The Blunt End of the Service

by L. J. Simpson

  Chuck opened the Valiant’s outer door and they made their way along the airlock tunnel. Opening the door at the far end they could see all along the deck of the freighter. They were almost exactly half way down the port side of the ship. At the forward end of the deck there was some kind of security gate but the aft end seemed to be blocked off. There were airlocks running along both sides of the deck, stem to stern, the central area littered with packing cases, boxes and oil drums.

  A group of men obviously the worse for drink were gathered outside one of the airlocks towards the stern, one of them singing raucously. Another group approaching from the security gate threw a few choice insults which were immediately returned with interest. By unseen agreement a chosen representative from each side squared up and a shoving match ensued, continuing until one lost his temper and aimed a wild haymaker at his opponent’s jaw. The punch missed the target by a fair margin, the momentum of the swing sending the assailant sprawling to the floor. The intended victim then promptly tripped over his antagonist’s prostrate form and joined him on the deck-plating. The whole performance was greeted with a chorus of loud cheers by onlookers from both sides. The two belligerents stood, slapped each other on the back and took a swig from a bottle which someone had magically produced.

  “Your average boy’s night out,” said Penny.

  Jacks was becoming more and more irritated by the delay when one of Brannon’s Wharf’s security guards finally presented himself at the airlock of the Magellan. “Mr. Saxman apologises for the delay and says he can see you now,” he said.

  “Very good,” said Jacks. Then, turning to Sergeant Fletcher, “Time to get moving. Take Benedict over to the Arrow and tell him to prepare Hector for transfer.”

  Chuck and Penny had been so engrossed with the handbag fight further down the deck that they almost missed Jacks leave the Magellan.

  “There he is,” whispered Penny jabbing Chuck with her elbow.

  “Who?”

  “Jacks! Look, over there!” From the cover of a pile of packing cases they watched as four people exited an airlock on the other side of the docking bay. Jacks, a security guard and two middle aged men; one slightly built, the other stocky and barrel-chested. Jacks and the guard continued towards the security gate while the other two entered the Arrow.

  “Who was that with him?”

  “No idea,” said Chuck. “But they’re between us and Hector.”

  “What do you think? Follow Jacks or have a look at the Arrow?”

  “Jacks,” said Chuck. “Let’s see where he goes. If it’s to Brannon’s equivalent of Madame Fifi’s at least we’ll know we have a little time to play with. Best leave the pistols aboard the Valiant – I don’t think we’ll get them through the checkpoint.”

  By the time they made it through the security gate Jacks was almost out of sight. Penny drew a few glances as they passed through the gate and one of the guards very pointedly told Chuck to ‘be careful’.

  From the docking bay they hurried up a long, sloping ramp which led to a large open area which had once served as one of the freighter’s great cargo holds. A large sign at the top of the ramp read ‘Zone 1’. The hold was fully one hundred meters square and over thirty meters high. The decks, walls and ceiling were all bare metal.

  “Pity they didn’t paint the ceiling blue,” said Penny. “It might have brightened the place up a bit.”

  “A facelift certainly wouldn’t go amiss,” said Chuck, looking about. Scattered around the hold were a number of drab, pre-fabricated structures, some larger than others but all uniform in basic design and all the same shade of grey. The only colour came from the brightly lit signs above the entrances.

  “Think we’ll give The Cess Pit a miss,” said Chuck as they followed Jacks across Zone 1.

  “Same for The Drug Runner. Wouldn’t mind dropping in Barney’s Bacon Factory though,” said Penny. “Smells like real bacon.”

  “Real something, anyway… might even be real meat.”

  “You know, I’m surprised how many people are about.” said Penny.

  “Just as well,” said Chuck. “Makes it easier to stay out of sight.” They kept their distance until Jacks and the guard turned a corner, at which point they hurried to the turning and peered around the corner, frantically searching for Jacks. Luckily, Jacks tall frame and shock of silver-grey hair made him easy to spot.

