Business or Pleasure?

2000 short story by Jonathan Hicks

Three years after Episode IV – A New Hope

There are many individuals on the huge patio. It is cut into the side of the mountain overlooking the huge, pale green sea of Luronsa IV’s largest ocean and as the blue sun starts to dip it’s solar flares are visible through the atmospheric haze as azure arcs of fire. The horizon of the ocean begins to glow with a strange yellow haze.

Himbimimam stretches his arms until they click and places his huge hands behind his ridged cranium. Now that the solar radiation has dropped below point-three-two he has come out of the shadow of the private apartment to join his friends on the secluded cliff balcony.

Boba Dallagra looks over as he hears Himbimimam’s satisfied sigh.

   “Welcome back, Himbs,” he says with a smile, seeing that the alien is a darker shade of pink than he usually is. He watched him expectantly.

Himbs hears the sarcastic tone to his friend’s voice and looks over. Boba is giving him a narrow-eyed stare.

   “Oh, I’m sorry, Boba, I forgot to grab them,” he says with less than a sincere tone. He turns his head and shouts back at the apartment entrance. “Jan! Bring out a couple of fresh Duargas when you come out, yeah?”

   “What am I, a server ‘droid?” comes a voice from the shadows.

   “Whilst I’m paying for this, yes you are,” Himbs shouts back. He hears Boba chuckling as Jan Lomona walks out with two bottles of alcohol in each hand. He hands one to Himbs, one to Boba and one to another figure in between the two. Luschia Arkensaw looks up, slipping back her sun visor and adjusting her bikini top. “What’s this?” she asks, not taking the bottle from Jan.

   “Just take it,” Jan says sharply but with a humorous tone. His broad chest is brown from the sun and he slowly lowers himself into the lounger next to Boba who is also stripped except for his leisure shorts. He looks around the patio and spies Boba’s sister who is looking at him with a helpless expression. He knows what she wants and he shakes his head.

   “Oh, come off it, Trace, I’ve just sat down.” Trace tuts but another figure climbs from a seat and heads to the shadows. “I’ll get it,” Ryath Centaur says. He steps over Trace’s lounger and she smiles at him with false sweetness. “Oh, you are a darling.”

There is a brief pause before Jan, Boba, Himbs and Tunnil, who is sat at the back and in a shaded area of the balcony, all burst out laughing at Trace’s description of Ryath. Ryath smiles and quicksteps into the apartment.

Tarr Ranth opens his eyes from his slumber at the cacophony of sound and looks over.  Although he is relaxing he still wears a thick padded shirt, airy but offering minimal protection, and shorts “What’s so funny?” He asks sleepily.

   “Ryath is a darling,” Luschia says with an upper-class accent and Ranth smiles.

Ryath is walking back with a tray of drinks and he looks over at Luschia with a small, wry smile. “But I am a darling,” he says with a helpless tone which brings forth another round of laughter. Ranth looks about with a confused expression, shakes his head and closes his eyes again.

There is quiet as the laughter dies and everyone is left with his or her own thoughts. A voice drifts from the back. “Says here that the Empire is thinking of cancelling Years Turn,” Romanoe says, reading from a small news datapad he purchased during the day. “That’ll freck off the locals.”

Trace, Suselow and Frans all frown at Romanoe. “Watch your language,” Bella says with a scowl. Romanoe looks over and shrugs. “Freck off,” he says. Jan and Ryath laugh but Boba turns in his lounger to look behind him. “Hey, enough! We’ve come here to relax...”

Himbs looks over. “At my expense.”

   “…so behave.”

Bella stands and starts to head for the apartment. “Anyone else want anything?” Most of them shake their heads in the negative but Latti pipes up from the centre of the group. “A bowl of cockons, please, miss.”

As Bella disappears Latti receives several stares.

   “Miss?” Boba says with mock surprise. Jan shakes his head and goes back to watching the sun dip towards the horizon. Ranth smiles in his apparent sleep.

   “Creep,” Luschia says. Himbs and Trace chuckle.

   “She’s the boss’s wife,” Latti says in a whisper. “What am I supposed to say?”

   “While she’s here she’s a friend,” Jan says.

As everyone agrees Bella returns. She notices that the conversation ends as she approaches and she looks on the group with suspicion. “What?” she asks. “What were you talking about?”

