Episode 1.3
From Heroes of the Great Tree
Contents |
TEASER
Currently playing: Walking through town from the Quest for Glory V soundtrack
Things had not gone smooth. Since the crew of the Mao's Claw illicitly acquired the baseball card from Earth-That-Was they had run into one problem after another. First there was the storm that impeded their getaway. Then there was the broken mass detection sensor. A false proximity alert stopped the ship flat, forcing a wasting of fuel as the pulse engine had to be cranked up again. Then, about halfway through the trip, the sewage system backed up, causing every toilet on the boat to spew forth a nasty sludge that assaulted the olfactory senses like the Alliance bombing the browncoats in Serenity Valley.
Finally, though, the Mao's Claw reached Paquin. Vincent Locke maneuvered her into orbit and contacted the port control of Nova Lumina, the city they were visiting. Once he received landing clearance and instructions, Vincent began his descent. About ten seconds after hitting atmo the groan of metal tearing echoed through the cockpit, followed by a thumping sound as something went flying past the glass.
“What was that?” Vincent asked with trepidation.
Then the Claw began to shake. Vincent flipped a few switches and gripped the steering yoke hard. The muscles of his shoulders, back, and arms tenses as he fought for control. The boat was bucking hard.
Nadie Ling, the captain of the Mao's Claw, sat in the co-pilot's seat. She grabbed the handset from the ship's intercom system and spoke into it.
“Del,” Nadie said, trying to remain calm, “I think we just lost the primary atmospheric stabilizer.”
--
In the engine room, Delphinia Duke, known to her friends as Del, didn't bother to answer. She threw open the engine hood and, with the sort of timing that comes from years of experience, twisted three different valves as they rotated past her, redirecting flow in order to better synchronize the twin rotors of the reaction thrusters.
--
Del's juryrigging wasn't enough, though. Vincent did his best to realign the Claw but she kept skipping along the atmosphere, bouncing and shaking. The heat began rising fast as the outer hull's temperature rose. The Claw's environmental systems whined as they tried to keep up.
“White Whale class heavy transport Mao's Claw, registry number beta-beta-eight-seven-nine-three-seven-six-gamma-two, you are coming in too fast. Repeat, you are coming in too fast.” The nasal voice of Paquin port control spoke over the wave.
“No da shion la se la chwohn tian.” Vincent shouted back. He continued to fight for control.
--
Del held onto the engine hood with a grip so hard her knuckles went white. She pushed herself away and spun around, letting her momentum carry her to the RCS thruster control panel. She reached under, felt around, and yanked out a wire.
--
Up on the bridge, Vincent suddenly found himself with more power to the RCS thrusters. Much more power than was safe. He took advantage of it and fired them in a specific pattern to help angle the ship correctly.
“White Whale class heavy transport Mao's Claw, registry number beta-beta-eight-seven-nine-three-seven-six-gamma-two, this is your last warning. Correct your flight path or we will be forced to shoot you down for the safety of the population below.” Port control warned through the wave.
Vincent swore again. He was sweating by now. The entire crew was. The temperature inside had grown to almost unbearable levels. Vincent hauled back on the yoke one more time with all his might and the Mao's Claw turned to a more stable descent angle. He slowed her down and guided her in, landing in the docking berth with only a mite more force than was needed.
“Del,” Nadie said into the intercom, “I want a damage assessment. Everyone else, meet me in the mess. Let's make sure we're all in one piece.”
--
Lieutenant James Heru, retired, and Phineas “Fin” Cage slumped down into their now customary chairs at the holographic pool table that doubled as an eating surface. They had both managed to strap themselves down before the worst of the turbulence and, so, came through the journey uninjured. Nadie and Vincent joined them a few minutes later.
“We're cursed.” were the first words said, groaned by James.
No one felt inclined to disagree.
“Well, Capt'n, I have good news and not as good news.” Del announced in her useful, cheerful way as she entered the mess. “The good news is everything's gonna be real easy to fix when we get the parts. The not as good news is we don't have the parts. Like you said, the primary atmospheric stabilizer tore clean off and the extra heat overloaded our environmental systems and blew a coolant pump.”