  At the far end of Zone 1 they traversed a short tunnel which led to a virtually identical Zone 2. At the far end of Zone 2 Jacks and the guard disappeared through a door marked ‘Station personnel only’. Jacks looked about him once as he entered the restricted area but Chuck and Penny were safely hidden behind a giant size mock up of a six pack of Saturn 7 lager beer.

  “Think that’s as far as we go,” said Chuck. “Let’s get back to the Valiant and report in – I don’t much feel like hanging around. Have you noticed how many people seem to be staring at us?”

  “I think they’re staring at me. Have you noticed that I seem to be the only female around?”

  “Now you mention it, yes. Can’t you turn your collar up or something?”

  “Might be a bit late for that,” said Penny. As they made their way between two featureless grey walls a group of men stepped out of the shadows to bar their way. They were all wearing coveralls bearing the logo of Amity Mines. They didn’t look very amicable to Chuck.

  “In a hurry, friend?” one of them said.

  “Err, yes. I’m afraid we are,” said Chuck cautiously. He made to walk past but the man planted a hand firmly in the middle of Chuck’s chest.

  “Now that’s not real friendly, Mister. We’re trying to be sociable. Ain’t got the time to say hello? What’s the matter? Too good for us?”

  “No… we’re…”

  “Why don’t you introduce us to your girlfriend here?” said another.

  “I’m not his girlfriend,” said Penny.

  “Even better. Come on sweetheart, ditch this loser and come along with us.” He grabbed Penny by the arm but she shook it off and pushed him away.

  Chuck put himself between Penny and the men, the bravest – and most foolhardy – thing he had done in years. “Look lads,” he said, “I’m sorry but we really are in a hurry.”

  “Lads? Lads?” The ringleader turned to his friends with an incredulous look on his face. “He called us ‘lads’! Do we look like lads to you?” He spat the words into Chuck’s face.

  “Look, we don’t want any trouble. We just need to get back to our ship.”

  “Maybe so, but right now you’re here, so maybe we’ll just take your wallet, take the girl and anything else we want. And then beat the crap out of you for good measure. Hell, might as well do it now.” He shoved Chuck up against the wall and jammed a forearm across his throat.

  “Leave him alone,” shouted Penny, beating Chuck’s attacker with her fists, much to the amusement of the man’s cronies. One of them grabbed Penny by the waist and hauled her off screaming.

  “What’s going on here?” boomed a voice. All eyes looked along the passageway to where a pair of black uniformed security personnel stood surveying the scene.

  “What’s it to you?” said Chuck’s attacker, still with his arm firmly in Chuck’s throat.

  “Let them go,” said one of the guards, producing a short, black baton.

  “Get stuffed,” said one of the miners, aiming a punch at the guard who simply leaned forwards and jabbed the baton into the miner’s chest. There was a flash of blue light and the miner dropped to the floor, his body jerking. Angered by the sight of their stricken friend, two more miners charged the guards but in an instant they also lay twitching on the ground.

  “Let them go. Now!” repeated the guard.

  “This isn’t finished,” said Chuck’s attacker as he stepped back. Penny’s captor also released his grip.

  “Get going,” said one of the guards. Chuck and Penny needed no encouragement and hurried off towards the tunnel leading back to Zone 1. Lookin
g back from the corner Chuck saw that another scuffle had broken out between the guards and the miners, who seemed to have gained a number of reinforcements. The miner who had Chuck by the throat broke free of the melee and began charging down the passageway after them.

  “Run!” said Chuck. Once through the tunnel Chuck grabbed Penny by the arm and pulled her towards the doorway of the first building they came to.

  “Where are we going?” said Penny.

  “Safest place I can think of,” said Chuck. He opened the door and ushered Penny inside, hurriedly closing the door behind them. Penny found herself in a dimly lit room, about eight meters by five. Strangely, the only the light came from candles. Before she could take in any more Chuck propelled her through another doorway into a small, dark cubicle.

  “Where are–”

  “Shhh!” said Chuck. A few seconds later they heard the door to the street open and then slam shut again, the sound of footsteps receding into the distance. Before Penny could utter a word a small, lattice window in the side of the cubicle slid open.

