Romany Galactica - Part 2

Romany Galactica - Part 2

“Who was that?” She asked via remote comms link.
He touched the ‘Comms’ button behind his left ear, and thought Anju Drax, 'the one I drink to forget'.
“That bad huh?”
Sympathy, he thought.
“Empathy,” she said.

I’ve ordered a full refit; just tell them what is needed.
“Gee Thanks.  It’s not as if the money will come out of your own pocket, it’s already been set aside for the purpose.  To be honest, I didn’t think you heard what I said about this maintenance.   Anyway, they’ve already started work, we’ll be ready to leave in about three  days.”
Where the welfare of the ship is concerned I won’t cut corners, he thought.   And, it will take up a huge chunk of the 50% they want us to spend on this rock.
“Now that’s the Bonzo we know and love...”
"Bozo... Bono!” he said.
“Huh!”   She laughed, and he felt the tickle behind his ear.  
"One to me I think. Watch out for that dame Sonny, she's toxic.”

.-...-. 

Sonny dined with a consortium of Casino owners.   He wore a self-satisfied smile as he headed back towards the ship, having coaxed more credits from them than he would have hoped for.   His biggest problem, as he saw it, was deciding how he would spend their money and what outward-bound cargo would yield the highest return.   That was when the feeling came over him.  He was being followed.  He paused imperceptibly, to glance at the reflections from convenient surfaces, checking and rechecking.   When he stopped to read a menu outside the celebrated Ramsay hotel, he was certain.   
There was a mirrored sign:  
We create authentic dishes in the tradition of our celebrated twenty-first-century founder, Chef Ramsay.

Today’s Special:
     Cheese Burgers & French,
     Chinese pot noodle,
     Sticky tofu pudding,
     Vintage diet coke.

Would patrons kindly refrain from expressing profanity on these premised, show a little decorum, and respect for a genius.

 He saw the figure watching him from across the street.  Their eyes met.   The figure walked a further twenty yards then turned towards him and beckoned.   He turned and looked directly at her.   She was thirty-something, sporting blond shoulder-length hair and wide green eyes with a ‘come-hither’ gleam.   He was immediately on his guard.   As a drunk, he’d been rolled for change in more cities than he could name.
“If you follow, her partner will sap you from behind,” Cher warned.
He pressed his comms button.   What are you doing?   Get out of my head...

“Gotta protect my interests,” she said, “it’s taken me forever to break you in, don’t want to start over again just yet.”
Is that how you think of me, as a spare part on the ship?
“Well, not a very efficient part but yes.  On reflection, go get yourself killed!   I couldn’t do much worse.”

A hand appeared out of nowhere and yanked him into the alley.  It was the blond and she was alone.
“Hope I didn’t startle you.  You’ve been standing there looking into space for three minutes, drawing attention to yourself.   This ‘privy-bubble’ only has a life of ten minutes, any more and the security police will get a fix on it.   Don’t talk, just listen.”
He touched his ear button but there was nothing; he felt naked without her presence.  “Who are you and what do you want?”
“My name is Elise, my father is President John Price.    This planet was Terraformed a hundred and ninety-eight years ago.   Dad was elected president for life, but his term ends in about two months when his second synthetic bod is expected to expire.”   Sonny’s face held a blank ‘so what’ expression.  
“Our synths live for fifty years, and we are only allowed two, incarnations.”
“Is that my problem?” he asked.
“Shut up and listen!  It made sense initially, encouraging the return to natural birth after centuries of synthesis.   Most of the colonists became irradiated during their journey, and many were sterile.”
“Now times have changed but the old tradition lingers."
"Why doesn’t Daddy just change the rules, that’s his job isn’t it?   What’s the point in having power if you don’t use it?”
“It’s not that simple, we need a referendum from the whole populace.  We are just shy of the two-thirds majority required to call it but, the opposition is blocking.”
“I appreciate the history lesson but I’m just a stranger passing through, what do you expect me to do about it?   It’s your planet Elise.”
“You’ve ordered fifty-six virgin synth bodies with blank Crystal Memory cubes.”
“Not me,” he answered. 
“On the outer fringes of this system, in the asteroid belt, they will be worth three times what they cost here.   You can add a couple of zero’s to that by returning with a cargo of refined deutridium, you won’t even need to leave this system.”
“I thought synthetic deutridium was cheaper?”
“It is, but something in the sunlight of this system causes it to age prematurely, we are forced to use the natural ore,” she said.

