Nathan walked in and saw Arulio sitting on his bed, sort of staring off into space through the small portal in the room. Nathan walked over and handed him the nutritional supplement before sitting in a chair in the corner.
"I thought it might be time for you to eat," Nathan said.
"Yes, it is. Thank you, Captain." Arulio opened the can and took a sip.
"Enjoying the view? You can't quite see it yet but we're approaching Port Solitude."
"I have been monitoring the activity on the flight deck. I am aware of our approach to Port Solitude."
Nathan nodded. "You mentioned earlier that the Blue Moon Bandit was a good ship."
Arulio turned to look at him. It was still a little unnerving to have those red eyes focused on you, Nathan felt. "This is a fine vessel. Despite Duncan Jax's concerns, all systems are fully functional and operating within suggested parameters. His maintenance schedule can wait until we return to Earth."
"How did you know about all that?" Nathan was feeling uneasy.
"The ship's intercom system was activated while you were speaking with Mr. Jax. I received the signal quite accidentally, such as you might overhear a conversation in a restaurant."
Nathan sipped his juice and then leaned forward. "The intercom in the corridor?"
"Correct."
"Who initiated the intercom? I didn't hear anything. It usually beeps when someone turns it on."
"The intercom configuration settings were updated two days ago to silence the audio alert that signals the activation of the intercom. This enables the intercom to activate without the second party realizing the intercom is activated."
Arulio tipped back his can and pulled a long drink.
"Arulio, do you know who updated the settings on the intercom?"
"I do."
"Was it the same person who listened in on my conversation with Duncan? Was it Richie?" The new guy may not have liked being left out of the conversation and decided to dip in on the sly.
"It was not Richie."
"Who was it?"
"I did it." He tipped his can back and drained the last of his formula.
Nathan stood up and regarded the wetjack with a stare. "Why would you do that? Why would you eavesdrop on us?"
Arulio stood up and handed the empty can back to Nathan who took it. The wetjack was silent for a moment, considering his response.
"Before we left Earth, Mr. Saji Vy made it clear that my safety during this exercise was paramount. More important than the Charon, the Charon's crew, Ms. Kimiyo Bramitz or the crew of the Blue Moon Bandit."
Nathan nodded slowly. "So that's why you've been snooping through the ship's network and listening in on our conversations. You've been keeping yourself safe."
Arulio gave a small nod. "In accordance with Mr. Vy's orders, of course."
"Of course," Nathan said. "And if I order you to return the intercom settings to their original configuration?"
"I would do so until I felt the need arise to change them back."
"Then please do so."
Arulio's eyes deadened for a moment. Nathan watched as he appeared to... go somewhere else? It was the same thing he'd seen in the casino on Olympia. Then life snapped back into those eyes.
"It is done, Captain."
The two men stood there, an awkward silence growing between them. Nathan couldn't tell if the wetjack was aware of how much a betrayal he was guilty of or if he even cared. What he was sure of was that this was no one to trust. Not a bit.
"I'll be going now, Arulio. I just wanted to make sure you ate and let you know that we were approaching Port Solitude. I imagine things will happen quickly once we reach our destination."
"I will be prepared, Captain. Thank you for bringing my meal."
"No problem." Nathan turned, opened the door and stepped into the corridor. he saw Kimiyo coming toward him. She was wearing a t-shirt and sweats, carrying a can of Arulio's formula. He held up the empty can.
"I've already fed him."
"How is he?" She said.
Nathan took a deep breath through his nose before answering. "He's odd, Kimiyo. He's very odd. Did you know that he's been listening in on our conversations for the past two days?"
She smiled, a wicked little knowing smile. "Captain Teller, I assume that Arulio knows everything about me at all times. It's the only way to work around him and not go crazy. What was he doing?"
"He was listening in on the ship's intercoms. I asked him to stop but I don't think that's likely."
She shook her head. "No, I don't think so either. Look, I know this is difficult. I know that he can be difficult but it's only for a few more days, if everything goes smoothly. Then we'll be off your ship and your life can get back to normal."
