Cosmic Cabaret

by SFR Shooting Stars

  Emotional and physical exhaustion weighed her down. After the craziness of the contest and then the shooting, she just wanted to curl up in Vordol’s lap and know that he was uninjured. More than anything, she needed him to tell her everything was fine. Even the contest results had been pushed aside in her mind. Other than knowing if she would be able to pay for her mother’s procedure, she didn’t care about winning.

  Rege motioned for Ruby’s assistant, Suresh. “Vordol said for you to contact him. He has an update on Ruby.”

  Suresh activated her comm unit then stepped into a nearby dressing room.

  “What did he say,” Amethe asked Rege.

  In a lower voice he told their small group, “Ruby is stabilized but they’re keeping her overnight. They expect her to make a full recovery.”

  There were murmurs of relief. “Thank, God.”

  “So, what are they going to do about the contest?” Amethe asked.

  Rege tipped his head to the dressing room. “That’s what Vordol and Suresh are talking about now.”

  “Why has the winner not been announced yet?” The shrill voice of Candi’s mother carried across the space. “I demand to know what’s going on.”

  “Yes, why aren’t they telling us anything?” Candi agreed.

  “I suspect they’re waiting to hear how Ruby is doing,” one of the candidates said.

  “What different does it make?” Candi’s mother said in a snotty tone. “The winner is still the winner even if she dies.”

  The group let out a collective gasp.

  “Don’t talk like that,” someone said.

  “Who cares if the old woman dies? She’s just a name now, anyway,” Candi said, equally as snotty as her mother.

  “That does it,” Pitannah muttered as she headed into the middle of the group. “What the hell is wrong with you?” She railed at Candi. “You’ve acted like a spoiled child all weekend. You’ve insulted everyone you’ve seen and, in general, been a pain in the ass.” She advanced on the girl until they stood toe to toe. “And now you’re going to stand here and dismiss someone’s life as if they don’t matter? Someone who did more in a five-year span than you could ever hope to do if you lived five lifetimes. You really need to sit down and shut your mouth.”

  “How dare you!” Candi’s mother came forward. “You’re nothing more than a server. You have no right to even be in this contest much less in this group of finalists.”

  “Yeah, I am a server. So what? I also worked my ass off to get to this round. I’m willing to bet neither of you even know the definition of hard work much less experienced it.”

  “Of course not. Why would we?”

  “But, you do have experience in fraud, obstruction of justice, and attempted murder.”

  Pitannah turned to see who had spoken.

  One of the security lieutenants had arrived with a couple of officers. “Ms. Olersky? Would you and Miss Olersky come with us, please?”

  Candi’s mother lifted her chin. “What is this about?”

  “I’m not sure you want to get into details in front of this group,” the lieutenant cautioned.

  “Well, I’ve done nothing wrong,” she protested even as she backed up.

  “Security footage says otherwise.”

  “Mother, can they really do this?” Candi whined as one of the officers took her by the arm to lead her away.

  “No. I have legal representation. I am entitled to call them,” Candi’s mother said.

  “You are correct. We will be happy to help you make that call from the security office,” the lieutenant assured them.

  “What about my crown? Mother, you said I’d win for sure this time.” Candi attempted to shrug off the officer’s grasp.

  “Yes. We’re not going anywhere until they announce the winner to everyone,” Candi’s mother said.

  “Ms. Olersky, the contest is over,” the lieutenant tried to explain. “The audience has been cleared from the venue. They’re going to have to make the announcement some other way.”

  “No!” Candi bellowed and stomped her foot. “If that stupid old woman hadn’t gotten shot I’d already have my crown. This isn’t fair!” She jerked her arm from the officer’s grasp.

  Pitannah marched up to Candi and slapped her across the face. “That’s enough. You have absolutely no appreciation of Ruby and what she has done for the art of burlesque and for the dance community in general. You don’t deserve to win and, if by some chance you have, it will be an embarrassment and a disservice to everything Ruby has accomplished.”

