Dream Forge Demo 1995 February/df9502r.zip/DFF

Text File | 1995-02-01 | 42KB | 875 lines

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EINST: THE SHENCIAN MATING SEASON
  by Mark Bylok
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  Space Station Coula always reached its busy peak during the
Shencian mating season. The station orbited around the small
Shenca planet, and usually had very little business, but every
three years the station would be overloaded with Shencian people
who had an overwhelming drive to return home and mate. The small,
pudgy, green people, with large blue discs for ears, were very
comical during this time. For the most part Shencian's were
stingy, easily irritated, and always defensive, but during the
mating season these creatures paraded around singing and dancing.
It was all really very embarrassing for a civilization that single-
handedly supplied the Shenca Power Peas to the entire universe.

  The small blue peas were once thought to increase human's
sexual arousal, but later it was proven that the reaction was only
true among Shencians and a few other races. Still, people liked
the Shenca Peas, so they kept on eating them. At forty credits a
dozen, they made for an expensive dessert.

  Most flights that headed toward Shenca could not enter the
planet's atmosphere, which was where the station came into play.
In one month, millions of small Shencians would be transported down
to the planet where they could mate. This huge soar in sales
overjoyed the operators of the station, but for anybody else that
was actually trying to get somewhere, it made the station
impossible to escape.

  "What about a flight out, tomorrow? Any cancellations?"
Shella asked patiently.

  "I'm sorry, but tomorrow's flight is full as well," the young
agent at the desk responded kindly.

  "I thought these Shencians were flying in, not out! There are
six flights a day bringing in thousands of them. Are you telling
me there's not one available seat to leave this damn place?"
Shella had been stuck on the station for over a week, her patience
was running short.

  "All the ships bringing in Shencians are leaving with those
that have already mated. They are busy people, they need to get
back to their work. Reservations were made a year in advance. If
you had notified us of your wishes then . . . ."

  "I need a ship, and I need to leave now!" she finally stated
sharply.

  The man paused hoping she would leave, but seeing that she was
not planning to leave just yet, he creatively thought of a way to
get rid of her, "I will not have an opening for at least a week,
but maybe you could try some of the private charters. They always
hang around the taverns."

  Shella looked around, an aggravated look clearly imprinted on
her face. Smoothing her skirt she finally gave the man a, "Fine!"
and turned to leave.

  "Does this mean I should cancel your flight in four weeks? I
have another man that would like to leave around that time," he
yelled for her, but Shella did not answer him. "Let him figure it
out," Shella said quietly to herself.

  Storming out of the office she headed for the closest elevator
that would bring her to a tavern. It was only a floor up, she
could have taken the escalator, but the strange small Shencian
males always tried peaking under her skirt. The bright coloured
skirts were very popular where she came from, but obviously a big
shock to everyone on the station. If she could have actually done
her laundry and cleaned her other clothes she would have worn
something else, but her next laundry appointment was in eight days.

  The elevator doors opened to reveal a dozen small Shencians
wobbling out with large smiles. Shencians sometimes Mated on board
the station: Some of them believed it was close enough to home.
Shella looked at them cautiously before entering.

  "They almost tried doing it in here," a voice spoke from
behind. "I warned them that if they did I would report their
activities. The government only allows them to mate on the planet.
A strange bunch of little guys, that's for sure."

  She glared at the tall man. He was very handsome, with black
hair, and definitely human. Those dark eyes held a sarcastic look
that would have attracted Shella in a second, but at the moment it
only seemed to annoy her.

  When the man did not receive a response he went on, "Nice
dress. From the Aikury quadroon?"

  "Get lost!" she finally said viciously, and then stormed out
off the elevator just before the sliding doors closed. Not caring
who was looking up her skirt, she flew up the escalator.

  In a more convenient time she would have admired the beauty of
the tavern, it was truly original in style. She hardly noticed the
thick, clear, glass that exposed the beautiful blue planet, where
there were billions of little Shencians mating.

  At least the bar was made for humans, she thought quietly to
herself. Most accommodations on the station were designed for the
much smaller green bodies. A large bartender greeted her with a
smile. "So nice to see a beautiful human around," he said with a
smile. "What can I get you?" Shella wasn't amused. The man was
old enough to be her father, and large enough to be a satellite.

