by Eric Warren
***
The hypervator doors opened on level thirty-five. It was primarily an entertainment level, with a few spaces reserved for goods and storage. But it was also Maddox’s favorite level—where all the gambling tables were. If he was anywhere on this station, it would be here.
They got off the lift with a dozen other people, most human but a few non. Cas had noticed one of the Erustiaans in the lift eyeing him suspiciously and he couldn’t help but wonder if they had been on the ship Box had cut off. The only problem with pissing off an Erustiaan was they were, on average, over two meters tall and all muscle. Not to mention the hard pieces of bone or hoof growing out of their fingers so when they made a fist and hit you, it felt like being hit by a sharp brick. It was not an experience Cas looked forward to repeating and he made sure to avoid eye contact.
Once they were out of the lift the Erustiaans had gone their own way while he and Box made their way down the main promenade, checking the different establishments for Maddox.
“He won’t be hard to find.” Cas tapped his sidearm underneath his jacket just to confirm it was still there and he hadn’t accidentally left it on his ship. It was a weapon of his own design, a class-L Boomcannon; the only one in existence. Of course it was probably illegal to have a weapon that not only fired a plasma pulse but a projectile at the same time, but it wasn’t as if the Sargans were strict on weapon control. It was in their best interests for people to arm themselves out here because it meant squabbles might turn into firefights. Firefights meant less competition on quality goods. And the Commonwealth had no problem with that.
“I dare say,” Box emulated in a bad British accent. “I do believe I’ve found him.” He pointed through a window of the next establishment. Beyond the crowd was a man of medium build, blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, spinning one of the Lett’ra wheels. He proclaimed something in a drunken slur causing the women on each of his arms to burst into manufactured laughter.
“Maddox,” Cas said under his breath as he narrowed his eyes. He pushed his way into the crowded and noisy room, Box right behind him. The speakers blared some electronic noise from Esook or some other Coalition planet while the smell of the room was a combination of body odor, perfume, and alcohol, all jumbled together. Cas suppressed the urge to stop by the bar first and instead pushed through the crowd, moving people out of the way. Most were too drunk to care. His gaze didn’t leave Maddox who only continued to spin the wheel before downing a gulp from his considerable glass.
As Cas reached the second-closest Lett’ra table Maddox finally locked eyes with him and his expression went cold. He dropped his glass, turned and took off running in the opposite direction, leaving the women surprised at his sudden departure.
Cas was ready for it. In three steps he vaulted the Lett’ra table and broke into a sprint after Maddox, who pushed his way through one of the back doors to the establishment. Adrenaline surged through Cas’s system and pushed the last remnants of the headache away.
“Box, go around!” Cas yelled, pushing through the same door. But he didn’t check to see if Box had heard him or not. He wasn’t about to let this man get away again. Cas found himself in a long hallway, filled with chemical, industrial and mechanical equipment. The door had soundproofed the noise from getting into the casino but in here it was loud enough to obscure someone’s footsteps. Maddox could have gone in either direction and there was no sign of him.
Cas glanced down. A puddle of green discharge covered a small part of the floor. And leading away from it was one footprint every meter or so. Maddox had caught one foot in the puddle. “He’s gone to the east,” Cas said into his comm.
“Understood,” Box replied. He wasn’t sure where Box had gone but he hoped he had a better understanding of the layout of this place than Maddox did.
Cas followed the footprints until they began to dry out, causing him to slow. He didn’t want to miss anything. The noise wasn’t as bad this far down, there had been a gravity generator right behind the casino, and those tended to put out a lot of ambient noise. Probably a backup in case the station lost power the casino could keep everyone’s chips where they were. Total gravity loss inside a money haven like that could turn into a bloodbath.
The sound of metal hitting metal echoed through the hallway and Cas took off toward the sound. It wasn’t far away. As he rounded the corner at a T-junction, he saw someone stumbling down the hallway. It didn’t take him long to catch up. Maddox glanced behind him and with a panicked look on his face tried to pick up speed only to trip over his own feet and fall face-first into the wall. Box appeared at the other end of the hallway.