"It doesn't bother you that he knows so much about you? How do you live under that kind of scrutiny?"
She shrugged. "The money is good and I tell myself it's not forever."
"Better you than me. I was just letting everyone know, we're almost to Port Solitude."
"Thanks." She turned and walked back to the galley to drop off Arulio's can of nutritional supplement. Nathan went to his quarters.
An hour later Nathan was at the controls of the Bandit as it soared over Port Solitude, directed toward a landing pad on the northern outskirts of the colony. He saw the settlement built by the Children of Apocalyptic Rainbow and did a slow circle over the place. It wasn't much. A few buildings, what looked like a small farmer's field and a few landing pads. Shuttles occupied two of the pads and Nathan was directed to the empty third one. He set the Blue Moon Bandit down with a gentle bump.
He left Marla to go through the post-trip flight checklist and gathered the rest of the crew in the common room. Someone had put a pot of coffee on the table and he helped himself to a cup. It was the good stuff, grown on the southern slope of Mons Olympus on Mars. He took a seat at one of the three small tables in the room. Cole, Kimiyo and Arulio sat at another and Duncan and Richie sat at the third. Everyone was drinking coffee, eating donuts and looked relatively rested. Nathan remained standing.
"Okay, we're here. First things first. Duncan, ship's status? Engines okay?"
Duncan dumped some sweetener in his coffee. "It's all good, Nathan. Both engines are at 100% and ready when you need them. All other systems are nominal with no errors to report."
“Kimiyo? Your boy ready to meet with these folks?”
“After all the hoops we’ve jumped through to get here? I just want to get it over with.”
“I think that goes for all of us. Okay, Cole, Kimiyo, Arulio we’ll be going in. Duncan, Marla and Richie, hang out here on the ship. Keep things ready to go. I have no idea how this will go down.”
Richie leaned back in his chair. “Come on, boss, I’m getting tired of staying on the ship. Let me come in.”
Nathan raised an eyebrow to him. “Do you have something to offer? I mean, other than purple skin?”
“I’m good with people.”
“Stay on the ship. We’ll see what opportunities present themselves.” Nathan stood up straight. “All right folks. Let’s go meet the lunatics.”
24.
“So that’s them?” Montario raised a mug of coffee toward the window and pointed to the Blue Moon Bandit. It was on a launch pad seventy-five meters from the building he and Celeste were standing in with an official Children of the Apocalyptic Rainbow welcoming committee. He and Celeste were nearest the big picture window that faced the landing pad. Far enough away they could speak without being over heard.
“Yeah,” she said. “That’s my old ship. Still looks pretty good.”
“Don’t get too sentimental. We just need them to do their job and fly out of here.”
“Don’t worry, Nathan won’t want to be here any longer than he has to. Are you sure they didn’t look for the Charon in orbit when they came down?”
“I’m sure. We have a group member working in the air traffic control office and he reported they followed the
correct path in with no deviation. Besides, Charon was on the other side of our little moon. There’s just too much sky for them to search all of it in the little bit of time they were in orbit.”
“Don’t underestimate them, I’m warning you,” she said. “They can be very clever.”
He sipped his coffee. “So you’ve said. Just remember this isn’t my first job either. We play it smooth and we walk away rich. You just make sure you play the part of the hostage well, okay? Nothing too dramatic, just a little worried.”
“I’ve got it.” She looked out at the sky. “We’ve got some weather coming in. I wish they would hurry up.”
Montario looked up at the sky and saw dark gray storm clouds gathering. The wind was picking up outside, blowing leaves and grass across the landing pad. It wouldn’t be long before the first fat drops started falling and he hated getting wet. He checked the clock on the wall for the time. The Blue Moon Bandit had been down for ten minutes.
“What do you suppose is taking them so long?”
Celeste rolled her eyes. “Nathan is such a pain in the ass about procedure. He’s probably doing a post flight systems check, talking to Cole about contingency plans and making sure Duncan has the ship ready to lift off if they need to. I heard they hired a new co-pilot so she’s probably getting instructions too. Honestly, he used to drive me crazy with all that.”
