Holger got up from where he sat and began to walk with the crowd.
"How could this happen?" said one voice above his head.
"I don't know...were the guards in on it?"
"No, they were just overwhelmed. I'm told they put up a good fight, but there were just too many rebels to hold the tide back," said another voice above Holger's head.
"Did any of the family manage to escape?"
"No."
"What do they want?"
"What do rebels always want?"
"Holger!" Claire said, grabbing him by the arm.
Holger looked up into the face of his child minder, to see her teary-eyed. Why is she crying?
"I said where are you going?"
"Why is everyone in a rush, Claire? What's happened?" asked Holger.
"Oh, it's... I thought I left you playing with your toys."
"I was but--"
"I have Frank," Claire said, waving the stuffed toy in Holger's face.
"Frank! Claire, do you know that Frank is an animal called a bear? Mum told me all about them, when she was visiting somewhere called Earth. Isn't he strong?" said Holger.
"He is very strong. Now, why don't we go to your room and play some more together?" said Claire.
Holger held Claire's hand as they made their way through the halls to his room. Looking up at her, he noticed that she was still crying.
"Claire? Are you in pain?"
"Why would you think that, young master?"
"Because one only cries when they're in pain or upset, Mum says."
"Yes, I guess she is right," said Claire.
"So are you...?" Holger said, swinging Claire's hand up and down.
"Yes, Holger, I am. I'm upset because a lot is going to change around here, in a very short time."
Holger jerked awake to the sound of his holocom beeping on his wrist. Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he waved his hand next to the light sensor. Light flooded the room, and he pulled himself up into a sitting position.
"What is it?" he said, answering the call.
"My lord, I have...bad news."
"Get on with it, then," Holger said, bringing his bedsheets up over his chest.
"The trap you set--"
"Me?"
"The trap we set has failed, sir. The ship that Phoenix Jones was reportedly in did take the bait, but after a brief firefight, we didn't capture or damage his ship."
"How many ships were lost?"
"Three destroyers."
"Only three destroyers--I hardly call that a terrible blow. I'm surprised you would see it necessary to waste my time on such trivial news," Holger said with a wave of his hand.
"There were good men...on those ships, sir."
"They did their jobs poorly. If they were such good men, they would be alive right now, wouldn't they? I would have one dead asshole instead of three destroyed ships. No, they were incompetent, and I am all the more thankful for not having them in my fleet. Is there anything else you would like to waste my time on?" said Holger.
"Err...we have lost labs, research facilities, weapons factories," said the voice in a huff.
"How many?"
"Six that we know about, but there could be more. We have lost contact with a few others, but that may be a communication malfunction. Only time will tell."
"Send ships to those outposts we have lost contact with. I want a full report in a week as to what facilities we still have at our disposal. Is our main station still secure? The one that Trex is managing?"
"Well...that was the other thing I rang to tell you. It was hit...and everything that was stored on the main drives is no longer available--"
"No, don't tell me!" said Holger.
"I'm afraid we have lost all the research and data from that outpost."
"Why didn't you lead with that information, you fool, instead of telling me about a few destroyers that can easily be replaced? Argh! This pushes our plans back at least six months. I wanted to have everything ready before we made a move." Holger got up from his bed and began to pace back and forth. Tapping his finger against his lips, he closed his eyes.
"My lord, are you still there?"
"Yes, yes. I guess there is nothing for it. I didn't want to play my hand too early, but this opportunity is just too good to miss. Notify your people that the second mission is a go. Listen, now--I don't want this getting out or coming back to me. Select men that you trust with your life, not like those fools on the destroyers.
"This job must be done right. It must be done cleanly. Do you understand?" Holger asked.
"Yes, my lord."
"Good. It's a shame, really, that one Earth man is going to cause so much trouble and strife," Holger said with a smile.
7
Phoenix stood at the head of the canteen table while the rest of the crew sat. Scratching the base of his scalp, he took a big breath in. Where should I start?
"I--" He shook his head and scratched his scalp again before moving his hands to his earring.
"Come on! We ain't got all day, you know," Plowstow said, placing his feet on the table.
"Get your filthy feet off the table, you savage! Don't you have any respect?" Saoirse spat, knocking his feet off the table.
Phoenix closed his eyes and took another deep breath in. Children, they're like fucking children.
"Listen here, I don't need to take that from you. I ain't done nothing wrong. My poor feet are hurting, and I want to rest 'em. I don't see any harm in--"
"You don't see any harm in dirtying the only table that we use to eat off? Are you blind as well as stupid?"
"I know one thing, I won't be eating with you no more. You can count on that."
"How will I live?" Saoirse said dryly.
"Don't worry, you will soon be missing my fine company. And my stimulating conversation."
"Stimulating?" Saoirse raised one eyebrow.
"Yes, stimulating. I read it in a book," Plowstow said.
"That's a lie," Freyan snorted.
"It ain't, I--"
"Enough!" Phoenix bellowed.
They fell silent, and Phoenix pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. He took one more deep breath, walked forward, and placed both his hands on the table in front of him.
"Plowstow," he said, "if I ever catch you putting your dirty, god-knows-where-they've-been feet on this table again, I will chop them off and shove them where the sun doesn't shine."
