Chapter 22
THE NIGHT BEFORE: INSIDE THE `RAVE', MEETING WITH MR. YASSER
Tyr looks over at Dylan, then at Mr. Yasser and his "associates", his hand near his gun just in cast things fall apart. He can see the sweat coming down from Mr. Yasser; he's about to break. Tyr knows it, Dylan knows it. It's only a matter of time now.
"Mr. Yasser, please, all we want is your cooperation," Dylan says.
"Yes, yes. You've already said that," Mr. Yasser returns. "And you still haven't answered my question, captain. What's in it for me?"
"Mr. Yasser," Dylan begins. "If you let us use this place as a holding, if you will, then not only would you be protected from outside attacks, but you will gain profit from it."
"Really, how so?"
"More cargo ships would be willing to come here once they find out it is a safe place to come to, which would increase your trade and therefore profit from it."
Mr. Yasser ponders this statement for a while, then answers, "Alright, I'll do it. I'll sign whatever you want me to--for the new Commonwealth, of course."
He smiles a greedy little smile, while Dylan brings out the documents to sign. Tyr still stands guard, still awaiting any trouble that may come. Mr. Yasser signs feverishly away at the documents. There aren't that many documents, so the process is over within a few minutes. Dylan stands up and sticks out his hand towards Mr. Yasser.
"Pleasure doing business with you," he says.
"Like-wise, captain," Mr. Yasser returns. "By the way, when will I expect your...troops, shall we say, to arrive?"
"A few days, maybe less."
"Good. I believe we are done here then. We can all finally go home."
Dylan nods and leads the way out the door, followed by Tyr, and then Mr. Yasser and his associates. They go their separate ways, and Tyr and Dylan push their way through the mob on the floors to get out. Dylan sees Trance across the room, sitting by herself. He walks over with Tyr, still right behind him.
"Trance, where's Beka and Harper?" Dylan asks.
She smiles at him and answers, "I think they're busy at the moment. Why, was there something you wanted?"
"No, just curious. Where are they?"
"Well, Harper is over there," she points to the bar where Harper is talking to a blond-haired woman, and then in the opposite direction at the dance floor, where Beka is dancing with Owen and everyone else in the place. "And Beka is over there, with her friend."
"She seems to be having fun," Dylan states--she really was too; just letting loose for once in a long while. "You said that the blue-haired guy is her friend?"
"She said he was. They go way back, you know."
"Oh..." Dylan pauses. "Do you know anything about him?"
"No, not really..."
"Is he dangerous?"
Trance laughs, "Him? Dangerous?"
Suddenly, Tyr blurts out, "He's not right for her."
Trance and Dylan look at each other, then back at Tyr.
Tyr realizes and rephrases, "He seems suspicious to me. Maybe I should keep an eye out for her."
"Sure Tyr," Dylan says. "You stay behind and Trance and I will go back to the Andromeda for the night."
"Fine," Tyr says and turns to sit on a stool at a table.
The night dwells on, the music enchanting, the people dancing `till they can't dance anymore. He watches Owen and Beka sitting down to talk every once and awhile. He finally decides to order a drink, and when it arrives he sips on it, barely. Then, the DJ announces that they will be closing for a few hours, and he watches Beka leave with the man. He gets up and follows them to Owen's room.
Hours go by and he can't stand it anymore, he has to know how she doing. A short little man, who strangely reminds him of Harper, walks by with a light step. Tyr grabs him by the collar of his shirt and pulls him aside. The little man starts shaking and becomes nervous.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!" he shrieks.
Tyr muffles the man's mouth with his hand.
"Quiet! I'm not going to hurt you! I need you to do something for me," Tyr says sternly.
The little man stops shaking and brings it down to a slight quiver. He looks up to Tyr and asks:
"What do you want me to do?"
"You know who lives in room 05-17, correct?"
The man nods.
"Good, because I want you to knock on the door and ask for something."
"Why?"
"Do I need a reason?"
"What should I ask?"
"I'm sure you'll think of something," Tyr says, and pushes him towards the door. "Now, go!"
The man walks gingerly up to the door and presses a button on the side. The door opens and reveals Owen, who doesn't seem to notice Tyr standing off to the side in the corner of shadows. Tyr can vaguely see in, but he can't see Beka. When he sees that Owen leaves the doorway, Tyr gets the man's attention.
"Little man," Tyr whispers.
The man turns and says, "My name is Xan..."
"Yes--Xan--listen...can you see her?"
"Who? The girl? Yeah, I can see her. She's sitting at the table."
"Does she look okay?"
Xan looks at Tyr with curious eyes, and asks, "Are you some sort of old boyfriend?"
"No, I'm supposed to look out for her well being."
"Oh...I see..."
Tyr becomes impatient, "Well, ask her something. I need to hear her voice."
"Like what?"
"I don't know," Tyr thinks for a moment, then answers, "Ask her how far they go back."
"Why?"
"Do it!"
Xan reluctantly turns and asks the question. Beka answers and they exchange some words. Then, Owen comes back with the tool. Xan says good-bye to Beka and the door closes. Tyr pops out of the corner. Xan stops and sighs.
"Look, I'm not doing anymore of your stupid errands for you. So if you mind, I'm going to go home now with my new drill that I don't need."
"Fine."
And so Xan leaves, while Tyr stays behind. His Nietzschean hearing could listen to their conversation, but he left when things started to get...not so conversational. He went down the hallway and waited there all night. When several hours had passed, he woke up and started to walk down the hallway. Upon turning the corner he bumps into someone....
