Take the Stars

SNAKE’S PIT

“You’d think he do it, Captain?”
I glanced wearily at my two crew members, both haphazardly lounging on boxes of cargo meant to be delivered two hours ago. Will was idly cleaning his fingernails with a knife, and I could not lie to myself any longer that he looked as healthy as he had two years previous, when he’s scrapped his engineering job on Earth and come aboard with me. His once robust body was now looking lean and lanky beneath his tattered cotton clothing, and his cheeks were certainly more hollow than I had ever seen them… and I’d known Will Turnis my entire life.
Rebecca, her flame-red curls pined effortlessly on the top of her head, still seemed to be in perfectly good shape, but she’d only just come aboard a few months ago. Her sapphire eyes still had life in ‘em, her cheeks still as rosy and perfect as when Will had first spotted her, knocking tin cans off a railing from 100 paces as if it was something normal men did ever darn day. But I’d promised her ample jobs, money to send back to her folks. Now here I was, recanting my promise, all on account of some foolhardy Governor with an itching to pay me back for a personal insult.
“He’ll do it,” I sighed wearily,” Governor Orblacs always been one to twist the laws to suit himself. He knows this ship is worth more to me than all the Alliance planets’ treasury put together… and he’ll make sure to do whatever possible to do me the most pain.”
“What’d you do to make him so angry?” Rebecca twittered in her bubbling-brook voice, watching from the corner of her eye in disgust as Will now began to pick his teeth.
“Refused him,” I answered simply,” Governor likes to collect himself female knick-knacks… a common day whore here, a pure virgin there. My first time on Galger, I was looking to make a few connections, round up a job or two. I go prancing into the Governor’s office, bold as you please, and here I was no more than sixteen-”
“Fifteen, Captain,” Will corrected casually.
“Right, fifteen… so this fifteen year old little sailor, ship to her name, fresh out of a convent, comes waltzing into his private office, guns a-blazin,” I chuckled heartily at the memory of myself,” I was a swindler’s wet dream.”
“Amazing,” Rebecca commented dryly,” Our Captain, duped.”
I laughed again,” Get off it, I ain’t ever touched a man-or let him touch me for that matter, and that’s the way it’s gonna stay. Governor Orblacs weren’t too pleased with m declaration of celibacy, however.”
“Chased her all the way out to the atmosphere,” Will added.
“So what’s he gonna do?” Rebecca glanced at me wide-eyed,” Am I gonna have to go beggin for another job?”
“You won’t do beggin’,” I said harshly,’ He’ll try to take this ship away, but by God, he won’t get it. Law’s on my side for once, and there ain’t nothing on this planet that’s gonna change that.”

