They had been a very long way from where they were going. In twenty days, they had honed their bodies and their skills to perfection. When they landed, they were ready. Lane entered them in every event but the beauty contest and he signed them up as escorts for that. He carried their very busy schedule back to the hotel room Melissa had landed in and handed copies to Clete and Dutch.
"Lane, this isn't fair. We're faster and stronger than full humans."
"Clete, we aren't competing against humans in most events. The top weightlifter in your class is a targ. Dutch's main competition in the track events is a corduni. We're even going to lose a few contests."
"Hey! I just found my favorite event!"
Clete and Lane turned to Dutch and chorused, "Beauty pageant escort." Then Lane told them why they were there.
They swept through the events. They were listed as 'The Gallants, anthropoid mix' on the official charts. The only problems arose when Clete was entered in bodybuilding, weightlifting and wrestling events. There were some very warm audiences. They solved the problem by dousing him with cold water whenever they started to get warm. He spent a great deal of time wet.
Lane was right. They did take second in a few events, never third. They also ended in a few ties. They laughed when they tied for first place as best all-around athlete. It was the only competition all three were in as individuals. They took every event they entered as a team. They built a showpiece out of martial arts routine six and sharp shooting routine three and presented it the night of the award presentations. The stunned silence of the stadium audience lasted nearly two minutes before the night was split with a roar of approbation. By the time they showed up for beauty pageant duty, females of every species were begging the stage manager/producer for one of them as escort. Dutch had an idea, of course.
"We'll escort them all on. Then you assign someone else for the rest of the duties. We'll bring them on two at a time so the schedule doesn't get off."
"I can't do that."
"Why not? Dutch has given you a solution that keeps you out of hot water."
Lane smiled at the thoughtful look on the man's face. They all liked him and it was going to be very pleasant to help him out.
"Would you rather assign us one each and then try to walk past the other twenty-seven finalists? We'll even provide our own costumes, something that will contrast well with the dark formal attire of the other thirty escorts. You do have three alternates listed."
"Hmm, it would be unusual. You boys are an attraction. Wouldn't take long to spread the word. Would probably attract more women. Might even boost ticket sales."
"Yes, and no one would be late getting lined up to go on either."
"How would you boys like to travel with the show?"
"We thought you'd never ask."
They dressed in the full formal tradition of Earth's twentieth century, white tails and diamond studs with blue satin tie and cummerbund. They finished it with white capes lined in blue satin.
They all loved the style and had since Alice had shown them an image of Gallant in it when he had been very young. The memory of hearing him nervously asking her how he looked, and the three of them giggling too hard to explain why, when he asked what was going on, brought smiles, as they got ready.
Dutch and Clete thought they were done, then Lane handed each a white top hat, a silver-headed walking stick, a deep red rose and a diamond ear clip.
Clete looked at the ear clip in his hand and grinned. He brushed his hair back and put it and the top hat on. He pinned on the rose, spun his walking stick and strolled out the door. Dutch and Lane laughed. The Gallant boys were going on the town and expecting trouble to find them. The producer stared at them in amazement.
"You didn't tell me you were going to dress like that!"
"Is there something wrong with it, Frake?"
"No, Dutch. I just didn't know anyone could actually wear something like that and, well, get away with it. You're going to outclass the contestants."
"Never. They're the gems. We're merely the sets to show them off. Trust us. Our dad taught us well. None of them has ever been more beautiful than they will be tonight. Show us the routine."
Clete expressed their opinion of the 'usual' show for the pageant. He could feel it was unanimous.
"Dull."
"What?"
"Clete said it was dull. He's right. It's a presentation, not a roll call. You just leave it to us."
"Dutch... "
Frake watched from backstage and was astounded. The beauties floated on the arms of the brothers, even the non-anthropoids. The three just knew how to walk with them so the grace of their species was seen. He'd surprised himself when he asked them to join the show, but he was getting sure it was one of the best decisions he'd ever made, real fast.
