Chapter Seven
Lorelei and Ace were finally down at the floor of the Dock.
All sorts would come across, people selling everything you could want to find on a black market.
"Is that..?" Started Lorelei, staring at a jar with unusual content.
"Yes! Jar of testicles! Very fresh! Just for three credits!" Replied the salesman, a specially greasy specimen of a race native to the southern lands of the colonized planet that looked like fat scaly bulb eyed man toad.
Lorelei backed away with a "eww" and ran after Ace, leaving the angry alien behind, cursing in his native language.
In her rush she bumped against a old man, somewhat frail looking but that didn't even flinch from the sudden impact which nearly made her fall on her back.
"I'm terrible sorry, I was distracted.." the man started apologizing.
"You better be! You pervert!"
"What?" Olliver was completely at lost. "Listen, I'm sure you're..."
"PERVERT! Bumping against defenseless women on purpose for a grab, hey!?"
Everyone in the market were starting to stare, enjoying this show has the local thieves took this chance to pick some pockets.
"I'll teach you a lesson, you dirty old man!"
Lorelei was about to take her baseball bat from her backpack when Ace stepped in, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away leaving the preacher in disguise behind, confused and standing amid the crowd which quickly returned to their lives.
"How odd." He whispered. "They both looked quite familiar..."
For a moment he felt he should follow them. He knew he should follow them but the reason that had brought him here now compelled him to return to headquarters.
Preferably before he got himself in a messy situation.
Malloy wouldn't forget the rude young woman's face thought.
"A rude woman and a man dressed has a jester of some sort.
They should be easy to find."
He stroke his beard, smiled and went back to his things.
****
"Ahh, such a lovely couple! Perhaps you are looking for a special romantic gift?" the Captain started, has Ace and Lorelei approached.
Who knew? Maybe one day people would actually buy his crap rather than come for him for gossip. A man could dream.
Ace pulled a crumpled piece of paper from the pocket of his harlequin suit and handed it to the Captain.
"Is this a letter of some sort? No one ever wrote to this poor old thing.."
"We're in hurry here, just check whatever in the paper and let's get done with this! Okay?" Lorelei was getting nervous. She hadn't calmed down from her discussion with the old man but had come to realize the mess she caused had brought unwanted attention upon them.
There could be undercover agents, just checking their data, realizing they were wanted either for minor felonies or worse: for being members of the Smile Patrol.
No one ever was quite sure of how much E.A.G.L.E. really knew about what was going on.
It was speculated their central H.Q. was located in town has well has their most influential members but with an entire planet to monitor there was only so much they could handle at once.
The Captain gave some rest to his pipe and unfolded the paper.
For long painful minutes he held it close to his eyes figuring it's content out.
He took a deep breath and crumbled the paper into a tiny ball, then set it in his pipe and smoked the mysterious message.
"So it's time..." he sighted deeply.
He reached out with his arms asking for help to get on his feet, to which Ace complied. Then the Captain proceeded to dig from the heaps of garbage, his treasures a single metal cube. It was rusty and about the size of a fist.
It resembled a complex four dimensional puzzle, all parts being or to have been at some point before the rust set in, movable.
"Here we go." He said. "Now if you could just help em with my tobacco..."
Lorelei quickly picked it all up and shoved it into a messenger bag the Captain used to carry his new found treasures and his few other earthly possessions.
He handed them the cube.
"I guess this is goodbye. Time to find a new port."
"What, that's it?" Lorelei almost shouted.
"A rusty old piece of s**t? And where the Hell are you going?"
The Captain lit his pipe again, has he chuckled.
"You don't know what's happening then maybe it's for the best. I'm going to hide has deep has I can in the sewer. Maybe I'll even leave the town. We'll see.
Good luck! I hope you find yourselves safe by the end."
Lorelei was about to stop him and demand clear answers when Ace stopped her for the third time that day and handed her the cube.
"Keep it in your backpack." he gestured to her.
"Oh, go ******** yourself!" She replied, while safekeeping the cube anyhow. "Everyone knows you're not mute, why do you keep up that stupid act?"
They started walking away, the Captain completely forgotten now.
He watched them walk away and only when they vanished in the crowd did he started to walk in the opposite direction.
"At least I sold one of my treasures before leaving." he said to himself.
"I can die an happy man now..."
He gave one last raspy laugh.
Soon he was gone and soon enough the rest of the Dock would vanish has well.
A storm was coming.
Monday Delirium Community Member 
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