The Folly of Man
25 Sep 2019Falcon15e
The two girls took several weeks to let things on Cleve hub cool off while the two of them sifted through the extensive amount of information that Adele had provided. Several days after the meeting, Lambast had sent the contract to Johnston who had arranged a meeting to deliver it to Adele. It had been returned only a few hours later via private courier. As promised, it was signed and the original million credit fee that the two girls had stipulated had been edited. A single red line was crossed through the million and in its place, five million credits was allocated for each girl. Also included were the account numbers and access keys to the bank accounts that stored their payment. One evening while sitting there trying to figure out the best way to get to Dell, Kai started crying.
Lamb set down her tablet and crossed over to the floor near Kai, taking her into a hug. “What’s wrong?”
“Just all of this.” Kai said while wiping tears from her eyes. “A year ago, if you would have asked me what I would be doing now, I would have said something like, preparing harvest and getting ready for the school dance. My biggest fear would be which one of our stupid friends would ask me or what we would wear. Instead, we’re sitting here planning on killing a mob boss. Seriously, where did this all go wrong? I pretend like it doesn’t bother me but it does.”
Lamb wraps her in a tight hug, “I know, killing someone isn’t natural, its bound to leave its scars.”
She shoves Lamb away, “No! Its not the killing that bothers me! That’s what’s so weird. Its just the whole situation and how its spun out of control. That’s what bothers me.”
Lamb looks to her friend, wrecked and distraught. Growing up, Kai was always fearless. She was always the one to take the challenge that would make the boys shy away, she would boldly lead their pack of kids, she would be the first to think up the crazy challenges and cunning dares. Through all that, she was the one that brought Lamb into the fold where previously Lamb had only really stayed to herself. Even against her will, Kai had dragged Lamb into the chaos of it all and helped her form some of her most cherished memories. Now, more than ever she just wanted to protect her friend and help her make the pain go away. She felt it was her duty and responsibility.
Several more days passed and the two girls continued to examine the packet of information Adele had given them. Extensive photo’s of the interior of Dell’s Penthouse were also included. Most of them were fuzzy because they were taken via a private body camera that didn’t have very good resolution. Lamb searched them all trying to find a hint of anything that would lend a solution. Finally, she thought she found just the item that would work. Lamb heard her father return late one evening in the Adder. As he was carefully aligning the Adder to back into the atmo-hab that surrounded the property, Lambast slipped on one of the thin pressure suits and REMLOK’s, opening the comms channel to the Adder while she headed outside.
“Dad, can you leave the Adder out? I have to run to Cleve early tomorrow. Its a surprise for Kai so I want to go and get back before she gets up.”
Her father finishes bringing the small ship in and opens the comms channel. “Sure thing Pumpkin, I just refueled it a few days ago so it has more than enough fuel to get you there and back. What time were you thinking of going?”
Lamb thinks fast, “Uh..very early, like, before first light.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Her father answers while he shuts down the small ship.
“No - that’s okay. I’ll be quick besides, I know you have a council meeting tomorrow so I want you to be well rested.”
“Okay dear.” He seals the hab but leaves the Adder sitting out in the docking corridor.
Early the next morning, the sky shimmers purple in the thin atmosphere of Eravate Two while the sun slowly starts to creep toward the horizon. A lazy haze settles down on all the gentle hills and buttresses laying around the barren planet. Lambast sneaks out of the little homestead and climbs aboard the Adder. Even in the controlled atmosphere of the hab, condensation forms on the surface of the ship and Lamb industriously wipes the canopy down before climbing aboard and sealing the hatch. She powers up the small ship quickly and slowly vectors it out of the docking corridor and out of the hab before triggering the remote to seal the hab again. She pilots the vessel out five kilometers before vectoring up and sequencing to super cruise. Five kilometers should be enough to dissipate most of the noise of the ship jumping. Pretty soon, the tiny Adder cuts up through the thin atmosphere, the canopy slowly becoming lighter as she climbs higher and higher. Eventually, the darkness of the surface fades away to the full force of the Eravate star while the sky turns from musky purple to inky black. Cleve shines like a bright star in orbit.
She docks the tiny Adder and sends a quick message to Johnston before disembarking and heading to the tram station to the lifts for the executive suites.