When all thirty finalists were on-stage, the brothers slid from three directions to front center on their knees, threw their arms out to the audience, then turned and threw them out to the contestants. Who had taught them all to drop deep curtsies in unison? And how had they figured out a way for a coni'ith to do it? The house exploded in applause. Frake sighed contentedly. The pageant was a success and it hadn't even gotten past the introductions.
Frake watched in awe. They were everywhere. A music board bench repaired, a harp restrung, a riser rebuilt, a nervous hand held, a spotlight replaced, a lightboard rewired, a pushy mother charmed, a coughing judge given water... Everywhere. They took over the final presentation too.
They carried flowers, sash and cape and followed the previous year's winner on-stage. Clete smoothly stepped in to assist the tiny othvin to crown her human successor, reshaping the crown she'd worn on her crest to fit in the process. He draped the sash and stepped back. Lane smoothly fastened the cape and Dutch laid the flowers across her arm. They stepped into line, rolled their hats down their arms and bowed her onto the runway. The crowd went wild.
Frake went back to divide up the receipts and sighed. They'd demanded sixty percent this time. Perhaps the house had been large enough he would be able to pay for some work on the ship, but he doubted it. He said "Come in," before he thought about it when Dutch knocked.
"What are you doing?"
"Counting our receipts and paying our bills, Dutch, the last chore before we move on."
"That's a very large bill you have laid out, Frake. Are you paying off some real estate? Say, maybe a planet?"
"It's just one of the bills. Keeps the show on."
"Protection. A piece of the gross. A large piece. Getting larger all the time. You pay it, they don't hurt anyone. Stop paying it."
"You... guessed it. I can't stop. They showed me I can't. Grabbed two of the girls and addicted them to a drug. Called the police and told them I did it. The police didn't really believe it, but it ruined those poor kid's lives and they asked me not to come back."
"Stop paying. We'll take care of them."
"Dutch, I can't. They just upped it to sixty percent and I've got no choice. I can't even just shut down the show."
"I understand you felt like you didn't have a choice before, but you do now. We're taking the ladies out tonight. They'll be safe."
"All of them?!"
"No, six are engaged or married, just the other twenty-four. Oh! Twenty-five. Last year's winner is coming too. Give me half the protection money. Tell them your new partners have it. Clete's in the mood to show off. So am I. Lane likes an audience of ladies too."
"Dutch, you don't know these people."
"Tell them we moved in on you, said we were taking half their cut. Be real scared. Tell them who we are. I'm about to give you a black eye. It'll keep you from getting really hurt. We'll fix it when we get back. Won't be late. Most of the girls have a curfew."
"OW!"
"Sorry. There. That's half. Now get the rest of the money put away fast. Don't worry about paying us. Clete needs exercise and gym time costs. Besides, we have trouble finding sparring partners for him."
Frake did
exactly what Dutch told him. He didn't have any trouble acting scared. His black eye was very convincing. He was surprised when the two men took the thirty percent and didn't give him another one. They were mad someone was trying to 'muscle in' on their territory. Frake put an ice pack on his eye. He suddenly smiled. He wondered if the protection collectors had any idea what they were up against.
They used some of the money to take the ladies out. They took them several places. Half of every crowd knew who they were. The other half knew who the ladies were. About midway through the evening, eight unpleasant men accosted them on the street. They helped the ladies step over them and continued their evening. They saw each and every lady safely home. Dutch borrowed Clete's medunit and went back to cure Frake's eye.
"Here. We used some to show the ladies a good time. Sorry. We looked over the ship. It needs work. Order these parts. We'll start on it tomorrow. Oh, we need you to pay our hotel bill. We also have one piece of equipment we'll be putting on the ship. We'll keep it in our cabin. We're sentimental about it."
"Didn't they find you, Dutch?"
"Who? Oh, them. Yes. We didn't stay with them long. We were afraid we'd be fined for leaving eight large pieces of trash on the sidewalk. There. That should feel much better."
Frake started to laugh. They were sorry they had used some of the money, were going to fix the ship, didn't need to be paid, and would he take care of their hotel bill. And they'd left 'trash' on the sidewalk. Just a little. Eight pieces. To top it all off they were incredible showmen. Somebody out there liked him.
