang house and a larger garage. They're careless. We are not. Now what do say? Are you in?" The men all glanced around at each other, before nodding seriously. Sean grinned, dismissing them with a smug smile. "Good. Get some rest. We're getting up before the dawn."

The five men got up and made their way casually from the room. Sean began gathering up the badges and file papers, noticing Nate was the only one still seated in the room. Nate propped his boots up onto the table, relaxing in the seat as he uttered out softly. "Sean... This thing between you and Bradley. Why is it so important? Why do you care? The Red Cyclones have always obeyed the territory laws. We don't need to wipe them out." Sean let out a heavy sigh, before sitting on the table edge to answer openly. "It's not me. It's Bradley. You've seen him, Nate... Ever since I started racing, he's gotten more aggressive. They've been top dog for so long. I'm worried they'll come for us. Bradley threatens us about it all the time. I'm starting to think he just might try it." Nate dropped his legs and rose to his feet, replying calmly. "Bradley always threatens things. He's never acted on them. He doesn't like gang wars. It just draws in the Valkyries." Sean tilted his head back, groaning out a bit tired. "Hmm... I know. But can we really afford to take that risk? I'm tired of looking over my shoulder and watching for territory borders. I just want to ride around in peace... I want true freedom."