"Dr. Gravst was really giving Kei a hard time today about all the classes she had cut. The same ones I had cut as well, but I am passing after all. Well Kei decided to be obnoxious (as usual). She told her, the prof, that she, Kei, was hypolevetic and if she doesn't have fun at least once a day she'll go into a boredom coma and die."
"Needless to say the good Doctor wasn't impressed. I think I still have the password for Dr. Gravst's computer system. It looks like I'll have to alter Kei's grades. Again."
-An excerpt from Yuri's journal (Age 16)
The music was too loud but if it had a saving grace then that was that it was actually good. Yuri did not so much mind loud music but could not abide loud and bad.
She pushed her way through the crowd of rock enthusiasts that filled the concert hall. Her leather miniskirt, fishnet stockings, stiletto heels and leather jacket could actually be considered conservative compared to what some of the other people were wearing.
On the back of her jacket was a flaming skull in side view, with a pair of fiery wings coming out the back. It was the symbol of the United Galactica tactical aerospace squadrons. On the left shoulder was a patch of skeletal hand holding five aces, each with a 36 on it. Written underneath the hand were the words 'Circumvenio Nothusi'. Yuri had been told it was a Latin phrase meaning 'Cheating Bastards'.
She had won the jacket in a poker game. Kei had won an aerospace fighter-bomber after beating a straight flush with a royal flush. And the thirty-sixth called themselves cheating bastards.
As well as her leather themed ensemble, Yuri had a patch over her left eye socket.
A 3WA medical ship had arrived in orbit above Taris 4 not too long after Kei had pulled her out of the slavers' den. 3WA med techs were among the best in the galaxy, they had to be. It was tribute to them, medical technology, and the Luciren genetic program that she was back on her feet only a week later. Except for a few bruises there were almost no outward signs of what had happened. Except for her missing eye.
The doctors had decided it was not worth the time to save the eye. Yuri had been told that even if they had there would have been a sixty two percent loss in acuity and a twelve degree decrease in peripheral vision.
Yuri had talked to one of the cybernetic specialists on board and he had told her that replacing only one eye was usually trouble and it was better to do the pair. Then he had started making all kinds of suggestions of other modifications that might be done. He had almost been drooling. It had been a little creepy.
In the end Yuri had decided to stay with what she knew worked. The techs had pulled some of her DNA samples and were growing her a new eye for transplant. She looked forward to getting her depth perception back.
As for the other injuries, her right arm still hurt a little and the doctors had told her to go easy on it until the bone matrix had fully healed. Yuri was glad she had been able to remove the cast a few days before.
She was getting near an open aisle when she felt someone grab the back of her thigh. Yuri jumped away, as much as the crowd would let her, and then spun around to face whoever had groped her. She found herself staring at a young man who looked to be highly inebriated. He gave her a drunken, lopsided smile.
Yuri was about to launch into her speech about keeping one's hands to themselves and about respecting women. Before she could do so he reached forward, grabbed her skirt, and started pushing it up. She lifted her knee and brought it into sharp contact with the underside of his jaw. She winced in sympathetic pain as he flipped over backwards, a trail of blood, from his nose, in the air. That had to hurt, she thought.
She turned away smiling. It was nice to know the beating and loosing one of her eyes had not affected her too much.
Yuri and Kei had decided to spend their off time on Beronvus, mainly because it had been so highly recommended. Yuri was on sick leave until her eye was replaced, and Kei was getting a free ride, as it were.
Along with a number credit vouchers, the 3WA had given them another number of nice things, such as the tickets to the concert and back stage passes for afterwards. All they had asked was that the two trouble consultants stay out of trouble.
Yuri pushed her way through a crowd of people standing in front of the gate that led to the good seats. Yuri showed the woman at the gate her ticket and was let through.
Kei was standing on her front-row, centre seat and screaming obscenities at the warm up band. Typical rock concert behaviour, Yuri noted.
The red head was wearing tight black leather pants, high-heeled boots and a lacy black camisole. Again, almost conservative compared to what others attendees were wearing.