  "I need a ship," she said quickly, trying to force a smile.
"The commercial lines are booked. I need a small private charter
to get me out of here!"

  "Out of here? Why, this is such a great place to visit. I
could show you around after my shift," the big man offered.
Lifting his arms over the bar revealed he wasn't human after all.
The eight short fingers grabbed at a bottle and poured some liquor
into a small glass. "This one is on the house," he added.

  "Really, I am flattered, but it is urgent that I leave the
station very soon." She accepted the drink with a smile, but
wasn't planning on drinking it.

  The bartender asked her to wait while he checked around.
Shella watched his large body move to a small Shencian that reached
to the man's knee caps. They talked quietly for a while, and when
the bartender pointed toward her she could see the large Shencian
eyes light up.

  They both approached her. The Shencian lit up a large cigar,
his grin getting larger with every step closer. "My friend Pippod
could take you. He is returning with some Shencians back home, and
would not mind bringing you anywhere you wanted to go along the way."
The small person had a large grin indicating exactly what was on his
mind. Most of the small green people were interested in only their
own kind, but some seemed to have a strong attraction toward humans.
The feeling wasn't mutual.

  Shella had just about reached her limit. Her arms reached for
the man's collar and jerked his head forward to where their noses
almost touched. She could smell his body odour, but that was only
a distant thought in her mind.

  "You listen to me very carefully. I need a ship, and I am not
interested in any sexual favours you or your short friend could
provide me with. I might be desperate, but I still have some
sanity!" The bartender looked completely shocked, but he did not
try to budge from his obviously humiliating position. Back in the
Aikury quadroon, where she was born, she could have had the two
arrested for those types of suggestions. Selling sex was legal, but
only with a licence. Tags were worn on clothing to indicate the
person's profession.

  "I am glad to see I wasn't the only one to receive the bad
side of your tongue," she heard a familiar voice say. Two strong
arms grabbed her firmly and pulled her gripping fingers away from
the big man's collar.

  "Get your hands off me!" Shella said harshly, recognizing the
man from the elevator.

  "Come on, honey, why don't you take a seat at a nice table,"
he said, while forcing an arm around her and dragging her to an
empty chair. She was about to give him the wrong side of her hand,
but a few words quickly stopped her. "I couldn't help but overhear
you're in need of a ship?" he said quietly, staring at her with those
sarcastic eyes.

  "You know of someone with a ship?" she asked, her mood suddenly
changing. Taking a seat beside him at the small table, she waited
for a response.

  "My name is Bob Layker, and you are?" He said with penetrating eyes
that demanded a response.

  "My name is Shella. Now, do you know of a ship?" she said a
bit more harshly.

  "I own a ship," he finally said. "But, it's already chartered
to someone else. However, I am looking for a server to keep my
customers happy."

  "Get lost!" she said once again. A firm arm kept her from
leaving. She was preparing to knock the good looking face off
Bob's shoulder.

  "It's not what you think. I need someone to help me serve
dinner and dessert to some customers. I have mechanical servers,
but these individuals prefer something that has a pulse." Seeing
that she wasn't entirely convinced he went on. "My customers are
travelling toward Blashart, where you could easily have a
commercial flight take you anywhere you want to go."

  Blashart Station was a large mining station that was not the
best place in the world, but Bob Layker was right, a ship from
there could take her anywhere she wanted to go.

  Shella nodded slowly, still uncertain. "When do we leave?"

  "Tomorrow," Bob quickly answered with a satisfied smile. "My
customers have requested eating dinner while orbiting the fifteenth
planet in this solar system, and then in a matter of hours we will
reach Blashart Station.

  "It would probably be best if I showed you around the ship.
Your employment for me might only be a one time thing, but I will
need you to look like you actually know what you're doing. That
dress will be perfect for the job, by the way."

  Shella was about to hit him again, but an idea came to mind.
"Do you have a laundry machine in that space craft of yours?"

  "My space craft happens to be called Einst, and yes she does
have an L.M. unit. As well as a bar, small restaurant, and enough
room to sleep six comfortably. Might I interest you in a room as
well, the costs for sleeping on board this miniature station are
ridiculous this time of year."

