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Chapter 42

The vast antechambers to Sam Profit's inner sanctuary - the equally vast office, situated well above the cloud line of Diphda Five and therefore always sunny and displaying a light atmosphere meant to counterbalance the intimidating aura of wealth and power impregnating all other spaces his visitors had to pass in order to reach Transgalatica's seat of power - were as crowded and busy as Beka remembered them from her last visit. Three very young, very attractive, very stylish, and at the same time also highly efficient seeming secretaries tried quite successfully to bring some kind of order into the noisy crowd populating the premises, still: the captain of the Eureka Maru hesitated for a brief moment on the threshold of the impressive hall, not sure how to best go about making her presence noticed amidst those masses of people.

To her amazement though she needed not to have worried: mere seconds after she had entered the marbled and gleaming brass space one of the young ladies in charge approached her with a polite, business-like, yet still affable smile that spoke - despite her apparent young age - of years of proper training in public relations.

"Captain Valentine!" The equally polite, friendly voice matched the woman's noncommittal impersonal, but pleasant expression. "How very nice to meet you. My name is Sabrina. Would you please follow me? Mr. Profit is already expecting you."

Beka's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"He is?"

"Oh yes," Sabrina answered, "he was quite thrilled to receive your brother and your friend's visit and has ever since has been looking very much forward to seeing you, too."

Of course. Beka felt blood rushing to her head, her cheeks turning purple. So Sid knew, Harper and Rafe had been here, making sure to spread the news about the break up between her and the Commonwealth, about how she had been chased from the Andromeda and how... Public flagellation, indeed. For a brief moment she felt an urge to turn around and run out of this place, head back to the Maru and take off to somewhere far away, to some remote corner of the Known Worlds, where no-one had ever heard anything of the High Guard, the Andromeda Ascendant and captain Dylan Hunt. But then she regained her composure, realizing that her means at present didn't allow her to so much as refuel and fully equip the Maru. Her plan, good as it was, would have to wait a bit. Until then she would have to find a way to gain herself a living, get back into business and build up some stash.

She followed the young woman trying not let her apprehensiveness gain the better of her. Still, the walk through the enormous room seemed to take forever and she couldn't suppress a relieved sigh once she had reached the door to Sam Profit's office, that Sabrina solicitously was holding open for her.

"Rocket!"

The tall and rather massive figure of Sid Barry sprang up from behind the wooden, impeccably clean desk of ridiculous proportions at the far end of the large, lavishly furnished room hidden by the heavily gilded doors. With wide opened arms and a radiant smile meant to express his bliss at seeing Beka, he hurried towards her, sweeping her into an overwhelming hug as soon as he had reached her. Gasping for her breath, Beka briefly thought about wrestling herself free and decking the man, before complying and settling into the embrace, unwilling to cause a scene in front of the still present secretary, who was surveying the encounter with mild curiosity. Satisfied to find her not rejecting his signs of affection, he finally let go of her, grasping her shoulders and, holding her at arms' length, he carefully scrutinized her before nodding, apparently happy with what he saw.

"Look at you!" he exclaimed joyously. "Beautiful and vibrant as ever, my dear!"

Beka smiled thinly. After all that she had been through, calling her 'beautiful and vibrant as ever' was either a blatant lie or an insult to her normal appearance.

"Sid..." she began, her tone clearly displaying the amount of annoyance she was experiencing.

"Now, now, Rocket, no false modesty please; not with your good, old Uncle..." he laughed jovially, clasping an arm across her shoulder and directing her to a corner of the room displaying a small couch and some armchairs.

Letting herself be steered towards them by her 'good, old uncle', Beka almost had to grind her teeth, forcing herself to relax into his grasp.

"Now," he demanded, gallantly helping her to a seat, "before we get down to catching up with each other: would you like something to drink first?"

"Some coffee, if you don't mind," Beka replied politely.

"Sabrina, my dear, two coffees - and then cancel all appointments for the rest of the day. My niece and I will need the time for our happy family reunion, I presume..."

"But Sir..."

With an expression of mild irritation Sid Barry turned towards the young woman.

"Anything unclear, my dear?" he asked, the sharp edge in his voice belying his smile.

With a slight nod, the secretary refrained from any further comment.

"No, of course not, Sir," she acquiesced.

"I didn't think so," the older man confirmed, his smile beaming anew while he returned the focus of his attention back to Beka.

For a few minutes they conversed politely on various indifferent topics, waiting for the young woman to complete her task of brewing some fresh coffee at the small bar placed next to the doors. It was only after the coffees had been served, tasted, and the doors closed firmly behind Sabrina that Sid put down his cup, bowed forward in his armchair and finally dropped the act.

"Rocket, I am so sorry..."

Beka's hand flew up as if in defense.

"No, don't! Spare me any display of regret, compassion, or understanding you may have prepared for the occasion, Sid..."

