CLM headquarters was a hive of restless energy with all the pirates making ready for the party that was due to take place in almost no time now. The main dining facility had been transformed from the bare metal bulkheads into a true pirates nest as imagined from Old Earth complete with lianas from the ceiling, granite chairs, parrots flying around, several large treasure chests standing around, some open and displaying gleaming metal beneath and crate upon crate of alcohol. Sharingan had been in charge of the decorations, a task that Mystic felt he could handle very well especially after he had decorated her own chambers some three months ago. Wittman and Lebermac had been supposed to help, but by some slip of mind Sharingan had asked Leebs to put the alcohol that Swag Man had supplied them with into coolers. Two hours later he and Wittman had decorated the room with a drunken pirate as well, complete with twin black eye-patches and an empty bottle of Teh Killa in his hand.
The pair of them was standing at the bar underneath the banner proclaiming "YARR, good ta have ya back Retard-tile" drinking a Dark Lady and nodding to the guests as they entered. Sharingan was dressed in all black silk with a crimson scarf around his head and a deadly looking scimitar from his black leather belt with brass buckle around the waist. Wittman was wearing a pair of brown leather pants with a white blouse crossed in front and back with a broad leather strap in which he kept a pair of flintlock pistols. A cutlass was hanging from his right side. His ears were pierced by several gold earrings and he had a fake scar across his cheek.
Look came staggering in with a genuine hook instead of a hand on his right arm and a prosthesis on the left that ended in a large mug already half full or half empty depending on your own personal view on life. He had brought Tramshed, Mephostopholes and Swag Man along, all of them intoxicated to some degree already. Swag Man dropped his cowboy hat on the bar, sat down and put one booted heel on the table. Tramshed walked over to the computer and entered a code changing the music to something that was vastly different from what had been before. The drums fired away as the pistons on an old style petrol engine going at max revs, heavy guitar and bass creating a cacophony of sound to complement the growler's deep voice. Sharingan walked over and looked at what Tramshed had entered; Dying Fetus - Homicidal Retribution. Sharingan turned to Tramshed and shouted.
"Man, this shit is heavy dude."
Tramshed replied by starting to throw his head up and down in rhythm to the drums and playing imaginary air guitar, actually very appropriate to the all black leather outfit with spikes he was wearing. Sharingan grinned at the others and walked back to the bar. The four of them looked at Tramshed as he tore all over the place, even using Leebs as dancing partner even if he never woke up to realise it. Swag Man slowly drank his beer, apparently unmoved by the music until it changed over to some country sounding heavy guitar riff. He put down his beer, got up, walked over to Tramshed and pushed him hard in the chest. Tramshed pushed back and for the next ten minutes they pushed each other around, fight-dancing to the music. Exhausted they wandered over to the bar where Mystic had joined them.
"So, who won?"
Tramshed and Swag Man looked at Mystic and were about to come with some smart-ass comment but decided against it. She radiated leadership as always and they respected her too much to do that. Tramshed grabbed a Dark Lady and turned to face her.
"Wasn't a fight Mystic, 'twas a dance."
"Oh, for a minute there I was worried. That must be the only dance where it is fortunate to have elbows and foreheads surely."
Tramshed grinned and looked back at Swag Man's new pretty blue eye that was an unfortunate result of a collision of Tram's elbow and a vicious Swag Man headbang. He had received several blows himself without noticing it making his ear bleed from a small tear on the top of it.
"Yeah, blows off steam and shows you that you're alive Myst."
Mystic raised her glass in salute to him and Swag Man. The mojito, heavy on the rum fitted her image very well; besides it tasted so very nice. The group started a talk about the best wormholes to camp and the best trade routes to intercept when Azumi made her entrée. The outfit she was wearing had the same effect on the male members as if a Trident light frigate had decided to dock in the bar; the conversation stopped and all attention was focused on her. Mystic half choked on her drink.
"What the hell is that Az?"