  "Let me take a look at the ship first," she said with a hint
of a smile. Shella knew when to be nice to people, and this was
definitely a situation where she should show some gratitude. Her
anger began to subside, and soon she felt relief for finally being
able to leave the station. She started seeing Bob in a new light
and although she still thought of him as a jerk, he did have some
redeeming qualities. They took the elevator down to the docks,
during which Bob entertained her by making comical remarks about
the Shencian's on the elevator.

  Shella's mom always made it clear to marry someone from their
quadroon. It was nicknamed "politely correct", for there were
strict rules against unkind treatment. Many people could not stand
to live in an area where couples would only meet through video
dating. The more traditional ways for coupling became almost
impossible when laws were passed making it illegal to use "pick-up"
lines that might offend certain individuals.

  After less then a decade it became apparent that there was always
something that could offend someone else, so very few people tried.
Disobeying such laws meant being placed in a jail and sometimes even
looked at by psychiatrist. The latter being the worse of the two,
often producing brainwashed perfect citizens that no longer seemed to
be living. Not many people could stay in such an environment; Shella
was one of them.

  Like most space stations, Coula was a tall, round, vertical
station that pointed into space. The base of the station was
pointed toward the planet where ships carried people to and from
the blue sphere. Near the upper part of the station were the
large docking areas for the commercial flights. There were four of
them, which would have been fine for any other time, but during the
mating season it left many large spaceships orbiting around waiting
their turn to dock. At the middle of the station two awkward poles
emerged at forty-five degrees angles.

  These docking poles could hold about a hundred spaceships
each, but the number always varied depending on how far they were
extended. This method for docking spaceships was largely criticized.
They were thin, only allowing four elevators to run through them.
That usually meant long waits just to get to the ship. Apart from
that inconvenience, there was a small danger of the docking poles
simply breaking off. They were very long and flexible, and usually
built outward very quickly when demand increased. Mistakes were
sometimes made.

  Shella knew that very well, and did not feel at all comfortable
on their voyage downward toward Bob's ship. "What level did you say
you docked in?"

  "Eighty-seven. I was really lucky to get the spot. Those Shencians
I brought here were just about to go at it when they first spotted
the planet. I tried to convince them it was merely a large moon. It
practically should be, it's so damn small."

  Shella sighed nervously watching the levels flash by through a
large window in the elevator.

  "These docking poles don't make you nervous, do they?" Bob asked
with a large smirk.

  "No, of course not!" she quickly retorted.

  "Good. An old uncle of mine invented them, you know. He made a
fortune at first, but then lost it all when a few broke off during
docking accidents. It was really unfortunate. If it wasn't for this
invention many space stations would not be able to deal with the
increases in small spaceship activities." There was always a hint of
sarcasm in his voice. For an odd reason Shella seemed to be attracted
to it.

  "I should really thank you for this opportunity. All these
small people are driving me crazy," she said softly with a smile.

  "That's obvious," he said with a silly grin, but then quickly
changed his expression. "You're welcome. What are you doing on
this station, anyway? I heard of some women putting on small skirts
to attract the rich Shencians, but you don't look like the type."

  "I'm definitely not the type!" she said, with a hint of anger
in her voice. "I'm here on business, and I'd rather not discuss it."

  "My mother always told me to stay clear of women who keep secrets,"
Bob said thinking out-loud.

  The elevator came to a quick halt and the doors opened to reveal
a round docking arm that reached into the spaceship. A mechanical
voice came over the speaker: "Warning, zero gravity beyond the
yellow line."

  The two used ropes to move through the docking arm, but Shella
let Bob go first. I'm not going to let him get under my skirt that
easily, she laughed to herself.

  Entering the ship caused a bit of confusion. What seemed like
the wall of the ship, was actually the floor, since the docking arm
was connected to the top of Bob's spaceship. It took Shella a few
moments to adjust her senses to the change.

  "Welcome back, Bob," a soft female voice said over the intercom.

  "Hi Mindi!" Bob responded. "I'd like you to meet Shella. She
will be helping us transport the Kergin family."

  "Hi Shella," the voice said in the same soft tone. Shella
looked around for a few moments in more confusion.

