by Ryan Vermont
Moonray’s Furniture and Office Supply was located back behind some of the older buildings that had been carved into the side of the asteroid when the Fathers first arrived on Nyx Station. I don’t know what it looked like before Korth took over, but it wasn’t much to see now. Crumbling steps and concrete sides that were in a constant state of repair. Korth didn’t feel the need to advertise what he did to the militia; they already knew and kept a close eye on his operations. But he knew how far he could approach the line without going over.
We walked up to the building, slow and easy. I didn’t want any of his watchmen to think we were about to try anything. At the same time, I wanted him to know I was still his best man, the fixer who could solve any problem.
“Well, well,” the doorman spoke to me as we approached him. “Look what flushed out the drain. Boss-man wants to see you; did you come because you heard?”
The doorman was a former enforcer of Korth’s who became a bit too slow and fat to do his previous job. He was still loyal, though, and that was one thing Korth did reward. Tall for a Terran, Vlad had lived all his life on Nyx.
“No," I said. “I came here because I missed your ugly mug. Now, step aside; we have to see Korth.”
“Wait a minute,” he told me and picked up a phone from the wall. “I have to let him know. Don’t try anything, because there are four sentries with guns on you.”
I didn’t doubt that. Korth was cautious. He hadn’t clawed his way to the top of the local syndicates by being a patsy.
Vlad hung the phone up and turned back to me. “Boss says to send you both in to his office,” we were informed. “Says to pat you down to be safe. Sorry, but I have to do that.”
He found Ralph, which I knew I’d have to give up. “Heard about these things,” commented Vlad. “They really talk to you?”
“Get your filthy hands off me!” Ralph told him, which garnered a surprise from the doorman. He shook his head and placed Ralph inside a wall safe in the vestibule. Then, Vlad turned to Zilpha.
“You stop there!” She snapped at Vlad as he began to pat her a little too high. He’d already found her blade in her purse and confiscated it.
“Heard about what you did with this thing,” he spoke to Zilpha as her blade joined Ralph in the safe.
Ivan walked over and unlocked the main door, holding it wide for us. “Good luck,” he said.
I felt a bit naked without Ralph, and I could tell Zilpha didn’t feel much better without her sword. But this was the only way we could get things resolved.
There was a long hall on the other side of the door. Since this whole operation was a front for what Korth really did on the inside, there was no need for a waiting room or the gum-chewing secretary. Instead, the hall ran down to the other end and terminated at a door. From behind it, we could hear sounds of activity.
The other door was watched by a Ronsath in a tuxedo, who opened it for us as we went inside. The moment the second door opened, light spilled onto my face.
We were in the casino part of the operation. In most cases, the muscle, such as me, never came in this way. I didn’t go into the casino unless I had a reason. Today, I had a reason.
“Boss is waiting for you on the other side of the floor,” the second doorman informed me.
We walked past a massive room that occupied most of the first level of the old building. It was full of gaming tables, card dealers, and every way to extract money from gamblers. I stopped for a few seconds and watched a representative of every sentient being in the galaxy lose their cash. It was not a sight to provide inspiration. Zilpha and I continued through the curtain that separated the back of the casino from Korth’s “throne room,” where he held court.
Two more goons smiled and held the curtain open for us as we crossed over. They’d waited for us in hopes of seeing some quick justice. His, not ours.
In the corner of a furnished room sat Korth. His massive form was stretched out in a stuffed chair. In one hand, he held a lit cigar. He was surrounded by four showgirls from the casino, mostly Terran, but one who was from somewhere else. Seated across from him were a few of his staff: torpedoes, enforcers, and a few guys who managed the crew that brought in the stolen goods he fenced.
Korth motioned for us to come over. I walked slowly to him, not looking at anyone on my way to this throne. Zilpha knew the drill and stayed close to me.