  “Bless us, Father, for we were being chased by a very angry man,” said Chuck.

  “Such are the trials and tribulations that follow all sinners, my son,” came the reply. “My word, are there two of you in there? That’s very unusual, I must say. And quite against the rules, I’m afraid.”

  “Sorry, Father,” said Chuck. “Guess we’ll be leaving now.” Chuck and Penny squeezed out of the confessional booth and were met outside by a priest in purple robes.

  “A chapel,” said Penny.

  “Welcome to the Church of the Blessed Martyrs. I’m glad we could be of assistance,” said the priest. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Father Martin, and our mission is to offer a place of refuge, a safe haven from the temptations that surround us in this den of iniquities.”

  “I’d say you’ve got your work cut out, Father,” said Chuck.

  “A challenge, to be sure, but when one is serious in one’s quest, what better place to practice one’s calling?”

  “If you say so,” said Chuck doubtfully. “Any success?”

  “There is young Stephen here,” said Father Martin, pointing to one of the pews where a miner was stretched out, snoring softly. “I’ve not yet managed to instil in him the ideal of abstinence but at least he comes here to confess after his bouts of drunken, drug fuelled debauchery. Of course, he may simply come here to sleep it off, but I prefer to think we are both making steps in the right direction.”

  “Both of you?”

  “In truth, I am myself a reformed sinner who was, not so very long ago, much like poor Stephen here. My ship rudderless, a lost soul searching for salvation. And now, everyone I help is another step towards my own personal redemption. As for you, my children, is there any succour I can offer you?”

  “To tell the truth,” said Penny, “I’m a practicing Confucian.”

  “I’m practicing too,” said Chuck. “Expecting to get the hang of it any day now.”

  “Ha-ha,” laughed Father Martin politely.

  “There is one thing, Father. I don’t suppose you have a hat.”

  “A hat?”

  “Yes,” said Chuck. “Any old thing will do. For the young lady… she seems to attract a lot of unwanted interest.”

  “Ah, I see,” said Father Martin. “Perhaps young Stephen’s hat will suffice. I don’t think he will mind. The state he is in, I doubt if he will recall ever owning one.”

  Penny piled her hair on the top of her head and pulled the cap down over it. “That should do the trick. Thanks, Father. You’re a saint,” said Chuck as he opened the door and peered outside.

  “Alas, a mere sinner, but we live in hope. Before you leave, perhaps I could give you this – a small pamphlet about our order. Spread the word, you know!”

  “Thanks Father,” said Penny, stuffing the pamphlet inside her overalls. “And tell Stephen thanks for the hat.”

  Jacks knew the way through Brannon’s Wharf well enough but he allowed himself to be escorted through the station until they reached the entrance to the administration area. The sudden change from the spartan surroundings of the rest of the station to the luxury of the admin area never ceased to amaze him. Saxman’s office was large and opulent and his private quarters – in which Jacks had occasionally been entertained – were even more sumptuous. It was partly a status symbol – a means of impressing and entertaining business associates, but mostly, suspected Jacks, it was just the Delph’s way of showing off.

  Once inside Saxman’s office Jacks settled down on one of two plush leather sofas which faced each other in the centre of the room. No sooner had he sat down than an immaculately dressed steward entered from an ante-room. “Can I get you anything, sir? Tea, coffee, perhaps something stronger?”

  Jacks would have killed for a shot of whiskey but instead settled for coffee. He was on the home stretch with the winning post in sight but the time for celebration had not quite arrived; it would be better to keep his wits about him.

  A few minutes later the door opened and Kai Saxman entered the office in the company of an elegantly dressed gentleman carrying an expensive looking briefcase.

  “Daniel,” said Saxman, walking over to shake Jacks by the hand. “Sorry for the delay. I don’t believe you know Mr. Grey?”

  “We’ve not yet had the pleasure of meeting in person,” said Jacks, shaking hands with Grey. “I trust you had a pleasant trip?”

  “Long and tedious as always,” said Grey. “Nice to get my feet on solid ground once again even if it is millions of miles from the nearest planet. It’s a pity we weren’t able to conclude our business on Phoenix as planned; I was very much looking forward to seeing it. I hear it is quite an amazing place.”

