ã€ŠRoman: Dead or Aliveã€‹


 Romans Arena

    Tecnelov is a poor large urban space station. It housed millions of people, before everything fell apart from the inside. Bad financial investments were made in the space craft industry. Most of their goods were designed poorly so they were never sold. This left the space station a sinister place, likely due to presence of dangerous criminals.

    Many of the buildings inside the space station are abandoned. The buildings walls are deterring from the inside due to small leaks from the water and sewage pipes. Ashes from previous fires settle on the walls and the floors. Waste products are piled in every corner. From the outside, the entrances to the building are sealed using steel bars. The bars are designed to forbid outsiders from trespassing. However, the hobos have found a way to settle inside the abandon building. Unable to find a job and obtain a proper education, they treat this place as their own home. To keep themselves warm, the hobos try to start a fire using a large rusty tin can. They have nothing else to do but to maintain the fire as they watch the building they call home slowly decay around them. Without a new place for them to go, what else could they do?

    Tecnelov was home to the Space Ship industry where workers produced a wide variety of ships. The ships produced were used for Civilian, Police or military use. A few years ago, one of the most prolific companies, Delobran, suffered a heavy blow. It all started when Delobran brought their newer ship, XI-51 Space Ship to the market. Originally designed for consumer use; the XI-51 had good overall speed, handling, and thrusters. Cracks started to show on the XI-51 when it suffered reliability issues ranging from a buggy UI and unresponsive controllers. This resulted in slow sales for many of the ships. Worse, reports started to surface that a massive lawsuit based on financial fraud in the industry had been filed. Unable to pay off their debt, Delobran declared bankruptcy. The assets were quietly retained by Roman. He managed to run his company under his name. Later on, he would liquidize his company and quietly shut down Delobran.

    The population in Tecnelov was starting to dwindle. Many believe that the general state of the economy is in financial ruins. It is unlike that Tevnelov would be unable to pay off their debt. Other believed that they can turn this city back to its former glory. Those who choose to stay would have a heavy price to pay. Most of the citizens were victims from Roman¡¯s thugs. Reports indicated that the thugs were responsible for theft, home invasion, and a variety of horrible crimes. Many citizens had left the space station to settle in a new home. While the police force tried to apprehend the criminals, it wasn¡¯t enough to make Tecnelov a safe place.

    The most powerful criminal in Tecnelov; going by the name Roman Ellis, is said to be the most wanted suspect in Tecnelov. He ran a variety of companies under the umbrella of his name. The recent companies he currently operates include Roman¡¯s Arena, Nightclubs and Bars. Rumors suggest that he been responsible for smuggling illegal drugs into Tecnelov and testing live specimen without approval from the weak political councilors. Roman¡¯s actions resulted in devastating damage to Tecnelov. One of his most notable specimens included two species from TZ-526. Rumors suggest that he was responsible for making fixed matches between the specimens.

    To stop the corrupt criminal syndicate, the councilors from Tecnelov requested a Bounty Hunter for 20,000 credits to find Roman and capture him dead or alive. The Bounty Hunter¡¯s name was Jake Avolsky. He was previously a marine in the 1313th division who happen to kill the most wanted criminal from the United Galactic Front. Impressed with his actions, Jake was allowed to join a Bounty Hunter guild; called the Artia. As a new hunter, Jake is assigned to hunt down his first target. Armed with a pistol, he has his own gear that packed quite a punch. His gear consisted of vent cutters, a grappling rope to capture his target, and his Tactical Glasses to identify any wanted criminals.

    Jake arrived near the arena. The place was mostly packed with ambitious people who were fascinated to see the very first specimen in the arena. There were few guards that watched over the entrance. They won¡¯t take kindly to any law enforcement. Jake would need to find another way in.

    Jake took a left from the arena and discovered a vent shaft that he could use break into the arena. The vent shaft was located right next to the restroom. He went into a crouch position to avoid any attention. A large garbage bin was placed at the side of the building. He climbed on top of a bin and grabbed the edge of the roof. Jake looked very careful for the small ledge below the vent shaft. He made no haste as he ran and jumped to grab onto that ledge. Afterwards, he climbed up and remained in a crouch position as he tried to cut down the vent shaft using his laser tool that was placed on his right forearm. He cut the very edge of the steel vent just to get it loose. Once ? of the steel vent was cut, he quietly bent the vent forward and it came out without making much noise. He proceeded through the vent slowly. He did his best to not make too much noise while inside the vent.

    Once inside the arena; on his right, he came across a huge group of people who happened to be purchasing food or other merchandise. Jake didn¡¯t waste any time, as he proceeded forward. On his left, came across two guards who were discussing something very important.

    ¡°Hey, got any ideas where the boss is?¡± said the first guard

    ¡°I told you already,¡± the second guard replied; hoarsely. ¡±He is located up in the attic of the stadium. He doesn¡¯t want to be disturbed by anyone unless it an emergency.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± the first guard replied.

    ¡°Have to ask, don¡¯t you have anything important that you should be doing?¡± the second guard began to question.

    ¡°No?¡± the first guard responded, shyly.

    ¡°You might want to consider going to the security room,¡± the second guard said in a disgust tone. ¡°Make sure nothing suspicious is going on in the arena. Please, don¡¯t waste any time asking pointless questions. Besides, you don¡¯t want to know what happens if you do get in trouble.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ No. No I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Good, then were done here. Now, go back to your post!¡± the second guard said firmly.

    The two guards walked away and head backed to their positions. Based on the conversation, Jake learned that Roman may be up in the attic. Roman must have wanted to watch the game for himself and admire the specimen he brought in as his trusty hounds. Whatever it might be, there no denying the fact that Roman had brought guards with him. Jake knew he would not be able to capture him that easily. The security terminal was still in operation and Jake had to take it down to avoid any resistance. He proceeded to the end of the vent. Outside of the vent was a custodian room that was mainly filled with cleaning supplies. Luckily, nobody was inside the room accept for Jake. He cut down the steel vents. As he exited the vent shaft, he would grab on the edge of the vent and lower himself, descending to the floor at a slow pace. He let go of the edge and landed safely on the ground.

    Inside the custodian room, Jake opened the door slowly with his silence pistol ready. He checked his right side, the same side where he saw two guards. Nothing. He exited out of the room and watched his back. There was not a single sole from behind. Jake thought that if he continued down the hallway, he would be able to have access to the security control room. He was not hesitant, but he knew he had to sneak around. While he was moving, he took out a security camera with his pistol.

    After he passed the destroyed security camera, he found the security room. He would be able to breach the room easily. It would attract a lot of noise. Instead, he decided to hack the card terminal to unlock the door. Jake got out his hacking tool from his pocket. This tool could not only decrypt this door lock, but it could gain access to any terminal. All it took was to use the universal button to connect to the device. Once it¡¯s connected, it would try to break in. Once in, Jake knew he would have complete control on the terminal. Within a few minutes, he was now able to select from multiple actions on the screen. He navigated the menu screen and selected ¡®open¡¯. As soon as Jake pressed the button, it made a small alarm noise, for a split second, and he opened the door.

    Inside the room, he saw a security guard who happened to be watching over the security cameras. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t doing his job right. Plus, he must have not heard the alarm.

    The security guard was watching the game that was going on his own stadium. He brought his own snacks to work or perhaps he bought his own lunch from the concession stand. He was looking over at the security cameras to make sure that the arena was running smoothly. No matter how hard he tried, Jake knew he was not suited for doing multitasking. Surprisingly, the guard had not been fired by his own boss.

    Jake didn¡¯t waste any time, he knew the guard had to be taken out. He approached the security guard at a slow pace. Within a split second, he grabbed the guard¡¯s neck while he sat in his chair. Jake knocked the guard unconscious with one pistol whip to the forehead and guard fell to the floor.

    He placed the unconscious guard in the corner of the room and began his attempt to hack into the security camera terminal. He put his silence pistol on the table and got out his hacking tool. He was quite fortunate that he didn¡¯t need to have the expertise or the technical knowhow on hack the terminal. It only took a few minutes for his tool to access the terminal. He was now in.

    ¡°This is Jake Avolsky to Lawrence, I managed to break into the arena and I have access to the security camera terminal.¡± Said Jake.

    ¡°Excellent! Did you find Roman?¡±

    ¡°Not yet! But I¡¯ll find him.¡±

    The first thing Jake had to do was to disabled a few settings in the terminal. For one, he had to disable the alarm to prevent the guards from alerting backup. He had already picked off one bad guy without much hassle, but he did not need any more resistance. He also destroyed all the recordings made by the camera to ensure that no evidence of his presence could be discovered by the security guards. If possible, he also wanted to disable the cameras. Before he disables them, Jake checked the camera to see exactly where Roman was located. When Jake saw the arena, he saw his target sitting above the scoreboard with two security guards, protecting him. Jake saw a controller in Roman¡¯s hand. Was he just playing? Jake was not sure what he doing with it, but he was now absolutely certain that he found Roman. On the Arena floor, Jake saw something that was unbelievable. Tonight two new species would go head to head against each other. Two raptors were being raised up on a platform. Both Raptors had their own distinct skin color. One raptor had blood red skin, while the other had yellow skin. Never in his entire life, had he seen two Dinosaurs. On Earth, It was said that Dinosaurs were extinct millions of years ago. But for other planets, that not the case. While mankind did not have the slightest idea what Dinosaurs originally looked like, what he saw was probably the closest appearance of an actual Dinosaur. They were not for show. Rather, the Raptors were now meant to fight each other to the death. Both of the raptors were growling each other. They were trying to determine who was worthy of living. Their time would come once the game start.

    ¡°Lawrence, I found the target. Roman is located in the attic.¡±

    ¡°Good. Now, capture him. Remember; do not let him get away.¡±

    ¡°Wilco.¡±

    Before he left the Security room, Jake uploaded a virus to the terminal and disabled the cameras. Once the terminal was off, he returned his tool on his belt and grabbed his silence pistol from the table. Now that he located his target, he took a quick glance on the map so he could figure out how to get to the Attic. If he took a left from the security room, moved down the hallway, he should be able to make a right to a door that would take him to the attic via a ladder.

    Now that Jake had a good sense of where he needed to go, he exited the security room by opening the door. He checked both ways with his weapon ready. He went to his left and continued down the hallway at a quiet pace. He saw a couple of security cameras along the way, but he didn¡¯t bother destroying the cameras, since the security was disabled. He no longer had to worry about getting too much attention from other guards. Coming up on his right was a door that would take him up to the Attic. He opened the door slowly and he began climbing up the ladder.

    As he was climbing up the ladder, he knew he was closing in his first target. All he needed to do was to find Roman, capture him alive or dead, and he would get his first payment of 20,000 credits. An important rule for being a professional Bounty Hunter was that he only gets his payment by capturing his target. It won¡¯t do him any good if he aimlessly killed nasty criminals. Instead, he would gather valuable Intel from the criminal and uses it to his advantage. Depending on the situation, Jake knew he could rely on his gear in order to deal with wanted criminals. If the opportunity presented itself, he might be willing to strap Roman¡¯s body using his grappling hook. Once the target was captured, he would use his transportation device and send his target to his proper destination. The grappling hook can be used to climb to a platform or descend to the lower level. In an event he runs dry with his sidearm, he also has a backup melee weapon that is attach to his armory. The melee weapon wields two fang blades that are placed on his forearm. While he may not be able to kill hostiles with one stab; he could sneak up from behind and be extremely lethal with these blades.

    As a professional Bounty Hunter, he is forbidden from harming civilians. If casualties are committed on civilians, Jake would be penalized and would have to pay a heavy price to the guild. It would be best if Jake takes some precaution.

