Lola (Cupinook not Copacabana)
16 Jan 2021MdN
"By the Gods of Tellus, she is a beauty!"I'd just finished shipping fish to ADV Silk Stocking from a contact I have in Nevermore. God only knows what Flint wants with 300t of fresh water Koi. I mean they're fancy as shit, and look stunning, but live fish swimming around on a Fleet Carrier? Hmm, it just occurs to me that he might have meant farmed fish meat, not expensive show-fish direct from the lakes of a specialist breeder planetside. Maybe he should have been more precise when he posted the mission on the squadron board. That would explain the confused look on Katalina's face when I signed them over to her stock warehouse onboard. Oh well.
But who cares about that, this girl is stunning.
I'm sitting in the Dancers Dock.
Yeah, I know.
Never admit to visiting a strip club, right?
But I don't get home very often and Oleg Dancer is a good friend - strange though that might seem. I just popped in to say hi, and he sat me down with a bottle of something rare and exotic and said: "Enjoy my friend, enjoy!"
You don't argue with Oleg Dancer.
At least, YOU don't.
I arrested him once for the murder of his former business partner, so I can sort of get away with it. That was in a different life though, maybe I'll tell you about it one day. But you, my friend, should never argue with Oleg Dancer.
The Dancers Dock is one of those joints that you only find in the seediest backstreets. In this case Andrews Dock in the Cupinook system. Of course, Andrews has been cleaned up a lot of late, but its reputation lingers in some quarters. Oleg rather likes his reputation, it works well for him. But this new girl of his, wow, simply divine.
Her name is Lola, and she's a showgirl.
But you'd guessed that already, I'm sure.
Around and around the shiny steel pole she danced - mesmerising for a Commander freshly returned from weeks of solitary in the black. To spice up her act even more, don't blink you'll miss the best bits, she would merengue and do the cha-cha.
Oh boy, Oleg has hit gold dust with this one. The club was packed out, and Lola was the star. Who could resist those sweet yellow feathers in her hair, and that dress cut down to, well, just how deep cut was it? Every man was trying to find out, that's for sure.
Dancers had always been popular with the long distance hauliers, and Cupinook was full of those. They came for the metals you see. I know all about that, my family's mining business relocated here from Olgrea 50 odd years ago, shortly before I was born. My father tells me, frequently as it happens, that they were just scooping ore off the floor when they first settled.
"Made a fortune," he tells me.
"Another fortune," I usually add. He'd already amassed the first in Olgrea.
It was always a busy bar then, but I had never seen it bustling like this. She certainly tried to be a star, I imagine Oleg paid her handsomly.
"Don't get carried away," he'd warned me, "her and Tony" -he winked- "item," he finished. To make sure he'd communicated successfully, held up two crossed fingers to simulate a couple. Oleg was always a little difficult to understand due to his slavic accent. He, and most of his staff, originated from some far off star system the name of which I forget - but trust me, you've never been. A war torn world they'd escaped from having only known fighting from the moment they were born. Oleg and his late business partner had been soldiers, as had most of the male staff. Cold, almost beyond the point of psychopathy, an edge of danger surrounded him. I kind of liked him, we got on well from the moment I arrested him.
Tony of course was the bar manager at Dancers Dock. Lola and Tony worked, across a crowded floor from each other, from eight 'til four in the morning most days. They were young, and they had each other. You had to admire that in this day and age. Who in fact could ask for more?
This was the hottest place in Cupinook that no respectable person ever spoke of. It would bring down shame on my family if the press spotted me here, but the press knew Oleg would do worse to them so they steered clear. There was an exciting air of underworld sleaze about the place, carefully cultivated by Oleg who was considered Cupinook's criminal boss. Bizarrely as an ex-detective I knew it was all a sham. I'd investigated the darkside out of him and his business empire and there was nothing to be found beyond the odd murder and blackmail which I turned a blind eye to.
"Dancers Dock, that's ya place," a snitch once insisted. "You wants Onionhead my man? Strongest shit this side a Empire you'll find there." That was the word on the street, but it wasn't true. Oleg had seen the destruction wrought by Onionhead on his home world, you'd lose a hand or worse dealing in Dancers.