"Dutch, you boys are amazing."
"True. Oh! Almost forgot. We'll be just a little late tomorrow. We're keeping watch on the ladies' hotels tonight and putting them all on their flights home. Won't be at the spaceport until just before noon. Try to get those parts delivered by then. Goodnight."
Dutch hurried. Lane had said the first attack would come just about an hour after midnight. They probably wouldn't need him, but he hated to miss the fun. He dashed into the hotel and found them. Just in time.
"Four. Armed. Freight lift. I'll go."
"Clete, you can't have all the fun."
"There are only four, Dutch, and the lift is small."
"All right. Enjoy yourself. What's next, Lane?"
"Three on the stairs. If we want to do anything, we'd better get there before Clete gets done on the lift."
"Let's go! He's probably finished."
"No. He'll be polite and put them in the trash bin out back."
"Good thinking. We'll do the same. Got to keep the hotel tidy. Oh goody. A banister. Let's slide down."
"Sounds like fun. About three flights."
"Wheeee! Oops. Hope I didn't break him."
"My goodness, Dutch. You have the trash all piled by the back door to go out."
"Sorry I forgot to leave you some. Help me carry it out anyway?"
"Certainly. Hi, Clete. Next stop Hotel Caprice. Good, you got their injector. Here's ours. Clete, that isn't nice. You broke them. Oh, well. They didn't really need them."
The hotel Caprice was a bit busier and the Ranforth more so. They gathered all the ladies for breakfast and walked them to the spaceport. They saw them off and moved Melissa to the show's ship. The parts were just arriving when they walked out of it.
"Good morning, Frake."
"I didn't see you boys get here!"
"We slipped in quietly. Lane and Clete didn't want to be seen this late still in evening wear. Clete, life support; Lane, computers. I'll take the drive. We'll spread the rest around. Frake, have something ready for lunch in about two hours. We had a late breakfast, but I'm going to be hungry. Get clearance for liftoff in... six hours ought to do it. Ship needs a paint job. We'll get one next stop."
"Dutch, the repair estimate was forty hours and eight men."
"That sounds about right. Liftoff in six."
Frake watched them for awhile, then fixed them lunch and scheduled liftoff. They'd be done in six hours.
"Where did you boys learn all this stuff, Dutch?"
"Let's see. Some from our moms, some from our dad, some from our godfather, some at the academy."
"Academy?"
"Would you believe Dutch was a lieutenant?"
"So were you, Clete."
"Yeah, but I didn't figure he'd have any trouble believing Lane and I were, just you."
"You were ALL FLEET OFFICERS?!"
"Easy, Frake. Small room. Hard on the ears. Yeah. Enjoyed it for awhile. Lane decided we should retire early. He missed us."
"True, Dutch, I did. I also decided it was time to move you around a bit. You kept running out of women and places to take them."
"That and they kept trying to get him to choose between them."
"I never did understand that. I gave all of them plenty of attention. Back to work. The drive was in bad shape. Let's see... cargo lifts. Later."
"He can't have the drive work done already!"
"Sure he can, Frake. He kisses the power generators, tells them they're beautiful and they fix themselves up to please him. Lane, you get the dirty job. I'm too big for half the access shafts."
"An excuse, Clete, but one I'll accept. Besides, I just got the computers working properly. I'd rather not have you shoulder through a junction and fry them. Cable check it is. I suppose you're going to fix the galley."
"It needs it. I'll take care of surface plumbing too. Dutch can get the stuff behind the panels when he gets done with the lifts. He's already dirty from cleaning the exhaust tubes."
"Sounds good. I'll pick up command and nav. Later."
"Frake, you'll have to move. I'm about to take this place apart and put it back together. You can come back and make tea for us in a couple hours."
"Uh... sure, Clete. I think I'll just go to my cabin and sleep. I'm already dreaming."
"Frake, if you think we're fast, you should have seen my commander. He once told me Dutch's mom was faster."
"You don't have the same mother?"
