After being
detained and searched on Linden by the Legion Merri sat in the pilot seat and
nodded to co-pilot Malena who used the Tornado’s four vertical take-off jumper
engines to lift the Tempest class freighter off the surface and a few minutes
later they were back in space and on the way to Zenden.
“Ok let the
fugitives out of the priest hole” Merri said, and Malena got up and said
“Ok, can
you get Pulsat to meet me there?”
The Tornado was late getting to do the
delivery on Zenden after their encounter with the Legion so as a result they
were not waiting on the airfield outside Odekka when the Skeet brothers
returned from the Algarvian Monastery in the Achrem Mountains.
So, after they left Zenden they made haste to
get to Achrem when Lyris contacted the ship to find out where they had gotten
to.
“Odekka station calling Freighter Tornado,
Odekka station calling Freighter Tornado”
“Tornado receiving, go ahead Odekka” Merri
responded
“I have two crew members requesting ETA” Vinid
Cupra said
After
speaking to Merri aboard the Tornado, he relayed that all she would say was
that they had been delayed, so they would be late picking them up, but they
were on their way, so the Skeets had some time to kill.
“It would
appear we have time for a drink” Lyris said
Vinid,
Lyris and Zerrad had flown Spider Hawk Fighters against the Legion in the
Shaxson rebellion and it was the first time they had seen each other for many
years so they were keen to catch up.
But Vin
didn’t get off duty for another two hours, so they agreed to meet at the Blue
Horizon bar when he was done.
The Blue
Horizon was owned by Vinid’s friend, Lak Shmi, who a couple
of months earlier had opened the door to illegal gambling and its associated
criminality and now couldn’t get rid of it.
It began
when he was approached by a respectable looking Lakmean trader who said he
wanted to run a “friendly” game of cards and would Lak mind if they used a
quiet corner of the bar once a week, and he agreed on the basis that there
would be a few Dinaris in it for him.
Lyris and Zerrad walked through the double
doors into the large open bar area.
Directly ahead of them was a large horseshoe
shaped bar, and surrounding it was the main seating area.
As they walked further into the bar, they
could see a raised area, to the left, which was surrounded by chest high ornate
panelling and the area within was divided into cubicle like booths, which was
presumably the eating area, at least under normal circumstances.
He could see that if there was illegal
gambling on the premises that would be the best place for it.
He could see at the far end of the eating area
what looked like large glass doors, which they presumed would have led out to
the gardens, which would be a good escape route if the need arose.
As they approached
the bar Lyris glanced casually around the rest of the bar and was struck by the
presence of an unusually large selection of electronic gambling machines.
As they were new to the Eikon Cluster they had
become familiar enough with the neighbourhood petty crooks and thugs but Lyris
and Zerrad recognized the types among the faces in the busy bar, petty
criminals mainly and two of the crowd stood out as more senior members of the
criminal fraternity.
They reached the bar and waited until they
caught the eye of the barman who walked casually to where they were standing
and stared without speaking.
He was of medium height and of muscular build
and he was of rough and un-welcoming appearance, he was heavily tattooed and
shaven headed with multiple piercings and the kind of face you would never tire
of slapping and judging by the scars he wore, it looked like it had been.
“Ale” Lyris said and held up two fingers “two”
The barman slowly broke his gaze and responded
to the request.
Meanwhile Zerrad looked around and saw someone
of a much different calibre, who had the familiar Ivory complexion of a
Gouveian, and judging by how everyone else was behaving he was clearly the
brains of the outfit.
Sitting with him was undoubtedly the man Vinid
had described to him, the Lakmean trader, AaHannaa.
“Nine Dinaris” The barman said banging the
Ales down on the counter so hard that they slopped over the sides.
Lyris stared him straight in the eye and
dropped a handful of coins on the counter so they rolled in every direction.
“Keep the change”
He only averted his gaze after the barman had
picked all the coins up and walked away, cursing under his breath.
“He’s an ignorant bastard that one” a voice
said behind them and they turned to see the voice belonged to a monster of a
man.
The Skeets weren’t small men by any means but
they both had to look up at the man who was built like a brick out house.
Judging by his well-tanned skin, un-manicured
rough calloused hands, and grubby clothes he earned his living doing manual
work.
“He’s a real charmer that’s for sure” Lyris
said
“I haven’t seen you two in here before” the
man said
“No first time” Zerrad responded
“Just killing time while we’re waiting for our
transport”
“So, you’re off worlders
then?” he said
“Yes, we’re crew on a
freighter” Lyris said “But Odekka is going to be one of our regular jobs”
“Well welcome to the
Blue Horizon” he said
“Thanks” Zerrad
responded “Can I get you a drink”
“No thanks” he said
draining his glass “I’m off to work, night shift”
“Oh well see you again
sometime” Lyris said
“Don’t stick around here
too late” he said leaning towards Lyris “A bit of a rough crowd get in here
late on” He nodded towards the booths.
“Thanks for the tip”
Zerrad said
About an hour later
Vinid arrived at the Blue Horizon and joined them at the bar and when they had
fresh drinks they sat in a corner and chatted in hushed tones.
“So is that the Lakmean trader” Lyris said
gesturing towards the booths
“Yes, that’s AaHannaa” Vinid replied
“And who is
the Gouveian with him?” Zerrad asked
“That’s the
boss, Kurla Babic” said Vin “He’s the one pulling all the strings and raking in
the spoils”
“I thought
so” Zerrad said
“But you
know the thing that rankles with me about him the most?” Vin asked
“What?”
“He’s got
his own Spider Hawk”
Spider
Hawks were the ships that the three of them flew against the Legion in the
Shaxson Rebellion
“Has he”
Lyris mused
“What a
bastard” Zerrad added
After that they spent
the next hour talking about the old days and then the place was just starting
to get rowdy when Zerrad’s comms buzzed and the Skeets said their goodbyes and
headed back to the field in the Stroller.
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