To increase Latti’s nervousness Ryath says, “Oh, nothing, just something that Latti said.” Smiles spread across them all as Bella hands Latti the bowl of cockons he’d asked for and asks, “What was that, then, Latti?”

   “I was just looking forward to my cockons, that’s all,” he says with an innocent expression and takes the bowl.

   “Oh, well avoided, Latti,” Luschia says as if impressed by his answer. She holds up her hands and starts to clap her mock appreciation and most of the others join in. Ranth opens one eye. “Some of us are trying to sleep.” he murmurs but no one hears him.

Bella looks at Latti. “Well?” she asks. Her smile is small but there is a touch of curiousness about her lips. Latti licks his suddenly dry lips and says, “It’s just that… well, you know, how do we address you?”

Jan shakes his head with a groan. “Oh, leave it!” he snaps, his voice muffled by his arms that are now crossed over his face.

   “No, I mean it, it’s, like, you know, like, you used to be a smuggler, like, and, you know, now, like, you’re the boss’s wife, and, you know, like, what do we, like…”

   “I’m Bella,” Bella says quickly, cutting off Latti’s nervous rambling and then smiling at him. “At the palace I’m ‘Miss’ or ‘Madam’, though I’m quite partial to ‘My Lady’. Out here, with those people I used to run with, I’m ‘Bella’. Does that make things easier for you?”

Latti gives her the thumbs up with a smile. “Yes, My Lady.” Boba laughs softly and Ryath groans.

   “I’ve been up all night,” Ranth says softly but again no one hears him.

   “So what do you think they’ll do?” Romanoe says. He receives confused looks from Trace, Ryath and Tunnil. “What?”

   “About the Year’s Turn festival?”

   “Who cares?” Himbs says. “It’s eight solar months from now and we’ll all be scattered throughout the sector doing the end of year spice clearing sessions.”

   “Except me.”

   “Yeah, except Latti, so what does it matter?”

Romanoe looks at Himbs with a frown.  “What crawled up your…?”

Ranth suddenly swings off his lounger and jumps to his feet. Everyone looks at him with surprise. “What’s wrong?” Bella asks.

   “It’s too noisy out here,” Ranth says darkly. “I’m going to my room. I need some sleep before tonight’s work.”

   “Oh, you’re not going after that bounty, surely?” Himbs asks with exasperation.

   “Yes.”

   “Oh, Ranth, I invited everyone here to celebrate my hatching and my credit windfall. This was supposed to be a vacation. Come on, have a Duarga, crash out and relax.”

Luschia agrees. “Yeah, it’s an open bounty so some other hunter will get him, if that’s what you’re worried about. It’s an even twenty thou and even I’m letting it go. Cool out, Ranth.”

Tarr Ranth looks over the faces that turn to look at him and nods. “I suppose I could do with a break.”

Himbs nods and winks at Ranth. “One week of nothing but sun, sea and selectable Holovid channels. What more do you want? It’s been a while since we all got together.”

Trace swings off her seat and holds up her bottle of Duarga, the advertisement holo built into the bottle’s top still brightly dancing. “To us, and a week of laziness and gross overspending!” Everyone agrees and they all connect bottlenecks, some of the beverages frothing wildly causing the owners to slurp their drinks to stop them from splashing everywhere. They laugh and cheer and then get back on their loungers. The atmosphere returns to the silence of companionship as they all watch the sun, which is now half-sunk below the horizon. The solar flares are brilliant against the darkening sky and a blue light washes across them all. Luschia’s swimsuit starts to glow blue under the light.

   “Hey, it works!” she shouts as the glow from her newly purchased leisurewear starts to get brighter as the sun dips further down. “Just like the vendor said it would.”

   “Oh, for freck’s sake, Luschia, can’t you turn it off?” Himbs moans.

   “Yeah, it’s too bright!” Latti exclaims.

   “Oh, come off it, they’re the fashion on Nogard.”

   “What, are they all blind on Nogard?” Bella asks, causing to Romanoe to laugh. Luschia’s mouth twists as she gives Bella hard stare. Bella’s smile doesn’t falter. Jan tries to throw a towel over Luschia but she catches it mid-flight.

   “Fine!” she says loudly, swinging off her lounger and then heading for the apartment. The shadows glow briefly as she heads into the darkness.