“There has to be a ‘but’ in there somewhere.”
“My father has a following off-world.   He plans to leave and set up a government in absentia, to effect the necessary legislation.”
“You want me to get him out?   I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Think on it!   Events have a way of changing minds.”
“Are you threatening me?”   There was a fluid squish that squeezed his body, his ears popped and she was gone.

“Sonny, you crazy sonovabitch, I told you not to follow her...”
“S’allright, nothing happened.  He replayed the five minutes of conversation in his mind for her.  I don’t recall ordering a cargo of Synths...
 “Don’t accuse me,” she said, “they arrived shortly after I discovered the ‘Import Tax’ clause in your sales contract with the Casino consortium.”
Tax?
“S.O.B.   You didn’t even read the contracts before you signed them?”
That’s your department.
“Then try not to negotiate in a privy-bubble next time.   If we conserve fuel on the return trip we may just break even,” she said.
Shit!
"Yea, come on home Sonny."

.-...-. 

“We’ll have to cancel the refit to pay for those synth’s.”
“They’re already paid for.”
“By who?”  He asked.
She said nothing, and the silence lingered.
“You know you get nothin fer nothin,”  He said.
“The agreement is we deliver the synths and pocket the profit, no questions asked.”
“Plain sailing?  There has to be an angle in it somewhere.”
“We’ll have a passenger when we leave.”
“And, where will he bunk?   Don’t tell me--”
 “In your cabin Sonny.”
“So, where am I supposed to sleep?”
“Come on man, you can be a real 'seat of the pants navigator' for once and organize two watches or you can sleep in the cockpit.   It’s only a three-day trip fer crysake man, you’re a big boy, you can tough it out.”
“You know John Price is not just any passenger, he’s the president—”
“Wrong Price.   Our passenger will be Elise Price; she already has valid travel documents for the trip.”
“But, we agreed not to get involved in local politics—”
“We, we?”
“When does she plan on returning?”
“That’s not our pr...  Oh, Oh!   You might want to check the vidscreen, Sonny.”
“I’m not gonna like this am I?”
Two security vehicles just hauled up outside.”
“Sh...”
“Open up Bono, we have reason to believe you are harbouring an illegal migrant,” the metallic voice came from a tannoy mounted on an armoured car. Anju Drax stood in the passenger slot.
“Blight of my life!  Let them in,” he said.  

.-...-.

 The airlock opened and in came Anju flanked by three security officers.  She gazed about, tap tap tapping a pair of synth-leather gloves against her left palm.   Short jet black hair framed her face, accentuating her flawless complexion.   Focusing his eyes on full red lips and narrow aquiline nose he thought,  God she’s beautiful.
“Snap out of it Sonny!   Don’t think with your dick, that’s what she’s counting on.”
“We have a warrant to search this vessel and its cargo.”
“Search away,” he said.
“I must caution you not to leave this planet without my authorization.   If you do so, your ship will be destroyed.
 “Be serious Anju, we’re in the middle of a refit or hadn’t you noticed we’re missing our primary drive?” he grinned at her.
“My name is Commander Drax, you can call me Commander,” her voice was cold and impersonal.
“Anju—”  She slapped him across the face with her gloves.  “Throw them down and I’ll slap you back if it’s a duel you want,” he wasn’t smiling now. 

“Out of my way,” she commanded, heading for the comms pod as if he didn’t exist.
“If you find anything I’ll be in my cabin,” he said.
“I want to check the CM cubes you purchased, where are they?”
“Try the cargo hold,” he said opening the cabin door.

