Chapter 5
Kalif the barman looked down at the officer sat propping up his bar, nonchalantly sipping from a bottle of felip nectar. Archetypal special ops type; cool as they come, doesn't give a dren about anything or anyone. He saw them all the time in the Officer's bar in the Peacekeeper base on Mikar 7, as it was a favourite stopping off point on the way to High Command. This one was typical; his ident chip had identified him as Lieutenant Jaryd Darel. He was reasonably tall, well built. His once handsome face marred by a scar: a deep slash from ear to chin. He surveyed the room with a detached boredom that more than suggested that he had seen and done everything the universe had to offer.
There were few other customers and Kalif, who was by nature a chatty sole, decided to risk a conversation. "On your way home?" he asked and got a bored "don't be so frelling nosy " look for his pains.
"Does this place have anything in the way of entertainment to offer? It seems very quiet," the officer asked.
"Yeah, well you missed all the fun by about 10 arns," replied Kalif, only to happy to talk. "We had a real Commandant here! Phrr, what a woman! Wouldn't argue with her though. She found some officer in here and gave him what for good and proper. Had him clapped up in detention and stormed off back to her ship. I reckon everyone thought it would be a good thing to get out of here after that."
"You should keep your mouth shut, barman. Talking about Peacekeeper commandants in that fashion is likely to get you arrested or worse" Lieutenant Darel replied in a quiet, icy voice.
"Yes, sir" came the mumbled reply and Kalif applied himself to cleaning the bar.
John Crichton was very pleased with himself. He had decided to try out his new Peacekeeper guise in this small backwater and it seemed to be working pretty well. His fake ident chip was almost better than the real thing. He was particularly pleased with the scar, which looked very real, even if it did itch like hell. He had also picked up some vital information. So, old Commandant Cleavage had been here. Did she have Aeryn? He decided to pay a visit to the detention facility to see if the poor unfortunate who had incurred her wroth could be induced to talk.
He flashed his ident chip at the grunt on guard duty. "Lieutenant Darel, special ops. I've been sent by Commandant Grayza to interrogate the prisoner"
"I didn't receive any orders"
"Of course you didn't, imbecile, I'm giving them to you now" When the soldier looked belligerent, John forced his hand. "Are you going to refuse a command from a superior officer?" The grunt led him down the corridor to a far cell. The occupant was asleep. Crichton entered quietly, watched by the guard. He hauled the man up, bending his arm behind his back and holding his hand over his mouth so he couldn't speak. "Well, well, well, Lieutenant Braca, what have we been up to?" Braca stared wide-eyed at Crichton and started to struggle. John tightened his grip and dragged Braca out of the cell, passed the startled guard. "Where are you taking him, sir?"
"What, you didn't think I was going to interrogate him here, did you? You haven't got any of the equipment needed for the job," and with that he marched out of the detention centre, dragging Braca with him. He only stopped when he reached the relative safety of what looked like a disused storage shed. He took his hand from Braca's mouth but tightened his grip on the struggling Lieutenant. "Hey, calm down Braca. I just busted you out of the clink. You should be thanking me, not giving me dren."
"Thank you! You've got a nerve!
"Hmm, yeah, well they're pretty tightly stretched at the moment, so how about you give me some answers 'cos Winona here is just dying to pay you back for all the times in the past when you've tried to kick my backside. Start with how you got here from the command carrier, move on to where is Scorpius and finish up with what's up with the great bosomed bitch!"
"I won't tell you anything Crichton." John drew out Winona and placed her up against Braca's crotch.
"That's your choice, but unless you start talking buddy, you're John Wayne Bobbit before you can say 'consummate Peacekeeper'!"
"Alright, alright. I'm not with Scorpius. I'm heading back to High command to give a full account of what happened on the command carrier"
"That should be interesting. Can I be a fly on the wall?"
"After I've finished, Crichton, there won't be a metra of this universe you'll be safe in"
"Gee, like that'll be new. So what happened to old leather face?"
"I haven't seen him since shortly after we escaped from the command carrier. We landed on a nearby planet. I went to check it out. When I got back, our ship and Scorpius were gone. For all I know he may be dead."
"I doubt I could be that lucky. So what gives with Grayza?" All the time they were talking, John held his pulse pistol against its delicate target.
"She wants to know the same thing you do about Scorpius' whereabouts, but she also wants to know where you are. She wasn't very happy that I couldn't help her with either"
"You been on her ship?"
"No, but it seems she's set on hunting down you and the rest of your friends."
"The rest?"
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing here, Crichton. Grayza knows a retrieval squad has captured the renegade Aeryn Sun. She wants to build on that success by capturing you. I'm certainly going to be able to redeem myself by handing you over to her."
"Don't get an big ideas," and with that John suddenly brought Winona up and hit Braca across the head, knocking him out.