“We're not going anywhere, then.” Vincent said with a frown, “I could probably get us back out into the black but without the stabilizer we won't be able to come back down again. And without the coolant pump we're end up frying or freezing once we're out there.”
“And we're down to about ten tons of fuel.” Nadie added, “We're gonna need pick up some coin here. Need to take care of other business, too, I think.” She looked pointedly at Vincent.
Vincent nodded glumly. He and Del had been on their way to Paquin to deliver a shipment of smuggled pharmaceutical plants to the leader of the local tong, Bi Rui. Vincent was supposed to visit the man with a sample to prove he'd done the job. Except his ship, the Jack Burton, had gotten blown to bits and he'd lost the cargo.
“We should probably visit Bi Rui and explain the situation.” Vincent agreed. “He's a little less likely to kill us that way.”
Nadie smiled as she heard the name. Vincent had never told her his client's name.
“Relax.” Nadie said, “I think I might be able to get you out of this, skin all intact.”
--
“Vincent, Del, and I are going to go in.” Nadie said to Fin and James. “We'll call you two on the handsets when we're done.”
James was only faintly listening. His attention was focused on the neon letters that spelled out the theater's name. The baseball card's owner before they appropriated it was a man named Clyde Anderson. Anderson had taken it from a miner named Donald Jones. According to the records at the mine office, Donald Jones' last employer had been the Adelphia Theater on Paquin. On the trip from Regina, James had checked the cortex. As near as he could tell, there was not now nor had there ever been an Adelphia Theater on Paquin.
As he stared up at those neon lights, spelling out Shen Yee in traditional Mandarin, he realized something. Adelphia very likely refered to the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, an Earth-That-Was myth. One of the possible translations for Shen Yee was oracle.
“Be careful.” James said. “Don't tell these people about the baseball card.”
Then he and Fin walked off. They wanted to find a pet store they could visit in the morning, so that the boa constrictor picked up on the asteroid base could be sold. Then they wanted to find a bar to warm them up.
Nadie watched them leave, a touch confused by the words. Then she shrugged, turned around, and rung the doorbell to the theater entrance. It took a few minutes before the door was answered by a very large man dressed in a turtleneck, slacks, and sandals answered. He had an SMG holstered to his thigh and his hair was pulled up into a topknot.
“Yes?” he asked.
“We'd like to see Bi Rui, please.” Nadie drew a chain out from beneath the collar of her shirt so that she could show the large man the coin that hung from it. “I'm his niece, Nadie Ling.”
“One moment.” the large man closed the door, only to open it a moment later. “This way.”
Vincent and Del exchanged glances, surprised. It seemed an odd coincidence that their new captain was also the niece of the leader of the Lucky Four Fingers Tong. Still, they followed along with Nadie behind the big man, up two flights of stairs and through a high security door.
The room they entered seemed more like a museum than a parlor or antechamber. Displayed in artfully arranged glass cases were bats, gloves, jerseys, balls, and other baseball related paraphernalia. Each case was labeled with a holographic display that explained the item's origin and value in credits. Only one case, located at the very heart of the chamber, was empty. The label beneath read: Babe Ruth Baseball Card, 1933, from Earth-That-Was.
“Shen muh?” Del cried out.
END TEASER
Opening credits: Solo guitar version of Real Folk Blues from the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack
ACT 1
Currently playing: Silk Road from the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack
“I see you are admiring my collection.” Bi Rui said as he entered the room. “Hello, Nadie. It has been quite some time. You have grown into a beautiful young woman. Hello, Mr. Locke. You have a curious lack of flora with you. Please, all of you. Come this way so we can speak.”
Nadie, Vincent, and Del followed Bi Rui into a cozy tea room. They sat and a beautifully adorned woman poured tea. After they had each taken a sip, Vincent did his best to explain what had happened to the botanical cargo. As he talked, Vincent couldn't help but notice that Bi Rui, like the large guard, was missing the pinky finger on his right hand.
“That is a most interesting story.” Bi Rui said, thoughtfully. “Missiles in the middle of nowhere. I must be honest, Mr. Locke. The agent who hired you obviously did not do his research. Otherwise, you would not have been given the assignment. Needless to say, that agent is no longer... working for me.”
