Stowaways

"We got an e-mail from Thor Inc., it turns out they lost some top secret crate that was being sent to the Interstellar Protection Service. It was some new gun. There's a ten thousand dollar reward for it's return." Pots said not lifting his eyes from the computer screen.
"I'm tired of treasure hunting." Wolfe replied half asleed on the couch by the entertianment center.
"Oh. Did I mention the transport ship was attacked and boarded by The Nova."
"Has that been verified?" Wolfe said while pulling the pillow off his head.
"The last transmission contained a photo." Wolfe immediately jumped up and headed to the computer. The Nova was the Syryn's sister ship. When the Syryn was commissioned to be built by the Guardians of the Eden System, the leader of the Guardians made a copy of the plans of what would be the most sophisticated and powerful ship ever built. He sold the plans on the Interstellar Black Market. About a year later The Nova started attacking the major shipping routs between systems. Back then, the ship had the name Syryn printed on it's hull which caused a lot of trouble for Wolfe and Pots. Since then the new ship changed it's name to "The Nova" but there is still some very bad blood between the two crews.
Wolfe had a wry smile on his face.
"Do you want to go treasure hunting?" Wolfe said. Pots loved it when Wolfe got that look on his face. It always meant they were going to come out on top because Wolfe would never, ever, fail wants he gets excited about the mission, getting him excited was the hard part. Wolfe took his seat next to Pots and brought up his contact list.
"Who are you looking for?"
"Simon."
"Simon the freight ship pilot?"
"Do you know any other Simon?"
"Yes actually."
"Do any of the other Simons drive freight ships?"
"Not that I know of."
"Then they wouldn't be much use as bait would they."
"Oh no. Wolfe. You...Wolfe!" Once again the wry smile crept over Wolfe's face.
"Damn it Wolfe! You know he wont go for it. Simon doesn't even carry a gun because he's afraid it'll go off and punch a hole in his hull."
"He doesn't have to know. Here's what we do, we hack into Thor Inc., send him an e-mail from the CEO's account saying that since our last package was stolen, we've decided to go with a private transporter, someone inconspicuous to transport the back up. Those fuckers on The Nova are obviously reading the shipping logs so when Simon fills it out he'll put Thor Inc. as the owner of the cargo and they'll see an easy target."
"And how will we be able to stay hidden?"
"We'll be inside the package." Pots let out a loud sigh. He hated putting their friends at risk but he had to admit, it was a good plan. The next day they had already sent the e-mail docked the Syryn on Quarfar I and hitched a ride to the Interstellar Freight Depot. Simon was to pick up the package at 3 o'clock standard shipping time. It was already 2 by the time Wolfe and Pots arrived. Pots had a friend that worked for IFD security who let them into the storage facilities to hide in the awaiting crate. Wolfe had his twin 1911s under his jacket and Pots had his assault rifle strapped to his back. Pots' friend showed them to the crate. Pots and Wolfe thanked him for his help and hopped inside. A moment later the IFD agent put the top back on the crate and locked it in position.
"Wolfe."
"Yeah."
"What if The Nova doesn't take the bait?"
"They will."
"How do you know?"
"Because I would." After what seemed like hours of waiting, Pots and Wolfe felt the crate begin to move. After a few moments of not so gentle relocation, Wolfe and Pots came to rest in what they assumed to be the ships cargo hold. Simon was one of the few people in the freight business that transported live cargo, so his hold was pressurized and maintained a livable atmosphere, or at least they hoped. After a few more moments Wolfe and Pots heard the hum of the ships engines and in less than ten minutes Wolfe and Pots were floating in their crate, which was secured to the floor back at the depot.
"Well this sucks."
"Shut the hell up Pots." Wolfe said as their bodies began to mingle in the confines of the crate. Wolfe then braced his back against a wall of the crate and kicked the opposite wall as hard as he could. Unfortunately during their entanglement Wolfe lost track of where the floor was so the wall he kicked was against the floor. The force shot Wolfe out the top of the crate as well as knocked the wind out of him. Pots just shook his head as Wolfe floated to the top of the cargo hold.
"What now?"