The blue sun is almost fully set. Trace stands and yawns. “Well, I suppose if we’re going out tonight I’d better get changed.” “Me too,” Bella says with tiredness in her voice.

   “No, wait!” Latti exclaims. “The sun is about to set!”

Everyone sits up on their loungers to watch the sun finally disappear behind the horizon. Even the ladies hang out of the windows of the apartment to watch the final sliver of blue light peter out. As the blue line vanishes a brilliant spectacle is presented to them all; the corona of the azure disc becomes brilliant, casting a smear of colours across the entire visible sky that oscillate and glow, seeming to bleed into the green ocean and warm it with colour.

They all watch, quietly impressed or awe inspired, as the colour sweeps across the sky and over their heads, washing them over with a kaleidoscope of light. After a few moments the whole experience is over and the vista is reduced to a simple dark blue as the night hours begin.

Everyone muses over the natural spectacle until Himbs claps his hands together loudly and rubs them with anticipation. “Right, let’s go into town.”

The market concourse is crowded with beings. The sides of the street are smattered with stalls and shops, with low-level domed buildings rising from the darkness behind. Strings of lights criss-cross the street and coloured beams slice the ever-darkening sky as they leap into the air. The group of friends walk along, their pace slowing as the crowds become thicker, and a small freighter does a low-level pass as it heads for a landing pit.

Creatures roar, animals bleat, beings converse in a multitude of languages and body signals and the atmosphere is one of joviality and happiness. Spices and alcohol can be detected in the air and Romanoe screws up his nose with disgust.

   “Urgh. Noscage spice.”

Vendors cry out for them to come see their stalls. Entertainers jump into their path as they try to earn a few credits for their talents. Street militia hang back and out of sight, watching intently but appearing relaxed. There is a snap and a hiss, and a small ball of energy flies into the air and explodes in a brilliant explosion, showering the crowds with a glittering compound that dissolves quickly.

Light washes over the crowd as a small hovering personnel sled passes over. Suddenly, Himbs feels a tug on his arm and he turns to see whom it is.

   “Arach!” he cries, picking the longhaired man up and hugging him tightly. Arach Raynor gasps out a laugh and grabs Himbs by the sides of his huge head. As he is placed back to the ground he slaps him on the shoulder.

   “Hey, Himbs. Hey, everyone.” There is a smattering of ‘hello’s’ and welcomes.

   “What are you doing here, Arach?” Romanoe asks, his natural suspicion of a fellow outlaw engineer shining through. Latti nudges him with a smile.

   “I’m here with the others for the Sun Colour Celebrations. Did you see it? Did you see the sun go down?”

   “Oh, yeah, it was great! What others are with you?” Bella’s face is still a picture of smiling friendliness but her question is one to gauge who else is on planet. She knows that Arach works for many different people.

Another energy ball races into the sky and explodes, a light-picture forming of a blue sun that fades away slowly.

   “Some of Pocock’s guys, actually. He’s come here, paid for us all to have a couple of days away.”

Bella relaxes at the mention of Jomobol Pocock’s name but she doesn’t show it. “Jomobol? Oh, I’d love to see him!” she says truthfully. Although Pocock had an underworld operation of his own he had hardly ever been a threat to her husband’s business.

   “He’s at the Rotant Club. Got a party on the go. I’m on my way there, now, why don’t…?”

   “We’d love to,” Luschia says, slipping her arm through Arach’s and smiling sweetly. “Let’s go.”

The music pounds in the crowded club. Everyone has to walk sideways or ask others to move aside as the attendants to Pocock’s party are many and varied. Tunnil faces off with a huge long-snouted alien he has never seen before. Jan pulls him away.

   “All I did was tap him on the shoulder,” Tunnil says innocently.

   “That wasn’t his shoulder,” Jan explains and then refuses to talk of it anymore.

The group of friends are around a huge table just off the zero-g dance floor and they have to shout to be heard over the noise. Latti has torn napkins in his ears to block out the screeching of the music, his sensitive hearing causing more than little headache. Although he can hardly hear anything he nods and agrees with everything anyone says.

The club is three huge rings held up by repulsorlift generators. Stairs join these rings, on each ring there are tables and a bar, and down the centre of them there is the zero-g dance floor. All this is outside in the warm evening air of Luronsa IV.

