Chapter 4: Phaon

Leon left the Hall of Records. Once again, not having a valid Id card has frustrated him. His stolen papers wouldn't do and he hadn't wanted to show them anyway. If anyone could have spotted them as not belonging to him, the clerks at the Records Hall would have been good prospects.
Unable to claim his weapons, Leon had to have them shipped back to the Spaceport. If he didn't come up with money to have them stored, they would be confiscated after 30 days. What some men would have taken as a terrible day, Leon just shrugged off. After all, he was going to be meeting Talia for lunch. It would be the first time they had gotten together since they had met at the library. Granted that had only been two days ago, but Leon found he was nervous. A programmed memory told him that he had once bought his mother flowers. Leon knew now that he never done anything like that, nor did he even have a mother. But still, feeling it as something "good," he bought a red flower from a street vendor. (deduct 1.2 pounds). It's fragility and sweet smell intrigued him. It seemed so insubstantial in his large fist that he treated it with the utmost gentle caution. He hoped Talia would like it.

Talia gazed at him, only her large dark eyes peeking out over the flower.
"When you get back, you'll call me?" she asked.
He nodded. "Of course I will. I don't know how to say this."
"What?" she asked him.
"II will missI do not like not being able to see you." he said.
"But we've only known each other for a couple of days," she chided him.
He nodded. How could he explain to her that two days was such a large part of his short life that it was comparable to months to her.
"Hey," she grabbed his hand and pressed it. "Cheer up. It'll only be a couple of months."
Leon offered a weak smile.
Talia shook her head in frustration. "Look, I have something for you." She took some money out of her purse. "I want you to have this." She handed it to him. (6 one-hundred pound notes)
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's money silly"
"Where did you get it?" Leon asked.
"I was saving up for a car," she told him. "But I want you have it, in case of emergencies."
He tried to hand it back. "I would rather you had a car."
She shook her head. "Sorry, you touched it, you have to keep it. That's the rules."
Leon looked perplexed. "Rules?"
Talia laughed and bending over the table kissed him. "I've got to go," she told him. Bending down, she gave him one last long kiss before she left. "I will miss you too," she whispered, looking into his eyes.
Leon watched her go and give the waiter some money for the lunch. Then she walked out of sight.

Joe, having bought two more energy cells (deduct 13.9 pounds), walked to meet Leon at their rendezvous point. Shoving through the lunchtime crowd of the growing business district, Joe saw Leon ahead, waiting for him at a caffé near the Roma Fountain. He was talking to a rather attractive young woman of about 20 yrs. The woman kissed Leon on the mouth and walked away, just as Joe came up. Turning to watch her go, her short cut dark hair bouncing, he cast an envious glance at Leon.

Just then, Joe Grange walked up.
"Hey, Leon," he greeted as he sat down. "Ready to go?"
"Not necessary," Leon replied. "I already went. They don't want me bringing any really heavy weapons planetside. I've arranged to have them sent back to a locker at the Spaceport."
"Really?" Joe mused, "You must've been packing some pretty hefty hardware. You got your knife though, right?"
"Uh, no," Leon told him. "I decided just to have the whole package sent back. I'll get another knife."
"Yeah, but then we'll have to pay for it out of the party funds," Joe told him.
"Well, I've already done it, so I don't feel like going back," Leon replied, seeming to get annoyed.
Sensing this, Joe decided to change the subject. Looking at the huge baroque bronze fountain in the courtyard below them, Joe commented, "Pretty fountain."
Leon nodded. Though Joe was hungry and wanted to order some lunch, Leon was in a hurry to get back and told Joe he'd hook up with him later.
As he left, a waiter came up to take Joe's order.
"I'll have what he had," Joe said, pointing at Leon. The waiter wrote down the order, thinking he meant food, though Joe was actually thinking about the girl.

