Yep, here's yet another addition to the Freelacer fan fiction. I was bored on night and came up with this. I hope to expand and develop the story, so if you have any feedback, criticism, insults, etc. etc. etc. on the story feel free to express them.

anyway, here goes.

PLANET MANHATTAN, NEW YORK SYSTEM, LIBERTY SPACE

One year later...

Edison Trent sat alone, slowly sipping at his Sidewinder Fang. He had

finally convinced the bartender to stock some of the fine liquor, and the

bartender had finally obliged. Trent had lived on Manhattan for the past year

after accepting Orillion's proposal to be the "eyes and ears of the Order in

Liberty". Trent was not one to develop loyalty to anyone, but he felt that he

owed this to Orillion after what they had been through together.

He had not heard from Orillion in six months.

Trent had been a busy man since that final battle with the Nomads. He had

become one of the most well-known freelancer pilots in Liberty, with a track

record unmatched by anyone else. But along with his success as a law-abiding

freelancer, he had also found success working underground for some of Sirius

Sector's most dangerous criminal agencies. Orillion had suggested that Trent,

being a freelancer, may be able to develop working relationships, or at least

contacts, with underground organizations that may have useful information for the

Order. Trent saw an opportunity to make some big money, and had made a name for

himself in criminal circles, going by the name of Carter Logan. Trent found it

amusing that many of the acquaintances he had made in the LSF spent a lot of time

hunting for Carter Logan, never realizing that many times he was flying on their

wing.

He had money. He had fame. He sill had the reliable Anubis that he had

been given on the Osiris. There was only one thing that Trent's fame could not

give him:

Juni.

Edison Trent and Jun'ko Zane had discovered that after the Nomad war,

their feelings toward one another went beyond mutual respect and friendship.

There had even been talk of marriage, but she had discovered Trent's double life

working for criminal organizations in Liberty and had confronted him about it.

She refused to believe his explanation that he was doing it for the Order, which

even though Orillion had given him the suggestion, he realized that it wasn't his

primary reason. He was in it for the money. Oh well, he thought at the time.

C'est la vie.

And now, six months after she had left him, the LSF and moved to Kusari,

he realized that for the second time in his life, money had cost him someone he

held dear. The first time had been the deal for a million credits' worth of Boron

that went up in smoke with Freeport 7, and now, his links with the criminal

element.

He had to admit, though, that his contacts with crime had paid dividends

that were more than mere credits. During one of his excursions outside of Liberty

he had made his way to the Omicron Alpha system, home of the Outcasts, who

because of his criminal contacts regarded him with indifference. He had learned

of a place the Outcasts used as a burial ground of sorts for their finest

warriors, believing that they would be protected by "the Spirits." He had

originally decided to go to this mysterious place to do a little "grave robbing",

as it were, because the Outcasts always left valuable possessions with their

deceased warriors. When he arrived, he discovered a jumphole that took him to a

previously uncharted system surrounded by Nomads who apparently didn't like his

presence there. He fled back through the jumphole and had returned to Manhattan

to transmit his findings to Orillion.

Trent downed the rest of his drink and turned to leave. He felt a slight

vibrating on his wrist from his wrist alarm, indicating he had an incoming

message on his neural net. He turned and made his way to one of several privacy

booths along the wall made specially for neural net calls.

"This is Trent."

"Trent, this is Orillion."

"Orillion! It's been a while."

"Yes it has. I have a new assignment for you if you're interested."

"Of course."

"Do you remember the information you transmitted to me six months ago?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Trent, you've uncovered something that could change the way we deal with

the Nomad threat. I will explain everything later. Meanwhile, I want you to meet

King on Pittsburgh. You'll be escorting a...guest to the Osiris. King will brief

you further."

"Wait a second, Orillion. Who is this 'guest'?"

"I can't reveal any details right now, but King will fill you in. He's

waiting for you now. Good luck."

Trent switched off his neural net and walked out of the bar. It would be

good to see King again. They hadn't seen or spoken to one another since the Nomad

battle a year ago. Trent had tried to contact him several times, to no avail.

Must've been on duty somewhere secret, Trent thought to himself as he strapped

himself into his Anubis.