29. Out on a limb

Waldoze padded Fluffy on the shoulder and got up to leave. He had visited Neagoth and Vardonx as well, bringing some illicit Helio Mists and bad company. The two girls from The Priggly Pear had achieved complete success with the show, and even Neagoth who was blinded while waiting for the implants had enjoyed himself. Waldoze ushered the two scantily clad and immensely giggling women out of the hospital ward and towards the dock area. Waldoze took the girls down through the large commercial plaza; that was the reward he had promised them for doing a show so far away. It was just like good old days, one giggling beauty on each arm. He nodded to Rowan, Ifor and Pasquel who were standing at a coffee stand, enjoying something hot and powerful. He strutted over towards them full of attitude, living life to the maximum. Well, not quite.


"Waldoze! Honeybunny!"


Something was not like good old day, he had forgotten Melody.


"What are you doing with those two, those..tramps?"


Waldoze looked over to the redheaded beauty that was standing opposite the plaza, a tiny armless summer dress matching perfectly to the small bag with an even tinier dog inside the bag. Her two equally picture perfect friends were staring at Waldoze like he was a paedophile or worse. Waldoze looked at himself and at the two dancing girls and smiled at the crazy coincidence. For once, just this once, he was actually innocent.


"Dear, it is not what it looks like. These girls are from The Priggly Pear, I brought them here to perform for Fluffy, Neagoth and Vardonx."


"And what does that make you, a pimp?"


The two friends nodded righteously at Melody and stared back at Waldoze. He was now officially worse than a paedophile pimp. 


"No dear, it is nothing of the sort. I was merely offering my special transport services, they never had to pay at all."


This seemed to enrage the redhead even more, and she looked around for something to throw, found some vegetables and tossed them at Waldoze.


"Honey, honey what did I do?" Waldoze was ducking and weaving to avoid getting hit with some success.

 

Melody turned, her friends turning with her and stomped out of the plaza. Waldoze stood with his hands out from his sides, a surprised look on his face. He turned to Ifor and Pasquel who were laughing their heads off.


"What did I do?"


Rowan walked over to Waldoze. 


"Perhaps the Grove can help? Let me escort these pretty young women back home. May I suggest that you run after your female companion and may I also suggest flowers and jewellery? In massive amounts?"


Waldoze looked at Rowan without comprehension until Rowan nodded at the direction Melody with friends had left. Waldoze left the two girls and ran after her. 


"Sisters, may I suggest an evening in the company of The Grove? We have the best stimulants in known space."


He took a girl on each arm and walked off with them towards the launch bay, the trio merrily chatting and giggling all the way.


###


Ifor looked after the running Waldoze and laughed along Pasquel. It took them about three minutes to stop laughing, and in the end Pasquel had to wipe a tear away from his eye. He slowly raised the Helio Toddy to his lips and sipped slowly while smiling. Ifor waited until he had some of the liquid in his mouth.


"Well, even the biggest ship can be brought down by the smallest weapon it seems. Guess that is what they are talking about when they say that someone is getting Neut-ered"


Lambin sputtered his Toddy all over himself and joined Ifor in laughing at Waldoze's expense. This time they laughed even more.


###


Hortan made sure that Naoko reached her bed safely. Once inside, he called her sister to come and tug her in properly. It would be frightfully indecent of him if he were to do something like that. He waited outside for Miharu to arrive.


"Ms. Miharu, I am sorry to inconvenience you so, but your sister needs tucking in. She has been working for some 35 hours straight."


Miharu walked over to Hortan, put her hands on his shoulders, stood on her toe tips and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.


"You are a darling Hort. I wish there were more like you."


With that, she walked into her sister’s cabin and closed the door. Hortan never knew what hit him, but immediately after he felt the effects. He felt a sudden urge to buy luxuries, chocolates, fashion clothes and gemstones and spread said items across Sedina B-8 with a certain person in the sector. He sent a query and got an order placed, one moth full. He practically ran to his quarters and changed to a flight suit. She should be up and patrolling at this hour.


###


Buzz was in pain, major pain. He had been on the toilet non-stop for more that three hours right now, and there were no letting it up. When he was almost finished and thought it was over, his stomach cramped and growled again, explosively voiding his bowels. But no amount of pain could remove the smile on his face as he saw the breasts become smaller and smaller, eventually hitting the size that was just about right for a grown male of his age. 


After five hours of non-stop toilet sitting with several in-between flushes, he finished and tried to stand. No such luck, his legs were absolutely bloodless and could not sustain his weight. He hit the floor hard and crashed the door open, falling out into the corridor while laughing hard. Nobody saw him crawl away laughing all the way, but he couldn't have cared less. The boobs were gone, he was himself again.


###


The battered Vult made a controlled crash into the docking cradle, quite an amazing feat considering that only the port side thrusters worked, and those only at about ten percent. The main engine was fluttering and leaking power, catching fire as it docked in the atmosphere of the station. A non-conducting flame retardant dosed the ship, covering it in a fine sheet of white and smothering the fire. The chainglass cockpit opened and a German Shepherd jumped out followed by a man with a huge fierce beard and shining eyes, his body covered by a filthy flight suit. The small green man that had waited for ten minutes, incidentally the longest ten minutes of the dockhands present, walked over towards the man and greeted the dog that came running.


"Hi boy."


He looked up at the man and smiled broadly.


"Gav, you look like shit. And I am not just saying it to strike up conversation. You really look like shit."


"Good to see you too yoda. I need some of my stuff, a place for some days, and I need for our guilds to do something together."


"Our guilds? SYN is hardly your guild anymore."


"Oh I think it is yoda, I think it is. They just don't know it yet."


Yoda chuckled and showed the way into the station. Yeah, the day just got even better.