“You said Cole is the dangerous one, right? The one who used to be a marshal?” He raised the mug again.
“Oh yeah, you want to be especially careful with him. Even if he walks in here without a gun you’ll want to be careful with what you say and how you act. He has a very sharp mind.”
“I hate to tell you this my dear but this is pretty straight forward, except for them not knowing about your being in on it.” He nodded back to the welcoming committee. “And them not knowing anything about anything. Honestly, how can people this naïve function in modern society? Wouldn’t you think something odd was occurring by now?”
“Montario, these kids are here because they can’t hack being alone in modern society. That’s why they hand over their cash to you and waste their time getting high and getting laid. This is all just an elaborate way for them to hide from responsibility.”
“True enough.” He looked outside. “The ramp is coming down.”
Celeste looked out to the landing pad and saw the rear landing ramp of the Blue Moon Bandit lower to the tarmac.
Montario turned to the welcoming committee and raised a hand. “This is it everyone. Our special guests have arrived. Let’s make them feel welcome.” He had a giant smile full of white teeth and the crowd of young people moved with him through the door. Celeste followed alongside, not smiling at all. The kids were all handpicked and beautiful. Young, perky and all of them had a smile to match Montario’s.
The wind blew a few wisps of errant hair across her face and she pushed them back. She looked at the sky again. It was going to storm hard and it was going to do it soon. She glanced back at the landing ramp and saw Nathan staring at her. Her breath hitched in her throat and made a small noise. She looked at Montario. He hadn’t noticed.
Nathan was at the base of the ramp followed by Cole who immediately walked off to the side and started looking around when he reached the tarmac. Cole looked the same as ever, blue jeans, a dark t-shirt and a leather jacket. The same real leather jacket he’d picked up on Mars years ago when Celeste flew with Nathan. Behind him, a woman led a white skinned man off the ramp, moving more slowly than either Nathan or Cole. The woman was Asian and exceptionally professional looking in a navy blue pinstriped business suit with low heels. The white skinned man wore some leather looking get up that looked like it belonged in an S&M club.
Nathan was wearing dark denim pants, boots and a charcoal colored button down work shirt. She thought he looked good, certainly better than the last time she saw him. He walked over to where the welcoming committee was standing, followed by the others. His hair blew in the wind but he didn’t seem to notice. Celeste felt her pulse quicken and told herself it was because things were coming to a head.
Montario extended a hand to Nathan and a brilliant smile. “Captain Teller. Thank you for coming all this way.” The kids moved around them, surrounding them and greeting them. Several of the young women put flowered wreaths around Cole’s neck and the young men greeted Kimiyo. Only one young woman approached Arulio and he stood still and unsure as she placed a wreath around his neck.
Nathan shook his hand. “You didn’t leave us much choice.” He turned. “How are you doing, Celeste? Are you being well treated?”
She nodded, and her eyes darted toward Montario. “I’m fine. We’re all fine in fact. Captain Geechy and the others are still in their rooms but we’ve all been treated well. I take it you’ve brought what they want?”
Nathan jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Arulio. “He’s right there.”
“A man? Why did you bring a man? Where is the money?”
“This is what he asked for, Celeste, so this is what Saji had us bring.” He turned back to Montario. “This young woman is Kimiyo, she works with Arulio. That gentleman over there is Cole. He takes care of security.” He paused for a moment to let Cole glower at Montario. He did a fine job of it. “I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary. I need proof the rest of the Charon crew is alive and well. I also need proof the ship is travel ready and able to continue to Earth with its cargo intact.”
Montario smiled. It was that slick smile that Celeste knew he used when he was going to try and get his way. “Well Captain Teller, may I call you Nathan?” Nathan nodded. “Nathan, we have a time table for what we need done and I’m sure it won’t interfere with any of your demands. If you would all just follow me inside, I’ll show you to Captain Arno Geechy and the rest of his crew.”