Mystic pointed to the person entering with her. Well, entering with her is an understatement really; in reality he was entering connected to her. Clad in an immaculate TGFT uniform except for the leather strap around his neck that was connected to Azumi's hand by a silver chain, Fluffy limped in slightly hunched over making him even more Quasimodo like than he had ever been. When they had entered the bar, she pulled on his leash and he held a chair out to her before standing alert behind her. Anyone that knew Fluffy could see his nervousness but the pirates didn't so he was able to hide it.
"It's my pet TGFT member Mystic. You should get one, it is all the rage these days. It is like having a freak on a leash."
The pirates roared with laughter, even Fluffy grinning. Azumi pulled on his leash and made him walk over to the bar and get her a drink with loads of umbrellas and colourful things. He grabbed a bottle of Helio Mists for himself and limped back to his position behind his mistress. The pirates gathered around the table and started fretting Azumi and Fluffy about how he became her servant if only for a day. Several of the pirates had either pirated or attempted to pirate Fluffy over the years and they exchanged fight stories from both sides easily agreeing that TGFT and CLM were the best fighters, way above and beyond SYN and PA. The party almost stopped when Retractile walked in helped by RIBA 3.14RAT and Bidi, Bidi smoking on an obscenely large home made joint. Retractile spotted Fluffy and immediately frowned.
"What is that trader scum doing here?"
"Relax Retardtile, he is a cool cookie."
Sharingan walked over and hugged Retractile before grabbing him around the shoulders.
"Let me introduce you mate. Retractile, this is Azumi's newest pet, Fluffy. Azumi's newest pet, this is Retardtile. There introductions made, drink."
Fluffy handed Retractile a large glass of Helio Mists before tossing an identical one down himself. Retractile tossed his drink down and stared at Fluffy again. They both started coughing at the same time, making people laugh again. Helio Mists in such large doses were not without repercussions. Fluffy poured a new set and Retractile looked at his glass once more.
"Well, if you are 'Zumi's pet I guess you can stay."
He tossed his new drink, sat down next to Azumi and joined the discussion of best fighters in known space.
###
Leebs woke to a deep bass sound that had been thumping for at least an hour. He licked his dry lips with an even drier tongue and cursed the goat that had been French-kissing with him all night. He felt as if he had been the ball in a particular nasty game of polo played with spiked clubs. He opened one eye and discovered the thing that was making the noise, a cleaning bot that thumped against his head while attempting to clean the floor. He slowly rolled away and the bot continued the high whining noise of a vacuum cleaner. He decided then and there that he would stop drinking. This would be the last time ever he would wake up on a floor unaware of how he had ended there. He spotted a banner that was slowly being eaten by another cleaning bot; only the word "Retard" was still visible. Never again, this time he meant it. He got up and staggered up to the bar to get a soft drink when he spotted the bottle of genuine 52% proof Tequila. He shook his head, he had to be seeing visions but the bottle with the amber liquid did not go away. He grabbed for it, maybe just one more drink to have something to remember now that he was a teetotaller. He opened the bottle and had to close his eyes with pleasure from the smell. He opened them again and looked around for a glass, he only wanted one little drink really. After a few seconds of looking he gave up and took a swig from the bottle. Mmmh, very very good. Now no more, after all he was not an alcoholic, he could control it. He took another large swig and looked at the bottle. Oops, he had taken a quarter from the bottle. Now the others would think that he couldn't control it. He'd better get rid of the evidence. He drank deep from the bottle again while staggering towards his quarters. He felt pretty good now actually, maybe he had been a tad rash there before, I mean a drink never hurt anyone surely....
###
Fluffy had no idea how he had come back to Dau K-10, and even less how he had arrived in his bed. By some strange quirk of fate, the same goat that had French-kissed with Leebs had kissed an equal amount with Fluffy. He got up and staggered towards the door. He noticed the leash on the table next to the picture of him and Azumi in the CLM HQ bar and grinned. That had been a wild party; actually he had been happy that he had agreed to join as the freak on a leash. Smiling hurt his head, this was going to demand Nyrius dew, painkillers, chips, more chips and a lot of sports on the tube, otherwise he would not make it through the day. Just another average day in TGFT......
