4 Chapter 4: Desert Dance

We follow Titan to the control room and watch him take his seat. The monitor swings down and displays a grey screen that says "Stand By" on it until he inputs a series of numbers into the side keypad. He launches the call and the screen changes to an icon indicating an outgoing transmission.

Titan shuffles in his chair as he is noticeably less comfortable now. "Was I suppose to let it ring six or five times before hanging up? I guess six will have to do." The transmission pings the sixth time and he abruptly terminates the call.

"There's plenty of stars in space, sir," I say.

"Calling again seems desperate, I'd wait," Cheq jokes.

Titan frowns. "Very cute. Hey, how's your plan on catching Faiyoh going? Doing well? No? Shame."

Suddenly the monitor displays another screen saying "Incoming Transmission", but the identification numbers are all just glitched symbols. How could that even be possible?

Titan clears his throat, fixes the collar of his shirt, and attempts to sit naturally. He accepts the call after Cheq and I step out of the camera view, but the monitor doesn't display the caller, just a black screen.

??? (Personal): "Titan?"

It's a womanly voice; mature and firm, authoritative even.

??? (Personal): "You're looking thin these days. Not enough credits for food?"

Titan (Personal): "What can I say? The merc pool only gets bigger and more competitive."

??? (Personal): "Hmph. Why have you called?"

Titan (Personal): "I'd uh..."

He awkwardly stretches an arm behind his head and scratches his back.

Titan (Personal): "I'd like to meet you, Faiyoh."

Faiyoh (Personal): "Meet me?"

Titan (Personal): "Meet you like old times. I've been getting up there in age, and there's too much tough in space to tough out alone. I just need a break, something soft and warm. Someone soft and warm."

Faiyoh (Personal): "Oh, Titan, how pathetic of you. I tried giving you everything I had, but you always said that flying solo was meant for you. I'm not going to be charmed into a hook-up again, goodbye."

Titan gets out of his seat and raises his voice.

Titan (Personal): "Wait! Faiyoh, do you still have that Carioley Ruby? The one we--"

Faiyoh (Personal): "The one we stole from the Youzo Palace?"

She goes silent for a second.

Faiyoh (Personal): "Yes, I've got it right here."

Titan (Personal): "Do you remember what we said to each other when I gave it to you?"

We can hear her breathe deep and let out a frustrated huff.

Faiyoh (Personal): "That even if we'd join different teams..."

Titan (Personal): "We'd always have each other."

Titan sits back down and places a foot on the opposite knee as he leans back in victory.

She screams after a long pause of silence.

Faiyoh (Personal): "Damn you, Titan! You always were silver-tongued. Meet me at our...desert oasis. You know the one."

Titan (Personal): "I'm on my way as we speak."

The monitor rises, and he scrunches up and shoves his face into his hands. I pour some of his favorite whiskey into his corner glass and hand it to him. "Thanks, kid."

"You look like you need it after that, uh, passionate exchange."

He shoots it down faster than I've seen him do. "Okay, once Knight gets back here, we'll fly the Motley to planet Haorzoh, specifically the desert region, and take an Ucello down to capture Faiyoh."

I cross my arms. "Seems kind of cold. You okay with deceiving her like this?"

He holds his glass up without saying a word, but I understand and pour him some more drink. "No I don't feel good about lying to her, but what was I suppose to say? 'Hey, Faiyoh, I heard you worked with Angel Vanguard and now we need to interrogate you like we did your partner, Semper."

I put the bottle of whiskey back on the corner table. "You've had enough, I think."

Knight enters the room and takes his seat. "Semper is back in his cell. What's the plan?"

Cheq takes his seat next. "We're setting a course for Planet Haorzoh. We're gonna see Titan's secret getaway to meet his secret girlfriend."

Knight drifts his gaze to Titan who is sitting sheepishly with a hand covering his mouth. He nods slightly to Knight, then glues his eyes to the floor.

I take my seat last and we begin a course to Haorzoh at a steady pace. The planet comes into view after a few moments of travel. Titan squeezes his chair harder the closer we get.

The Motley parks in the airspace, but none of us get up. We all stare at Titan who hasn't moved yet and wait for him to say something.

He stands up while never taking his eyes off of the hovering planet displayed in the Motley's viewing window. "I'm sure my charm is going to be enough to convince her to turn her back for a sec."

I stand up too. "If I may, I think it'd be a bigger surprise if it wasn't you that she saw. You know how good I am at kidnappings."

Cheq laughs, "Don't explain it like that, Nev, you sound like a maniac."

