The door to the cargo bay slid open, and the two mobsters, Gamiel and the humanoid, walked in, going past some containers. They saw her securely in the cage the former had thrown her in, the door solidly shut. The alien female was sitting down, her back toward them.
"Back so soon?" Karmlyn asked, still facing away, her voice had a slight frosty tone.
"Thought I better check up on you, in case you were trying something." Gamiel told her.
"Don't have to. Eventually, my Uncle will show up and -"
"You're bringing him up again?" Gamiel chuckled a bit, "You talk about him like he's the head of some interstellar conglomerate."
"Maybe not, but he's got more cash than you'll ever see."
"You better hope you're right, and the boss knows it. If that's the case, he might decide to cut some sort of deal."
Karmlyn then stood up, "All, right, how about this for a deal?" she then turned around, her eyes fixing on the mobster, "You let me go," she then grinned, "and we won't rake your little organization over the coals."
Gamiel looked at her, silent for a moment, then laughed out loud, "And what could you possibly do to us? The Vyrian mob has chapters in nearly a dozen worlds. I have to admit, you've got plenty of nerve. Too bad it came with such an attitude." He then paused, "Now, where were we the last time? Oh yes, that little matter how the boss wanted to see you. Now I'll take your cloth-"
At this point, the pilot appeared in the doorway. He looked at the first mobster with a grin.
Gamiel looked back at him, "What are you doing here?"
The pilot seemed to grin a little more, "Well Gamiel, since things back up were fine, I thought I might come back to see what you were up to."
The mobster clenched his fist, clearly frustrated. He then walked back to the door, grumbling. The pilot snickered a bit as he was walking past, which was answered with a "Shaddup!" The snickering only got worse. The humanoid also exited the room.
Karmlyn's attention went to the pilot. After a couple moments, making sure the others were gone, she spoke, "I guess I should say thanks."
"The pilot's smile faded, "You might want to hold that offer." He momentarily paused, "It's not exactly a picnic where you're headed to."
"I thought we were headed back to Lagos."
" 'Fraid not."
"Where then?"
The pilot hesitated, then, "I'm sorry, I can't say any more." He then turned, and walked back out, shutting and locking the door behind him.
There was a noise at the containers as one was pushed aside, and Jinx came out. Karmlyn then opened the cage's door. The lock had been held shut by a wad up putty, well-placed where it couldn't be seen.
"(You get all that?)" Karmlyn asked her, just loud enough for her friend to hear.
"(I did, and more.)" Jinx answered, "(The pilot was close to telling you, but fears Nastrum's wrath. I could only pick up a little of his thoughts. The place is out of the way from the major hyperspace lanes. My impression was we are headed to some base in a lightly to barely inhabited planet. Someplace used often by the Vyrian mob.)"
"(Any kind of name?)
Jinx thought for a moment, "Serrin, (Serrin Four, I think. It's not very clear.)"
"(Serrin Four?)" Karmlyn's expression turned grim.
"(You know of that place?)"
"(I've heard some rumors here and there about a secret world used by a few cooperating organized crime syndicate leaders, and their more important underlings, as a place to hold meetings, conduct particularly important trades, or just take a vacation break. They system's real name is unknown, but the code name is Serrin Four.)"
"(Why would he take us, or rather, you there?)"
"(I don't know, but if he doesn't like mymar, he's probably capable of anything.)" Karmlyn sighed, "(So much for the stereotype of the mobster's code of honor.)"
"(Yes.)" Jinx paused, "(Do you think Beepo and Wittler will be able to find us?)"
"(We did comm Beepo to keep track of the freighter, and he would have gotten the direction we went into hyperspace in.)" Karmlyn then thought momentarily, "(But after that, it's guesswork. They'd have to check a lot of worlds along the hyperspace route.)"
"(Maybe we can send a radio signal of some kind.)"
"(I'd feel better if we could take over this tub!)"
"(This is not like when I was at the pirate raid on the passenger liner. I had countless places to hide, a ventilation system I could crawl through.)"
