Cosmic Cabaret

by SFR Shooting Stars

  “Hey, I was just kidding.”

  Then she noticed Valon and Kendra seated at the breakfast table. Kendra was staring at her, a slight smile on her face.

  Oh, Crap. I’m sure I’m going to get some questions about this later.

  Ignoring Kendra, Sabrina took a deep breath and sat down. Just as she was taking her first sip of coffee she felt her com link pulse.

  She looked down at her wrist unit, “Incoming message from Dev. He wants a holo-meeting as soon as possible. I’ll let him know we can do it right now.”

  The group watched as an image of Dev gradually solidified on the holo platform. He was seated at his desk in the office that had been provided for him within the Calivan security area. A cup of steaming liquid sat on its corner.

  “Morning, all.”

  The group nodded and responded with a, “Good Morning.”

  Sabrina saluted him with her cup of coffee, then added, “For someone who’s not a morning person, you’re up early.”

  “That’s because I haven’t been to bed, yet. I’ve been up all night researching the two men who were with the Ventegs and with Louvos and I have some very interesting news about them. They are from Earth. I linked with the Alliance’s data files and found a fair amount of info on them, which I’ll forward to you and to Quantum Security headquarters. Basically, they’re part of a group called The Stellers, which I wasn’t familiar with at all.”

  Both Kendra and Sabrina looked at each other and shook their heads. Sabrina spoke for them both, “Neither are we.”

  “The group tries to stay low key, which is difficult for them because it’s comprised of wealthy businessmen. They tend to get a certain amount of attention from the press, just because of their status. Over the last few years, some of them have gained some political power by closely aligning themselves with Earth representatives within the Alliance. They lean heavily toward increasing isolationism under the guise that they’re trying to protect the planet from others within the Alliance who don’t really have our best interests at heart. There are also rumors that the group is involved in some really ugly money makers, like sex trafficking and drugs. Anyway, I’ll send you the data and you can check it out for yourselves. “

  Dayor took a sip of his tea and looked thoughtful for a moment. “What about the other two? Any leads yet as to who they are?”

  “I’m still working on that. My gut feel is that they’re probably not part of this elite group. If they were, the facial recognition comps would have picked them up. That means they’re probably underlings of some sort, maybe even enforcers for these guys. I’ll keep you posted on that as well, of course.

  Dayor set his cup down hard enough for some of his tea to slosh over the side. “I can’t believe Quantum’s security people can’t figure out how these guys are getting around this place with no identification and aren’t setting off all kinds of alarms. There are scanners everywhere that keep track of everything and everyone.”

  Dev nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’ve thought about that. Typically, the best way to slip through the cracks when you have security as tight as they have in that place is if you work in some sort of maintenance job. Either that or, if you’re a sub-contractor. I’d tell their security people to check that out, if they haven’t already.

  Dayor said, “I might just do that.”

  “One final little bombshell for you guys. I found a thread on the Ventegs that puts them on Earth about a month ago. It was a facial recognition image on a camera in New York. Both Arton and his wife were recorded leaving a hotel and getting into a limo. All its digi-tags had been blocked, so there was no way to trace it. There was only the one image, so wherever they were, they must have really been laying low. I’m pulling hard on that thread, too, but there was no record of them travelling by traditional methods from Malli to Earth. That means they had to have gone through the portal.

  Kendra sat back in her chair and looked around at all of them. “It’s so frustrating that, even with our advanced technology, we can’t find the entrances, either on the Malli side or the Earth side. Dev and I have been looking for it on Malli for almost a year, for stars sake! There has to be something we can do to find it.”

  “I’ll leave that up to you guys to brainstorm. Unless you guys have something for me, I’m going to end transmission. I need to get some sleep, but we’ll talk again later.”

  The group finished their breakfast in in silence. Jeeves cheerfully and efficiently cleared the table for them.