“Uncle,” Nadie said, quickly, “Whatever might have happened when Vincent was captain of his own ship is in the past. He's part of my crew now and I'm responsible for him. I think I might have a present for you that will help rectify the situation.”
Nadie slipped her hand in her pocket and withdrew the baseball card. Bi Rui's eyes widened in surprise and, slowly, he smiled.
“That was stolen from me by my butler, Jones Donaldson, a little over a year ago. I knew he would not be so foolish as to try to pawn it right away. I see he was not so intelligent as to hold onto it at all.” Bi Rui took the card and held it out. It was spirited away by his large bodyguard. “As my niece says, all is now forgiven. Now. What else can I do for you?”
“Well,” Nadie says, “Honestly, we could use work.”
Bi Rui considered that and nodded.
“Return to me tomorrow morning and I will have work for you.”
--
James and Fin used a public cortex box to locate a pet store that specialized in exotic animals. They would visit it in the morning. For now, though, the bar near the cortex box held more interest. It was a little hole in the wall place but it served decent beer. They caroused for a while. James talked to people and learned about a hardware merchant who might need some cargo moved of planet quietly. Then he met a friend. She wasn't up to his usual standards of loveliness but it had been a while for him. He left with her. Fin managed tried to chat up a young woman and ended up getting slapped in the face. He called Nadie for a ride back to the ship.
--
While Vincent and Del waited in the museum room, Nadie had a private word with her uncle.
“I am sorry to hear about your brother.” Bi Rui said, his voice respectfully quiet, “First your father, then your mother, and now your brother. I know it may seem as if you are alone but you are not. As long as we are here, you have family.”
Nadie drew a battered photograph from her jacket pocket.
“That's just the thing of it, uncle.” Nadie said as she showed him the picture, “I'm thinking papa might still be alive. Goin' through ghu-ghu's stuff, I found this. Picture of papa in some sort of jail cell. Date on the back's a full year after we thought he was gone.”
Bi Rui took the photograph and examined it.
“Some paths,” he started slowly, “must be walked. Others cannot carry you on them. I can tell you this. You want to look into Beta White Camp.”
He handed the photograph back to Nadie. She nodded, placed it back into her pocket for safe keeping, and went to join her crew.
--
The next morning, James had to wait, shivering, in the Shen Yee theater parking lot until the others arrived. They explained things quickly to him. He breathed a sigh of relief at getting rid of what he saw as a cursed item. At the same time, he was eager to ask Bi Rui about the baseball card's origin. So, they split into two groups. Vincent and Fin took the mule. They were driving to the exotic pet store in an attempt to sell Fahn Dahn, the boa constrictor. Nadie, Del, and James went upstairs to visit Bi Rui. They were eager for the work he had promised.
“So,” Nadie said to James as they walked across the parking lot to the theater door, “Guess this is the right time to be asking. You want to be on the crew?”
James nodded his agreement. He did. Now, the Mao's Claw had a captain, a pilot, a doctor, a mechanic, and a professional scholar.
Upstairs, Bi Rui waited for his niece and her crew. He held in his arms a small pet crate. Inside, peering out, was a beautiful but small dog with long, white fur.
Nadie smiled and thanked her uncle. They collected the instructions and the dog food, then left to go meet Vincent and Fin.
“I find it very unlikely,” James noted as they walked down the stairs, “That the the employer of Vincent's botched job happened to be the captain's uncle and the owner of the baseball card.”
Del just smiled.
“Like I always say,” she chirped out, “vectors of the 'Verse converge in unusual ways!”
--
“Del,” Nadie said, giving her mechanic some coin, “Go out, get just the parts needed for flying. Nothing more, alright?”
Del nodded and took the money and the mule. Nadie saw her off and then tracked down Vincent and Fin.
“How'd it go with the snake?” she asked.
“He was wary of buying from someone who didn't have a breeding license,” Fin explained as he drew some bills from his pocket, “so we were only able to sell the snake for eight credits.”