"(But we have to do something!)" Karmlyn thought for a moment, "(Are you rested enough so you can do your psionic stuff?)"
"(I have had some chance to rest. I should be able to pull a few surprises, pick up something of any immediate danger closing in on us.)"
"(Great. Let's think up a plan. Wait, I've got one idea that might take care of two or three of them in a jiffy. ...)"
Gamiel and the humanoid headed to the cargo bay, following a third mob gunman. As they walked, there were screams coming from their destination. Gamiel asked, "What the hell is going on in there?"
"I dunno," the third answered, "One minute nothing, the next she's hollering bloody murder."
"That female's been nothing but a load of trouble. The boss better give me a good bonus for this."
They eventually got to the cargo bay, and after Gamiel pressed a few buttons, they rushed in. It was then they noticed something was not right.
"Did you give her a blanket?" the third mobster asked Gamiel.
Instead of an unhindered view, minus the bars, of the felinoid female in the cage, there was only what appeared to be someone tightly wrapped up in a blanket.
"I don't like this, you two keep a lookout." Gamiel went to the cage door, and found it unlocked. Yanking the blanket away, he found it was simply a large blanket wrapped up to look like someone was inside. Where it had been, he found a note, picked it up, and read it:
" 'Sucker?' What the -?"
It was that moment the cargo bay door was slammed shut, and locked. The mobsters quickly turned, Gamiel realizing what happened, swore a few lines, saying "It's her! Try blasting that door open!"
All three mobsters turned their blasters on the door, and began firing away. But they had fired only a few shots when there was a hissing sound, and clouds began billowing from the vents.
"She found the knockout gas! Try blasting that lock open! Now! "
They fired again, aiming for the door lock, but it was only seconds before the clouds hit them. The third mobster fell down nearly at once, followed in several seconds by the humanoid. Gamiel tried holding his breath, but the gas was making it impossible to see the door. He stumbled forward, hoping to find it ...
"Ha! (They fell for it completely!)" Karmlyn boasted as the two mymar, both armed with blasters, rushed down the freighter's corridor, toward the cockpit.
"(There's still two more, one gunman and the pilot, at the cockpit. Wait!)" Both women stopped in their tracks, and Jinx seemed to be looking ahead, "(The gunman is heading this way, running speed. He must have heard those blaster shots.)"
"(Is there a way you can stop him with your mind tricks?)"
"(If you mean put him to sleep, no, but I have something else I can do ...)"
They both ducked into a bedroom, closing the door, and stayed near the door, Jinx concentrating on the gunman's location. Finally, she spoke, "(Now.)"
One pressed the button to open the door, and they lunged out as it did. Before the started gunman could turn around, he was hit by stunbolts and went down.
Karmlyn grinned, "(Four down, one to go.)"
Even though the ship was about twice the size of the Red Star's , this freighter's cockpit wasn't much larger than the red ship's counterpart. The co-pilot's seat was empty as the pilot sat in his chair, monitoring instruments and panels.
When he heard the door open, the pilot turned, "Back so soo-" he stopped silent as he saw the two mymar where he had expected his peers. The bulk of his immediate attention was on the blaster pistol their former prisoner was aiming at him.
"It appears," Karmlyn left a half-second pause for effect, "that fortune has turned the other way."
The pilot, nervous, looked at her, and then her companion, "She was here all the time?"
"Yeah. So now, if you don't mind, we're taking this tub back. Jinx, (take his weapon. After I turn this ship around, take him to somewhere and lock him up.)"
Jinx got the pilot's pistol, then glanced back toward the rear of the ship, looking worried.
"(What is it?)" Karmlyn asked.
"(Something's wrong. Some kind of threat behind us. Another gunman, I think. He's slowly headed this way.)"
Karmlyn looked at Jinx, "(I thought you told me there were five, including this pilot?)"
"(I did. I could have missed one. Asleep at the time possibly.)"
"Well that's just dandy." Karmlyn grumbled in Standard.
