MVOTHT Ch 12



The door opened and a voice announced:" Midway Station. We will have a 28 hour layover before we continue to Beach Head. Please enjoy your stay at Midway station." Muhammad said." Are we going to do anything or stay with the coach?" I said."Well since Cirruit isn't with us I think giving everyone shore leave won't be a big problem. So yes go and enjoy yourself. I read they have pretty much everything here. " Muhammad, Elfi, Mao and Cateria were the first to leave. Krabbel joined the Golden and Alya. TheOther sighed." I think I better stay in the coach!" Hans shook his head ." Nope you won't! We're going to watch a game and you come along! Dusty and Gatu are going!" I laughed." If you four sit in the bleachers make sure you sit directly above a support strut!" Narth floated by and said." I shall observe this game as well. To see an absolute illogical activity that seems to occupy so many minds will be fascinating." Shea asked." Are you going off duty as well?" " I was thinking about it, yes. No need to stay in this snapper fish can any longer than I have to." "Splendid!" "Why what's on your mind?" "We need to do something about your wardrobe. For a Guy who loves to look like a girl you got very little stuff to wear. I see you in your Uniform on and off duty, for most of the time! You don't even borrow stuff from me, Elfi does it all the time!" "I never really thought of it." "Well do you plan to stay that way?" "Well yes. I feel fine and content and exactly as I want to be." "Then let's go shopping girl! You got a fat Credit Box and we are in one of the prime shopping centers of the Union. Midway is famous for it!" "I think I could use some shoes and perhaps something to wear indeed." Shea and I went shopping and it was more fun than I thought it would be. At a fashion store she basically took over and became my style expert. I came out of the dresser and said." Isn't that a little too short?" I was refereeing to a mini skirt she had me put on. "How is anyone supposed to sit down in something like that?" "That is just right. Skirts are in and Minis have never gone out of style. There is two ways a girl sits down in these. the artful way with closed legs, or the hell may care slutty way. Depends what you want to accomplish." Loaded with boxes we went back to the train to unload. The shopping town we went to was just one of many. Midway did not even feel like a space station for the most part. The designers put great care in putting lots of green and water everywhere. The light was as carefully designed as the weather. To make the illusion complete there was actually weather, wind and rain and temperature cycles with real seasons. We made plans to see a theater performance and then go to a club but that all changed when Shea saw a Vari Sign Billboard on our way back. It read 47th Advanced Mathematics Congress at the Sheraton. It listed a series of Speakers and her eyes started glowing. "Oh Professor Ameling is one of the guest speakers!" "You would love to go, right?" "Well he was my doctor father and his work is fascinating!" "Teaches me to engage to a super smart girl" I grinned and gave her a kiss." Go ahead, just don't ask me to sit in as well. I rather count rivets or watch snow melt." "You don't mind?" "Of course not. I need to practice to walk with that skirt and figure out what those frilly things do you bought. I love being a girl, but the dressing part is so much more complicated . I still need to learn a lot!" "You aren't as innocent as you act now. You know exactly what those are for." She left me with all the boxes and bags and I saw her golden hair disappear in a crowd of geeks and scientists before the doors of the Hotel. I found it amusing that even a Klack Ant and a Nul Scientist somehow managed to look like human geeks. A purple skinned Nul was discussing something with a Garbini and a human. As he pulled a pocket E Pad to calculate something and the Klack started writing equations on the hotel wall with the human holding his chin it was obvious that other species had those types too. I saw Shea again. She was a as hot and sexy as a woman could be, wearing a mini skirt, and a frilly blouse and none of the human males had any eyes for it but became excited when she added to the equations. Someone said." Some Hotel employee said."The Convention is inside!" But he was ignored as the crowd around the those became bigger, even though they all spoke Union I did not understand a word. So I went on, took a floater Cab and went back to the Train Station. Our Coach had already been moved to a new track and linked into a new train. thanks to an Info-Bot I found it anyway and was glad to get rid of the load. I was alarmed as I saw Cateria in her CMO Uniform and even more as I saw Narth lying on one of the Couches. She turned and smiled."Nothing really serious, Captain. He sampled all the treats they offer at the game and one of those was beer. You know what alcohol does to him. He be alright, he said so before he passed out. He just needs to sleep it off or something Narths do. Not that his med scans make any sense." I rolled my eyes." He is perhaps the smartest being in the Universe and yet a bit naive when it comes to booze. I think I need to have a word with him." I was neither tired nor did I have anything particular to do. So I went back out and simply started walking in a leisurely pace. I noticed crowds of mostly men, but also females and aliens around public view screens . I asked a young dark haired woman." Say what's the deal with all that?" " Vacu Ball, the Midway Bashers playing the Nolight Knights. Whoever wins