Some hours later, they got the much-anticipated message through the base's radio. And it wasn't much longer when they saw several specks of light appear in the sky. One grew larger and larger, the others went in the direction of the mobster base. Eventually, the largest light took on the form of a spacecraft, a patrol ship a little larger than the Red Star , with the light blue color adopted by most police forces in the interstellar community. It flew over, and came to rest beside the base.
Karmlyn, Jinx, and Lexxon, the latter two having changed back into what they wore before the battle, approached the craft. They were the only people outside the base. Once the engines died down, the entry ramp came down and the hatch opened. Before it was completely open, a certain cylindrical droid whisked down, beeping happily.
Karmlyn recognized it right away, "Beepo! Come here you sweet little tinwit." The droid continued to her, beeping all the way. Karmlyn took a few steps forward as it neared, and knelt down when it got to her. She took a gentle hold of it with her hands, "Nice to see you too." she paused, "I'll have to thank Ferrin for bringing you along."
"Actually, it barged in and interfaced itself with the ship's computer." spoke a voice from the hatch, "We had to take the droid with us."
Karmlyn looked at the hatch, and saw Bayle Riveryn standing there, smiling.
"About time you showed up, Bayle," Lexxon pretended to sound upset, "While you've been living it up in some casino or whereever else you've been, I'm here with them doing the dirty work."
Bayle grinned at him as he walked off the ship, "Now Lexxon, knowing you I'm certain with two charming ladies around, you were not feeling so dismal."
Jinx responded by rolling her eyes.
"Sorry to disappoint you," Lexxon answered him, "but we were a little too busy taking care of Nastrum and his mobsters."
"And a very good job the three of you did if I must say so myself."
Karmlyn stood up, "So Bayle, we meet again."
Bayle looked at Karmlyn, "Ah yes, the ever-charming Karmlyn Sen-Tiago." he paused, "I'm truly sorry we were unable to continue with the other night."
"Don't you think you can just charm your way out of this one, Bayle." Karmlyn looked a bit peeved, "Do you realize what I, we've been through for the past four days? After you stick me with that disk, Jinx and I barely make it off the planet. And just when things looked like they were going back to normal - wham! Three days on this planet with the mob snapping at our heels, going through the jungle with it's snakes and rats. Why I ought to - "
As she had been speaking, Bayle had been moving to her. He words were cut off as Bayle took her hand and kissed it.
Karmlyn was stunned silent. Only Beepo immediately responded with a couple questioning beeps. Karmlyn then looked him in the eye, "You did that just to distract me."
Bayle smiled smugly, "Did I?"
"If I can interrupt your carousing, Bayle," Lexxon spoke up, "We not only have the disk to deal with," he took a datapad from his pocket and held it up for Bayle to see, "but we also have Nastrum and his men." He gestured toward the base.
"That we do." Bayle turned back to the ship's hatch and called out, "Okay gentlemen, the prisoners are in the buildings. Please show them to their rooms."
Several men in police uniforms emerged from the ship, and head to the base's door. Just behind them was one more man, but in civilian clothes. He had black hair, and a thin build.
He looked at Karmlyn and walked her way, "Sorry if we're a little late, Karmlyn, but until Islyne Jixsi sent the message we didn't have a lot to go on where you were."
Karmlyn smiled at him, "That's quite all right." She turned to Jinx and gestured at the man, "This is Ferrin Whittler, the guy I was talking to you earlier about."
Ferrin looked Jinx's way, "How do you do?" followed by, "(It's a pleasure to meet you.)"
Jinx looked at him, surprised. Few humans bothered to learn Aglir, except ...
Karmlyn then smiled, "Oh I forgot to mention. Ferrin's from Absolin, like us."
Ferrin explained to the other two humans, "My parents were war refugees and found a home on their world." He turned back to Karmlyn, "It's good to see you again."
"Same here. I just wish I was better dressed for the occasion."
It was then the policemen emerged from the base with the mobsters. The last of the bunch to appear was Nastrum. He was still dirty and his clothes still torn, the tear in his backside as prominent as ever, and still blinded from the flare. He nearly tripped a couple times as he was led to the ship. While he could see nothing, he heard a feminine giggle he recognized.
