by Jake Bible
“I should call it a night,” Etch said. “I think the tiles will be a little cold for me from here on out.”
“I am sure they will be cold,” Kalaka said. “But maybe stick around to find out.”
Etch stood up and Kalaka shook his head.
“Game’s not over,” Kalaka said.
“The game is never over,” Etch replied. “But the players do change. Someone will take my place. Goodnight, Detective.”
“Can we go too?” the first snickerer asked.
“Shut the fuck up,” Kalaka snapped as he carefully watched Etch gather up his chits and place them in a compression pouch which made carrying all the chits in Etch’s front pocket manageable. “Nice pouch. Looks like you’re used to hauling around more than a few chits.”
“Goodnight,” Etch said and walked off.
Etch made sure not to hurry as he threaded his way around the tables and tile players filling the room. A sense of deja vu hit him when he reached the entrance. For a split second, he expected the wall to explode around him and troopers to come rushing in.
But he made it to the entrance, tossed a chit to the bored-looking Dornopheous manning the security scanner, and walked out into the night.
The Mesker District was a hive of activity even at close to 12:30am. To Etch, it looked like the activity was just getting started. Beings of every race in the galaxy, even Skrang, milled about on the sidewalks and out in the street as they hustled for the next gig, fix, score, and hookup.
Etch looked left then right, tightened his grip on his compression pouch, and headed across the street after three decrepit rollers trundled past.
“Hold up there, halfer,” Kalaka said from behind him.
Etch closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but didn’t slow his progress across the street. He opened his eyes and saw Guska waiting for him against a wall. She smiled and he gave the slightest shake of his head. The smile slid off her face as she glanced past him. Understanding dawned on her face and she pretended like she didn’t know Etch when he stepped onto the sidewalk and proceeded to move past her.
“Hey!” Kalaka shouted. “I said hold up, halfer!”
A few heads turned to look at Etch then at Kalaka then everyone minded their own business fast. A hand gripped Etch’s shoulder and brought him to a stop as claws extended from fingertips and sliced into Etch’s shirt.
“Come on,” Etch said as he looked down at Kalaka’s hand and the claws ruining his shirt. “I don’t need any hassle. If I broke a law, just tell me and I’ll pay whatever fine then move on. How many chits is the fine? Fifty? A hundred?”
“I’m not asking for a bribe,” Kalaka said as he turned Etch to face him. He let go of Etch’s shoulder and gave the torn material a quick pat before he reached into his pocket and withdrew a stim stick. “Want one?”
“No thanks,” Etch said.
“It’s the mild kind,” Kalaka said as he took a long drag then blew out a thin line of smoke. “Clean, too. None of that street shit. You sure you don’t want one? I’ve got plenty. Know a guy that hooks me up.”
Etch opened up his compression pouch. “How much are we talking?”
“I said I don’t want a bribe,” Kalaka said. “All I want is to chat for a minute. You’ve got a minute, right?”
“No,” Etch said. “I have to be somewhere.”
“Then I’ll go with you,” Kalaka said. “We can talk on the way. That’s fine, right?”
“Etch?” Guska’s voice asked over the comm. “Why are you talking to him?”
Etch made sure he didn’t react to the voice in his ear.
“Etch? That’s a cop,” Guska said. “Why’s he hassling you? What’d you do?”
“I’d rather handle my errand on my own,” Etch said to Kalaka and tried to turn away. “I didn’t do anything wrong, so…”
Kalaka grabbed Etch’s shoulder and the claws came fully out once again.
“Ow,” Etch said. “Come on. Will you please tell me what you want so we can both get on with our night? I now need to go home and get a new shirt which is going to make me late.”
“Late for…?” Kalaka asked, hanging on to Etch with one hand while he hailed a taxi with the other.
A beat-up old roller creaked to a stop and the rear door popped open.
“Where ya going?” a very old Neffernian asked.
Neffernians were a multi-limbed humanoid race with several sexual orifices, only one of which was used for reproduction; the rest were strictly for pleasure. Luckily, the Neffernian was fully clothed and only the three orifices on each cheek could be seen. None looked like they’d been used in a very long time.
