21.   Scarlett.

 

I smile broadly as cousin Ele says with a mischievous grin that she wouldn’t try her clever scheme without me.  The thought of a trap doesn’t leave my mind even for a moment.  I rest quietly as best I can, but carefully prepare for the late night adventure as well.  When midnight finally comes and there’s a soft knock at the door, one energy projector weapon is pushed into the right side of my sword belt.  The other is attached with adhesive tape under my tunic between my breasts.  Ele’s still disdaining the weapons.  She quickly opens the door and nods silently to her ‘partner’.

 

We swiftly go outside and climb into the first of two large, camouflage-tan hover vehicles, both consisting mostly of large tanks.  Ele’s ‘partner’ has three burly helpers who man the second vehicle while we join the fat cantina owner in the first.  As we slowly, quietly drive toward the spaceport, I pleasantly ask him if he knows the spacecraft and their owners well.

 

“Most,” he boasts, “But none of my friends are on the planet at the moment.”

 

I smile slightly and nod, looking ahead intently at two spaceport guards at the gate before us who step outside their small shack, their hands on their weapons.  ‘Fatso’ talks briefly with the guards, whose leering eyes never leave Ele and I, and we are waved quickly through the gate.  As we move between the many strangely shaped starships, I point to a very large freighter, and ask our ‘partner’ if he knows the type.

 

“No,” he answers, “It arrived the day before yesterday.”

 

His eyes light up.  “Yours?” he asks with a gleeful look, obviously thinking about the large quantity of water the vehicle could hold.  I nod silently and direct him to park under a projection on one side of the huge silver ship.  We silently climb out of the hovercraft and I point at the other hovercraft and then at a similar projection on the other side of the ship.  Our ‘partner’ nods and the other vehicle takes its position under that projection.  The apertures at the top of the tanks are quickly opened and the hovercraft are now ready for their liquid cargo.  As Ele moves out of sight, I try to make small talk with the four ugly men.  My right hand’s always on my saber hilt, the left – on the handle of the energy projector weapon.  I know that Ele’s busy working the Pattern to make the Shadow tunnel.  I vaguely understand what’s involved, yet I can’t even imagine the level of concentration and control that are required for such a task.  After a while, she steps back into sight, looking more than a little tired.  I direct the men to examine the first hovercraft's cargo hold, and as they do so, Ele quietly disappears again.

 

After checking the hold, there is a burst of chatter and then the ‘partner’ asks, “How was it loaded?  I didn’t see or hear anything.”  I tell him Ele operated the remote access terminal, and he seems satisfied.  Soon, Ele reappears again, this time shaking, obviously worn out.  After, checking the cargo, the ‘partner’ tosses her a small sack and, without another word, he and his men get into their craft and drive off.  Most probably they think we want to stay with our ship or perhaps even take off to wherever they think we’re from without further delay.

 

We rest for a minute, giggling in excitement.  Ele examines our payment and seems satisfied enough, two small cards amongst baubles that appear to be jewels.  Soon we make our way quietly back to the gate.  Suddenly we’re surrounded by two dozens sentients of various alien races led by the silver-suit and the rat-face.  They reach for their weapons!  In a brief flash my saber is at the rat-face’s throat, four others already dead or dying at my feet in the path of my blade’s journey.  My energy projector weapon is pointed directly at the silver-suit, and I don’t have to look to see that several other creatures are lying in various states of damage at my cousin's feet.  I don’t know which of the Pattern powers she used, but they are down.

 

“What do you want, Bounty Hunter?” I ask quickly, pushing slightly on my blade.

 

“Bubba sent us to collect you,” the rat-face nervously answers, his hands still holding a weapon trembling.

 

I note that there’re still more than a dozen projector weapons pointed at the two of us, the silver-suit never even touched his, confident we were overmatched.

 

“Would he want us dead?”  I ask quietly.

 

“No, he said you were to be brought undamaged,” the rat-face replies, and then angrily adds, “Or you would be plant food by now!”

 

I push again on my blade and liquid seeps from the wide-eyed alien’s throat as I smugly command, “Have your men put away their weapons or there’ll be more plant food in the making and no pay for your efforts!”

 

“What do you think, Ele, shall we have these men escort us to the mysterious Bubba to receive their pay, my weapons remaining with me, or shall we have a little fun?”

 

The rat-face turns very pale as he awaits Elektra’s answer.

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