Julius approached Laina’s doors and waited for them to open to no avail. He curiously touched the doorbell button and spoke his name into it. A few moments later, the doors opened and he stepped through.
Laina sat at a corner table staring at a viewscreen that faced her. Julius caught sight of a flicker pistol lying on the table within hand’s reach.
“Everything okay? You don’t normally keep the door locked.”
Laina turned away from the viewscreen and deactivated it.
“My popularity among the crew has sunk to the bottom,” she said. “I’m sure that they would love to shoot me out of an airlock if they had the opportunity—Reece in particular.”
Julius shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt to socialize with them on occasion, perhaps when they dine in the galley—”
“Yes, I’m sure that would go over well,” Laina interrupted. “The snobby bitch dines and jokes around with the cutthroats pirates that hate her. I’d probably join the long list of the Sea Wolf’s rape victims. You’d be forced to work with Von Haufsberg quite a bit sooner than you’d like if that day came.”
Julius walked over to Laina’s bar and began pouring himself a drink.
“Oh, yes,” Laina said, waving her hand to the bar. “By all means, help yourself. I get tired of offering.”
Julius downed a glass and then followed it up with a refill.
“You must have something on your mind,” Laina said. “What is it?”
Julius sat down at the table with Laina.
“We have a problem with the ship. The port reactor has sustained significant damage; it’s out of commission. We’re running all power on our starboard reactor, and if that one goes, we’re dead in the water. We can’t fight in this condition.”
“I see. What are we going to do to remedy this?”
Julius took another sip of his drink. “We’re going to have to buy a part: a graviton coil. The only dealer that we can trust to have one is Von Haufsberg. We have to put down there, and quickly.”
Laina shrugged. “That’s not so bad. We have to visit him eventually to unload some of the cargo anyhow. Plus we can have the men entertain themselves at the casinos—now who says I don’t think of our valiant crew?”
“There’s a couple of problems there, though. He still thinks you’re retiring, so he’s not likely to enjoy learning that his chance to crew with us is now closed off.”
“Oh, he’ll get over it,” Laina said, waving her hand. “Besides, I could always lie and say I’m not staying; that would appease him.”
“How are you going to keep the crew from tipping him off? Which brings up the next problem.” Julius motioned to the A.I. conduit. “That thing. The crew knows it’s A.I., and that means Von Haufsberg is going to know the moment we put down. He’s going to ask a lot of questions. I don’t trust him.”
“Neither do I. But what choice do we have? You say he’s the only one we can trust enough to have this part, and we can’t live without it, correct?”
Julius nodded. “We need to make this transaction quick. I’m not even sure we should let the crew off.”
Laina gave him a crooked look. “Are you spacial? Once word goes around that we’re going there, they’re going to demand we put down for shore leave. There’ll be a mutiny if we don’t. Not even you will be able to stop that.”
Julius thought a moment. “Perhaps we can manipulate the situation a bit—maybe we can rig something to make the crew want to leave.”
“Want to leave? What did you have in mind?”
“I’ll have to go over with Murdock to see if it can be done, but if we can rig our computers to stage a mock emergency—something that will force us to leave quickly—they will have no choice. If we plan it right, we may even be able to dodge Von Haufsberg’s inevitable questions.”
“Interesting idea. Tricking the crew will be one thing, but do you think you will be able to fool the bridge officers?”
“Perhaps we can offer an incentive to play along. Let’s give the officers a 20 percent bonus.”
Laina raised her eyebrows. “Ha! Not a chance.”
“We need to maintain the ruse that we’re selling… ” Julius pointed to the conduit. “That. If they think we sold it to Von Haufsberg, and the profit from it is going to be shared, it will make this go smoothly.”
Laina shook her head. “No. I am not giving my profits away to appease a bunch of overpaid, unappreciative—”
“Employees?” Julius interrupted.
“Pirates!” Laina finished. “Cutthroat low-lives who have never had it as good as now. They’ll just blow it all on the next pleasure port anyway!”
“Fine. Take the bonus out of my share of the plunder.”
She stared at him, her eyes squinting. “You would do that? For them?”
“I would do that for the mission,” Julius countered.
“Mission?” Laina laughed. “You are such a jarhead. Fine, Julius. It’s your money.”
“Good,” Julius said, standing up, then he stopped suddenly as he sniffed the air. “What the hell is that—”
“Stink!” Laina blurted. “It’s awful!”
Julius walked to the quarter’s exit. “It’s stronger over here.” He stepped out and was immediately hit with a putrid scent. “I think you have a sewage problem. I better have someone look at it.”