  Someone in the group of contestants clapped. One by one the others joined in.

  Suresh joined the group. “Lieutenant, please escort Ms. and Miss Olersky away. Their presence is unnecessary and, quite frankly, unwanted.”

  “But the announcement—” Candi’s mother tried to protest.

  “You won’t be needed.” Suresh held Candi’s mother’s gaze without wavering.

  When Suresh’s meaning sank in, Candi yelled a couple of choice insults at her mother then the two bickered all the way out the door as they were led away.

  Suresh addressed the group. “I have an update on Ruby. She is stable and they expect her to make a full recovery.”

  The group clapped and a few cheered.

  “Unfortunately, the end of our ceremony did not go as planned. Ruby will be disappointed that she couldn’t be here to congratulate the winners herself, but she also wouldn’t want to be the reason for a delay. So, I’m here to let you all know the results. Please be assured that we will notify everyone who attended and we will find a way to celebrate this with all the fanfare deserved of such an accomplishment.”

  Suresh gestured for one of the stage hands to come forward with the bouquets then read the names of the third place winner. Suresh hugged the contestant then handed them a bouquet of flowers. The young lady stepped aside while the group’s applause died down.

  Suresh read the name of the second place winner.

  Ginni Fizz.

  Pitannah blinked in surprise. One of the other contestants nudged her forward. In stunned surprise, she stumbled toward Suresh while Daloya and Trenna clapped and cheered like madmen. Suresh handed her an even bigger bouquet of flowers and motioned her to stand next to the previous winner.

  Pitannah’s mind had gone blank. She couldn’t think beyond the fact that she came close to actually winning. Something that just this morning had seemed implausible.

  The winner’s name was announced. Pitannah jostled her flowers around so she could clap. As the young man made his way forward to accept his flowers, Pitannah realized that she wasn’t jealous of him at all. Relief actually won out over everything else. The spotlight that came with this contest just wasn’t for her. It might be fun for a while, but someone else would ride it better.

  She and Lexiani would figure out how to raise the money their mom would need some other way and they would be fine.

  When the congratulations were finished amongst the contestants and stage crew Rege led their small group away. “I assume you want to go see Vordol?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “You go ahead.” Daloya came forward for one last hug. “There’s no point in us taking up space in the medic unit. We’ll catch up with you later.”

  Trenna hugged her. “We’ll take your stuff with us. Keep us posted on Ruby.”

  “I will. And thank you. I couldn’t have gotten as far as I did without you guys.”

  “We know,” Trenna said with a wink. “Now, go see that hunk of yours.”

  She shook her head and turned back to Rege and Amethe. “Thank you for staying. I’m sure the two of you would rather be enjoying your mini-vacation.”

  “You’re welcome,” Amethe said as the three of them headed to the medic unit. “It’s been kind of exciting to see the behind the scenes workings for a major contest. And, let’s face it, you don’t see drama like that hateful woman and her daughter on televised soap operas.”

  Pitann
ah laughed. “You sure don’t.”

  “Thank God,” Rege muttered.

  Twenty

  When Vordol received Rege’s comm saying they were on the way, he went out to the waiting area of the medic unit. As soon as Pitannah walked in he swept her up into his arms and kissed her the way he’d wanted to all evening. “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you.”

  He loved the dazed and dreamy look she had in her eyes. Without putting her back on her feet he asked, “Are you okay with how it turned out?”

  “Yes.” She rubbed her nose against his. “I really am.”

  “Good,” he murmured then let her slide down his front until her feet touched the ground.

  She gave him one more quick kiss then asked, “How’s Ruby?”

  He released her so he could speak to all three of them at once. “She’s still groggy. They moved her into a less busy room in the back. Her vitals are still strong and her breathing remains unhampered.”

  “I’m so glad,” Pitannah said.

  “That’s wonderful,” Amethe added.