“Looks like you didn’t need me after all,” Box called.
Cas didn’t respond, only approached Maddox who moaned as he tried to push himself back up to a standing position again. Cas grabbed his jacket from behind, jerking him into a standing position, then swiveled the man around and threw him against the wall. Maddox winced and slid back down. His eyes were half-closed.
“Oh no you don’t.” Cas grabbed him and kept him upright. “Did you really think you could get away with it, Theo? You don’t steal another courier’s money.” Box came up behind Cas.
“I…I needed it,” Maddox said in a pitiful voice.
“You needed it,” Cas replied. “For what? Gambling? You needed to throw away my money.”
“No, no, it’s not like that,” Maddox said, his words slurred. “I was doing really good on the tables.”
“I don’t care if you’re a millionaire,” Cas replied. “You don’t steal from me.”
Maddox smirked and put his hand on Cas’s shoulder but Cas brushed it away. “Yeah, but you’re okay Cas. You won’t kill me like those other guys. You’re the only one I can steal from.”
“Oh yeah?” Cas said, pulling his boomcannon from under his jacket and pressing it to Maddox’s temple. “You want to test that out?” Cas caught Box begin to reach for him, but the robot apparently thought better of it and pulled back.
Maddox began sobbing uncontrollably. “C’mon, Cas,” he pleaded. “You don’t want to kill me, we’ve been in this a long time together. It’ll never happen again. I promise. Please.”
Cas pressed the tip of the gun harder into Maddox’s skull but his finger remained off the trigger.
“I’ll give you everything I’ve won. You can have it all,” Maddox pleaded. Cas waited a beat, watching the pathetic man. His eyes were slammed shut as if he expected the hand of death at any second.
Cas pulled the gun away and re-holstered it. “All of it. If you steal from me again—”
“I know, I know,” Maddox rushed his words, putting his hands out. “Never again. Thank you. I knew you were one of the good ones.”
Ten minutes later the three of them had returned to the casino, Cas more than once propping Maddox up so he could keep walking along the way.
“Cash it all in!” Maddox yelled to the tender on the other side of the ornate gate. He pressed his thumb to the small pad in front of him.
“All of it sir?” the robotic tender said.
“Yes. All of it,” Maddox pronounced, sticking his chest out. Cas shot a glance to Box, shaking his head.
“Here you are, sir.” The tender handed Maddox a receipt showing his full balance. Cas snatched it away from his hand as soon as they were clear of the tender.
“What the hell is this?” Cas asked, shoving Maddox back. Remarkably he stayed on his feet. “I thought you said you were doing well on the tables!”
“I did!” Maddox protested. “This is the best I’ve ever done!”
“There is less than a quarter of my money here!” Cas replied, his body tensing. “That’s all you have left?”
Maddox shrugged, then stumbled down into a chair beside him. “It’s what I owe you,” he slurred. Then he lurched forward and his head hit the table in front of him. A soft snore came from his mouth.
Cas rubbed his temples. His headache had returned. “I should have shot him.
”
“Probably,” Box said.
Cas looked at the slip. It had Maddox’s transfer number on it. Which meant all he needed was a scan of the man’s thumb to get the money back into his account. “I’m not leaving here empty-handed,” Cas replied. “Grab him. Let’s go find a terminal.”
“As you command, sire.” Box bent and hoisted the unconscious man over his shoulders.
3
“I don’t believe this,” Cas said, staring at the terminal outside the casino. Maddox lay in a heap beside the machine, still snoring.
“Don’t tell me. He was lying and he’s actually ridiculously wealthy,” Box prompted.
“He’s got less money in his account than I do,” Cas replied. “His winnings are pretty much it.” He tapped a few controls confirming the account status. Maddox was dead broke.
“What about his ship?” Box asked.