He turned to the direction of the laugh, scowling, "Laugh while you can, cat. You may have won this time, but I'll be back. I'll get you one day, I'll get you."
As he spoke, Beepo scooted over to him, extending an arm. Just after his last words, Beepo prodded him in the area of his rear end exposed by the tear in his pants, and let loose an electric jolt.
Nastrum screamed, and tripped and fell on the ground. The police quickly hauled him back up, and continued to direct him to the ship.
The scene drew laughter from the other three humans and Karmlyn. Some of the police were snickering too. Even Jinx had a slight smile. Ferrin called out to the droid, "Okay, I think he's had enough."
"I guess that's the end of Nastrum," Karmlyn quipped, "pardon the pun."
The last sight Karmlyn and Jinx had of Nastrum was the police hauling the cursing mobster onto the ship. He would then be thrown into one of the tiny cells. For him, it would be far different from the luxury he was used too.
"Unfortunately," Jinx brought up, "His boast may not be entirely empty. He himself may be finished, but what about others in the Vyrian mob?"
"Yeah." Karmlyn turned to Bayle, "We've done our good deed, but what's our reward? Having to worry about hit men the rest of our lives?"
"From the evidence we found," Bayle answered, "there may not be a Vyrian mob left to trouble you once we send the information on the disk out to the police across the region. Even if there is, they'll be too busy trying to survive as other mobs move in on their territory. They'll be picked apart like a wounded shark in a feeding frenzy."
"And then there comes one little matter: our reward. We put our lives on the line, and we better get something for all our trouble."
"And I'll make certain you get it."
Many light years from Planet Serrin, docked at a space station's landing bays set aside for higher-paying customers, was the space yacht that had earlier orbited the Vyrian mob's secret world. Inside, a certain man was getting a less than welcome message.
"I'm sorry I don't have better news." spoke a man through the comm.
"Go ahead and warn our department heads and operatives in order of priority." The Overlord responded, sitting in his office, facing his desk in the large chair, with little of him facing behind. Even with a hint of discouragement, his voice was still menacing.
"Yes Sir. We'll get right on it."
"That will be all." the Overlord then ended the comm call.
"So Nastrum failed." Rysla spoke from where she stood in the office. The voice of the slim, black-haired woman seemed to add to the icy quality of her blue eyes.
"Completely." the Overlord paused, sighing deeply, "He had his chance to redeem himself," his voice became more harsh, "and he failed miserably."
"Sir, you do realize while there was evidence against many of our lieutenants and operatives, the disk couldn't have had anything on you."
"That may be the only bit of good news. Even from what we knew was discovered, there was enough information to potentially cripple our organization. Even for our chapters that manage to stay intact, not only will they have to worry about the police forces, but other syndicates moving in to take advantage of our weakness."
"There must be something we can hang on to. What about our operations in the frontier territories? They should be safe."
"That could very well be our holdout. More likely, we'll be able to hold onto more than that."
"So what becomes of Nastrum?"
"I'm not going to take a chance on him turning rat in order to save his own skin. Besides, his failure must be answered for. It should be little problem arranging for an 'accident.' "
"And what of the two alien women, Karmlyn Sen-Tiago and Islyne Jixsi?"
"From what additional information I have received, it appears they were drawn into this by Nastrum's bungling. In any event, they've proven themselves more trouble than it's worth to get them, at least for now. For the moment, we leave them alone."
"Are you certain, Sir?"
"Yes, Rysla. These two have proven their reputations for outmaneuvering the opposition are well deserved. I'm not going to waste my time with them while my resources are limited."
"So we're just going to let them go? Sir, we - "
"That does not mean that we will ignore them forever. Time will pass. Our resources will grow again, and over time they'll put this incident behind them and let their guard down.
"And then, we move in. And once we do, they shall realize that in the end no one escapes the Vyrian Syndicate."
"Understood, perfectly." Rysla smiled. She had no hate for the two mymar. To a degree, she admired them. They had managed to escape everything thrown at them, and in the end won. Not to mention, they had humiliated and brought down the wretched Nastrum in the process.