"Where the sun doesn't--"
"Its an Earth--"
"Saying!" finished the rest of the crew.
"I don't say that, that much," said Phoenix.
"Don't worry, Phoenix, we love your Earth sayings. I like the ones about knickers," L giggled.
"I...yes. Well, the reason I wanted to get all of you down here is because I have to apologise and say I'm sorry. I know that I have been pushing hard on getting back at Holger, and there have been many sleepless nights--"
"You can say that again," said Plowstow.
"But, really, I just wanted to gather you all here today and say thank you. Thank you for helping me escape Dredar. Thank you for helping L get this ship back, which in turn has allowed me to hit back at Holger. I know times have been hard, and they won't get any easier, but I thought we could all do with a break.
"That's why I had L pick a place where we could get the ship serviced and also have some fun," said Phoenix.
"It's the one outlaw party spot where all are welcome," L said with a smile.
"Don't tell me! Tortuga!" Plowstow said, banging his fist against the table.
They approached Tortuga with everyone on the bridge. Butts pushed and shoved for space as all faces were turned towards the viewing screen.
Phoenix sat in the captain's chair and looked out onto a planet that took his breath away. It looked more beautiful than Earth, but he felt like a traitor just thinking it. A turquoise marble with flecks of brown floated against the blackness of space. It stood out like a shining jewel, waiting to
be touched.
"This place is... Is..." said Phoenix.
"I know, right?" L said, sitting on the armrest of his chair.
Ships of different sizes sped to and from the planet, some no bigger than their ship and others dwarfing everything in sight.
"What are those?" Phoenix asked, pointing to one of the goliath ships.
"Those," said Freyan, "are cruise liners taking holidaymakers to a cheap destination. You see, Tortuga is a planet that falls between a class three and a two. The Council's hand isn't felt very much here, so it suits outlaws, pirates and anyone looking for a bit of fun off the beaten track, so to speak."
"If this place is such a heaven for the lawless, why are so many civilians risking their necks coming here?" asked Phoenix.
"Cheap booze! Cheap women!" Plowstow shrieked. "And sports that are outlawed everywhere else, because of their violent nature. Oh! I can't wait to land."
"That's pretty much it," said Freyan, "as my slow friend here so eloquently put it. Plus there's nothing an outlaw loves more than easy credits, which these civilians give up in droves."
Phoenix looked up at the many cruise liners and shook his head. L's feet tapped against the floor as her hands drummed along her thighs. Phoenix gave her a sideways look but didn't say anything.
She got up and sat back down, her hair changing from the colour of a midday sun to the setting of one in just a few moments.
"You're not having second thoughts, are you? You picked the place," Phoenix whispered in her ear.
"No, it's just..."
"This is the first planet you'll visit without someone shooting at you?"
"Yeah. I mean, I always wanted to travel, Phoenix, but since leaving home, it's just been one unwanted destination after another. This is the first place that I actually picked, you know? The first place I heard about and I thought I would like to go there some day, and now I'm going. It's just..."
"Scary?"
"Yeah," L said, brushing her hair out of her eyes.
Phoenix gave her a tight hug, then turned his attention back to the screen. "Saoirse, take us down."
As they made their way into the planet's atmosphere, and began their descent to the planet's surface, Phoenix laughed. Crystal blue waters stretched as far as the eye could see and dominated most of the landscape. Strips of land here and there made up a chain of islands. Some were fifty miles long, while others were no more than one or two, some even less than that.
On and on the islands went. There was no body of land; the whole planet appeared to be populated by little islands.
"This place reminds me of the Caribbean, back home. No wonder it's so popular," said Phoenix.
As they circled around, Phoenix saw that some islands were linked together by bridges; others appeared to be isolated territories of their own.
"Saoirse, take us somewhere not too crowded. But we need an island that can also service our ship," said Phoenix.
"Right," said Saoirse.
"But not somewhere too quiet, Midnight."
"Right."
"Somewhere with a lot to drink!" Plowstow shouted.
"Right."
"Somewhere that we can relax, and maybe with a temple to Soul," said Kai.
"Right."
"It should be--"
"If I hear one more word, I'm turning this ship around," Saoirse snapped.
8
As the ship's ramp touched down, Phoenix couldn't keep his feet still. He wasn't the only one; the whole crew heaved and moved as one. Shoulders bumped into heads, elbows bumped into ribs.
"Will you stop pushing!"
"I ain't pushing no one."
"How can something alive have such foul breath?"
"How can something as small as you have such big feet?"
"I do not!"
"Well, my toes would beg to differ."
"I--"
"Enough! There's plenty of room in this cargo bay to hold a hundred plus people. If everyone stops crowding at the--" Phoenix jumped out of the way before being trampled as the crew made a dash for the exit.
"Where should we meet?" he yelled.
It was of no use; the slowly shrinking backs of the crew became distant dots.
"Not so much as a thank you. Can you believe that?"
"They've been confined to this ship for so long, I'm surprised that a major conflict didn't occur," said Freyan.
"What the hell are you still doing here? You frightened the life out of me."
