Through the Looking Glass

Chapter 16: Nightsider

"As hatchlings, they literally eat their own siblings to survive. As a result, their society is ruthlessly competitive, with little or no check on even the most despicable behavior."
-Entry for Nightsiders, All Systems University Database, CY 9780

He was close.

He was so close that he could start to smell it.

A few more months, a year tops thanks to that purple girl who had the most uncanny ability to find long lost Argosy script, and he would finally have a fully salvageable High Guard ship of the line to sell to the highest bidder. This scheme was definitely better than that religion he founded. He would be swimming in luxury after selling off the Nova bombs on board one of those babies. He would finally be rich.

Gerentex grinned happily as his sharp teeth glinted in the dull light as he laughed and waited for his freighter call to come in. This was definitely his best plan yet. All the money and time he had so far put into this venture would definitely pay off in the end.

The majority of people weren't looking for the Glorious Heritage class vessels or any of the other lost ships on his list. Their existence was thought to be a myth which was all the better for him and the future gilders that would eventually be flowing his way.

All he needed now was confirmation that his ship was in and ready to haul the dutrinium he was trading to the Rogans to take over his failing strip-mining venture, not that he was going to tell them it was any less than bountiful though. He needed the money to continue to fund his newest realization.

A half and hour later he was becoming restless and fidgety.

They were late.

He hated it when people were late. The complete disregard for his business was astounding. People were idiots. So it was when the call from his freighter finally came in with less than stellar news that he started to freak out.

>>>

"Are you sure about this Trance?"

"Of course I'm sure. I heard Mr. Gerentex muttering to himself as I was leaving about hiring some ship to take his shiny steel to some nice people who really need it for their work."

"I don't think he'll be too thrilled with fixing the Maru first."

"He could do worse. This is Talikov and I hear a lot of people talking about what a horrible place it is and how much people like to cheat the other."

"That's because it is a horrible place and people do like to cheat each other."

"Well they'd be much happier if they could all get along."

"I think you're missing the point here Trance."

And that was the conversation that took place before Trance had ventured off alone into the drift's hub to find her previous employer, much to Harper's chagrin and desperate attempts to try and go with her for protection. His reasoning was quickly shot down by Emily when she reminded him that it was Trance who saved him the first time they met.

"Are you sure about this?"

Beka jumped as Telemachus once again came out of nowhere.

"I'm getting. you. a bell," she gasped out. She was getting tired of his voice sneaking out of the dark shadows and startling her to death. The last time which had led them somewhere decidedly horizontal.

"You're trusting a fluff-brained whatever-she-is-"

"She wasn't that spacey when she delivered your child."

"Don't remind me." He fell into step with Beka as they made their way through the ship. "You're trusting her to contact a former employer who we are then trusting to actually get this ship of yours in space again? Why would anyone do that?"

"Depends on what we have to offer."

"Which is nothing."

"Hey! This ship has pulled more weight around this galaxy than anyone. When it's in sort of top working shape it's perfect."

"And the fact that it doesn't look like much keeps most people off you."

"Most people."

"I still think this is a leap of faith. Why trust-"

"You have a better idea?"

Beka turned to look at Telemachus. After a beat and he was silent she continued. "Didn't think so. It's your fault we're stuck like this anyway."

"I wasn't the one shooting."

"Well which ever one of you did you didn't have to beat the hell out of the Maru. And that hole in the cargo bay, you could have easily lost your precious weapons or blew us all up firing away like that."

"Well you can't say we do things half assed like the majority of the prides now can you?"

Beka huffed and ignored him the rest of the way.

>>>

"Those idiots! How could they get caught like that? Doesn't anyone know how to outfly Resters anymore?" Gerentex slammed the flexi down on the desk that detailed the damage. There was no way he was paying for the Daedulus's repairs. He couldn't believe they had actually asked!

Fighting the urge to throw something, the Nightsider made a mental checklist of all the cargo ships he knew to be docked in the bay. They weren't much and the price gougers here on the drift were worse than he was. He almost couldn't believe that one! For the prices they were asking he might as well fix up the Daedulus.

"Why is it that all my schemes go wrong? What did I do to the universe to warrant this kind of luck? Is there no place for the little guy to make a less than honest living?"

"Um Mr. Gerentex? Helloooooo?" The unannounced voice made Gerentex grit his teeth. On second listen, he knew that syrupy voice.

Walking around the junk that fettered in his little hollow, he made his way to the main room and found the owner of the voice.

"What do I owe this visit my dear? You got paid."

What did she want now? He was busy. What could possibly be so terribly important that this little snippet of unnatural cuteness would come and see him again. He needed a cargo ship not a house call.

