Settling a Grievance: Chapter 7
19 Jul 2016LordPsymon
Previous chapterSettling a Grievance: Chapter 7
“That should do it,” Rax remarked as he secured one last connection between computer terminals.
The various monitors flickered into life as multiple computers started their boot sequence. The man stood back, folding his arms with a smug, satisfied smirk on face.
“Not bad for a few hours work if I do say so myself,” he said. “Just like the setup I used to have, only new and shiny.”
I turned my head toward Rax from the couch I was slouching on lazily. “Need any help cleaning up?” I offered.
Rax raised a cigar to his face, puffing as he lit it. “Nope, what I need is a drink. We’ll go meet Benny at the tavern not far from here, have a few brews and relax for a bit. Then I’ll help you find Reck. I should be able to track him down with this equipment.”
I sighed in slight frustration. “Alright. Fair enough. I guess you have been working pretty hard.”
“Damn, right pup.”
Benny waited for us outside the dual push doors into the tavern. A large neon sign with only half of the letters illuminated hung above. The interior looked fairly poorly maintained but it had a comfortable, inviting feel to it. A small band played folkish tunes quietly in the corner while the sparse group of patrons went about their business, chatting and drinking. Rax and I found us a table while Benny headed to the bar to fetch a bottle of Old Sol.
“Why are you so interested in this Reck person anyway?” Rax asked as he took a seat.
“I uhh… I have a grievance to settle with him.” I replied with hesitation.
He raised his eyebrow as he lit another cigar. “It must be quite the grievance for you to travel all the way into Fed space to resolve it.”
Benito returned with the bottle, shaking his head as he overheard our conversation. “I have heard the name before. He once bought a ship off my cousin, Rolberto on Ackerman.”
Our conversation was interrupted from a reasonably young, blonde woman yelling at a tall man with long, dark hair and unkempt stubble who looked at least twice her age.
“Sweetie?! Don’t call me sweetie!” the woman yelled, splashing her drink on the man’s face before she stormed off. He flinched, wiping his face with his sleeve as he darted his head around the bar, while the patrons around the bar stared at him in surprise and amusement.
“What are you all looking at, huh?!” He yelled with a slight accent. He glanced in my direction with a piercing expression. “Yeah, just stare at the guy with drink all over him! Real funny! I’ll be putting a bounty on you!” He raised his finger, pointing directly at me then toward another patron. “And you, and all of you losers!”
The strange man stumbled rapidly toward the exit, tripping over a bar stool on his way out.
I turned back to Rax and Benny. “Who was that guy?”
Rax responded with an amused grunt. “That is Maoskon. Poor bastard is a little off.”
I screwed up my face as I took sip of my drink. “That is a pretty odd nickname, off or not.”
Benny grabbed the bottle in the middle of the table, refilling our glasses. “That’s the pendejo’s real name, believe it or not. Like his parents never loved him or something.”
Rax grabbed his glass with his prosthetic arm, nodding in agreement. “We call him Maos when he isn’t being a total pain in the ass…” He took a long gulp of his drink. “Which isn’t often.”
I turned to Benny, leaning in. “Benny, you mentioned that your cousin sold a ship to Reck. Did he ever say much about him?”
The olive-skinned man shook his head. “Not really. I just worked on ships in his used shipyard. Helped him fix some of the more questionable trade-ins.”
“Helped out your cousin huh? That’s nice.” I replied.
He scoffed slightly. “Because that’s what family does, mano. He’s helped me out a few times, always lets me stay when I get into trouble. Besides, his wife makes the best tamales, and don’t get me started on her green salsa.”
I sat back, furrowing my brow in confusion. “Tamale? What is that?”
Both Rax and Benny shot me the most surprised look I had seen since I met them. Benny turned to Rax. “Dios mio! This guy doesn’t even know what a tamale is? What do they eat over in Empire space?”
Rax took a puff of his cigar then placed it on the ashtray in the middle of the table. He stood up and strode toward the bar.
Moments later, he returned with a large plate of these so-called tamales, each individually wrapped in some kind of leaf. The smell was like nothing I had smelled before but… By god do they smell good. The spicy aroma coming from the plate caused my mouth to water a little.
“Son, you’re going to get your first taste of some real food,” he proudly stated as he lowered the plate onto the table. “Remove the leaf before sticking it in your mouth.”
I grabbed one of the tamales, slowly unwrapping the leaf to reveal a soft parcel, wrapped in something thin and doughy. I took a bite, and my mouth was overtaken with a pleasant mix of spicy and meaty flavours, and possibly the best way I have ever eaten beef in my entire life.
Holy shit. How the hell are these not a thing in the Empire?!
My eyes widened as I swallowed the mouthful. “Where have these been all my life?”
Benny grinned. “Not as good as Rolberto’s wife’s tamales, but now you see what all you Imp boys are missing out on.”
I awoke the next day to a screwed up piece of paper hitting me in the head. I had been passed out on the couch in Rax’s warehouse after what I assumed was an interesting night drinking with himself and Benito.
“Wake up newjack! I dug up some stuff on your buddy, Reck.”
I slowly sat myself up on the couch, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and squinting in an attempt to focus.
I’m going to end up an alcoholic if I keep hanging out with these guys.
Benny was nowhere to be seen, probably still asleep in his ship. I stood up, almost falling forward in disorientation. My surroundings were just starting to come into focus again when Rax turned a monitor in my direction, revealing a bulletin posting with Reck’s face on it.
“Turns out someone in a group called Black Omega wants this guy’s ass beat as well. If you pull this off right, you could settle your little grievance and get paid for it.”
