6
Cythera’s Star was one of several hot spots within the inner solar system for hedonistic travelers. It lay right across the street of the infamous resort, Hedonism Venus, and was actually owned by the resort. A terrible thought struck me. I wondered if this was the very bar in which Poor Patrick had unwittingly met the man who would later engineer his doom, which made me feel even more harshly critical of this place than usual. Normally, I wouldn’t be caught dead at a place like this. But need and my curiosity over the messages led me here.
It was set up as a hotel lobby and there was a swanky small bar in the first room adjacent to the lobby. It seemed tame enough. I felt dirty and angry just being here and tried my best not to touch anything. A few people were sitting and talking, beautiful and tastefully dressed. Probably politicians or judges or even clergy people. Liars, all of them! Okay, stop it, Bob.
My eyes crawled around the room.
“May I help you?” asked the host, looking me with an expression of slight disdain.
“Nope. I’m looking for someone.”
“Single men aren’t usually allowed in unless they have an invitation from a member. Do you have a name of someone specifically who invited you here?” I looked at him in surprise and growing irritation. As if I even wanted to be here! If the name I had in mind didn’t work, this nonsense was over and whoever it was that had messaged me and had gotten me into this could ride the river to hell in a boat on fire!
“Diamond,” I said shortly. “and I think I see her across the room.” The host’s eyes flickered over me with suspicion. He checked his appointment book carefully.
“Ah, I see,” he finally said, smiling slyly. “A rendezvous,” the host’s gaze slid around the room at several women and couples at various tables, resting on someone at the far end. I rolled my eyes. “Go right in,” he said with a smirk. I scowled and made my way inside.
Took your time.
My eyes tried to follow his for some clue as to whom I was actually here for. I walked with purpose as if I knew whom to look for, surveying the room. Suddenly, I stopped. There was a woman that I recognized sitting at a small table for two at the far end of the bar. She looked up, a nasty smirk forming on her face.
It was Livilla. Or better known as Livilla the Black, a pirate well known for her treachery, according to Diamond. Her expression was as bemused as mine was grim. She flashed me a brilliant, open-mouthed smile, unfortunately.
Those teeth!
Her forked tongue flicked out delicately between her pointed teeth. She picked up a lowball glass of a smoking, green-foamed. . .something. Her long, lethal looking chrome nails were clasping and tapping the glass lightly. She sipped it delicately and then set it aside and followed its rim around with her pinky nail and gave me another bold once over. Her face glistened slightly with the sheen of a faint, glittery substance on her smooth skin.
“I thought you had tattoos.”
“It’s makeup.”
“The tattoos?”
“No. Come on, keep up.” Her voice was sultry but edged with a hardness that was as unsettling as her teeth. I felt my face growing hot, feeling like a fool who had stepped into the hole of a viper. She continued smiling, regarding me closely. I decided to get to the point. I was better at being direct than witty, innuendo and sarcastic banter, try as I might.
“So what is this about? What does Vartan need so badly that you would lie to me?”
“Lie?” she said coyly. I inhaled and exhaled slowly.
“Pretending to be Diamond?”
“Well. . .I got the feeling that if I’d used my actual name you wouldn’t have come.”
“You deduced that, did you?” She went on, ignoring my remark.
“I thought you might be interested in what I have to say because you and Diamond work for the same boss. You do the same types of jobs for her.”
“Vartan isn’t a crime lord nor is she running a smuggling ring. We don’t commit crimes for her.”
“I think you’d be quite surprised what she does in her free time, Astor. The power she wields in certain circles is quite amazing. Her name is getting out there. She also has enemies.” I frowned. What does she mean by that? But I decided to stay on point.
“I know she has enemies. What of it?”
“Considering what you do, I thought you might benefit from what I’m about to propose to you.”
“How do you know anything about what I do?”
“Word gets around. Diamond was known for his work as a smuggler. Then he and his crew are chased out of the business, he disappears for a time and then comes back with this powerful backer and her. . .secret agent,” she said, giving me a pointed look. “We once thought he got out of the game for good. My, how he’s grown, though. Word gets around.”
My scowl deepened. She was playing some game. Whether it was to put doubts in my mind about Vartan and Diamond or something else I couldn’t ascertain at the moment so I decided to stick with what she seemed to want in all of this. But it did make me wonder immediately, like a bolt of lightening had hit me; was Diamond back in the smuggling game? If Ellen was involved in some kind of nefarious plot, it wouldn’t have surprised me, considering the position she was in right now and the strings she could pull to get things done. But Diamond? I hoped not. I thought he was reformed, a better man. He could easily get killed out here, like me. That worried me. But I wasn’t going to let her know how I felt.
“As far as Diamond’s doings, he has no desire to tangle with The Collector, so I doubt he’s in the business again.” I wasn’t entirely sure this was true but I was sure that he didn’t want to have his head mounted on the guy’s ship prow. Or pickled in a jar and added to some grisly collection. Livilla’s expression flickered in an instant at the mention of the feared crime lord.
Perhaps there was a chink in her armor after all.