"We wait for them to board." Wolfe replied as he grabbed the roof and pulled himself behind one of the cross beams.
"Well don't just float there, find a place to hide. Wait for my signal" Pots pulled him self out of the crate and pushed himself toward the nearest stack of boxes. Just as Pots took position behind the boxes the engines died and Wolfe and Pots heard the sound of the braking thrusters. Just moments later the door to the hold opened and a very nervous Simon walked into the giant hold, his magnetic boots clanking with each step. He was followed closely by a group of armed men
"W...w...what package number was it again."
"42703662, hurry up!" said one of the men who must have been the leader. Simon nervously looked down at his PDA to find the location of the package.
"R...right this way." Simon led the men toward the crate. Wolfe and Pots remained silent as they watched the scene unfold. As the men drew closer to the crate Simon gasped.
"What the hell is this!" said the leader.
"I...I...don't..." The man knocked Simon to the floor and pushed his gun into Simon's face.
"You've got two seconds to tell me where the fuck my cargo is before I put a bullet in your brain! One...T..." His words were cut short.
"I found it!" Wolfe yelled as he launched off the ceiling and rammed his shoulder into the man's back. Wolfe grabbed the man, flipped in the air, and threw the man into one of the walls. His momentum carried him in the same path as the man only, slightly slower allowing the man to slam into the wall just before Wolfe kicked off his chest back towards the rest of the men. The men began to draw their guns when Wolfe tackled them.
"Pots where the hell are you!?!" Wolfe shouted as he grabbed a support beam to steady himself as he floated in mid air. Pots lept from behind the crates he was hiding behind and towards the pile of bodies trying to stand up.
"I thought you were going to give me the signal!"
"Me yelling at the top of my lungs and tackling a guy wasn't enough of a signal?" Wolfe threw himself into the skirmish and he and Pots knocked out the remaining men and removed the magnetic attachments from two of the men's boots and placed them on their own.
"How the hell was I supposed to know that was the signal, maby you should tell me what the fucking signal is before you tell me to wait for it!"
"Everyone knows 'Wait for the signal' means wait 'til I make my move!"
"No, 'Wait until I make my move' mean wait until I make my move. If you meant that, you should have said that!" As Pots finished his sentence, someone behind them cleared their throat. The men turned around to see the man Wolfe tackled holding a gun to Simon's head.
"Oh..." Wolfe said realizing he forgot about the man.
"Where the hell is The Mallet!?"
"The what?"
"The Mallet, the gun that was in that crate!"
"I hate to break it to you but the only thing that was in that crate was us. We knew Simon wouldn't go along with the plan, but we had to get in some how." The man gritted his teeth as he realized what happened.
"Now, were going to have to ask you for the package you stole from Thor Inc."
"Ha! Like you're in a position to negotiate. I'm going to need you to step aside so I can get back to my ship."
"You're the captain of The Nova?" asked Wolfe.
"Yeah, I'm Jacob Hawk. Now get the fuck out of my way before I paint the ceiling with your friend's brain."
"I'm Wolfe Dark, Captain of the Syryn." Captain Hawk looked into Wolfe's unwavering eyes.
"Well I'll be damned, so you're the bastard that captured my father." Wolfe grew his trademark smile. Enraged, Capt. Hawk started to turn his pistol towards Wolfe. Before Capt. Hawk could take aim Wolfe lept to the side, drawing one of his 1911's. Hawk began to fire at Wolfe, but before any of his bullets connected, Wolfe put a bullet his left eye and out the side of his head. In the battle, one of Hawk's bullets hit Simon in the shoulder. Wolfe and Pots rushed to his side. Wolfe detached his boots from the floor and floated him to the the ship's bridge. The men Pots and Wolfe disabled earlier were just starting to come to so Pots lead them at gun point as they carried their wounded captain to the docking bay.
"Just give me the package and you can go." One of the men ran ahead of the others and in a few moments reappeared carrying a gun Pots pointed his assault rifle a his head.
"Freeze!" Pots yelled.