The driver’s lip curled up and he asked again, “Where ya going?”
“I don’t know,” Kalaka replied then focused on Etch. “Where are we going?”
“The Club,” Etch said.
“Which one, buddy?” the driver asked. “There are a lot of clubs around Jafla. You want me to take you to a specific one here in Mesker? If we’re leaving Mesker, then the rate doubles. Sorry. That’s the rule.”
“The Club,” Etch said. “In the Blink District.”
The driver’s eyes widened and he looked down at his dashboard. “Uh, not sure I have enough charge for that. Roller’s getting old, might not make it all the way across Jafla.”
“I need to be at the Club in thirty minutes,” Etch said.
“Don’t you need to stop by your place and get a new shirt first?” Kalaka asked. “What’s that address?”
“The Club is fine,” Etch said. “The shirt doesn’t matter.”
“If you say so,” Kalaka replied and pulled his hand away. He gave Etch a little shove. “Get in the taxi, Etch Knowles.”
Etch did as he was told and stared blankly out of his window as Kalaka got in next to him. The driver stared back at them then shook his head, closed the rear door, and put the roller in gear.
“Like I said, I may not have enough charge to get you all the way to the Club,” the driver said, his voice slightly desperate. “I can drop you off at the edge of Blink District. That’s alright, yeah? Pretty close to the Club. Only a couple minutes’ walk.”
“My friend says he needs to get to the Club in thirty minutes,” Kalaka said. “Get him to the Club in thirty minutes.”
“Hey, no offense, buddy, but—”
The driver stopped talking as Kalaka flashed his holo badge.
“You focus on the road,” Kalaka ordered. “Clear?”
“Yeah, sure, buddy, we’re clear,” the driver said and focused on the road.
“Etch? Where are you going?” Guska called over the comm.
Etch rubbed at his temples then sighed and turned to face Kalaka.
The Cervile was only inches from Etch’s face, a wide, sharp-toothed grin on his face.
“Who was it?” Kalaka asked.
“Who was what?” Etch replied.
“The pure blood,” Kalaka said. “Your mother or your father?”
“They were both pure blood,” Etch replied.
“Nah, one of them was human,” Kalaka said. “You know Cerviles are the only pure race in the galaxy. Or did your Cervile parent not teach you that? That’s basic Cervile education. Pure forever. The rest of the races are trash. But, looks like whoever is the Cervile in your family is trash too.”
“Can we change the subject?” Etch asked, looking away.
“Not until you tell me who the race traitor is,” Kalaka said. “Mother or father?”
“Mother,” Etch said.
“So it was rape,” Kalaka said. “Because no self-respecting Cervile woman would ever be willingly taken by a human male.”
“What do you want?” Etch asked.
“Don’t you want to know about my family?” Kalaka asked.
“No,” Etch stated. “What do you want, Detective Kalaka?”
“To get to know you, Etch,” Kalaka said. “I’ve been watching you work for a while now. You first caught my eye about th
ree months ago. In that little tile house five blocks over. Chora’s. You remember Chora’s.”
“I’ve been there,” Etch said.
“That’s an understatement,” Kalaka said and laughed. “You took those fools for everything they had. It was impressive. Cleaned out half the tables. Then you packed up and left and never went back. I know because I kept sitting at the tables night after night, waiting for you to return. Something wrong with Chora’s?”
“Nice place,” Etch said. “Didn’t feel like going back.”
“Probably a good idea,” Kalaka said and nodded sagely. “You aren’t exactly welcome there after that night. But you sure built up a nice bankroll of chits, didn’t you? Can I ask you a question, Etch?”
“Can I stop you?”
“Why would you want to? We’re having a friendly chat as we ride through the base. No reason to kill the conversation now, is there? Does my breath stink or something?” Kalaka burst out laughing and slapped Etch on the back. “Just messing with you, Etch. Relax. Relax…”
The last word was said as a threat and Etch turned back to look at Kalaka. The joking detective was gone and the true predator’s face was showing.