"(I'll get him. You deal with the pilot.)"
"(Why can't we just lock him up somewhere?)"
"(I didn't see any rooms besides the cargo bay with locks on the outside.)"
"(Jinx, I -)"
"(I'll be fine.)" Jinx left the cockpit.
The white mymar, blaster in hand, went down the main corridor. Quickly at first, then slowed down. She sensed the threat was close by, and she didn't want to be heard. She concentrated, trying to sense his exact location. She only got a dull headache for her efforts. Not now! I can't tire now. She concentrated harder.
She carefully entered a T-shaped intersection, glanced side to side, then went to the right. Then she sensed immediate danger behind her. She quickly turned, and saw a mob gunman just starting to raise his blaster at her after apparently spotting her. She dodged, and immediately pointed her gun at him. Both fired at each other, and missed. It was then Jinx recognized this man as Gamiel. Somehow he had escaped the cargo bay trap.
The gunman then rushed to a door, punched the button as he got there, and rushed in as it was starting to open. Jinx fired at him again, but once again, she missed. As the door automatically closed, she rushed over. Getting there, she sensed no immediate danger, so she pressed the button, and went in, ready to fire.
The place was a combination dining and recreation room with another door, open, leading to the kitchen. There were a few tables, and to the side was what looked like a small tabletop holo-game, turned off. There was a small bar in the corner, big enough for someone to hide behind. There were also a few doors to small storage rooms and closet areas, all shut.
She tried to sense where exactly the gunman was. Behind the bar counter? Behind a closet door? Or in the kitchen? She concentrated hard, putting more effort into it. But this time her psionics failed her. All she got was her headache back.
He's hiding here, but where?
Then there was a loud bang to her side. She turned, and next to one of the tables saw a billowing cloud of smoke, with some small plastic pieces scattering in the air all around it. Some small piece of electronics had exploded.
Then she sensed immediate danger, and turned -
A blaster bolt drilled into her shoulder, not a stunbolt, but a shot meant to kill. While not striking bone or otherwise causing serious damage, it was enough to knock her down. On hitting the ground, her blaster fell from her grip and tumbled a few feet away.
The mobster had been hiding in the kitchen, and when the small explosion went off, he had taken aim while she was distracted.
Jinx gasped in pain, Got to do something -
Gamiel then took aim straight at her, "Now I've got you, you little furry bit- "
At that moment, a blaster stunbolt hit Gamiel squarely from behind. His face grimaced, surprised, then he collapsed onto the floor.
Jinx looked at the scene, astonished. Then someone from inside the kitchen area walked up by the doorway and glanced down at the mob gunman - Karmlyn.
"No one calls us that." Karmlyn remarked in a stern tone.
"(Karmlyn, I,)" Jinx paused, starting to get up, "(he managed to take me by surprise. He set some small device to overload, and the explosion distracted me long enough for him to take a shot.)"
Karmlyn gave Jinx a reassuring smile, "(Hey, everyone takes a tumble.)"
"(Thank you.)"
"Heh," Karmlyn shrugged, "(Let's just call it even.)" She looked at Jinx's shoulder, which blood trickled from the wound, staining both her fur and jumpsuit, "(Looks like he managed to nick you. I think I saw a first aid kit in the kitchen.)" Karmlyn went back to get it.
"(Karmlyn, it's not that bad.)"
"(Maybe not, but I'll bet it stings like hell.)"
"(What about the pilot.)"
Karmlyn emerged from the kitchen with a small medkit, "(I found a pair of handcuffs among some security stuff. That should keep him out of trouble for a while.)"
Not long afterwards, with Jinx's wound mended and the gunmen taken care of, the pair headed back to the cockpit, the psionic with a bandage under the tear in her jumpsuit.
"(So where is the pilot now?)" Jinx asked.
"(Still in the pilot's seat. I was in a hurry, and being handcuffed, he's not going to do much.) "
When they got to the cockpit, however, they found the pilot managing to type into the ship's computer despite his cuffs. Karmlyn was the first to react, "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" She rushed over at him.
