The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Chapter Eight



“You still haven’t told me told me what’s in that cargo that’s so useful to us…” Cat asked Shade filled with curiosity, as they descended the ladder.



“Believe me, I’ll tell you…” Shade told her, looking up as he answered and once more enjoyed the view, as he glanced upward.



“They always say that…” Cat mumbled, blushing as she realised that she did not mind his apparent interest in her lingerie.



Then as Shade touched ground, a crackled wheezy voice called out, “Missy!”

He turned to see a figure approach, leading reins to two fearsome looking animals that pulled a flatbed wagon.



Cat joined Shade and with a smile pronounced, “This is Abe…”



A grizzled old-timer approached them, wearing a robe and Stetson, a gunbelt and pistol around his waist.



“This is Abe, he’s been with our family since the first colonization of this planet…” Cat told Shade, gesturing to the fellow with the forefinger of her extended right hand.



“Ah little Missy, ‘tis good to see you!” Abe said to Cat, bowing; “And, this is the fellow you told me of, with matter transporter?”



He frowned, looking at the couple…



“Yes it is Abe, but he can’t use it because of the caves and…” the young woman began, only to be interrupted by the older man.



“I fell asleep waiting to for you little Missy, the Banth are packed and ready…”

He told them, surveying the ship.



“Then unpack them Abe, we need the contents to save father,” Cat instructed, as the older man continued to stare at the small starship.



“Well lookee here,” Abe cackled with laughter, gesticulating wildly, “It’s a real live Roddenbury class star-hopper…”



“Whoa, you know this class of ship?” Shade enquired in surprise.



“Uh huh sonny,” the older man replied, “I know these honies alright. I used to pilot one, way back in the day… and…” He sighed, then continued, “Lovely ships…”



Shades mouth opened and shut, much like the rest of his plan had just done. He now had the piece of the puzzle needed and Shade smiled…



“What is it?” Cat asked, noting the almost serene look on Shades face.



He was going to say, ‘I’ll tell you later’, but chose not to.

Chapter Seven



Releasing the ladder that led directly to the cockpit through a small circular hatchway, Shade led Cat into the Ship, allowing her to go first, so he could enjoy the view.



Inside, he gave her ‘the grand tour’, which had taken almost ten minutes. As they moved through the ship he coughed and said to her, “Thing is, the way I figure it, you already have the makings of what we need to sort this mess out…”



Cat was intrigued.



“Well little lady,” Shade drawled, “you have the answer in the cargo your father got off me… we have a work round…”



Cat looked puzzled.



“Just unload the Banth and, leave the rest to me…” Shade assured her.



Most of the early colonies had their own version of the Banth – an indigenous species capable of carrying great loads.



The fact that each colony had taken the name was a tribute of kind, to the beasts of burden in the fantasy books by Edgar Rice Burroughs.



Over a pint of ale, many an old-timer would regale his fellows with tales of taming a Banth, no matter the species, no matter the planet.



“The Banth!” Cat exclaimed, “Abe brought me in the wagon and, he’s still down there, waiting for me… and… he’ll be loading the wagon… and…”



“Sheesh easy up little lady,” Shade muttered.



“But he’s packing the Banth and…” she informed him with each word running into the other.



“Ah… I see. And, the answer to this problem lies with the cargo. Okaies, then we need to have Abe stop packing then, don’t we?”



Cat nodded.



“Okaies then,” Shade continued, “back to the ladder. Let’s go find hardworking Abe… and, I’ll find out if he’s civil…”



The young woman looked to the grinning Shade, totally unaware of any of the terms of reference he had used and noted the look of curiosity on her face…



And Shade sighed… suddenly feeling older than his years…

Chapter Six



As the sun got hotter the young man stripped away the corridor’s central access flooring, to gain access to the ships batteries. Changing them would not be too difficult, he knew.



But the question was, would the replacements work? ‘After all,’ he mused, ‘can any compatible be as good as the original?’ Shade lifted his head our of the access point, having changed batteries, then sat back on his haunches and grinned.



“Time to find out I guess,” he muttered, rising and setting the flooring back in place, then Shade made his way to the cockpit, stowing his tools away en route.



Sitting in the captain’s chair he pressed several buttons, then pulled on a lever, then sat back, his chair tilted back, the brim of his hat covering his eyes; and his stared at the tips of his boots, as he rested their heels on the edge of the console.



“Give it five minutes…” Shade muttered, watching as a readout moved from red into green slowly and, he realized the compatibility had not been an issue.



“Well okaies… now I’m cooking…” he said aloud, then stood once more. The job was finished and now, it was time to go for a much-needed drink, if the town of Lockhart could provide a reasonable brew…



“And soon, I’ll be drinking…” he considered, as he boarded his bike once more and began the descent back to ground level.



A tearful Cat was waiting. She looked up at his footfall, then ran toward Shade, her arms held out, to him: “I need your help…” She entreated and stopped, just before him and thrust a plastic sheet toward him, with a message written on it, in red.