Too bad you have to be brought down. You both would have been a great asset. She thought further. Taking on the resourceful gambler and the psionic would be quite a challenge. A challenge that would test her mettle, and in the end add to her reputation after she disposed of them. It was an assignment she was looking forward to.
In the meantime, however, she'd help the Overlord recover from his losses. She would personally oversee that his plans and directions were carried out, and advise him on suggestions on how his already masterful plans could be slightly improved. She once heard that in one ancient language, the two symbols for their word for "crisis" when reversed meant "opportunity." And this crisis, bad as it was, gave her the opportunity to gain even more power and authority within the Vyrian mob.
After some hours, the patrol ship emerged from hyperspace and flew to planet Rytal. It quickly got permission to land, and landed at the starport with a certain red starship. Once on the ground, Karmlyn, Jinx, Beepo, Bayle, Lexxon, and Ferrin disembarked. Karmlyn was once again wearing her dress, Jinx her jumpsuit, and Lexxon had gotten a new set of clothes. The ship's engines never completely shut down.
"Thanks for taking me back to my ship." Karmlyn told Bayle and Lexxon.
"Not a problem." Bayle answered. He then turned back to a policeman standing near the hatch, "Gentlemen, you may proceed with the ruffians."
The hatch was shut, and the engines revved up again. The ship then climbed into the air and soared off, taking with it the defeated enemy of the group.
"But how are you going to get back?" Jinx asked Bayle and Lexxon.
"Lexxon works directly for the authorities," Bayle answered her, "so he can get a ride on another of their ships. As for an independent like myself, I was able to get an expense account for travel."
"Nothing like traveling at taxpayer expense for a freelance." Lexxon wryfully commented.
"And they get the best operatives their money can buy." Bayle's smile didn't fade.
"Ahem." Karmlyn broke in, "Speaking of which, I do believe you were earlier mentioning something in return for having Nastrum after our tails?"
"Oh yes. Lexxon and I made some inquires. We'll find what you're looking for in the starport security office." He then remembered something else, "Oh, and your items from the hotel that got left behind? You'll find them there too."
The six then headed there. It was only a few minutes walk, so little was spoken. The office itself was small with only two officers there, one behind a desk. Lexxon went up to the one behind the desk and greeted him, "I'm officer Lexxon Kessler; I believe thereีs a delivery here for my party?"
The officer responded with an affirmative, took out a small plastic case from the desk, and handed it to him. He then handed Karmlyn her suitcase, which Ferrin took, and Jinx her duffel bag. Lexxon then opened the small case, and inside were three credsticks. He checked the first, then handed it to his operation partner, "Here's your final payment Bayle." He then handed the other two to Karmlyn and Jinx, "And here's a little something for your work. Not very much considering what you've done, I'm afraid."
Karmlyn took a look at the amount on hers, and smiled, "Hmm. Not too bad."
The droid managed to catch sight of the number, and whistled.
Karmlyn turned to Jinx, who was staring at hers, silent. She looked at the amount on the psionic's credstick, "What? You got the same amount as I did, disappointed?"
Jinx finally managed to squeak, "I could almost buy a starship with this."
Karmlyn looked back at her, "Don't kid yourself. This couldn't get you anything more than a hunk of junk held together with spit and duct tape." she smiled, "Thinking of getting one? Well you won't need one yet. Now that Nasty's been taken care of, we can check out this vacation spot that I promised you."
"Well, I - "
Ferrin broke in, "I'm afraid that trip will have to wait." He turned to Karmlyn, "I wasn't sure how to bring this up before," he paused, "After recent events, your uncle wants you back on Absolin."
"What?"
Beepo let out a questioning beep.
"What he said was he wanted you to stay and prepare for your company's negotiations with the representatives from Berrylyn Corp, but that's not for another three weeks."
Karmlyn did not look happy, "Damn. I hate it when he does that."
The droid let out a noise that sounded vaguely like someone sticking his tongue out and "razzing." Karmlyn turned to Jinx, "Sorry about that. He's only pulled something like this twice before. Maybe some other time."
"Perhaps."
"Oh well, I was thinking of going back home sometime soon anyway." Karmlyn perked up a little, "There's still plenty to to back on Absolin. Maybe you could come with me."
