I really didn't want to kill anyone today...

Writing Prompt: Sci Fi Fantasy - You have “powers”. You are being confronted by those with fighting skills but are unaware of your “talents”. They are intent on killing you and you have no choice but to defend yourself….

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This was not Gray’s normal environment but his contact was not of the most savory of individuals and preferred to keep to the seedier parts of this trading post quietly circling a star in the further reaches of the galaxy. It attracted all manner of beings intent on not coming to the attention of The Collective; the galaxies’s government if you could call it that. The Collective was closer to business collective than a government.

Gray weaved through the dimly lit ally ways and main commerce corridors lined with shop fronts. Stores of all sizes and shapes lined every nook and cranny of these grimy passageways. Each had its own odd collection of wears lit by glowing holo signs of all colors, shapes, and sizes, trying to entice customers off the streets. From large glowing rooms filled with lit display cases to tiny cubbies barely large enough to hold the shop keeper let lone much merchandise. The mix of shop types was only rivaled by the multitude of alien species that made up the merchants, customers, and residents.

Gray came to the stall that was described to him as part of the directions he had been given, the ally to the left was his next turn. Quickly turning down this narrow corridor Gray marked the sudden lack of shops and people. At the end it abruptly opened up into a large open area equally as empty save for a group of five men at the far end near a door and what looked to the the only other way out of this room. They were all in various positions of lounging as much as they could on a few various containers and boxes piled against the far wall. Four of them were half standing half seated around a rather portly man sitting on what looked to be the only actual chair just a few feet in from of the lone door. Gray slowed his stride as he took a few more steps into the space. This was definitely not what was suposed to be at the end of this corridor according to the directions he had been given.

The five men all of which had been staring at him since he steeped into the space were now beginning to stir. The portly man on the chair leaned forward and whispered something to the rest. The other four all slowly stood up and started moving toward Gray. “I seem to have made a wrong turn.” Gray said “That is unless any of you gentlemen are associates of Hazz Rafa?” The portly man leans back in his chair and it gave an audible groan. 

“Ahh, Hazz sure, sure. We know Hazz don’t we lads” the large man said. The four men continuing slowly towards Gray all gave a varying response in the affirmative. The way these men were acting made Gray’s concern grow exponentially and made him pretty certain that if they did know Hazz that this was an ambush and if they didn’t then it was just a group of street toughs that weren’t going to let an “easy” target slip away. Either way this was not looking good.

Gray was quickly trying to formulate a plan to get himself out of this mess. “Well then, I would very much like to talk with him and, I am sure, he with me. Is he about?”

“Well friend I am sure you do want to talk to him but as for him wanting to talk to you, well… that is where you’re wrong.” said the large man giving a dismissive wave with his hand. Well shit, Gray thought to himself, they do know Hazz which means there is no chance of talking them out of whatever they plan on doing next.

At the large man’s last words the four others pulled various weapons from various concealed and not so concealed locations on there persons. Gray made a quick scan of the scene. The four men had spread out in a sort of semi-circle each holding a unique weapon. From left to right they held a simple rail gun, very deadly but only had one shot at a time and slow to reload, Gray never understood the appeal. Next, was a plasma sword, in a skilled hand that could be instantly deadly but Gray could tell that its owner was no such person. On down the line was an electro-whip, not deadly directly but could easily incapacitate a person with even an indirect hit. Last in line was the most concerning, a neutron rifle. This was a rapid firing weapon with the ability to fire thirty or more shots before needing to be reloaded.

“Well, that is unfortunate” Gray said, “I was really hoping to talk with him but, if he is not longer interested then I will be on my way.” Gray turned to go but there were two new people standing in the way, blocking the corridor he came from.  Gray slowly turned back around. The large man gave a quick chuckle. “Well once again you seem to be wrong. You aren’t going anywhere I’m afraid. It’s not personal you understand.”