  "Say hi to Mindi, Shella. She's my interactive ship board
computer," Bob said while walking through the only door in the
small room. Shella followed through just as quickly, but almost
collapsed as a sudden force of gravity caused her knees to sink.
Her body tried adjusting to the gravity change, but it seemed to be
pushing down on her harder then usual.

  Bob turned his head to see what was keeping her. "Oh, I'm
sorry. I usually have the gravity set a bit higher then the
standard in order to keep me in shape. Mindi, standard gravity
please, and open all observing windows."

  "Standard gravity," Mindi announced. Slowly the force decreased
into something Shella was used too.

  Bob quickly showed her around the ship. She had walked into
the main passenger area where there were enough seats for about
thirty passengers, all lined up in rows. Two large windows on the
ceiling exposed the docking pole and planet, while a floor window
displayed millions of stars. Bob explained that the area could be
converted into enough room to sleep six comfortably. Ahead a large
door revealed the cockpit. A hallway down one side of the ship
lead toward the restaurant. This hallway had two doors, one to a
smaller room with three beds on each side, and the second lead to
Bob's room. He did not give her the opportunity to see the room.
Probably a big mess, she thought to herself.

  The restaurant at the back of the ship was truly impressive.
Shella had no idea Bob would posses such good taste. It was all
very classy, but also very fresh and new. At the back there was a
large curved window that ranged all the way from the floor to the
ceiling. The view was truly magnificent, and almost scary, making
Shella feel like she could step out into space. The restaurant
itself was fairly small fitting one large table for twelve, and two
smaller tables for couples on either side. There was also a small
bar and kitchen.

  "Very nice," she said quietly to herself.

  "Yes it is. This ship has been in my family for about two-
hundred years. Many modifications have been made to it since then,
of course," Bob said proudly. "My father gave me this ship and
told me to sail the galaxies."

  "Sailing?" Shella asked curiously.

  "Oh, it's something they used to do a long time ago. People
would use the wind to guide them through oceans. Very exciting
really, and not as barbaric as you might think. The sport survived
hundreds of years after the engine was invented."

  "People did some strange things in the past," Shella admitted
with a smile.

  "And a few hundred years into the future people are going to
think we were strange. That's why this ship was named Einst. The
name Einstein was taken by some explorer ship, so we shortened it
to Einst. It's a constant reminder of how the impossible can
always be possible some day. It amazes me that Earthlings believed
the speed of light was the fastest anything could travel just
because they couldn't detect anything faster. Einstein gave simple
light waves too much credit."

  Shella only nodded. She did not much care for Einstein or
history, there were more important things to ponder.

  "Call from the Kergin family on line one, Bob," Mindi's soft
voice came over the intercom.

  Bob accepted the call at the closest VideoCom inside the
restaurant. "Bob Layker here, can I help you?" he said cheerfully.

  "Hi Bob," an old, rough voice spoke back. The man must have
been a hundred years old. "Plans have changed, we are leaving
today. In a few minutes to be more accurate."

  Bob paused for a moment. "That might not be possible, Mr.
Kergin," Bob said quietly. The man from behind the video screen
did not seem too happy. "If it were my choice, sir, I would go
instantly. But my sensory equipment has not been repaired yet. I
would not be able to provide the security your family requires
without long range sensors."

  "Bob Layker," the man tried to sound patient. "I understand
your equipment problem, you have mentioned it to me before. But
when I say we leave now, we leave now. Is that understood?"

  "Yes sir, I'll be expecting you here shortly then," Bob
quickly responded.

  When the old man finally logged off the video screen Bob let
out his true feelings. "Damn! I will be transporting one of the
larger Mafia leaders through the galaxy, and I won't even have long
range sensors to warn me of any attacks. What a day. We better
prepare this ship quickly. Mindi, prepare for guests," he added
with a much louder voice.

  "Mafia leader?" Shella asked slowly. "You never said anything
about a Mafia!"

  "They're harmless, but pay well. I was lucky enough to
receive this job after one of their ships mysteriously
disappeared," Bob spoke, trying very hard to sound sarcastic.

  "Disappeared?" Shella screamed. "How did it disappear? Was
it blown to bits, Bob?"

  "Something like that," he said quickly. "Now get familiar
with the Food Preparation Unit, I have to file some flight plans."

  Shella stared at Bob Layker for many moments after he had
left the room. She was in complete shock. The Mafia was a concept
that originated from Earth, and somehow managed to find its way
throughout the universe. They were mostly harmless, but also
responsible for some of the largest mining areas. Competition
between two Mafia leaders usually led to quick deaths. Not the
sort of company Shella would have chosen to travel with, but she
also had places to go.

  Shella had viewed a quick crash course on how to use the F.P.
Unit. It was a standard unit that created food from different
mixtures of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and about everything else
the body needed. The problem was these guests requested real
chicken, and real steaks, which was something Shella had never
tried before. Dead animals were very expensive, and were not
nearly as nutritious as replicated food. Shella had been offered
a dead chicken before, but could not force herself to eat something
that had once moved.

  Eight male members of the Kergin family entered the Einst, only
ten minutes after the transmission. They were all dressed in
black, with long dark coats and funny round hats. Bob and Shella
greeted them with smiles, but the passengers did not seem impressed.
It was only necessity that brought them on board such a small and
old ship. After making sure his passengers were happily seated at
the dining table, Bob quickly got to the controls of his ship.

  He transmitted his request to undock, and activated his flight
plan. It did not take long for the computer to respond on the
other end, warning him of heavy traffic. "Mindi, take us to our
first destination at sub-light speed," he ordered. The ship jerked
softly as the docking latches released Einst. Thrusters slowly
pushed the ship away and then pointed the spacecraft toward their
destination. A variety of colors lit the panel as the sub-light
drive engaged. There was hardly a jerk, the gravity replicators
reacted very swiftly to any changes, as the ship quickly ventured
just below the speed of light.

  Hundreds of years before there had been a time where people
would actually guide ships through space, but that was no more.
Mindi did everything, and for good reason. Bob could very easily
pilot the spaceship through space using a small joystick that would
extend at his request, but at such great speeds one had to be very
careful not to hit anything. The smallest debris in space could
very easily punch a hole through the ship at such speeds. Shields
could be used, of course, but they were a big expenditure of
energy, and could not be maintained during speeds above the speed
of light.

  "Is everything all right?" Bob asked Mindi.

  "Yes, Bob, although I feel a bit blind without long range
scanners," she answered.

  "I'm sorry about that, we'll get those fixed at the next
station. I have to make sure our passengers are comfortable. You
can reach me through the headset."

  Shella did not seem very pleased by her job, but she took it
in stride. The family of very large men seemed to be having a good
time laughing, anyhow, but tension could also be sensed. The
oldest Kergin must have been the father, and the others looked like
either sons or sons-in-law. Food was served just in time for the
fifteenth planet of the solar system to emerge into view from the
back window. It wasn't anything special to look at, just a big
grey planet that was too cold to hold any life. A strange place
to eat dinner, at any rate, but Bob wasn't going to inquire about
the reasons.

  "You have a nice ship here," one of the sons complimented Bob.
"When father first told me we were going to travel by some private
charter I thought it would be terrible, but it is a nice set-up."

  "Thanks. Maybe I could serve some of your smaller dinner
parties," Bob said while giving the young son a slight nod.

  "Maybe," he answered, making it very obvious that he would not
consider it.

  "Bob," Mindi's voice said urgently in his ear, "There is a
small ship that seems to be coming right at us, although it's hard
to tell since they're not within our short range sensors yet."

  Bob excused himself to one corner of the room. "What kind of
ship?" he asked quietly.

  "Just a second, not within range yet," Mindi said with a slow
pause. Shella looked toward Bob in confusion, but the family did
not seem to notice Bob's strange behaviour. "A PiperStar 22C.
Registration ... Oh, oh. It's Owlek's ship, and it's powering up
her two front phasers."

  "Shields!" Bob screamed into the microphone. Bob could see
two flashes of light spark from a distance just beyond the planet.
Bob's hands started to move toward his face, in order to cover his
eyes, when the initial blast hit the large rear window. Blinding
light filled the room, and for a moment Bob wasn't sure the shields
went up in time.

  There was still a clear image of the blast in Bob's eyes when
the light flickered off. Three more shots were fired, but Mindi
had already done her best to avoid them. Another hit jerked the
ship to the left. The gravity replicators reacted quickly to
expected shakes of regular flight, but nothing could avoid the
jerks from phaser fire.

