—
—
“The State is a society designed to crush and mold it’s people into cogs, to make them conform to whatever the status quo is and make no question about it! Is it shocking that Individuals yearn to rebel against such a system they’ve been coerced into and have a desire to tell the people that maintain it to go ■■■■ themselves? Frankly I’m not surprised in the slightest… The term ‘rebel’ is associated with those that don’t shy away from killing corporate officials, or raiding and destroying corporate property… And while all of that is lovely, I’d argue rebel spirit also exists in those who take a more delicate approach to challenging the status quo, publicly expressing discontent with their surroundings via word or art. To me? These are a special breed of rebels.”
- Suha Raibuya
“Hey! My art is phenomenal!”
March 11th YC123
Torrinos V Lunar Mining Colony - Uven’s Watering Hole
“… You lost, kid?”
“No… I found who I’m looking for.”
“Oh yeah? What exactly is that supposed to mean, runt?”
“You’re the captain of the kestrel that came into port this morning.”
“… What about it?”
“I… Want off this planet. You have a ship, I’m wanting passage on it.”
“… You’re trying to leave the planet? What? Running away from home after being grounded by your parents and having your neocom taken away or something?”
“I don’t have a home to run from and my parents are dead.”
"Well ain’t that a damn shame girle. Ain’t my problem however.
“Look, I just want out of the State - What happens after is my problem.”
“Forget it kid, not only am I not a taxi service, but where I’m going you ain’t got no business going. Now beat it.”
“… How about I buy you a drink?”
“Buy me a drink? Kid, how old even are you?”
“I’m Eighteen.”
“Bull-fuckin-■■■■ kid.”
“… Fine, I’m Sixteen.”
“You’re sixteen? Did your parents die before teaching you not to talk to strangers? More so not to walk up and talk to strangers in bars and try and act grown and offer to buy them drinks? You even have money on you?” HELL how’d you even get in here in the first place?
"I know who owns this bar, Uven? I do favor from time to time… He’s the reason I have some CBD scrip loaded on a stick. I can buy you a drink… And might even have enough to pay you for the trouble of giving me a ride out of here.”
“Do I look like some ■■■■■■■ smuggler to you? I’m a professional trader kid, I dont make my living taking allowance money from teenagers to help them jump the border. Why the hell does some dirty little fuckin’ street urchin like you want out of the State so badly? To escape your poverty or whatever? Ima ■■■■ you up with reality real quick and tell you that no matter where you end up, you’re gonna still be a dirty little fuckin’ street urchin. What difference does it make?”
“For starters, there’s the outbreak going on here.… And Well, I’m being chased by the authorities right now if you must know…”
“Oh-ho! what? Stole some candy bar from a convenience store and now you think you’re some wanted fugitive?”
“I-… Look, you hear about what happened in the commerce district?”
“I don’t read the news, honey…”
"Well basically someo-… I tagged a spot on the front of an apartment complex that CBD executives reside… Put up a piece of work featuring the CEO of CBD and Lai Dai in a uh… Intimate moment."
“… You know what, I have heard about that. That was you?”
“Yeah, that was my piece up there. You might’ve seen some of my other throw-ups across the colony, ‘Okiku’ seem familiar?”
“Oooh yeah, you’re the one putting up all the bad handwriting and wannabe guri imagery? Ain’t that cute…”
“Hey! My art is phenomenal!”
“Sure sure… But you know what? I do find it interesting someone like came all the way to meet me in person.”
“I take it I have tour attention now?”
“Oooooh that’s one way of putting it… every since that bombing incident, cops here have been pretty jumpy about anyone stepping out of line. They might pay me a good bounty if I turn you in and save them the trouble.”
“Y-You don’t wanna do that…”
“That’s rich… And Why’s that kiddo?”
“Put me in police hands, and I’ll tell them about what you’ve been transporting.”
“So what? I’m just another honest merchant here… Caught up with this damn quarantine like the rest of us.”
“You’re supplying the black market with crash and blue for the miners to buy up. Not so honest, are you?”
“… I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“Well… I tend to sneak into the star ports here and try and graze some of the rations off of the merchant’s shipments. Mistaking you for an honest merchant, I snuck into your hanger, popped a crate and found bricks of crash. Now what does that tell-”
< ‘Merchant’ unholsters and slams a pistol down on the counter >
“You know a bit, don’t you girle?”
“… I-I have to if I wanna survive.”
“Heh, survive? Look… I don’t care how old you are, you snoop into my business and try to blackmail me with it? Well, you’re worth the hassle of bumping off… Do I make myself clear?”
“…”
“I can just stand up, put five charges in you and walk out. Killing you will only hasten the pace that I clear out of here… But hey, you’re a kid so I’m willing to just chalk this up to your underdeveloped brain making you do stupid ■■■■ like this… So here’s what’s about to happen, you’re gonna get out of here, you’re not gonna say a fuckin’ thing to the cops, you’re gonna go and resume your pathetic existence, and that’ll be the end of this. And if i ever catch you snooping around my ship and cargo? I’m gonna shoot you dead right then and there… We on the same page here?”
“… Yes.”
“… Then go.”