Yuri took the seat beside Kei, grabbing the red head's belt to pull her down.
"Show a little tact," Yuri said.
"Stop being such a wet blanket." Kei tossed her head back to get her hair out of her eyes. "Do you see anyone else showing any tact?"
"Maybe we could set a precedent."
"No thanks." Kei got back up on her seat and once more began yelling at the warm up band.
Later, when the warm up band had left the stage and the roadies were setting up for the main act, Kei dropped back into her seat.
"You packing anything?" Kei asked.
"We were searched before we came in here, you do know what that means?" Yuri said with a tone of excessive patience.
"Yeah, you had to carry something small."
"Slim line derringer."
"Perfect. A weapon with lousy accuracy carried by a one eyed woman. I'm standing behind you if anything happens."
"Thanks a lot," Yuri said sulkily.
"Any time." Kei's tone was bright.
Yuri did not have long to sulk. The headlining band, 'Sugar Coma', ran onto the stage and picked up their instruments to the roar of the crowd. A moment later the guitar player had jacked into her instrument and was belting out the opening rift to the band's latest hit.
Yuri was caught up in the music as quickly as anyone else. It was wonderfully complex for speed punk, and the musicians actually knew how to play their instruments. Not only that, they actually knew how to play them well.
By the time that the band launched into its sixth song Yuri had forgotten that she had been upset earlier. That was when a tall and very stout woman, dressed in motorcycle leathers, ran in front of Yuri and Kei and started screaming basic concert endearments at the band.
Kei stood up, grabbed the woman's shoulder, and spun her around.
"Push off," Kei told her. "You're blocking my view."
"Stuff it you little tart or I'll tear your arms off," the woman snarled, and started to turn away from Kei.
"I'm supposed to be scared of an overgrown social delinquent like you?" Kei asked, restraining the woman.
"Ladies." Yuri stood up and interposed herself between Kei and the woman, facing the woman. Yuri didn't really want Kei to get into a fight. They were supposed to be on their best behaviour. She also did not like the way the lead singer had been eyeing the little altercation. Yuri was not about to give him the satisfaction of seeing a cat fight. All she had to do was diffuse the situation for a minute or two and security would clear everything up.
"Let's not be barbarians." Yuri smiled at the woman.
The woman looked Yuri up and down quickly. There was a sense of disdain in her face and her body language, as if Yuri hardly mattered. Still, the woman seemed willing to take advantage of Yuri's blind side, hitting her with an uppercut that took Yuri almost completely by surprise. She only had time to jerk back slightly before the woman's knuckles grazed the side of her face hard enough to bloody her nose.
I think the cow broke my nose, Yuri thought. She shook her head to clear it and then looked up at the woman.
The woman looked down at Yuri, apparently surprised that she was still on her feet. "Now you did it," Kei said from behind her, and se could feel Kei stepping away.
"At least there are no cameras allowed in here," Yuri said in a resigned tone.
Had the woman had any idea of whom she was dealing with it might have given her some warning.
Yuri shifted back and then kicked the woman, driving her foot into her stomach. As the big woman folded over, breath exploding from her, Yuri drew back her leg, then lashed out again, shattering one of the woman's kneecaps. She stepped back and fired off a spin kick that took the falling woman in the head.
The woman fell senseless to the floor.
"Nice moves," Kei said, "Been watching kung fu vids again I see."
"Skill and natural ability," Yuri told her.
"Good then you won't need my help to handle her friends." Kei indicated several men and women, who were dressed much like the unconscious woman at Yuri's feet, heading towards them.
"Oh well." Yuri sighed as the first of the attackers reached her. Then she blocked the first man's punch and broke his arm.
Security arrived just in time to stop a riot from starting. They had help from the band who played some calmer sets to relax everyone afterwards. The people who had attacked Kei in Yuri were in no state to disagree with the story the two trouble consultants told. That Kei and Yuri also had back stage passes swung favour in their direction. They were soon sitting back in their seats while their attackers were tossed out of the concert hall.
"I liked the way you two handled yourself." Dennis, the lead singer of Sugar Coma, told Kei. They were backstage, around them the rest of the band and other people enjoying the after-show party.