    Just as he reached the attic, Jake saw a couple of electrical wired components below the cat walk. One electrical panel was placed above the cat walk that leads to the scoreboard. Right along the platform was Jake¡¯s Target. Roman must have been playing with his- no, that¡¯s not a handheld gaming device, it¡¯s a device for controlling a raptor. The controller he was using looked similar to the device used to control drones. As Jake glanced on the fighting scene, he saw a red raptor that had two electric bolts placed along both sides of his head. A tiny electric spark gave Jake a good indicator on how Roman was controlling the specimen¡¯s brain. Just as he had expected, he knew Roman was a fearsome liar and cheater. A man who done a lot more harm to the people of Tecnelov than good. Because of Roman, many of the business in Tecnelov ended up either declaring bankruptcy or they ended up shutting down. This is how Tecnelov earned the reputation for being the poorest space city in the galaxy. Jake knew Roman was behind all this mess. All he needed to do was to interrupt Roman¡¯s fun by taking the two guards out and capturing him.

    At the arena scene, the red raptor was able to knock the yellow raptor down by banging his foe into the electric wall. This instantly stunned the yellow raptor. To finish the yellow raptor off, the red raptor tore his belly apart and a pool of blood spread all over the floor. The crowd went wild. Even Roman raises his fist in pure excitement. He was very eager to get his own giant payday. But his victory would be short lived.

    Without a warning, Jake shot the two guards in the head with his silence pistol. The two guards were killed instantly. They fell to the ground and all that remained was to capture Roman. Unexpectedly, Roman¡¯s controller slipped out of his hands. He tried to catch his controller, but he ended up leaning forward and fell out the platform. Roman hurt his left arm when he landed on the floor.

    To prevent his target from getting away, Jake used his grappling hook to grab the bottom of the scoreboard. Once the grappling hook managed to hook itself on the lights, he jumped down from the platform and slowly descends to the center of the arena. The rope swung around Jake for a while. He made a soft landing on the floor of the arena; he cut the rope and pointed at Roman¡¯s head with his pistol.

    ¡°Put the controller down, and surrender now!¡± Jake exclaimed.

    Roman didn¡¯t listen to Jake¡¯s warning. Instead, he tried to get the red raptor to move from behind by using his controller and latch on to Jake with its right claw. The Raptor¡¯s claw managed to scratch Jake¡¯s back armor. Jake stumbled down on the floor and turned his entire body to his right. The raptor roared at Jake and latched on to him using his mouth. Within a split second, Jake managed to frighten the raptor by kicking its snout. Jake tried to get away from the raptor so he could stop Roman from getting away. He was too late; Roman had hobbled his way to the electric barrier. One of the barriers was down while the rest was still in operation. Roman managed to get the down barrier back up and running once he was outside.

    ¡°If you think you can capture me that easily. Try getting through my puppet!¡± Roman said.

    Roman made his way to a door that leads to an exit and he was now on the loose. Now, Jake was surrounded by electric barriers, forbidding him to leave the arena. Trapped by a bloodthirsty Raptor, it appears that there was no way out and the raptor was eager to have him for dinner. Jake had found himself confronted by the predator.

    With his silence pistol at a ready stance, Jake prepared to fight. This would mean he had to fight for his survival, or he could end up being eaten alive. His back body armor was badly damage. If he was scratched from his back again; Jake would suffer severely, and his armor would fell apart. The raptor gazed up at his prey for a few seconds. He ended up making a terrifying roar toward Jake. Afterwards, the raptor began to charge towards Jake.

    Jake unloaded a few rounds at the raptor, only one round hit the raptor¡¯s tail. Before the raptor had the chance to knock down Jake, he would immediately roll to the right. The raptor missed him. The force of the raptor¡¯s movement caused him to fling himself toward an electric barrier. The raptor used his claws from his feet to try to stop his body from colliding with the electric barrier. Jake knew his pistol won¡¯t pack a punch if he used his silencer. He quickly removed the silencer by twisting the barrel out and put the attachment in his pocket. Jake looked at the raptor¡¯s head with caution. He noticed something very unusual with the dino. Never in his life, had he seen a live animal with a Frankenstein like bolts placed on both side of his head. He thought this must be a device that controls the raptor. It looks like Roman was using the bolts to control the raptor. If Jake could disable the device, Roman might lose his ability to control the raptor. Without any hesitation, Jake took aim at the bolts on the Raptor¡¯s head. After the raptor made another roar, Jake unloaded a few round rounds at the device with a pow. At least two rounds destroyed the two bolts. Jake jumped to his right again and slid along the ground. With no chance for the raptor to make a complete stop, the raptor made contact with the electric barrier. He made a terrified screeching noise and small sparks popped out from the raptor¡¯s body. The raptor was electrocuted. Stunned for a few seconds, the raptor continued to howl.

    Jake unloaded the last few rounds of his entire magazine from his pistol until his sidearm made a ¡®click¡¯ noise. He ejected the magazine from his pistol, quickly loaded a new magazine and racked the slide to release the lock. The raptor¡¯s body was severely damaged from being electrocuted.

    The raptor was wary; but was still willing to fight. Without hesitation, the raptor charged Jake. Jake tried to dodge the raptor; but he wasn¡¯t unable to evade its charge. The raptor moved to the right and managed to knock Jake down to the floor. Jake immediately rolled his entire body causing his pistol to slip out of his hand and he almost lost his ability to breath. Jake was able to see the raptor approaching closer while lying on his back. In a last-ditch attempt, Jack withdrew his blade out from his right forearm and managed to slice the raptor¡¯s lower jaw. The raptor pushed away from Jake; indicating it was injured. Jake slowly got up from the floor and removed another blade out from his left forearm. Just as the raptor tried to bite Jake, he evaded its jaw by moving to his left while managing to cut the raptor by swing his left blade. Afterwards, he knocked the raptor down by kicking its jaw with his feet and the raptor collapsed to the ground. The raptor was groaning in pain; indicating it suffered major internal injuries. At this point, the raptor did not have enough strength to fight back.

    To finish off the raptor, Jake used both of his blades to cut the raptor¡¯s body numerous of times. The crowd was shocked to see the Bounty Hunter had taken down the raptor with his blades. Blood was covered all over Jake¡¯s body armor. Jake couldn¡¯t believe that he managed to slay a raptor. Sure, he was willing to kill hostiles. But he never expected to face off a raptor.

    Jake didn¡¯t have time to stare at a dead raptor, his first target was on the loose and he need to get out of the arena fast. He searched for his pistol that he dropped during his struggle with the raptor. Once he located it in the arena, he picked it up from the ground and tucked it away for later use. He immediately made his way to the electric barrier where Roman managed to slip out. The electric barrier was still operational; there was no way to jump outside the barrier easily. Instead, he would need to look for a switch to disable the barrier. Lucky, he saw some type of device on the lower wall and managed to open its small door. He saw a knob that could be used to take down the barrier. Jake managed to turn the knob to ¡®off¡¯, the electric barrier was down. Jake jumped over the downed barrier and immediately made his way to the door. The door was lock.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    There was no way he could easily open the door. He looked for an alternative route and saw a small room that he thought might be the control room for the arena. It looked like no one was inside. Jake jogged his way to the room by following a small pathway, preceded inside the small tunnel and hit the switch to get the control room elevator to come down to the arena floor. Once in the elevator, he pushed the elevator button to go up to the control room. Not a single person appeared as he arrived in the room, the only thing left in the room were the controllers. Luckily, the controllers were still operational. There was a chair placed diagonally facing the controller. Nothing was hanging in the clothing rack. Jake proceeded to the controller and looked for a way open it. The only way out of the arena was to open a small shaft below the arena that would lead him down to the cellar. From there, he would try to call for his lift. Jake managed to locate the button on the controller that opened the shaft. The elevator in the shaft was not working.

    <cite>No wonder this place is falling apart.</cite>Jake thought.<cite>I¡¯ll have to climb my way down.</cite>

    Jake hopped on the controller lift to proceed back to the arena floor. At this point, most of the civilians were evacuated from their seats. Jake noticed a couple security guards attempting enter the arena. It was clear they were trying to pursue the Bounty Hunter. Jake didn¡¯t want to waste any time fighting. Against all odds; he rushed his way to the center of the arena floor. He grabbed the edge of the floor using his enter body, he latched onto a pipe in the shaft and slowly descended until he hit the floor.

    At the end of the shaft was a room with two sealed doors. They were facing each other from the opposite side. One door had a red light, indicating a live specimen was inside the cage. While the other door had a green light, indicating the room was clear of specimens. He opened the green light door by pressing the button. The door opened at the slow pace, revealing that the cage room was empty. There not a single guard watching over the cage. He saw chunks of blood stains all over the wall. Right next to the sealed door was a large tray where dead corpses were placed. The corpses were made up of a mix of human and other races. This was not something that Jake wanted to tinker with. On his left was a small stream of water that flowed through the tunnel. To the right-side, Jake saw an air vent. Instead of trying to get the cage door open, he would instead make his way to the air vents and try to cut through the steel vent at the top.

    Jake proceeded inside the vent until he came upon a split. He saw two routes he could take. The route to the right sounded like something was inside the opposite cage. Jake knew he didn¡¯t want to waste any time dealing with another specimen. He made an immediate left and proceeded down the vent shaft away from the sound of the specimen. Soon, Jake came across another set of steel vents. He quickly glanced through the grates to see if anyone was there. Once it was clear, he cut the steel vents down and without making a noise, he quietly jumped down. The next room contained electric generators and an air conditioner that were still fully operational. There was not a single person in the generator room. Jake realized it would not be an issue getting out of the generator room. He realized that he couldn¡¯t leave the Arena just yet. He needs to gather up valuable Intel from Roman¡¯s thugs and capture bounties if the opportunity presented itself. There was nothing Jake needed to do in this room. Above Jake, he noticed a catwalk. He climbed his way up by using the ladder and stood on the catwalk. He walked along the left side of the catwalk and proceeded to the giant fan that was spinning at the end of the catwalk. Jake noticed that next to the spinning fan was a controller he could use to disable the fan. Once the fan was disabled, Jake would be able to make his way down the hallway. He disabled the fan by pressing the button. The fan would come to a complete stop. With the fan off, Jake grabbed onto the ledge and dropped down to the hallway.

    Jake checked both ways for security guards after he landed on the floor. A large door was to the right of where he landed. The sign mentioned that this stairway lead to the exit. He wasn¡¯t interested in exiting yet. There were a couple of objectives Jake needs to accomplish. First, he needed to obtain Intel on how Roman managed to smuggle the new species from TZ-526. If possible, he needs to find proof that Roman was responsible for the financial fraud on his company. Finally, he also needed to find the source for smuggling illegal supplies and destroy it.

    Jake proceeded through the curved hallway in a crouch position and searched the hallway. On his left, he came across a security guard. The guard was watching over the hallway to ensure that nothing suspicious was going on. The guard picked up something important on his comm radio. He answered from his earplug once he ready to say something.

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± he said calmly into his voice comm. It look like one of his mates must have mentioned something that there an intruder somewhere in the Arena. If spotted, the guard was told to report the intruder¡¯s known location and attempt to eliminate him.

    ¡°Will do, I¡¯ll let you know if I see him,¡± he said to his voice comm. Afterword, he lifted his hands off his comm and stayed alert just in case he spotted the intruder.

    Jake scanned his target using his mobiglass which was incorporated in his glasses. The mobiglass was an Artia issued tactical glass that could mark a target at a certain range and then could identify the target by using a U.G.F criminal database. In order to make a living in his career, Jake relied on his mobiglass to identify wanted criminals. The system was also used to tell Jake if his target had to be taken alive or he could execute them. Either method worked but Jack would make a higher profit if he caught them alive. In this case, the recent target Jake identified was Bryce Perrot. He was responsible for attempting to invade a private apartment. The target was very lucky to get away from the police in Tecnelov and must have joined up with Roman as a guard. His reward for capturing and handing over Bryce alive to the police was 5,000 credits. Jake knew he have to be careful because the most important fundamental rule was he needed to deal with the target carefully and accordingly. If he killed this target, he would get nothing for his reward. He needed to think twice about killing this target. Jake made the bold decision to not kill his target and capture Bryce alive.

    Jake quietly sneaked up from behind on Bryce with his grappling rope set to capture and his teleportation device ready. Once up close, he would shoot the grappling rope to tie Bryce¡¯s entire body to restrain the target from moving. Then, he would strap his teleportation device on Bryce¡¯s body and teleport him to a nearby jail somewhere in Tecnelov. From there, Bryce would spend a year behind bars. Once received at the transport station, Jake would receive his payment for 5,000 credits. Now he made a good amount of money. Still, his job was not over yet. There was still a criminal on the loose and he would need to continue with his mission.

    The Teleportation proximity device Jake use is a called ¡°Black-Mark I¡±. It a handy device that allows Jake to transport his target to their destination and send them back to Jail. That way, the bounty hunter doesn¡¯t need to carry his target on his back. In order to send the target to his destination, Jake needed to specify a specific location. For instance, wanted criminals that committed a crime in Tecnelov would only be sent to Jail in Tecnelov. Criminal he captured in the U.G.F. would be sent to a prison designed by U.G.F. Due to limitation of the device, he could also send the criminal to his ship until Jake transported the wanted criminal to their final destination.

    Jake managed to capture his target without alerting resistance. There were no footstep sounds coming from the hallway, everything felt quiet. On the left side of the hall was a cellar. It was the same place where Jack came from before. Along the right side, a small ramp led to the first-floor loading station. He continue to proceed through the hallway.

    ¡°You must have managed to make your way down to the basement level. Try to search the place for important documents before you close in on your main target. It should be nearby.¡± Lawrence said in his voice comm.

    ¡°Understood,¡± Jake responded.

    Coming up on the right, was the research station where they researched new species. He heard the guards having a discussion inside the locker room. In order to hide from the guards, he slipped into the cleaning supply room. He stayed there until the guards left the locker room. While inside, Jake managed to eavesdrop on the guards conversation.

    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±

    ¡°Someone must have broken into the arena.¡±

    ¡°Got any idea who is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure who he is, but I heard word that a bounty hunter is trying to capture our boss.¡±

    ¡°The last thing I heard was that the bounty hunter used his grappling hook to lower himself down to the Arena floor. Did he get eaten by the raptor?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so; he must have somehow killed the raptor using his blades. He managed to escape the arena using the lift and he still on the hunt. We need to make sure we secure the floor so he can¡¯t get out easily. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    After a short briefing, the security guards exited the room and began investigating the lower floor. Without making haste, Jake opened the door slightly so he could get a quick peak at the guards without them noticing. He waited until the security guards finished inspecting the hallway near the cellar. Once it was clear, he exited the cleaning supply and proceeded through the hallway so he could complete his next objective. Coming up to his left was a small observation room that was used by the scientist to observe the behavior of the raptors.

    Jake entered the observation room. Judging from their work, some of the species looked more alien like than they originally were back on Earth. Many of the species were taken from other planets beside TZ-526. The most recent research focused on the raptor from TZ-526. The documents Jake collected from the desk told him that Roman captured these species from planet TZ-526. The documents showed that Roman was able to steal the raptors from the official research base, called United Research.

    United Research is a government funded organization where their job is to perform research on newly discovered planets. The research focused on discovering new species, studying the environment, and researching new types of plants. Under the umbrella of the United Galactic Frontier, their goal was explore and identify planets with a sustainable environment required to establish colonies for future generations. The umbrella organization has military personnel on duty 24/7 to provide security for the scientists. The United Research secured unlimited funding from the government. Researchers were sent here because they wanted to gain knowledge. With that knowledge, it could be possible to offer new ways to make medicine. Perhaps they were researching the new raptors species. The possibilities are endless. As long as the scientists continue to put effort into they work, they will continue to slowly gain an understanding about TZ-526 and perhaps call this new planet their home.

    Jake wasn¡¯t interested in getting too much detail on the research. But there was one report that caught his attention. It looked like the device used by Roman to control the raptor was called the Strocker.

    Strocker was an unofficial device that could be used to control different living specimens. Roman must have placed two wires inside the raptor¡¯s brain. Then, the electric bolts were connected to the two wires. Roman controlled the live specimen using small electric pulses to the specimen¡¯s brain. The raptor¡¯s actions were all controlled using the remote controller, the same remote controller Jake saw earlier.

    He decided to put the evidence in his pocket and proceeded to his next objective.

    There was an elevator he could use to get down to the field lab. Jake walked toward the elevator and pressed the button. The elevator descended to the lower floor. Inside the field lab, there was a small crane in place that was used to feed meat to the live specimen. A couple chairs were in place to his right. A raptor tried to lunge at Jake; the raptor ended up hitting the barrier and electrocuting itself. The raptor may have eaten him ¨C but the electric barrier stopped the raptor in his tracks. The raptor backed away from the barrier and stared at Jake. Jake saw a small pathway between the two cages. He went through a small pathway and made his way inside the bio lab.

    Jake opened the door at a slow pace. He peaked around the corner to see if there were scientists inside. The room was pitch-dark and was completely quiet. Jake flipped the lights switch on. The room was filled with a bunch of organisms that were stored on a shelf. A table contained several magnifying scopes and a sink. A radiograph was placed alongside the wall. It looked like one of the scientists was trying to conclude his research about a raptor. Jake already obtained enough evidence in the research facility, so he decided that there was nothing specific he needed to take from this lab.

    Jake saw a vent he could use on the right wall. He figured that the guards were on full alert and thought it would be best to stay hidden as much as possible. He used his gear to cut the vent out and remove the vent shaft. He lifts himself up and got inside. He proceeded forward until he came across two routes.

    Coming from his right, he could hear gunshots being fired. His next objective was to make his way to the armory room. Based on his intel, Jake knew the armory room contained shipment documents that could be used to determine where the supplies were coming from and when they were delivered. Sources stated that in addition to being a corrupted criminal, Roman was offering black market products to all thugs in the galaxy. The trade was not constrained to unofficial firearms, it also included illegal drugs. The councilors at Tenolof placed regulations on unofficial products and forbid the trading of drugs. Jake knew he had to take out the black-market scheme so that he could cripple Roman¡¯s supplies.

    Jake went toward the gun shots. The gunshots were getting louder; he assumed he was getting close to the shooting range where several of the thugs were sharpening their firearm skills. He decided to continue to proceed down the vent until he hit a dead end.

    Jake checked through the vent shaft to make sure that it was all clear. All he saw was hard covered wall and figured he should remain hidden until the thugs concluded their practice. As he waited, he got his pistol from his waist belt and quickly attached his silencer. Then, he waited.

    ¡°All right. Our training has concluded,¡± The instructor said.¡± Make sure you unload your weapons and clean them up before you go. If there anything you need, do not hesitate to drop by at my office.¡±

    The thugs unloaded their magazine and manually pulled the slider to remove the chamber round. After they gathered up their gear, they exited the shooting range and shut down the lights. When the room became dark, Jake knew that it was time to move. LED lights on the bottom edge of the wall provided enough light for Jake so he did not remove his flashlight from his belt. He peaked around the corner. On the first floor, he saw a workbench that had a dim light illuminating it. Jake looked up and saw a balcony. No guards were present on either floor. Jake proceeded to the dimly lit bench until he could jump over it.

    The floor was filled with previously fired bullets. The bench contained all components needed to clean or modify firearms. There was nothing out of the ordinary that he needed to gather from the bench.

    To his left, he saw a ladder that could be used to access the balcony. To avoid being spotted, Jake made the bold decision to climb the ladder to ascend to second floor. He wanted to make sure that he maintained the high ground.

    As Jake climbed onto the second floor, he noticed two chairs that allowed observers to watch over the target range. Laying on the floor between the chairs were empty beer cans.<cite>Not much scenery to admire, but not a bad place to inspect a thug¡¯s performance;</cite>he thought.

    Jake decided to walk through the doorway to his left to get to the catwalk. There were four guards on the first floor. Two thugs were guarding the doorway to his left and the other two guards were guarding the door to the armory. Jake moved along the catwalk until he came across a door that led to the second floor of the armory room. He opened the door slowly and peeked inside. There was an office and inside that office was Garran Slvoto.

    Garran Slvoto was a regular human. He was in his 30¡¯s and had an intensify look about him. Slvoto was responsible for managing the black market and worked very closely with Roman. He guaranteed Roman that he could bring in more capital by selling illegal goods for a high price.

    Slvoto relished his humbling day by keeping track of the paperwork that contained details of all the black-market shipments. Under his direction, he ensured that Roman¡¯s business continued to sustain growth. If Slvato was captured alive, the bounty of 5,000 credits would go into Jake¡¯s account Jake knew that the opportunity to capture Slvato would present itself if he could remain hidden.

    Jake started to walk along the catwalk located in the armory room. To his right, he came across a guard that was watching over the recruiters. To prevent being spotted, Jake crouched below the solid steel railing. He moved from cover to cover until he came across a passage that led a staircase. Next to the staircase were metal crates that were stacked in a staircase format. Jake looked up. Three feet from the ceiling was a small platform that contained wiring components. Jake could see that he could use the small platform to gain access to Slvoto¡¯s office. He made the bold decision to climb the metal crates and quietly slipped onto the ceiling above Slvoto¡¯s office.

    Jake proceeded at a slow pace; making sure he did not alert Roman¡¯s guards below. He knew that his target was located underneath him. He searched for something that allowed him to descend from the ceiling. Luckily, there was a steel vent that he could use to gain entrance to Slvoto¡¯s office. Jake withdrew the gear needed to cut down the steel vent. Once the vent was cut down, he quietly removed the steel vent and placed it around the corner. He took a quick peak inside the office. Slvoto was inspecting some paperwork. He was not aware of Jake presence. Once everything is clear, Jake grabbed onto the ledge and descended to the top of a stool inside Slvoto¡¯s office.

    Slvoto had no idea what behind him. He was busy dealing with the financial information on his desk. Of course, he was also keeping track of his shipments using his own tablet. He was trying to ensure that his trading was running smoothly. He knew as long as he did his job for Roman, Slvoto would obtain a good amount of income.

    Jake approached Slvoto at a slow pace. When Jake got close, he managed to latch onto Slvoto¡¯s neck which caused Slvoto to become unconscious. He quickly used his teleportation device on Slvoto¡¯s body; causing his body to be teleported to a jail cell somewhere in Tecnelov. Jake obtained 5,000 credits for his capture.

    Jake wasn¡¯t ready to take off yet. He still wanted to find the source of black-market shipments. He knew the documents in Slvoto¡¯s tablet would contain the evidence he needed. He remembered that Slvoto was checking his shipment schedule detailing when and where their goods were being delivered. Luckily, the shipping schedule stated that most of the goods were being delivered to a docking bay a few blocks from Roman¡¯s Arena. As long as the tablet contained the map detailing which dock was receiving the shipment, Jake knew he would have no issues tackling his next objective on his own.

    Without being spotted, Jake went back to the ceiling by standing on top of the stool. He backtracked to the steel crates so he could descend from the ceiling. Jake checked his surroundings to see if the guard was watching over the recruiters. Instead of watching over the recruiters, the guard was reading an important message on his own tablet. While the guard was distracted, Jake managed to sneak past the guard to get to the catwalk. Jake continued to backtrack to the second-floor catwalk.

    There were still security guards guarding the doorway. Jake still want to avoid being spotted. Instead of silently taking the guards out, he had a better idea. He noticed that there was air flowing from above. Jake made the conscious decision to go to his right and grabbed hold of the outer railing of the catwalk. Then, he latched himself on top of the edge and lifted himself up to get inside the air vent. Once inside the air vent, he saw fans circulating the air. The wind didn¡¯t have enough power to push Jake off the ledge. Jake was able to move past the fans to another vent opening.

    After Jake navigated thru the vent for a several meters, he noticed a vent grid. He peaked thru the grid and saw a hallway crawling with guards. In the background, he heard a velociraptor growling. Judging from his current location, he must be on the other side of the hallway where a live specimen is currently being held. It looked like the guards were listening to their leaders for a short briefing.

    ¡°Alight, listen up.¡± the boss said in a fearsome tone. ¡°We do not have any intel on the current location of the bounty hunter. He seems to be doing a great job evading detection. The last time he was spotted, he was in the pit descending to the basement. If anyone sees that nasty cabbage monster, obliterate him and don¡¯t let him escape. Understood?¡±

    The guards nodded in response to his order.

