A man with a pair of large woolly dogs ambled past them, the master obliviously chattering on his uplink while his pets made a point of sniffing every available crack and cranny, as well as the toes of any passersby that wandered close enough. The people chatted with each other and into invisible comm uplinks, some rushed, heads down, or just enjoyed the evening air. Few of them paid much attention to Kaidan's group, who seemed to exist in their own heavily-armed bubble. It was almost shocking to see so many human civilians in one place again. These weren't the most privileged of the residents of Bekenstein, rather the everyman who'd managed to get a foothold in its harsh economy. The daytime shift was ending, spilling workers into the streets to find their rides home. They'd deployed where the commercial sprawl gave way to a more industrial sector. Bekenstein eschewed the arcologies found on most colonies in favor of conspicuous displays of individual corporate wealth in the form of gleaming skyscrapers. In the distance, the towers that formed the city's heart reached into the clouds. A ruthless cold-war battlefield maintained under a guise of peaceful business. Like Noveria, each corporation seemed like a town unto itself, but instead of being separated by barren, snowy expanses, each holding abutted against the other, cheerfully competing with one another for materials and manpower. It could only be professional curiosity that drew the mercenary's eye, who were these new guns in town? Or so he hoped. But his polarized visor would conceal enough of his features to foil recognition systems. Kasumi's reminder of his own unwelcome fame trotted through the back of his mind, giving him a thrill of nervousness. The commander kept his head straight, eyeing the other man sidelong. One, exhaling the smoke from his cigarette, turned and looked directly at Kaidan. By the doors, a small group of armed guards were chatting. The avenue spread into the entrance courtyard of a large building. Tarasov and Odell paced along behind him. Kaidan concentrated on walking at an even pace, the little green map in his HUD leading him through the streets of Bekenstein. Hock would monitor every wavelength in his airspace such that even a jump in encrypted traffic would raise suspicions. Out of communications, the worst kind of distance. Tension laid the roadmap of these moments, a wait made worse by the knowledge that part of his squad was beyond his reach.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |