Alan Schezar thought of the possibilities indeed. He hadn’t done anything bad since his exile from Ragal, and even then, he never would have thought he would actually be running an entire smuggling operation. He had just met this man, Samir Duran, and now he was being offered to be leading such an organization. The group also operated in the Koprulu Sector, where UED was currently on their way to. Fighting had been going on in that sector for years, and Alan thought it was a good idea that the UED was finally going to set everyone straight.
“Are you there?” Duran asked.
“Quiet, I’m thinking,” Alan replied.
Alan took his helmet off and set it aside, revealing his brown hair and brown eyes. There was little hair growing on his face, for he had shaved just recently. It was a face that looked like it had seen many battles. He closed his eyes and sat back to relax. Then thoughts from Ragal flowed into his mind as it did on other occasions…
***
Sergeant Major James Reed, an expert Goliath pilot, was in charge of the Confederate operations on Ragal. Serving under the command of General Edmund Duke, he had been sent to this planet to oversee the mineral operations. The man before him had been murdered by a fellow soldier. The man who had done that was still unknown.
Ragal was a mineral-rich planet. Once occupied by Emperor Mengsk, the Confederacy had removed the small force on the planet and heavily fortified it for their own use. That was six years ago. Every civilian on the planet had been drafted into the Confederacy. Most were stationed here to mine the minerals, but some were fortunate enough to actually have any use to the Confederacy. One of those men was Alan Schezar, a man that had led rebellions against Mengsk on the planet. That was what got Alan second in command of the operations. He had had that job since the Confederates had arrived.
“Here are the documents you requested, sir,” Alan said entering James Reed’s office and placing them on his desk.
“Thank you Alan, you may return to your duties,” James told him. Alan nodded and left.
Walking along the long corridors, Alan got to thinking of his plans to remove this new commander. Alan Schezar was loyal to the Confederacy, yes, but the Confederates had turned him down so many times. He wanted to lead the operations on this planet. If he could reach that goal, then that meant he could receive better after that. Lots of commanders in the Alpha Squadron were corrupt, and James Reed was no exception. Those documents had to deal with selling Confederate weapons to Emperor Arcturus Mengsk. That was the problem with the Confederacy, so much corruption.
There had been eight commanders in the last six years, and Alan Schezar had killed all of them. He wasn’t surprised that the Confederacy hadn’t suspected he was the cause of things. They barely even went into an investigation each time, they cared so little. So Alan decided he would keep doing this until he received his promotion. They would have to notice him sometime, and if they didn’t, no matter, he would keep taking out their commanders. Speaking of which, Alan decided now was the right time to eliminate the new commander. He had been here for three months, and it was time for him to go.
He continued walking in the same direction until he reached his own office. He went in and pulled out his custom made pistol from his desk drawer. He then slipped it into his vest pocket and left his office again. He casually walked back toward James Reed’s office. He looked like he normally did. Nobody would expect what he was getting ready to do. He reached Reed’s office and opened the door and then stepped in closing the door behind him. Right after that a young private turned the corner of the hallway that his office was in.
“Your time is up Reed,” Alan said pulling the pistol from his vest.
James Reed looked up from the documents Alan had given him just minutes before and a surprised look overcame his face.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“You’re going to be murdered Reed. Just like the others have.”
Before James could react, Alan pulled the trigger, and the shot hit him straight between the eyes. The gunshot echoed through the empty halls, and the sound made the private stop abruptly at the commander’s office. Alan nodded with satisfaction and put the gun back into his vest. He opened up the door and stepped out. By now the private had ran back behind the corner of the hall, and was peering around it. What he saw startled him. Alan Schezar was leaving the office.
When Alan was out of sight, the private ran to the door and saw none other than Sergeant Major James Reed dead. A bullet between the eyes. He gulped and ran.
Thirty minutes later Alan was sitting behind his own desk. He expected somebody to find out about Reed’s tragic death shortly. They would most likely go straight to him. He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. He was pleased that another murder was successful. He was getting ready to drift off to sleep, since it was late, but then the door burst open and two armed marines and full battle armor stepped in.
“What the hell are you doing?” Alan asked startled.
“Stand up sir,” a marine ordered.
Nervous, Alan stood up. They walked to him and tore the vest right off of him. They pulled the pistol out and nodded at each other.
“Sir, you’re under arrest for the murder of Sergeant Major James Reed,” the same marine said.
“What?”
The marine made to reply. Handcuffs were placed on Alan Schezar’s wrists. He was taken away and thrown into a cell.
Three days later he had had his trial. He hadn’t been sentenced to death, the had no idea he killed the other seven, but instead court marshaled from the Confederacy and then exiled from his home planet of Ragal.
***
“I am sorry Alan, but my time is limited,” the voice of Samir Duran said interrupting Alan’s long thought. “Have you made your decision?”
Alan sat up again and nodded. He had made up his mind. “Yes, I will lead this group of smugglers. I’m tired of this job as a bounty hunter.”
“Excellent,” Duran said rather pleased. “I will give you the coordinates to the main colony and we’ll be on our way!”
