Family Matters

[Nightfall]

... Watching her closing the distance between her and the group. The loud music stopped for Bernard. There was a brief silence, broken by the 'H Po Sl Sl H Po Sl Sl...'... the otherwise 'lethal' combination of Cardamine and Absinthe was kicking in. The reality came back in with the dancing sounds from the loudspeakers... Barbarella - as Bernard named her at the moment, remembering a film he saw when he was a kid... he didn't want to know her real name, tonight she was Don Carlito's girl - had something special for Don Carlito...

'Don Carlito, we are honored by this, though we were just lucky to be dodging better than the gunners could shoot and a few well placed supernovas. No big deal, really!... Incoming company, gentlemen!' he said and pointed his eyes toward the girl dressed to kill.

She came to them with a disarming smile carrying four drinks with her which she gave to the two pilots and the Don, keeping one for herself.

'May I join you for a dance gentlemen?' she didn't wait for the answer and sat in the Don's lap and raised her glass 'Adelante!'
'?No tememos ni la Muerte ni la Gloria - las buscamos!' answered Kessen raising his glass.
'?Siempre buscar!' Bernard raised his glass and smiled. He added a thought '?Baila para mi... hermana!' and, like following his thought she danced for the Don...

'You were telling me, Nightfall, about killer girls and accidents...?' Kessen turned to Bernard.
'Yes... I was escorting a lady from New York to Theta. It was relaxed as I knew she is an excellent pilot and all, I was more being company than a bodyguard. We jumped into Connecticut and were attacked by two weird light fighters. Actually, she was attacked after I passed - we were racing to the Alaska gate. Nothing light about the two fighters except the excellent maneuverability. I heard the Zoners are involved...
I nearly reached the gate to notice she wasn't on my short range scanner. I turned back to see the two were all over her. I engaged, surprised one of the attackers, got his hull cut down to half but he regenerated... then I couldn't get him out of my six, simply too fast. I noticed she has the same problem with the other one.
So I decide to Supernova the twat on my six and help her out. I didn't think he's gonna catch both mines I dropped - what an error in judgement! He WAS stupid enough! And the other two fighters conveniently (for the mines) came into blast range before the explosion. (both laugh)
The worse thing happened after a few hours of floating near the jump to New York - a trader picked the lot of us and took us to Manhattan. - As soon as she got out of the life-pod, she gets a blaster out and shoots one of the guys between his eyes - mercyfull! The other one was not so lucky - she shot his knees, his elbows, his belly and left him to die like that - next, she heads to the bar and takes a drink of Bloody Bounty! She seemed to calm down. (Bernard can hardly keep himself to finish the story, Kessen is nearly rolling on the floor laughing)'.
'I wander what would have happened if I told her those were my mines! ...Instead, I just joined her for a Tequila! Hahahaha...' Bernard couldn't stop anymore. Both pilots were now laughing their asses off.

***

After the girl left, Don Carlito turned to Bernard 'I want you to come to my hacienda after the party, I have something to talk to you about...'
'Of course Don Carlito, just tell me when you want to go, I'll come with you!'

Bernard remembered the odd meeting with 'Lady Death' Pryde prior to the party... 'And the plot thickens!' he thought...

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If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God? - from 'Nightfall' by I. Asimov
The Outcasts consider Siniestre Nube a sacred place for several reasons. Early explorers discovered a jumphole within the depths of the cloud that leads to a strange world of ringed stars and strange craft. All ships in the burrial ground are placed facing that hole to honor the Alien Spirits. - An Outcast rumor