"I'm afraid not." Jinx seemed a little dispirited, "Other mymar are still rather nervous of me."
"Well the heck with them. We'll just go somewhere out of the way."
Jinx's expression did not change, "Not this time. I am sorry."
Karmlyn seemed a little sad, "So it's goodbye, huh?"
"I'm afraid so."
The droid responded with a somewhat mournful sound. It was partly out of sympathy for it's owner, and partly because it too had taken a liking to Jinx.
Lexxon's comm then beeped. He answered, "Hello," listened a few moments then responded, "That soon?" After another couple moments, "Very well, I'm in the starport building. I'm on my way out.
Lexxon turned off the comm and looked at the others, "It's been a pleasure working for you, but I made arrangements with a government ship on it's way to my next assignment, and it just arrived. They're in a hurry, and want on their way as soon as possible." He turned to Bayle, "Knowing you, I'll probably be seeing you again sometime soon." He turned to Karmlyn, "Hopefully the same with you under better circumstances."
"Same here." Karmlyn answered him.
Lexxon then nodded with a smile, and left the office.
Jinx then took a few steps to the door, then looked back, "I'm sorry I can't stay, Karmlyn." she paused, "Not many mymar would ever refer to me as 'friend' ."
Karmlyn smiled at her, "Take care of yourself, kid."
Jinx smiled slightly, then went out the door. She took one glance back, then moved on.
Bayle looked a little puzzled, "It seems your friend feels less than welcome on your world."
"It has something to do with some old legends about others with mental tricks," Karmlyn tried to explain, "It's kind of a long story."
"You didn't seem to mind her around."
Karmlyn smiled, "No, I suppose I didn't."
"I think after this, both of your reputations are going to get a little more well-known."
Karmlyn's smile got a little wider, "Should be interesting to hear what others on Absolin should be saying. Maybe a trip back home won't be so bad after all."
"Now that you mention it, I could use a brief vacation before going on my next assignment. Perhaps I could accompany you to Absolin."
The droid gave a questioning beep.
"We're going straight there." Ferrin told him, "We won't be able to stop to get your spacecraft."
"I didn't take it on this mission." Bayle told him, "I went on Lexxon's. If you're concerned about the ride back, my expense account terms to entitle me to a ride back home after the mission, regardless where I am."
"Sounds like you managed to get some generous terms." Karmlyn commented with a grin.
"Lexxon's superiors know how to attract the best." Bayle answered with a smug expression, "So how soon do we leave?"
"As soon as possible," Ferrin answered, "I'll be going in the ship Mr. Sen-Tiago loaned me."
Karmlyn looked at Bayle carefully. He seemed to be smiling a little more after Ferrin's last comment. She had been at the gambling tables and business negotiations often enough to judge people's expressions. Perhaps it was the way he had slipped the disk on her back at the casino, but she suspected Bayle was leaning to certain intentions.
"Ferrin," Karmlyn turned to him, "we still have a few things to catch up on. Why don't you ride on the Red Star ?"
Ferrin answered, "I'd like to, but who will pilot the other ship?"
The droid whistled in response.
Karmlyn turned to it, "You don't mind Beepo?"
It beeped as if to say, "Uh-uh." It's optical receptor then blinked off then back on, as if winking. Karmlyn wondered if it suspected what was going on.
Bayle's face seemed to show a hint of surprise, "I'm sure you both will have plenty of time to talk once we're at your home."
"Something up, Bayle?" Karmlyn gave him a sly grin.
Bayle noticed both Ferrin, and the droid were looking at him. Even the two officers nearby still doing their work seemed to be glancing his way.
"Not really."
"Then let's go." The four left the office. Karmlyn then made a slight gesture that made it obvious to Bayle she was waiting for his arm. He went ahead and extended it, and she took him by it. She turned to Ferrin, "You too." Ferrin also allowed his arm to be taken by Karmlyn's free arm. He seemed happier about the situation than Bayle.
With a smug expression on her face, Karmlyn walked arm in arm with the two men back to the starport landing area, the droid following. She made a slight glance at Bayle, Did you think it was going to be that easy?
No matter whether friend or foe, no one would get the drop on her.
Well, maybe one friend.