    ¡°Well than, start searching.¡±

    The guards split up. Half of the guards ran to the right and the others to the left. It appeared the Arena was in full lockdown and the guards would do anything to stop Jake from escaping. Jake continued to proceed down the vent shaft until he ran across an opening in the vent. From the vent, he could see that the opening was located next to a door that would allow him to exit the arena. Once everything was clear, he moved out of the vent and approached the door.

    Jake tried to open the door so that he could look and see if the hallway was clear.<cite>Damn;</cite>he though,<cite>the door is lock.</cite>The only way to open the door was to use a key card, but Jake did not have a key card in his possession. Jake had couple of choices. He could hack into the key card slot or¡­ He had a better idea. Perhaps he should create a distraction to get someone to open the door. He turned around and he saw the velociraptor who happens to be growling at Jake. He decided to use the velociraptor to create the distraction. Jake knew that there were other scientists who were constantly studying the live specimen and they would come running if they thought something was harming their fine specimen. He wanted to make sure that it looks like an accident; he decided to get his silenced pistol out. He fired a few rounds at the ground right next to the velociraptor. He didn¡¯t try to kill the specimen. He tried to make it look like there was a misfire in place. With sure luck, he heard someone coming downstairs to check on the live specimen. Jake quickly got into a hiding space and waited for someone to open the door. The scientist opened the door and rushed in to check on his live specimen. Jake took the opportunity to quietly sneak past the scientist through the open door. Outside the door, was a ramp that lead to the scientist apartment. The ramp also went up goes up to three floors. Jake guessed the ramp was used to move the specimens.

    ¡°Jesus fucking christ, what the hell was that,¡± the scientist said in a panicking tone. He wasn¡¯t fully aware on what going on in Roman¡¯s Arena. All he noticed was the velociraptor continues to growl at the scientist.

    ¡°Ah, I see. I figured you must be hungry,¡± the scientist gestured in a formal tone. ¡°All right¡­ Tell you what. How about you go ahead and sit tight. When I do get done with my research, I¡¯ll come back and offer you some food. It will only be a few minutes. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    He continued to watch over the specimen for a few seconds. Afterword¡¯s, he turn around calmly and went back to his apartment.

    As he reentered his room, everything seems quiet in his apartment. Next to his table was a clock. It continued to tick for more problems to solve. Paperwork was spread all over the table and on the floor. It was clear from the mess that the scientist was working hard. But at times, his research was frustrating. It was only through trial and error that he would discover better ways to control the raptors. He walked to his study table and picked up where he left off.

    ¡°Ok, where was I?¡± the scientist said to himself.

    Without warning, someone latch onto the scientist¡¯s face. He started to panic, knowing that he was kidnaped. Before he had a chance to say a word, he was knock unconscious by one pistol wipe to the forehead. He collapsed to the ground. It appeared that Jake had knocked the scientist out clean. The target he acquired was Bronzeo Lantiaz. Lantiaz was wanted alive for smuggling live specimens from the United Research facility. Lantiaz disappeared into nothing as he was teleported to a cell in Tecnelov. Another 2,000 credits for Jake.

    Target acquired, Jake said to himself.

    It occurred to Jake that he has accomplished most of his objectives. He had obtained the research on the TZ-526 specimen as well the research on the remote-control device and the known location of the black-market shipments. One objective remained¡­ Jake needed to find Roman and bring him back dead or alive. He left the study room and proceeded back to the ramp room. He made his way to the first floor and found an exit.

    The door automatically lifted up and he could see that his path was almost clear. There were guards patrolling the gate from the inside and outside. The guards had their weapons ready. It was clear they were still hunting for Jake. Jake waited for an opportunity for the guards to move out. Within a few minutes, the guards proceeded to his left until they moved around the corner. Jake exited the arena but kept looking both ways just in case he spotted more guards. There was no one on sight. He managed to crouch-run forward to the gate; climb over it and he made a run for it. Once out of the arena, Jake knew his next task was to develop a plan to capture Roman.

 Part 2

    It was time for one of the security guards to take his break. He decided he wanted to reside in the back alley for his fifteen-minute break. The security guard had a distinct ¡®alien¡¯ form. He was not much of a tough person; pretty average compared to his co-workers. He had two walrus teeth on both sides of his mouth. His eyes were blood red and his body was a distinct insect shape.

    It appeared he had a rough day and was starting to wear out from his guard duty. Tired and bored, he realized he would need to sleep after work. Even though his work shift won¡¯t end until dawn, he was happy he could take a breather for a few minutes.

    The back alleyway was covered in dirt. The dark moody environment made it less pleasant to admire. Littered trash was all along the side of the alley, slowly aging itself as the time continues to flow. Yet, everything felts lifeless. The air at the alleyway smelled like polluted filth. Yet, everything was quiet. Alone.

    It was a perfect opportunity for him to isolate himself from his co-workers and think about his bitter past in Tenelov. As a young boy, he had gotten in plenty of trouble hanging out with the wrong crowd. He started taking drugs when he was 10 years old. Once he was addicted, there was no going back. His future was destroyed. He was unable to undo the damage. Instead, he had to live with the consequences of his choices until he meets his end. He was trying let things go. To ease the harsh pain of his memories, he decided to smoke a cigarette. The security guard searched into the upper right pocket of his uniform and found a cigarette box. There were 6 cigarettes left inside the box. He only took one. He then grabbed his lighter from his right pocket and lit the tip of the cigarette. To ease the pain, he took a quick puff of his cigarette and then exhaled the smoke. This made him feel better¡­

    As he continued to smoke his cigarette, someone approached from behind and pointed a gun directly at his head. At first, the security guard thought it was an assassin who was sent to end his life.

    ¡°Freeze,¡± Jake said ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±

    The guard began to panic. Jake intimidated him.

    ¡°Ok, Ok. You got me.¡± The security guard said in a grin tone. ¡°Now, what is it that you want?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a man name Roman Ellis. He should be somewhere in town.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you, he not around here.¡±

    ¡°Wrong answer.¡± Jake said in a fearsome tone. He pistol whipped the security guard¡¯s head, knocking him to the ground. The security guard started to moan and struggled to get up.

    ¡°Ok, Ok, I know where he is. The last time I saw him; he was going to the Rakbit¡¯s bar near the sewers. You¡¯re not going to get there that easily. The bar is packed with security and it only for invited members. Perhaps I could offer you a hand. If you want, I could take you and enter in the passcode for the bar so you can get in. I have to warn you, Roman¡¯s thugs don¡¯t like you and they will kill you on sight.¡±

    ¡°All right, you lead the way. I can¡¯t wait to shake hands with Roman when I see him¡± Jake said as he forced the security guard to get up. ¡°Try anything funny¡­ you¡¯re dead.¡±

    The security guard calmly started to escort Jake to Rabkit¡¯s Bar. Jake didn¡¯t have his firearm pointed at him. He tucked his trusty sidearm in his holster in a ready state just in case the security guard was bluffing him. As they were both walking, he and the security guard came across a flea market. It wasn¡¯t anything exciting, there were a few goods and luxury items distributed in the small shops. The items being displayed were strange alien-like furniture. On the shelves to their left were vases, chairs, and carpets. On the right was a vendor that was selling a variety of meat products. The butcher¡¯s selection of meats clearly came from several different terrestrial planets. Most of the meat Jake saw was unusual. One product was shaped like a chicken, without any feathers. Another product had its head on it and looked like a boar but it had purple-skin. Unfortunately for most vendors, there wasn¡¯t a large quantity of consumers walking around the market. Only a few civilians and droids were strolling outside of the shops. It looked like most civilians couldn¡¯t afford to purchase luxury goods. The only product they could afford was meat, nothing else. There wasn¡¯t much Jake admired, he continued to follow the security guard until they reach to the end of the alleyway.

    The route to the left side lead to Rabkit¡¯s bar, while the route to the right lead to the main alleyway. Both the security guard and Jake turned to the left and continued to follow a zig-zag pathway. Jake knew that the Rabkit¡¯s bar was just around the corner. He told the security guard to wait until he made sure the the coast was clear.

    As Jake peaked around the corner, it appeared there were no civilians hanging outside of the bar. The other buildings surrounding the bar were abandoned. A strange Holographic light displayed what appeared to be an alien chugging a beer. The LED lights display the sign: ¡°Rabkit¡¯s bar¡±.

    The only way Jake could get to the entrance of the bar was to cross a concrete bridge. Underneath the bridge was flowing sewage and garbage. It wasn¡¯t anything pleasing to examine. The trash flowed lifelessly. Jake also noticed security camera peering down at the entrance. The keypad was located to the left side of the entrance.

    The camera was Jake biggest priority to take out. He didn¡¯t want to get caught by the guards and it would be wise to keep a low profile. He grabbed his silence pistol from his pocket and shot the camera down by firing one round. Then, he pulled the bolt back so the weapon could charge in a new round and placed it back into his holsters.

    ¡°Jesus Christ. Are you paranoid, or what?¡±, the security guard said, in a spookless tone.

    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t want to draw too much attention by those thugs. I don¡¯t need to get into a nasty fight. Move along.¡±

    The security guard resumed his walk and they both proceeded along the pathway. As they came closer to the bridge, they moved to the right so they could cross the bridge. Before they could proceed into the bar, the security guard had to punch in the passcode. He entered, ¡°3187 *¡± on the number pad. The door slowly ascended, revealing the entrance to the bar. The entrance contained a warm welcome carpet and a vending machine selling cigars.

    ¡°What are you going to do when you are done with this place? All right, I¡¯ll offer you an invite to my place. You¡¯re bound to hang out with the wrong crowd if you don¡¯t leave.¡± the security guard said in a polite tone. ¡°What else can I offer you?¡±

    ¡°I have no interest in entering into a deal with you. In fact, it would be much obliging if you took a swim in the dumpster.¡± Jake said.

    ¡°If you insist¡± answered the guard.

    The security guard tried to punch Jake in the face. In a split second, Jake managed to lock the security guard¡¯s right arm with his right arm. Next, Jake used his knee to sucker punch the guard in the stomach. As the guard grasped for air, Jake landed a fierce left jab to the guard¡¯s face. The blow knocked the guard unconscious. The security guard laid hopelessly on the ground. Jake kicked him one more time with the ball of his foot. The security guard would just have to endure the pain he felt. Jake pushed the guard¡¯s body off the bridge and it landed softly in the sewage. The current slowly carried the body down the river, disappearing from Jake¡¯s view.

    As Jake move inside, he quickly removed the silencer from his pistol and set the weapon to from manual fire to semi-auto. He carried his sidearm while he made his way to the bar. The entrance route was narrow; but there was some decent space that prevented him from becoming claustrophobic. The bar was lifeless inside. There was a bartender working behind the bar. He seemed ruthless and was not very kind to the customers. All he wanted to do was offer them a drink and send them on their way. On the right side of the room next to the wall was a music station. Sadly, the machine didn¡¯t work. It currently resides hopelessly on its own, never having the chance to play a song. On the left side of the wall was a mirror, the mirror cast the reflection of a group of people who gathering near a table. Some of the thugs were drinking whisky, while others were smoking their cigars. The smoke polluted the atmosphere in the bar. The walls of the bars were stained from the smoke. Left unrepaired, it continues to get worse as time flows. One particular person Jake recognized was his target, Roman. Roman was in the bar trying to calm his anxiety. He knew that someone want his head. He obviously needed to alert his mates before he is caught. Roman¡¯s discussion was interrupted when Jake showed himself with his pistol pointed at him.

    ¡°All right, hands over your head so I can see them,¡± Jake said in a more intimidating tone.

    ¡°Do you really think to can catch me that easily?¡± Roman said, in a polite tone. ¡°I would advise you to throw down your weapon. I have several guards in this house and they¡¯re not afraid to take you down. You should have figured this out already, you¡¯re outnumbered. If I were you, you might want to throw your weapon down so no one gets hurt.¡± All the guards were pointing their weapons directly at Jake.

    ¡°As you wish.¡± Jake said.

