The Broker
An Elite Dangerous Story
(For Bob)

Chapter 1

Unseen Threat

The T7 hung in an asteroid belt in the HIP62349 system. It's bulky lines and unloved exterior serving to give the impression of a ship coming towards the end of its working life. The hobbled together look was designed to hide the array of data gathering devices hidden along her hull.

Asteroids of various sizes tumbled in random orbits their constant impacts creating a vast dust cloud, which served to obscure its location from prying eyes.

Commander Apex sat in his control lounge in a battered but comfy chair. He was old and felt every one of his seventy-one years. White hair brushed neatly was held in a ponytail. Shaggy white-eye brows couldn't hide bright blue eyes that sparkled with intelligence. A large nose dominated a face used to eating the finer things in life.

Reaching down Apex picked up a glass and took a pull of brandy. Three gold teeth sparkled in reflection from the liquor.

Sighing in contentment he leaned back and took in the various screens that dominated the room. Data streamed across the screens, from important to the mundane.
News channels were broadcasting, the rise and fall of products not yet made public. Information from private accounts to corporate secrets awaited his attention.

Data pads lay discarded across the room, gathering data from data worms he had sent out. Knowledge was power and he sat in the middle of an electronic web he could start wars, ruin religions, and destroy lives.

Apex was a broker, a data broker. He prided himself on if there was something worth knowing then he already knew it. He was a class above his rivals and he knew it. They didn't, oh they knew he or somebody like him existed but that was as far as it went. He was a shadow a byte in the googolplex of data that the universe was constructed from.

Then why was there a request for contact bleeping on one of his screens?

"That's not possible" his craggy voice broke the constant noise of the screens.

"Agatha" he called to the ships computer

"Yes commander" the female COVAS voice replied.

"Are we alone?" He stated

Agatha proceeded to list all space vehicles in the system.

Apex still looking at the request became impatient "Agatha are there any ships within scanning range, have we been scanned"

"Commander" Agatha replied, " We are hidden from all standard scanners, no vessel has approached within thirty light seconds. It is highly unlikely that we have been detected"

"And yet here I am looking at incoming request" he said under his breath.

He was by nature a cautious man; you didn't get to become the data ghost he was without being cautious if not a little paranoid.

He tuned out Agatha who continued to give a running update of the local traffic.

This was now a busy system and come along way in a relatively short period of time. Boole port had become a trading hub and made a lot of waves in the data sphere.

Governed by the Fathers of the void an organisation that had come out of nowhere and swept all before them in the surrounding systems. He had naturally been attracted to the area. Mysteries attracted him and stories gave him pleasure that all his wealth just didn't.

Apex sat staring at the flashing message its blinking status tasked him to accept.

Curiosity getting the better of him Apex leaned forward and accepted the communication.

Standby to decode message flashed up onto the screen

Apex leaned back in his chair and poured himself another brandy while staring intently at the screen.

"Commander" Agatha

"I am detecting a software breach"

Spluttering his drink Apex leaned forward and pressed the cut off switch. There was no response, the message continuing to scroll what looked like base code across his screens.

"Commander" Agatha's voice waved in and out as if talking through interference. "I am being locked out of the ships systems," she continued in amongst the static.

"Disconnect" Apex shouted

"Agatha disconnect" there was no response; this is impossible he thought to himself. Nobody could match his security protocols and yet they had.

With a drone like sound the monitor screens went dark, the emergency lights came on bathing the control room in red light.

"Shit" Apex's fingers danced over dead keypads

"Shit, Shit, Shit" he cursed allowed.

The Mousetrap lurched and the hull roared its displeasure-sending Apex sprawling off his chair. The next impact threw him across the room crashing into several screens. Falling onto the floor next to a broken brandy bottle.
He looked on as the rare vintage leaked across the floor, mixing with blood running from a cut above his eye.

" It breaks the heart," he said in a pained voice.