"About Islyne," Ferrin spoke up, "I wouldn't worry too much. I'm sure you'll see her again soon."
Still smiling, Karmlyn turned to him, "I don't need to be a psychic to know that."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Lexxon asked.
"Yes." Jinx answered. She was walking next to him as they walked down the starport landing area, "You did say on this next assignment of yours, you would find a non-human partner useful."
"Very true. The planet I'll be investigating has had some bad experiences with the Prusslyn Empire, which left the populace distrustful of humans. It's not exactly a high priority mission. That's one reason Bayle's not with me on this one. It won't pay him very much."
"I'm not in this for the pay."
"I can't promise you'll be paid at all. The Task Force didn't hire you. In fact, my authority to accept help is somewhat limited. The person has to have some proof they can handle themselves and be of help." He paused, "I believe you've proven both points."
"If your superiors have a problem, I can always move on. Or if things are worse than we thought, perhaps I could somehow stay hidden."
Lexxon thought for a moment, "Your abilities, while limited in some ways, are very impressive. Why haven't you worked with the Task Force, or anyone else for that matter, before?"
Jinx took a few moments to think before answering, "For one thing, not everyone believes these abilities are real. And many who do fear them, my world Absolin being one example." She paused, "On my home, I was something of an outcast because of my powers and the legends they were associated with."
"I'm sorry."
"As soon as I could, I left Absolin. I never mentioned my abilities to anyone, and used them in public only when I had to. I didn't stop using them. My family felt power, whether wanted or not, comes with responsibility. So I practiced them in private, and whenever I came across trouble I brought them into use.
"I had mixed feelings when people out here began to occasionally recognize me for who and what I was. Partly because psionics are so often feared, and partly because I wanted to be seen as a person, not a set of abilities. So I kept a low profile, going from place to place."
"You say your people fear you. Karmlyn didn't seem to mind at all."
"Karmlyn," she paused, "is a bit different from most other mymar, to put it mildly. There were times in which I could hardly stand her. But unlike most, she actually liked having me around and had no fear of me." she paused again, "I thought at first it was her reputation as a thrillseeker, her wanting to be around Absolin's most talked about psionic. "
"But it was more than that?"
Jinx thought her words over for a moment, "I think, she simply wanted to be friends. She had left Absolin for a more exciting life, and made a reputation for herself. While it's something she would never think of giving up, she wanted a friend who could see past her reputation for who she really was." she paused again, "Hard as it is to admit at times, she's a better person than she considers herself to be."
"I'm certain you'll meet again someday."
"We will. I can feel that our paths shall cross again."
They began approaching a Naval supply ship, a medium freighter that Lexxon had found was headed to the location of his next assignment, and had made arrangements for transportation on.
His thoughts turned to this passenger, this usual lady with strange powers, a dubious reputation by her people, and took everything around her with a reserved demeanor.
"I was wondering," Lexxon began to ask.
"Yes?"
"Uh, never mind. Dumb question."
"Go ahead and ask."
"I was wondering," Lexxon hesitated, "about the nickname your people tagged you with."
"They felt I was bad luck to be around, things would happen. Since some twist of fate has me getting involved in an occasional incident, it continues to stick."
"But why the word in Standard?"
"It's been an Aglir word too since Recontact. The original had too many syllables."
She wasn't thrilled with it, but like her white fur it had become part of her. And heading into another possible incident, that would help it to continue to stay.
But not every mymar would care, at least not in a bad way.
Her thoughts turned again to the adventuresome gambler. Karmlyn would be stuck at home for a few weeks, probably get bored halfway through, and think of her in a somewhat envious way since she would still be "out there," and probably in some other adventure.
The gambler envy me? There's a thought.
She continued to think. The idea that someone actually admired her life pushed aside the negative feelings about her nickname and reputation.
Maybe this life wasn't so bad after all.
The two then got aboard the ship, and a crewman notified the captain. As Jinx got to a porthole, the ship's engines revved up, and the craft soon took off. From the porthole, Jinx could see the starport landing area shrinking from view, including the Red Star . As she looked at it, Karmlyn's ship also began to rise in the air and take off. Jinx continued to keep an eye on it until it vanished from view.
One day Karmlyn, we'll meet again.