“I thought we sold it for ten.” Vincent said, seeming perplexed.
Nadie smirked and held out her hand. Fin just sighed and added the two extra bills to the pile.
--
The money they got upfront for the job paid for fuel, parts, and some food. There was even some left over, since Del had found some bargain “refurbished” parts. Better yet, they scored the cargo job that James had sussed out at the bar the previous night. A hardware salesman wanted several tons of tools shipped to a small mining moon called Haven. He needed it there quietly as possible and he needed it there within the month. Nadie had even convinced him to pay upfront. Things were looking shiny!
--
Vincent landed the Mao's Claw neat as a pin on the landing pad. The entire crew felt like coming along to visit the temple for one reason or another. That's why they, as a group, began walking down the exit ramp from the cargo bay after it lowered. They were no more than halfway down when they noticed the welcome committee. The man up front had coal dark skin and a big scar that ran from the top of his bald head, all the way down his face, to his chin. He had a heavy revolver in hand. His two lackies, two rough looking characters in as much dirt as leather, held rifles cocked and ready.
“We'll be taking the dog now.” the dark skinned man said, pointing with his gun to the crate Nadie held.
“How wrin bu lai, whai wrin bu jwo.” Nadie muttered. Things never go smooth.
END ACT 1
ACT 2
Currently Playing: Desert Chase from the Raiders of the Lost Ark soundtrack
Nadie stared down at the dark skinned man and his two riflemen. Her crew had the odds but the enemy already had their weapons drawn and trained on them.
“Dog's our's.” Nadie said, moving slowly over towards Del.
“Don't matter none.” the dark skinned man replied, “We're taking him.”
Nadie opened her mouth, about to try to negotiate their way out of the situation when Vincent gave his own reply.
“Like hell.” Vincent growled. He moved fast as greased lightning, drawing his pistol and firing. The speed of it was amazing. No one had time to react as the bullet impacted square in the chest of the dark skinned man, knocking him backwards. Backwards, but not down. A hole was torn open in the man's shirt, showing off the shininess of ballistic mesh beneath.
Vincent took off running across the ramp and leaped from it, seeking some measure of cover beside it. He didn't get it, however. One of the two riflemen scooted on over to the side, too, and took a shot. Luckily, Vincent was still a moving target at that point. The shot hit the Claw's armored hide and not Vincent's more squishy one.
Nadie shoved the crate holding the pekingese into Del's arms just as the second rifleman fired, digging a furrow along her arm. She hissed in pain but drew her katana and rushed forward. It took only one swipe of her sword to send the man's rifle flying away from him.
“Don't be stupid.” the dark skinned man said, though the effort of speaking caused him obvious discomfort. His chest was mighty bruised up from Vincent's shot. He aimed his gun at Nadie, “Give us the dog. Ain't worth getting hurt over.”
James fired the shot that ended the fight. He laid his pistol over his other arm to steady the shot, aimed carefully, and squeezed the trigger. The bullet ripped right into the dark skinned man's flesh, hit the bone, and shattered it. The bone did the rest, the shards of it tearing through muscles and tendons. In less than a second the dark skinned man's arm went from fully functional to barely hanging on. He screamed and dropped his gun. The gun, being cocked, went off as it hit the ground. The bullet ricocheted off the hull of the Claw and slammed right into the lock of the crate Del was holding. Blew it clean off. The crate door swung wide open and the pekingese leaped out, then took off running.
Things got a might confusing from there. Some of the crew gave chase, following the dog. None of them caught it. The man Nadie disarmed briefly tried to take her in a fight with his knife but that didn't last long. In the end, the two riflemen turned bright yellow and ran, leaving their boss behind to die. Not that he was going to. Fin hurried to apply first aid.
“Fin. James. Get him inside. We'll need to talk to him.” Nadie gave quick, sharp orders. “Del, Vincent, with me. We got to find that ruttin' dog!”
--
“Looks bad.” James said, as he helped Fin carefully place the dark skinned man on the examination cum surgical table.
“It is.” Fin replied. “Hand me the saw.”
--
Currently playing: Basket Game from the Raiders of the Lost Ark soundtrack
As they approached, Vincent took the lead.
