Fringe sectors
Ontregos system
Station ‘Guardian-17’
According to the ancient festive tradition, the Broker was greeting this morning in his quiet office on the station ‘Guardian-17’. The Broker had unremarkable offices at all major stations in restricted sectors. Usually, it was the standard cheap office room. Of those that could be easily rented at any station for cash and without documents. A strict environment. Minimum furniture. Pseudoscreens in place of windows. And a very, very good connection to the intergalactic network.
Today, the Broker was in surprisingly good spirits. The station was getting ready for the ‘Spring’ holiday. Many people who were born and raised in space did not even know what this festival involved, but he grew up on a planet and to him these weren’t just empty words. The Broker was slowly deciphering reports from his numerous agents, and a vaguely romantic smile was on his lips. Today, even the driest reports written in bureaucratic style appeared to him in a completely new, unusual form. Spring was knocking on his heart…
‘Miss Frost was walking down the main corridor of New Eden.’ In her hands she held a modest bouquet of greenhouse tulips. Her piercing blue eyes reflected her good mood, spring and love. Her gaze was lost in thought. And a smile never left her lips…
‘Not far from New Eden’ in the Hydra sector a huge black dreadnought belonging to Miss Summer is slowly drifting among abandoned orbital mines and factories. Perhaps at this very moment she is looking through a huge armored superglass at the remains of the ‘Naberia’ plant. Maybe she’s plotting new crimes or recalling her old adventures…
‘Selena Galo together with Victoria Nemoff — an instructor working with rookies — and her many mercenary friends are occupying one of the most fashionable bars in the Empire on level 34 level. Soft drinks are flowing like water. It’s a holiday today after all. But tomorrow everyone has new flights and new adventures. Quite a young mercenary tells Galo something about the new tactics on rank 11 destroyers, but she’s not listening. Her beautiful eyes, covered with a pair of stylish ‘antique’ glasses are glued entirely to another person. Already an experienced pilot, decorated with a small scar on his cheek from one of the battles…’
‘Today Ada Sonex is flying the shuttle from the station Mendez IX to Monolith Ruins in high spirits. According to the data, out there in the abandoned Jericho city a special expedition discovered the entrance to the secret laboratory of Liu family. Ada’s group is tasked with opening the sealed labs and studying the remaining artifacts.’
‘Even through the tightly sealed double pneumatic doors everyone can hear Natasha Cortez scolding her negligent subordinates. Even special sound-dampening panels can not deal with her voice. Visitors sitting in the waiting room are pressed into their chairs in uncomfortable poses while eagerly catching every sound coming from the room. Judging by the tone and expression — Natasha is in excellent fighting mood…’
‘Yes — The Broker thinks reading one file after the other. — Even here, in deep space, at the edge of human expansion, very close to the enemy, spring produces miracles.’ He shifted to try and get comfortable in a cheap office chair. The day has just begun and there is still so much to do…
