Thread: A Tangled Web -- (Asylum and the_gladiator)

A tangled Web By Asylum and the Gladiator Lights flashed in an erratic pattern, making a blur of light that if it were sound it would be a raucous or cacophony of sound. But there was sound to go along with it, music they called itthe ever-present thud of the base drum the only thing remotely rhythmic or musical about the noise. There was a multitude of people to go along with the strobing lights and pounding music. A more motley assorted bunch of riffraff one would be hard-pressed to findpirates alland armed to the teeth to boot. Lord Gunther, because Captain Gunther wasnt good enough, was fond of parties like this, and since he was the captainor rather the lord of this pirate gang, what he said pretty much went. Captain Brendan Becker rubbed his temples catching himself in a rare display of discomfort. He typically came across as imperturbable, nothing seemed to faze him. However the music was getting to him. It had been a long weeka lot of missionsand he was tired. Yes he enjoyed bars to some extent, and could appreciate a cool beverage such as an able to wet his pallet after a hard days work, but this was excessive. This was one of those very few times when Becker wished he wasnt merely the second in command of the Blackstars. If he were the leader, then he could tell the DJ to turn that horrid excuse for music down. Gunther and Becker to the public were ostensibly business partners, running G and B starWay Shipping, a decent sized transport company. They also ran the pilots club that most of the freighter captains belonged to. However, under the surface, well hidden, the truth resided. Star Way shipping was a front, and the authorities had been trying to prove it for years, so far with only circumstantial evidence. The key was that Star Way shipping did do a very large amount of legitimate business, and it was not easy to catch them doing less legal things. They were a tight knit group and they didnt share with outsiders much, more loyal to one another than most mercenaries were. The police had evidence that they did take mercenary contracts as well as other type jobs, but getting paid to fight in a war wasnt exactly illegal under the Intergalactic authority IGA. Becker took another sip of his ale, frowning at the taste. They had run out of the good stuff a week ago. He would have to smuggle another cargo of the good stuff from Argus Prime, past that export embargo, not just because it was a profitable cargo to run, but the stuff was far better than this amber colored piss they were serving. As he took yet another sip trying not to grimace with the taste he let his eyes return to what he had been watching. Ophelia, seriously? What kind of a name was that anyway? He thought to himself as he watched her. And she was as unique as her name that one. She was a ghost, Becker had expired all of his resources, even calling in some favors, but she existed nowhere in the IGA systems. This wasnt uncommon after all they were a long ways from the core. There were folks born on the rim, or in interstellar space, like ship brats that the IGA would never know about. What was weird was he couldnt find anyone at all who could corroborate her stories. She had come with reference letters and documents verifying her identity. Gunther had loved her and hired her on the spot. Becker suspected it had more to do with her full breasts, long legs and tight ass that had convinced him, not her resume and glowing references. Funny thing was those references seemed to lead to phantoms, to dummy corporations that were owned by someone or some organization that Becker couldnt learn. Becker had been suspicious of her since she started with them a year ago and for the most part had very little to do with her, which was probably a good thing, it allowed him to hide his suspicion about her, and kept out of Gunthers way. Gunther had claimed her as his and over the past year had grown more and more possessive of her affections. Any of their club aka any of the pirate crew who tried to make a move on her was under threat of death or worse. Becker already watched her whenever he could, researched her whenever he could, he didnt trust her, but just the other day he had seen her come out of Brices cabin. Brice was too stupid to make a move on her, he would never get away with it, therefore he suspected that she was the one who initiated whatever had gone down in that cabin. Brice was the club treasurer, ostensibly handling the money for the club events like this party. However he was also the crews accountant and had control of a lot of money. He didnt know who she was working for but her target of men to single out in the pilots club seemed rather suspicious. He knew that his waiting would pay off. He had been away for days and not able to watch her movements but now he was here, she was here andGunther was drunk. She would probably go put him to bed soon, and then Becker hoped to get a glimpse of what she thought she was playing at. He ran his fingers through his short black hair again this music really was going to be the death of him. His cold blue eyes, like ice chips watched and waited. He knew whatever her move, she would make it shortly.