by M. Garnet
Looking up at the bartender, Keenan just raised his eyebrows.
"There was a fight at a card table. There were six, and she was one. They lost." The man brought out a rag and began to rub the counter in front of him.
"So, this is how you treat the winners?" Keenan still spoke from his position of sitting down on one heel.
"They were regulars. I asked my bouncers to escort her out. The two guys lying outside the door are my guys."
Now Keenan understood the whole picture. Thea had been playing cards with locals and won too much coin. There were objections, and that meant there was a fight. Unfortunately, the locals underestimated the shapely woman, and she had kicked ass. But the bar owner's problem was that the female was traveling through, and what she spent was probably just some coin for one night.
On the other hand, locals came in often and spent their funds on each trip, helping the owner cover his overhead. The locals were important, so the bartender and the bouncers put the visitor out of the bar to please the defeated locals. Except Thea had resisted, and now she was in a mess, and Keenan needed to get her out of here and back to the Adamant.
There were a couple of ways that Keenan knew to get a person out of a restraint net without having it start to tighten. One was to cut the different loops carefully from the outside. You couldn't pull on the strings or slip anything under any one of the knots, so you had to cut from the top. The idea was to cut the thread and stop before you cut into the person. It was almost impossible.
The other way was to cover the person in water. Toss a couple of buckets of water on Thea, and the threads would pull loose. Unfortunately, they were on one of the driest planets in the colonized systems. Water was not found here in a natural form, so people were able to reside on this large rock because they mined the rock. Well, they mined special rocks deep inside the earth that could be crushed and produce water.
This was expensive and made water precious and of great value to those living here or running a business on Grey's Corp. Any water came from the rocks or was purchased from passing freighters. They were not going to waste two important buckets on a person involved in a bar fight.
Deciding he was not letting anyone get near Thea with a knife of any kind, he needed to get her back to the ship. They had plenty of water on board that they recycled. But looking at the damage in the room, this was going to cost.
Keenan looked around, standing up with his fists on his belt, one above his holster with that obvious gun. "I need a floating board. I'm taking my friend out of here."
Chapter Six
Spitting and cursing, Thea was getting up off the wet floor of the large bay of the ship. Keenan was busy putting away the nozzle that controlled water flow in this area. Poly was making sure the water was going down the drains to get into the reclaimed pumps.
"What the hell is this all about?" It was Bruno, coming in through the side door lock.
Smiling, Keenan pointed at the wet Thea. "The lady needs to learn about the fucking local rules. It has cost some coin that she now has to pay me back, and I got interrupted in a good discussion with a real pro."
Kicking the floating board back out of the ramp, it took off to return to its owner at the Sele's. Now he turned and stomped up to the bridge. He needed that comfortable seat and his whiskey. Why was it that he seemed to be saving beautiful women whenever he got one on his ship? He needed to convince Thea to find some other home or ship so that he could get into his next project—death.
Setting the limited AI and navigator of the Adamant to the first jump, Keenan sat in his pilot's chair and waited for his crew to come forward. It wasn't long before Bruno and Poly were in their normal spots. It wasn't long before Thea also plopped down in the co-pilot's chair, using a comb on her long blond hair. She must have taken a moment to step into one of the cleansing booths that would also dry a person. She put one long leg up with a foot on the dash.
Glancing over, Keenan pointed at the strange shoe propped up. "What is that?"
"My new shoes. I also have to repay you for them. I put it on the ship's ticket." Thea stated nonchalantly as she combed the long hair.
"They don't look practical. It looks like you are walking on your toes with that thick sole under the front, and then that extremely thin high heel in back is dangerous. It could break."
There was a chuckle from Thea. "First, women walk and fight better on the balls of their feet. The heel and sole down to the thick front where I walk on that two-inch pad is made from glass metal like the window of this ship. It won't break apart."
"They are weapons." Bruno was sitting sideways in his chair at the end of the console at the weapons section. He nodded at the shoes. "They won't show up on any scan, and if she is searched, no one will find a weapon on her. But if she drives one of those heels through a person, they will be crippled or dead. Smart."
Now Thea smiled and brought her other leg up and crossed her ankles to display the pair of deadly shoes. "The weapon's manufacturer made them while I waited."
Shaking his head, Keenan thought that this sure was a strange teacher. Still, he had a project in mind that he needed to proceed with, and it was dangerous.
"Thea, you have to pick a place, and I will drop you off. If you need some coin to travel back to the campus, I can provide that, but you have to make up your mind fast because I have something important that I need to complete."
"So, let's go to it." She twisted one shoe.
"No," Keenan sighed. "You don't understand. You need to go back to that fancy school and teach those spoiled girls how to defend themselves from people like me. Now, where do you want to be dropped off?"
"You don't understand." Thea dropped her feet down to the floor, and the shoes did make a loud noise. "I don't have a job anymore. I was fired for teaching some indiscriminate actions. I don't have any family because they were all wiped out in a war action on Dias Fon when the Organization Of Worlds came in to take the rest of us out of there as part of a treaty. Thanks a lot, OOW, for giving away my world."