"Whoa! Wait! This is what was in the package!" Pots lowered his rifle and the man slowly approached Pots. The man handed the gun to Pots and ran back into the ship. As Pots headed back up to the bridge, he looked at the huge gun in his hands, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It looked like a shot gun from hell, with a grenade launcher attached to the bottom rail and the most advanced scope he had ever seen. Pots smiled as he threw his assault rifle to the ground and hung the mallet across his back. Back at the bridge Wolfe was receiving an ear full from Simon about how he didn't like to be used and what not.
"Just take us back to Quarfar. They have doctors there too."
"I wouldn't need a doctor if you hadn't pulled this little stunt."
"Simon, just shut the hell up and drive. It doesn't do any good to complain about the past." Simon muttered something to himself as he set the ships navigation systems for Quarfar.
"Did you get the package." Wolfe said turning to Pots
"No, they already sold it." Pots replied with a huge smile on his face.
"Yeah...sure." Wolfe said looking at the new gun on Pots' back.

Wolfe's Lucky Day

Wolfe looked down at at the half empty glass of scotch on the bar in front of him. 2223, it was as good as it was expensive. It was bottled before they started using the the synthetic shit that they use now days. He loved relics from before the shift, before Earth was covered in one giant slum and most of the human population lived off world. Wolfe picked up his glass and finished what remained. He had just enough time to order another glass when Pots took the stool next to him and ordered his usual pitcher of Alpha Park beer. It was brewed on some satellite orbiting Jupiter, Wolfe was never into beer but it was definitely Pots' poison. Pots downed the first glass and poured another.
"He's definitely here. He should be arriving soon."
"Finally" Wolfe replied, "this clean air is starting to give me a head ache."
Pots gave Wolfe a look of disbelief but knew the argument was pointless. He downed his second glass.
"Isn't this where you..." Pots' words were cut short by a gunshot. The bullet flew right past Wolfe's ear, through the bartender's head and shattered a bottle of whiskey on the wall behind the bar. Instantly both men dove across the counter and placed their backs against the bar. The bar exploded with gunfire. The front windows shattered and all but a few patrons fell dead.
"You're one lucky son of a bitch Wolfe!" Wolfe already had his twin vintage 1911's drawn.
"What?"Wolfe screamed.
"That bullet almost hollowed out your skull."
"What the fuck are you talking about Pots!?"
"That first shot nearly took your head off." Pots then raised up above the bar and sprayed out a few shots into their attackers.
"There's about eight." he yelled.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Wolfe yelled as he emptied a clip over the counter.
"No, you just saw them!"
"Not about that you douche about the lucky part!" Wolfe released the clip from his right gun.
Pots looked over the bar and sprayed a few more rounds.
"No, that bullet couldn't have been more than and inch from your head."
"I saw where the fucking bullet was Pots, how the hell does that make me lucky?" Wolfe reloaded his gun and they both took aim over the bar just in time to see another car pull out and drop off another half dozen men. They were in suits, they must have pissed off one of the companies. Pots and Wolfe each emptied their guns and took out almost half of them.
"How does it not? If you would have been just a little to the right, you would be dead right now." Pots said while slamming another magazine into his gun.
"Someone almost fucking killed me! They almost sprayed my brains on the back wall, and that makes me lucky? Are you out of your fucking skull!?!" Wolfe put a new clip in each of his guns.
"I think you're taking this to far, it was just a damn comment!"
They again took aim over they bar and emptied their guns leaving only two suits who were taking cover behind the cars. They reloaded their guns yet again, ready for the battle to end.
"I know it was just a comment, but it was ridiculous! You don't call someone lucky when their brains are almost spilled all over the bar. Here's an idea, you call me lucky when shit is not getting shot at me!" With that they both vaulted over the bar and ran towards the cars parked out side. Wolfe then dove over the hoods of the cars, spun over in the air and put a bullet in each of the remaining men's brains. He then put his guns away in their shoulder holsters under his jacket and pulled a cigarette from the pack in his breast pocket and lit it.
"We better get back to the Syryn before the cops show up." said Pots as he put his rifle away in his back sling.
"Yeah, they'll have us filling out paperwork all night." They then began to make their way to the hangar when Wolfe stopped and picked something up off the ground.
"What is it?"
"A quarter." Wolfe replied. "It must be my lucky day."