As the friends talk a man approaches flanked by a Rodian and a human with a tattoo down one side of his face. They all smile as they approach the table and Bella stands.

   “Jomobol,” she says with her arms outstretched. Jomobol Pocock takes her arms and leans forward, kissing her on the cheek. “Bella,” he says, “it is so nice to see you.”

   “You too. You’re looking well. How are things on Amagad?”

   “Oh, I’ve come here not to think about such things.”

The two individuals accompanying Jomobol nod to the others at the table with smiles. “Hey, everyone.”

   “Hello, Croof,” Jan says. “Hello, Hecket. You two still working for wages, then?” There are laughs as the old joke re-surfaces.

Jomobol joins them at the table and orders a whole server ‘droids carry tray of drinks. Food is laid out and the music changes from a hard-bitten dance beat to something a little more relaxing.

   “Well,” Bella says, connecting her glass with Jomobol’s. “This is nice.”

The walk back to the cliff-face apartment is a short one in distance but a long one in time. More vendors and entertainers are on the streets and, as some of the entourage are a little drunk, credits are thrown at certain beings and some of the stall owners are rewarded with over-price purchases.

Jomobol walks with Bella, talking about nothing in particular. Bella looks about her every now and then, watching where her friends are but conversing with Pocock. The evening, although late and illuminated by Luronsa IV’s moons, is still busy and heady with atmosphere.

It’s Himbs who notices the eight men approaching. They are a collection of species and they appear less happy than everyone else along the street. He nudges Ranth and Latti and nods in their direction.

The first man, a tall human with a long face and rotted teeth, stops just a little in front of both Pocock and Bella and places his hands on his hips. He stares at them briefly before moving his hand towards his jacket. The others with him do the same

   “I’ve got a message for you pair,” he says. “From Predd Jason.”

As hands close around the butts of pistols, the entourage with Jomobol and Bella suddenly come up behind them. They already have pistols and weapons ready and they lean over their employers to get the angle. Jan draws quickly, his blaster levelled over Jomobol’s shoulder. Himbs has a blaster in each hand and trains it on the other men. Latti crouches down by Bella’s legs, his blaster aimed at the lead figure. Luschia stands by Bella, her blaster out and ready. Ryath draws a secreted cut down rifle, the weapon steady in his hands. Tunnil also has his weapon out, as does Romanoe, and Ranth levels his pistol, the red dot of his targeting scope resting on the lead figure’s throat. Hecket and Croof stand either side of Jomobol with their weapons ready.

Then, without warning, Melm appears from behind a stall to the rear of Predd Jason’s men, his heavy pistol armed and his vibro-sword humming softly. Another Shadow Warrior, dressed head to foot in the dark armour of the team, appears from under a speeder, blaster ready. Goah Galletti rises from the roof of a neighbouring building and levels his heavy pulse rifle at the men. Another half-dozen beings appear from alleyways and street corners, both Bella’s and Jomobol’s employees alike. There is a ringing sound as over a dozen safety catches are released, sounding like a cup stones being dropped on metal.

Jomobol sighs. “Not this week, gentlebeings, please,” he says resignedly.

Bella smiles, the appearance of her invisible bodyguards pleasing and satisfying. She was glad that they had kept out of sight so that the illusion of not being constantly watched had been lifted whilst she was on holiday but overjoyed at the sudden appearance of them all when a threat did arise.

   “We don’t want any trouble,” she says. “We’re on vacation.”

Business or Pleasure?

2000 short story by Jonathan Hicks

Three years after Episode IV – A New Hope

Histories – Just a few short weeks after the completion of the mission to Abrogard the regular Amagad crowd decide to take their vacation on the legendary holiday planet of Luronsa IV.  In a very relaxed mode, Jonathan Hicks shows these usually professional and efficient characters at rest – but still able to watch their backs in a crisis.

Cast of Characters

Himbimimam

Boba Dallagra

Jan Lomona

Luschia Arkensaw

Trace Dallagra

Tunnil Fulle

Ryath Centaur

Tarr Ranth

Romanoe

Suselow

Frans Latka

Bella

Latti Tellex

Arach Raynor

Jomobol Pocock

Croof Frood

Heckett Utt

Melm

Goah Galletti Clone