“You took half my chit stack that night, Etch,” Kalaka said. “Been working the houses for three months before I finally got a chance to sit down with you again. That was some masterful playing tonight. You lost the right amount, won the right amount, played stupid for those tourist pieces of shit, then took off as soon as everything started turning against you.”
“If you say so,” Etch replied.
“I do say so,” Kalaka responded. “The only problem is you didn’t expect part of the table to get up and follow you out. Your mistake for not expecting that. You can only hustle the houses in Mesker for so long before folks start getting wise to your scam.”
“Winning without cheating isn’t a scam,” Etch said. “It’s a skill. And how you play the game. If you need lessons on how to play the game, I can always give you a few. For the right price.”
“The right price? Didn’t you hear me, Etch?” Kalaka sneered. “You already took a good deal of my chits. You aren’t charging me shit. It’s on the house. Not that you’ll be giving any lessons. That’s my job.”
Kalaka struck Etch in the throat and grabbed him by back the back of the neck as Etch started coughing and tried to double over.
“Stay put,” Kalaka snapped in Etch’s ear. “I could have crushed your trachea, if I wanted to. But I don’t want to, Etch. Not yet. Maybe some other time, but for right now I need you healthy.”
“Why?” Etch croaked.
“Because you play for me now,” Kalaka said. “Sixty percent of your take each night is now mine. I’m being generous so get that hurt look off your face.”
“The look is real,” Etch gasped. “You fucking hurt me.”
“Boo hoo,” Kalaka said. He gripped Etch’s neck tighter and yanked his ear close to his mouth. “You have no idea what hurts. Fuck with me and you will learn, Etch Knowles.”
“I can’t work for you,” Etch said, his voice a throaty rattle of pain and phlegm. “I work for someone already.”
“Who? Theff Gants?” Kalaka laughed. “Gants has a way too high opinion of his station here on Jafla. I’m Galactic Vice, Etch. You think I’m afraid of some punk ass Slinghasp that got too big for his britches?”
“He’s killed cops,” Etch said.
“Has he now?” Kalaka said. “What shocking news. How will I ever sleep at night?”
Kalaka shoved Etch away, knocking his head off the side window.
“I know all about Gants’ operations, Etch,” Kalaka said. “I let Gants conduct business. Remember that.”
“Uh…we’re here,” the driver said quickly as the roller slowed and pulled up to the curb.
They’d stopped outside some restaurant and Kalaka frowned.
“What in all the Hells is this? The man needs to get to the Club,” Kalaka snapped.
“No way, buddy,” the driver said. “I drop you off here. I don’t go all the way into Blink. Not to the Club. No thanks. Can’t afford the permits. Here is as far as I go.”
“Fine,” Kalaka said and reached across Etch to open the rear door. He shoved it open then shoved Etch out onto the sidewalk. “Feel free to tell Gants of our little arrangement, Etch. He’ll understand completely.”
Etch sat there in a puddle of something sticky and stared at Kalaka. The Cervile stared back for a full minute then slowly closed the door and yelled for the driver to go back to Mesker District. Etch watched the roller do a U-turn in the middle of the street and drive off.
“Etch? Etch, what’s going on?” Guska asked over the comm. “Where are you?”
“Near Blink,” Etch replied. “Don’t know where. I’ll send you a ping.”
He swiped at his wrist.
“Oh, okay, I know that place,” Guska replied. “I’m only a couple blocks away. I’ll be right there. Stay where you are.”
“Move!” a Leforian shouted at Etch. “Damn stim junkie! Get off the ground and move!”
“I’m drawing attention,” Etch said into the comm. “I’ll meet you outside the Club.”
Etch picked himself up and began walking. It took all of his control not to smile.
18.
“You look like shit, kid,” Gants said as Etch was shown to his booth and shoved into the seat across from the crime lord. “Bad night at the tables? Someone jump you on the way out?”
“Your guy at the bar asked me the same question,” Etch said. “Among others.”
“That’s his job,” Gants said. “You didn’t think I’d let you come sit with me without being vetted first?”
Etch shook his head.
