Episode 1:

The Economics Of Firearms

The stars twinkled softly in the clear night sky above Alec Briggs. Persephone, being a moonless planet, was blessed with a particular beautiful view of the constellations. When he had time to kill he would often stand outside and gaze up at them, in awe of the majesty of the ‘verse and of the opportunities he knew lay out there in the black. Right now though, he had business to attend to. He took a careful look around the deserted street to make sure no Alliance patrols were coming, and then set off down the sidewalk at a brisk pace. Detached apartment buildings lined the street of this quiet middle-class neighborhood on the outskirts of Eavesdown, far from the bustling slums that surrounded the docks. The types of people who lived around here were respectable citizens who liked their streets clean and their nights untroubled by the type of riff-raff that lay further into the city. I suppose they’ll have to tolerate me for tonight, Briggs thought to himself.

Before long he was standing in an alleyway between two upscale six-story residential buildings. He leaned against the wall, hidden from the street by the darkness. Every floor on the building he was facing had a balcony. His quarry lived on the top floor, in a loft that would seem to be beyond the means of a lowly small business owner who sold used appliances. As if that was what really went on in Dimitri Yassir’s store down near the docks.

Briggs reached into his backpack and pulled out a small device. It had a hook protruding from one end, and a coiled rope from the other. Kneeling down for steadiness sake, he carefully took aim at the wall next to the topmost balcony and pressed a button on the device. The hook shot out and automatically dug into the side of the building. Despite it’s somewhat flimsy appearance, he knew from years of experience that it would hold fine. He cut the end of the rope and put the device away. He then grabbed the rope, put both feet against the wall, and began climbing.

When he