  Kendra watched Jeeves bustle around and then looked at Valon. “I’m really going to miss him when we leave. I know we already have people and robo-everythings who cook and help us clean up and all, but there’s just something about him that feels like home.” Valon looked at Kendra thoughtfully, but before he could comment, Sabrina spoke up.

  “I have an idea. I think we should look for the two guys, the Stellers, who have been identified. Quantum Security knew where they were hanging out when they were spotted with Louvos and the Ventegs. We should start there. I have a feeling about this, a serious pre-cog feeling. I believe we’re going to find them. When we do, I think Kendra and I should completely take the lead on this.”

  Valon’s immediate reaction was. “No. Absolutely not.”

  Kendra spoke up, “Just wait. First, we already discussed this kind of thing as a possibility. Second, I see where Sabrina is headed with this. These guys are from Earth and are supposedly only interested in supporting Earth and Earth’s ventures. Here we are, two Earth ladies, such a long way from home and on rich-girl vacations on the prestigious LS Quantum, just looking for some company and some fun. We may be able to get some information out of them and, if not that, we may be able to get them in a position where Quantum Security can safely secure and question them.”

  Valon’s face took on a stubborn set. Dayor looked thoughtful and then spoke up. “It might be a way to find out more about them, Valon. I know you don’t like it, but both Kendra and Sabrina are trained agents. They can handle themselves as well as we can. In fact, I know you realize it about Kendra. You’re always bragging to everyone about how capable she is and how she can handle anything.”

  Kendra looked pleased, even amid this serious a conversation. “He brags about me?”

  “Yes, he does.”

  Valon took a deep breath and then nodded his head. “You’re right and I’ll support it, but only with the agreement that Quantum Security be heavily involved. I want an entire army of their agents undercover there to back you up if there’s trouble.”

  Sabrina shook her head. “Remember, they’ve just realized they have either a mole or a breach in their own security. We can contact Moore about this, but she’s going to have to hand select a few agents she’s sure she can trust. Not only that, but, you, Valon, are going to have to be way in the background on this. Even though this is your first trip to Quantum and you’ve only been to Earth a couple of times, you’re still well known. It could blow the whole thing, if they spot you.”

  Valon reluctantly nodded in agreement. Okay. Let’s do this.”

  Intel revealed that the place where the Ventegs, Louvos and his companions had met was called the Chromosphere and that it was still one of their typical hangouts. It was considered one of Quantum’s most elite casinos and its priciest. It featured entertainment every hour on the hour, with gorgeous, scantily clad performers of all genders and cultures from numerous parts of the multiverse. It also boasted the best restaurants and bars on Quantum.

  Sabrina and Kendra spent the afternoon primping and shopping for clothes suitable for a night out at the Chromosphere. Neither of them had ever been overly focused on fashion, so they typically just bargain hunted for the necessities. This was a whole new experience for them.

  At first, they were both uncomfortable with all the attention they were receiving from LS Quantum store clerks as they were shown various gowns and accessories. Although neither one of them learned to love it, they were both surprised to find
that, after a while, they didn’t mind it. As a precaution, in case someone was watching them, it was also crucial for them to be seen in the pampered rich girl roles they were projecting for themselves.

  Jeeves reserved a small limo-tram to pick them up from the lobby of their quadrant and drop them off at the Chromosphere’s entrance. Dayor and Valon arranged to arrive there ahead of them and found a seat toward the back of a bar near the entrance so they could watch for Sabrina and Kendra to arrive. There were a handful of the most trusted Quantum Security people in place as back-up as well.

  The atmosphere within the casino was electric. Lights flashed and bells clanged as patrons played their favorite slot machines or watched and cheered as cards were flipped and wheels were spun by automated dealers.

  Both Sabrina and Kendra looked fantastic. All heads turned in their direction as the two of them exited their limo at the entrance to the Chromosphere and then made their way through the casino. It felt so foreign to Sabrina’s field training to want to be noticed, rather than blending into the background, that she had to fight the urge to turn around and leave.

