Not just a Barman
18 May 2016Jim Beaumont
‘Why hello stranger, long time no see’ and the barman smiled and brought out a Doombar.‘Your usual I assume’
‘Fair assumption Samson, and how are you? Still keeping them cold I see’
‘Of course. It’s been a few months since I saw you last in here I figured you’d gone for good’
‘Just passing through to be honest. A certain person became less agreeable with me and so I made the quick choice to move out. Nothing much appears to have changed around here though’
‘Nothing ever changes around here Jim. That’s half the problem’
‘Your bar looks busy enough though. Plenty of punters’
‘Oh always people needing a beverage. Your mate left here not long after you too’
‘What Merc? He left when I did, for the same reason’
‘No not Merc. That plump fella you were doing lots of work for. Pasty or whatever his name was’
‘You mean Pastolis, and yes he left not long after. Relieved of his duties I think the polite way of saying it is. He pitched up in Odu where I reside out of now. Haven’t seen him for a month now it must be so not sure if he has moved on again though’
‘Oppo was here only last week I think it was’ say Samson. This brought me nicely to why I had come.
‘He said he’d popped in. Tasted the good stuff’ as I looked at the soon empty bottle. ‘In fact I will have another and one for yourself too please’ hoping to make it hard for him to refuse the offer’
‘I’ll do just that thanks. Being where we are we get a lot of traveller explorer types, so don’t often get an offer to have one too. They tend to sit in the corners and get smashed after months out in the black. Don’t understand what they get from it to be honest’
‘Some special sights and plenty of cash on return’ and I handed him a few Cr notes to pay for the beers.
‘It’s the isolation I couldn’t do with Jim. Too much of a people person me for that’ as he wandered to the cashier teller. As he counted through the notes, he suddenly stopped, looking at a piece of paper, and then glanced up at me with raised eyebrows. It said all I needed to know. He knew. And now he knew I knew. I hoped things weren’t about to change and become awkward.
‘To be honest I haven’t travelled much Jim. So I don’t know much about those things really’
‘Well I have just the chance for you then Samson. Get yourself to Dock 33 when you finish and I can take you for a short journey. Bring the lad too; I’m pretty sure he’d love to come. Give me chance to meet him again’ as I received my change and the note back containing the list of ship registrations that was among the cash notes I gave him.
‘Sounds like a good idea that. Something different for a change’.
‘Right I will see you later then’ and raised my bottle his way and went and found a seat in front of a screen for a bit.
I waited on the Cabral for them to arrive, not entirely sure if he would come. But they did. The lad looked a little sheepish. We jumped to a nearby binary system where the two main stars were unbelievably close to each other, them both exuding amazement at the sight of these two giants glowing. Samson opened the talk of the real reason for coming out here, the lad sat behind us.
‘How long have you known?’
‘Since we were in the bar, you confirmed it. Oppo gave us the clue from when he was here the other week. In fact the lad did, he was sloppy or at least his contact was. Seen in the act in the screen room’ and I went on to explain what happened.
‘And who else knows of that?’ asked a subdued Samson.
‘No one beyond us three, Merc and Oppo. In fact they don’t even know I came and spoke with you today. Yet that is. How long have you been passing information out?’
‘Some time. Months and months. They run a tight ship, keep all opposition stifled and don’t give it the chance to rise and give people optimism, a different path of choice. Democracy my arse!’
‘I guess you knew for some time about the work I was doing then, for Pastolis’
‘Yeah you were on the radar so to speak. But you were just the lackey if you excuse me, sending stuff here and there, and working the bar gave me the chance to track movements. Not just yours of course.’
‘You do realise that Duta was on to you. He knew stuff was leaving under the radar, messages and the such. He was intercepting, reading and sending it out in the hope to identify who the other ends was. I was doing it for him without knowing it. The only saving grace was he never found out the who’s, hence you’re sat here and not some cell. As long as you were sending, he was trying to find out to where and who. I have no idea if he knew it was you or not’
‘Well I can’t just walk away now, there is too much at stake’
‘What about the lad? You willing to put him at risk still?’
‘I’m staying with my father. I’ve nothing else. Anyway what is it to you what I do? You’re just some hauler’ pipes up the young kid.
‘Oh right, just some hauler. Well here’s a little wake up call young one. If I can put two and two together, how bleedin’ easy will it be for Duta and his boys. If you’re such the hotshot big man, then I suggest you square your shit up fella cos you’ve been foolish and seen. And Oppo isn’t the most observant of chaps, and even he worked out what was going on. So if he can spot you and your contact, then who else has done it wise guy. Grow up and wise up before you drop your old man in it’
He looked Samson for support, and it wasn’t much forthcoming as he knew I was right. This could get dangerous for them both, very easily.
‘Go easy Jim’ says Samson as he stared at the suns.
A silence sat in the cockpit, waiting to be broken but no one was willing to.
Eventually Samson broke it, a little penny had dropped in his head somewhere.
‘How did you get your hands on that list of registrations? That was sent a few months back now, what 3 maybe 4 maybe more’
‘It was a case of “deliver this, or maybe don’t, we don’t really care either way actually” which was an odd type of job. Anyway, among others it got missed, so I opened it before venting it. So yes Duta knows his ship was on the list. Who was it intended for?’
‘I don’t actually know. The truth is we never know. I get stuff given me, the kid passes it on, someone moves it out of system and that’s all I know.’
‘Protect your sources Samson by all means, I get that. But get a message to them one way or another, Duta is closing in. And if there is any more slip ups, you’re done for. And the fence who was seen entering a Python in the dock carrying your lads package. But I need to know from whom and to whom. I have my own plans, and some inside contact might be of help’
We flew back to the station, and the lad rushed off. Samson got up and asked if I fancied a beer, I declined politely with places to go but promised I would return.
‘Sorry about that with your lad earlier Samson, I’m not sure he realises what mire he can end up in if he isn’t more careful’
‘He is now’ replied Samson with a laugh, ‘Don’t be a stranger Jim’
‘I won’t. And be careful. If you need to get a message to me, get me at Odu. Nothing sneaky, just a plain old hello and I’ll come across. The less going out hidden then the less danger you’re in. And the kid’
With that Samson left and wandered across the dock, looking up into the Cabral and he raised a thumbs up to me. I reciprocated, and then fired up the thrusters and once cleared I left, back to Odu. War is impending, a CZ to hit up soon.