"Look, I just think I can handle this better alone," Tessa replied.
Thorn shook her head, "I don't see what the problem is. You haven't told me why you don't want me along. I mean is this contact going to leave if he sees me?" Thorn asked, trying to get some definite answer as to why she shouldn't tag along with Tessa and help check out the Valkyrie.
Tessa looked at the old fashioned clock looming over the mall. Most people didn't know how to read them. She didn't know why, but she did and it said that Rincarlo would be there soon.
"Look, it's just that it" Tessa bit her lip, not knowing how to continue.
Thorn's mouth dropped. "Are you offering him favours? Wow Tessa, I mean, I've heard of loyalty to the cause, but wow. You deserve bonus shares."
Tessa's face turned a little pinker. "I don'tI didn't offer I'm not giving him favors," she finally decided. "I'm just trying to be friendly and get some information. And three's a crowd, if you know my meaning."
Thorn nodded, now seeing the nature of the game. "Alright, I'll tail you from behind, to make sure everything is O.K."
Tessa, who did not want to be seen acting the part of the dumb blond shook her head. "No, that won't be necessary. I can take care of myself."
A wry smile appeared on Thorn's lips. "Is he cute?" she asked in a conspiratorial voice.
"Well, yeah," Tessa admitted. "if you like Neanderthals."
"You mean like Solo?" Thorn asked.
"No, Solo's a bit on the bright side compared to this one, but just a bit." Tessa replied.
Thorn laughed, which made Tessa laugh. The two were laughing together when a tall young man in a police jumpsuit walked up.
"Helloo, pretty ladies," he flashed a wide smile, showing off his clean white and very large teeth to Thorn and Tessa. Both stopped laughing and Thorn seemed to even choke a bit, caught by surprise.
"Who's you're friend?" Rincarlo asked Tessa, while giving Thorn an appreciatively brazen look over.
Tessa coughed. "This is my cousin, Trini. Trini, this is Rincarlo Bwenterr of the Avalon Police Department."
Thorn shook Rincarlo's hand, but pulled hers back quickly when the young man's fingers seemed to caress hers, rather than just touch them.
"So, do you like to fly too?" Rincarlo smiled at Thorn.
"Rincarlo here, has offered to show me some of the ships they have at the impound yard," Tessa explained to Thorn, and then turned to Rincarlo. "Sweety, you don't mind if my kuz comes along, do you?" Since Thorn had been found out, Tessa felt she might as well go along with it, counting on Thorn to go with the flow as well.
Rincarlo beamed. "Hell no. The more the merrier, I say." Thorn noticed his voice had a bit of a Talyo lilt to it.
Thorn smiled blandly, trying not to gag. She realized now that Tessa hadn't been trying to muscle her out after all. She had been trying to spare her.
Grabbing the women, one in each arm, Rincarlo swaggered down the street to his parked groundcar, swaying his hips into each of them like some superstud.
As Rincarlo's car sped carefully back to the Spaceport, Thorn and Tessa exchanged incredulously sickened glances as Rincarlo continued to blast them with tales of his talents, laced with superfluous hints of past conquests. However, whenever he looked at the two of them in the back seat, he was met with pleasant empty smiles, just the way he liked them.
Pulling into a fenced off section of the impound yard, Rincarlo checked himself and his two guests in. There was no formal show of identity cards or papers and the police droid at the gate waved the car onward. Inside were parked several groundcars, various scooters, bikes, even a farm tractor. Driving past these, Rincarlo approached a huge hanger set off to the edge of the downport. A droid at the gate once again checked his credentials and then, the entire doorway shuddered and the groan of heavy machinery working could be heard as the massive door rolled up just enough to allow entry for the ground car. Once they had stopped driving, Tessa and Thorn could hear the roar of spacecraft taking off in the distance.