>>>

"I could have protected her if I wanted to," said Harper.

Emily pat him on the head and nodded. "Keep welding."

"But I'm right anyway. This is no place for a lady to be wandering. Beka could have at least went with her and took Mr. One-wrong-look-and-I'll-"

Emily rolled her eyes.

"-at least then I'd be comforted in knowing that no one would try anything in fear of having their heads detached from their bodies."

"He could couldn't he?" pondered Emily. "You know, really, like, take their heads off."

Harper shuddered at the thoughtful expression on the girl's face as she even made the motion.

"You scare me sometimes."

"I know."

"You know?"

"Mhmmm, and Harper?"

"What?"

"Keep welding."

>>>

"So this is all you do? Sit around waiting for work?"

"Seeing as I'm independent, pretty much. There's be jobs lined up sure if I sold out and got in with Quantum, but even then they'd melt the Maru down and ship me onto something larger to carry more cargo, and even then it could be fork lifting or maintenance. I'd never work for those corporate bastards. They're buying out all the shipping lanes to make people like me have to work twice as hard to find work."

"Then why do it?" asked Telemachus, "you said before that you could have stayed with your family."

"Did you miss the part about me missing space?"

"Surely you could do something other than salvage."

"Like what?"

She jumped when she felt Telemachus's hands on her shoulders.

"A little. bell. and. collar." She gritted out.

He had moved silently once again from one of the upper stations to stand behind the pilot's seat rubbing Beka's shoulders and arms.

"I'll try to make more noise next time. Though another Nietzschean would have heard me."

"Well if you want another Nietzschean-"

His hand snuck lightly down her shirt to rest against her upper chest, she was a little startled into silence as his thumb brushed her collarbone as he nipped at her neck with his lips.

"I don't."

"Speaking of which," started Beka again, setting her hand over his in case it got any ideas to go lower. "Any wives back home? Other kids?"

"No."

"No?" she turned her head towards his, their noses bumped together. When had he kneeled?

"Long story." I was obsessing over you.

Telemachus closed the gap between them before she could ask anything more and brushed his lips over hers before leaning in deeper. Everything about her tasted wonderful; her mouth, her tongue, and one of these days he promised himself that he was going to take his sweet time between her thighs and taste her fully.

"This um, this is something we're going to have to talk about," said Beka once she had pulled away. He didn't get to dictate the pace of this. There were two of them in this and she was going to have a say instead of having him brush up against her and having her flat in bed without her putting up much of a defense.

Maybe she should get him an electric collar. Zap him whenever he gets too close. Was it possible to train a Nietzschean? And did she really want to be having that thought again? She had already considered making him a personal attack dog to scamming repair dealers. That couldn't be a good sign.

"Hey mom!"

Telemachus's hand slipped out of Beka's shirt to rest against his side. Beka sighed and grinned as Emily wandered into the cockpit. What would she have ever done without that child? Whether she knew it or not, Emily had a great knack for wandering in and interrupting things to diffuse a situation back to a comfortable level. She had done it during business meetings when contractors were getting nasty, when ex's were getting angry, and thankfully most of the people that Beka had dealt with didn't want to cause a scene in front of a child.

"Yeah?"

"I'm bored."

"So am I," said Telemachus.

"What are you doing then?" asked Emily moving to one side of Beka to crawl into her mother's lap.

"Annoying your mother."

"He's annoying you?"

"You're both annoying me."

"What'd I do?" pouted Emily indignantly glaring up at her mother.

You're my daughter, thought Telemachus biting a grin, that's reason enough.

Suddenly raising an eyebrow, he decided to test a curiosity that just struck him. The reaction he got was Emily letting out a surprised shout that turned into a giggle as he prodded her in the ribs.

What was it with ticklish women?

"Your mother's the same way."

"Is she?"

Beka quickly caught on to the child's train of though and wrapped her arms tightly around the younger one pinning her own arms to her sides.

"Don't even think about it."

Leaning back a bit to accommodate the two struggling and giggling females in the pilot seat, completely oblivious to him, Telemachus watched mother and daughter rough house to superiority.

So this was his family.

A sharp beeping brought him out of his reverie as he and his women looked for the source. The comm continued to beep until Beka reached around Emily to hit a button on the console. Trance's face appeared on the view screen overhead.

"Hi Beka! It's me Trance, I found who I was looking for and-hey!"

Trance let out a little yell as she was pushed to the side and a much less pleasant face filled the screen.

"Captain Valentine I presume? I hear you're open for a business transaction."

Telemachus's lip curled.

Nightsider.