Chapter XVIII: Reunion

Rick's blood ran cold. Jamie, sweet, innocent, Jamie was actually Red Howard, known for her ruthlessness and murderousness across the Terran sphere. Emotions ran strong through him. Relief that she was alive, safe, as well as fear and horror as he came to terms that she was in fact Red Howard. One of the few pirates that the Stellar Patrol wanted more than the Erscan Blackcoat.

He stared at her stunned and confused, but only for a moment. He shook his head. "No, no I'm not, Jamie." He caught some motion to his side as Visky moved toward him, but halted as Jasmine made a slight motion. "I'm sorry. I meant Captain Howard. It was a deception, on my part, not unlike your deception of being the helpless, poor abused captive." He gave her a smirk. "I suspect I was the better actor in our little play."

Jasmine sat upright, her smile gone, her expression like a mask as Rick continued. "I was no more an SP agent than you were the damsel in distress. I'm surprised you thought I was SP. They don't have ships as good as mine."

Jasmine looked angry now. "Everything in that ship, down to the paint, was regulation SP. No one could put together that good of a counterfeit. And you were a model boy scout the entire time... Well, most the time." A knowing smile appeared on her lips.

Rick bowed. "Thank you, my lady. My cover was an SP officer was well researched. The ship, while decorated appropriately, is not. Certainly you remember the ease with which I changed the ship's identity prior to our arrival on Jameson Three."

Jasmine nodded. "Yes, I did think it was quite remarkable at the time." There was a moment pause, then, "So, if that remarkable ship of yours is not of Terran origin, then where did you procure it?"

"It was made for me," Rick replied simply.

"Where?" she asked again, steel evident in her tone.

Rick kept up his smirk. "I am not at liberty to discuss it. Suffice it to say, that while the engineers were Human, they were not Terran, and the location of the shipyard is not known to the Stellar Patrol." Jasmine remained silent, but murmurs erupted around them from the crew. He caught the phrase "...the dark worlds..." from a few sides.

She stared at him for a minute through half-lidded eyes, then smiled. "Very well, then. You are a professional bounty hunter that has worked out a truce with Blackcoat. Where do I stand in your wanted lists?"

Rick let the smirk drop as his expression became serious. "While I knew you were not a damsel in distress, Captain, I had not realized your identity was that of Red Howard. Not that it matters now in any case. I had determined you were one of these pirates, and went along on the ride with the hopes of turning the tables on me. That was one reason why I wanted you get you away. The other reason..." He let his voice fade and his eyes looked down to the deck.

"Yes? The other reason?" prompted Jasmine.

Rick slowly raised his eyes again, to meet hers directly. "The other reason was, I did fall in love with you, and wanted you safe while I was pursuing my mission."

One of Jasmine's delicate eyebrows raised slowly. Again she stared at him for a minute through half-lidded eyes, then her smiled returned. "I see. And the fact that I am on the top of your hit list means nothing to a mercenary like you? I am worth quite a bit you know. Two million Terran dollars, I believe."

Rick's expression didn't change. "If I had not spent that week with you, then the money might mean something. But I cannot deny the feelings in my heart. You are worth far more to me than any grubby cash. I love you, Jasmine Howard. Jamie. When I heard that the Vegan Queen was gone, I cried. Blackcoat was with me when I heard it."

Jasmine glanced over at her first officer. Blackcoat nodded in agreement with Rick's words. She turned her attention back to Rick. "So, then, what is your real name? Rick Raygunn or Nick Silver?"

Rick gave her a small smile. "Both. Neither. One name is as good as another to me. Call me Rick. You know me best by that name."

"Riiiight." Another delicate eyebrow raised up. "Okay Rick, if you love me so much, then what is your mission then?"

"Same as yours. I seek Ferlon."

That caused a stir on the bridge of the ship. The crew murmured amongst themselves until Jasmine snapped out a command. "Quiet!" She then turned to face Rick. "We shall not discuss that here. Very well." She turned to Blackcoat and Visky. "Take him back to his cell." She faced Rick again. "Forgive me, but I do not trust you, Rick. Not yet. Also, Terran compatible quarters are in short supply, so there is no where else to put you. I hope you understand."