  “Quite so,” said Jacks as the steward returned with a tray of drinks. “Perhaps you can visit again if and when it returns to its former glory.” Small talk. How I hate small talk. “However, I’m sure that you’ll agree that the present surroundings are more than adequate for the purpose.”

  “Perfect,” said Grey. “And I must thank Mr. Saxman here, whose organization has been kind enough to allow us the use of their facilities.” Then turning to Saxman, “Wonderful what you’ve done with the place.”

  “Our pleasure,” said Saxman, nodding graciously. “The very least we could do.”

  How nice, thought Jacks. How very cosy… Funny how they came in together. Grey must have arrived before me, so what was the delay, why was I kept waiting? And now here they are sitting side by side just like a pair of old bosom buddies. Something’s going down here. I can feel it coming.

  CHAPTER 13

  Chuck and Penny hurried through Zone 1 towards the ramp leading back to the docking bay. Penny mostly kept her head down but with the ramp in sight she spotted the Amity Mines worker coming towards them. Chuck saw him too. They quickly turned left between two bars and ran down to the next corner where they turned right. They waited for a minute to give the man time to pass and then skirted around the building to take them back towards the ramp. As they turned the last corner Chuck once again found a huge hand planted in his chest. ‘So much for the hat,’ he thought. With a sinking feeling he looked up to see a giant of a man staring back at him, the words ‘Conquest Minerals’ emblazoned across his chest. Another four men stood looking on. He really should have brought the gun, security gate be damned.

  “Exactly where do you think you are going with my cousin?”

  “Your who?”

  “Army!” shouted Penny. “Are you a sight for sore eyes!” She jumped on the huge man and gave him a hug.

  “Army?” said Chuck.

  “My cousin Armitage. I told you about him, remember?”

  “Oh… err, yeah,” said Chuck. “The one with the uprising?”

  “That would be me,” he said.

  “So what on earth are you doing here?” said Penny.

  “Like everyone else, just trying to earn an honest crust. Things dried up back on Mar
is so it was time to look for pastures new. How about you?”

  “Don’t laugh, but we’re on a mission. Look,” she said, unzipping her overalls to reveal her academy uniform. “This is Sub-Captain Poulson. His name is Armitage too.”

  “Tough.”

  Penny quickly related the events of the past few days, from the theft of Hector and the pursuit from O1 right up to their encounter with the men from Amity Mines.

  “Amity Mines? Well that explains it,” said Army. “Completely uncultured – no breeding, you see. Now, your Conquest Minerals man is far more refined. Isn’t that right, Claude?”

  “Absolutely, my dear fellow. A definite cut above the rest.”

  “Claude here really is refined, you know. His family owns most of Conquest Metals but for some obscure reason he prefers a jackhammer to a desk. And by the way, these other gentlemen are Stan, Flash and Jerry. I’m afraid they’re all a bit drunk.” Stan gave a friendly wave. Flash and Jerry beamed.

  “Not you?” said Penny.

  “No, I’m the designated driver. Rotten job but someone has to do it. Do you need any help with your mission? I could do with a bit of excitement.”

  “Not sure what we can do,” said Chuck. “Hector is still on that ship and Jacks could return at any moment.”

  “Hmm,” said Army, “What you need is… a plan.”

  “Well, gentlemen, with the introductions over and time at a premium perhaps we should get down to business,” said Jacks.

  “As you wish,” said Grey. “You have the merchandise?”

  “As per our agreement,” said Jacks.

  “Undamaged and fully functional?”

  “Of course. The core is aboard my ship along with a technician who will brief your staff on the necessary procedures for transit and eventual integration into a network. All that remains is the small matter of the payment.”

  “Regarding the payment,” said Saxman slowly. “We feel that a slight re-negotiation is in order.”

  “Re-negotiation?” said Jacks. So that’s their game.

  “As you are aware, Daniel, the original terms of our agreement specified a commission of ten percent in return for brokering the deal.”