The rich and famous were often found mingling with the working folk there. Society's great equaliser: music and passion were always the fashion no matter what your social station. Just like Lola and Tony, this was where they fell in love across the class divides, on a sticky beer soaked floor, unable to hear each other talk above the loud music, while watching semi-naked women cavorting on a stage or perhaps a more private location. Sometimes the men fell in love with those untouchable semi-naked women cavorting on the stage; like Lola for instance.
Sweet lord, she was fine.
His name was Rico.
We didn't know that when it happend of course, we found out afterwards. He wore a diamond - that was a give away. Who trusts a guy wearing a diamond? Yeah, he was one of those flash punks who think they're it. Oleg's bouncers had their eye on him straight away, they're a solid bunch. They barely speak a word of English, but the atmosphere is far too loud to hear a spoken word anyway, so that's of no consequence. It's always a bad sign when I see a customer being escorted to his chair by two burly bouncers.
From the moment he sat down he saw Lola dancing there. When her turn finished, he called her over. Now I'm a trained detective and experienced intelligence officer, I tend to watch those watching the show more than the show itself. Annoying habit, I missed most of Lola's scintillating performance as a result. Oh, what's that? You thought I was a delivery driver? No, no, in AEDC we get mixed up in all sorts. Delivering fish for Flint's carrier was just for fun, Operation "Plump Sandro" I believe it was. No, technically I'm a spy or a diplomat, same thing really - shh, tell no one.
So I'm watching this Rico character wave Lola over to his table. The girl looks terrified. She flicks a look towards Oleg, but he's distracted. She glances towards the bar, but Tony is serving a customer. Rico waves more urgently and a look of resignation falls over her face. Odd, I'm thinking, she's never shown concern about joining a punter at his table before. My highly trained spider senses are tingling, but I've probably drunk a little too much of Oleg's bottle of Gerasian Gueuze Beer to act on those instincts.
She sat at the table, the furthest chair from Rico, who promptly grabbed her wrist and yanked her towards him. She landed in his lap.
I sprung to my feet cursing my slow reactions, and promptly fell face first on to the beer soaked floor as my head spun from the crazy strong Gueuze. It was all I could do to prevent myself blacking out.
I did see Tony sail across the bar though, glasses flying everywhere. Bouncers too were already on the move. Despite Dancers' reputation, the regulars all know: you do NOT touch the girls. Rico had gone a bit too far.
Tony got there first, that's who my money was on. Lola got thrown in to the arms of another customer for safe keeping and was quickly snatched away by one of the burly bouncers and hustled towards a side-room. Then the punches flew. Tony unleashed an uppercut which connected with Rico's jaw and sent him flying into a chair which smashed in two. There was blood, and retaliation from Rico before the bouncers could get close.
Bang!
A single gun shot rang out.
But who had just shot who?
She lost her heart that night. We cried for her, and hugged her, and did what we could to console her. Even Oleg's cold heart broke watching her fall apart. All of that happened years ago now, when Lola was the star of the show and we were all secretly in love with her.
Her name is Lola, she was a show girl.
But not now.
Now she's just lost her mind.
Every year on the anniversary of Tony's death Oleg hosts a disco. It's a private memorial, to remember the time when music and passion were always in fashion. It's tonight, I always show, no matter what. We all do, we owe it to Lola. It's a memorial disco, but not for her.
She still wears that dress that she used to wear. Those faded feathers are still in her hair. She sits at the table where Tony died looking so refined, while drinking herself half-blind. We're there for her, but we know there's nothing we can do, we lost that chance many years ago. We leave her be.
I should have reacted faster, I would have if not for the beer. Oleg curses the bottle he put before me to this very day. The bouncers tell me they knew something was wrong, they should have stayed closer to hand. Hindsight fixes everything.
Lola, she lost her youth that day.
She lost her Tony.
The alcohol helps take the pain away, none of us have the heart to take that away too.
She'll rise from the table shortly and dance in the arms of her Tony. Slowly, round and round, eyes closed and a beaming smile on her face as she lives only in a happy time in her drunken stupour. It's the same every year, has been for a decade. And every year two hard bouncers, a tough murdering mob boss, and myself fight back the tears watching her. Sometimes we fail - quite often actually.
Don't fall in love in Dancers Dock.
Just don't fall in love.