Rick bowed to her again. "I understand, my lady. I await your pleasure, and hope that I have the opportunity to prove my love for you."

"Oh, you will, dear Rick. You will have that chance, I assure you." Her tone caused a subtle chill to run down his back, but his face remained impassive.

Visky made a motion with his rifle, and Rick allowed himself to be led back to his cell where he was confined once again. He glanced at the door jamb where he had managed to get to the door circuitry last time, and noticed that a rather sloppy glue job was done with molecular epoxy. Nothing would be able to get to it unless a disintegrator beam was used.

This time in the cell, he felt better. While a plan eluded him, the situation wasn't as bad as it could be. Well, maybe it was, but he thought that he might be able to handle the situation, at least until an opportunity presented itself to escape. Meanwhile, it might not be a bad idea to work with these pirates...

His line of thought stopped. That Jamie turned out the be the infamous Red Howard floored him. What puzzled him is why the initial deception in letting him think Blackcoat was the leader the first time he was captured. To let Jamie.. er... Jasmine question him about Ferlon? To let him lead them to Ferlon?

He continued to ponder the question, as well as the meager information he picked up on Jameson Three about Ferlon. The first was a holiday of a local politician on a colony world in sector three. The second one was a name of a sun god on a tech three world in sector seven. The third reference was to a small trading company operating between sector one and sector four. None of it seemed very useful or relevant. He was planning on checking out the trading company first. there was one on Jameson three, but his contact there was murdered, and it was pinned on him before he had the chance to make inquiries.

His thoughts were interrupted as the door to the cell opened. Blackcoat came in and shut the door behind. Rick's nose crinkled up a bit at the rather musky odor of the Erscan. His lips were curled back, revealing his teeth. This was not a good sign, thought Rick.

"Uh, Hi Blackcoat." Rick tried to sound cheerful, but the low growling from Blackcoat was dampening Rick's cheerfulness.

Blackcoat reached out and grabbed Rick by the neck, and threw him against the wall. "Listen you young pup. Red is mine, She promised herself to me. I swear, if I hear you make any more squeaking noises about your "love" of her, I will rip all your limbs off and feed them to Visky with a light vinaigrette dressing. Do you understand?"

"Sure," squeaked Rick. "No Problem."

Blackcoat released Rick, who fell to the deck and gasped for breath. Blackcoat glared down at Rick, then with a snort, turned, and left the cell. The door slid shut with a soft click.

"Well, that was interesting," muttered Rick to himself. He opened up the small door to the food dispenser, and helped himself to a glass of the thin yellow drink. He wasn't quite sure what to make of Blackcoat's reaction.

A few hours later, he heard movement outside the door. He braced himself in case Blackcoat was in a foul mood, but the door opened to reveal Visky, his rifle pointed at Rick. "Come, earther." Visky backed off as Rick came out the door, and stayed at least two to three meters away from him. He motioned for Rick to head down the corridor. Rick recalled that this corridor ended at the captain's cabin, which is where he suspected that Visky would be taking him.

Indeed, a few moments later, they were outside the captain's quarters. Rick knocked on the door, and he heard Jasmine's soft voice bidding him to enter. The door slid open, and he stepped through. The door shut behind him, leaving Visky outside.

Jasmine was sitting down at the table in the main sitting area of the cabin. She was wearing her captain's uniform, and had a brandy snifter in one hand and was slowly rolling the amber fluid inside around. Rick glanced around, but unless Blackcoat was hiding in the head, they were alone. "He's on watch," Jasmine answered his unspoken question. She motioned to the other seat across the table from her. "Have a seat." Rick sat down, trying not to act as nervous as he felt. "We have a few things to discuss, that should not be discussed amongst the crew. What would you like to drink?"

The usual drinks that he preferred would seem out of place with the persona he was trying to affect. Only one name of a drink came to mind that might be appropriate. "Martini, vodka, uhm shaken." Jasmine nodded, and a moment later the food replicator built into the table produced one for him. He sipped at it, trying not to make a face at the rather dry acidic taste.

"First," said Jasmine, "We need to get a few things straight. Regardless how you, or anyone else may express their feelings, I am no man's woman." Rick rubbed his neck. "This ship, and its crew exist for me and I alone, and all will obey my slightest wish or command. Those that serve me well... I treat well. Those that don't, or challenge my authority get a one way ticket out the airlock. Do I make my self clear?"