I squinted at the monitor, where a bald, slightly tanned man stared back menacingly surrounded by red text.
“Can’t say I have heard of Black Omega,” I commented, darting my head toward Rax.
“They’re a criminal organization who operate in the Pegasi sector, the fringes of the Bubble. They’re a ruthless bunch but they’re probably one of the more coordinated pirate groups out there,” Rax explained.
“Well, that’s him alright,” I said as I returned my eyes to the monitor. “But how am I supposed to find him? Even if we narrow him down to one system, we’re still talking about a search radius of millions of kilometers.”
The sound of footsteps tapping on the wooden floor slowly grew closer behind me. “You don’t find him, amigo. You let him find you,” Benny’s voice confidently responded.
I turned toward him as he sat down on the couch I was sleeping on. “What are you getting at?” I inquired.
“Simple,” he said, pointing toward the monitor. “The bulletin says he was last seen in LPM 746. That system is sparsely populated. I know his type. If he’s out there, he’s obviously on the hunt.”
An intense expression took over my face as I processed what Benny was saying. “So, a trap then?”
He clicked his fingers. “Precisely, amigo.” He gave me a cocky look. ”Lure him in, have him board and pop a few slugs into that skull of his.”
I shifted my gaze toward the ground, thinking about how I would pull off such a trap. Reck was ruthless, and no doubt would have a boarding party with him. Still, I had managed to outsmart him and his cronies before while protecting Fiona, but letting him actually board my ship wasn’t entirely sitting right with me.
“I get where you’re going this, but wouldn’t it be better just to space him as he jumps in?”
Benny slowly shook his head. “No, no, no, amigo. You bring them a body. You show them that you mean business. These aren’t just some street thugs with a chip on their shoulder. Black Omega are the real deal. When they want blood, they want to see the corpse for themselves.”
“He’s right. If you’re going to be dealing with a Black Omega bounty, you’re going to have to get your hands dirty,” Rax affirmed.
I darted back to the monitor beside Rax, with the wanted bulletin still displaying.
This guy needs to pay for the shit he has done, and I can’t say no to extra credits in the process of making it happen, but…
I looked back at Benito, who was slouching back slightly on the couch. “I see the point that you are making, but this isn’t something I’ll be able to pull off alone.”
He stood up and approached me, firmly putting his hand on my shoulder. “Well mano. Split the bounty and I’ll come along for the ride.”
My eyes met his. “What’s your terms, Benny?”
“60/40 in your favour, and I get to keep Reck’s ship,” he offered as he raised his hand off my shoulder. “It’ll be a nice little upgrade to my T6.”
I nodded subtly. “You’re on.”
He smiled, cocky and patted me firmly on the shoulder again. “Excellente mi amigo! Let’s go back to Kremainn and pick up that Gutamaya ship of yours. A ship like that firing off a distress beacon will be irresistible to a man like Reck.”
I look of doubt crossed my face. “As long as it doesn’t break down for real.”
“We can take it to my cousin, Rolberto for a tune-up. We should be able to make it run smoothly,” the olive-skinned man assured.
“Alright, sounds good.” Benny and I started making our way to the exit of the run-down warehouse. “I’m sure we’ll cross paths again, Rax.”
The staunch man nodded, holding a cigar with his prosthetic hand. “I’m sure we will, pup. Don’t get yourselves killed out there.”
After returning to Eravate from Kremainn with White Pearl, Benito showed me to his cousin’s used shipyard on Ackerman Market, one of the many space stations in the system. A large sign illuminated by several lamps hung above the entrance reading ‘Rolberto’s Gently Used Ships’. A short, slightly round man greeted us by the entrance. He had olive skin and a dark comb-over, accompanied by a rather well trimmed, but bushy moustache. His black suit was tidy and well presented.
“Benito, mi primo! So good to see you again,” he shouted as he enthusiastically hugged his cousin. “You staying out of trouble, yes?”
Benny nodded, laughing slightly. “Si, si.” He gestured his hands toward me. “My friend here has a problem. Got himself a cheap Clipper that keeps having problems.”
The short little man approached and patted me on the back. “You take me to your ship. Benito and I help you fix, yes? What’s your name, my friend?”
“Simon,” I replied, offering my hand.
“Hello Simon!” He said, firmly shaking my hand. “I help you get your ship flying, good as new!”
I couldn’t tell if this man was genuinely as friendly as he was acting, or if he was just enthusiastic to be receiving my credits for fixing up White Pearl. Either way, his demeanour was… refreshing.
Rolberto and Benny spent about an hour, working his way around my ship, inspecting it thoroughly as I waited in the bridge. The door slid open and the short man strolled in and sat himself down on the co-pilot’s seat.
“Yes, yes there are some issue with your ship. Can see why you got it so cheap, but you know what they say. Nothing more expensive than cheap Gutamaya ship yes?”
I nodded awkwardly. “Yes, I am finding this out the hard way.”
He shot an assuring smile. “Well, nothing Rolberto cannot fix, especially with Benito’s help. Made really bad ship fly good as new before. I can do the same for this, yes?”
I nodded. “Do what you can.”
He grabbed my hand and shook firmly. “My new friend, you will be happy with our work. I go get my tools and we get to work.” Rolberto promptly stood up and walked out of the bridge as Benny slowly strode in.
“He is a man of his word, amigo. There’s not a single ship he hasn’t been able to make space worthy, especially with my help. We’ll have this ship ready in about a day. Then we should make our way to LPM 746 and get to work.”
I stood up from the pilot’s seat, patting Benny on the back as I walked past. “I appreciate it, buddy.” I said, then headed toward the living area of the ship.