“Highly leveraged from what I can tell. I could take it and get at least a portion back of what I’m due.” Cas gripped the sides of the terminal so hard his knuckles turned white. “Which leaves him stranded here.”
Box scoffed. It was a strange sound coming from a robot. “You already know what you’re going to do. Can you just do it already so we can leave?”
“You go back to the ship,” Cas said. “I’ll take care of this.”
Box hesitated, then left him alone with Maddox. The rest of the promenade was fairly busy and he disappeared into the crowd. Cas turned back to the terminal and transferred Maddox’s winnings into his own account, using Maddox’s thumb to confirm the transfer. He should take the ship. It would serve Maddox right for betraying him. But Cas couldn’t do it. He couldn’t leave the man stranded, regardless of what he’d done. He shut down the terminal then hunched over and patted at the drunk man’s jacket. All he had on him was a small data recorder in his inside pocket. Cas smacked him across the cheek.
Maddox startled. “Wha…?”
“I’m taking this,” Cas said, holding the recorder in front of Maddox’s eyes. He’d get a pittance for it but he didn’t care. It was something. “Don’t steal from me again.”
“You got it,” Maddox slurred before falling asleep again. Cas stood and made his way down the wide corridor. Security would come get him and let him sleep it off in the drunk tank. Cas wished he was ruthless enough to have taken Maddox’s ship; it would have gone a long way to settling his debt. He could have broken it down for parts, sold them off one-by-one and doubled his profit. But he wasn’t built that way. Despite his current situation, it wasn’t how he was going to live what was left of his life. He needed to be better than that.
Cas found another terminal a few shops down. He didn’t want to make a secure transfer with a drunk and unconscious man leaning against the terminal. Especially when it was as important as this. After a quick log on he confirmed the money was in his account and he transferred almost all of it to Veena. He didn’t want to think about what would have happened if Maddox had burned through more than her cut.
Yeah, Veena, you know that last job? With the princess? I don’t have your portion. If you’ll spare the beheading for a few more weeks I can probably scrounge up another payment.
He made sure at the end of the transfer to submit his best wishes as well.
“And a merry fuck-you too,” he said under his breath. A man passing by had turned his head as Cas spoke and Cas leaned over the terminal closer until he was gone. “You better appreciate this,” he added, unsure if he was talking to Veena or Maddox.
On the way back through the station Cas stopped off at the exchange shop to turn in the data recorder. As expected he received a pittance for it, but at least it was enough for a couple drinks at the bar. As he passed back by the casino he was glad to see security had already come and picked up Maddox; the man was nowhere to be seen. Drunken and disorderly people collapsed outside of establishments were generally bad for business.
Cas made his way down a few more doors until he came to an establishment called The Pit. It was a place he knew well and frequented often. Though not as often as Maddox hit the casinos.
“I’ll take a firebrand and a tooth melter.” Cas plopped down on one of the stools and pressing his thumb to the pad.
A robot bartender similar in appearance to Box glided over and poured the drinks.
“So. Hear any good jokes lately?” Cas asked the bartender.
The robot’s yellow eyes flashed while he continued to pour and mix the drinks. “Two blind men walk into a bar. The third one ducks.”
Cas eyed the robot, wishing he’d kept his mouth shut. Maybe he shouldn’t have told Box to go back to the ship. He was good for some entertainment when he wasn’t in one of his moods.
The bartender slid the drinks toward him. “Tipping is not a planet in the Caledon system,” he said.
“I’ll try the drinks first. Then we’ll see,” Cas replied, sipping the firebrand. True to its name it burned all the way down. But accompanied with that was the sense of relief knowing he wouldn’t have to dwell on thoughts of how to pay for the repairs to his ship without any more money. In a few minutes he wouldn’t even care and based on how much he got for that data recorder he should be able to suck at least a few hours out of this place.
Cas wasted no time in taking the tooth melter—a sickeningly sweet drink that helped chase the firebrand. The ol’ bartender hadn’t done a bad job. Maybe not tip-worthy but certainly not bad by any means.