Pulling himself to his feet he glanced fleetingly at his dead screens. Moving swiftly he returned to his seat and bent to the console next to it. The Mousetrap shook once again and Apex staggered moving with the impact. With a grunt of exertion he pulled the panel he was looking for open.

"Okay" he said aloud wiping his bloody eye. He reached into the space his hand grasping and a large metal handle.
With a wince he pulled hard and hoped to whatever gods were looking down on him that the core backup would work.

Chapter 2

Best laid plans

Apex lurched to the right to compensate for the battering his ship was taking. Steam hissed from various pipes and conduits. Emergency lights flickered as they struggled for power. The Mousetrap was far from a defenceless T7 but at this moment that's exactly what she was.

Apex was counting down the reboot sequence in his head, trying to judge how long he had to wait. All his screens were blank waiting for power to be restored.

"Dam" he said aloud to himself "your getting soft! There's nothing wrong with a little paranoia".

The Mousetrap shook again, but Apex rode it out standing legs apart arms aloft holding onto the overhead crash straps.

The ship became still, the hull groaned in protest cooling in the cold of space. The sound of multiple impacts sounded on the outside of the hull. Magnetic boots Apex thought, memories from a past life bringing recognition.

Moving swiftly he pulled a side arm from the recess to his right and then a rifle from the overhead storage locker. All the while he could hear their progress as they walked his hull.

The soft chime of the master system pinged announcing its reboot. Matching the count down on his wrist com Apex noted four minutes until the systems came back on line.

"A bloody lifetime" he grunted.

"When this is over I'll have to look at the failsafe's" Apex was always one to talk to him self. It had become a habit in his lonely world.

The sounds of the clanking footsteps parted and headed different directions. Making his choice he followed one set walking the corridor as his would be boarder walked above.

Apex had to follow the tunnel as it deviated from the footsteps along his hull. Picking up his pace he knew they were aiming for the side airlock. Checking his wrist com two minutes had passed, rounding the corner he was fifteen feet away and the airlock was already cycling.

They were fast, they must be using some sort of powered override Apex thought.

"Professional" he stated in admiration.

He levelled his rifle and tuned the sights on the airlock hatch the image sharp and clear.
The door clicked open, the gas exchange creating vapours along the floor.

Calming his breathing the rifle in tune with his arms. Imperceptible movement as the sights followed his shallow breathing.

The door opened slowly following its inbuilt programming. Boom the report echoed along the silent corridor. The door was barley open six inches but that was Apex needed. The laser bolt struck the boarder direct in his shoulder spinning him round. Boom the second ripped through his back exploding from his chest.

Apex lowered the rifle and looked on in professional pride at his handy work.

"Still got it," he said to him self-turning and walked back the way he had come. Not glancing back he knew his target had not survived.

His body although old moved like a predator, that's exactly what he now was hunting those who thought he was their prey.
He was pretty sure they would be heading towards the bridge and that would buy him some time.

Ping the system software alerted him that reboot was commencing. Walking into his control room Apex sat in his chair and spun around watching the screens reboot.

"Agatha" he said "Agatha are you there"
Nothing

It was to soon he knew that, but he asked anyway.

"Ok so we do this the old fashioned way".

Apex got back to his feet slung the rifle over his back and headed towards the bridge. Wondering how he had been located and more worryingly was how they had evaded his detection systems.

He knew his were the best, no off the shelf operating systems for him. His was a bespoke information gathering, listening software that should have warned him long before any encounter with actual physical people.

Movement he was to slow, the blow caught him high on the shoulder sending him sprawling against the bulkhead
A boot connected with his face, blood splattering from his nose Apex rolled across the corridor avoiding any follow up.

Coming to his knees raising his blaster in a swift movement he fired of two shots. His opponent cursed as the first bolt stuck his leg bringing him to his knees. The second bolt fired above his now bent frame.

Bringing his blaster inline with the heads of his opponent to late he noticed the imperceptible flicker of his eyes to the left.

The impact to the side of Apex's head sent him to the floor in a dizzying haze, Sending his blaster clattering down the corridor.