Korth took a long drag on his cigar, then puffed into the air. “Well, if it isn’t the Fixer,” he bellowed. “And I see the lovely Zilpha lowered herself to come down here too.”
“Look, Boss,” I spoke to the horned wonder, “let’s cut to the chase and get this thing over. I know you want some information I have, and I’m willing to give it to you. Sorry about the guys I took out in my apartment, but they had it coming, busting in on me like that. I’m sure we can come to an arrangement over what it is you want. Hell, you got your damn starship. All right, the operation turned out rough, but you got what you sent us to get. All I want in return is for you to let Zilpha leave the station in peace. You have no beef with her.”
Korth sat there and stared at me. He took another drag off his cigar and handed it to one of the showgirls behind him. One of the women gave me a seductive look, which I found a bit odd considering the situation. She seemed familiar, but I ignored her, as there were other issues to be addressed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zilpha stare at her too.
Korth leaned back and gave me a long, hard look. “Absolutely not,” he spoke as one of the girls massaged his back. “What do you think it will do for my reputation if I make deals with a traitor? I let you off the hook for failing to kill that arms dealer and now, you’ve failed a second time. What is it with you Terrans and your false sense of morality? You are a torpedo for a syndicate. You are supposed to get the job done with no fucking around.”
This was not going the way I’d planned. I had to think and find a way out of this or both Zilpha and I would pay with our lives. I decided to try something else.
“How long have I worked for you, Boss?” I asked. “Five years, six? Have I ever given you any trouble before? I’ve run all kinds of jobs. Hell, you were the one who called me the Fixer because I take care of all your troubles. And now, you’re going to end it all because of this?”
He leaned forward and seemed to listen.
“Who’s gonna fix these messes for you if you don’t have me around?” I demanded. “Didn’t I haul back those guns from Mencken when no one else could do it? Didn’t I find those guys who tried to run off and start their own syndicate? And you’re willing to let it all go on account of what happened this week? Shit, I didn’t kill all the men you sent after me, but I could’ve.” I didn’t mention that the cleaning company had their own ways of dealing with trapped hot jobs.
I looked around the room after I’d finished and tried to assess the situation. This wasn’t too easy to do with only my peripheral vision. No reason to alert Korth to what I had in mind by turning my head.
He had the place covered from what I could tell. There were the four showgirls, who counted as wild cards since I didn’t know what they would do if the shooting began. Probably nothing, as Korth wasn’t the type to hire dancers based on their accuracy with a rifle.
I counted two men at the curtains and four more on either side of him. Not to mention all the people he had back in the casino watching the floor or the doorman beyond that and the sentries outside. Even if I could get a gun from one of the goons, I’d have a hard time blasting my way to safety with these odds. Funny, it never played out this way in the videos or books. Where was the dashing hero who came in and shot his way to the HQ of the evil genius? Not here today, that was for certain.
Korth motioned to one of the women next to him, and she brought him a new cigar. First, she took care to slice off the end with a small cigar cutter. Once in his mouth, she held the lighter to the clipped end to get it just right. Then, she returned to her place in line.
All of them wore th
e same pink outfit with short skirt and high heels. They might not all be Terran, but the cleavage on the top of what they wore was designed to show off the ample talents of each women. This was Korth’s idea of “class,” something he could use to impress his men or rivals.
I heard the dealers and roulette wheels in the background. I wondered how much cash that casino generated for him and who was paid off in the upper levels to let him keep it running. The place had to be a money generator for him, and it appeared he had every intent of keeping it that way.
So, why the big concern over the problems we had with the starship and some information I was supposed to possess? What was I missing? It made no sense.
Korth looked at me for a long time without saying a word. One of the showgirls behind him, who had distinct feline attributes, handed him a drink. He took a sip, then handed off the cigar to another one of the women. Another walked over and polished his horns. Nice work if you can get it, I surmised.