“Good. Because I always do my homework, Etch. Always. And Schigg does his. Now, answer my questions. Bad night at the tables? Or did someone jump you? What’s your deal, Etch?”
“I seem to have a Kalaka problem,” Etch said.
Dark was sitting in the same side of the booth as Etch. The Leforian swiveled her head on her neck and glared at Etch.
“What’d that piece of crap GVD son of a bitch want with you?” Dark asked. “Getting on his radar was a big mistake, Knowles. You screwed up.”
“If someone had told me to be on the lookout for a corrupt GVD, then maybe I would have been prepared,” Etch said.
The hit was fast and it stung bad. Etch put a hand to his cheek, but didn’t look over at the Leforian. Facing the woman would have led to more pain. Etch had her and her dominance games figured. Wasn’t the first time she’d struck him.
“Dark, be calm,” Gants said. His forked tongue flicked out a few times and he turned to stare into the throbbing, pulsing mob that filled the Club’s dance floor. “I smell something nice. That your Lipian?”
Etch followed his gaze and saw Guska making her way over to them, flanked by two thugs. She was holding a tray of drinks and smiling wide. Etch knew that smile. The woman was terrified.
“The glowing skinny guy at the bar said to bring these over here,” Guska said as she set the tray of drinks down. “Hope you like Gofp shots!”
“Who doesn’t, sweetheart?” Gants said as he patted the empty space next to him. “You sit that wiggle down right next to Theff Gants and let’s get to know each other.”
Guska giggled and stole a quick glance at Etch before sitting down next to Gants. She didn’t need any prodding and was already kicking her legs up across Gants’ lap.
“What are we talking about?” Guska asked. “Etch said he had a meeting at the Club and I was so excited to be invited. I’ve never been to Blink District before.”
“Never? That can’t be true,” Gants said, running a scaly finger across her cheek and down under her chin. “A pretty thing like you has never been to Blink? What a shame. Etch, you have to treat your woman right. Take her out on the town sometimes. You can’t work every night.”
“She’s not my woman,” Etch said. “She’s my roommate a
nd friend.”
“Oh? You two aren’t exclusive?” Gants asked then chuckled. “Well, I know she’s not exclusive. Monogamy is a bitch on business when you’re a Lipian whore, right?”
Guska’s facade cracked at the slight, but she recovered fast and forced a little titter that made Gants smile.
“I like this one,” Gants said. “Maybe you should come work the Club exclusively. What do you think, Etch? Your roommate have what it takes to handle my Club?”
“I don’t know,” Etch said.
“You don’t know?” Gants got an exaggerated shocked look on his face and played it up, facing Etch then Dark then Guska. “He doesn’t know, sweetheart? Not much of a friend.”
“I mean, I don’t know what it takes to work at the Club,” Etch explained. He glanced around. “I don’t see others working the floor.”
“The whores don’t run free, Etch,” Gants said. “They have their own separate rooms. I like to keep my operation organized.”
Gants gave Guska a hard squeeze and shoved her off him. She gracefully recovered from the abrupt shove and straightened her skirt then top, a fake smile plastered to her face the entire time.
“Buzz off,” Gants said, his voice cold. “Go sit at the bar and wait for your roommate.”
“Oh, sure, sure,” Guska said as if nothing had happened. “But we didn’t have our shots.”
Gants’ lip came up with a twitch.
“Guska, go sit at the bar,” Dark ordered.
“But what if the glowing skinny man asks if you did the shots?” Guska responded.
Gants reached out without looking at Guska, picked up a shot glass which was filled with neon pink liquid with something wriggling inside, opened his mouth, and downed the shot. Dark quickly did the same followed by Etch. Still not looking at Guska, Gants held out her shot.
She reached out to take it and he dropped the glass on the floor as he snatched her wrist in his grip. Gants yanked Guska close to his face.
“Never question me,” Gants said in a flat, even voice. “Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” Guska said, all control of her voice and emotions gone. She was shaking in his grip. “I’m sorry.”
“Good,” Gants said and let go. “Tell Schigg that you start tonight. He’ll get you set up with the Ms. Fleena.”