The hold of the slightly crushed TGFT green Axia Wraith had been emptied and the crates had been spread all over the docking bay floor in stacks wherever there was space. Several crates had been busted open and the ten litre containers inside had been scattered on the floor. Hammering noises emanated from the hold along with the unmistakable sounds of a cutting torch. Yoda stopped just inside the bay and frowned. He was used to the eccentricities of the pirates of CLM and mostly ignored whatever they did. After all, he was not the commander of the guild; he just helped Mystic while she was off on some secret mission or other. However, he did expect some kind of order, especially in the docking bays and not this complete mayhem of cargo and fluids. Another piece of metal came flying out of the cargo bay and landed on a crate, cracking it slightly before impacting on the deck plates with a loud clang. He turned and bowed to the accompanying guest.
"My apologies for this mess. I assure you that this is not an everyday situation."
Ahriman disregarded it with a simple hand shake which only annoyed yoda further. He turned away again and walked down to the gutted Wraith. A set of hi-volume propane flasks was outside of the hold with several high-pressure tubes leading into the ship. A bundle of clothes that at closer inspection contained a sorry excuse for a human being, lay just outside the bay with the person's face eagerly peering after the persons inside. Yoda looked inside, followed the direction of the high-pressure hoses and saw two persons bent over an inside hull panel with only their backsides showing, actinic light flaring around and casting deep black shadows on the opposite wall. Yoda cleared his throat and expected them to respond, nothing. He pouted slightly at the inattention they showed before he simply reached out to the flasks and turned the propane off.
"Aw shit. I think we are out of gas Az."
"You're a poet 'n know it?"
"Ha, good one Az. Lets go get another bottle."
Tramshed turned with a large grin on his face that faded quickly when he saw yoda. He reached over and pushed Azumi on the hip.
"Stop fondling me you git and hand me the hydrospanner, I think I can dislodge it without the torch."
Tramshed pushed Azumi's hip again. With a metallic tearing sound she managed to rip the invertron flux controller and stood up with it in one hand, immense victory grin on her face. She was about to say something triumphantly to Tramshed when she saw yoda. Her smile disappeared like a light fog before a supernova. She bowed.
"Yoda-sensei"
"Please tell me that you summoned me here for something else than the, although impressive, irrelevant display of how to extract 50 crates of coolant fluid from a Wraith."
Azumi cringed from the verbal attack and peeked to the left for support from Tramshed who wisely had assumed the thousand light year stare. She put the flux controller on a crate.
"No sensei; that is not why we humbly asked for your assistance."
Yoda cut her short with an angry hand movement.
"Cease the ass kissing Azumi. It does not suit you at all. Tell me why then."
Azumi was about to retort with a nasty reply but managed to moderate herself.
"Very well sensei. We brought you here because of him." She pointed at William. "He was on the run from the Xang Xi police back at Daltas Hold. We ran into them while they were busy catching him. They were naturally like all rent-a-cops and when they attacked me and Ret we freed him and brought him along. He seemed to recognise me sensei, he insists on calling me Janice."
"I see. And that is why you didn't shove him out the airlock I assume. I am not sure I can help you with that Azumi."
William drooled happily at Azumi's feet, the dried blood and filth covering him like a dehumanising layer that hid the person inside.
"I can help you. I have extensive knowledge in that particular line of work."
Yoda turned to Ahriman and crossed his hands on his back.
"For a price I am assuming?"
A dry chuckle emanated from the hooded figure.
"Very well, I can most certainly use him. I'll give you a discount on the.....items yoda."
Yoda looked over at Azumi before looking back at Ahriman.
"Deal I guess. But you take him from here. Azumi, I am expecting a full report from you and Ret tomorrow morning. Where is he anyway?"
The warning claxons started blaring a collision alarm and the remaining docking back activated, slightly braking the incoming Rev C that slammed into it at high speed.
“Forget I asked, tomorrow morning.”
Azumi bowed in acceptance.
###
Cat finished writing her report and filed it. She leaned back and stretched luxuriously, feeling each crack in her vertebrae with a sense of satisfaction. She really needed a hard workout after piloting so many hours and even worse, this much paperwork. It was not that her muscles needed it, they were after all genetically engineered by her creche to work at their peak no matter what; it was her mind that needed the work. Especially if she was to give lessons in zero-g combat tomorrow. She thought of who she knew on the station and came up short. Only Riddik and he was off with his wife on vacation to Betheshee. She thought of contacting her guild mates but somehow they didn't really appeal to her. When she had raised the issue of helping other pilots when they were escorting, like the Vipers did, they had all snickered and called her an idealist. She tried contacting Silia but only received a message saying that she was unavailable. Sighing deeply, Cat got up and walked alone to the gym. At least the training bots weren't busy.
###
"And I am telling you that, chomp chomp, they had to be at least, chomp chomp, two pro's to pull that stunt, chomp chomp."
John was scoffing down multitudes of synthetic pork bacon while explaining to Hortan why he had been apprehended earlier. The nine eggs and one-pound cheese omelette had disappeared earlier along with a mug of strong Koffee. Hortan sipped his cocoa politely while he waited for the councillor to finish. John pointed with his fork at the station.
"And while I am not sure I can almost guarantee you that the blond cheerleader earlier was one of them."
A couple of pretty young women in the latest fashion statement from Odia, spidersilk bodysuits with miniscule skirts, walked by and John winked at them with the expected giggling to follow. He followed them with his eyes and when they looked back at him they reddened significantly and giggled to each other. John turned back to his breakfast and grinned. He finished the last synth bacon and tossed the plastic cutlery onto the plate.
"Right, since I apparently have no ship and no money, you can ferry me home to Dau. I'll sleep in the back if you don't mind.
Hortan nodded in agreement and quickly drank the rest of his cocoa, scalding his tongue. If he boosted all the way he would be in his roidfields within three hours again, away from all these people, only surrounded by the girls that he understood.