"Too late!" the pilot pressed one final button, and the computer's screen read, " PROGRAM ACTIVATED ."
But nothing seemed to happen.
Karmlyn grabbed the pilot, "What did you just do?"
"I, I'm sorry Ma'mm." The pilot was quickly becoming nervous, "I had to do it."
Karmlyn's gaze at him turned into a glare, "What did you do?"
Jinx went to the controls, "(I have a feeling.)" She then tried turning off the hyperdrive.
And nothing happened.
"(Karmlyn, the hyperdrive won't disengage.)"
The green-eyed mymar's gaze at the pilot intensified, "Why can't she turn the hyperdrive off?"
The man hesitated a second before answering, "It's on automatic control. There's no way it can be turned off until after it lands."
Karmlyn's eyes narrowed, "That was not a smart move."
"Look, I didn't like this assignment to begin with. And the way Nastrum wanted you presented to him," he paused, "I helped you out the best I could, even if it was only a few hours with at least some shred of dignity. I didn't know what else I could do."
Jinx looked at the man, "I find it curious that a someone in an organaized criminal organization would have any qualms at all. Just why are you here?"
The pilot paused again, taking a heavy sigh, which seemed to relax him some, "Money. I got myself deep in debt, and borrowed from the Vyrian's loan sharks to get in on what I thought was a sure-fire investment. It wasn't, I lost everything." He paused for a couple seconds, "The only option was to get a job with him. Since I was a pilot, I was taken in. I've heard stories about what happened to those who had nothing to offer." He shuddered, "I'm sorry, but I didn't have a choice."
Jinx turned to Karmlyn, "He's telling the truth."
Karmlyn continued her icy stare at the man, then relaxed a little, "You realize, of course, you're still going to face the cops."
"On my world, the Vyrian mob's got a lot of the force in their pocket. Guess you can say I'm as trapped as you are."
"I think not." Karmlyn turned to Jinx, "How long do we have until we get to Serrin?"
Jinx checked the instruments, "(four hours.)"
"(Well, that gives us a little time to plan.)" She turned back to the pilot, "And under the circumstances, I don't think you'll mind if we toss you in one of the rooms and put a lock on it."
The pilot just looked at his feet, and sighed.
Karmlyn and Jinx then led him out of the room.
After the women took care of the pilot, they headed back to the cockpit. Jinx was the first to speak, "(In a way, I feel sorry for the man.)"
Karmlyn's expression didn't change, "(Pardon me if I don't say the same.)"
"(I am not saying he's guiltless. But he did help in a small way.)"
"(Maybe, and in the end he showed his true colors.)"
"(I just simply find it sad. He wasn't like the others. Instead of arrogance and greed, he was here because of fear.)"
"(That didn't make any difference in the end. Yeah, he did help a little, but in the end he was out only for his own skin, a gutless coward.)"
Jinx just sighed.
Karmlyn's voice lightened, "(Let's just put him behind us. Once this is over, some lawyer will take care of him.)"
Back in the cockpit, they went over their present situation, which looked rather dismal.
"(This is too much.)" Karmlyn sighed, "(All that effort, and we're still on our way to those goons.)"
"(We do have one thing to our advantage,)" Jinx responded, "(They're expecting us, or rather you, helpless in a cage.)"
"(Yeah, and they're not expecting you and your bag of psychic tricks.)" Karmlyn seemed less tense.
"(Still, that will not be enough.)" Jinx punched up a map of their destination on a display screen, "(Their base has a number of armed guards, plus some anti-spacecraft artillery. Even if we did get away,)" she punched up some data, "(They have a number of hovercraft. They would case down anyone on foot within minutes.)"
"(Then we'll just have to swipe one or two, and blow up as many as we can.)"
"(That still leaves another question: where do we go?)"
"Hmmm." Karmlyn thought for a moment, then had an idea, "(Bring up the planetary map. I heard a certain rumor about Serrin. If it's true, we've got a chance.)"