“Virginia?” he asked, recognizing the woman from his days on Persephone, before he had adopted a life of wandering and crime, “Virginia Montgomery?”
The young woman looked up, frowning. She stared at Vincent as if trying to figure out exactly how he knew her.
“Vincent Locke.” he said, “I was a friend of your brother's.”
Virginia frowned, clearly riffling through her memories. Then the light of recognition dawned upon her.
“Vincent. Yes!” Virginia said. “Well, look at you. My father always did say you'd amount to no good. Was there something I could do for you?”
Vincent ignored the insult.
“Matter of fact,” he said, pointing to the dog in her arms, “That's our dog there. Thank you for finding her. We need her back, though.”
“I don't know to what you are referring, Vincent Locke.” Virginia said, sniffing distastefully, “This is my dog.”
“The monks at the local monastery might disagree.” Nadie replied. She didn't like where this was going.
“They can disagree all they want.” Virginia turned and began to walk away. “I've had little Sparkles here for over a year. Good day.”
For a moment, Nadie was tempted to follow but she couldn't afford another fight, especially with three bodyguards who actually knew what they were doing.
As she left, though, the trio could hear Virginia speak to one of those bodyguards. Something about going home to get ready for the party.
--
The surgery took several hours. In the end, the dark skinned man lost his arm but kept his life. Fin had worked wonders in a cramped, primitive infirmary with only the bare minimum of tools. He woke up shortly after the surgery was completed. At first, the faces around him were a blur. Finally, though, they focused into three separate entities: Nadie Ling, James Heru, and Phineas Cage.
“I get it.” he croaked. He moved to sit up but found himself strapped down. “Right. Okay. You want to know what's what. So, deal is my life for the info.”
“You're not in a position to bargain right now.” Fin said as he held up his still bloody surgical saw.
The dark skinned man turned his head and realized what it was he had lost.
“Mi tian gohn.” he muttered, “Fine. Can we just get this over with?I was hired by the Golden Turtle Tong. They're the local boys. Your Tong wants to expand into the Persephone market. They're making inroads with the local community by making friends with the Buddhist monks. Dog's a big step in that. They hired me to snatch the dog 'cause I ain't Tong. That way, they can tell the monks they had nothing to do with it.”
Nadie nodded. It all made sense.
“Make sure he gets to the local hospital.” she said to Fin and James, before walking out.
--
Both James and Vincent had local contacts. They were each able to procure a single invitation for one person and guest to the party. It was, it turned out, the social event of the season. One of only several that occur each year, according to Vincent.
Nadie doled out money so those going could buy appropriate clothing as needed. She, herself, had to buy a nice evening dress. She didn't actually own one. Or any dress, really. They also arranged for two bicycle driven rickshaws for the evening, one with a driver and one without.
“Alright. What's the plan?” Nadie asked as they gathered around the pool table.
“I could seduce her,” James suggested, without a shred of doubt that he could accomplish the task.
“I don't think so.” Vincent replied. “From what I remember of Virginia, someone else would have a better chance.”
Vincent's gaze turned towards Del.
“What?” Del asked, as everyone began staring at her. “Oh! Sure. That's shiny!”
“Well... that's a start.” Nadie said, “Anything else?”
A few ideas were tossed back and forth. Security would be tight on this party. Weapons would be impossible to sneak in. In the end, they decided to play it by ear. Fin did whip up a little cocktail he thought would make the dog seem sick, though, just in case Del needed to invent a reason to get the little guy out of the party. They could even pretend Fin was a vet if need be. For now, though, Fin's role was riding one of the rickshaws, dressed as a driver.
END OF ACT 2
ACT 3
Currently playing: A rotating selection of waltzes
“Lieutenant James Heru and escort!”
Nadie walked in, dressed all refined, on the James' arm. When he came out of his cabin all fancy in an Alliance dress uniform, she found herself with some rather mixed feelings. It didn't feel right walking anywhere on the arm of a man wearing the uniform of her brother's enemy from back in the war. On the other hand, it was a good disguise. In the end, she shoved down her feelings in favor of getting the job done.