As they got out of the car, all could see the two craft who occupied the hanger. Onzlo's shuttle was obviously the smaller of the two. It looked something like a segmented bug with antennae and equipment monitors sticking every which way out of it. The shuttle was of an extremely practical and extremely ugly design. Perhaps it's crass lines were made more evident parked as it was next to the Valkyrie. The Valkyrie was a large ship, measuring more than 100 metres in length. It's streamlined hull made it seem more like an atmospheric craft than a space cruiser. Large downturned wings angled out from either side ending in a pair of very large gun emplacements. And more than the shape of the vessel hinted at the concept of an avian raptor, for the translucent tropical blues and greens of the hull at once captured the eye and in the forward part of the ship, two large viewports glared down at them, as if the ship might come alive and pounce on them.
The Valkyrie was a beautiful ship and all of them, looking at it from underneath, were impressed. Thorn noted that a loading ramp had been parked next to the ship and it appeared that it was an easy hike up the ramp to the only main airlock. Thorn started for the ramp, but Rincarlo called her back.
"No, we're going to go on the shuttle."
Reluctantly, Thorn returned and the three of them made their way to the shuttle, crawling up rungs on its side and entering one of the airlocks.
Tessa was surprised how cramped it was inside and wondered how Onzlo's large frame was able to squeeze through it all.
"Welcome to the "Butterbutt," Rincarlo announced.
"The what?" Thorn asked.
"The smuggler who used to own this ship called it the "Butterbutt," he explained. "That's actually the way it's registered."
They all started to explore the shuttle, which was badly in need of cleaning. The main bridge consisted of a single large chair with instrumentation, controls, and screen displays confronting the occupant at every turn. Behind the bridge was a corridor which led back to a galley/rec room area and also to two staterooms, both devoid of furniture or bedding. Both Thorn and Tessa noted the heavy odour of an unwashed body. In the floor of the corridor was a hatch, presumably to the main cargo bays.
"Well, it still needs cleaning, but it wouldn't make a bad ship," Rincarlo announced.
"I didn't notice much in the way of a drive unit," Thorn speculated.
"No, this is a shuttle," Rincarlo told her. "This one doesn't have a hyperspace drive. The smuggler who owned it was small potatoes. He only worked the belts and maybe met ships offplanet to deliver and receive loads."
"Would it cost much to adapt it to hyperspace?" Tessa asked.
Rincarlo shrugged. "I don't know, sweetcakes. That's not really something I know much about."
At the sweetcakes comment, Thorn felt she had to get some air.
"I'm going to take a look at the other ship," she announced.
"Don't go onboard," Rincarlo told her. "That ship is the Viscount's personal property. It wouldn't do good for my career if he were to arrive and find strangers crawling around his ship."
Thorn, looking out of the open air lock at the Valkyrie, commented, "Doesn't seem to have much in the way of security around it. Do you know if it has some system in place?"
Rincarlo came up to her and draped a friendly arm around Thorn's shoulder. "Well I don't know. I don't think he'd just leave it here to be stolen, but since we're not going onboard, we don't have to worry about it."
Thorn slipped her way out from under Rincarlo's clutch and exited out of the airlock saying, "I'll just take a look at the outside. Gee, it's such a pretty ship." Once outside, she slid down to the hanger floor, hoping that Tessa wouldn't mind being left alone with Rincarlo.

