Room With A View

Posted on Mon Nov 4th, 2019 @ 10:39am by Client The Narrator & Passenger Kol Wescott-Fitzgerald

Mission: The Forgotten Arm
Location: Eros Station, Core Levels
Timeline: 6 months before the Eros Incident.

"I remember when all of this was a vacuum. Had to walk through here in a vacuum suit. Four-day shifts in those things, drinking your own recycled piss whilst manning the drills. Watch that, will ya? Steampipe, hot as all the fires of hell."

The name tape on his overall's read 'Jack', but then again he hadn't said his name was Jack when he'd met Kol at the dock. He'd just held up his terminal with the letters U N I B spelt out on it and then told Kol to follow him. It was either a guide to his new place of work or a very holistic approach to mugging. And where they were going was a mystery. They had taken a travel pod up through the winding tunnel network that interconnected the various onion layers of Eros Station, rocky potatoes ten kilometres wide and rotating at 1 revolution a minute. Just enough that at the lower surface levels you'd feel 1/3 Gee.

But this close to the centre of spin, it was closer to 1 gee. And being this close to the centre of spin meant the inner ear kept swinging a little, feeling the tug of the Coriolis effect. It was like walking around whilst drunk, which Jack might be.

"Now, where was I?" Jack asked, running a hand through his wispy cotton down hair that seemed to defy gravity. He put his other hand on the rocky tunnel wall, looking up and down the industrial-looking crawl space they found themselves in. A sign picked out in bright bioluminescent lichen proclaimed 'Grey Water Processing: 20 Meters Spinward.' with an arrow pointing up the hall. Jack seemed to grab on to his thread of consciousness again. "Ah! Yes, did I tell you boy that I was here when Tycho Industries spun up Eros for gravity? 5 years I spent down in these tunnels, digging out the anchor pits for the reaction drivers! Four-day shifts in a leaky pressure suit!"

Kol was no stranger to the belt, the years he'd spent on Luna had made him an ideal candidate for UNIB operations out on the belt. Typically he enjoyed his stays, the people, the culture and the general atmosphere was different to Earth and Luna. Everything was raw, people had real struggles across the board, economic status barely made a difference. No matter how it was framed, everyone was trapped in the same barren rock. Despite his past adventures, this was the first time Kol had stepped foot on Eros proper. Typically he was on prisoner escort duty and would wait with the UN frigate until his charge was delivered to him by the private security that kept the settlements 'safe' and 'orderly'.

"You haven't," Kol lied in reply to Jack's most recent question. At the forefront of Kol's mind was on ensuring he avoided offending the population of Eros. Inners were held in low regard, especially so as the OPA's numbers swelled. The inners had it all and left the belters with nothing was the consensus; Kol couldn't say they were wrong.

As the pair drew closer to their destination, Kol considered the circumstance that had led to his arrival. Since day dot, the investigator had been a diligent agent. Working way beyond his contractual hours at the sacrifice of any substantial personal life. Other than his twin, he hadn't established any meaningful relationships since university. Not that that kind of dedication meant an iota in the face of UN politics. Regardless of whether it was Kols job to enforce UN law, the rules only seemed to apply to those who lacked the clout to interfere at a higher level. He'd naively thought that wouldn't matter once he'd had the results he'd been seeking.

Yet here he was, exiled to Eros to reclaim the respect and trust he'd earned previously. A hopeless pursuit no doubt but he intended to give it his all.

"Working for Tycho Industries was the best thing I could have done, everything else has been piss since then. UNIB pays me to keep the office here in shape, but I ain't getting paid hazard pay you know. No, not old Jack! Used to be a Marine don't ya know? UNMC. First in, last out was our motto. I was part of the first wave to go in when the OPA hijacked the Gagarin coming up form Mercury. Mustered out shortly after that, medical discharge. Got out just before Anderson Station which is a godsend and no mistake- AH! Here we are, 4415!" Jack's twaddling monologue ended with the arrival at a grubby pressure hatch. The slim metal covering had a good many layers of paint over a few spots, so though someone had been painting over something again and again and again.

And had missed the latest graffiti offering: Office Of Gravity Gestapo.

"Damn Belter rung leeches!" Jack grunted and used his sleeve to try and rub the paint away. "Every week it's a new one of these things!"