“Mister Vincent Locke and escort!”
Del spent quite a while pampering herself. The dress was pure slink and she knew she looked good in it. That's why she bought it, after all. Vincent looked handsome as well, but ill-at-ease back in his old stomping grounds.
The crew of the Mao's Claw got to work. It took roughly ten minutes to wade through the crowd and locate Virginia Montgomery. She was dressed in happy frippery, gathered together with a few other, similarly dressed young ladies. They chatted happily amongst themselves, glancing around on some occasions and bursting into peels of laughter on others. Just like Vincent predicted, Virginia had the pekingese with her, carrying it as much as a fashion statement as a pet.
Nadie and James had a passive role in the mission. They were there to keep watch for an opportunity to grab the dog and back-up Del. So, they moved towards the buffet table and enjoyed the real meat, fresh fruit, and other delicacies at the buffet table. As good space-faring folk, they couldn't resist the opportunity to sample real food instead of canned goods and protein paste.
Vincent escorted Del close to the gaggle of belles and then detached. He stayed close by, keeping an eye on his friend and fellow crew member.
Del moved right in, her stride confident.
“Hello!” she said, her eyes fully focused on Virginia and not the others. “Gorgeous party, isn't it?”
Virginia's eyes wandered Del's figure before coming to her face. Her lips curled into something somewhere between a satisfied smile and a smirk.
“It is. I'm Virginia.” the belle didn't bother to introduce her friends. They each made their excuses to wander off. Apparently, they knew Virginia well enough to know what was coming.
--
“I don't believe we've met.”
The woman who approached Nadie and James was tall, a good three inches taller than James himself. She was military, a colonel according to her uniform, and her bearing was much like that of a legendary amazon. A beautiful warrior woman. James took immediate notice.
“We haven't,” he said, holding out his hand. “Lieutenant James Heru, retired. A pleasure.”
Nadie introduced herself as well, though it seemed as if she were already out of the conversation.
“Colonel Angela Jones. With the local Alliance garrison,” the powerful woman said as she took James' hand in her own. “Your date won't mind if we danced, would she?”
“Of course not.” James was all smiles. This was quite an improvement over what he was able to scrounge up for an evening of fun on Paquin.
In the background, new arrivals were still being announced.
“William and Lady Courtland!”
--
Like the other chauffeurs, Fin was relegated to the parking lot. At least, he thought, it was spring here on Persephone, and not winter like on Paquin. He listened idly to the chatter of the other drivers, not really paying attention. Then a fleeting mention of a name in the background caught his attention.
Colonel Angela Jones.
The name was familiar, although, only Lieutenant Jones. He remembered her laughing with contempt for the poor souls she tortured. She would dismiss his objections with an air of superiority and veiled threats. He was a surgeon, not squeamish or afraid of the sight of blood. But thinking of her, and what she did back then made him sick to his stomach, eight years later. That she was a Colonel, commander of base. It was too much.
--
“Colonel Cyrus Mumsen and escort!”
Del paid no attention to the calling out of names or the buzz of dancing and conversation around her. Things were going well right where she was.
“You were with Vincent Locke earlier, weren't you?” Virginia asked. The belle had used the excuse of the party's noise level to move closer to Del.
Del nodded in the affirmative.
“Let me give you a piece of advice.” Virginia said, “Nothing good can come of your association with him. True, his family had money... but giving a pig a fortune doesn't make it less of a pig.”
Del forced a smile on her face as her former captain and best friend was insulted. She nodded in fake understanding.
--
“Atherton Wing and Inara Serra!”
Nadie glanced up to see a handsome man walk in arm in arm with one of the most beautiful, most regal women she had ever seen. Her attention was quickly drawn elsewhere, however, when an Asian man in a tuxedo approached her.
“Ms. Ling?” he asked.
Nadie nodded, warily.
“My name is John Wu.” As he spoke, the man turned his hand over. Tucked into the palm was the same coin she wore around her neck. Proof of his membership in the Lucky Four Fingers Tong. “We need to speak.”
Nadie nodded again and took John's arm as he offered it. Together, they walked away from the buffet table. Nadie forced herself not to look back with one last, longing glance.
