Lysander the Poet
Hilarious Inquisitor
”Persephone, this is Calypso, you are authorized for docking. Proceed to docking bay Charlie. Good to see you again, by the way. Captain Devaro and company look forward to meeting you in the docking bay. Also have a crew on standby for cargo receiving. See you in a few.” The docking bay doors opened as the ship approached, and slowly she glided into the docking bay, coming to a slow halt. The magnetic docking clamps descended upon the ship, holding her in place. ”Attention all crew and passengers. We are currently docking on Calypso Station. Temperatures aboard station are sporadic due to malfunctions in the environmental control systems. Station power grid is also malfunctioning, so be ready for station-wide blackouts. Docking clamps have engaged. Watch your step when disembarking.” Persephone’s voice echoed throughout the ship, signaling the intermission in their journey. The docking bay sealed itself behind them, and a group of heavily armed men were making their way down the docking platform towards the old rust bucket. Persephone’s cargo bay door lowered to the floor with a heavy thud. Alister passed by a couple crates, giving his crew instructions for unloading pertinent cargo for delivery onto the station. As he gently stepped down the cargo ramp, he turned to look up across the hull of the ship. Plenty of markings, carbon scoring, hull damage, and the old layer of paint slowly stripping off. It was sad to see the old girl so worn out, but she reflected the times, and times were tough.
In the hour that passed since their little meeting in the dining area, Alister had gone from shirtless and jeaned to armored up, all except for his helmet, with a black trenchcoat sitting over the layer of armored plating. His pistols at his sides, katana sheathed across his back, and shotgun on the back of his belt. It was obvious he was taking no chances. While the last day or so, he was a bit more relaxed, and his passengers got to see a little bit more of the laid back Alister, now he had an even harder face than before. His eyes scanned the docking bay, spotting the cargo retrieval crew approaching. They gave Alister a wide berth as he stepped down to the bottom of the cargo ramp. The group of armed men were in a makeshift formation behind the three frontmen, who halted at the foot of the ramp, in front of Alister. The air was tense as the group and Alister stood in silence for a moment. The tension was broken when one of the men cracked a huge grin, and Alister forced a small smile in return. ”Alister Blood, you psychotic sonnuvabitch, come here!” It was probably an awkward sight, then, when the man came forward and wrapped Alister in a friendly embrace, giving him a few pats on the back. It even looked uncomfortable for Alister, who semi-reluctantly reciprocated the gesture. ”The illustrious Liam Devaro, captain of Calypso Station, comes to see me personally? I’m shocked, and appalled that you’d drag your ugly mug all the ******** way out here. It’s been a long time.” Captain Devaro nodded, and gestured to the men at each side of him. ”You of course remember my Lieutenants, Kramer and Locke.” Alister gave an irritated sort of grunt, looking at the two men, his eyes lingering on Kramer with a specific sort of disgust.
”Yes. I seem to recall the stupid looks on their faces. I’m sorry to rush you, Liam, but I don’t want to grace your station with my presence for longer than I have to. I’m here to get repairs for my ship, unload some cargo, maybe time some time to gather some information, and be off. I’ve got passengers to transport.” He gestured to the cast of characters that had been riding aboard his ship, and Captain Devaro glazed over them, big grin still on his face. ”Good to see at least a few of them are lovely young women...would be a shame if you had to travel without something so pretty to look at. And…” His eyes stopped for the first time, on Nova. "Commander Vegas! Another pleasant surprise. I definitely did not expect you to be riding along with this incorrigible psychopath. We definitely must have a drink together, if you have the time.” It was becoming obvious that Liam Devaro was a very different sort of pirate compared to Alister Blood. He owned and operated one of the largest pirate stations in the system, and had transformed the raiding outpost into somewhat of an industry, once he convinced his lads to begin mining asteroids and producing things out of the metals. On top of his shipyard and repair functions, Liam Devaro was a rich man. He also seemed to have manners. His eyes moved along, next stop at Christian, and he made his recognition known as subtle as he could, but a comment to Alister, ”I didn’t think the rumors could be true, Captain Blood. Though, for a kidnap victim...he looks quite unrestrained.” He didn’t make much of the other passengers, and gave Rhia, who lurked in the background, a signature sort of wave, before turning back to Alister, and business.