Titan clicks his tongue and crosses his arms. I see his eyes scan me from top to bottom. "Oh? Am I hearing what I think I'm hearing? Do you want to go in my place to capture Faiyoh? Faiyoh of the Sky Chasers?"

"Stop saying it like that."

He sits back down and rests his head on a propped-up hand. "Hmm. You know, I think you're right. Maybe she could be thrown off guard by someone she never met rather than looking at me the whole time with suspicion. If she decides to get feisty, at least you'll have the energy to deal with her."

"So I'm going?"

"Head for the hangar, I'll tell you how to find our special spot on comms."

"Good luck, Nev," Cheq says.

"Be careful down there," warns Knight.

I sprint for the hangar and jump into my Ucello. I leave the Oxy-Gate and enter the atmosphere of Haorzoh, and Titan sends me a digital guide on where I should land to be as close as I can to the secret oasis.

I pass by several cities and large forests before seeing my first stretch of desert. The ground becomes a brilliant brown that seems to shine as one of the suns scorches each grain of sand. It looks like a smooth, silky comforter for a giant.

Finally, I spot a patch of green hidden in the corner. A few palm trees and several bushes cover a small area, and I land my jet just a few meters away in case I need to make a hasty retreat.

I jump in the sand and feel my feet sink into the undisturbed ground. My P.V.D searches for the Motley's channel and I begin talking.

Me (Personal): "Titan, I found what seems to be what you described in your notes. How do I get in?"

Titan (Personal): "Before I tell you, did you notice anything strange about the area?"

I look around and only see the leaves shake and the sand blow.

Me (Personal): "There's nothing here as far as I can tell."

Titan (Personal): "Exactly. Where's Faiyoh's ship? I don't see it from my aerial view, and you don't see it hidden somewhere in the trees."

Me (Personal): "If she's as good as you say she is, maybe she hid it with a cloaking device. Plenty of mercs would take the advantage to see a Sky Chasers' jet parked on its own."

Titan (Personal): "Fair. All right, you're going to look for a palm tree with some subtle nicks on the base of the trunk. It'll look a little like an arrow, just head towards the part where the acute angle's vertex begins."

I find a tree with a strange symbol that looks nothing like an arrow, but I see the vertex he's talking about and walk where it is pointing.

Me (Personal): "I'm making progress."

Titan (Personal): "Smart cookie."

A small stone bears the same symbol pointing in a different direction. I keep track and go slow, I find another tree marked, head that way. I find another small stone, but there's a different symbol on it now.

Me (Personal): "I've found a different symbol, Titan. It doesn't have any vertexes. I don't know which way to go."

Titan (Personal): "Lift the small stone and pull the dead grass out of the hole. You'll find a small handle that looks like the knob for restoring pressure to the airlock. Pull it until you hear a click."

I lift the small stone and see what looks like a dirty nest built by a bird. I pull out the twigs and grass and find a black handle jutting straight up. I grip it with my gloved hand and begin pulling, but it doesn't budge.

Me (Personal): "It's stuck."

Titan (Personal): "It's not, you're just lacking in upper body strength. Put those toothpick arms to work and heave!"

I plant my feet and grab my forearm with my other hand. I count to three in my head and tug hard. I can feel it slowly coming up and I don't stop pulling until the click mentioned fills my ears. I let go and watch as the stone walls in the center begin to move apart from each other.

Me (Personal): "How is this even possible? You put mechanisms on stones?"

Titan (Personal): "Not us, it was already there. We just moved in."

I step through the newly-made doorway and see a dimly lit spring with some couches, cushions, beds, everything a small resort hotel room would have. The cool water in the center sits calmy among its surroundings like it never noticed there was a whole hideout built around it.

The bed interests me, I touch its soft sheets and fluffy comforter. This is better than what I'm using on the Motley.

Me (Personal): "This is amazing. Also selfish that you've never shared it, but amazing."

Titan (Personal): "I gotta find some place to get away from you guys."

I look around quickly and immediately notice a huge problem.

Me (Personal): "Titan, she's not here!"

I leave for the exit and a note pinned to the wall catches my eye.

Sorry, loverboy, but I can bet your agenda is different from what you say. It always was, and always will be. Have fun with the farewell party I've sent in my place.

Never yours, Faiyoh.

Titan (Personal): "Goddammit, I knew it! Wait, Cheq, what's that on the radar? Oh damn, Nev, get out of there right now! You've got jets on the way!"

I groan in annoyance.

Me (Personal): "I'm going!"

I charge for my Ucello still parked in the sand, but I already hear powerful engines running nearby. I push out of the dense brush and stop in my tracks once I see a few guns pointing at my face.

"Beta-Ray, great."