"Not one for parties, I suppose," Freyan said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Phoenix stretched his back till it popped, and his stomach rumbled. "I guess I didn't notice how bad the fighting had got. They always snap at one another, but it has been getting worse. This trip should help. Fancy getting something to eat?"
"I don't eat. One of the pleasures of being a Bloodless being."
"Well, you can watch me eat. Come, I need someone who has been here before."
"Whatever gave you that supposition?"
"Because, as far as I can guess, Doc, you're old as shit. So I'm guessing--just a hunch, mind you--that you have seen or been to a lot of planets like this. So why don't you be my guide until I at least get my bearings?" said Phoenix.
"I guess I could get some medical supplies while I'm out."
"That's the spirit," Phoenix said, walking down the ramp.
As Freyan followed him, Phoenix stopped and looked back at him. "No cloak and hood?"
"Not when it comes to planets like these. Things around here tend to be...more...easy-going."
The ramp closed behind them, and Phoenix walked at a brisk pace. He could hear the music calling him. He could hear the songs and the dance pull the strings of his soul. Floating transparent orbs changed colour as they pumped music into the air, and snake-like signs advertising the hottest clubs floated next to them.
Dancers lined the sand paths, their bodies moving to whatever beat dominated the air. Phoenix slowed down, hypnotised, as he watched their hips move to the beat. They flipped and twirled in the air, one part ballerina, one part African dancer. Further along the path, fire dancers tried their best to compete with the street dancers. Flames leaped from their mouths, moving as one with their bodies. The double act of dancer and flame left Phoenix with his mouth hanging open.
"How...can they control fire?" he asked, thinking back to his days of reading comic books.
"Don't be absurd. It's just a magic trick," said Freyan.
"Oh."
Phoenix bent down on one knee and placed a small amount of dirt into a bottle the size of his palm. He placed the bottle into his pocket and continued on his way.
As the pair made their way into the town, songs of merriment filled the air. Naked aliens, female and male, ran around the town after each other, flowing cups of alcohol spilled in their wake. Neon lights advertised food, drink, drugs, sex and everything in between.
Phoenix grabbed his pistol as gunshots echoed through the streets.
"Relax," Freyan said, patting him on the shoulder. "You have nothing to worry about, for the most part."
"You sure?" Phoenix asked with a raised eyebrow.
"For the most part. Come, I believe this restaurant should suit your culinary needs."
After Phoenix had ordered, they took a seat facing the ocean. Both were silent; Phoenix ate while Freyan stared into the distance.
"This is really good. What the hell is it?" Phoenix asked.
"Is it satisfying your hunger?"
"Yes."
"Then just enjoy it for what it is. The explanation may... Just enjoy it for what it is."
Phoenix looked at his bowl before looking back at Freyan. Tapping his spoon against his bowl, he shrugged and continued on eating.
"Have you given any more thought to what we discussed?" asked Freyan.
"Doc, come on! Can't we just enjoy this beautiful planet without you going all doom and gloom?"
"It's just that--"
Phoenix held up his han
d as he took a call from his holocom. "Hi, L. What's up?"
"Phoenix, Kai is in trouble. We need your help."
"What! It's only been what...a couple of hours? How could he get in trouble?" Phoenix asked.
"Phoenix, please!"
"Alright, where are you?"
"In the VRG section," said L.
"I should have guessed. Alright, we're on our way," Phoenix said, ending the call. "Sorry, Doc. Looks like that little chat you wanted will have to wait."
9
Phoenix stopped and asked someone the location to the VRG area before moving with the sway of the crowd in that direction. There was no cease to the party. The whole island operated on party, dance, sleep, repeat.
"I think we need to go down this way," Phoenix said, elbowing Freyan.
"You sure?"
"The last time L took me to one of these places, the flashing lights and neon signs were enough to make me want to put a bullet through my head. Yeah, I'm sure."
Neon signs of females wearing VRG headgear graced more than one storefront. Others had 3D holograms of space battles taking place, or of solo players in mortal combat.
"Hi, honey! Fancy a game?" said a light blue female standing outside a VRG store.
Phoenix stopped in his tracks and gave her a smile. "What does a game involve?"
"Well I'm glad you asked--"
"I'm terribly sorry, but we're in a bit of a hurry," Freyan said, pulling Phoenix by the arm.
"But your friend wanted to play with me!"
"I did? I mean, I would--I do. Freyan, five minutes won't hurt."
"Kai and L first, fun later," said Freyan.
Phoenix let out a sigh as he looked over his shoulder. The blue woman blew him a kiss and waved him goodbye. Phoenix took one more look over his shoulder before turning back around. Shaking off Freyan's grip, he marched on.
"I'm going to kill those two when I see them. How come the captain doesn't get to have any fun? Always cleaning up someone's mess!"
"Are you okay?" Freyan asked.
"Fine, fine. I think it's in here."
The VRG store they stopped in front of was more of a tent then a building. Grey canvas walls swayed back and forth with the breeze. Some parts of the store were open to the public, while others had canvas walls giving the gamers some privacy. A grinning skull with a VRG helmet acted as the store logo.
Revenge: (Space Outlaw 3) Page 3