She stopped smiling. Her mouth was pursed in a grim line and her eyes grew large and very black, like a stalking cat’s eyes in the dark. She flicked on the privacy drape.
“I heard that your boss is looking for a sizable amount of ferroelectric metal, ready to use for a special weapon. Something that no one else has even thought to build,” she said. I decided to play dumb. I shook my head slowly.
“What are you talking about?”
“Something you might find valuable.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about that.”
“You don’t? I’m surprised. She’s been making inquiries about this substance for months now. One of my girls happened to find out about it because Vartan sent Diamond to inquire about it and he got in touch with a technician who works at a small, obscure research company. Met him at a bar on a station near the Belt.”
“Metal is used to build ships. So she’s looking for materials that contain iron. She runs a massive aerospace company. So what? How do you know all of this anyway?”
“The underworld is a dark and tangled web. People know people. We network just like persons belonging to a fraternity or a business association. Like I’ve said, keep up.”
“You mean persons who belong to legitimate organizations,” I bristled.
“Save the sermon. You’d be surprised what so-called legitimate businesses get up to out here for big profits.”
“No, actually, I don’t think I would.” She rolled her eyes.
“Okay, so you’re not surprised.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. Vartan hadn’t exactly told me all of this. A company like Vartan Inc. searching for and ordering materials to build complex vehicles, systems or even weapons was not news in any sense of the word. But this search for special materials from people in the underworld was news to me. Ellen told me about the desire to build the weapon and the preliminary preparations and the captured being that would be used to create it, but this special type of metal she hadn’t mentioned. However, Diamond had mentioned it. Had he been co-opted? I struggled to take these thoughts away from my mind. They were ridiculou
s and unhelpful. I saw no hint of game playing here. I did, however, sense urgency and danger, both in the woman across the table from me and in what was suddenly turning out to be a “Mission-Of-Great-Importance”, once again.
“Where did you hear it from?”
“You mean from whom did I hear it from. Whom do you think? I just told you.”
Why would Diamond even think of having any dealings with her? How else did she get this information? What else does she know about this project? But maybe I was getting ahead of myself. I saw her lip curl into the barest sneer. I could just hear the next jab flying out of her obscene mouth before she even formed the words.
I decided to ignore this niggling issue of Diamond’s dealings and press on about this possible mission. Diamond had his own missions he carried out for Vartan just as I did.
“So, I presume you have the material she’s looking for?” I asked. She sat back and inclined her head.
“I know where you can get a cache of this metal. And in case you choose to sell it yourself on the market, it’s worth a lot of money to the right people.” To my regret, I was actually becoming very interested in this whole shady business. Curse my curiosity!
“What do you want done?”
“I have the money. I need someone to make the drop. Trade the money for the metal.”
“Why me? Why can’t you just take care of it yourself?“
“I would, except there’s a problem. I can’t do it because I’m not allowed within fifty miles of the Venus satellite, 2062 VE01, known as Cupid’s Bow among smugglers and other spacefarers. Let’s say that the satellite is a very recently acquired base of operations for people I don’t get along with.”
“People you’ve robbed, perhaps?” I shot. She grinned.
“For goodness’s sake. You make it sound so sleazy,” she said, shrugging.
“That still doesn’t answer why I should do it. And you mentioned my family, which I did not appreciate.”
“I know that a war is coming,” she said seriously. “A war against humans. If this weapon can help us I want this material to land in the right hands. Look, I’m no girl scout. Nor do I care to be one. But I am human and I have no desire to see humans erased from the universe either. The word is, Vartan is making a super weapon. I want to see this super weapon succeed because I want to survive. I’m sure you do too and when it comes to the alien invasion you seem to be the rare, soft, water-spoiled Earther that gets it!” This last part she growled out with unusual force, her eyes glittering.
Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, shark teeth!
“Look,” she continued, “I can’t be seen there, nor can my crew. I’m taking a risk even showing up at this bar but I have someone who’s got my back while I’m here. I’m asking you on behalf of another person. A friend of yours.”
“Diamond,” I muttered. She nodded. “Except Diamond would never ask me to do something like this.” I retorted. Actually, I wasn’t entirely sure about that but he would be upfront about it, I knew that.
“Look, Diamond came to me. He confirmed for me that a war was coming between humans and aliens and that this material could be very valuable for the woman he now works for. I told him I might know of a way he could get his hands on such a material. Besides, both of you owe me a big favor. Diamond already knows this, so he didn’t tire me with the Twenty Questions game. It’s high time you knew about it too.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I’m not playing a game!”
“It’s a figure of speech, Astor, relax. And I’m talking about the cipher-key that was paid for on Gan Ning, Mr. Boy Scout.” I sat back as if the wind was knocked out of me, my mouth opening and closing like a fish stranded on the shore. She watched me. Her katana sword hung in its sheath at her side as she tapped it lightly.
“So that was you that paid for it! Why? Nobody asked you to do anything for us! I could have paid for it easily myself!”
“I’m sure. You’re becoming quite the player, Astor. Out here among the stars, quite the hero, actually. And I like to make interesting and profitable connections with up-and-comers. But perhaps you’re playing for the wrong team. You see, Astor, heroes don’t last long out here. But pirates are forever.”