“We had word of your altercation, earlier.” John explained in a quiet voice, “And of your current problem. I can guess at why you are here at this affair. I am sorry that we can not give you direct aid in this matter but our standing in this community is precarious. Open aggression against the Golden Turtle Tong would be disastrous. We are not yet strong enough, militarily or in influence, here on Persephone. However, we can give indirect aid. When you accomplish your goal, come to us. We will provide you safe harbor for the night. There you and the gift for the monastery will be safe.”
John reached into his pocket and drew out a card, offering it to Nadie. She took it and glanced down, reading the address written on it in Mandarin.
“I look forward to seeing you soon.” John said before he moved away.
--
“Miss Kaywinnit Lee Frye and escort!”
Vincent glanced towards the entrance to the hall and stared for a moment. He knew who Malcolm Reynolds was, mostly by reputation. As a fellow captain, they did move in the same circles after all. Or did, back when Vincent actually was a captain.
“Del better hurry.” Vincent muttered to himself. Everything he had heard told him that when Reynolds got involved in a situation, things went from bad to worse in a hurry.
--
“You really should inspect our barracks.” Angela purred to James as they danced, “I'm sure you'll find them very different from what you experienced during the war. My bunk in particular is quite fascinating.”
James' smile grew three times larger.
“Yes. Yes, I should.”
Together, the Colonel and the Lieutenant made their way to the exit.
-- Fin looked up at the estate's entrance and saw James leaving early. Next to him was a woman. He recognized her immediately and infallibly. Her face was etched indelibly on his psyche. His stomach fell to the ground, he felt dizzy and ill. He couldn't believe it. After all the years, she was here, of all places. And on James's arm no less. It couldn't be. He felt his bile rising in throat and did everything he could to hold it down. His hands were balled into fists of rage. He could barely make her out, but it was clearly her. The woman he last saw during his court martial. He wished now that he had throttled her then, seven years ago. He was suddenly filled again with regret. Why didn't he say no to her. Why did he accept her lies, her commands. Why did he just stand by? Tears were flowing from his eyes. He reached back to his heavy gun, spun the chambers to check it was fulling loaded, and then he jumped from the rickshaw and headed through the crowded parking area.
He had to do something.
Fin moved up to the military hovercraft. He knocked on the window. Inside, the driver looked up from his reverie. Fin mimed smoking and the driver nodded in understanding. He rolled down the window. Fin shoved the barrel of the gun right into the man's forehead.
“Get out of the craft and into the trunk.”
--
Both Angela and James were so focused on his upcoming festivities that they didn't even notice that the man behind the wheel wasn't wearing a military uniform.
Fin grimaced as he drove the hovercraft away from the house. James' presence only proved this was the right course of action.
--
“I'm sorry,” Virginia asked, “but what was it you did again?”
“I... work with my hands.” Del tried to put as much purr and suggestion into the phrase as possible.
“I thought so. Don't take this the wrong way, but how much is Vincent paying for you? You're gorgeous but you're obviously not a Companion.”
Del almost laughed but managed to keep a straight face and a sultry little smile.
“My rates are very reasonable.”
“While I usually prefer the work of professionals, not that you aren't but you certainly aren't at the top of your profession, there's something to be said for... slumming it every once and a while.” Virginia said with a nasty little giggle, “I'll give you double what he's paying you to come home with me right now. This party's officially boring.”
Del smiled. Hook. Line. Sinker.
“You got a deal.”
--
Nadie frowned, looking around for James. Del and the target were leaving and he was no where in sight. Neither was that purplebelly colonel. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. Seething, she joined Vincent as they followed their mechanic at a discreet distance. They could have been right behind, however. Malcolm Reynolds provided a wonderful distraction when he punched Atherton Wing in the mouth. No one would notice two people leaving the party close behind Virginia, Del, and the dog. They'd be too focused on the violence.
Outside, Del and Virginia were quickly whisked away in Virginia's carriage while Nadie and Vincent waited for one of the the parking attendant's overworked runners to fetch Fin and the rickshaw with the weapons tucked away inside. The boy came running back, out of breath.