Cas waved to the robot. “One more round.” After that he’d have to switch to something he could nurse.
“Not often you see rugged ship captains order fruit drinks,” a female voice said beside him. Cas wheeled around, dizzy by all the alcohol infusing his blood and it took him a moment to comprehend what he was seeing. She was a mercenary, tall and wearing a long cloak that reached the backs of her knees. Her dark brown hair was done into a braid that fell down her left shoulder and her emerald eyes glittered like the jewels they stole the name from. But the most noticeable thing about her was the broad sword strapped to her back.
“Excuse me?” Cas said.
“Your choice of drink. It’s unusual,” she said.
Perhaps his luck hadn’t run out after all. How often did beautiful woman approach him in a place as seedy as this? Though the sword was concerning. Cas leaned back away from the bar to get a better look at the weapon strapped to her back. He didn’t recognize the hilt. “What’s with the sword?”
“I use it to cut off the heads of my enemies,” the woman said, deadpan.
Hiding his expression, Cas leaned forward again and took the second firebrand the bartender had poured. “Join me?” He knocked the drink back.
“I don’t drink.”
“Of course you don’t.” So much for luck. Cas took the second tooth melter and knocked it back as well.
“What is that supposed to mean?” the woman frowned.
“Nothing,” Cas said, waving to the bartender again, who’d barely gone two meters. “Give me a rank, whatever you have on tap.”
The bartender nodded and glided away.
“You really should clean yourself up,” the woman snapped.
Cas screwed up his face. “I’m sorry, is there something I can do for you? Since you’re obviously not looking for any company would you please leave me alone?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed. “Your demeanor is unbecoming,” she said. “Especially for a captain.”
Cas sighed. “Let me guess. Veena sent you. If she wants another courier job she’s going to have to wait. I need repairs and I—”
“Veena didn’t send me,” the woman interrupted, crossing her arms. “I want to hire you, freelance.”
Cas couldn’t help but laugh. “You want me to work for a mercenary? You really don’t know who I am, do you?”
“You’re Captain Caspian Robeaux. That’s all I need to know.”
“And who might you be?” Cas asked.
She stiffened. “Evelyn.”
�
��Does Evelyn have a last name?” The bartender brought the rank, it was tinged green with a good amount of foam on the top. Just how Cas liked it. He took a long draw from the mug.
“That’s not important,” she replied.
“Well, Evie. I hate to disappoint you, but my ship is in no condition to be doing freelance work. Not to mention if my boss found out I was making money without cutting her in she’d cut me off if you get my drift.” He took another draw. “Sorry. You’ll have to find yourself another captain.” It didn’t escape his notice she bristled when he called her Evie.
Evelyn took one look at his glass and then at him again. “It appears you’re quite comfortable where you are then,” she said, her eyes boring into him.
A wave of shame bloomed up from within and it took every last ounce of the rank to drown it before it became unbearable. But the entire time he drank he didn’t take his eyes off Evie. And she didn’t take hers off him, though they were filled with disgust.
Cas took a breath and slammed the mug back down on the metal counter. Evie sneered and turned away, disappearing through the doors.
That had been the right call, hadn’t it? He couldn’t take a mercenary’s job even if he wanted to, not with his ship in its current state. It needed at least a dozen new parts before he was confident he could pull anything off. Perhaps the universe was reaching out with one hand, trying to give him a chance. Then again perhaps Veena already knew about his troubles and was testing his allegiance to her. But Evie hadn’t seemed much like Veena’s type. In fact, she hadn’t even seemed that much like a mercenary, except for that head-chopping comment. Regardless, the woman carried a sword. Not the kind of person he wanted to trifle with. No, he needed to keep his head down and figure out what he was going to do about his cash-flow problem.
But even that could wait. Cas motioned to the bartender one more time and if he wasn’t sure it was impossible he could have sworn he saw the bartender glance at him with exasperation. But robots didn’t have emotive faces. Except, maybe spending all this time with Box had taught him how to read them better.