  Bob scampered from the restaurant and headed toward the
cockpit. Shella was not too far behind, leaving the passengers on
the floor in complete shock.

  "What the hell is going on!" she screamed after Bob.

  "Mindi, report," Bob said into the microphone, ignoring
Shella's request.

  "No damage. Shields holding at eighty," she responded into
the ear piece.

  "An old friend," Bob responded to Shella's earlier question.
He sat at the controls quickly and initiated manual control over
the ship. The computer might be perfect in guiding the ship
through galaxies, but she wasn't programmed for combat. "Sixty-
percent power," he ordered while swinging the ship around.

  "An old friend?" Shella screamed. "Do old friends usually open
fire on you?"

  Bob ignored her. He began guiding the ship through space trying
to escape the planets gravity where manoeuvrability would be much
easier. Through a series of loops and sharp turns Einst found itself
right behind the PiperStar. Bob released a short series of phaser
blasts, most hitting the small ship.

  "Forty-four percent damage on Owlek's ship," Mindi reported,
this time through the cabin speaker.

  "Give me three cannon shots at medium dispersion," Bob ordered.
Without a second's pause, three green stars flickered from Einst,
one of them hitting the attacking ship. The shields turned a hazed
yellow color as the last bits of energy were being used to sustain
them. A ship's generators could never sustain the shields without
reserve power, and it seemed that Owlek ship's reserves were quickly
wasted from the direct hit of the plasma cannon.

  "Bob, two more ships are coming into range from behind," Mindi
informed.

  "Damn!" Bob quickly responded. "Give me a channel with Owlek,
maybe we could resolve this more peacefully."

  "Now that's an idea!" Shella sniffed loudly.

  A young man appeared on the VideoCom screen, his face red with
anger.

  "I have very important passengers here today, can we resolve
this some other time? I'm sorry about sleeping with your wife, it
was a mistake, and it will never happen again," Bob said, grinning
from ear to ear. He tried not too, but it went against his nature.

  "You slept with my wife? You slept with my wife!" the man
screamed. "This is about the bad sensory equipment you sold me!"

  "Oh," Bob answered quietly, "that . . . I'm sorry about that
too. If it makes you feel better, I had problems with my long range
sensors as well. So, we can forget this mess, right Owlek, my
friend?"

  "Phasers are warming up from behind," Mindi warned.

  "You slept with my wife! You, you, son of a Shencian!" Owlek
screamed before the image disappeared.

  Bob streamed Einst down just in time to see phaser fire streak
from above. Shella was in complete shock. She could not believe
that Bob could be so insensitive as to sleep with a friend's wife.
The phaser fire almost hitting them really added to her shock.

  Bob guided the ship through streams of phaser fire, getting in
as many shots as he could. The shields were down to forty percent
when Mindi made another announcement.

  "Another ship, just ahead. Can't make out exactly where, still
not within sensor range." There was a long pause. "I sense class
three phasers warming up, but still can't identify the ship, or its
exact location."

  "Class three phasers?" Shella screamed. "What kind of people did
you mess with? That kind of power will kill us with one shot." Shella
was right, class three phasers were very powerful, and also very
expensive. Their market was limited to law enforcement and very rich
criminals.

  "I wouldn't even be that stupid," Bob said honestly.

  "Phasers coming right at us," Mindi screamed. There was no
time to react. All Bob and Shella could do was watch the two long
blue, streaks of light approach them at incredible speeds. They
hardly had the time to flinch when the cabin was submerged in a
powerful blue colour.

  "The ship behind us was destroyed!" Mindi announced. "The ship
is firing on them, *not* at us." Another stream streaked across the
stars just missing Owlek's ship.

  "I'll be back, Layker!" Owlek screamed when Bob activated the
VideoCom. "I will be back," he said one more time before flickering
off. The ship quickly headed out of sensor range.

  "Who's the other ship?" Bob asked Mindi.

  "Fighter class spaceship. It's hailing us," Mindi reported.

  "Just great. We could probably last an entire minute against
that ship. Put it on the VideoCom," Bob finally said reluctantly.