  From the moment Dayor saw Sabrina, he wanted to make his way to her to claim her as his. Even though he knew that would be the worst thing he could do in her eyes, it took all his self-control to make him stay where he was.

  The contrast of Sabrina’s blond hair and fair skin to the deep magenta of her dress was breathtaking. Its plunging V-shape neckline was trimmed with a row of gems at its top that drew attention to the fullness of her breasts. It was also very, very short and completely showed-off a set of killer legs that were emphasized by a pair of shimmering glide-heels.

  Kendra’s gown was a fitted, floor length, off-the-shoulder design done in emerald green that looked beautiful with her coloring as well. It had slits on both sides that extended up to hip-level and showed the entire length of her long legs when she walked. She was also wearing glide-heels that matched her dress perfectly.

  Security’s intel had located the two men who had been identified as having been with Louvos. Their names were John Corvano and Jordan Stoler and they were in the retro section of the casino where the more traditional games were played. One of them was at the Roulette Wheel and the other was at a nearby table playing Blackjack.

  As Sabrina and Kendra headed toward that area of the Casino to look for them, they chatted and giggled, playing their roles for all to see. There was less activity at the Roulette Wheel than at the Blackjack table, so Roulette was their best choice for getting one of the men’s attention.

  John Corvano was engrossed in watching the wheel spin. He was dressed in his usual all black shirt and slacks and he had a sour look on his face. He’d been steadily losing all night. A woman appeared on his right. She gently nudged him and then pointed at his bet.

  “Excuse me, Sir, but is it okay if we watch you? My friend and I have never played Roulette and we’re not sure how it all works. We just arrived this morning from our home town, Chicago.”

  Sabrina watched as he looked her up and down and then smiled. “I don’t mind at all, ladies, but I’m not sure I’m going to continue playing this particular game. So far, I’ve been losing all night.”

  Sabrina looked up at him and smiled. “Oh, I don’t think anyone as handsome as you can really lose. Even if you decide to play something else, we can just kind of hang around you so we can watch how you play some of the games. The only thing we’ve ever played at any of the casinos back home have been the slot machines. My name is Sabrina, but everyone calls me Rina and this is my friend Kendra.”

  “My name is John.”

  “Nice to meet you, John.”

  My friend, Jordan, is at the Blackjack table just over there. Let’s try that, shall we?”

  Kendra and Sabrina followed John to the Blackjack table where they were introduced to Jordan Stoler and learned how to play Blackjack. They both managed to giggle appropriately when John and Jordan whispered sexy little phrases in their ears or gave them a little grope under the table. Sabrina would rather have punched their lights out.

  Eventually the group headed for the Andromeda, a bar that was adjacent to the casino and that was recommended by Sabrina and Kendra’s trip advisor as ‘the-best-place-to-go’. Both ladies ordered the featured drink of the month called, The Double Asteroid that was served in a take-home glass. Both men ordered top shelf Scotch, neat.

  Sabrina and Kendra talked a lot about their penthouse apartments back home and, eventually, the men loosened up and started talking about their various businesses. After about an hour, John received a communication. He was sitting right next to Sabrina and she could see that the display on his com link said, Tag Robert, Urgent. She got a very bad feeling about it and signaled to Kendra that she thought they were in trouble by faking a sneeze. John took a few steps away from the group to make his call. When he stepped back to them, Sabrina noticed he had a funny look on his face, but after a moment, it was gone.

  “Ladies, I think we should all go out and grab a bite to eat. There’s a restaurant across from the entrance to the Chromosphere that has incredible food. What do you say?”

  Kendra and Sabrina looked at each other and then Kendra shrugged her shoulders. “Okay with me. What do you think, Rina?”

  “Sure, I could eat something. That’s a really good idea, John.”

  The moment the four of them exited the casino, John grabbed Sabrina by the arm and pushed her against the building. it was obvious he was furious.

  “Grab that one, Jordan. They’re not who they say they are.”