“Locker seven,”   an unemotional mechanical voice said.   It was the basic computer voice that came as standard with the ship, Sonny hadn’t heard it in an age; that wasn't a good sign.
Anju nodded towards her assistants, go get them, bring them here and check those synths while your down there.”    She set the life-sign indicator unit down beside the console.
Sonny closed the cabin door, settled on his single bunk and clicked his fingers twice to extinguish the lights.

.-...-.

The door burst open.   He shook his head and clicked his fingers, “Shit.”   The lights came on and he realized he didn’t have, a hangover, “Bloody Anju,” It took seeing her again, in her true light, to purge him of her once and for all.
“Outside!” said the deadpan officer.  "Commander wants to see you.”
“Remember, I’m the captain of this ship, and according to Inter-Galactic law, I’m in charge here.  This is piracy!”
“Out!”   He was dragged from his bunk and pushed roughly towards the door.
“Say please, and show some respect, you toad,” he turned to make eye contact and was slapped across the face.  “You’ll regret this,” he said.
“Outside!”
“You’re not from the 'gentle persuasion school' then?”  The man’s face remained impassive, he didn’t reply.
“This ship is ‘New Chicago’ territory and your intrusion is an act of war.”
“Shut up Bono.   It was you who let us in and as far as I’m concerned you are a smuggler.   I’m impounding this vessel.   When we find your contraband this ship will be dismantled and sold for scrap.   You will become a permanent guest in solitary confinement and I will take pleasure in breaking you very slowly.  You’ll be old and grey when you get out Bono—“
 He clapped his hands, “Big speech, Drax.”
“Commander!”    She corrected him.
“And, it’s Captain Bono to you!” He said.    Let me remind you, there are a few tales I could tell that would shake the foundations of your cosy little world.”
“Blackmail Bono?”
“Gentle reminder Drax,” he whispered.
She laughed.  It took all his willpower not to take her into his arms.   He could do it, but he would be the loser.
“I’m here Sonny, lean on me,” said the voice in his mind.
Support, he thought.
“Amigo’s,” she replied, “This should be good.”
He watched as Anju pressed the spot behind her left ear to answer a personal com-con call.   Her face paled, her lips tightened.  She shook her head in pique, becoming agitated and unable to contain her anger.  She turned away from him and for a while stood motionless.  Her underlings swapped questioning glances. She turned to face them.  
“It appears captain, that your cargo is in order and you will be taking on a diplomatic passenger for your onward journey.”
“Well thank you, Commander.  As soon as you have returned my cargo to the hold you’re free to leave.”
“Listen, you unctuous little shite!   If I hadn’t been warned off, by my superior officer I would kick your useless butt all over this ship.”  She grabbed the life-sign test monitor she’d been using on the CM crystals and turned to leave.  It beeped.   She looked in the direction the scope was pointing—‘Nav-con’.   “What’s this then?”
“That will be my Companion.   She’s here to maintain my sanity on long haul journeys...”
“Ah, she wasn’t very successful was she?”
“At least I was sane, to begin with, Drax.”
She laughed, “Who told you that?”   She removed the CM from its housing.   “Does--She--have a name?”
“She came with the ship, could say she's the spirit of this ship; her name is Cher.”
“Her life is pretty tenuous at this moment Bono,” Anju began to throw the cube into the air and catch it, higher, and higher until it hit the ceiling. 
“Careful!” He said.
 “Ah!   Look what you made me do,” she stepped back, allowing her eyes to follow its flight to the ground.
He dove full length to catch it but he was too late.   It bounced a foot into the air landing at her feet. 
“He tried to attack me, restrain him!” Anju yelled.   He was dragged to his feet, he struggled right up to the moment they put the cuffs on him.  “Take him to a holding cell I’ll follow in a while.   Oh, S o n n y...”   He looked back to see her foot poised above the CM cube.
“No!” he yelled.   His words were drowned by the crunch of the cube under her foot.  
She spread the pieces with the toe of her shoe.  “Oops,” she smiled at him.
“You evil venomous bitch!   She never did any harm to you, she was alive and you’ve murdered her.   I’ll see you pay for that if it’s the last thing I do!”
“Tears, for your widdle plastic toy, Sonny-boy?”  She smiled in triumph.   “Take him away.”

To be continued/...