"A bloody third" he said spitting blood

He could just about see his blaster off to his right.

Reaching for his rifle a blast just above his shoulder stopped him dead.

"I wouldn't if I was you!" his assailant said.

"You've been a naughty boy Broker," he added.

The Broker

An Elite Dangerous story.

Chapter 3

Not so Easy

Apex looked up at his assailants, their faces hidden behind suit visors. He was being covered by the one whom had surprised him while the other got to his feet.

Grunting in pain the figure took a step forward kicking him hard Apex sprawled onto his back.
Following up with a boot to the gut. Apex laid wheezing breath struggling to come.

"Bloody old man" he spat after him.

The other talked into wrist com. "We have the target"
Apex couldn't hear the reply over his own wheezing breath.

"The rifle" the man who had kicked him indicated by waving his blaster at him.

"Take it off and pass it over" he said

Faking compliance he screwed his face up in what he hopped was fear.

Moving slowly grunting in pain He slid the Rifle down his shoulder and dropped it onto the floor.

" Bloody fool, I said pass it" he turned to check what his partner was saying.

Old Apex maybe but he moved with a powerful grace, kicking on the bent rifle stock the barrel lifted into the air. His left arm grabbed it spinning it round squeezing the trigger.

The gun fired three bursts, the first striking his assailants left leg. The second blowing a hole in his chest the third glancing the side of his helmet.

Apex was already sprinting away down the corridor as the suited figure dropped to the floor.

Two explosions of to his right signified the second was firing while giving Chase.

Lungs heaving he spun right on the intersection. The rifle strap snagging on a conduit ripping it from his grasp

"Shit" he grunted powering away down the corridor
He needed to reach his control room.

An explosion above his head his foe firing while giving Chase.

Slamming into the next intersection he pushed off to the left and sprinted away.
He could feel himself tiring his strength reserves fading fast.

Pain erupted from his left leg as laser burning a scar down the side.

Apex forced him self to run in a limping gate to stop would be to die.

"Stop" the voice shouted behind him closer now.
"The next shot won't miss "

Apex almost felt his enemy's breath on the back of his neck.
Reaching his hand out he slammed it into a hidden panel, up ahead a side door started to swing open.

His assailant wasn't as good as his word as the next shot burnt past his ear missing.
Eyes fogging as his lungs burnt from exertion Apex forced him self onwards.

"Stop" glancing back he saw the tell tale of the laser sight on his side.
He slowed and turned his chest now bathed in a red light

Raising his hands he limped backward
"Don't kill me " he wined

"I'm going to enjoy this " the suited figure said pulling back his trigger.

Apex smiled as he reached the open door to his control room.

"No where to run to now old man" the figure said.

Glancing at his wrist com Apex noted that Agatha was back on line, he was going to have to play this right no second chances.

"Son you don't really want to do this, what are they paying you? I can pay you more" struggling to talk around his need to breathe.

"No you can't be said pulling the trigger".

Apex fell sideways into the control room the laser bolt flying across his side and burning into the wall.

Hitting the floor of his control room Apex spoke through burning lungs "Agatha intruder protocol 12"
He laid on the floor nothing happened the boarder had reached his doorway looking in.

Levelling his blaster " I would like to say it's been fun old man"

"Agatha" Apex shouted.

The suited figure in the doorway danced in agitation, his limbs shaking uncontrollably a terrible scream tore from the assailant. The smell of burning flesh filled the room as an electrical pulse passed through the ships corridor.

"Enough Agatha" he said
It was like the strings of a puppet being cut. The suited figure collapsed onto the floor.

The Broker

An Elite Dangerous story

Chapter 4

Cat and Mouse

Commander do you want flight access" Agatha asked.

Apex stood over the fallen body pausing before making his from the control room.

"Not this time Agatha" he replied

Retrieving his fallen rifle along the way; It wasn't long before he was on the bridge and settling into his flight chair.

Apex started flicking buttons and twisting dials with a professional ease. Conscious that his borders ship was out there somewhere, he didn't want to alert them before he was ready.