A couple of men I've never seen guard the side of an overweight man with bad skin who stands in the middle with his gun trained on me like a pro. "Let me guess, Nev, right? The youngest that Titan's ever picked up. Looks like he's getting desperate, he's hiring right out of daycare."

I raise my hands to my head. "We missed you at the fight at the outpost, Bouncer. Titan said running away was your strongest tactic."

"He always did have a mouth on him. Let's see if he keeps that attitude up after losing his scout."

Bouncer's P.V.D rings and Titan's voice explodes from his wrist.

Titan (Public): "Bouncer, if you touch one hair on his head I'm coming for you and ending this rivalry for good!"

Bouncer (Public): "If you don't want his blood to soak into the sand, back off. We're taking him, you want him, pay for him."

As I hear Titan's voice trying to respond, Bouncer clicks his P.V.D to ignore foreign transmissions.

"How much do you think I'm worth to them?" I ask.

"Enough. When Faiyoh told me I'd find a helpless Lux-Roulette wandering the desert, she made it sound like I would be catching Titan, not some kid."

"Glad to have disappointed, but I'm sure I'm just as entertaining."

"Now then, you're going to have to comply if you want to get further than a few feet without getting shot." He tips the barrel of his gun to emphasize his idea of keeping me in line. "On your knees and raise those arms higher. I promise I won't goose your sides."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" I raise my arms further as told and wait for one of the two goons beside him to begin frisking me. I feel big hands clamp around my left ankle and slowly work their way up to my crotch. My other leg gets the same treatment.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"He's got a few tranquilizers and a photon blaster!" the goon shouts near my ear and throws my equipment in the sand away from me. He grabs my P.V.D and removes it, tossing it to the floor too.

"Too scared for a fair fight?" I ask.

"I'm not trying to prove anything, kid. Now, since you don't have any weapons, I'm going to take some of your clothes off for security measures."

I narrow my eyes and click my tongue. "You can't be serious. Am I going to kill you with the zipper on my jacket?"

"I didn't think of that, but thanks for the tip. Let's start with that jacket." I try to lower my arms to remove my jacket, but Bouncer's gun extends closer to me. "Ah ah ah, allow me." He makes me hold my arms out as he removes the jacket himself and tosses it aside.

I point at my undergarments. "A sleeveless tank top, you can see everything now. You're not going to make me take that off too, right?"

"Worse. I'm taking your belt, your boots, and your socks for everyone's safety."

"What? Everyone's safety? I'm not walking around this desert barefoot."

"Looks to me that you don't have much of a choice. Same deal, keep those arms up, we'll get those bulky boots off for you."

I feel my cheeks burn as three men undress me and toss my clothing aside as if they don't care to preserve it. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that they'll take me away and not bring the rest of my clothes.

"Great, now get up and start walking to the ship. Don't worry, I got your back."

"The sand is hot."

"Then you better hurry."

I keep up a fast enough pace to let me take a step before the soles of my feet receive 1st-degree burns, but it still scolds me enough to cause discomfort. Bouncer and his goons walk behind me keeping the same pace. I find a massive mothership parked ahead of us with the hatch door wide open. I have to admit it is a relief to feel the cold metal beneath my feet instead of burning sand.

"Close the hatch!" Bouncer commands as he and the rest of his goons rally inside and disperse into their own agendas. I look at all three of them and notice not a single one is carrying my equipment; so they really did just leave my Lux-Roulette jacket burning under the sun.

"Do I get a phone call?" I ask.

"Funny. I think you've been spending too much time with that one-line-giving Titan of a boss. Why'd you even join up with him? We could use a fresh pilot in these ranks."

"That's a kind offer. If I say yes, do I get to keep my trigger finger?"

"And both your eyes."

"Scary."

"As much as I'd like to stand around all day talking to a baby, I've got some papers to look over. Follow me. Stay close. Run, and I will lose my temper. Got it?"

I roll my eyes. "Lead the way."

We walk into a corridor, take a right at an intersection, head downstairs, and stop in front of a sealed grey door that has a security panel installed on the side. Bouncer punches a few numbers in and then holds his thumb on an identification panel. The door opens and I get to see the numerous cells his mothership really has.

I whistle a quick 'whew'. "You must have a lot of guests stay over if you own this many rooms"

"I'm the kind of guy that likes to watch his collection grow. Now pick out your favorite one and hop in. I'll close the door behind you."

I check all of the cells out and see that they all have identical attributes. No vents or anything special separates them. I choose the one in the far end of the room and he allows me to turn to face him before he slams the cell shut with a satisfied grin.

"Breakfast is never, dinner is never, and bathroom breaks are supervised...closely. Enjoy your stay."