‘We have your father. We want five million in credits, or the next time you hear from us, it’ll be his head you get, not a letter.’



“The marauders?” Shade asked.



Cat nodded. It was enough.



“And what do you want me to do?” he queried.



All in a rush, she told him, “They’ve sent out a posse, but they’ve a days ride and… I recall you have that matter transporter and…”



Deep in thought Shade interrupted her flow, “So where are they holed up?”



“The old workings… we ceased work there ages ago… and…”



“And, I doubt the transmat can help us then…” he replied, his mind already seeking another answer… “I need a fix on him and deep underground? Well, it’s impossible.”



Cat sank to her knees, her face in her hands, “Then he’s dead, we don’t have that sort of credit… we sank it all into the town and the new mines and…”



Again Shade interrupted, “I think I have an answer, so stop crying, alright Miss?”



Cat looked up, wiped her face with the back of her right hand, sniffed then said to Shade hopefully, “Do you really think so?”



In answer he simply smiled, before saying to her; “Oh, I have a few idea’s…”



The transporter could not be used… that was apparent. Yet… Jason Tolliver used to say, “Can you work round the problem? And, if you can, then is the work round good enough?” Both had been good questions.



Shades only question was ‘would his work round’ to the transporter issue work. And, if it did not, Shade did not have another one.



That did annoy him; as he was sure ‘his captain’ would have had an alternate plan.

“Ah well,” he mused, “the boots fit, but they do pinch.”

Chapter Five



Satisfied with his look Timothy turned from the mirror smiling, “Well, I have a new look – perhaps the detective was right. Shade: a shade of my self… I wonder if Cat will approve?”



‘Cat.’ There it was; he’d lost track of time and forgotten her. ‘Unforgivable!’

“Damn!” he exclaimed, the smile becoming a scowl.



“I was taught not to keep a lady waitin…” he mumbled, hurrying from the cabin and making his way down the corridor to the left pod, where he had stowed away his airbike earlier.



“Damn!” He called out again; frustrated that the hull door would not open faster.



Summers boarded the airbike and exited the small starship, on a trajectory that led to where he had been talking to the young woman left checking the cargo.



He landed the bike amidst a small cloud of dust, then killed the engine and dismounted and walked to where Cat stood waiting.



“Well, you took your time,” she huffed, arms crossed.



“All good things…” Shade drawled, leaving the rest of the quotation unsaid.



“Well, it is a change alright,” Cat admitted, looking him up and down.



“And you know what they say, don’t you?” he asked.



“What’s that?” Cat responded curiously.



“A change is as good as a rest and, I’m feeling tired…” He answered, without the grin that he wanted to allow. But, that would not suit the character he had chosen to be.



Taking his captain’s cream-coloured Stetson out of the waistband of his blue-jeans Shade shook at the creases, then used his hands to give it shape once more, before placing it on his head, with the brim tilted forward a little over his forehead.



“Lady I’m as tired as my ship, I changed to suit, so can we get our business concluded so I can venture into town and see what I can see?” he asked the young redhead and trying not too stare at her flesh; he’d always been gauche around women, especially those who would feel as comfortable as this one, wearing as little as she did.



“The cargoes intact and matches our expectations,” the young woman told him, placing a notebook and pen aside and slipping off the backpack.



“So here…” Cat snapped, thrusting the backpack toward Shade.



“Lady…” he began, accepting the pack into his arms; “It’s been a real pleasure doin business with you… Now… when are you arranging pick-up?”



Feeling admonished for her somewhat irrational emotional outburst, Cat hesitated a moment before responding, “Take half an hour there and… I’ll be about an hour, then back with a wagon and Banth…”



“You don’t use vehicles here?” he countered.



“You’re not on a Corpie Colony now,” Cat scoffed, and then smiled.



“So, you’ll be in town later?” She asked lightly.



“Yeah,” Shade answered, as he looked at the sun above. It was hot and, there were fuel cells to fit. ‘Cool’ Shade muttered: that suited him.

Chapter Four



Moments after parking his bike, Timothy entered his cabin, slowly stripping off his uniform, until he was quite naked. Then, he stopped to look at himself in the mirror.



“Maybe it was time I stepped out of that uniform?” He missed idly, running his right hand over his beard.



Then looking to his boots he queried aloud; “I wonder if they fit?”



And, so thinking the young man walked to his late captain’s cabin, where he found what he was looking for, his captains clothing, retrieved from Detective First Grade Simone Knight of The City Protectorate.



The battered old blue-jeans fitted, as did the long-draping fawn-coloured leather coat and although the light-brown cowboy boots pinched a little, they too fit. He then strapped on Jason Tolliver’s gun-belt and checked the weapon, as his captain would have, in similar circumstances.



Summers stared at his reflection.



He was not ready, not really,’ he mused and then his chest-hair, as his captain would have, from collar-bone, downward; so that as he moved he would feel of the rough leather against his naked flesh.



“Better,” he muttered, finally satisfied with his appearance.