The showgirl looked at me again. She was a Felinx and had the subtle cat-like features of her people. I was certain I’d seen that woman somewhere before. There were a number of those beings in the station, as they traveled around a bit and ran small businesses all over the galaxy. I’m told they once had an extensive empire in their part of known space, but it was torn apart by war and strife. She had the high ears and soft fur over her subtle body that the Felinx were known to possess.
“I’m tired of this,” Korth spoke up. “All this talk, and nothing is resolved. Boys, take care of this ghee and the girl. I don’t want his head damaged; it’s got stuff in it I need.”
I began to back up. I tried to assess my chances as the goons stood from where they sat and reached into their jackets. I swore internally at giving up my gun without a fight.
It was that moment I froze, because the identity of the Felinx woman became clear to me.
Our eyes made the connection again. I waited for her to make the move.
Two seconds after the nearest thug stood up and reached for his gun, the Felinx woman delivered a direct kick to his nuts. He started to go down, and she was already on top of him. Before any of the others could react, she had his pistol in her hand. It was an Ice Dragon 12, not the cheapest model on the market, but he was in too much pain to resist her theft.
Before the others could bring their guns to bear on her, the woman had the gun pointed at Boss Korth’s head. The other goons froze when they saw she had the drop on him. While the remaining showgirls ran in terror from the tableaux, the Felinx jumped behind Korth’s chair, one eye scanning the room for any hidden guards.
“Now, everybody just shut the fuck up,” she demanded. “Or Korth gets another big fat mouth.”
It was Jenica. She, too, was an esper, like me, but not of the same caliber as me. It was enough that she could plan her move five steps in advance, for which I was grateful. We had a history that went way back, but I hadn’t been around her in a long time. The last time I could remember with her was one night off-world in a Holle hotel. I’d watched Jenica hop naked out of bed and brush the light fuzz on her body. I fought the memory because now was not the time to get a boner. Especially with Zilpha there, who would know it.
“Up!" Jenica yelled at Korth, who placed his drink down and did what she said. Every goon in the room kept one hand in their jacket.
“You are one dead bitch,” Korth said as he stood up.
“We all die, Boss Korth,” she sneered. “But not before you escort us out of the building.” She turned to the nearest goon. “Give Stefan your gun!”
Reluctantly, the enforcer walked over and pulled his gun out. He was a young pup and smelled of cheap cologne. He glared at me and handed it over.
“Now move,” she ordered Korth in a low voice. He went ahead and followed her instructions. I could tell Korth was pissed at himself for allowing this to happen, but there was nothing he could do about it.
We backed out of the room until the doormen were obliged to open the curtains for us. We moved through the curtains to the other side.
“Just be cool,” Jenica ordered Korth as we made our way through the casino. “You’re leaving with your latest squeeze and some friends. Greet everyone normally, and nothing bad will happen.”
We strode through the casino as game operators and patrons greeted Korth. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the thugs gather on the other side of the curtain, waiting for the right moment.
The doorman out front opened the safe and gave Zilpha her blade. Next, he handed Ralph back to me. I pocketed the gun in my shoulder hostler and closed my jacket.
“Thought you’d never come back,” Ralph grumbled as I put him away.
I didn’t turn to look back at Korth. We left the building and went down a side alley. I could sense his anger and frustration at what happened. A few minutes later, we emerged onto the main street of the docks, which was thronged with longshoremen and stevedores, the usual traffic headed to and from work. Not a place where Korth would attempt an ambush. That would come later.
“I suppose a thanks is in order,” I told Jenica as we walked down the crowded street. We looked straight ahead and tried to focus on one thing at a time. By now, Korth would have his people trying to find me.
“What the hell were you doing in there?” Jenica spoke. “If I wasn’t already working on a job, both of you would be dead.” She didn’t seem out of order in her pink cocktail dress, even in this working-class area. Plenty of people worked in the various gambling dens and other entertainment avenues down here.
“Job?" I spoke to her. “What kind of job had you as a party girl to a mob boss?” Zilpha was about to say something, so I needed to cut into the conversation.