    The second that Jack lowered his weapon to the ground, a guard; who came out from the kitchen, jumped out and tried to strangle the bounty hunter with his bare hands. Jake shifted the weight of his body backward causing the guard to lose his balance. The guard fell to the floor injuring his spine. Jake knew he had to get out of the open before the guns started roaring. Jack grabbed his pistol and crawled his way to cover.

    He took a prone position on the floor and shot the bartender and the guard in the head, killing them instantly. Jake scrambled to get himself up. He knew he needed to keep his weapon ready in case the thugs tried to flank him. The mirror warned him that there were two thugs around the corner. He quickly had to take them out. Just as the two started to peak around the corner, Jake unloaded his sidearm at the two guards. They both went down without saying a word. There were dozens of thugs located at the center of the bar. Jake noticed there was a Chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was old, covered with cobwebs. It was clear it had not been cleaned in years. Jake had a cunning plan; he used his sidearm to shoot the chains of the chandelier and it descended from above. The thugs were instantly obliterated without ever having a split second chance to escape from hell. A few seconds later, the Rabkit¡¯s bar was quiet. Most of the Roman¡¯s thugs were dead, and pool of blood started to spread. Only one person remained, Roman. Roman managed to get on the lift just as the firefight broke out. From the second floor, Roman quietly stared at the center of the Rabkit¡¯s bar. His expression looked terrified as he glared down on his decimated thugs. He turned and quickly went on the run.

    Jake tried to use the elevator, but the controller was badly damaged. The lift was unable to lower itself down. He would have to use the iron stairway as an alternative route. The stairway looked rusted and ancient. He had no choice, but to climb his way up to the second floor. The stairway started making squeaking noises as he continued to climb. Once on the second floor, Jake made his way to the balcony. There were three tables placed around the balcony. As he moved across the balcony, he noticed a door partially opened. Jake knew he was pursuing a fleeing target. All he could do was run after Roman.

    As he pushed the door open, Jake saw Roman making his way down the stairway. The target was jerking his left leg slowly. There was still a chance he could catch him. He descended the stairway at a proper pace. He busted the door open at the end of the stairway and was greeted by a couple of guards. The guards fired off their assault rifles. Without any hesitation, Jake took hard cover along the bullet proof barrels right to the left side of a small office building. Apparently, Roman must have fired off a couple rounds from his pistol.

    ¡°Motherfucker¡± Roman said.

    A hail of lead started to pour all over the barrel and Jake was suppressed. As his adrenalin started to flow, Jake¡¯s heart started to pump. Thanks to the heavy suppression, it gave Roman the opportunity to make a break for it and hobble his way to the exit.

    Before Jake could peak around the corner, he checked his mag to see how many rounds he had left. Judging from its weight, the magazine was half-full. He should be able to fend off Roman¡¯s thugs before his weapon runs dry.

    A security guard came busting out of the office building. Jake saw he had his pocket knife out. The guard tried to stab Jake, Jake caught his hand mid-air and broke his arm by twisting it clockwise. The security guard dropped the knife on the ground. Jake kicked the guard and he fell. He picked up his sidearm and finished the guard off with a clean headshot. The security guard laid on the floor in silence. Jake checked the deceased guard to see if he was carrying any useful gear. On his belt, found a grenade. He took the grenade and put it in his pouch. There were still guards coming after Jake, a hail of bullet kept knocking the barrel. Jake realized there was no way he could fend off Roman¡¯s hostile. He needed to move.

    Jake come across a small neat organize office and decided to head inside. It looked like all the maintenance of the building was handled from this room. Nobody was inside but it was clear that the guard¡¯s job was to make sure the components in the building ¨C electrical, gas, and water ¨C were working correctly. There was a locker that stored firearms and ammunition. He searched the office quickly until he found a vent right next to the stool on the left side. Now that he found his escape route, Jake developed a cunning plan to eliminate even more of Roman¡¯s thugs. After cutting away the vent, Jake climbed inside and waited.

    The security guards did not remain in their posts post for long; they flanked along Jake¡¯s last location and fired off a couple rounds. But Jake was no longer hiding behind the barrel. The lead guard assumed Jake might be hiding inside the small office. They all checked the office building by breaching in. Jake was nowhere to be seen. The lead guard believed Jake must have disappeared. One security guard decided he would check the table to see if anything was taken. Paperwork was scattered on top of the table. There wasn¡¯t anything particularly noteworthy to see. Suddenly, he felt something in his feet. At first; the security guard thought it was just a rat he could stomp on, until he looked down and realizes it was a grenade. The fuse was pulled, and he had only a few seconds to get out of the office. One security guard shouted, ¡°Grenade!¡±; but it was too little, too late. The grenade detonated obliterating all the guards into pieces. The explosion caused ammunition stored in the lock to start cooking off. Bullets were flying everywhere. The windows shattered apart.

    Jake crawled along the vent until he found another vent that would take him back to the room outside the office. As he jumped down, he quickly glanced towards the office and realized that he had killed at least three guards. The bodies were completely dismembered. Jake managed to get away with his devious plan. However, his main target; Roman, was trying to escape. Jake started to run after him.

    Jake ran along the pipeline. He turned to his right and spotted Roman making his way through a door. Roman locked the door down by enabling the blast door button before Jake was able to reach the door. Damn, Jake said to himself. There is no way I¡¯m breaking this blast door down. Jake need to look for another way to reach Roman.

    He glanced up and started to inspect the ceiling above the pipelines. He spotted an open pipe going in the same direction as the room Roman has just locked. Getting to the pipe would be tricky. First, he hoisted himself to a ledge above the door. Next, he jumped to a platform running along the wall. From there, he leaped to the open pipe. The pipe interior was made of steel and there were fans spinning from the ceiling. Light was beaming through the fans, casting moody shadows on the floor of the pipe. Jake proceeded down the pipe until he came across a tightly sealed vent underneath him. Right below the vent was a small balcony. Glancing out vent, Jake saw Roman struggling to run down the alley. Clearly Roman¡¯s legs were starting to give out on him. There was no way he would have enough energy to make his escape.

    Jake cut the vent down and slowly lifted the steel vent cover off. Then, he cautiously descended from the pipe until he landed on the 5th floor balcony. He made a quick glance towards the balconies below to see if there was anyone standing on them. On the second floor, he saw one guard who was sitting on a lawn chair taking a smoke break. The guard was not aware of Jake¡¯s presence. Jake decided he would slowly descend the balconies. When he reached the 3rd floor balcony, he quietly swung down to the second-floor balcony and knocked the guard unconscious using his pistol whip. The guard lay motionless on the lawn chair. With the guard out of the way, Jake lowered himself to the last balcony. He was now in the alley. There was no time to waste. The chase was back on.

    Proceeding down the alley, Jake began to close in on Roman. He had to break away from his target and get to cover when a thug with a Sub Machine Gun started to roar. Jake remained in cover until the thug¡¯s weapon ran dry. As the Thug tried to reload, Jake fired back and managed to hit one guard in the torso and another guard in the neck. One guard remained. He was taking cover behind an industrial dumpster. Using a few more rounds, the guard rose up and he fired back at Jake. Jake peeked around the corner and picked off the guard with a clean headshot. The fight was all quiet now.

    Before he moved to his right, Jake ejected the half-dried magazine from his pistol on the ground and reloaded a new one. There was a doorway that stood before him. It was not operational. Roman must have shot out the door controller and managed to make a break for it. There was still one more route Jake could take, the roof. There was no way he could get up there on foot. The only way up was to climb up the pipes attached to the building. Jake latched onto the pipes, and slowly climbed his way up to the roof top. Once on the roof, Jake could scan the environment to determine which direction Roman was traveling. As Jake peered over the edge of the roof, he observed Roman running toward a large flea market.

    ***

    ¡°All right, all right. What do we have here?¡± The civilian said with some enthusiasm.

    ¡°Ah, this vehicle currently being displayed is the SV 500. A one-person air vehicle that can transport to anywhere in Tenlof. It travels at 85 miles per hour and it would cost you 1,000 credits. The best deal you could find in my flea market.¡± Said the merchant.

    ¡°Wait a minute. Wasn¡¯t this model manufactured by Delobran?¡°

    ¡°Yes, it is manufactured by Delobran. I took the liberty of repairing the SV 500 and I have made sure the vehicle is in excellent working condition. So, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°For 1,000 credits, now that a bargain. I¡¯ll take it.¡±

    The civilian exchanged his money with the Merchant. Suddenly, the air vehicle started to come to life. Roman was attempting to steal the Air vehicle for his getaway. The vehicle slowly ascended and quickly gained more altitude as it flew away.

    ¡°Jesus Christ, someone stole my ride!¡± the civilian wailed. ¡°I want my money back!¡±

    ¡°You payed for it, pal. If your ride gets stolen, no insurance would cover the damage for you. You get what you payed for.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you, man. I paid good money for that ride, now my vehicle is stolen. Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Listen, I sell a variety of items on sale. If you really want to get your ride back, maybe you should consider purchasing a Jetpack. It could fly you to anywhere you want. It only cost you 8,000 credits.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t have any money left.¡±

    The Merchant noticed someone was walking around the corner. Jake looked sharply in the merchant¡¯s eyes. The merchant knew that he was ready to do business.

    ¡°What about you stranger? Interested in getting an Aron-800 Jetpack?¡± The merchant said in a polite tone.

    ¡°Anyone see Roman?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that guy? He just stole this customer¡¯s air vehicle and flew this way.¡± The merchant said pointing in the direction that Roman had traveled.

    ¡°Where did you find this jetpack?¡± Jake said. Jake recognized the jet pack was military grade.

    ¡°Oh, this thing. I, ugh. I found it when I was emptying the trash bin the other day. It¡¯s in excellent condition and hasn¡¯t been used.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. I will not ask again¡± Jake in an intimidating tone. He pulled out his pistol and aimed it at the merchant¡¯s head, making it clear he¡¯s not hesitant to shoot.

    ¡°Fine, if you really want this thing that badly. Go ahead and take it¡± The merchant calmly took the Aron-800 from the hanger and placed it on the table. Then, he slowly moved away from the device.

    Jake put his sidearm in his holster and grabbed the Jetpack from the table. As he expected, the fuel for the jet pack was showing full and everything seemed to be in working order. Based on his training from the Artia Guild, he strapped the Jetpack on the back by clipping the belt together. The Jetpack carried 50 lb pounds of fuel so it was heavy. Given the nature of it weight, it substantially reduces his ability to run and fight. He could use it to get to higher places. Some Jetpacks are equipped with a Flamethrower. Unfortunately, the Aron-800 does not support Flamethrower capability. He won¡¯t be able to use it as a weapon. The jetpack itself could only travel a limited distance before running out of fuel. This meant that Jake couldn¡¯t use the Aron-800 for long period of time.

    ¡°In addition, stop being a dick to your customer and give his money back.¡± Jake said before he takes off.

    The merchant grumbled and he handed the 1,000 credits back to the customer.

    To save fuel, Jake decided to activate his jet booster so that he could land safely on the roof top. Jake scanned the environment and spotted Roman¡¯s vehicle in the distance. Roman was struggling to get hold of his stolen vehicle. The vehicle was jerking forward down the back alleyway. Roman busted open the gates to a large pipe and flew inside to hide from Jake. Jake activated the jet boosters. It wasn¡¯t long before Jake caught up with Roman. Jake flew into the pipe and was on Roman¡¯s tail. Roman knew that he had to make a break for it. He noticed two routes he could take. He first route was down the center of the pipe but that ended in a dead end. To the left, the pipe curved. Roman made a sharp turn without slowing down; the right-side hull of his ship slammed the edge of the pipes. His air vehicle loss momentum but, Roman quickly regained control of his air vehicle and began to move forward again.

    Jake had no choice, but to slow down as he turned to the left. He knew he would slam into the wall of the pipe if he went too fast. He turned his body to the left and then immediately accelerated forward continuing to chase after Roman¡¯s Air vehicle.