Kol wasn't shocked. After Anderson was the destroyed the UN had lost any of the remaining support they had had from the UN belt settlements. The only reason they had kept their authority was likely due to their wealth. Had the belt have equal strength he had no doubt they'd have taken their independence. He made note that it was likely for the best that he withheld his connection the UNIB unless absolutely necessary. He'd have a hard time earning trust simply for being an inner, he needed to be careful with how he proceeded.

Jack used his hand terminal to open the look, and the hatch opened with the groan of tired hydraulics. It was the back door, opening into a tight little storage space that was only identifiable as storage space because of the empty shelves and the sign over the hatch across the way. Jack lead the way through, closing the hatch to the maintenance tunnel they'd trod through before opening the other hatch into the main office. Narrow, with a high ceiling, painted a pastel UN approved blue. This airy touch was ruined instantly by the pair of office cubicles that took up nearly 2/3rd's of the space. And past them, an open seating area before a glass door.

A door with the shutter down and sealed. The air had the musty taste of old air recycling, of foam padding oxidising and decaying. This was not a place people went to improve their career prospects.

"I can open the shutters if you want. Controls for them only work from this side, which is why we didn't come in through the front," Jack said, nodding at the gas fronted metal barrier. "Tube station you came in is just across the way. Trust me, when the Governor makes a bad choice in enforcing UN policy you want the controls to that armour on your side if you get my meaning."

Kol could barely mask his discomfort. The offices back on Luna had been much more aesthetically pleasing and spacious than this cupboard. The entire unit filled the space typically reserved for one agent, depending on the activity of the department. As a Senior Kol was definitely used to having some space. The way Jack had spoken his ear off en route had him silently hoping that he was the only person who'd be using the space.

"What's the current state of things?" Kol said finally, "I was briefed before departing my transport, but I'd prefer to be briefed by someone who actually knows Eros" he admitted, perching on top of the closest desk.

"Hey...hey!" Jack held up his hands. "I just get the UN credit chit, I don't work here. You want the low down you can talk to the other Agent. Guy goes by the name of Sullivan, that's his desk the one with the...the um...the decorations."

The desk in question, the one not devoid of anything apart from a blank terminal screen with the Eros Com logo spinning on it, was something of a sight. There was a tray of data cards all piled up in what could have been a scale model of Olympus Mons, next to a carton of take-out printed Thai food that was becoming a biohazard by the second. Glossy and glittering holo notes were attached to the cubical wall, portraying a variety of women in clothing best described as 'chilly'.

There was also a bottle of Ganymede Red Label bourbon sticking out of the trash bin under the desk.

"Look it's early, just going 1000 hours, probably Sully is waking up in his usual haunt. Give him a few hours, sure he'll be in to see you around the middle of the afternoon," Jack held out his terminal, and Kol's buzzed in response as the office's security and lock codes passed to him. "Look I gotta go, other places to clean up ya know. If you want to find Sully, might I suggest The Open Visor? It's a pipe house down near the docks. Ask your terminal, it'll take you there."

Kol nodded awkwardly before pulling his terminal out, finding Jacks on the network and transferring him 50 credits, “it’s not much, but thank you for bringing me here”... even though it had outta have been Sullivan meeting him. He left the latter part out, it’d do him no favours to disgruntle anyone less than an hour since his arrival.

"Ain't no trouble. In fact, you need anything else you just go and comm me again okay?" Jack said, eyeing his grubby spider web cracked terminal with a grin. He then made his jerky way back towards the access hatch to the maintenance crawl space. A hatch hidden behind a poster advertising the importance of completeness in formwork. "I'll just let myself out the back okay? No offence, but a guy can get a rep taking Earth script that ain't all that flattering."

Kol shook his head as the man crawled out of sight, maybe he'd grow on him over time; hopefully, he wouldn't be here long enough to work that out. Now alone, the agent took another couple of seconds to observe his new office. It was smaller than he'd anticipated but he reckoned he could make it work. It seemed the hardest task he had ahead of him was meeting Sullivan, judging by the man's desk the only think Kol figured the only thing the pair would have in common as their duty to the UNIB.

With a sigh, he made his way over to Sullivan's desk and got rid of the rubbish. He didn't want to be here, but if he had too he was gonna' have a little bit of control over his environment, Order would make it much easier for the pair to collaborate.