“I can't.. find... their driver...”
“Buhn Dahn!” Nadie cursed as she began marching down to the parking lot with Vincent in tow. As they hurried along, Vincent pulled out his handset and thumbed the trigger.
“Fin, where are you?”
Fin's voice sounded tinny as he responded.
“Saving James. He's in trouble.”
--
Fin didn't know where the military barracks where and he didn't care. He drove the hovercraft away from the plantation and then away from Eavesdown, stopping, finally on the side of a dark road.
In the back seat, James glanced up as the craft stopped. The foreplay had already turned rough, though not unpleasurable. It seemed the colonel was a biter. A hard biter.
“Guess we're there.” he breathed out.
Colonel Angela Jones glanced out the window. Immediately, she tensed.
“No, we're not.” she shoved open the door and got out. Fin was waiting with his gun pointed directly at her head. Angela froze. So did James, who was halfway out the door himself.
“Doctor Phineas Cage.” The colonel said with a cruel smile. “Fancy meeting you here. Isn't your life already enough of a mess without this little drama you're staging?”
Fin growled and shoved the barrel of the gun into the colonel's head, ignoring James' protests.
“I'm not letting you do it again.” Fin said, his voice filled with cold fury.
“Do what again?” The colonel asked with wide eyed, mock innocence. “What is it you want, Doctor?”
“I want to hear you beg for mercy.” Fin snarled. “Like all those poor souls who begged you, hoping for the smallest shred of kindness from your sadistic heart.”
Perhaps the colonel realized that Fin was serious. Or perhaps she just wanted to toy with him further, not believing he'd have the courage to carry through with things. For whatever reason, she stared Fin right in the eyes as she spoke.
“Please. I beg you. Have mercy.” she said, without a drop of sincerity.
'Very well', Fin thought silently, his lips clenched too tightly to speak, 'mercy for you. Justice for Sam Brown.'
Then Fin pulled the trigger. The bullet ripped right into the woman's head and then tore open the back, splattering her gray matter against the hovercraft and all over a shocked James.
“What the fuck!?!” James cried out, horrified, as Colonel Angela Jones fell to the ground, dead.
-- Vincent and Nadie pulled the rickshaw up as close to the gates of the Montgomery estate as they dared. Now, all they had to do was wait. Hopefully.
--
Del slipped out of Virginia's room and over to the room set aside for “Sparkles”, the pekingese. She scooped the puppy, all dolled up in bows, and made her escape. All she left behind was a note:
VIRGINIA, I HOPE YOU LEARNED A FEW THINGS. CONSIDER SPARKLES MY PAYMENT. LOVE, DELPHINIA.
--
“How was it?” Vincent asked as he helped load the pekingese into the rickshaw.
“Honestly? Disappointing.” Del grinned. “Let's get back to the ship.”
Nadie shook her head.
“Not going to the ship. Four Fingers Tong has a safehouse. We're gonna spend the night there. Go to the temple in the morning.”
“What about Fin and James?” Del asked.
“They can guard the ship.” Nadie replied, somewhat frostily.
--
James' hair was still wet from the vicious washing he had given it. He exited his room, dressed comfortably, and found Fin sitting in the crew lounge, working his way through a bottle of whiskey.
“So,” James asked, “What was that about?”
Fin passed James the bottle.
“You like stories, right? Well, let me tell you a story about what I did during the war...”
FADE TO BLACK
| Heroes of the Great Tree Topics | ||
| Heroes of the Great Tree | Barsaive • Adepts • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Impossibilities | I-verse background • Player Characters • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Phantapunk | Aeryn Background • Player Characters • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Concrete & Crimson | World Background • Scoobies • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Keep Flying | The 'Verse • The Crew • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Polybius | The World • Investigators • NPCs • House Rules | |
| Labyrinth | The World • PCs • NPCs • House Rules• Leads | |
| Arkham by Cyberlight | The City • The Runners • Everyone Else • House Rules | |
| Keep Flying v2 | The 'Verse • The Crew • Other Folk • House Rules | |
| Savage Effect | The Galaxy • The Cliens • Everyone Else • House Rules | |