Nathan turned to Kimiyo. “Take Arulio back inside the Blue Moon Bandit and tell Duncan to secure the door behind you. We’ll call when we need you.”
Montario looked puzzled. “I’m sorry, Nathan, but why are you sending the wetjack back into your ship? We need him inside.”
Nathan took a step toward Montario. The cult leader took an involuntary step back. “Look, man, here’s the way it is. First, the wetjack has a name. It’s Arulio. He’s a person, not a mainframe. Second, you need to do what I asked and then you can have access to Arulio. That’s the deal.”
Montario’s face flickered for a half second and then the smile reappeared. He raised his hands, palms up at Nathan. “No problem, my friend. No problem at all. I just wanted to let him know what he would be doing while you checked on the other hostages. You know, speed the process along. I know that Saji Vy wants his ship moving as soon as possible.” He narrowed his eyes. “If you need to delay things a little longer until you are satisfied, that’s fine.” He smiled again.
Nathan rolled his eyes. “It will take as long as it takes. If that makes Saji angry, I’ll let him know who to blame. Now are we going to talk out here and get rained on or are you going to do what I asked?”
The kids with the flower wreaths stopped what they were doing and stood silently as their leader was pulled up short. Montario raised his arms wide. “Everyone, let’s show our new friends inside. We have much to do and not much time, I’m afraid. This way please.” He beckoned to Nathan and Cole. They stayed still until Kimiyo and Arulio walked back up the ramp and secured it behind them. A peal of thunder banged over the landing pad and they turned to follow Montario and his entourage. The skies opened up as soon as they walked into the building.
Nathan turned and looked out on the pad. The rain hammered down hard, roaring against the windows so loudly that Nathan was sure you would have a hard time listening to a conversation conducted at normal volume. He turned back to Montario. “Captain Geechy first, Montario, and then we see the rest of his crew.”
“Of course, Nathan. Oh, I’m afraid we don’t allow weapons inside the commune. Mr. Cole was it? If you have any firearms you’ll hav
e to surrender it.”
Nathan shook his head. “It’s not Mr. Cole, it’s just Cole. He doesn’t go anywhere unarmed because I’ve asked him not to. He won’t be disarmed.”
Montario held up his hands again. “Nathan, I just want to ensure none of my people are harmed. Surely you realize you are safe here. The Children of the Apocalyptic Rainbow have been a peaceful organization since their founding. I assure you, firearms will not be necessary.”
Nathan rubbed the back of his neck, clearly impatient. Celeste raised her eyebrows. It was sort of sexy when she did that, he suddenly remembered. “Celeste, why don’t you escort us to Captain Geechy and the rest of your crew while Montario tries to take Cole’s gun away.” He turned to Cole. “Catch up to us when you’re finished, okay?”
Nathan took Celeste by the arm and started walking toward the door. “Which way?” He said and she pointed to the right, slightly bewildered. “Okay, let’s go.” They disappeared into the hallway.
Cole stood silently, eyeing Montario who looked completely confused. Things were obviously not going the way he planned and it was getting to him. Cole could see a little vein throbbing in his forehead. Montario looked at him.
“I don’t know what’s going on but you two…” he stopped as Cole took a couple of slow steps toward him.
They locked eyes and Montario held his gaze for a moment. There was some steel in there, Cole saw, but not enough to worry about. Not now, anyway. He walked past Montario, past the kids with the flowered wreaths and into the hallway behind Nathan. Frustrated, Montario hurried behind him and passed him to catch up with Nathan and Celeste.
It took ten minutes to ascertain Captain Geechy and his crew were safe and had been well cared for. He thanked Nathan for coming, expressed his apologies that his ship had been taken and told Nathan with a tear in his eye that Celeste had been just absolutely wonderful during their ordeal. The best first officer a man could hope for. Nathan shook his hand, assured him Saji Vy didn’t hold him responsible for the actions of criminals and told him he would be free soon. Montario seemed to bristle at the word “criminal” but Nathan didn’t care.
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