Unseen Eye: Epilogue
27 Jul 2022Lambast Mercy
Zero point seven three was enough gravity to keep people in their seats and drinks in the glasses. Dinner had not been up to standard, because Liner Twenty Two was not up to the companies’ usual high standards, and had not been stocked with the usual supplies. All the same, Lamb had cooked up something tasty, and in large enough portions to satisfy the appetite people that had recently been hyped up to fight a small army. After locking the prisoners away, then packing and stacking the dead, they had found a high metal planet in the goldilocks band of a hot yellow star to land and eat. Whatever had been stored in pressurised tanks in the Catalyst Chamber, had quickly killed all the Seekers that had been in the chamber celebrating a lie sold to them by Orwell Vandeman.
It had taken a lot of work to clear up the mess because no one but Lamb was ok with simply opening the airlocks. Silas reminded her that these people had families that would like to know what had happened, and have a body to bid farewell. Maul finished picking his teeth and washed the mouth-debris away with a deep gulp of strawberry milkshake. Kai was slowly rotating in her chair enjoying the effects of gravity while Silas and Lamb chatted about where to go next.
“So Colonia, Jaques Station right? I could do with putting my feet up in that bar” said Silas
“Good heavens no! One can’t buy a cubic-foot on that station, and rents are beyond extortionate. We have a booking office, a departure and arrivals lounge there, but our main Colonia office is a short jump away in Ratraii” informed Lambast.
“Ratraii?” Asked Kai “Damn it! If I’d have known you had offices here, I’d. . . have checked in with you a while back. Jeez”
That was a lie. Kaisla knew if she turned up at her friends company and let them know who she was, she’d have unlimited credit and a safe place to stay. Even safer now she knew her sort-of-boyfriend supplied the security for her best friends company. She’d only started on her way back to the bubble because the credits had run out. Crossing paths with Lamb doing one of her regular Bubble to Colonia was on the cards, but just luck that there was a problem Kai could help with this time.
“Right, can we get to the point? What are we gonna do about the guy that thinks he can grow Sothis style Crystal Gold?” asked Maul “That’s real big, and I don’t think you guy realise how big”
“And the gold weave things” added Kai “I think they would make great curtains. Maybe I’ll get a four poster and put them on that”
Silas couldn’t imagine Kai in a bed like that. She kept a simple room with functional fruiter and clothes scattered everywhere. She slept like an exhausted five year old, drooling into a pillow with her arse poking out the blankets. Not at all the type of girl that would look right in a bed fit for a princess.
“You three can have them, I simply want to return to Robigo with reasonable haste. I’m displeased with the conduct of the customer recommended to me, and intend to take issue with the appropriate party” stated Lambast knowing full well that would men another confrontation with Mr Ortega from the Cartel.
Maul did some quick calculations after guessing the weight of the obelisks, but he didn’t know the going price for a ton of crystal gold in Colonia, so he added a generous amount to the basic gold price. Each monolith was worth a fair clack of credits.
“So, you mean like three each, between me Silas and Kai? Thats a good few hundred million for each of us Lamb. It’s well over our going rate you know?” said Maul forgetting about the potential production of the stuff for a moment.
“I’ve got more credits than I can spend as it is. I’d just have to invent another trust fund or charity, to prevent Sirius taking it off me in taxes. .Robbing bastards” Lamb added with a little venom “Besides, I have simply can’t think of another charity I want to fund” said Lambast honestly.
It wasn’t intended, but the looks on her friends face told Lambast she had sounded boastful. There was another reason Lamb wanted her friends to have the spoils, but it wasn’t something she wished to voice, however it would be disrespectful for Lambast not to underline her gratitude.
Inhaling through her nose, Lamb prepared to say things that would no doubt leave her open to some piss-taking once it was said, but such was the price of having friends.
“I like to deal with my own difficulties without burdening others. That narrow minded attitude dose close me off to people that would gladly step in and assist me for no reason other than to help a friend. I do realise I am distant and blunt, and that my prickly demeanour only exaggerates when you, my friends, are distant”
She’d started, and she could feel the hot redness of embarrassment that had start about her collarbone making a rush for her face. She pushed on avoiding everyone’s eye, determined to say her thank yous’ before the blush had conquered mount Lambast.
“I am boundlessly grateful that I have people around me that will ignore my wishes, interfere with my choices, and come from every corner of the galaxy because I have once again, bitten off more than I can chew. Know that I am grateful, and humbled by each of you. Thank you”
Kai was grinning ear to ear, and Maul was doing a poor job of hiding his own growing grin. Silas could understand where Lamb was coming from, but poking fun at the uptight spinster was hard to resist. Kai scampered across to Lamb and stood behind her chair.
“Arr. Wikkel Lamb-Bam feewing all woved up?” teased Kai in a baby voice.
She put her arm around Lambs neck to give her friend a hug and tried to pinch her cheeks.
“Dose you feel lonely when we’re not wiv yoo? Arr, bless”
Lamb and Kai would play-fight like children when they were in a silly mood, but Lamb didn’t like to act that way in front of other people, unfortunately, Kai didn’t give a shit who was watching and enjoyed embarrassing her best friend like that.
“So I guess you won’t be calling me a creepy stalker anymore huh? If I wasn’t checking what’s going down, you’d have been on your own” said Maul glad to have hard evidence his cyber-snooping was useful.
Lamb was still busy fending off Kai’s coochy-coos to answer, so Silas took the opportunity to drop in a little dig.