  It did not take very long to fit the pieces together. The man
appearing on the other end looked like the typical person that
would attack helpless ships for no particular reason, with one
exception. He wore the same round hat that every member of the
Kergin family wore.

  "Am I glad to see you," Bob said quickly. "Thank you very
much for the help. I am sure we could have fended off those buggers
ourselves, but you made it much easier. Thank you again."

  "Drop your shields," the man spoke in a slow tone. "We will
be boarding your ship."

  "Sure, ok, just send me your docking procedures," Bob answered.
He turned off the VideoCom and ordered Mindi to park the ship.

  "Just great! When the Mafia saves your life, you owe them one.
Just great. I'll be paying this one off for ages."

  It was Shella's turn to be sarcastic. "I thought you could
have fended all those ships off yourself," she said with a smile.
Bob was in no mood for jokes.

  "Lets go. Might as well tell the passengers their friends are
here," Bob finally answered back. He watched the other spaceship
slide over top. It wasn't much larger then Einst, but the two
large phasers on either side were not to be played with. A small
jerk indicated the two ships were docked.

  When Bob and Shella left the cockpit, the eight members of the
Kergin family were waiting outside the door with many questions.
They did not look very happy.

  "Sorry about the small shakes. Your friends helped us out,
and are boarding the ship," Bob said rather calmly.

  He wasn't expecting the reaction he received. All of them
reached into the inside of their coats and produced phasers. When
the hatch opened from the docking area, everything exploded into
streams of phaser fire. Bob quickly grabbed Shella and tossed her
to the ground. "Small family disagreement," Bob quickly whispered.
Shella was about to slap him, but the phaser fire came to close for
her liking. Both headed into the cockpit on hands and knees.

  "What in hell are we going to do now?" Shella screamed.

  "Watch your language, we wouldn't want you to be arrested for
such vile words."

  "My language? You have a problem with my language. I'm not
the one who let the Mafia buy me out, for some stupid dinner and
voyage, only to be attacked by some old `friend' who you did not
mind betraying by sleeping with his wife. We could have been
killed right there, but no, you weren't finished. Then you decide
to let another Mafia group board the ship so they could have a
small shoot-out at our expense. It doesn't matter which one of
these two sides win, we'll still end up dead."

  "Don't be so negative. If they wanted us dead, they would
have let Owlek kill us. There's got to be something more to this."

  As Bob's words trailed off, the phaser fire stopped. Bob and
Shella both sneaked a look past the door to see what was going on.
Many members of the Kergin family were on the floor surrounded by
pools of blood. Two were left standing:  The old man, and the son
that had spoken with Bob.

  "Arms in the air," a voice said firmly. The two Kergin members
both complied. "The two in the cockpit as well."

  Bob and Shella emerged from the cockpit with both arms in the
air. Twelve armed men walked through the hatch, and a small Video
Pod. It hovered a meter above the floor with an image of some
older Mafia member. "You just don't listen," the image of the
person said. "I warned you about going behind my back."

  "Somebody had to stand up for those people," the younger
Kergin member responded. "I could not bare to watch all those
people die, just so your greed could be satisfied. I had to put a
stop to it."

  "You did, but now I will put a stop to you," the image responded.

  "Do something," Shella whispered in Bob's ear.

  "What do you want me to do? We'll let them resolve this, and then
we can be on our way," Bob whispered back.

  "Are you going to let the man die because he believed in
saving innocent lives?"

  "Damn right I am. There is no way I'm messing with the Mafia.
If they want to kill him, fine."

  "I can't believe how selfish and immoral you are."

  "What do you suggest I do, ask them to put down the phasers?
Gee, that should work."

  "Good idea." Without warning Shella jumped in front of the
two Kergin family members. "As an employee of this ship, I demand
you to leave immediately. You were not authorized to board the
ship with weapons, and therefore are breaking the law. Leave now,
and all this could be forgotten."

  The twelve armed men looked shocked, but regained their
composure quickly. They had killed beautiful ex-lovers who talked
too much before; they would not have any trouble killing Shella as
well. The image just laughed. "Get lost, little girl, the men are
doing business."

  Shella stormed toward the image. "Did you call me a little
girl?" The image continued to laugh. "I can't believe after six
hundred years of freedom being granted to women you still have the
gull to be so sexist. If we were back at home I could have you
arrested right here. `Little girl!' If you are such a brave boy,
why don't you come down here and show your face so I could slap
you. Do you believe this Bob? He called me, `Little girl.'"

