Musings [Escher]

[Thexare]

Seasons Base

Two Raiders peeked around a corner and saw two other men talking to each other about the base.

"It's them?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Is their room prepared?"

"Yeah, the one you set aside."

"Very well. Get to your post then, Matsuda. I'll entertain our guests." Escher was dressed in his typical dark grey knee-length coat, black slacks, and a white shirt - about as close as he ever got to proper formal attire. It would be sufficient. "Hello, welcome to Seasons. I heard you earlier, sounds like you're having some trouble getting around."

"Well, yeah. Half the halls are closed."

"Yes, there's a lot of work still being done. If you'd like, I can show you around."

The two looked at each other and shrug. "Yeah, why not?"

"Great, then let's get started," Escher replied cheerfully. As the three started down the hall, Escher pointed to the right. "If you go down this hall and turn left, you'll get to the Razor's Edge Pub. They've got some good garlic fries. But let's continue on." A left turn to detour around some construction equipment, then a right to loop around an incomplete passage. "You don't want to go in this door here," he said, pointing to the right after another left turn. "Setting up a factory here, right now it's just got some robots doing the work. Problem is, they were designed for environments humans can't handle, so they're... difficult around humans. But let's continue."

The maze of passages led past several facilities that were still under construction, including a secondary hangar,and eventually ended in a wing with a great view of a dark matter cloud.

"And here's the temporary living quarters. We've already set aside a room for you - all our guests are noted upon arrival. So let's open it up and see how you like it," Escher said, pushing a button on the wall. Inside was a reasonably well-furnished room; nothing extravagant, but comfortable and well-stocked.

"Haha, see Dale? This is why we got into the life. VIP service! Hey, bellhop, didn't catch your name."

Escher smiled as the crew of Come As You Are flanked him, weapons drawn. "Of course. I am Victor Delacroix." Stunned silence.

"With a name, recognition. And with recognition, understanding... and fear." He drew a pistol from his coat. "There it is, I see it in your eyes. That same fear my parents felt when you ambushed their freighter. I believe it's time ot say goodbye, Hunters." Escher closed the room with the wall panel, and opened the other side of the well-furnished airlock. The screams of the Hunters were a symphony Escher regretted his inability to hear through the thick walls of the base.

"Main Engineering, this is Escher. We seem to have some debris stuck to the primary hull; could you pulse the shields quickly?"

"You got it."

A fading hum, then a rising one signalled the shield cycle completing. Escher checked the monitor on the wall to confirm; the two hunters were drifting toward the dark matter cloud.

"You said-"

"Yes, Kelly, what exactly did I say?"