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I used to think I was ready for anything. I was about to be proven wrong.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLi9MnXCmo
As I stepped out of the building onto the Martian walkway, a heavy blow landed on the back of my head. It actually wasn't the blow I felt, it was the searing pain that radiated to my eyeballs, and the intense dizziness that sent me to the ground.
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As soon I felt the ground beneath me adrenaline took over and the pain disappeared. I started to roll away from where I assumed my attacker was. I needed to get some distance between us quickly if I wanted a chance to fight back.
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Jumping to my feet, ignoring the new wave of dizziness that came over me, I faced my attacker.
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Actually I tried facing him, but apparently I hadn't put as much distance between us as I had thought. Before I could completely turn around a large fist smashed into my face. The force of the punch unbalanced me; the force of the second punch sent me staggering backwards into the alley. A third one landed me on top of the trashcans.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lxz09ill4
I had to do something quickly. My level of consciousness, not to mention my dashing good looks, would not hold up much longer.
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Reaching behind me I took hold of a trashcan. I spent only a fraction of a second contemplating what would happen if it was tethered to the ground, and hurled it at the approaching figure. It didn't do any damage, but it distracted him for just a second.
That was all the time I needed.
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I lunged forward and threw all my strength into my punch. It was followed up immediately with another. While he was slightly off balance, I drove my left heel into the side of his knee. His leg buckled and he went down to one knee. I grabbed his left arm and twisted it behind his back, reducing his mobility considerably.
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My attacker was a Quinexx. They were known for being strong and angry. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if I let go right now.
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A hairy fist swung up from the right that I was barely able to dodge. It still caught me in the shoulder and rocked me to the side. I was just barely able to keep his left arm pinned behind him.
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With my right hand, I reached up to the base of his skull. His dreadlocks were tied back, as customary for a Quinexx, so it was pretty easy to find the protuberance I was looking for. I bunched my fingers together and jammed them into it as hard as I could.
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The behemoth made a surprisingly small squeak, lurched violently, and collapsed.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmN9KlFEsrN
I had learned that handy trick about sending their nervous system into momentary shock years ago during my brief stint as a Patrol Officer. I learned how to fight, I learned about the weaknesses of a lot of different species, and I learned I'm not very good at following orders.
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For ten seconds I scanned his face and watched his breathing. I was not in the mood for any surprises right now. After reassuring myself he was really unconscious, I inched closer to him.
Despite my inner voice screaming at me to get as far away as possible, I stayed kneeling down beside the prone figure. His clothes were typical for a Quinexx; high collared tunic and pants. Running my hands over his shirt revealed no hidden pockets. I moved to his pants pockets, retrieving some money and a small brown folder. I pocketed both, feeling only a small twinge of guilt for stealing his money. But as I thought of all the pain killers I would have to buy because of him, the feeling disappeared.
He didn't have a weapon of any kind, just as I suspected. Quinexx warriors believe it is dishonorable to wound or take a life with something other than their own two hands. I silently thanked whatever ancient leader came up with that belief. A Quinexx with a blade sounded like something out of a nightmare.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLValW1SfFl
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I stood up and examined my surroundings. The street and alley were still empty just like a few moments ago. It didn't appear my unconscious friend had any backup. With one more glance at the Quinexx I left the scene quickly, lest someone alert the Patrol to report a human mugging a Quinexx.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6rnVOpBLy
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As I hurried down the street toward my apartment I contemplated reporting the attack myself. But I knew it wouldn't do any good. An understaffed, overstretched Patrol Office couldn't spend their time investigating something as minor as an attack that didn't even result in a death. Each Patrol Division of the Galactic Defense Union had one sector to patrol; here in Sector 23 there were only two inhabited worlds, or sub-sectors, Earth and Mars. We had it better than some sectors that had many more sub-sectors for the Patrol Officers to control. Some sectors in the galaxy have fallen to unbridled chaos.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rrbFN2hqY
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It didn't used to be this bad. Thirty years ago, travel to other sectors was long and expensive so people mostly stayed in system. The only ones who ventured out beyond their sectors were the occasional entrepreneur, adventurer or ambassador.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PJyBEjXih
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Then Pi'Tar the Scichian of Sector 11 invented The Net. He discovered a way to manipulate gravity waves with a so called Gravity Net. The Net made space travel very convenient to say the least. Instead of taking weeks to travel to another sector, now it only took hours. The Net opened new business opportunities, new alliances to be born, and new territory for crime bosses and otherwise untrustworthy folk to earn a living.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HtxdBJph3
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When the number of criminals grew exponentially, the number of Patrol Officers did not. They lost the war on crime faster than anyone wanted to admit.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehAsy7ncF1
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So if an average person like me tried reporting an insignificant crime like being attacked in an alley, they would get a lot of blank stares and some vague promise about investigating it. Which usually meant writing a report that would never see the light of the day.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51QR1U1vMN
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Walking home, I was more nervous than I would have ever admitted; glancing sideways into each alley. I started to relax as I saw the outline of my apartment building growing larger. The building was part of the Historic District. It was made of brick, with glass windows and halogen light bulbs. It was designed to resemble the buildings that would have been around Pre-Quadrant War, Earth.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSx1LcI7zT1
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Frankly I think the term Historic District was just an excuse to let everything fall apart.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyB3mJJnO6
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I swiped my ID card across the scanner and waited until I heard the lock disengage. I pulled the heavy wooden door and walked inside. The hallway was simply lit with more of those ridiculous halogen light bulbs. I hated this hallway. I hated this building.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8qb8A9KLu
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Scanning my card one more time unlocked my door and I breathed a sigh of relief as I stepped inside. At least the interior was a little more up to date. The motion detectors turned on the lights to my predesignated settings, and the far wall began scrolling the day's headlines. I heard the ventilation system begin scrubbing the air for any allergens or dust that I brought in.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEsXuwx1Ri
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"Door lock." I said absentmindedly as I dug out the two new items in my pockets. I counted the galaxy credits and set them aside. It wasn't enough to get excited about.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswImaJTSx6
What interested me more was the small brown folder.
I held it up and examined every inch of it. It looked and felt like leather but I seriously doubted it was. Leather hasn't been used for anything for decades. It was held together with tight white stitching. No markings or engraving of any kind. I opened it. It held two small info cards. The one on the left was written in Basic Galactic. I scanned the words quickly; it was a short message.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6b1hUiDYu
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"This man, Kurron Raja, is to be eliminated immediately. He can be located in Sector 23>Sub-Sector 2>Vau Quadrant, in the city of Levanthia. Further payment will be credited to your account when the target has been eliminated."414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPde3FRweCu
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How eloquent.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTJKu42lsW
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On the right side was a photo of a dark haired, dark eyed man. There wasn't really anything unique about him, save the crescent shaped scar by his right eye.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCexyfDInC0
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It was an odd feeling staring at a picture of myself I don't remember taking. Oh well, at least it was a decent picture.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFOju5pWTF
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I glanced through the note one more time before closing the folder. I had a growing knot in my stomach as I laid the folder on the table.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHzPQJ4ETE
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Right next to four identical folders.414Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvPwZcnQQm
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