Maniacs The Krittika Conflict - By Nick S. Thomas Page 0,14

landscape. It was a warm climate with a mix of grass, dirt, and dry sand. He spotted a crop of three trees close to a hundred metres away. They were each no more than thirty centimetres wide.

"Put a single shot into each one of those trees, and I'll take you at your word."

"Max..." Liu cut in.

It was a tough challenge, and they all knew it.

"No, no, she said she can hunt. With those kinds of skills, you must be capable of a hundred yard shot. Let's see what she can do," he replied as he turned to her.

"You see we're in the business of fact, not hearsay. If you want our trust, then you must prove you’re worth it."

She didn't like his assumption about her character, but it only made her more determined to prove him wrong. She lifted the rifle to her shoulder. The fact she didn't kneel to take the shot made Liu wonder if she was either confident or naive. Her finger squeezed the trigger, and they watched as the laser struck the first tree on the left.

"Lucky shot..." Mason quickly snapped.

Before his words were out, she had put a shot into the other two and left him speechless. She turned around to enjoy her moment. Max did everything he could to recover and hide his amazement.

"Happy?"

"Well, Erin. That might be the first honest thing you've told us since coming aboard. Hang onto the rifle for now."

"Thanks."

"You ever shot a man?"

She shook her head.

"Well I hope you can shoot that well when it counts."

He turned and walked away with Mitchell. Liu stepped up to her, looking highly impressed.

"He likes you."

"Really?"

"Not many people give him reason to be impressed. Well done. You really learned that for hunting?"

"How else?"

"Lot of reasons to learn how to shoot, and most of them aren't for sport."

"I can see why you were a detective."

It was a subtle and clever shift of subject and that amused him. They turned as they heard the rotors fire up, and Mily raced out from the ship with Mitchell at the controls.

"You ever come to places like this much?" she asked.

"We go wherever we can get work. A well off frontier world like this though; it's wealthy enough to manage on its own, not the kind of place I'd expect to see kidnappings."

"That all the work you do?"

He shook his head. "If it needs some muscle, and they pay enough, it’s work for us."

"And what about right or wrong?"

"Its a grey area. We would turn a job town if it were against our principles."

"Turned down any work recently?"

He shook his head.

* * *

It was just a thirty-minute ride to the town, and as they approached, they could see it was a small place.

"Really think we'll find what we need here?" asked Mason.

"Pretty sure. They have to keep ships moving on mineral rich worlds like this. We'll make it work."

The town was mostly constructed of metal prefabricated complexes that looked like they’d been there for many decades. There was no guarded entrance or security of any kind, let alone a perimeter wall. It looked big enough for a population of up to a thousand.

"Can't get a lot of crime around here," Mitchell commented.

"I'll believe that when I see it. Just remember, some of these worlds aren't too friendly to newcomers."

"Perhaps we should have brought rifles?"

"No, be ready for a fight, but don't go looking. If we need more than our sidearms, then things really are bad."

Quadcopters and wheeled trucks alike were rolling in and out of town at a steady rate. It was clear it was a mining town and running steadily. A few turned to look as they entered the main high street of the small town. The main streets had been concreted in a stark contrast to the dusty roads outside the populated area. Mason noted how the people he saw all appeared comfortably off, if not dripping in wealth.

"We aren't gonna get anything cheap here," whispered Mitchell.

"Nope, but I'll be happy to get in the air at any cost."

"I'd hold that thought until you've heard the prices."

A line of vehicles was parked outside what appeared to be a bar.

"Pull up there."

"Sure?"

"Yeah, we need information, and in a little place like this, the local watering hole is the place to go."

"If you say so, Boss."

They looked at each other in surprise. It was the first time he'd ever been called it by the crew. Mitchell didn't know whether to apologize or not. They both thought about it