Just as Thorn left, Rincarlo gave a disappointed shrug and then turned to Tessa, smiling.
"Well, I was hoping we could all get a party going," he smiled.
Tessa smiled back, though she would have rather puked. "Well, I guess that's it then."
"Oh no," Rincarlo shook his head, "I saved the best for last." He bent down and started to turn the door to the hatch lock.
"What are you doing?" Tessa eyed him suspiciously.
"I'm going to show you something that the smuggler left onboard. It's a secret. Nobody but the police and the Viscount know about it, but I'm going to show you."
"What?" Tessa asked.
Rincarlo opened the hatch door and stepped onto a ladder. "Cmon and I'll show you," he said as he disappeared down into the cargo hold. Tessa reluctantly followed.
As they made there way down into the large cargo hold, Rincarlo found a switch and turned on some dim lights. In the empty chamber which took up the bulk of the shuttle's mass, there was a bed, a portable entertainment unit, and some bottles of the local wine, organic red.
"Do you like it?" Rincarlo had come up behind her and laid his hands on her shoulders, massaging them deeply.
"What? What are you doing?" Tessa asked him, a deep misgiving coming over her.
"Oh come off it, baby," Rincarlo chided her. "I thought you'd be happy. I came down here last night and set all this up. I knew you wanted me the first time I saw you."
Alarmed, Tessa still retained a semblance of calm. "Of course I want you, Rincarlo. You're such a stud," she lied. "But you know what you were saying about a party? How bout I go get Trini. You'd like that wouldn't you. You wait here and I'll be right back." She started to make for the ladder, but Rincarlo pulled her back.
"That's fine, honey," he said, his voice becoming deep and hoarse, "but let's you and me have our own private party first." He pulled her roughly to him and started to bite her neck, his breath was hot and it smelled.
Tessa struggled, hitting him and attempting to pull away. She scratched his face and Rincarlo pulled back, "You bitch! You scratched my face! Nobody scratches my face!" Rincarlo grabbed Tessa and started to slap her. Tessa tried to kick back, but she was starting to black out.
Jessine wasn't sure how Tessa got into this position, but she wasn't going to stick around and find out. Twisting her body, Jessine dropped out of her attacker's grasp, the pain in her face still stinging.(Loose 2 hits). As the man grasped for one of her feet, Jessine let him grab it then immediately kicked out with her other foot, catching him squarely in the groin.
The policeman inhaled sharply and dropped Jessine's foot. Not waiting, Jessine grabbed one of the wine bottles and clubbed him with it. Clutching both his groin and a bloody scalp, the cop went down while Jessine continued to pummel him until the bottle broke, spilling red wine all over his bloody face. Enraged, Jessine continued to punch and kick his unconscious body until she grew tired and her senses came back to her.
Giving the unconscious or dead policeman one last kick in the face, Jessine made her way to the ladder as it seemed to offer the only way out of the metal room. As she got to the top, she realized she was on a ship of some sort and that the ship was in the hanger. She looked down into the hold. The cop was groaning. He was alive. Jessine dropped the hatch cover down and locked it tight. She gave the ship a quick once over. There was nothing of use. It had been cleaned out and the ship stank badly. Seeing an open airlock, Jessine made for that and scrambled down the rungs onto the hanger floor. The place was empty, well almost.