  “It’ll take more than a shot from a blaster to take Ruby down,” Rege said.

  Vordol chuckled. “Apparently.”

  The door chimed as Tangier came in. “Ah, good. You’re both here.”

  “What are you doing here? Don’t you have reports to fill out?” Rege asked irreverently.

  Amethe elbowed Rege in the side.

  “Yes, but that’s what interns are for,” Tangier told him. To Vordol and Pitannah he said, “I came to give you an update.”

  “On what?” Pitannah asked.

  “Your involvement in Mr. Morgonz’s stabbing.”

  Pitannah started to protest, but the Commander held one finger up to stop her. “Supposed involvement,” he amended. “Formal charges have been filed against Ms. and Miss Olersky for obstruction of justice. Video surveillance showed that while neither of them stabbed Mr. Morgonz, when they found him, they didn’t call for help. Instead the mother stole the necklace and the two of them planted it in Miss Lorento’s room to get her kicked out of the competition.”

  Amethe gasped in outrage.

  “Do you know who did stab him?” Pitannah asked.

  Tangier’s lip twitched. “His wife.”

  Pitannah frowned. “Why?”

  “Apparently, she found Mr. Morgonz with another woman. After she chased the woman out of their room, the husband and wife had a fight. Their argument spilled out into the public area where the wife grabbed a knife from a nearby serving tray and stabbed him.” Tangier went on. “She called for a shuttle just moments after the fight and left Quantum without even packing. We found the driver. He cooperated fully and provided the coordinates where he’d dropped the wife off.”

  “Is it safe to assume you have her in custody?” Vordol asked.

  “Yes. And she has confessed to the murder,” Tangier told them.

  “You know what they say about a woman scorned,” Amethe quipped.

  Rege coughed to cover his laugh.

  “I just wanted to make sure you knew that you were free of any charges or implications in the case and that your job aboard Quantum was secure,” he told Pitannah.

  “Thank you so much,” she reached to shake his hand.

  Tangier asked Vordol, “How’s Ms. Ruby?”

  “She’s doing fine. Still sedated but they expect her to make a full recovery.”

  “Good. I hate that anything happened to her. Especially on my watch. And just to let you know, we have the manufacturer of the security system that is supposed to detect blasters and explosives on board testing all of the equipment. We’ve launched a full investigation on how those weapons were snuck aboard.”

  Vordol nodded.

  “I’ve also increased the patrols in this area and stepped up the electronic monitoring. I know it’s just you and two of your associates, so if you need any help keeping watch over Ruby for the rest of her stay I’d be happy to assign a couple of our men to work directly with you.”

  “I appreciate it. Once we work out what the medics will allow her to do I’ll coordinate with you.”

  “Okay. Now, I need to get back to those reports.” Tangier nodded then strode out of the unit.

  “If you two are good here, I think we’ll head to our room and enjoy what’s left of our vacation,” Rege said.

  “I appreciate your help,” Vordol told him.

  Rege slapped him on the shoulder. “That’s what brothers are for.”

  Amethe grasped Pitannah’s hand. “It was lovely meeting you. I do hope we’ll see you again.” She shot Vordol a meaningful look.

  Rege slipped his arm around Amethe’s waist. “What do you think about spending the rest of the evening going over the room service menu?”

  “Oh, you know I adore room service.” She giggled as they headed out of the unit.

  “They’re a cute couple,” Pitannah said wistfully.

  “Rege is a different man when he’s with Amethe.” He pulled Pitannah into his arms.

  “In a good way?”

  “Definitely. The way Rege explained it, he believes she brings light into this dark, hostile world we all choose to live in.”

  “That’s rather poetic for such a scary looking guy.”

  “Yeah, well don’t tell him I told you that. He’d deny it until the day he dies.”

  “I won’t bring it up.”

  Vordol drew her close for a long, slow kiss. It took the beeping of the monitor in the next room for him to remember that they weren’t really alone. “I’m beginning to think that room service is a really great idea,” he whispered.