  Jordan grabbed Kendra by the arm and then pulled a mini-blaster out of his jacket pocket. He pointed it at Kendra. She shot forward, then kicked out and knocked the blaster out of his hand. She spun around, twisted and then planted him face-down across the large trash can that was next to him where she pulled his right arm up behind his back to hold him in place.

  At the same time, John grabbed onto Sabrina’s hand and started to twist her arm behind her. She spun and turned toward him and then rammed the palm of her other hand up an into his nose. She watched blood spurt from it and splatter the front of his shirt as he fell backward and landed on his rear end, a dazed expression on his face. Sabrina looked over at Kendra, who was a little out of breath, but had a satisfied look on her face. Then, she looked down in disgust at the few spatters of blood that had landed on the front of her dress.

  “Shit, Kendra. Do you think Jeeves knows how to get bloodstains out of satin? I hope he does because I really like this dress.”

  Within seconds, Quantum Security personnel had surrounded them. Dayor and Valon were right behind them. As Corvano and Stoler were being taken away for questioning, Sabrina told one of them to make sure to check Corvano’s phone for a call that had just come through from someone named Robert.

  The group went back to their suite to change clothes. From there, they were going to head to Quantum Security Headquarters to view the interrogation of the two men. For good measure and to make sure they would be held for twenty-four hours, both Sabrina and Kendra were going to file assault charges against them. because, as Sabrina put it, “The men had attacked them first, after all.”

  Valon had handled the attack on Kendra well. He had only ranted about ripping Stoler’s eyeballs out of his head for about a minute before calming down. Then he told Kendra she really knew how to kick ass and that he was proud of her, just before hauling her into his arms for a heart melting kiss.

  Dayor didn’t bother with either cursing or a speech. He just wrapped his arms around Sabrina and held on tight. Sabrina wasn’t sure at first how she felt about it, but within a few seconds, she had her arms wrapped around him as well and decided that it felt just right.

  The group arrived at Security Headquarters just as the medics were finishing checking Corvano and Stoler over. Stoler’s arm was in a sling and Corvano had a bandage across the bridge of his nose. For the record, they’d both been deemed fit to be interrogated by security agents.
They had been and would continue to be separated.

  Deputy Secretary Moore decided she wanted to handle their interviews personally. Since he had the mini-blaster, which was a greater offense than anything Corvano had done that evening, Stoler was to be questioned first. He had demanded that he be allowed to contact his attorney, but that person was unable to leave Earth at that time, so he opted for a someone local to represent him through this initial process.

  Moore hit him hard with the fact that he had been carrying an unauthorized weapon aboard LS Quantum, a charge that alone could land him in their local jail for at least sixty days. The fact that he had brandished that weapon with the intent to cause harm to a patron was a minimum of a one-year sentence, even though he hadn’t fired it. In addition, if found guilty on the assault charge, that could add another six months to his time. If he’d caused an injury to the party he’d assaulted, the potential sentence would have been much longer. Since the entire thing was on record as part of the Chromosphere’s security system, they had him cold on all the charges. They’d be willing to make a deal, though, if he’d provide them with some information. His attorney recommended that he cooperate because, as he put it, “Quantum Security doesn’t fool around, son.”

  He took his attorney’s advice and agreed to answer their questions to the best of his ability. He even agreed to be hooked up to their lie detecting equipment while being interviewed.

  They spoke with him about Louvos and he confirmed that he had left the planet, but he swore he didn’t know where he was headed. They asked him if he knew how he’d left the planet, when they didn’t have a record of his retinal scan at any of the exit points. He said he’d heard Louvos talk about there being a way to disguise the scanners, but that’s all he knew.

  They asked him who Robert was and where he could be found. He told them Robert was one of three men who had done several odd-jobs for them since they’d been aboard LS Quantum. One of those odd jobs had been to break into the Calivan suite. He didn’t know Robert’s last name, but he told them where to find him. He also told them that Robert had been the person who had directly arranged for the other two men who were part of the break-in. He only knew them as Sam and Jacko and had no idea how to reach them.