THE WAY IT IS

" I lost everything kid....my gang, my turf, my so called friends....lost it all.....but thats the way it is down here, sometimes you make bad calls and pay for it....me, I payed in blood and every last cred I had.....thats why I'm here drinkin' this poor excuse for hooch they call Second Best....."

The scarred old man slammed another bottle to the floor of the dimly lit drinking hole, muttering to himself. He had several more lined up and by the looks of things no one was about to stop him from drinking them all.

" What about revenge old timer, what about pride?" asked the juve who passed him another bottle and lit up another Lho stick.

" What do ya know about revenge kid? By the sump and Helmawr, I seen my fair share.....ya see kid....back before I started gunnin' for creds I used to head up the Twisters gang....yes sir-ee...we was the meanest bunch o' Goliaths this side of the Hive....we ruled from Gutter Wells all the way ta' the Echo One....thems better days...untill I crossed the Guild and nearly got all of us outlawed and killed......"

He drank the beer in one gulp, burped, let the bottle shatter to the ground and continued, the whole time the juve hanging on to every word.

" After we hiked it out to the wastes, Arbitraitor Rodrigo's dogs on our tails, we fought tooth and nail to stay alive against all kinds o' vermin and filthy muties and even them brain eatin' zombies!
The boys had enough and little Thrush made his move while I was cleaning my shotgun....I remember it well....he kicked me sqaure in the face pulled his blade and started slashing me good...I managed to knock him about a few times but the boys were spurring him on ta scrag me! Can you belive it kid? My own mates, MY GANG!!! Turn coats on me?"

The old man laughed for a good while smoking and drinking, shaking his head side to side.

" But thats the way it is down here kid, one day your the lord of the sump, next your just another sump rat scummer looking for a fist full o' creds to fill your belly and bullet belts....."

The juve stared at his feet and finally managed to get the old mans attention back.

" So...then...your saying you won't gun for us against the Twisters tonight? Sixty creds is what my boss said....whatya say old timer?"

" Hell kid, I'll do it for free." He said smiling his toothless grin." Sometimes revenge is all a poor bastards got, thats the way it is down here......"