  “I would be inclined to agree,” she whispered back.

  “Would you join me if I was able to make arrangements to get away for the evening?”

  “Absolutely. After all, my shifts were rearranged for the entire day.”

  He grimaced. “It is way too easy to forget that we are both supposed to be working when I’m with you.”

  She touched his cheek. “I know, it is.” She met his gaze. “And that’s a little bit scary, isn’t it?”

  “It is definitely unexpected.”

  “What are we going to do about it?”

  He took her hand. “I don’t want to let go of this. Whatever this is.”

  “You don’t?”

  He shook his head.

  “But you’re only going to be here for a few days,” she reminded him.

  “I know.”

  She pulled away but encouraged him to sit next to her on the couch. “The reality is that I may have to give up my job on Quantum and go home. Since I don’t have the winnings from the contest, Lexiani and will have to figure out how to pay for mom’s procedure.”

  “That reminds me.” He kissed the back of her hand. “I asked one of my brothers to check on your father’s pension. He sent a comm earlier but I didn’t get a chance to read it until Ruby was settled. He said there have been multiple reports of situations like yours and an investigation has been underway for some time. With a little help from another brother, a key piece of information has now been provided to the appropriate officials to prove fraud within that pension office.”

  She gripped his hand. “Really?”

  “Solir said the file he sent to the lead investigator should be everything they need to press charges. If so, I would think all of those back logged benefits would soon be released.”

  “Oh, God. I can’t believe it.” She threw her arms around his neck and almost toppled him over with her hug. “Thank you so much. That’s the best news I could have received.”

  “Better than placing second in an intergalactic contest?”

  “Amazingly enough, yes!” She squeezed him again.

  He patted her back. “Do you want to hear the rest of my news?”

  She released her strangle hold on his neck. “There’s more?”

  He chuckled. “While Solir was sorting through the paper trail for your mother’s medical bills with t
he pension office, he noticed a few discrepancies in the test results. He forwarded your mother’s records to a friend of ours who works at Westfall Mercy Hospital in the Zeta Orionis galaxy.”

  She frowned. “How did Solir get mother’s medical records? Even Lexiani and I can’t get all of that information.”

  “Solir can get any kind of information on anyone at any time. We try to not ask a lot of questions about the how.”

  “I see.”

  “Anyway. The friend of ours at Mercy said he would be willing to take a look at your mother’s case and offer a second opinion. At a glance, he said the procedure they’re saying she needs is an expensive option and results have been hit and miss. He may be able to offer another approach for treatment.”

  “You mean, we may not have to mortgage everything we own to make mother better?”

  “Probably not.”

  She blinked back tears. “I don’t think we could ever repay you guys for this.”

  “We aren’t asking you to repay us.” He squeezed her hand. “Your father was a good man. He set me on a path that led me to where I am today. If anything, I owe him.”

  She sniffled.

  He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “My family—Rege’s mom and all of us boys—struggled to make ends meet. I see you doing what you can to care for your mom and sister. I admire that. When I saw a way to help you, I couldn’t not do it.” He shrugged. “Besides, your father worked hard to make sure you and your sister were taken care off. He’d be ten kinds of pissed off if he knew what was happening with his pension.”

  She chuckled. “That’s true.”

  “Look, I know we haven’t known each other long.” He shrugged. “Well, I suppose that’s not totally true, but you know what I mean. I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve had together this weekend and I want a chance to know you even better.”

  Her smile lit up her face. “I’d like that, too.”

  “We’ll figure out the location thing. I just need you to understand what you’d be getting into with me, my family, my job, and my life in general. I lead a dangerous life and I don’t see it changing any time soon. A long time ago, I vowed to keep people at arms-length.” He looked down at her. “But I’m finding that I don’t want you there. I want you up close and personal. Even if that means taking a few risks.”