~

Galger hadn’t changed much from what I remembered, and I traced the streets to the Governor’s mansion almost purely from memory, Will and Rebecca following in my wake. I walked down the middle of the road as the town stirred around me, confident as spitfire, but inside I knew it was just a front. The fine Governor of this province was the most powerful man for miles, and he had been after me for years, for an infraction of this law or not crossing a T correctly in this other one. I’d always managed to wriggle out of the tight spots before, but just like a fox who evades captor time and again, I knew each time I escaped I raised the stakes; and each time I came back it was a higher gamble. One of these times I wasn’t gonna be able to wriggle free; and the Governor knew it.
An attendant met us at the great marble door of Governor Orblacs, and with a contemptuous sniff at the smell of us, he lead us through the garnished halls. The fashion was, of course, to be as bare and minimal as possible in buildings-to show that even though the owner was disgustingly rich, they weren’t bound by “material goods” and had no need for expensive carpets, paintings and statues in their homes. But the Governor was no such interior design philosopher, and he lavished gaudy antique after another, strewn all through his home. I was just considering knocking over a few statues into a line of gilded mirrors when the attendant finally lead us to the Governor’s door. He knocked, and a croaked voice called from within,” Enter!”
The attendant swung the door open, but stood aside to let us pass… and as soon the three of us had stepped inside the room, slammed the door shut behind us.
“Well!” a voice said heartily through the darkness,” Well, well, well… if it isn’t Captain Reynolds!”
“Kudos, Governor, you haven’t lost your eyesight in your advanced years,” I squinted into the impenetrable black,” So, your attendants finally get so sick of your repulsiveness they shut the lights off to save their own eyes?”
“Manners, Captain,” and from somewhere to my right there was a brightness that cast the room about us in shadow. The Governor, it appeared, was as lavish in his private quarters as in his public hallways; there were crimson drapes everywhere, over the windows, across the walls, over the ceiling. In each corner that lay a jumbled assortment of love seats and couches, complete with their own red drags and kitschy throw pills. For a moment I wondered if I had accidentally wandered into Aphrodite’s temple.
But, alas, this happy illusion was quickly shattered as my eyes met the beady glare of the Governor, sprawled on a couch just to the left of us. He was fatter than I recalled, which was a feat in itself, and he oozed from his rich robes like pus from a wound. Even as he leered at me hungrily, I recalled that if someone took a very fat, pink worm and dressed in exotic furs and silks, the result would sit before me.
I glanced at him-and quickly looked away, and I could hear Rebecca and Will make equal noises of disgust. We were not alone-sprawled between the Governor’s fat little legs was a naked girl, no more than sixteen herself, lapping at his swollen genitals like a dog at his water bowl.
“So,” the Governor said, ignoring our twitching,” To what do I owe the pleasure, Captain?”
“You know very well what I’m doing here, Orblacs,” I said, still pointedly looking in another director,” You sent your little Inspector to make trouble on my boat.”
“Me?” the Governor feigned surprise,” Would I do such a thing?”
“Let’s drop the pleasantries, Governor. I’ve got a cargo I was supposed to have deliver this morning, and you’re going to make my investors mighty unhappy if I’m later still.”
“Oh, my dear, dear Captain,” Governor Orblacs cooed in a disgustingly suggestive way,” Do stay a while… little Carrie’s tongue here is beginning to dry, and I’m going to need a fresh one before the hour is out.”
“I told you no once already, Orblacs, and I don’t like to repeat myself… Now your war guns won’t let me take off without permission from you without blasting me from the sky, so let’s get this settled and be on our way.”
“Very well,” The Governor shooed the little concubine away, and she backed into the corner like a frightened animal,” It comes to this. You’ve broken Alliance regulations-“
“Bullocks!” I turned to glare at him in fury,” Those laws are ridiculous, and every star sailor knows it and ignores it! I ain’t done nothing wrong!”
“According to our dear Inspector, you’ve done many things wrong, dear Captain,” the Governor cooed,” And he’s seen fit to file a report with the S. Exec’s.”
I felt my throat close up as if someone had put a clamp on it. “The Ship Executives?”
“The very same! What with all the… run-ins… you’ve had with authority figures, the S. Exec’s have found it fit to remove Serenity from your ownership.”
“No!” I cried,” That ship properly belongs to me! It was my father’s, and he gave it to me-it’s my birthright!”
The Governor’s face glowed with glee,” I am sorry, Captain, but as of-“ he glanced at his watch thoughtlessly,” –this moment, ownership of Serenity passes onto me.”
I opened my mouth to protest… when Will conveniently stepped up to the Governor.
“Begging pardon, your Grace,” Will said in the most politest of tones,” But I do believe that’s not how the law works.”
Governor Orblacs looked as if he had just been dropped into a pit of snakes for a moment. He recovered quickly, however, and snapped,” What do you mean?”
“Meaning, Governor, that should ownership of a boat be legally removed from the holder’s hands-in this case, Captain Reynolds- ownership is immediately up for grabs. If I’m rememberin’ correctly, if the S. Exec’s decided to take away Captain Reynold’s birthright, the ship should instantly go on the market, and be up for auction on tomorrow’s block. That way, Captain Reynolds still has a fair chance to auction Serenity back… or am I missing the fine print, your Grace?”
Governor Orblacs stared wordlessly at Will for a moment, then exclaimed,” But there’s no way your esteemed Captain will ever be able to afford the auction, in which case ownership reverts to me!”
“If no one puts forth a sizable bid,” Will replied calmly,” But that’s still to be determined-ain’t it, Governor?”
Suddenly Governor Orblacs lurched to his feet, his flaccid penis swinging between his legs.
“WANT TO PLAY HARDBALL, REYNOLDS?” he roared,” I’LL PLAY HARDBALL! AND ATER YOU’VE LOST YOUR PRECIOUS SHIP, YOU’LL COME BEGGING BACK TO ME! THE DOCKS! TOMORROW, 8 AM… AND I’LL HAVE YOUR BELOVED SERENITY!”