"Agatha" he asked "passive scan the area please "

Glancing out the window trying to see past the eternal tumbling rocks that marked the asteroid field.

"Passive scan showing several returns" Agatha stated.

Apex glanced at the dots on the screen and mentally matched them to the rocks rolling through space around him. He needed to be able to see his enemy without them seeing him.

"Ok " he said aloud

He reached for the DSS controls and lent into the retinal scanner.

"Commander?" Agatha replied

The DSS was really designed to map planets by firing probes, but Apex was improvising using it as a telescope.

Imagining a three-dimensional chart in his head he proceeded to perform a systematic search of the nearby area.

Cursing each time an asteroid distracted him. Sweat rolled down his forehead the urge to wipe it from his eyes became all-consuming, but he dared not look up for fear he would loose his place.

On the verge of giving up and trying something else a glint of light, the slightest of reflections caught his eye.

Zooming in the DSS revealed a black cobra mk3 hanging in the dark of a large asteroid.

"Gotcha" Apex said sitting back grinning

"Agatha note that ships position" he said wiping his watery eyes.

"Noted commander"

"Agatha how quick can we be powered up and combat ready?" Apex asked

"I am still Checking and containing rouge elements in my processing" Agatha replied "I can give you manual control, but can not guarantee any form of assisted flight" she added.

"Good enough" he said stretching his arms above his head and cracking his knuckles.

Reaching down to the control stick he took a breath steadied himself and thought through the plan forming in his head.

"In five commander"

His purpose built control room was a technological marvel

"Four"

He could conduct any of the ships functions from there

"Three"

A smile spread across his bearded face.

"Two"

But there is nothing like flying your ship from the bridge.

"One"

Easing power on the starboard thrusters the Mousetrap glided in close to a large asteroid.

"Let them find us now" Apex grinned.

Judging the distance to the next rotating rock Apex squirted some thrust and the Mousetrap moved from the shadow of one rock to that of another.

Looking around he spotted another rock crossing in a perpendicular course.

"Hang on Agatha" he said rotating the Mousetrap on her axis.

"Commander I don't need to hang on"

A loud crunching bang drowned out anything else she may have said.

"Shit" Apex shouted as the boulder size rock bounced off his hull debris Spinning off into space.

Rotating the Mousetrap round so her back was within touching distance of the mountain sized asteroid he watched satisfied that he had evaded any immediate detection.

"Now we wait" he said leaning back into his chair.

He didn't have to wait long.

"There you are " he whispered as the black Cobra rounded the asteroid he had first left.

"Not so easy am I" Apex said aloud.

Rotating silent in the shadow of the vast asteroid the Mousetrap hung watching her prey. The Cobra pilot was cautious Apex could almost hear his mind working out possible hiding places for the Mousetrap.

With a sudden squirt of thrust the dark ship left the side of her asteroid and crossed a bubble of not quite empty space. Small rocks dust and debris bouncing of her hull.

"By the book" Apex said looking at the new trajectory.

"Her commander wasn't thinking three dimensionally and that would be his weakness.

Apex jammed on the thrusters as the Cobra passed below. The Mousetrap leapt out like a sprinter on the blocks. Her engineered engines quickly eating up the distance between the ships.

Flicking the pulse laser safety off Apex jammed his fingers down.
He looked on in horror as systems malfunctions flashed up on the screen.

The defences Mousetrap bore down on her foe at a frightening rate.

Apex heaved back on the control stick "come on girl" he said through gritted teeth.

Heavily modified she may be, but at her heart she was still a T7

The Cobra reacted to late sliding round trying to bring her guns to bear.

Apex closed his eyes and pulled for all he was worth on the control stick and then like a stampeding heard of horses the Mousetrap changed her course. Fractions of an inch separated the two ships and the next Instant they parted.

Old muscle memory took over as Apex flew the Mousetrap through the asteroid field trying to loose the Cobra in the confusion.

"Agatha" he shouted "Where's my weapons"

"Weapon systems are offline commander she