“One that just ended,” Jenica spoke. “Now that they’ve made me, I have to end it and hope I can still get some money out of the client. Great, and me with rent to pay this month.”
“I have to get out of here,” she told us a few seconds later. “And you need to find a place to lay low for a while. Korth will hunt you down like a rat in a tunnel if you don’t cool somewhere until this blows over. See you later.”
She slid across several lines of pedestrians and into an alley. We turned to watch her leave, but Jenica was already gone.
I watched Zilpha mouth the word “Bye!” before she turned to me.
“So, you want to tell me about her?” she asked as we continued to walk.
“An old girlfriend,” I replied. “I had no idea she was in that place, but good thing she was when we needed her. Hell, I didn’t even recognize Jenica until the moment she kicked that slob in the nuts. Don’t know why she was there. Jenica is an esper too, but not the same kind as me. She can make people… see things at… at times. Which is why I didn’t recognise her at first. Must have pulled the wool over everyone in Korth’s throne room.”
“Why was she there?”
“Works as an independent operative, so I’m guessing she was working a case.”
We continued to walk while I tried to figure out what to do next.
“She’s cute,” Zilpha mentioned. “Why haven’t you told me about her before?”
“I haven’t seen her in years,” I replied. “We used to hang out when I first came to Nyx. Then, I didn’t see her anymore, and someone told me she’d moved off-world."
Then, it hit me. The one place we would be safe on this level.
“I know where we need to go,” I told Zilpha, "and it’s only six blocks away. We need to hurry, before Korth figures out I’ll go there and plants his thugs at the entrances.”
“Where’s that?” Zilpha asked as she moved close to me and took my hand.
“The Irunian Legation. It’s close, and we can get there in under 15 minutes after the next turn.”
Chapter Seven
After the Irunian Empire began to sniff around Nyx Station, the Fathers became concerned they were trying to annex their sweet little trading spot. A few Irunian military officials brought up the possibility of pro
viding “protection” for Nyx if the various wars ever spilled over into our part of the galaxy. The Fathers realized what this meant and scrambled to find some way to keep Her Majesty’s government happy. The solution they found was to allow the Irunian delegation its own zone on Nyx. They could run it any way they wanted. The Nyx militia would provide support outside the legation, as the area was called, but not enter it. The Irunians would have a nice piece of property located near the docks with no reason to expand any further. They could even sublease sections of it to other planetary governments. Most of the lower level population favored the idea as it gave them better access to jobs and trade.
Not everyone liked the idea. Plenty of the old trading families didn’t like handing a chunk of Nyx over to a foreign power. They warned it could serve as a pretext for an invasion if the legation was ever under attack. There were plenty of instances of that happening on Old Earth. But in the end, the pro-Irunian faction in the senate won out, and the section was leased out to the empire.
I noticed people I recognized as we walked. Korth would have the area under surveillance soon if he didn’t already. We needed to get inside in a hurry. Once inside the legation, Korth would have a hard time reaching us. The Irunian military ran it and put up with no crap from outside squabbles.
“Just act normal,” I told Zilpha as we entered the line going into the legation. “I have two passes they will recognize. They’re an old pair but should still work to get us inside. By the way, I’m Mr. Jones, and you’re my wife, if anyone asks.”
I watched some pushcart vendors sell trinkets as we moved along in the line. Most of the people waiting were clerks and maintenance types who did the grunt work the Irunians didn’t want to do. They had the same bored look on their faces you see on working people across the galaxy, no matter what the planet.
I handed the guard my passes as I approached him, and he looked them over. He was a lower rank enlisted man from what I could tell. He did this job all day long. The guard glanced at the fake passes with a dull expression and fed them into a machine that read both. My heart raced, but I detected no hostile thoughts from the people around us, and the light on the machine turned green. He mumbled something about rights and regulations as we walked through the gate.