  "That's fine, Shella, now come back here and let these two
finish their small disagreement," Bob answered.

  "No, I won't stand for this," Shella went on. "As a member of
the crew, I demand you to leave," she repeated.

  "Fry her with the rest of them," the image ordered.

  "Just great," Bob said quietly to himself. He could have
watched the Kergin family die very easily, and he would have even
assisted in disposing their bodies, but there was no way he could
see any harm come to Shella. She got on his nerves, talked to
much, disagreed with him constantly, and yet he found himself
caring for her.

  "Mindi, give me maximum g's, and arm the vertical phasers," he
whispered into the microphone.

  "At a boy, Bob," Mindi responded. Most gravity replicators
responded very slowly, but long ago Bob had installed powerful units
ust for such occasions. They were very expensive, but he figured it
would save his life one day. There was only a slight warning of the
gravity increasing, which Bob used to his advantage by falling back
into the cockpit where the gravity would be normal. Everyone else
fell to the floor in a sudden crush from an invisible force. The only
thing left standing was the image that looked around in shock.

  "I suggest you order your men to leave," Bob said. "There are
four light phasers pointed at your ship, and they will go off at a
moments notice. Leave now, Sir," he quickly added the "Sir" part.

  There were not very many laws against armed spaceships, but
one of the few laws implemented were against phasers that could
fire at a ship or station while docked. Since docking broke the
shield grid, most ships were completely helpless when docked, and
made for very easy targets. Through complex procedures Bob had
managed to install such phasers, and had them concealed well
enough where only the most sophisticated scanners could ever detect
their presence.

  The image turned off for a few moments, probably checking to
see whether the phasers were indeed locked onto the ship, and then
came back with a very ugly face. "The Mafia will re-pay you for
this, Herman Ayzem. You will die very slowly."

  He ordered his men to leave, and they did when Bob reduced the
gravity slightly. "Herman Ayzem?" Shella whispered softly.

  "One of the few dolphins on earth that has a citizenship.
Great being, really, I spoke to him once. He was kind enough to
let me register the ship under his name," Bob answered. "Mindi, as
soon as we un-lock from that ship, fire phasers to disable their
drive. We wouldn't want them to follow us."

  "Of course, Bob," Mindi replied.

  The Einst quickly sped away from the planet and the Mafia
ship. Two hours later they arrived at their destination. Three
members of the family died, but it could have been much worse. Bob
ended up receiving a very good payment for the trip, and was told
they owed him one. Bob was very certain he would find a way they
could re-pay him one day.

  "I knew you wouldn't let me die," Shella told Bob afterwards
with arms around his shoulders. She gave him a small kiss on the
cheek, and Bob quickly responded with a more intimate kiss. Soon
after Shella got to see Bob's cabin. It looked exactly like an old
ship's cabin, with a fine wooden finish and classy furniture, and
expensive art. His bed was also very comfortable.

  Hours after, when Bob was sleeping, Shella got up and went to
the closest VideoCom. She accessed the communication centre for
their area and punched in a few secret codes. Soon a familiar face
appeared on the video screen. "Stage two is complete," she said.

  "I've completed stage one." The voice seemed to have a strange
slur to it. "However, we have no ship for Stage three. It was
destroyed on a previous mission. I just barely escaped. They know
about us."

  "Understood. I will go ahead with stage three on my own. I have
access to a ship right now. We shall meet at thirty-two fifty."

  "Roger; thirty-two fifty." The video image disappeared quickly,
and Shella slipped back into the warmth of his bed.

                               {DREAM}

TO BE CONTINUED - Maybe

Copyright 1995 Mark Bylok, All Rights Reserved
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Mark Bylok is a university student, studying computer science, that
is trying to figure out how to get maximum distance from minimum
time. Although he sometimes concentrates on school, most of the
time he is either parting or programming/publishing/BBSing and just
about anything else that comes to mind. Being a SysOp for over
four years gave him those incredible qualities of being rude and
never responding to mail, but he does like receiving it! Mark can
be reached at 1:250/808 and [e-mail].
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