“You’re lucky I’d had my fill of desk work Lamb” he said emulating her normal matter-of-fact tone of voice “If I wasn’t itching for some ground work, I’d have thought about the financial benefits if you know what I mean. No you, would mean I get to renegotiate the contract with Suzi instead of this mates rates thing we got goin on”
Silas stretched, it had been a long day and the heavy meal was sitting on him now there was some gravity.
“Besides” he continued “It would look bad if I lost my first client to a con-man running a scam”
Kai was still hugging Lamb making the Imperial woman feel uncomfortable.
“Hay Kai, leave her alone or I’ll have to get all professional on ya. I mean, Lamb has paid me to guard her and her stuff you know” said Silas holding his hand out for Kai.
Sitting down next to Silas, Kai put her feet up on the table.
“Hay, before we go back to Colonia, I need to get my ship. Can we go back there after some sleepy sleeps?” asked Kai.
“Oh yeah. The Ghoul is like four or five jumps back too” said Maul “Damn, I can’t even remember the system name”
“I want to get those prisoners and corpses off this ship first” said Lamb reminding everyone they were still technically in a ‘situation’
“Look, we’ll pop over to Ratraii and I’ll deal with the authorities while you lot relax at our VIP lounge. When it’s all done, we’ll get on one of my liners, dock with Errand of Mercy Three and we’ll pick up your ships, Dracul and Ghoul on the way home. Will that do?”
“What’s Errand of Mercy three?” asked kai.
“One of my Rescue and Salvage companies carriers dear”
“One of! How many damn carriers you got Lamb?”
“Will that be agreeable to everyone?” Asked Lamb ignoring Kais question “I have an appointment for some Nano Surgery in less than a week, so I’ll brook no dallying from Omnipol”
“Omnipol” said Maul and kai together.
“There was this thing a while back when I was.. . “
“Ya see, the other week I did this thing with.. .” They continued talking over each other.
“No worries guys” interrupted Silas forestalling the roundabout explanations for what laws they had broken. “We’ll say you went back to your own ships before we got to Colonia space. The ground crew at Dream will get you to the lounge without going through customs”
“Now, what’s up with you Lamb?" continued Silas "Nano-Surgery sounds like a big deal?”
Sails was a little uneasy asking Lambast about her health, but she brought it up in front of everyone, so he indulged his curiosity.
“Oh no, it’s nothing like that, although I will be having a little cosmetic work done while I’m there. I don’t mind aging, but I disagree with natures need to underline the passage of time on my face”
“I’m having a neural link implanted. Apparently the Nano whatsits build the necessary hardware in ones skull, and then wire it up to parts of the brain with micro fibres. Almost everything is converted from the body of the patient I have been told. Terribly clever stuff with no magnetic or ferrous components”
“I say Mr Montresor, perhaps you should have the surgery too. While they are at it, you could have that cheap eye replaced.. .. And those silly tattoos scrubbed off your face”
Mauls’ fingers found the ink on his face and was about to defend his tats, but the offer of expensive Nano-Surgery was interesting. A hacker with a neural link would have an edge, but it was unknown territory, and he couldn't help wonder if the link would make his mind as accessible as a computer.
“You know what, I’ll send a communication along the Colonia Bridge, and off to Silver Mountain to have three more beds ready. We’ll all get links what?” declared Lambast cheerfully.
“Umm kaay.. .. What about the cosmetics? Asked Kai “I wouldn’t mind a little reworking for the fall season”
“Humm?” quizzed Lamb, and then she remembered she was taking to Kai. Kaisla would have no idea how much Nano Surgery costs.
“Darling, the link is the meal, cosmetic work is, by comparison, the side salad. Have as much as you like, but all you need is a wash and a hair cut, then you'll be.. “
A timid knock came from the pressure suit locker. Lamb drew her sword, and Maul took cover behind his chair pointing a pistol at the noise.
“Oh crap” exclaimed Silas “I forgot about that guy” he said taking another sip of his inferior whisky. There was no Old Sol on Liner Twenty Two.
Kai slid over to the locker and opened the door “Ooh, sorry dude. I totally forgot I’d locked you in there”
“Kai! Who the hell is that?” Asked Lamb wagging her sword at the offending article who was cowering in the bottom of the locker.
“I have no idea. He was being very unkind to the flight controls when I got here” said Kai still feeling a little guilty she had left this sorry specimen in the locker for hours by now.
“I’m.. my name is, its Perfect”
“Boastful; So what is?” asked Kai
“My name, it’s Perfect”
“Kay, but what is it?”
“No” said Perfect, this was well trodden ground for him “My mom called me Perfect. Perfect is my name. Please don’t kill me, I just, I just . . I really need to rest room”
“Ooh that IS an emergency Perfect” Said Kai mischievously. “Fantastic here..” she continued pointing at Maul “..will escort you to the head, and then he and Amazing..” indicating Silas this time “..will take you to one of the cabins being used as a holding cell. Out ya get, come on”
“Oh man” said Maul standing up, face palming. “I forgot about that dude on my ship too”
“Umm-mm” murmured Silas shaking his head “That guy will definitely have needed the rest room by now, and he was naked”
“So he was a prisoner?” asked Kai “I was wondering”
“Of course he’s a prisoner. What else do you think a dude cuffed to a beam on my bridge would be?” asked Maul defensively.
“How was I to know? He was naked, so I was like ‘Oh, so that’s why Maul is totally plutonic with that hot blond he hung out with’. I mean, that’s why I’d have a Billy-Beefcake cuffed up on my bridge.
While Maul and Kai argued, Lamb and Silas exchanged a look they usually shared when the ‘kids’ were fighting. While Silas took care of Perfect, Lambast went to get Chocolate Pudding. Chocolate Pudding always shut the kids up.