    Roman quickly glanced from his backup camera to see if he was still getting hunted. Surly enough, Jake hasn¡¯t given up the chase. As Roman looked outside of his cockpit, he found an exit. Roman braced for impact as the smashed the gates to pieces. The pipe exited to the room where Jake had blown up the office. To the right, Roman noticed another pipe and quickly smashes thru this entrance.

    Jake¡¯s heart was pumping fast. He didn¡¯t have much stamina left. Jake busted through the end of the pipe and caught a glimpse of Roman¡¯s air vehicle entering another pipe. Jake jerked his body toward the pipe and continued the chase.

    ***

    The air vehicle took a sharp left and exited the pipe into the alleyway by the Rabkit bar. Jake following closely behind. Now, he was getting very close of capturing Roman. Roman continued to travel down the alleyway until he reached the street. Roman saw the gates to the docking bay. He decided to ram the gates. Roman¡¯s vehicle was starting to become unresponsive and it slowly started to descend. Roman checked over his gauges and an engine light were flashing; indicating the engine was failing. Roman didn¡¯t realize it the vehicle was using an unreliable engine. In his mind, Roman swore that he would make the merchant pay for selling him a lemon vehicle. There was nothing Roman could do. He braced for impact.

    He maintained a firm gripped on his seat. The vehicle landed hard on the surface. The screeching sound caused by the ship¡¯s steel plowing through the cement surface was deafening. The force pushed Roman¡¯s back so hard he felt a heavy thud. As the Air vehicle made contact directly at a wall, the force pulled Roman forward and instantly bounced back to his seat. Roman slowly recovered from the crash, he smelled jet fuel starting to emit. It didn¡¯t take long for the vehicle to start on fire. Roman made no haste; he quickly removed his seatbelt and scrambled his way out of the vehicle before it could go up in flames. After he escaped from his aircraft, he ran toward a deck hallway that leads to the docking bay.

    Realizing Roman had bailed out, Jake slowly descend to the surface and began to make his chase on foot. As Jake started to run, he realized that his Jetpack was lighter. He checked the fuel gauge to see how much fuel he has left. The indicator suggested that the Aron-800¡¯s fuel was running low. He decided to discard the Aron-800. He used all his stamina to chase Roman down the deck hallway. He was close to catching his target. At the end of the deck was a gate. Roman reached the gate and yelled.

    ¡°If you think you have a lot of guts to hut my ass down. You won¡¯t catch me.¡± Roman said.

    Roman hit the emergency lockdown button and the doors at the end of the deck instantly shut. Jake banged on the door, hoping he could bust it open. The doors were locked tight. He checked the door panel to see if he could use it to open the doors. The panel was flashing that an emergency lockdown had been initiated. This denied Jake the opportunity to manually open the door.

    Damnit, Jake said to himself.

    He didn¡¯t want to lose his target. He began to search for alternatives routes. There must be another way. There must be another way¡­

    Jake continued to searched for another way in. All he could see ahead of him was a lifeless building and dimly lit lights. The dim lights barely emitted into the atmosphere. The ravine felt moody. There was pitch black darkness lurking from below. He kept searching around until he saw a red pipe on his left side. If he could use the pipe to descend a floor, Jake might be able to find an alternative route.

    Jake latched onto the pipe and descended until he reached the floor. Jake examined his surroundings. Along his right side, he saw a huge pipe. The pipe was draining out garbage. The lifeless garbage slowly dripped down to the bottom of the ravine. Without coming to contact on the chemicals; Jake glided his entire body to his right and latched on the edge of the huge pipe. He slowly rose up and headed inside. Inside the pipe, the walls looked eerie. They were covered in dirt and the smell was distasteful for Jake. It appears that the pipes were never cleaned. All the pipe was doing was polluting the atmosphere with garbage smell. Jake knew that running through the puddle of chemicals would ruin his boots, but he had no other options. As Jake traveled along the pipe, he saw gates at the end of the pipe. As he approached the gates, he came across a doorway to his left.

    He breached the door by using his entire body. The door opened to a staircase. Jake climbed up the stairs and made his way to the first floor. From there, he saw a doorway that would take him to the lobby. He wasn¡¯t too sure how many guards were at the lobby, so he decided to peek into the hallway. He opened the door just a tiny bit until he saw a dozen of guards. Jake knew he did not have a distinct advantage against his foes. He was outnumbered by the thugs and he didn¡¯t have enough ammo in his chest carrier. Jake noticed a building map next to the door that displayed the layout of the lobby. The map clearly showed the location of the docking bays. According to the Intel he obtained from Slvoto, the storage location for the weapons catch and drugs was located at Loading Dock 3. To avoid alerting Roman¡¯s resistance, Jake would need to climb through the air vents to make his way to deck three. Once there, he decided he should first gather up some of the weapons and ammunitions for his own use before he blows up the entire supply line. If he retained the element of surprise, he shouldn¡¯t worry about Roman¡¯s thugs getting in his way. He cut the vent out and began to crawl his way to deck three.

    ***

    Jake arrived at deck three. At a first glance, it appeared that there were no guards inside the weapon storage area. The coast was clear.

    The room contained a huge ammo cache. It consists of stored ammo, weapons, and explosives. There were several magazines placed on top of the ammo catch. A few weapons were placed on a table. Most of the weapons are currently unloaded and in prestige condition. There were several remote detonators stored neatly in a box. It appeared that the explosive device come with a detonator device. The instruction for arming the explosive device was simple. Jake needed to arm the explosive by holding down the button and placing it on a surface. Once he was ready to obliterate the supplies, he would push the detonator button and the rest take care of itself. There were also familiar weapons he saw on the table. The weapon includes the Deseku 5k, the KFM Assault Rifle, and a Kolt45A1 pistol. Several magazines were resting on the table as well.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Its Christmas time; Jake said to himself; filling himself with joy.

    He resupplied his gear and made proper preparation before he blows up loading dock three.

    ***

    Jake examined the magazine in his hand after loading one last round. He loaded the magazine in the Deseku 5k¡¯s receiver and racketed the cocking lever back. The next weapon he inspected was the Kolt45A1. The weapon was currently unloaded. Jake pulled a minted magazine off the table. He inserted it in the receiver, pulled the slider back slightly and released. His next step was to get the explosive devices ready. He grabbed 10 explosive devices from the boxes and commenced on setting up the charges. Jake placed each explosive device on the ammo cache. He spread the explosive devices around the room. He placed two explosives side by side near the doorway, one explosive in the middle of the room, and the last two explosives were place right near the gate. Assuming that the explosive charges were placed correctly, Jake should be able to deliver devastating damage to the Ammo storage room. Next up, he needed to plant the explosives on the contraband products.

    He made his way to another storage room, called ¡°Stariti storage¡±. The storage room contained dozens of bricks of the Stariti drug placed in nice stacks. Each stack resembled the size of a washer machine. The drugs were intact and ready to be consumed. The Stariti drug was an aqua-blue powder. There were still no guards presented in the storage room. He began to plant the explosive charge using the same format he used from before.

    Once the explosives were armed, there was one more thing he needed to do. Roman was still currently on the run, he likely was trying to make his escape by boarding his ship. If Jake could pinpoint where Roman¡¯s ship was docked, he would be able to track down his current position and take Roman out. He decided he would climb up the stairs to the second floor and walk along the catwalk. Coming up his right, there was a small office.

    The office was organized. The pencils were stacked in a neat fashion. Lots of paperwork was scattered all over the table. Both file cabinets were placed between the stool and the furniture. Jake studied the paperwork that resided on the table. One notable report he discovered was the known trade route used for black marketing. This file might provide useful information for law enforcement. He took the supply route documentation and stored it in his chest carrier. There was one additional paper that offer detail about Roman¡¯s ship, called the BM-32.

    The BM-32 was a medium fighter that was operated by one pilot. The BM-32 contained a mini-gun placed at the nose of the aircraft and two missiles stored on both side of the wings. The medium fighter wingspan was wide, there were two engines placed on each wing. The fighter could reach speeds of up to 200 meters per second. According to the flight documents, the BM-32 was located at deck 15. The flight document was his ticket to tracking down Roman.

    Well, well. Looks like Roman has a new ride. Looks like I¡¯ll have to double time it; Jake said to himself.

    With three objectives taken cared, there one more that remained. His last objective was to find Roman and bring him back dead or alive. Jake made his way out of the office and descended the stairways back to the Stariti storage. From there, Jake ran all the way back to the weapon storage room. There were no guard patrolling the storage facility. He made his way back to the vents and climbed inside. Before he pursued his final target, Jake grabbed the detonator device from his pocket. He punched the red button and a loud ¡®thud¡¯ erupted right next to him. He heard thousands of bullets go off like fireworks. It didn¡¯t take long for both storage facilities to catch on fire. Jake sensed that he had completed his objective. The explosives should wake up Roman¡¯s thugs.

    ***

    In order make his way to Deck 15, Jake crawled to the transport room by using the vent. From there, he needed to find a specific path that would take him to Deck 15. The transportation room was where goods are transported via a belt. The goods placed on the belt were not the normal type of luggage, but a variety of exotic goods. Most of the goods were placed in a steel box to prevent thieves from tampering with the supply line.

    Looks like I have reached the end of the line, he thought to himself. Guess I¡¯ll have to ride along on the belt.

    He climbed on top of the belt tram; the tram carried him through the supply route. The belt tram mimicked a labyrinth; there are multiple way to go. It¡¯s was easy to get lost. Jake needed to pay attention to the direction that the tram was traveling. To make navigation easy, there were signs that indicated where the supplies are going. He couldn¡¯t get too comfortable. There were still Roman¡¯s thugs patrolling the supply route. Jade decided it would be a good time to get his Desuko 5k ready for the ambush. The belt continued to carry Jake until it started to shift him to the right. Within less than fifty meters, he came across a big room where he saw a variety of supplies being transported through a web route. Jake also spotted several guards that were positioned at the security checkpoint and on the catwalk. He decided to disembark the belt by landing on a platform to his left.

    Jake crouched on top of a platform between the two trams. He kept himself in crouch position in order to keep a low profile. He was very close on the edge of the platform. He was able to see a guard grabbing a cigar from his pocket. Jake assumed that the guard must be bored from being on duty. This gave Jake the opportunity to strike the target down. He pulled out his blade from his left arm and struck his target down from above. Jake managed to land a lethal blow to the guard¡¯s head. The guard was killed instantly.

    After Jake successfully took out the guard, he heard a loud thud that erupted from a machine. It appeared that the machine was struggling to keep itself going. Jake heard one of the guards saying that they were concerned that the machine was breaking down. The security guards sent their mate to go out and investigate the issue. Jake could hear footsteps coming closer. Jake looked around his surrounding to see if there was a hiding spot. There were no convenient hiding spots for Jake to hide. To prevent the approaching guard from alerting his mates, Jake remained right next to the deceased guard. As the footsteps got louder, he clenched his fist and waited for the guard to come closer. Within a split second, Jake was able to see the guard¡¯s feet. Jake began to strangle the guard, then he dragged the guard until he was able to snap his neck out.

    One guard called out the other guard¡¯s name to see if he was OK. Jake didn¡¯t say a word. He knew things were about to get ugly and he realized he wouldn¡¯t be able to retain his element of surprise for much longer. He made a choice to move out from his position and he moved quickly to his right. Within a few seconds, Jake heard footsteps coming along on his left. The guards are about to close into his previous position. He figured that the best way to deal with the guards was to grab a grenade from his belt and throw it when the guards saw the dead bodies. As the guards came around the corner, they were horrified to see their dead mate. One of the guards decided to reach for his communication device so that they could notify other mates that we have a hostile on the loose. Before the guards were able to relay the information, his speech was interrupted when he saw a grenade placed right next to the left hand of the dead body. He examined the grenade very closely and saw that the pin was already pulled. Within a few seconds, the grenade exploded, and all hell started to break loose.