Thea turned her chair to face the tall man. "I like your ship and the arrow painted on the nose. I have a lot of talents that can help you in a hands-on battle or," she stuck out her chest to expose two full breasts in that tight black outfit, "I have other attributes that can be of use for distractions."
Spinning the chair all the way around like a top, she stopped it again, facing Keenan. "Give me a try, and when I get to be too much trouble, give me a handful of coin and drop me wherever we are and say goodbye. It would be better than what the school did when they fired me."
Looking past her at Bruno, Keenan raised an eyebrow. It was a question, and Bruno answered. "Give the lady a try, boss."
"Yes." That was the cultured voice of Poly.
"Fuck." That was Keenan's vote as he looked out the window to see that they were about to make a jump. What kind of crew was he getting himself on this trip?
It was a long boring journey to the particular fringe that the Adamant was heading for this time. Fringe didn't indicate any one particular place in the colonized systems of worlds. It was different edges where civilization had dropped off, and the law had not taken place to support those that had settled in different sectors. These sectors were far off the standard easy jump sites where those that were running away to hide had found an unknown location to set up a hole.
You could go in any direction from the busy worlds that had law and traded with each other and keep going until you almost got beyond the Quantum communications. Soon there would be small pockets of pirates, satellites, or moons that held people that hid criminals and those running from the law. Eventually, some of these would grow, and some gangs or leaders would become more prominent, stronger, and richer.
That meant that they set up their realm and had their laws. Along the edge of these lawless congregations were poor families, lost workers, and small offenders. On a couple of the fringes, there were some areas that were as large as some honest inside syste
ms; they were just not organized. That was where the Adamant was heading now.
Keenan needed one thing; it was information about the organization called the Transformed, run by a male named Girgor Macher. During the boring time between jumps, Keenan had Poly searching the Universal Thread for any and all information she could find on both of those names.
In the meantime, he spent his time in his cabin with a bottle of whiskey. It seemed that Bruno was teaching Thea tricks with some heavy weapons, and she was showing him some hand-to-hand moves. Poly reported that the lady had removed her shoes while working out on the mats with Bruno. Poly also reported that Bruno had to spend a lot of time in the med box, recovering from injuries from Thea's training.
Poly announced from outside his door that the lady challenged Keenan to a workout.
"Tell the lady I will hurt her, so it is not fair." Keenan looked at some of the information that Poly had obtained on his floating screen.
A short time later, the bot was back. "Sir, lady, say you scared."
Without looking away from the screen, Keenan answered. "I am. I know I will hurt her."
The screen shows that there were over thousands of volunteered soldiers in the army for the Transformed. Then there was a pounding on his door.
"Hey, coward. Come out of there. We've not seen you in days. Are you too drunk to walk down to the mats and get your ass handed to you?" It was Thea interrupting his research.
Slamming his hand down on the bunk where he was sitting caused the screen to flicker and shut down. Now, this cocky lady was pissing him off. Putting his palm on the plate to open the door, he stood there frowning at Thea.
"Bruno is too weak. I need someone who is a bit closer to my ability for me to beat up. Come down to the bay." Thea threw her front hair bangs back as she had her hair tight in a braid.
"Go to the med bay next." He stated as he stood in the door.
"Why the hell would I do that?"
"Because you will need the fucking med box."
He waited, drawing strength that he controlled from the wood on the walls of his cabin. She was angry and telegraphing her moves, even though she thought she had complete control of her body. He watched as she stood still, but certain muscles in her arms were tightening; her neck was broadcasting to him her decisions.
They were signals that others would never see, as she hid them from her hours of training. An ordinary person would never guess that she was about to attack with one of her special moves. It was the slight shift to her back leg, the movement of her eyes.
Waiting, he knew she was trying to teach him a lesson, get him angry so that he would come back to the bay for a match. At last, she made her move, and it was fast. Thea was very good, after years of practicing, and she would have taken out most men, even those much larger than her small frame.
With a twist, she was able to turn and bring her barefoot, exactly the strong heel up. It was meant to hit him in the chin and knock him back into his room, and maybe even see black for a moment. Instead, it hit his open palm that was as solid as a rock on a planet, and he pushed forward.
Thea was sailing backward down the hall at least twenty feet. So, before with instinct, as she twisted, she put her hands out in front of her to protect her face and head against the end. As she lay there, she heard his door close, and she began to feel the pain. He was correct—she needed to get to the med center.
Back on his bunk with his cabin sealed up, Keenan was not happy with the information that Poly was able to supply. Poly's internal learning ability allowed the computers inside to do a great search; there just were not real facts out there, only gossip. There were a lot of people afraid to talk, or a lot of people spreading myths and making silly exploits.
