Magi

Low rumbling; soft heat.

Growing louder building up.

I fire, life ends.

--

My arm jolts, ozone collects within the filters of my suit’s helmet; from the barrel of my Fulgor Carbine, a pulsating ball of plasma explodes, carried forward by a small magnetic charge.

It travels across the room in mere moments - meters passing before the blink of an eye.

Got’em.

The shot meets the creature, heat bubbling the skin before colliding with matter. Where before mandibles reached for the lip of its cup, now it drips for the floor.

The bar is silent. Arenamis’ lifeless - and headless - corpse falls to the floor.

Silence, save for the hum of my carbine. With my other hand, I deploy a holo cube, displaying the visage of the now-departed Tecsun drug smuggler Arenamis veceras and the substantial number for his bounty.

--

He was with his friends, a number of similar spider-like humanoids sitting speechless at the counter. 3 pairs of 4 eyes each darted across the room; To the cobalt ooze dripping from Arenamis, to his bounty, and finally to me.

Beneath my visor, a smile crept across my lips; not many used power armour like mine and I soaked in the washes of confusion that emanated from their maws.

Slowly the other patrons of the bar backed away from the center of the room, opening a pathway to the bounty. Those who had them switched on personal shield units which crackled to life; those without cowered beneath metal tables.

I still had my weapon trained on the Tecsuns, daring them to oppose me. The air was heavy and still, till the most foolish amongst them obliged, powering on a shield and drawing a hand cannon at me.

He barely had it raised, and I was off; two pops from the carbine soared through the air, splashing against his shield, blocking his view. The hand cannon roared, sending a wailing shot into the space I had just been in. I tucked into a roll, then dashed, body low to meet my assailant. A bayonet unfurled from a compartment in my other-hand; I risked splashback from my carbine at close range, and this would be quicker anyway.

I heard the rest of the power their shield on as my bayonet whirred to life, vibrating down to the atomic level. The foolish one roared, spraying spittle past his mandibles and steaming off the interior of his shield in a flash. I had him skewered, bayonet piercing under his jaw and into its brain. His shield shattered like glass before dissipating into the air with a soft crackle.

Flesh clanged against my helmet, and a soft heat began to build within it; I was being sloppy.

Turning my head, I met its eyes. The Tecsun had attempted to hit me with his shield, bare fist coated with crackling energy; had it been a vibroblade I might have been in trouble.

I brought my carbine up sharply, knocking against their shield and pushing them back for a moment.

Hair pricked on the back of my neck; without thinking, I shot down to the floor.

Just in time, a plasma bolt soared over my head and into my would-be assailant. For distance, I rolled back and launched my own volley to join the friendly fire. Pop, pop, pop.

Bang.

With my shots, the heavy-handed Tescun’s shield overloaded, allowing remnants of the carbines bubbling plasma through to his chest, which now smoldered. Reflexively they tried to pat it out, but the fire just spread.

One more shot from the carbine, and it was out of its misery.

Only one left, the last Tescun, was transfixed on the boiling, oozing and gurgling of their friends. Hands shaking around the plasbuster they had attempted to kill me with. With a swift motion, I was on them, deftly maneuvering the weapon out of their hand and sweeping their legs out from under them.

It cowered on the ground, hissing, spitting and praying in a language I could not understand. Legally, it was within my rite to put the creature down. Underneath my helmet, I closed my eyes;

Pop-pop.

With those two shots, the plasbuster and hand cannon were transformed into scrap metal.

The Tescun looked up at me with wide eyes, silent.

Without any more fuss, my bayonet found its way into Arenamis' corpse; retracting the carbine into my forearm, I worked data pad from a slot in my belt; left open to the federation genetic bounty application; cobalt driping onto the floor, It finally clicked green, and credits were transferred into my personal account.

Without any further delay, I rose and resolutely walked out of the bar. No one said anything.

Another job done.