Waldoze entered the briefing room as the last one, probably half an hour late. He looked at the crew and tried to keep a straight face. John just looked at him and shook his head, a slight smile mitigating his apparent displeasure. Dozer walked up to the front of the room and turned. Pasquel, Lambin, Fluffy, Gramps, Rowan, Riddik, Vardonx, Neagoth and Strat were sitting more or less relaxed in the reclining chairs. Dozer grabbed his pda.
"Right, this is what we are gonna do troops."
He noted Fluffy raising a hand and sighed.
"Yes Fluffy, what is it?"
"Was it the blonde?"
The rest of the pilots smiled and looked expectantly at Dozer who tried to keep a straight face.
"Just what the hell does that have to....oh well. Nah, it was that redheaded girl I picked up in Ukari last week."
"Yes!" Lambin stood and extended his hand to the other pilots who handed him the money they had been holding in their hands, getting a high five from Pasquel.
"Now that is out of the way, can we get back to business?"
"I have one more question Dozer."
Dozer twirled his mustachio and stared at Fluffy for five seconds with piercing eyes from under his bushy eyebrows trying to intimidate him into yielding. Not a chance, Fluffy's smile widened even further.
"It better be relevant or you are point all the way."
"You have been seeing that redheaded chick for a whole week now, is it official and stuff? And does she have a name?"
Dozer tried to look stern, but failed miserably.
"Shit, I can't win this one, can I? Yeah, I kinda like her, so I figured that I'd ask her to stick around. And yeah she's got a name, it's Melody."
Gramps slowly whistled and smiled.
"Looks like the girls win another round. Best o' lucks ma boy, sounds like you'll need it."
Waldoze grinned and combed his fingers through his hair.
"Yeah, I guess you are right Gramps. Okay, now that this obviously important guild matter has been resolved, can we get back to business?"
He opened the plan on the screen and started the briefing.
###
The remote control slipped from the limp fingers, dropping onto a discarded beer can that had been crumpled before used as floor cover, hitting the change button and resigning the two girls on the screen to the data vault from whence they came. The viewer was lying in his reclining chair, several weeks worth of beard on his face, clad in a crumbled t-shirt matted with beer, food and worse, a pair of equally stained jeans and bare feet. The screen turned to the next channel with a young pretty androgynously looking man in the latest fashion clothes from Verasi.
"....brings us back to the last years complete neutering of the former terrorist movement SYN. This channel attributes it to the alliance of The Guild of Free Traders and the Vipers, which has enabled the complete elimination of the menace to the honest traders in Latos and Sedina. Now we need to do the same to the so-called Cargo Liberation Movement. I say that we need to root the filth out from grey and allow the trade guilds to set up sovereign stations under the benevolent shield of the Union of Independent Traders. Only then can we ensure the continued peace, profit and prosperity for all, that UIT has always been a guarantee for. And some unrelated new; an orphanage in Divinia has burned out completely with no survivors. The police are currently investigating the matter. Dork Rufus, Daily Senate News channel five."
The viewer stirred slightly, and then sat up in the chair. His raspy voice made the German Shepherd in the corner lift his head and raise his ears. He uttered only one word, but that was enough for the dog to start wagging his tail.
"Motherfuckers!"
###
Probably best described as mean and grumpy at best, decidedly vicious and vitriolic at worst, yoda was for once in a very good mood indeed. He switched from DSN five to the regular eighteen split screens that showed a plethora of information. So the UIT was considering CLM as the single worst threat of grey; that must mean that the trade block that had been in effect for three weeks running was actually functioning. They had fulfilled their part of the agreement, now it was about time for a bit of rewards for the guild. He packed a diplomatic parcel and called for his courier.
###
"I cannae give im tae ya coppers, he be one o the members, and that means that Ah protect im. And ye nae wanna farck wit TGFT noo doo ya?"
The TPG station rent-a-cop was visibly withering under the visage of Ecka. It was supposed to be a clear-cut case, go and arrest the member of TGFT named Buzz McKenzie. Normally TPG was in charge of the entire station, but for the TGFT HQ. And that is where the suspect was located. Normal protocol was to go directly to the TOC and get the officer on duty to fix it, but this case was special. Buzz was under suspicion for an alleged shooting in the dock area, an offence that was big enough to have him sentenced to exile.
"No Sir, but I must remind you that TPG SecuriCore is the legal police force on station, and as such we do have jurisdiction of all areas Sir."
"Now that is a crock a shait son, and ye ken it. Listen, Ah'll have me a wee blether wit Buzz, 'n then ah'll let ya know. Capiche?"
The rent-a-cop nodded and left, taking his security team along. Ecka sent a message to summon Buzz. He'd better find out why one of his more normal pilots suddenly behaved like that.