    A guard came down the stairway to investigate. He had his weapon ready, but he ended up getting shot in the head by Jake. The guard was instantly killed and fell down the stairs. Jake checked his surroundings by looking over his left side. There were two guards positioned right between the belt tram. Jake managed to hit the ground in a prone position before a hail of bullets came after him. He heard loud thuds of bullets ricocheting off the belt tram. Jake was suppressed, and his heart started to beat. He crawled his way underneath the belt conveyors and tried to get a visual on the thugs. He continued to crawl underneath the belt until he could see the thug¡¯s foot. He had his Desuku 5k ready and fired the weapon. The lead knocked the guards down to the ground. Jake finished him off using another three-round burst. One guard, who was standing on the catwalk; he was trying his best to hunt down Jake. But he was unable to get a good visual on Jake¡¯s whereabouts. The guard met an unfortunate end when bullets started to pierce his body and he was killed instantly.

    Jake squirmed his way out from underneath the belt tram. Hails of bullets started pouring right next to Jake as he sprinted to the steel box. With a little luck, he managed to reach cover just in time before getting himself killed. There were not one, not two, but three guards that are engaging Jake. One guard took cover along the support stand, another guard was hiding right next to the steel box, and the last guard was taking cover right next to the wall. Before finishing off the three guards, Jake checked his mag to see how many rounds he had left. Currently, he had a half-mag remaining. Jake should be able to make full use of his current mag before he had to ditch it on the floor. With the weapon set to full automatic, he took out a guard that was hiding along the steel box by picking him off with a body shot. Jake was still getting suppressed by the guard who was hiding right next to the support stand. Jake stayed in his current position until he heard one of the guards¡¯ curse as he told his mate that he had to reload. Jake made a desperate attempt to move to another cover by heading up to different steel box where the dead guard awaits. Hails of bullets were still roaring along his left side; the two guards had to be dealt with. Jake made a risky attempt to finish out the last two guards by going into a prone position while leaning his body to the left and unload every round that remain in his mag until the weapon went ¡®click¡¯. Jake managed to kill off two guards in a firestorm. He started to tremble, he knew that this would be the millionth time he would experience a life or death conflict. A conflict he won, but it was far from over. Before he started moving, Jake grabbed a minted magazine from his chest carrier. While carrying the full magazine, he removed the empty magazine from his Desuku 5k using his left hand and dropped it on the ground. He firmly inserted the full magazine into the chamber. The last thing he needed to do was to rack the Desuku 5k by pulling the blowback all the way, let it go and the weapon was ready.

    ¡°Hey, is there anyone out there?¡± One guard said, ¡°Say something.¡±

    Jake wasn¡¯t too sure if he had more company coming in his way, he had to move from his previous position in order to avoid pursuit.

    ***

    ¡°Hello? Is there anyone out there?¡±, the security guard said again.

    The transport room was quiet. The machines continued to crank the supply run pretending that nothing bad had happened. The machines were busy transporting all the goods to their proper destination and it continued to relish its day. The guards were dead silent. The last security guard did not like it that most of his men had died in the field. He was the only one left alive. The only option that remained was to find the Bounty Hunter and eliminate him. As the thug tried to hunt down the Bounty Hunter; little did he know, he would end up becoming the hunted.

    The security guard noticed a loud knock along the stairway to his right. With his sidearm at the ready, he pointed the gun right at the stairway. He realized in disbelief that there was no one there. Was he going crazy? Was it his imagination?... Without even thinking about it, the security guard forgot to call in the alarm. The guard was a fool for paying too much attention to the conflict when he should have called in for help. He was supposed to turn to his left and hit the red button underneath the control panel. Without warning, someone managed to latch onto the security guard¡¯s face. The unidentified user managed to maintain a grip of his mouth, making it harder for him to yell. The guard tried to squirm, hoping he could break free. He was too late. The guard slowly descended to the ground. A split-second latter, his neck was snapped. He was rendered speechless.

    Well, well. Looks like I got myself a bonus. Jake said to himself.

    He was fortunate enough to catch the wanted target off guard and to silently kill the target without alerting any resistance. The only thing he needed to do was transport the deceased target to its required destination. After the transport, Jake received 5,000 credits to his account. Not much, but it was good enough for him to make a living. Now, Jake needed to proceed to the final target.

    Jake recalled from the flight documents that Roman¡¯s ship was currently located at deck 15. As he searched for clues; he took the time to inhale and exhale, telling himself that he had to calm down. It wasn¡¯t much, but it should be enough for him to get ready for another nasty fight. He searched around the control panel, but nothing eye catching got his attention. As he looked from behind, he paid close attention to the signs to decipher where he needed to go. According to the sign on his left, the first transportation belt was heading to deck 10 thru deck 14. On to his right, the sign mentioned that the second transportation belt was heading to deck 15 thru deck 19. He decided to climb on top of the conveyor belt to his right and the belt carried Jake to his destination.

    ***

    As the belt carried Jake to his destination, he came across a spiral room. Inside the spiral room, there was a large machine that resembled an oak cone. The purpose of this machine was to keep track of all the supplies and to transport the goods to their rightful destination. The machine was able to determine the correct location by reading the good¡¯s bar code. The machine would lift the supply crate to a specific floor. Once the crate arrived, the belt would disembark the supply crate and transport the crate to its final destination. Jake did not want to take a ride inside the large machine. He would have to disembark the belt and navigate his way through the catwalk. Looking off to the right-hand side, Jake noticed a supply checkpoint. Jake jump off the belt and landed on the deck.

    Before breaching the checkpoint building, he readied his Desuku 5K. He opened the door without making a lot of noise and began to breach the room. There was a security who was busy managing the supply run. He was concentrating on his work because he knew he had taken full responsibility of monitoring the goods. The thug was doing his best to ensure that the all the supply crates arrived at the right destination. The thug was concentrating so hard on his work that he did not hear Jake sneak up behind him. The guard¡¯s back of head came into contact with the buttstock of the Desuku 5k and he was knocked unconscious. Now, the room is clear. Jake decided not to kill a guard.

    Jake was still unable to determine where Deck 15 was exactly located. He decided to examine the console carefully. Base on its readings; the console showcased a grid map that was keeping track of all the goods coming in and out of the machine. Most of the good were being transported to deck 16 through deck 19. The only deck where no supplies were being distributed was deck 15. The route to Deck 15 was located on the left side of the spiral room. To gain access, Jake would need to make his way to the catwalk by ascending a ladder. The catwalk would take him to the next supply checkpoint.

    Now that Jake has a good sense of his current location, he knew he needed to exit the supply checkpoint by climbing on a ladder. In order to make his exit, Jake pulled the lever to his right and slowly opened the hatch. Once the hatch was wide-open, a small ladder from above began to lower and connect another ladder. To avoid an ambush, Jake checked both sides before he lifted himself on top of the ladder. Jake began his ascension until he reached the top of the catwalk.

    Once on top of the catwalk, Jake took a turn to his left. He still had his Desuku 5K ready. However, there were no signs of enemy contact. In fear that he might end up losing his main target, Jake decided it would be best to double time it. He began to sprint down the catwalk. Up ahead to his left, Jake came across a ladder that should take him to Deck 15. Before beginning his ascension, he double checked his surrounds to ensure no pursuers are coming after him. The spiral room was still dead quiet. There was not one single guard and the machine was busy sorting the items. Now that the coast was clear, he placed his Desuku 5K on his back and began to ascend the ladder to deck 15.

    As he continued to climb the ladder, Jake knew that he was very close of capturing his first target. He remembered when he was a young boy; he grew up with a family who disembarked to find a new colony. Many believed this was an opportunity to look for new planets and to establish a new home. Perhaps a chance to establish a new state, spread their cultures, or start a new beginning. The tides started to change when pirates raided his ship. Many civilians and crew members were killed, while other we¡¯re captured and sold off as slaves. As a young boy, he tried to make a desperate escape in an escape pod with his family. But it was too late. His mother and father managed to get inside the escape pod. They hit the eject button without realizing their son was missing. His family and Jake¡¯s infant sibling made the trenchless journey through the void and slowly traveled to planet TZ-526. Jake ended up being captured by pirates. Now, he was treated as a slave.

    When he saw his family being separated, his heart was torn apart. Jake never imagine losing his family. He enjoyed being with his family since he was brought into this world. His family has treated him well. While the young boy had gotten into trouble, he managed to establish a strong bond with his family. For the first time, Jake was isolated.

    As he was taken to the cellar, he started to cry and weep. He developed a proper sense that he was hurt. If he got sick; he would slowly, but surely meet his end. He remained in the cellar for a few months. With no communication, Jake felt like he was boxed in. If only there was another way¡­ If he could be free from his chains, what else would he want to do? Was there any hope?

    On that faithful day, an unexpected event has occurred. Jake was terrified when he heard a gunshot echoing in the cellar. He was na?ve on the situation and had no idea what was going on. Perhaps a fight was breaking out? A riot? He did not know. Jake chose not to say a word and remained in the cellar. He was in fear that he was about to be given severe punishment. A few minutes¡¯ latter, the gunshots started to fade out and everything was dead quiet¡­ Until Jake heard footsteps. Scared and afraid of the new world. He knew that he would be forced to do hard labor for the pirates. He would need to do explicitly what they told him to do. If he failed to comply with the pirates, Jake knew he would pay a heavy price. On the left of the cellar, Jake come across a man who wore a different armor than the pirates.

    At first, Jake figured that the police or the military had raided the base. But this was not the case. The major difference between the police or military was his armor design. The man¡¯s armor was made from chrome. The man was wearing a helmet to conceal his identity. A black mark on his helmet was a vertical shape. The middle of the helmet contains a ¡®V¡¯ shape. The color of the armor was aqua blue.

    ¡°Hey! Are you OK back there?¡± The man said. He appears to be more friendly than the pirates.

    Jake had sealed his lips. He feared what was about to happen.

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not here to hurt you. I¡¯ll get you out of here.¡± The man said.

    The man used his toolset to unlock the cellar door. The door slide to the right.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± The man said as he slowly approached Jake with his arm reaching out.

    Jake look at the man¡¯s arm. He grabbed his hand and lifted Jake up.

    ¡°Who¡­ Who are you?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°Call me¡­ Camious¡± the man said.

    Without even thinking about it, Jake accidentally encountered the closed hatch with his head. His right hand almost lost its grip on the ladder, but Jake managed to regain his grip by latching back on. He looked up to see if there was a control panel he could operate. There was a lever on his right. Jake latch onto the lever with his right hand, yank it hard and the hatch opened open. He continued to ascend the ladder until he reached the floor. He lifted himself onto floor, and he is inside the supply checkpoint for Deck 15.

    The room was quiet inside, there were no guards inside, and no supplies were being transported to Deck 15. He proceeded to the balcony and jumped on the tram. The tram started to carry him towards Deck 15. Jake figured that time was not on his side and he would have to move quickly if wanted to stop Roman from escaping. As he was riding on the tram, Jake started to sprint on top of the tram. The clock started to tick, and he used every ounce of stamina to navigate his way through the supply route. Luckily, the route to Deck 15 was straight forward. There was no specific path he had to take. He knew if he was to stick to the tram route, the navigation wouldn¡¯t be troublesome.

    Coming along right after he made his left turn, he saw a clear opening, and decided to take a knee stance. He started to breath hard, indicating that he needed more oxygen before he could muster his strength to capture his final target. He took about two to three minutes before proceeding to Deck 15. One he regained his stamina, he decided he get his Desuku 5K from his gear and prepared to engage his final target.

    Inside Deck 15, there was a workstation where a couple parts for vehicle resided. Most of the parts needed maintenance, while a handful of parts were placed inside the box. The box was clearly labeled as broken, indicating that whatever was in the box did not work. There was a small mini-bar on the north side of deck 15. The door was lock tight and it appeared that no one was inside. Along the left of the deck, Jake saw the BM-32. The vehicle roared itself to life and slowly gained altitude. The ship started to turn to the right. Jake saw Roman that was inside the cockpit. Jake knew that Roman wasn¡¯t a coward. In fact, Roman carried a lot hatred against the Bounty Hunter and he was ready to use his weapons to unleash fire and fury towards Jake. Roman pressed a button on the control panel to prepare the weapons from his ship. He pressed the release safety lock. His ship was locked and ready to fire.