The doors to the lift sweep open silently and Lambast is met by a burly man in a dark suit with an SMG slung over his shoulder. Lambast steps off the lift, “Hello, my name is Lambast and I’m responsible for all the murders of the Cleve Crime cartel. Take me to see Mr. Dell please.”
The man pauses before slowly raising his SMG at the young girl and whispers something into the comm link in his ear. A moment later he steps forward and carefully frisks the girl, finding no weapons.
“No..uh, she’s clean? Okay, yes sir.” He looks down to Lamb. “Walk.”
Lambast nods and starts to head down the hallway, walking gently on the plush carpets.
“Stop there,” he commands in front of the double-doors to Dell’s penthouse. The doors open and she’s met by three other men, all carrying an assortment of weapons. They lead her into the opulent penthouse, eventually to a well-appointed study. One vast wall is all glass, facing out toward Eravate and Eravate Two down below. Golden light filters in through the study, reflecting off the bare steel fixtures and lending a soft glow to the rest of the beautifully manicured room. Lamb can see the terminator where the light on the planet strikes the surface and makes a circular arch along the dusty surface. She thinks to Kaisla, so far down below still in bed.
Dell sits in an thick leather chair in front of a intricately carved fire place in the middle of the room sipping from a crystal glass of brandy.
“So you’re the little bitch that’s responsible for all of this?” He says without looking to her.
“You better watch your tone to me.” Lamb snaps back.
Now Dell turns to face her, “You insolent little brat.” He stands, “You’re lucky I didn’t have you killed out in the hallway. But I couldn’t help to see the face of panty-waste responsible for so much of my grief.”
“I told you,” Lambast says as she crosses the thick carpet toward the man, “To hold your tongue when talking to me.”
Dell chuckles softly, “Such spirit. Its almost a shame I have to kill you.” He sets the glass down carefully. “Actually, I thought of hiring you and your friend. Speaking of which, where is she?”
Lamb’s mind races. “You didn’t think we would walk in here without a plan did you? Do you think we just went around killing eight of your coveted mob bosses without any sort of a plan? Two girls and we went through this station like bad curry, wiping the floor with the corpses of your accomplices.”
Dell stood, appraisingly, glaring at Lambast. “She’s of no consequence. Obviously you must be the little orphan now seeing as you have the balls to stand here in front of me.” He picks up his glass and walks over to the desk along the expansive window. The star completely eclipses Eravate two now, shining brightly in the black. The orange smattering of gas from the Orion Arm stretches out behind the little sun. He sets the glass on the desk, picking up a decanter and pouring himself more brandy. Lambast crosses over toward the fire place, her back to him. “This is a lesson I’m glad you learned early little girl. Love is the most treacherous folly of man. People do crazy, unpredictable and foolish things for love.”
“Yes, I know.” Lambast stands staring at the fire.
“There’s no profit in it unless your a jeweler. I should have gone into that business.” He pulls a desk drawer open, the butt of a pistol visible clearly within. He reaches into the drawer and frees the pistol, hefting the weight in his bony fingers. He takes another sip of his brandy and looks up at Lambast. She’s standing now right up close to him, having moved silently across the carpeted room. The sun, pouring brightly into the study reflects a shimmer off a blade in her hand. He looks up to his mantle above the fireplace, the French cavalry Saber passed down in his family for generations, gone.
“You fucking bitch.”
Lambast thrusts the sword into his stomach shoving the sharp blade through his intestinal wall. He drops the pistol to the carpet and Lamb shoves the sword up to his sternum. A trickle of blood seeps from his mouth.
“I told you,” She shoves the saber deeper feeling the blade sever his spine, looking up into his cold green eyes, “Hold your tongue when speaking to me.”
She pulls the saber from his chest as he crumbles to the floor. “Yes, we do foolish things for love.” She turns and leaves the study.
As she enters into the main chamber, one of the guards reacts, seeing the bloody saber in her hand. He raises his SMG. Three silent shots drop him quickly. She looks to the entry way, two more guards lay dead. A man, all in black stands there and upon seeing Lambast, raises his weapon. She walks out of the penthouse. Adele is standing in the hallway. “Is it done?”
Lambast looks up at the blonde woman. “It is.”
Adele reaches out and brushes her hair with her hand. “That was very brave of you. I’ll handle the rest.”
Lambast returns to the Adder, moving through the station in a haze, the bloody saber still in hand to the shock of the busy morning commuters. She boards the Adder and flies back, to her home, to her family, to Kaisla.