“Maybe you should put that in a greeting-gram, Ms. Black. I hope you don’t think you own me or that I’m going to jump to do your bidding because of that because I won’t. I’m not interested in making any connections with you or your gang,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Now, now, Astor, don’t get your knickers in a twist. I’m not looking to blackmail you or trap you into any devilish bargain. Just remember what’s in it for your team. Materials containing ferroelectricity for that weapon. Something no one else has or even has a clue how important it might be for the future.”
“Except you, now.”
“Well, of course. Can you fault me?”
“So you want the favor you did for us to be repaid by doing you yet another favor? Kind of nonsensical to me. What’s in it for you? Besides your bleeding heart for all of humanity?”
“I want one third of the shipment.”
“Ah, now we come to it. And how much metal will be in this shipment?”
“One fourth of a ton. Plenty of raw material for your weapon, Astor.”
“That remains to be seen. So let me understand the terms of this. Who is going to give me the materials if I make the exchange?”
“The Dunlap group. Their names are James, Trevor, and Bao. They are a small team of adventurers that used to work out of Belfast and later Boston before they started doing off-world jobs and exploration. Here are the terms. In forty-eight hours you pick up the materials at this point,” she took out a thin, gold data pad showing a spatial 3D map of Venus and its orbit and the artificial orbital satellite near it. She tapped a long fingernail on the pad screen at the bottom of the satellite image.
“Cupid’s Bow. It will cross Venus’s path and stay close by this station for at least a month. So it should take no more than a few hours to get there. Once there, you will go to this area here, called Tabuya Point on the asteroid. Cupid’s Bow has its own artificial atmosphere and weather system. Not a very pleasant place but I’ve provided a sturdy enough ship which is also outfitted with laser canons and other essential equipment, should they be needed.”
“Well, that’s odd. If Venus has no natural satellites how did Cupid’s Bow get there? Was it captured by an aerospace company or some other means?”
“Cupid’s Bow is an asteroid captured by a long-defunct aerospace company. It was out in place near Venus so that they could study the planet for further exploration, from what I’m told.” I studied the image on the pad.
If my memory served me on this point, the company was named Fair Space. Fair Space was an aerospace company that went out of business nearly a hundred years ago, right before the Western-Eastern conflict on Earth. They did a lot of research on planetary exploration, creating and launching hundreds of artificial satellites and probes for this purpose and then graduated to capturing natural asteroids and using those as moon-like satellites to build stations for further research to help any and all people who wanted to learn more about how to live, work and travel in space. Sadly, their goal was humanitarian-centered in a universe that was increasingly profit driven and supported by powerful military interests. But their research and ideas continued to live on in pockets of space here and there, like tiny seeds blown by the wind. Come to think of it, the Dark Energy Project may have been partially inspired by this old, long-gone company but I needed to read up on this a little more.
“Hmm.” I studied the map of the asteroid more closely.
“Anyway, should you be interested, I’ll be sending with you ten million credits to trade for this substance. A steal for what it might go for if people knew how valuable it could be. I trust you, of all people, to deliver the goods for the metal instead of making off with the money and ditching the job. I need a Mr. Goody Two Shoes for this
affair.”
“How nice of you to think of me.”
“So, what do you say? Do we have a deal, Astor?” She leaned in, smiling, and her eyes were lit with a dangerous fire. It made me very uncomfortable. Now that I was already knee-deep in this mess I wasn’t so sure it was wise to back out. And the opportunity to get my hands on this metal made it seem worth it. I also had one trick up my sleeve. Magnum was here now, protecting my family so I had no fear for them. Only my own hide. Nothing new there. I paused deliberately, giving her my hardest stare. It seemed that her smirk deepened. Oh, come on Bob, who are you fooling? Certainly not her! You know you’re going to do it. It’s your way.
“I have one demand before I agree to anything.”
“A demand?” She sat back, regarding me with surprised amusement.
“Yes,” I said through gritted teeth.
“But you owe me a favor.”
“One that I never asked you for. I have a demand. Meet it or find a way to do this job yourself. I’m sure you’re creative.” She threw her hands up in mock exasperation.
“Alright. What is it?” She still seemed amused by me. I took out my data pad.
“This number here,” I showed her on the pad. She glanced at it, then looked at me.
“What about it?”
“I’m not agreeing to anything until you tell me who this comlink number belongs to. Who is this?” I asked stone-faced. I wasn’t joking. She looked more closely. The grin on her face froze, then died.
“Where did you get that?”
“I’m not going to tell you.”
“Then neither will I tell you who it belongs to.”
“Well Livilla, it would seem that we’re at a stalemate. And I don’t need you.”
“If you expect to win this war you’re waging you’ll need-”
“We don’t need anything from you!” I said pointedly. “Vartan has been doing fine without your help. If you want to help, if you want me to do this, then tell me the name. And don’t think I can’t check up on it in seconds if you lie to me.”
Mission: A Venus Affair Page 6