    ¡°I could have made a desperate escape with all the earning I worked so hard on. Now you decide to ruin my fun by tearing down my business. Well¡­ That about to change.¡± Roman said to himself. ¡°If you think you have the balls to capture me. I¡¯ll make sure to send you back to hell.¡±

    Within less than a second, Jake used up the rest of his stamina to take proper cover from the Minigun firing. Hails of bullets are pouring in insanely fast; Jake was heavily suppressed and started to curse. He made a break to take proper cover inside the building just before an air missile came pounding toward him. Luckily, the room he was inside of was bullet and missile proof. He was damn lucky he didn¡¯t get mowed down into swiss cheese. His heart started to pound hard and he knew he could not remain in control for long.

    As Jake started to curse, he examined the weapon locker room carefully. The room was locked up tight. Quickly, he decided to melt the lock to the room by using one or his torches from his gear. Once the lock popped out, he eagerly opened the locker door and he saw guns and ammo neatly stacked inside. He checked if there were any weapons he could use to take out the BM-32. He was in luck. Jake found the MGF-746 Kusberg missile launcher. The Kusberg is an anti-air/land missile issued by military forces that utilize a ¡®fire and forget¡¯ mode. In order to fire the Kusberg, Jake would first need to lock into his target by holding down the lock button. As the missile launcher started to ¡®beep beep beep¡¯; Jake knew he had to wait for a few seconds for the Kusberg to calculate the self-guidance. Once the calculation was complete, the Kusberg would sound off with a loud ¡®beep¡¯, indicating the target was fully lock on and it was ready to fire. When using the Kusberg, Jake knew he had to be very careful of the back-blast. If he were to come to contact with it, he would end up getting burned. The Kusberg missile launcher calculated the safe range of the back-blast between the operator and the missile launcher. It was designed not go off until it reached a safe distance between the operator and the launching point. Hopefully, Jake won¡¯t have to worry about the black-blast.

    The missile was designed to handle different types of rounds, HEAT, HEAA and HE. The only missile he found was the HEAA ¨C Heavy Explosive Anti-Air. He picked up one HEAA from the locker and inserted the round inside the muzzle of the launcher. To arm the missile, Jake pressed the load button. He heard the Kusberg reel in the missile. The Kusberg system displayed a green button, indicating that the missile was loaded. Now, his next step was to take out the BM-32.

    Taking out a manned vehicle is no easy task. Roman was aware of his known location. If Jake went out into the open, he would end up being chewed to pieces within less than a second. If only he could find something that might distract Roman, he might be able to make a make a jump on him without him knowing. Jake double checked the locker again to see what other types of weapons he could use in combat. He found a dozen smoke grenades neatly stack inside the box. Now, Jake began to formulate his cunning plan.

    If Jake deployed the smoke grenades at the edge of the tram, he would be able to as use the smoke to conceal his movements. Once Roman began to shoot the heavy guns, Jake would be able to make a break for it and smash the BM-32 to bits. All he needed to do was wait. Wait a long as he needed to find the perfect opportunity. Wait¡­ Wait a little longer¡­

    ¡°All right, asshole! You¡¯re surrounded! You might as well give up while you still can.¡± Roman said in an intimidating tone.

    At first, it looked like he wanted Jake to surrender. The petty trick Roman wanted to pull off was he wanted to get Jake out of his hiding position so he could blow his head off. It became apparent that Jake didn¡¯t want to play a second fiddle with Roman. Instead of showing himself, Jake deployed smoke grenades along the edge of the tram. Within a few seconds, the smoke started going off. Roman was able to get a good sense that Jake was using smoke as a concealment strategy. Without any hesitation, Roman began to pull the trigger on his flight control stick and a hail of bullets started pouring through the smoke. He positioned the minigun to move left to right in a vertical pattern. Once the smoke cleared, Jake was nowhere in sight. Roman made a quick glance left to right to see if there was any movement on the docks. Spotting Jake was no easy task. The BM-32 offers limited view of his surrounding, especially in claustrophobic spaces. A split-second latter, he heard a loud thud that shook the BM-32 from behind. Jake had successfully launched the missile. The system was alerting Roman that the left wing was shot down, displaying a yellow warming message on the BM-32¡¯s console. The indicators on the console inside the cockpit vehicle have the following meanings: if the indicator is green, the ship is in working condition. If the indictor turns yellow, the ship is telling Roman that there are parts that are badly damage. In an event the indicator turns read, the vehicle is in critical condition and everything inside the ship is about to be obliterated. Roman knew where Jake was located. He pulled his BM-32 into a 180-degree turn. He saw Jake who was making a run while carrying a Kusberg missile launcher. Roman unloaded his minigun and the bullets landed right behind Jake.

    Jake started to curse numerous of times until he managed to get to cover. At one point, he needed to be careful not to get cocky for his next strike. Jake would need to look for an alternative way to take out the BM-32. He checked around the small room to see if there was another route he could take. He realized that there was a ladder on his right. Perhaps he would climb up another floor. Instead of using his smoke grenades, he took out a regular grenade from his pouch. He only had two grenades in his inventory. Before he executed the plan, Jake pulled another HEAA missile from the weapon locker and loaded it inside the muzzle. Now he had to wait.

    Roman was starting to get impatient. He was hoping he could end Jake¡¯s life using his big guns. Now, he was starting to have a temper tantrum in his thoughts. Roman realized that Jake wasn¡¯t going to play tricks that easily. He would have to wait as long as he could for the perfect opportunity to mow Jake down.

    All the sudden, he heard a loud explosion. Roman wondered if the law enforcement was raiding Deck 15? Did the gas explode? The sound was coming from the doorway. Roman turned his ship 90 degrees so that it was pointing directly at the doorway. He began to unload the minigun based on where he thought the target might be. However, not one person was seen in the area. Now, Roman was starting to get paranoid. He had no idea what was going on. At first, he was tempted to make an escape. Then, a train of thought occurred to Roman. He forgot he had a rear camera installed along the backside of the BM-32. If he could see if Jake was hiding behind the ship, Roman might be able to jump on him. He punched in the controllers to get the rear camera on the console. Within a few seconds, Roman was able to pinpoint Jake¡¯s known location. Jake had climbed his way to the second floor of the catwalk. Jake was about to fire his Kusberg missile launcher. Hoping he would gain a quick kill, Roman made 180 degree turn in an attempt to line up his corsair with Jake¡¯s location. Before he was able to pull the trigger, the Kusberg missile launcher deployed the HEAA missile and it flew directly at Roman¡¯s cockpit. A loud thud knocked Roman and the BM-32 ship backwards. A gust of smoke started to consume the cockpit. Roman started to freak out, cursed and he accidently pointed the nose up and pulled the trigger. The Miniguns started to roared to life, but it wasn¡¯t shooting toward Jake. The bullets started to collide with the ceiling and hail of bullets started to pour to the ground. Jake managed to make a break for it before Roman was able to see again.

    All right, one last time. Jake said to himself. He hoped he would be able to take down the BM-32 and finish the job once and for all. With his Kusberg missile launcher placed on his back, he slowly descended the ladder back to the first floor and started to load one HEAA missile inside the muzzle. His heart was starting to beat. He knew that he is getting close to taking out the BM-32. He needed to be extremely careful when taking the shot. He was not giving up that easily. One last time, Jake decided to wait for a few more minutes. Roman¡¯s hatred started to build up and he was on the edge. Before executing the decoy, Jake told himself that he was not a slave. He was meant to be a free man and he willing to fight against all outlaws. This is his chance to prove that he has become the most fearsome Bounty Hunter in the galaxy. His dreams will only be fulfilled if he is patient¡­

    Roman was still watching over the tower where Jake was previously located. He was anticipating an attack and he was ready to shoot. Then, the unexpected occurred. He saw a flash grenade appear to his left. The flash grenade exploded in a loud ¡®bang¡¯, Roman was unable to see or hear. Roman¡¯s anger started to burst and started to light up his minigun, hoping he could get a quick kill before getting struck by the anti-air missile. As Roman started to regain vision, Jake was nowhere to be found. As Roman started to check his rear camera, it was too late. He heard a loud ¡®thud¡¯ that struck the rear thruster and the BM-32 console was displaying engine was badly damage.

    The engine and the system were starting to bleed out. Roman was losing power and altitude. One thing was certain, his ship would not remain in operational for long. Roman knew that he had to brace for impact. With his trusty pilot skills; Roman was able to slowly descend to ground level, his ship moved forward and crashed against the wall. Roman felt a lot of momentum pushing him back and his head knocked against the seat. Roman regained consciousness but suffered minor injuries from the crash. He knew his only escape option was to eject the cockpit window, remove his seatbelt and quickly bail out the vehicle before the BM-32 cockpit caught on fire.

    Roman struggled to get away from the vehicle. He was dizzy, and he did not possess the strength he needed to keep fighting. In a last-ditch effort, Roman pulled his Museku 69 from his holster and started to point it toward Jake. Jake grabbed Roman¡¯s right arm and snap it; forcing Roman to drop his weapon. Roman screamed in terror as he endured the pain. Jake punched Roman in the face and Roman¡¯s entire body collapsed towards the floor. Jake pulled out his handcuffs and slapped them on Roman¡¯s wrist.

    All of a sudden, the Tenelov police force began to raid Deck 15. Most of the men were armed with shotguns and SMGs. While some the police officers were only armed with a sidearm. Their guns were at the ready state and they started to point at Jake and Roman. However, the main officer soon realized that Jake had captured Roman. He had been informed that Jake was part of the Artia guild. The main officer ordered his men to hold fire by giving them the signal to lower their weapons. The Tenelov police force decided to let Jake make the choice on what he wanted to do with his bounty. Would Jake decide to spare Roman and let him live another day or kill Roman in cold blood? Jake pulled out his Kolt45A1 pistol from his holster and pointed it at Roman¡¯s head.

    Jake knew he wasn¡¯t sent here for vengeance on his foes, but he was here to provide justice. He knew this job gave him the opportunity to protect the civilization in Tenelov and to enforce law and order. Being a Bounty Hunter was no easy task. Only a professional is capable enough to hunt down the worst criminals in the world. Not everyone can endure this nasty job. He had to train hard to become a professional Bounty Hunter. Fortunately, he was one of the few members who passed the harsh training that was laid before him. He had a thirst for revenge at one point. When he was young, he did display proper judgement. As he trained to become a Bounty Hunter, he began to recognize his past mistakes and started to make corrections. He now looks for ways to bring good to the galaxy.

    He decided that he would spare Roman¡¯s life. Jake simply lowered his pistol down and put it back in his holster. He let Roman go and let the Tenelov police force take Roman into custody. Jake learned that there are times that killing is not going to be the only solution and there are times where it best to let go. No matter what choice he makes in the field, there will be outlaws that express their distaste against the Artia guild. While the past continues to haunt Jake, there was no denying the fact that he would never be sent back as a slave. He would do whatever he could to provide justice to the galaxy as long as he was alive. This is how his first test would end. Not with vengeance, but with self-control.

    ¡°What are you? A yellow?¡± Roman said in frustration. ¡°This isn¡¯t over. When I get off these cuffs off, I¡¯ll have your fucking head.¡±

    The Tenelov police force dragged Roman out of the scene and made their exit from Deck 15. Roman was eventually escorted to a remote prison where he could start to pay off his debt by mining the asteroid fields. This was the heavy price Roman would need to pay. For quite some time, Jake stood still and watched the burning BM-32 dissolve itself. One officer from the police department approached him.

    ¡°Are you Jake Avolsky?¡± the officer asked in a polite tone

    ¡°Yes. Is there something you need?¡± he asked the officer.

    ¡°The prime minister has invited you to his office. He would like to have a word with you as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Very well, lead the way¡± Jake said.

    The officer guided Jake to the prime minister office. Jake¡¯s first test was complete. He managed to capture Roman alive. The only remaining task he needed to fulfill was to settle personal business with the prime minister and he would be on his own from there. In the meantime, the only thing he could do was wait for his next mission from the Artia guild. When that time comes, he¡¯ll be sent out alone in the galaxy. Where he will prowl the void for the next criminal.