"Nope. All different, but they all had the same... first... name. Got it. Frake, I'm about to remove the deckplate you're standing on. Go."
"Uh... later."
There was only one job left to do by the time they had tea, get everything and everyone else aboard. Frake just stood and watched while they took care of that too. Cargo was stowed, cabins assigned, rehearsal schedules handed out. People walked through the corridors with their mouths open. Even the bed in cabin eight had been fixed. He wasn't at all surprised when they took over the bridge and smoothly lifted off.
"Party time! Let's get acquainted. Cargo hold, I think. I'll get everyone."
"All right, Dutch. Clete and I will be there as soon as we get comm and nav clear and get her on auto."
"The autopilot doesn't work, Lane. Hasn't since before I bought it. Can't be fixed."
"That's why I built a new one, Frake. On course. Auto in. See you in the hold, Clete."
"Private ship Merriment out. Wait up. I'll go with you. Coming, Frake?"
"Uh, you go ahead. I'll be there."
He sat and stared around him at the smoothly-running ship and started to laugh. He wouldn't be paying any more 'protection' money. He had all the protection he needed. Somebody out there liked him. They'd sent him three guardian angels. He didn't know they were looking for a devil in the cargo hold.
They returned to their cabin to talk about what they'd found. All of them were angry, but Dutch was furious.
"Traces everywhere. Everywhere but the bridge and Frake's cabin. Not enough to bully him into paying them off, they use him to smuggle drugs too."
"I picked up mean and nervous from a couple stagehands, Dutch. Big one with the bald spot and the little one with, well, shifty eyes. One of the women too. The pretty blond."
"Damn. Prettiest thing on the ship and she's dirty. Thanks for the warning, Clete. Anything, Lane?"
"Clete's picked them. Let's see. Access panel nearest the hold. In the music board. The big costum
e box. Under the bed I'm laying on. We take it to Frake. He gets real sick. He hates drugs. Wants to space whoever brought them on board. We space the drugs. The blonde's got an injector, Dutch. I can't see any way out of it. She's going to hit you with it. Nasty stuff. Addictive."
"Easy, Dutch! Easy! It's not bliss! Lane, help! He wants to kill her. Kill all of them."
"Dutch, you trance through it! No effect! None! I promise! She's after someone else. You block. She's after the little brunette with the overbite and freckles. A couple others too. You'll stop her."
"Better. Still mad, but not killing mad."
"Let's collect drugs. I want them off this ship. I want it now. My skin crawls. Get off that bunk, Lane."
"No. We have to wait, Dutch. Just a few hours. Go home. In Melissa. Get away from it. Clete, dump him in the spa."
"Right, Lane. In he goes."
"Put me down, Clete! OW! Duck a little lower ne--"
Lane smiled as Melissa's door cut off Dutch's voice. Helping nice people get rid of a nasty problem was good for all of them. It was especially good for Clete. Helen had become his most beautiful memory, not an open wound.
Clete was going to have trouble keeping Dutch from killing. The shifty fellow had an injector too. Lane knew he was his target. Dutch would teach him how to heal himself. Before the night was over, he and Clete would both learn. He drifted off to sleep. It would be how the shifty man would find him.
Clete roared in fury and Dutch screamed his as they raced out of Melissa. Lane stopped them from going after the person, who had just cleared the cabin, with a lift of his hand. It was about all he could do, but he managed it. He had to slow Dutch, turn his anger a bit, focus it on himself to prevent a possible future. Clete would feel the need and help. Dutch's biting words told him he'd succeeded avoiding the first path to catastrophe.
"He knew this was coming, Clete. You know he did. I'm going to kill whoever did this."
"Dutch. Dutch! DAMMIT! LISTEN TO ME! He didn't tell you because he knew this is what you'd do, fly apart. You're no good to him or anybody else this way. Pull yourself together. This is the reason we go hunting drugs. He told us where. We take him with us. All the way through."
"Yeah, with... no... no...killing. Clete, stop him. Shifty man. Stop him. Bad choice. Bad choice."
Choice of the Gallant_Paradox Equation I Page 19