"Thanks." Kei took a drink of her rye and coke.
"You two wouldn't be looking for work would you?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Two beautiful girls who fight like you do? I'd be stupid not to ask."
"Thanks, but not interested," Kei told him as she leapt up too sit atop the grand piano.
"You're sure? I could make it worth your time?" He smiled widely.
"Doubtful."
"I had to try," he said, looking down her top.
"And I had to shoot you down," Kei told him.
Dennis shrugged his shoulders and started playing the piano. He launched into a love song. Kei found it all rather endearing.
The band's doctor put his med scanner away in his coat pocket. He was shorter than average and balding but somehow it looked good on him. Not quite handsome; his nose was a bit too big and his eyes seemed to be squinting all the time.
"Your nose isn't broken, close mind you but still no bone damage. The swelling should be going down even now," he told Yuri.
"Thanks." Yuri was holding a cold pack over her nose. She slid off the examination table.
"How long ago were you involved in that accident?" the doctor asked.
"Pardon?" Yuri picked up her jacket and began putting it on.
"You have a lot of old injuries, all of them are healing nicely, must have been what, two months ago?"
"About that," Yuri lied. Healing fast was a basic requirement for a trouble consultant.
"So what happened?"
"Slammed my ground effects racer into a track pylon at almost two hundred klicks," she lied again. It was better then the truth at the moment.
"Well perhaps I can show you a thrill that will keep you away from such a dangerous past time," he said slyly as he expertly backed her against a wall, his hands on either side of her shoulders, holding her there. Not a bad opening, Yuri thought.
His smile was that of a predator. Being the physician for rock band may not have been the most respectable position but he probably enjoyed a number of fringe benefits, such as the young women. Yuri decided that she did not like him at all.
"Can I tell you something?" Yuri asked softly, almost hesitantly.
"Of course." He leaned close and brushed his lips across hers.
"It's sort of a secret." Yuri leaned forward and put her lips to his ear. "I'm not caressing you," she whispered. "This is a slim line derringer that has been pressed into your groin. Let me go or I scream rape as I emasculate you in a very, messy way." Her voice was smooth.
The evening was cold. Except for a region four hundred kilometres on either side of the equatorial line, Beronvus was covered in glaciers. Cities in the equatorial region were often built in valleys for protection against the winds. In the day it was quite warm but at night the glaciers reminded everyone of their presences, even Termma city, which sat right on the equator.
Kei shivered slightly and wrapped the jacket the bassist had given her tighter around her shoulders.
"I'm bored," Yuri said as she traced her fingers through the cold water of the fountain. They sat on the stone rim of the basin, above them soared a spire through which the water was pumped into the air.
"Too bad the party ended so fast."
"You'd think those vice cops would have something better to do."
"Yea I guess," Kei said. "Hey, why was that doctor giving you the major cold shoulder?"
"Oh him." Yuri smiled. "He thought I would be 'ever so thankful'," Yuri said in a high-pitched voice, like that of a little girl. "For the simple fact he told me my nose wasn't broken. He got more than a little fresh but I convinced him that it wasn't a good idea."
"Stick a weapon into his crotch and threaten to castrate him did you?"
"It was that or politely ask him that he respect my wishes. Had he been a gentleman I might have chosen the later."
"Are you trying to make certain everyone thinks you are a man-hating lesbian"
"Just the ugly people."
"Good luck with that."
"Thank you," Yuri said, taking her hand out of the cold water.
"Should we go back to the hotel?"
"It's not even midnight, or is it? I forget this planet's time cycle. Anyways the night is still young."
"Well I've heard of a after hours jazz club with a few nice pool tables," Kei said.
"Sounds nice," Yuri said as she stood up. "By the way, why aren't you spending the evening with Dennis?"
"Oh he offered." Kei stood. "But he expected me to share him with his back up singers and any other woman who caught his interest. He had a rather inflated opinion of himself."
"Come on." Yuri shivered in the cold. "Let's go somewhere warm. I'm freezing."