"Perfectly clear, Captain."

"Another thing, I tend to be informal about titles. Call me Red. Everyone does, and I prefer it that way."

Rick nodded. "Aye, Red. I understand."

Red smiled at him. "Good. Now, Rick, where is your ship?"

Rick sipped at his martini, deciding that he should do a bit more research for a more palpable drink that would fit situations like this. Perhaps brandy, like Jasmine... er, Red had. He looked up at Red with a level gaze. "I sent it off to a hidden location, out in deep space. As I had met up with Blackcoat, and my ship was a little too unique now for me to use if I was to continue my investigations without attracting any attention, it was time to get it out of the way. No one will find it."

Red sniffed at her brandy as she listened. "Will you be able to summon it if you need it?"

Rick shook his head. "Unlikely. It will be too far away for me to get it in any reasonable time. My mission and fate is in your hands now, Red."

Red lifted her chin and looked down at him. "I see. And what exactly is your mission?"

Rick met her gaze steadily. "To locate Ferlon, and evaluate it as a possible ally for ... clients of mine."

One side of her lips curled up. "The Dark Worlds?" Rick didn't reply, but curled his lip in a smile to match hers. She continued. "You will tell me everything, Rick, if you wish me to trust you, or at the very least, not flush you out of the ship."

Rick nodded. "I'm sorry, I'm really not sure. My contact is a Psi. I believe it is the Dark Worlds, but there is no firm proof I can give you."

"How... convenient." Red stared at him, her luminous bronze eyes staring at him over the rim of her glass. She placed the glass down. "You know that not all Psis are under Earth's control."

Rick nodded in response. "Yes. I am quite sure that my contact was not a member of Psi corps."

"All right. Then tell me why you were at the satellite where we picked you up if the SP's didn't send you?"

"I was there to tap into the datanet. I had a lead that there was more information in a secret file. That was an SP dedicated relay station. You grabbed me before I could plant my tap."

Red watched him closely. Rick suspected that she could tell he was lying through his teeth, but his story was close enough to match his presence. "I see. So why attempt to go to Jameson three afterwards? What was there?"

Rick shrugged. "Another chance to plug into the datanet. The local agent got suspicious of me though, and things got messy. I'm... not proud of it. It was rather sloppy of me."

"Ah. I see." Again she fixed him with her inscrutable bronze gaze. "So what leads do you have?"

Rick finished his martini. It didn't taste as bad now. he wasn't sure if that was because he was getting used to the taste, or that the alcohol was starting to kick in, and he just didn't mind. "Not bloody much. I need to get to a SP datanet terminal. The only thing on the public nets was a reference to some planet's holiday, an ancient sun god on low tech world, and a shipping company that uses the name."

"So what is your next step?" She inhaled gently over the rim of her glass.

"Well, I was planning on checking out that shipping company, see where they got their name from, see if any leads were there. They had an office on Jameson Three as well. Too hot for me to go back there now. Solasia two was going to be my next stop."

"So how did you come to be to Salkar then?"

"Ah, yes. Well, I got a tip that Blackcoat was heading there, and it was on my way to Solasia."

"And you thought you might collect the bounty on the way then." Her smile was magnified by the glass that was in front of her face.

"Yes, however, the situation changed when I landed. Apparently the SP's are being much more fanatic about chasing me." Rick leaned casually back into his chair, as if having the entire SP fleet gunning after him was a normal occurrence. "For some reason, Blackcoat decided to rescue me. Not that I'm ungrateful, but it just didn't seem right to plug him for the bounty at that point."

"That he had an armed team with him at the time, and you were unarmed had nothing to do with your decision then?"

Rick smiled. "Opportunity was there for me. However, I felt that this might be the time to offer a partnership, as I knew you were looking for Ferlon as well."

Red set her glass down on the table. Then, with a motion too swift for him to see, she had produced a Halliston Mark 6 blaster, the charred and pitted business end pointing directly between his eyes. Her eyes narrowed at him. "I don't believe you, Rick, or whatever your name is."

Rick didn't move, frozen in momentary panic at the suddenness of her actions, as her finger tightened on the firing stud.

To Be Continued...