by

Yanick Champoux (38%)

Lee Watts (18%)

Josip Nað (17%)

Michel Lacombe (16%)

Dorian (4%)

goldkngt55 (3%)

Andrew Avila (2%)

Marten (1%)

Oliver (1%)

Part 37

Josip Nað (2/3/2002)

“....so, now you see my problem.” whined Pedro Linares. “Our doctor is nothing more than a butcher and by the time we get to somewhere where I can see an Amalthean it will be too late! My finger will remain bent forever! I will remain disfigured, a cripple, and all because of that bitch! I want her to pay for what she has done, and I can’t challenge her to a duel because I’ d become the laughingstock of the House!”

And you can’t simply attack her either, thought Sergei Visarionovich Godunov, lounging languidly in his plush chair, because if you did that you’ d most likely end up crippled for real.

“Of course you can’t challenge her to a duel, Pedro.” the Decados baronet replied out loud. “It wouldn’t be proper for a man of your rank to soil his hands by challenging a commoner woman.”

“However,” the Decados continued, playing with a gilded dagger as he did so, “it is your duty, both as a noble and as a naval officer, to warn the Captain about this woman.”

“What!?” shouted Pedro, springing to his feet, his arms gesturing wildly.

“Are you mad, Sergei!? Have I not told you that I do not want to become a laughingstock!? If I tell the Captain then the entire ship will know about this!”

Trust a Hazat not to see things beyond his stupid nose. Sergei thought wryly, his right hand laying the dagger on the nearby table, his fingers starting to drum on its hardwood surface.

“Relax, Pedro.” the Decados replied conciliatorily. “Sit down and we’ll talk this over.”

“RELAX, you say!!” Pedro shouted on. “Relax!? How can I relax when my best friend gives me such a foolish advice! How can I rel...” Sergei had had enough.

“SIT!” he bellowed, his right exploding into action, grabbing the dagger by the hilt and slamming it into the table point-first. Seeing the razor-sharp blade bend slightly under the force of the impact, sinking centimeters into the hard surface as it did so, the Hazat cringed involuntarily. All the color left his previously flushed face. He slid back into his chair wordlessly, his eyes fixed on his Decados friend.

“That’s better.” grunted Sergei, slowly letting his tense body resume its languid mask, his hand leaving the dagger stuck in the table “You are a good man, Pedro,” he continued “but I don’t think you have examined all the implications of that unfortunate event carefully enough.”

“Oh, really?” Linares replied testily, getting some of his courage back now that his friend seemed to be returning back to normal.

“Think, Pedro!” the Decados said rather more loudly than he had intended, barely restraining himself from grabbing the Hazat by his lapels. “You are a Hazat noble, by definition one of the best warriors in the Known Worlds! You are young, trim, fit, strong and supremely trained in all the martial arts! How could a commoner woman best you in single combat!? Even more importantly, how could a commoner woman be so good at one moment and such a lousy fighter at the other!? And, finally, think how could a normal commoner woman talk to herself in such a mad way...” Sergei trailed off, looking at Pedro expectantly.

Blank stare.

“A normal woman, Pedro!” the Decados continued in exasperation. Another blank stare.

“Look,” and Sergei was now addressing Pedro like he would address a dimwitted child “have you ever seen a normal woman do any of the things that bitch did?”

“Weell, no.”

“Of course not! That woman is not normal! Pancreator only knows what dark secrets she harbors! At the very minimum she is seriously sick!” the Decados ranted, gesturing wildly. “Or she might be a machine freak, possessed by the very computer she had implanted in herself! Maybe she is possessed by demons, or she could be a Symbiot agent! Whatever she is, she is a danger to us all and she must be stopped!”

Finally, finally the Hazat was beginning to get it.

“Damn it, Sergei, you are right!” he shouted excitedly. “That puta could never have hurt me if she were normal! I’ll warn the Captain! That way we’ll stop her and I’ll have my vengeance!”

“An excellent idea.” Sergei replied evenly, barely succeeding to hide the mocking smile that threatened to form on his lips.

“Please hurry.” he continued. “We are all in great danger for as long as that woman is on the loose.”

“Yes! YES!” Pedro shouted, springing on his feet and starting towards the door. “I’ll tell the Captain right now and we’ll show that bitch!” “You do that, Pedro.” the Decados said, barely keeping the satisfaction he felt out of his voice. He needn’t have bothered, the Hazat was already out.

As soon as the door had closed behind Pedro, the bedroom door opened and a slender, nondescript brunette exited the bedroom.

“I hope that everything went well, Sir.” she said, stepping lightly to where Sergei was still seated.

“You saw it for yourself Elena.” he replied, finally allowing his face to twist in a wolfish smile of triumph. “The stupid ass ate it all up, even thought it took him longer to get it than an average Vorox would have needed.”

“And now...” she asked expectantly.

“And now we proceed to Phase Two.” the Decados replied. “You will go to the comms room, bribe the usual man and send a message to Bolshoi Batiskii. You will give Boyar Atanasov my regards and inform him that we will be needing his Galliot shortly. He is to prepare his Marauders carefully, we will want no witnesses. After that you will visit our cargo bay and make sure that the team is ready. As soon as the Hazat leave with that woman, we move in, kill the pilot and take the kid. Then we sabotage the bridge and wait for Batiskii to come in for the kill. And, remember, Elena. Let everyone understand that there must be no survivors. It must look like a pirate raid gone wrong. We must make sure that nobody knows that we’ve got the boy. Understood?”

“Yes Sir.”

“Then let’s get to it, shall we? Glory to the Mantis.”

“Glory to the Mantis.”