Why is it that when you have to hurry the most, things start to go wrong in spectacular ways? John was fuming, what was meant to be a simple high speed move to Sedina had started out bad and then walked straight to worse. First his ship had been launched from the cradle in Dau, but due to some obscure computer malfunction that was not supposed to happen, it had launched him without a battery. Fortunately he was within range for his pda, or he would have drifted for aeons. Well, at least until the next time that cradle was used and someone had bumped into him. After the old battered station EC-88 salvage vehicle had grasped his ship with the magnetic clamps and shoved it back in the docking bay, he had used ten minutes. Fortunately he had a spare ship that had already been prepared, and he could launch with that immediately. Then his NAVCOMP failed to get the latest storm update from the StormTracker centre, and he hit two ion storms on the way in through Azek. He was practically yearning for a fight when he entered Sedina b-8, but nobody was there to receive him. The Ion storm that blocked his path on the other hand was more than willing to suck him in. Delayed by more than thirty minutes in the end, he finally docked in Daltas hold. He jumped out of his ship and headed directly to his destination, not noticing anything in the docks nor on the way.
This made it so much easier for Chi to follow him. In reality, she probably didn't even need the disguise that she had donned, but the first rule of field operations was never to assume anything and always prepare to the maximum. She had arrived a safe twenty minutes earlier courtesy of her connection in Dau K-10. It had cost her 15k, but when the dockmaster had heard that she wanted to make a friendly prank with John Eldritch, he had made sure that she had the time she needed. She smiled as she imagined the look on John's face as he launched without battery. She followed John at a safe distance, never loosing him from her sight. He walked towards the bar area, and straight for one of the strip clubs named The Priggly Pear. She cursed under her breath, if she was going in there she would have to use some resources or take her disguise off. She was relieved when he walked past and into a corridor next to the club. Chi waited a bit, but John did not come out again. She decided that she needed to see what happened down there, and so slowly walked past, sneaking a view down as she passed. She clicked a picture and stored it as she passed; John was with a young woman she didn't know. She sent the picture to NP and asked for an ID. It came back almost immediately, Councillor Azumi of CLM. Chi cursed herself twice for not bugging John as she had thought of earlier, now she would have to wait and see what happened.
She had been rather surprised to see John Eldritch barge down the corridor towards her, furious and puffing for breath. Why he was here, she had no idea, she had asked NP to send her message to Hortan. Feeling trapped, she took her right hand to the small of her back and grabbed the high power stun gun she had there without taking it out in the open. She would go down fighting, that much was certain.
"Whoa, stop right there. I have no quarrel with you trader, but I warn you fairly. No further."
John stopped as if hit by a xith loaded Behemoth at turbo speed. The lithe young woman had an aura of danger emanating that came from everything she did to the things she wore. The long black dress that was laced up in front and probably also back, her long black gloves that ended above her elbows, and the in-your-face attitude of her black and red make-up all signalled look, but not touch. Her hair was braided with small red silk ribbons, but in such a way that it would fit under a helmet.
"You have called and set up a meeting with Hortan. I am here to make sure you behave."
Azumi smiled coyly and turned her head almost imperceptibly sideways to the right.
"Is that so. And what if I say that you can stuff it?"
"Then we fight here and now. And when we are finished I am going to grief kill you forever."
"Wait, is that a threat? And am I supposed to be scared now? If so, you failed miserably hun, rather you made me curious." She moved one leg slightly back as she said it, and smiled even wider.
John realised that this was going nowhere fast and decided to switch tactics.
"Okay, we may have come off on the wrong foot here. You told Hortan you wanted to meet him here. I do not know why, and that scares me. He is a very special kid, and I am somewhat protective of him. Can you tell me why you wanted to meet him?"
Azumi observed the fury drain from John's face, replaced by obvious concern. She could continue to bash him, although she was a bit uncertain how much more he could take before cracking, or she could maybe gain an ally. Not much competition there really.
"I have asked him to come here so I could give him his cred stick back. I am an honest pirate, not a thief."
John frowned, that would actually explain a lot. Well, some at least.
"Where did you get it?"
"For me to know, and you never to find out hun. Now, I told you why, can you scuttle along to yon trade vessel you came in? It was after all not you the message was sent to, or should I tell Hortan that you read his mails?"
John stared hard at the piratess before nodding. He squinted at her while thinking for a second, but eventually turned and walked out with no further comments, passing Chi without seeing her again, and walked towards his ship. She better be true to her word, or he would use all his resources to fight her. He didn't usually fight women, well Ms. Chi now and again, that was different, but he would make an exception in this case. He would have no problems with getting Azumi across his knees and provide a good spanking if she messed Hortan up.
