In the dimmest corner of the Space Canaille, the black-hooded figure sat and watched. It was approaching the busiest shift of the day, and the air was close with smoke and smell. The patrons of the bar (or, as they might more accurately be known, denizens) sat in small, quiet groups, or sat alone. A new visitor to the bar would be surprised by the melancholy mood, but there were precious few boisterous space pirates. Everyone was too busy making their fortune.
A short waiter came and gave the black-hooded man his order: a Bloody Mary. He paid silently, not taking his eyes off the automatic doors. He was expecting company.
Suddenly, there was a loud blare of music. All the patrons, even the black-hooded man, looked around. The automatic doors whooshed open, and a swirling pattern of coloured light floated in. It swayed around the clientele, giving some drinkers an almost saintly aura, then came down in a bare patch of floor. The swirling pattern silently exploded, filling the room to the back of every eyeball with unbearably intense sensations.
When the light faded, standing in the vacant space with his hands on his hips and a dramatic look on his face, was Marko Bent.
There were astonished gasps and shouts of recognition. Marko Bent was quite famous, as space pirates went, and it seemed everybody in the room knew him. Amid cries of "It's Marko!" "Good old Marko!" "Good to see you, Marko!" he was fairly dragged over to the bar and given about six different drinks to have a shot at.
The black-hooded man ground his teeth. He watched silently, his anger growing, as Marko joked and drank with the rest of the pirates. Everyone except for the black-hooded man was now at the bar, and the mood had definitely picked up a notch. There was laughter, shouts and even a few songs being sung.
Finally Marko was able to drag himself free. With a final wave to the pirates, he came over to the black-hooded man and sat down. The man, now finding himself the centre of attention, looked very flustered.
"So, how's it going?" said Marko. Noticing the Bloody Mary, he picked it up and drank half.
"This was supposed to be a clandestine meeting!" hissed the black-hooded man. "Upchuck's put your name out, and you turn up in public!"
"Relax. Upchuck won't even know I've gone yet. Besides, these are all good friends of mine. You can't expect me to come slinking in here like some common loser."
"So... you have it?"
"Yep," said Marko nonchalantly. "Got a big lump of red rock in the storage room of my ship. Although, I can't really see what all the fuss is about."
"You can't?" The black-hooded man sat back and steepled his fingers.
"When I shot that thing, it transported me through space, right? Well, when I checked my sensors, turns out the rock only transported me two million kilometres away. I mean, that's barely useful even in a battle. You're on the outer edge of long-range scanners, and if your opponent is at all interested in finding you, before long he'll know where you are."
The black-hooded man smiled. "So, you don't want it?"
Marko shrugged. "It'd be nice to have, but it just seems pretty useless. Of course, I'll still expect to get paid. In full."
"Ah, yes."
"Ten million credits."
"It's a high price."
"After this," said Marko, "I'll never be able to return to space. I need enough to set me up for life."
"I have it," said the black-hooded man, "in my ship." He stood up. "Let's take a walk."