meets the Terran Terrors in the Finals!" "Oh a sporting event!" That must be the game Hans and the others went to. She looked me up and down and then said." Yes Blondie, a sporting event!" I did stop to watch a few moments but the entire thing made no sense to me. I knew I should be more interested in such things, but somehow I never was. I never cared much for team sports, but then I had to admit I did like the Steel container kick games we used to play on the Tigershark. I realized I didn't really belong here in the civilian world. I was only really home aboard my ship. Except for swimming I didn't even have any hobbies to speak of. Now that was a great idea! I bet they had decent pools and swimming facilities around here. I dialed my Com Unit to local and asked it to find me biggest swimming pool and was directed to an Inter Station Transport Hub, took one of the capsules to a place called Oceanic Park. In one of the newly added Gigamon Stations they had converted an entire Deck level into a beach and ocean resort. With Hotels, Pools, Lakes and a one huge central lake with Saltwater and even fish inside. After purchasing a bathing suit and several hours of diving and extensive swimming, I felt this satisfied tiredness one gets after a hard and good workout. Before I had to go back I thought of having a drink and a bite to eat. The smell of fresh roasted fish at a Beach walk open restaurant made me hungry as a starving Tyranno. It was late as I returned to the Station and wondered if any of my crew and friends were back, when a man addressed me." You sure look like Captain Olafson from the news!" "What news?" "You are the one who has a Nul and a Y'All in the crew!" I sighed." It seems that reporter kept his promise." The man suddenly held a s small but still deadly Neuro Ripper in his hand, pointed at me." I will keep my promise too. I am going to kill you Captain. You might not recognize me because I received extensive surgical tailoring. I do look human now but I used to be a Oghar and you sure know my name. I used to be a Captain too, Captain Meateater!" I was as shocked as I was surprised, to see this Pirate there. I cursed the Reporter who made me a target. I cursed the fact that I did not even carry my 45 on any other weapon and I was angry once again at the system for letting a man live and be free I saw being sentenced to death as I had been a witness in his trial. I promised myself not to let others do my own dirty work next time and if I was ever sent out to hunt pirates again, I would make sure there was nothing but a note in my logbook that told of the man's last moment. the Neuro Ripper was active and would over load every nerve in my body including my brain. He smiled." I see you are not very impressed, but you will be in a moment! There are others that want to meet you as well. Someone else is dying to see you. " My mind reached for Narth and I could feel him but he was still unconscious! Meateater barked." I can shoot you right here and be done with it. Now get moving or I start with your toes!" I had no choice. I needed to get a chance to disarm him, but all he needed to do was press the weapons trigger. He didn't have to aim it at that distance. The weapon was small enough so no one would really see it and I sensed he was serious about shooting me, so yelling for help was no option. He guided me to another train track and inside an unmarked coach. One of the two others waiting inside I recognized immediately, Commander Stone! He sneered. "So nice of the press to announce that you were on your way to Midway. We simply had to wait a little till you showed! We would have been long gone but as we heard you would be on your way we simply had to stay and invite you for the ride!" I said nothing. There was nothing I could say to these men to let me go or to change my situation. The third man I did not recognize but perhaps he was another pirate or someone wearing a mask or other disguise. The door lowered and a voice said." This train will leave in 10 minutes to Beach Head, please finish all boarding activity." The man I didn't know was human, he had a pasty almost colorless skin. How old he was I could not guess, he did have a few wrinkles and was otherwise neither tall nor small. However his eyes had a strange quality to it. He pointed at a seat." Sit down Captain. We need you and your codes when we are at Beach Head. Don't worry we have ways to get them, even from a Union Officer. Mr. Stone is quite good with illegal Saresii devices as you know. We might even let you live if you cooperate." Still I was not responding. I needed to find an opening or a chance. The next one would not be before we reached Beach Head. I hoped Narth would be awake by then. I sat down and while doing it activated my Com Unit. Without verbal command it would switch to Emergency after being on for 3 minutes and I hoped it would be enough. Once the train was moving, the signal would reach no one. Meateater gloated ." You thought you saw the last of me at that Trial. But I knew I could bargain a different sentencing with the things I knew. Now fate put me in the companionship of these remarkable gentlemen. You see not all Immortals are on your side." The man who hasn't said his name barked at Meateater." You talk too much!" The train indicator showed us moving a few moments later. No one got my signal in time! Suddenly the walls became transparent and I saw space in a strange warped way! Whatever happened was not planned or done by my captors! They yelled at each other but sound didn't reach me, then all went dark! ________________________________________