"But, my dear child, I can assure you, I was so terribly, terribly sorry to hear about what happened with you and Captain Hunt. I never would have expected..."

"Tell me about it," Beka dryly cut in. "Imagine my surprise when I found out. Still: all of this is water under the bridge..."

She didn't miss the astonished look in his eyes.

"My dear girl, I must admit that I find your detachment on this matter quite amazing, if remarkable..."

"Did you expect me to rant about it, go into fits about the world's ingratitude or..."

"I don't know about the world, but with your newly acquired status as Matriarch of all Nietzscheans and the way you've been treated by the Dragans, I would have expected some outrage, especially with regard to the latest developments in the matter, most of all considering that Captain Hunt..."

"Let's leave Captain Hunt out of this, shall we?" Beka asked coolly.

With a slight nod, Sid signaled his understanding.

"But of course, Rocket, I can only imagine how painful this must be for you..."

"Sid!"

"All right, all right, my dear. Now, tell me, what have you come to see me about?"

"A job," Beka informed him curtly.

This time not even Sid Barry's famous sang froid, augmented by Sam Profit's cool business head could prevent his features from derailing.

"A... a job?" he stammered, sounding more than just surprised. In fact, he sounded stupefied, as Beka noticed to her satisfaction. Finally, she had managed to catch good, old Uncle Sid on the wrong foot. For a brief moment she wondered why this was so, considering that Harper and Rafe had already seen and informed him on the newest developments in her life, but then decided to let it pass, thinking that Barry's heavy conscience about her and flash might have prompted him to think himself to be the last person she would turn to after the latest events. Which - come to think of it - he actually was.

"Yes, a job. You're running the Known World's largest private freighter company, surely you must have a place for someone with my abilities and a ship like the Maru."

"Yes, of course I can use both you and the Maru, but Beka, dear, what about the Commonwealth...?"

She frowned. Apparently Rafe and Harper hadn't let Sid in on everything that had happened. Well, maybe that was a good thing: letting the old scoundrel think that she still had some influence and friends in high places could only lead to her striking a better deal out of this.

"Don't worry about it, Sid. Now, what do you say? Do we get into business together or not?"

He leaned back, weighing her for an instant, but then a huge smile spread on his lips.

"Rocket, my girl, you don't know how long I've waited for you to come and give me a chance to show you just how much I hold you dear."

Beka threw him a suspicious look.

"Sid," she told him, feeling slightly uneasy, "I'm asking for a job, I don't want us to bond, play happily reunited family and whatever..."

"I know, I know," he hurriedly agreed with her, "but, Beka, just put yourself for an instant in my place..."

"I'd rather not..." she interrupted him, but he didn't let her continue.

"Beka, please. Look around you! All of this..."

"Yes, I know, it's great - and really, I am awed, Sid, by what you have accomplished..."

"And yet, I'm an old man with no family. If you're really willing to leave the High Guard, Beka, I'd be more than happy to not only give you a job, but to offer you an opportunity to one day take all of this over... So, Rocket, what do you say?"

She couldn't say anything. For a brief instant she looked at him mouth agape, then laughed up.

"What? You're kidding, right?"

"Why would I be kidding?" he asked, sounding slightly offended.

"Because," she ventured with caution, "you cannot seriously offer me the position of... Of what actually? Heir presumptive?"

He shrugged.

"Well, if you want to put it that way..."

"I most certainly don't want to put it that way, Sid. Look, if you're doing all of this out of pity..."

"Beka, I'm not exactly well-known for my kind heart, surely you know that by now."

Her eyes narrowed.

"O-kay," she drawled. "Why then? Do you feel like making it up to me somehow?"

"Maybe," he admitted. "But to be quite honest: I'm no longer as young as I used to be. One day even my - if I may say so myself - famous prowess in all things concerning business may start to show some weakness; when that day comes I'd rather have someone by my side ready to take over, someone I can trust enough to not ruin either the business or myself..."

"And you figured that Rebekkah Valentine, with whom you have established such a mighty fine relationship..."

"Beka, I know that you have more than just one axe to grind with me, but when push comes to shove I think that I can trust you more than anyone else..."

The blonde got up and started to pace up and down the enormous carpet covering the floor of the sumptuous office. It couldn't be! Knowing only half of what Rafe and/or Harper had supposedly told him, knowing her and her family, their history together, Sid just couldn't offer her such a deal. There had to be some corpse, some putrid little secret she couldn't divine right now hidden behind the generous proposal. But as it was, it still presented her with options that she couldn't just turn down, considering the situation she was in: alone, with no money, no friends, no crew and no security for herself and her ship. Whatever may have prompted Sid to come forward with such magnanimity, she would have for now to take him up on it and find about his true motives later; hopefully not too late.

Realizing that she had for at least five minutes turned his back on him, staring out of the panoramic window wall to the cloud formations of Diphda Five, Beka turned around and nodded slowly to him.

"Very well, Sid. I accept. For now."