Sitting back against the wall behind him, Keenan looked up at the ceiling and thought the same thing was true about the Preacher. The Preacher was a despicable crime lord that had uncountable people following him and was worth too many coins to count. Now the Preacher and an Elder had Keenan chasing someone just as atrocious who killed his family.
Shaking his head, he now decided he had to do it the hard way. He would have to get down into the middle of the wolf pack until he met the Alpha. He gave instructions to Poly to set the limited AI and navigator to make the correct jumps to get to the distant fringe of that strange group of people that had found some area to settle.
Grabbing a couple of bottles from the galley, he nodded at Bruno as they passed in the narrow hall. Now he could relax and forget everything while the Adamant did its job.
The strange thing about these small settlements was that they all looked alike on the different fringe locations. They might have given themselves some special names, but there was always at least one planet or rock that had enough of the right type of atmosphere to let humans survive. There never were enough ways to make a good living from the situation, but it was a place to plop down and hide from the law, earn a living off of others, or cheat the universe.
When Poly announced they would soon be coming out of the last jump, Keenan was sober and got dressed in heavy boots, tight pants, and leather jacket. He wore his favorite weapon low on his hip. He didn't need any other weapons, as he had a secret one that he could call on whenever needed. Like with response to Thea, he didn't need to call out the beast; he needed a small taste.
There wasn't a true spaceport on this rock that was a bit too far from its star to enjoy good daylight. It did have a lot of water and breathable air, but the lack of the nutrient from the star let strange growths that were low.
That meant there was no farming except inside growing sheds that were too expensive. Food was imported, but that was not unusual in a lot of worlds throughout the civilized universe.
Before leaving the ship, Keenan went to the bridge to set up some safety on the ship. He didn't want anyone trying to run away with the Adamant, even with Poly, to protect his prize possession.
His friend and the new crewmember were sitting in seats before the console. "We're going to be on this fucking hole for a while. I'm going to get in a game and find an easy wench to learn the lay of the land or perhaps get a lay." He smiled at his pun.
"I need info, and it will take getting into shit. You guys are on your own. Get in trouble, and your ass is your own."
Nodding, he turned and winked at Bruno as he left. He trusted the gunrunner. That man had enough smarts to stay out of trouble. If the female was stupid enough to get into a restraint net again, then she was going to be off the ship and someone else's problem.
He heard them talking as he left and ignored the situation.
"How well do you know the Captain?" Thea turned her chair to watch the handsome man leave through the bridge's door lock.
"I've known Keenan for years. He's pulled me out of a couple of tight situations. I know he has saved my life." Bruno shrugged and turned his seat to look out through the front window to watch the activity on the landing area. It was a rough area, but deliveries were going in both directions. What the hell could this place export?
"Bruno, have you ever done any workouts with him?" She saw Bruno look over at her with raised eyebrows. "You know, like you and I do when we workout in the bay. Some one-on-one to work up a sweat and get the feel of how good the other person really can fight?"
"I'm not that stupid." Now he turned and faced her. "I've seen him in many fights, and he is always the last man standing, no matter how many start in the brawl. He knows how to use his fists and body." He looked at her closely.
"Thea, did you make a move on the big guy?"
Refusing to meet his eyes, Thea now found the scene out in front of the ship interesting. "How do you think I got into the med box?"
"Why would you do something so stupid?"
Thea let out a sigh. "I needed a bigger response. I have had to take it easy on you, and I thought I wouldn't have to pull my punches as much on a bigger male. I have been trying to get him to respond and finally decided to insult him and kick the shit
out of him."
Now Bruno was smiling, a big one. "So, did you learn your lesson?"
"Damn right. I've never had an opponent move so fast on me. Not only that; he warned me. I thought he was being a braggart. I never saw what he did to stop me. Shit."
Bruno pointed out the window as he saw Keenan disappearing across the field around the other ships of different sizes and types. "Yep, there's always one who is better."
As Keenan had found a place where a bunch of other ships had sat down, on a flat place near what looked like a busy town, he began to move around the big objects. He knew he would need a ride as this landing site was large, and the town was about four or five miles away.
It didn't take long to find what he needed. People could find ways to earn money; instead, they were crooks, honest or hungry. There were people with all types of vehicles, moving along undeclared streets or roads, with rough signs in Galactic-Sol language. Most just said, 'Rides.'
Chapter Seven
Making a friend often came in a strange manner. At the edge of the exit of the field, there was a line of these mismatched rides with their signs. There was an argument going on with a couple of people, three to be exact.
"I tell you, I'm next in line." This was from an older man who was standing at the back of his open vehicle. As Keenan got closer, he could see the older man at his vehicle that was first by the exit. The next in line, with what looked like a younger woman moving back by her scooter that pulled a wagon, was second in line.
The scenario was obvious from the words of the next guy. "If you don't want a broken leg, I'm first for the next person who needs a ride."
It didn't take any smarts to recognize a bully. This guy probably pulled this act every time he came over to pick up someone at the landing place. Keenan walked directly over to the first vehicle and looked at the older male.