Kalif the barman looked down at the officer sat propping up his bar, nonchalantly sipping from a bottle of felip nectar. Archetypal special ops type; cool as they come, doesn't give a dren about anything or anyone. He saw them all the time in the Officer's bar in the Peacekeeper base on Mikar 7, as it was a favourite stopping off point on the way to High Command. This one was typical; his ident chip had identified him as Lieutenant Jaryd Darel. He was reasonably tall, well built. His once handsome face marred by a scar: a deep slash from ear to chin. He surveyed the room with a detached boredom that more than suggested that he had seen and done everything the universe had to offer.
There were few other customers and Kalif, who was by nature a chatty sole, decided to risk a conversation. "On your way home?" he asked and got a bored "don't be so frelling nosy " look for his pains.
"Does this place have anything in the way of entertainment to offer? It seems very quiet," the officer asked.
"Yeah, well you missed all the fun by about 10 arns," replied Kalif, only to happy to talk. "We had a real Commandant here! Phrr, what a woman! Wouldn't argue with her though. She found some officer in here and gave him what for good and proper. Had him clapped up in detention and stormed off back to her ship. I reckon everyone thought it would be a good thing to get out of here after that."
"You should keep your mouth shut, barman. Talking about Peacekeeper commandants in that fashion is likely to get you arrested or worse" Lieutenant Darel replied in a quiet, icy voice.
"Yes, sir" came the mumbled reply and Kalif applied himself to cleaning the bar.
John Crichton was very pleased with himself. He had decided to try out his new Peacekeeper guise in this small backwater and it seemed to be working pretty well. His fake ident chip was almost better than the real thing. He was particularly pleased with the scar, which looked very real, even if it did itch like hell. He had also picked up some vital information. So, old Commandant Cleavage had been here. Did she have Aeryn? He decided to pay a visit to the detention facility to see if the poor unfortunate who had incurred her wroth could be induced to talk.
He flashed his ident chip at the grunt on guard duty. "Lieutenant Darel, special ops. I've been sent by Commandant Grayza to interrogate the prisoner"
"I didn't receive any orders"
"Of course you didn't, imbecile, I'm giving them to you now" When the soldier looked belligerent, John forced his hand. "Are you going to refuse a command from a superior officer?" The grunt led him down the corridor to a far cell. The occupant was asleep. Crichton entered quietly, watched by the guard. He hauled the man up, bending his arm behind his back and holding his hand over his mouth so he couldn't speak. "Well, well, well, Lieutenant Braca, what have we been up to?" Braca stared wide-eyed at Crichton and started to struggle. John tightened his grip and dragged Braca out of the cell, passed the startled guard. "Where are you taking him, sir?"
"What, you didn't think I was going to interrogate him here, did you? You haven't got any of the equipment needed for the job," and with that he marched out of the detention centre, dragging Braca with him. He only stopped when he reached the relative safety of what looked like a disused storage shed. He took his hand from Braca's mouth but tightened his grip on the struggling Lieutenant. "Hey, calm down Braca. I just busted you out of the clink. You should be thanking me, not giving me dren."
"Thank you! You've got a nerve!
"Hmm, yeah, well they're pretty tightly stretched at the moment, so how about you give me some answers 'cos Winona here is just dying to pay you back for all the times in the past when you've tried to kick my backside. Start with how you got here from the command carrier, move on to where is Scorpius and finish up with what's up with the great bosomed bitch!"
"I won't tell you anything Crichton." John drew out Winona and placed her up against Braca's crotch.
"That's your choice, but unless you start talking buddy, you're John Wayne Bobbit before you can say 'consummate Peacekeeper'!"
"Alright, alright. I'm not with Scorpius. I'm heading back to High command to give a full account of what happened on the command carrier"
"That should be interesting. Can I be a fly on the wall?"
"After I've finished, Crichton, there won't be a metra of this universe you'll be safe in"
"Gee, like that'll be new. So what happened to old leather face?"
"I haven't seen him since shortly after we escaped from the command carrier. We landed on a nearby planet. I went to check it out. When I got back, our ship and Scorpius were gone. For all I know he may be dead."
"I doubt I could be that lucky. So what gives with Grayza?" All the time they were talking, John held his pulse pistol against its delicate target.
"She wants to know the same thing you do about Scorpius' whereabouts, but she also wants to know where you are. She wasn't very happy that I couldn't help her with either"
"You been on her ship?"
"No, but it seems she's set on hunting down you and the rest of your friends."
"The rest?"
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing here, Crichton. Grayza knows a retrieval squad has captured the renegade Aeryn Sun. She wants to build on that success by capturing you. I'm certainly going to be able to redeem myself by handing you over to her."
"Don't get an big ideas," and with that John suddenly brought Winona up and hit Braca across the head, knocking him out.