”Of course, though, business. I’ll have my men deliver the cargo to the proper recipients. The credits, and a little extra, are already in your account. You may also be happy to know that Anatoli made it off Kessel Station as well, and arrived maybe an hour before you did. He’d probably be glad to see that you’re alive. As for your repairs, I can get you a quote in an hour or two, at the latest. I can hardly believe you still ride around in this thing...though, I bet with some new parts and a paint job, she could still be the fastest ship in the system, eh? If there is the unfortunate complication of you having to remain on the station for longer than your comfort, I would love to offer you accomodations. But I suppose that can be squared away later. I’ll get my mechanics right on that. I’d appreciate it if you would accompany Kramer and Locke to the Bloodhound, to discuss further business while I take care of yours.” Alister nodded, and turned back to the group. ”Everyone meet back here in about five hours. Don’t get into too much trouble. If you need anything, now’s the time to go and find it. Not as much as you can find on Kessel, but, it should be enough. If anyone needs to contact me, I’ve got my comm frequency, which Rhia can make sure you have access to. Private channel. Or come find me at the Bloodhound. If you’re going to book passage on another ship instead of continuing on Persephone, just let me know, so we can settle up any outstanding charges.” As he finished his little speech, Rhia would move to make sure everyone had the information they needed, and then crossed her arms in her usual moody way, staying close to Daniella. She had personally volunteered for guard duty, and a group of men from the ship waited to watch the group divide, to serve as an escort for each of the passengers. They knew well enough that if business was meant to be private, they could wait outside of any establishments, or get themselves a drink. But like Alister, they were committed to their jobs, and currently, that job was protecting Alister’s paying customers.
Captain Devaro departed on his own, part of his armed entourage following after, and Alister was escorted away by Kramer and Locke. The sign for the bar they would be headed to, the Bloodhound, glowed in the distance in a violent neon red. The streets of this part of the station were lined with bars, restaurants, and entertainment opportunities. It was also very apparent that the further you went towards the Bloodhound, the shittier the quality got. The ones further away, that were nicer, were often fronts for the more organized sort of criminals, while the garbage places often were used to turn around money for the less powerful. Except for the Bloodhound. Even though the place was dank and dirty, almost all the big money that passed through the station went through this one bar, before going anywhere else. The clientele were some of the most disgusting looking thugs you could hire, and Kramer and Locke led Blood to a booth in the corner, motioning over to a waitress, who approached, scantily clad, fake tits and smile, ready to take their order. She slowly walked away with their drink orders, attempting to accentuate her features to her customers, but the trio was now onto their own business. ”Bounty on yer head is bad for business, Blood. You sure you can handle a few tasks for Captain Devaro under these circumstances?” Kramer was always a smug b*****d, and he let it show through with every pompous little world that fell from his filthy ******** mouth. Alister wondered how he’d look with a gunshot between his eyes, but kept his composure, even managing a smirk in response to the very loaded question. In lieu of an immediate answer, he slipped a cigarette out of one of his belt pouches, and stuck it between his lips, and then pulled out a lighter from his jacket pocket. Drawing in a mouthful of smoke, he expended it right into Kramer’s face, rolling it to the other side of his mouth.
”As long as Captain Devaro has a few tasks that include ******** with the Dominion, I’m on board. My passengers are looking for safe harbor, so I’m sure they’ll be along for the ride for a good while...won’t suspect a thing, as long as I keep my end of the bargain, and keep ‘em safe. Dominion has been on my tail for a long ******** time. Just because they up the price for my head doesn’t mean I’m going into retirement.” Kramer and Locke both bursted into laughter at the notion, and Alister stared at them, not amused in the slightest. ”Not sure you could afford retirement, mate. If you could afford anything, you’d get yerself a new fawking ship.” The pair began laughing again, and a few moments later, the waitress returned with their drinks. Alister took the butt of his cigarette and gave it a light flick, letting it land in Kramer’s drink right as he went to take a rather large drink...and ended up swallowing, and slightly choking on, said cigarette butt. Now it was Alister’s turn for a little chuckle, as he lit up another cigarette. ”Try and hold your liquor, Kramer. Wouldn’t want you and your little boyfriend embarrassed in your own joint. Now, are you going to tell me what the job is gonna be, or do I need to be more persuasive...maybe remind you of my aptitude.” The pair looked at each other, and then back at Alister, who hand a single hand resting on one of his pistols under the table. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another patron enter the bar, taking note of her slender built, dark hair, the very...commanding way that she walked...and the vintage pistol she wore on her hip. That, and her tight clothes made her a** look amazing. He wasn’t too concerned with the two goons across from him. They wouldn’t cause him too much trouble, but negotiations with them were often painful. On the wall furthest from him, across the bar, he also noticed the display cycling through the various wanted posters, and watched as his face came up, and a few of the patrons even turned and looked in his direction, including the woman. He gave her a not-so-subtle wink, before turning back to the matters at hand.
”First job is easy enough. Manage it, and there’s more where it came from. Alls you gotta do, is take this package,” Kramer gently slid a small, black box across the table, the metal absurdly shiny in the bar’s lighting. ”And drop it at the coordinates that’ll be uploaded to yer ship’s nav-systems. That’s it. Once we’ve confirmed that the job is done, we can give you your next task. Captain Devaro may trust you, but his trust doesn’t amount to as much anymore. Winds o’ change are blowin’ around here...make sure you don’t get blown away, Captain Blood.” For once, Kramer sounded like he had balls. That didn’t intimidate Alister much, but it was something to think about. He grabbed the black box, tucking it into one of the inside pockets of his jacket, before raising his drink, ”A toast then...to the winds of change.” Kramer and Locke raised their glasses, and after the clink of glass, they began to drink.
O.O.C. :: I coulda kept typing, but figured I'd stop and save the rest for another post.
