#ZG Kidd

[aj-the-satyr]

repercussions or the lack of

ZG knocked on the door and slid in before the reply of “Come in” was even uttered.

“You want to give me a stern talking to boss?” smirked ZG as he closed the door behind him.

The bear behind the desk sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose while throwing a tablet down. “Sit.”

ZG did as asked and slid into one of the two seats on the other side of the desk pulling out his packet of puffs as he did so.

“Really? Now? You’re gonna use one of those things?”

ZG shrugged. “You get your spine snapped in two in front of over a billion people and then you can tell me when I need these. Or be a doctor, that path might be the better one.”

“Look, ZG.” he gestured to the tablet. “Got yet another incident report with your name all over it.”

“Yeah?” ZG inhaled one of the puffs before blowing out the vapour through his nostrils. The office filled with a vague strawberry scent. “Gonna fire me over it?”

The bear growled. “Were it that easy. You’re good at what you do. Almost too good.”

“Too good?” ZG chuckled at that. “Perhaps everyone else is a lazy freeloader jealous that I can get these,” he waved the puff around “for cheap because I have a legitimate reason to get them, while they are simply looking to get high and forget that they’re tied to a shitty contract for a shitty corp.”

“Look. I just need you to tone down this attitude. Your numbers are the only thing keeping you here. I know I wouldn't be the first in line to space you without a suit.”

“Try it.”

Another long sigh. “That’s what I’m talking about. Do you care about anything but yourself?”

ZG frowned. “Doing a good job on whatever I’m assigned. Work keeps me focused.”

“That why you are always first in line for extra shifts?”

“Yeah. Keeps the brain from thinking too much.”

“Shit. Sounds like you need a therapist.” The bear reached for the tablet “I know..”

ZG cut him off. “Don’t bother boss. Fire me if you got you. I get it. I’m disruptive. Seems like I need to get further out into the black.”

“Your numbers….”

“Fuck my numbers. I quit.” And with that ZG got out of the chair and headed for the door.

“Wait!”

ZG paused and looked back.

“Here.” The bear flicked something off the tablet towards ZG. ZG frowned again as his comm chirped.

“What was that?”

“My brother is assembling a crew for something headed out into deep Sol. You’re one of the best engineers I’ve had come through here, even if you are a fucking asshole.”

“Really?”

“If you won’t talk to a therapist then maybe getting lost in a job out there will help. I like you ZG. Just not your attitude towards everything you feel gets in your way.”

“Thanks boss.”

“You quit, ZG. It’s just Gerrad now.”

“Then, thanks Gerrad.” ZG said as he slipped out the door.

[aj-the-satyr]

Unrecognised

ZG sighed as he patted himself down searching for any Puffs he might have.

“Shit. Other jacket. Oh well.”

He glanced upward at the metal ceiling that had become oh so familiar over this last year. Still, being an engineer on a mining skiff paid well and he was far better off than continuing to get mixed up with whatever that business was with those otters on Ganymede.

“OY, short stuff.” came a shout.

ZG stopped his search and turned to look at whoever it was that was trying to get on his nerves.

A large Hyena and his Wolf buddy were waving a pack of Puffs. “Missing these? You dropped them.”

“Did I?” ZG shook his head. These guys had been bugging him for making them look bad on the last EVA run. “Or did you steal them from me because you can’t actually fix anything for shit because you don’t know the appropriate time to use those things?”

“What you say?” The wolf took a step forward as he spat those words.

“You heard me, pup.” dismissed ZG

“Check out the horns on this one.” chuckled the Hyena as he tucked the pack into a pocket. “Or horn I guess. Run into too many walls didya?”

ZG shook his head a little. The time when he was basically a household name throughout Sol wasn’t even that long ago all things considered, but it seems his star had burned out all the same. “You even know who I am?”

“The guy who we’re about to teach a lesson in who runs the outside crews here to.” 

“Sure you are.” and with that ZG simply stepped forward and….

BOOM!

He had shunted to behind the two of them, braced himself and then swiped at the Wolf’s ankles with a couple of quick kicks, his reclaimed hooves cutting through clothing, flesh, muscle and tendons like nothing.

“No refs here, pup. Street rules.” He said as he planted another kick sending the, now whimpering wolf, tumbling forward.

The Hyena’s eyes were wide but he at least took a swing.

ZG almost rolled his eyes. Fighting through intimidation. Plenty of those idiots in Kombat when he was still fighting. He simply dodged the swing and the follow up.

“Always was too small to hit.” ZG grinned.

“You fucking…” The Hyena stepped forward and raised his arms in an attempt to grab ZG.

ZG merely used this opening to perform his old, flashy signature move, the ZG Flip. He pushed off the ground leaving a gouge in the deck and using the advancing Hyena’s knee as a push point threw all his momentum into a very flashy backflip kick. Without any of Kombat’s usual protections and the fact ZG had done the reclamation surgery to be able to use his hooves as cutting tools while EVA, the Hyena didn’t stand a chance. The solid hoof, now reinforced with metal and ceramics, simply crunched its way through his muzzle, leaving yet another whimpering pile of vector on the deck.

ZG landed and resisted the urge to raise his arms as he would have done during his Kombat days. There was no crowd here, just a couple of bullies who would need medical help and soon. First though he searched through their pockets and retrieved his pack of Puffs.

“Punks like you used to leave me alone. Wish you still did.” He checked the power on his shunt device and wandered over to the nearest comm unit. “Yeah, ZG reporting a fight in sector 2, corridor beta. Send medics asap.”

And with that call done he cracked open the pack, deciding that he’d earned a moment of bliss after all this nonsense.