Protostar - Error in Transmission

Chapter 1 - Gotta Go!

"The hell! Not this shit again!" exclaimed Lamar, throwing his muscular arms up in frustration and slapping them back down against his sides. He clenched his teeth and grunted at the skinny five foot, four inch tall woman standing before him.

The twenty-eight year old, Axelle Yamuna, frowned and displayed her best puppy-dog eyes impression to the six foot tall ebony skinned man glaring down at her. After a beat, she flicked her eyes to the black market dealer's sneakers and worked their way up along his tight fitting and worn blue jeans, pausing for a second around his crotch, then proceeded upward across the annoyed man's fit stomach and chest, covered by a gray t-shirt that could barely restrain his toned bulk. After another second, her hazel eyes returned to Lamar's smooth shaven face and deep brown eyes. She watched as he reached up with a hand and ran it across his short curly black hair.

The two had known each other for almost a year, meeting a few months after Axelle had been dishonorably discharged from the Interplanetary Federation (IF) after a nearly nine year stint, an almost exemplary one at that, at least up until the end. The IF was her life, and with no home to return to, Axelle would spend the next few months holed up in a rundown apartment with her financial situation crumbling before her eyes. But lucky for her, an unexpected situation would bring Lamar into her world, along with a new career of sorts.

"Oh come on!" pleaded Axelle, interlocking her fingers before her chest as if to pray. "You know how much I need this! This'll be huge break for me."

"This is just ova half the creds for this stuff!" Lamar took a few steps over and gestured with his arms toward a massive duffle bag on the floor. Born and raised to a human family on Unallam, and having learned both English and the extra-terrestrial's language, he continued in his unusual accent, "Ya not even close. Like ninety percent there, I might be like, I let it go and you can pay up later. But..." he flashed a frustrated glance around the small private office of his leased commercial space within the J. Morris Spaceport's commercial zone and continued, "I mean, do you know how hard it is to get ya hands on standard issue fed shit. I got ya not one, but the pair of fucking pistols you asked for. And the shielding. And the scanner. And everything else. I be barely breakin even on this as it is. You know ya gettin a friend discount, right? Shit." Lamar sighed loudly. "Plus you ain't gonna be 'round no more. One of the best hustlers we had."

Lamar crossed his massive arms, shook his head, and glowered at Axelle. He eyed the petite, yet athletic, caramel skinned woman from head to toe. A significant portion of the left side of her head was shaved quite short, showcasing her naturally carbon black hair, while the rest of her locks swooped over her head and hung just past her shoulders in a kaleidoscope of bright fluorescent colors, a few stray strands dangling down before her face. Dark eyebrows arched gracefully over her large hazel eyes, and her face had an overall elegance with an edge of hardness, along with a thumbnail sized light-blue outline of a five-pointed star adorning her left cheek.

Axelle let her tattooed arms drop by her sides, shoulders slumped. She wore a dark gray commercial grade, short sleeved, skin hugging tactical coverall, embellished with stylish cyan and white stripes. The outfit had several sections on which various tools of the trade and small arms could be attached. A matching pair of tactical boots completed her uniform. She managed to acquire the getup through one of her contacts at the corporation that made these high-end garments. Apparently, a crate of goods here or there would always go missing during transit. The front of her coverall was quite open, revealing an olive green sports bra stretched across Axelle's firm and fair-sized breasts for a petite frame. More tattoos ornamented her chest and crept up and around her neck.

"I get it, Lamar. Don't think for a second that I don't appreciate this, or anything else you've ever done for me. I know you've always given me a fair cut. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't love the perks." Axelle ran her hands down the sides of her fancy uniform. She paused for a beat and continued. "But this gig is really going to get me back on my feet. All those years I spent training at the IF won't go to waste. I mean, I'm going to be the head of weapons and security on a ship!"