Gray took a deep breath, “I suppose there is no talking you out of it then? I really don’t want anyone to get hurt.” The large man chuckled again. “Oh you don’t have to worry about that, we will be sure that “anyone” doesn’t get hurt just you.” The large man gave a nod and the man with the rail gun lifted the barrel to level it at Gray. Gray’s hands went up. “No one needs to die today, really.” The man with the rail gun gave a grim smile and took aim at Grays head. Suddenly the barrel of the gun whipped to Gray’s right and the gun went off with a quiet electrical “zoowsh”. The head of the man holding the neutron rifle ruptured in a spry a blood bone and tissue out the back of his skull. Blood slowly dripped from a newly formed hole at the top of his his right eye socked, as his body went limp and collapsed into a hep on the ground. Gray still standing with his hands up looked around as everyone stood motionless, staring at the body of their former college, in confusion then back to the man holding the rail gun and back again. The large man stood up quickly starring at the body then to Gray. “Fuck! Kill him! Quickly! Now!” He apparently was the only one to have connected this unexpected event to Gray. The rest of the group quickly converged on Gray and the next few moment flashed by. 

Gray ducked a quick slash from the plasma sword faze shifted to behind the man holding it, and quickly snapping his neck and grabbing the sword from his now limp hand before his body hit the ground. The electro whip snapped out at Gray, and with one quick moment Gray sliced through the whip just a few inches from the handle. Followed with a punch to the face sending the man sprawling to the ground still clutching his now useless whip. The man with the rail gun had not moved but was still frantically trying to reload while quickly looking back and forth between Gray and his gun. Gray slowly started to walk to ward him as the other two at the entrance closed the gap now to his left side. Gray simply raised a hand and the two flew back with an immense force. The sound of their bones cracking as they hit the solid wall behind them, echoed in the mostly empty room. The man with the rail gun leveled it once more at Gray only to have it immediately cut in two with a sweep of the plasma sword followed instantly by his head swiftly disconnecting form his body as the sword arched back around in one smooth motion. 

By this point the large man had risen from his seat and was franticly trying to get the lone door behind him open. Too panicked by how quickly the situation a gone so wrong for him, the large man struggle to get to the door and get the proper combination typed into the digital key pad. He kept punching in the code and time and time agin the key pad would flash red let him know he had yet again put it in wrong. Frantic, he punched the code in one last time and the pad lit up green, the lock mechanism giving off a mechanical hum and clicks as it went to work. The man grabbed the handle and jerked it open. Just as he shifted his weight to move forward Gray’s hand seized his shirt stoping his momentum dead.

“Well this was unfortunate, but I did try to leave peacefully” Gray said in a calm voice without even a hint of being physically taxed. “So, what to do now?” Gray asked as he guided the large man back to his chair and kicking a small container over to keep the door open. As soon as the man sat back down Gray raised the plasma swords edge to the man’s neck. The plasma beam down the swords edge crackled and hummed in the air an inch from flesh. WIth a click the beam died out and the plasma sword went dark and quiet. Gray set it down and took a step back. “I feel as though Hazz Rafa owes me a meeting now, wouldn’t you agree?” Gray said raising an eyebrow, a scowl on his face. “Yes… Yes… I think that is probably the case.” the large man said now sweating profusely. “However, you won’t live to collect.” 

A moment later a body smashed agains the wall next to Gray and the large man. Hitting the wall with a force that sprayed blood against the wall as if dropped from a great height and the wall, the ground. The man Gray had knocked out with a punch had come to and grabbed the neutron rifle but just as he raised the rifle to take a shot at Gray’s back he found himself flung from his feet and hurtling towards the wall. Now his lifeless body was half crumpled half pooled at the base of the wall blood dripping down from the point of impact.

The large man swallowed, Gray had not taken his eyes off of him. “So, you were saying I was not going to live to collect, was that unfortunate individual to be my death or am I suposed to die in some other manner?” Gray’s eyebrow still arched face still in a scowl. “Ahem..” the large man cleared his throat. “So, you want to talk to Hazz you say. Well, you’re in luck I believe he is available now.”

"Glad to hear it." Gray responded clapping the man on the shoulder causing him to jump, and giving a little squeak.