THE NIGHT BEFORE: INSIDE THE `RAVE', MEETING WITH MR. YASSER
Tyr looks over at Dylan, then at Mr. Yasser and his "associates", his hand near his gun just in cast things fall apart. He can see the sweat coming down from Mr. Yasser; he's about to break. Tyr knows it, Dylan knows it. It's only a matter of time now.
"Mr. Yasser, please, all we want is your cooperation," Dylan says.
"Yes, yes. You've already said that," Mr. Yasser returns. "And you still haven't answered my question, captain. What's in it for me?"
"Mr. Yasser," Dylan begins. "If you let us use this place as a holding, if you will, then not only would you be protected from outside attacks, but you will gain profit from it."
"Really, how so?"
"More cargo ships would be willing to come here once they find out it is a safe place to come to, which would increase your trade and therefore profit from it."
Mr. Yasser ponders this statement for a while, then answers, "Alright, I'll do it. I'll sign whatever you want me to--for the new Commonwealth, of course."
He smiles a greedy little smile, while Dylan brings out the documents to sign. Tyr still stands guard, still awaiting any trouble that may come. Mr. Yasser signs feverishly away at the documents. There aren't that many documents, so the process is over within a few minutes. Dylan stands up and sticks out his hand towards Mr. Yasser.
"Pleasure doing business with you," he says.
"Like-wise, captain," Mr. Yasser returns. "By the way, when will I expect your...troops, shall we say, to arrive?"
"A few days, maybe less."
"Good. I believe we are done here then. We can all finally go home."
Dylan nods and leads the way out the door, followed by Tyr, and then Mr. Yasser and his associates. They go their separate ways, and Tyr and Dylan push their way through the mob on the floors to get out. Dylan sees Trance across the room, sitting by herself. He walks over with Tyr, still right behind him.
"Trance, where's Beka and Harper?" Dylan asks.
She smiles at him and answers, "I think they're busy at the moment. Why, was there something you wanted?"
"No, just curious. Where are they?"
"Well, Harper is over there," she points to the bar where Harper is talking to a blond-haired woman, and then in the opposite direction at the dance floor, where Beka is dancing with Owen and everyone else in the place. "And Beka is over there, with her friend."
"She seems to be having fun," Dylan states--she really was too; just letting loose for once in a long while. "You said that the blue-haired guy is her friend?"
"She said he was. They go way back, you know."
"Oh..." Dylan pauses. "Do you know anything about him?"
"No, not really..."
"Is he dangerous?"
Trance laughs, "Him? Dangerous?"
Suddenly, Tyr blurts out, "He's not right for her."
Trance and Dylan look at each other, then back at Tyr.
Tyr realizes and rephrases, "He seems suspicious to me. Maybe I should keep an eye out for her."
"Sure Tyr," Dylan says. "You stay behind and Trance and I will go back to the Andromeda for the night."
"Fine," Tyr says and turns to sit on a stool at a table.
The night dwells on, the music enchanting, the people dancing `till they can't dance anymore. He watches Owen and Beka sitting down to talk every once and awhile. He finally decides to order a drink, and when it arrives he sips on it, barely. Then, the DJ announces that they will be closing for a few hours, and he watches Beka leave with the man. He gets up and follows them to Owen's room.
Hours go by and he can't stand it anymore, he has to know how she doing. A short little man, who strangely reminds him of Harper, walks by with a light step. Tyr grabs him by the collar of his shirt and pulls him aside. The little man starts shaking and becomes nervous.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!" he shrieks.
Tyr muffles the man's mouth with his hand.
"Quiet! I'm not going to hurt you! I need you to do something for me," Tyr says sternly.
The little man stops shaking and brings it down to a slight quiver. He looks up to Tyr and asks:
"What do you want me to do?"
"You know who lives in room 05-17, correct?"
The man nods.
"Good, because I want you to knock on the door and ask for something."
"Why?"
"Do I need a reason?"
"What should I ask?"
"I'm sure you'll think of something," Tyr says, and pushes him towards the door. "Now, go!"
The man walks gingerly up to the door and presses a button on the side. The door opens and reveals Owen, who doesn't seem to notice Tyr standing off to the side in the corner of shadows. Tyr can vaguely see in, but he can't see Beka. When he sees that Owen leaves the doorway, Tyr gets the man's attention.
"Little man," Tyr whispers.
The man turns and says, "My name is Xan..."
"Yes--Xan--listen...can you see her?"
"Who? The girl? Yeah, I can see her. She's sitting at the table."
"Does she look okay?"
Xan looks at Tyr with curious eyes, and asks, "Are you some sort of old boyfriend?"
"No, I'm supposed to look out for her well being."
"Oh...I see..."
Tyr becomes impatient, "Well, ask her something. I need to hear her voice."
"Like what?"
"I don't know," Tyr thinks for a moment, then answers, "Ask her how far they go back."
"Why?"
"Do it!"
Xan reluctantly turns and asks the question. Beka answers and they exchange some words. Then, Owen comes back with the tool. Xan says good-bye to Beka and the door closes. Tyr pops out of the corner. Xan stops and sighs.
"Look, I'm not doing anymore of your stupid errands for you. So if you mind, I'm going to go home now with my new drill that I don't need."
"Fine."
And so Xan leaves, while Tyr stays behind. His Nietzschean hearing could listen to their conversation, but he left when things started to get...not so conversational. He went down the hallway and waited there all night. When several hours had passed, he woke up and started to walk down the hallway. Upon turning the corner he bumps into someone....