Thorn had been tempted to try and board the Valkyrie but something didn't sit well with her. She doubted anyone in their right mind would just leave a ship to be stolen. There must be security measures in place that she couldn't see. If they were to attempt to steal the ship, she would want to return with the others. Besides, she wasn't a pilot.
So instead, she toured the undercarriage, noting the almost seamless cargo bay doors and the large drive units that sat on the top part of the stern. Just as she finished her circuit, Thorn was surprised to see Tessa drop down from the shuttle. She was alone and she seemed agitated.
"Tessa," she called out, "What happened? Are you alright?"
Jessine eyed the stranger suspiciously. "Are you a friend of Tessa's?"
The question was very strange, Thorn thought. She wondered if the Rincarlo had tried something and had bumped Tessa's head. "Tessa, calm down and tell me what happened?"
"You know," Jessine replied, "I'm not sure. But I know that if we don't get out of here soon, we're going to be in a world of trouble. Which is the quickest way out of here? Cmon! If you're a friend of Tessa's, then we'd better get out of here."
Thorn noted what looked to be blood splattered on Tessa's clothing. "Tessa," Thorn tried to calm her, "where is Rincarlo?"
Jessine didn't answer. Having spotted the grav car, she was running for it.
"Wait!" Thorn yelled, running after her.
Thorn just managed to jump into the car when Jessine plugged Tessa's Id card into the drive slot.
Thorn yelled at her. "Tessa, you just can't steal Rincarlo's car! By putting your card in the slot, they'll know you were driving."
"I have to," Jessine replied, seeming to have calmed down. "How am I going to drive without putting a card in? {Note: most all vehicles require an Id card to be entered to operate vehicle.} Jessine shifted drive direction and backed out onto the flight line. Driving fast, she ignored the droid at the hanger entrance and made her way to the main gate. The droid at the gate didn't challenge them either. It just opened the gate and Jessine drove the car out into Avalon. Thorn, figuring that explanations would have to wait, gave Jessine modest directions until they dumped the car on the outskirts of town and made their way cautiously back to the bar.
"Where are you taking me?" Jessine asked Thorn.
"I'd thought we'd head back to Dicey's," Thorn told her. "We need to see what progress the other's have made. Besides, I think we're all going to have a few questions for you."
"Who's Dicey?" Jessine asked.
Thorn groaned. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Is that not the most beautiful woman you've ever seen?" Solo asked N'iall as they looked through the window of the novelty shop. The owner was a tall svelte red headed woman, whose evening dress stood out in marked contrast to the dingy interior of the novelty shop.
"Is this where you buy your cigars?" N'iall asked incredulously.
"Where else would I buy them? Would you look at that!" Solo motioned at the red head smiling at him from inside.
"Cmon, let's go inside and I'll introduce you to the prettiest woman in the province," Solo motioned, but N'iall shook his head.
"No, I'll wait outside. You go ahead."
Solo shook his head at the youth's poor decision and then made his way inside. N'iall could see him yucking it up with her, laughing while she flirted with him, running her fingers up and down his arm, tickling his ears and whispering close to his face.
N'iall couldn't bear to look, so he spent the time scanning the list of prices they got for equipment. All of the stuff they had been shopping for had been either previously used or of cheap quality. A good thermal jacket would run on the order of 500 pounds, which was way out of their price range. So, when they had been shopping, it had been in the bargain stores. (All prices in pounds: Thermal jackets-52, Collapsible shelter-260, Portable beds-10, food packs-1.5, micro-oven-55, instameals-2.25, ration tubes-2.5, water accumulator-9, framepacks-90, fairly good boots-100, cheap boots-52.)
Solo came out after what seemed ages, holding on to a single cigar.
"I thought you were going to buy a box," N'iall said.
"Couldn't afford it. I'll just have to make mine last. But I bought this," Solo pulled out a cigar. "For when we finish the mission. Hmm." He put the cigar up to his nose and smelled it.
"So now your broke?" N'iall asked him.
"Yeah," Solo admitted, "but I got something even better than cigars." Solo patted N'iall on the back.
"That being?" N'iall prompted.
"A date! When we get back, I'm going out with Ginger in there."
N'iall's eyes grew wide. "You're kidding!"
"No! When we get back, I promised Ginger that I'd take her out for the biggest night she's ever had. And after that, we're going to head for this pleasure planet I know of."
N'iall didn't seem to be pleased with Solo's news.
"Solo, I think there's something I'd better tell you."
Solo put his hands on his hip. "O.K. I'm listening."
Seeing another customer come into the novelty shop, N'iall pulled Solo back from the window so that they could both peek in from the side. The customer was a short, skinny elderly man whose balding head was crowned with wisps of snow white hair
"Now, look," N'iall pointed out. "See how the customer enters and `Ginger' is nowhere to be seen. Now watch."
Out of the back of the shop came another elderly man, this one balding also, with greying hair and a salt & pepper mustache. It was someone Solo had never seen before.
"Who the hell is that?" Solo asked.
"That's Ginger," N'iall told him.
"What? You're nuts," Solo told him.
N'iall went on to explain. "Ginger's not human. I just thought you knew. I guess I know because I've been here longer. Ginger's a Viridian Mime. An alien. They're telepathic and they change their form to appear to you as someone you would want to see. They always try to appear like someone you trust or like. The way it appears now is probably someone that old geezer knew back on Firenze."
Solo was quiet for a really long time. Finally, he turned to N'iall and said, "WHAT!!"
"Calm down, Solo. I mean it isn't as if" Suddenly N'iall realized why Solo was so upset. "Solo, you haven'tI meanis that possible?"
Solo didn't reply right away, but N'iall thought he was looking a little green.
"So what do these mimes look like in their natural state?" Solo asked, not wanting to know but having to anyway.
"Uh, I haven't seen it outside of textbooks, but something with lots of tentacles, no legs and about nine eyes comes to mind." N'iall narrowed his eyes and in a conspiratorial manner asked, "So, Solo, tell me, what was it like?"
Solo grabbed N'iall by his jacket and started to half carry him to the Spaceport exit. "It was fuckin great, if you want to know. Best I've ever had. And kid," He stopped to glare into N'iall's eyes. "Don't breath a word of this, ever! if you want to live."
N'iall wanted to live so he told Solo that he had a deal.

Back at Dicey's, you all get together and discuss options. Shakes mumbles his usual banterings about you all not doing anything. Bug plays cards with N'iall. Dicey finishes washing up the bar and turns to you all.
"Well, children, what's the the plan?"

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