Read Online My Life: An Ex-Quarterback's Adventures in the Galactic Empire by Colin Alexander - Free Book Online
Authors: Colin Alexander
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both.
“You
pay
here, freebooter,” the second one said, and then they were both standing.
We were nearly to the doorway and the Srihani manning the desk was all the way back across the room at the inner wall. Why not seat the cashier at the door? Because this way, he had his back to a wall, a clear field of view and no one could get close to him from the corridor. Trusting souls, these were.
“Angel,” I said urgently, “give me enough to cover us.”
I could see him getting ready to fight again and my feeling that we should not was only reinforced by the Carrillacki’s apparent eagerness to goad us into a confrontation.
Angel pressed the wafers into my hand and muttered, “Walk slow, Danny. I’ll watch the Carrillacki. Keep your hand away from your blaster. I’m sure the guy at the desk has his hand on a weapon we can’t see.”
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but it was too late to change my mind. I could feel the pressure of every pair of eyes in the room on me. I’ve had seventy thousand people in a stadium watching me, but the intensity in that room was far greater. I made it to the desk, put the money in front of the cashier, turned my back on him and walked back to Angel. I have no idea how much change I left behind. At the time, I didn’t care a bit. Once reunited, we backed out the door and turned away down the corridor.
“Thanks for stopping that, Danny,” Angel said. “I could tell I was going to lose it and that wouldn’t have been good. Carrillacki has to be the most powerful kvenningar going and one of the nastiest. Carvalho won’t cross them unless he absolutely has to and if we make trouble for him in public with Carrillacki he’d probably make space burgers out of us.”
“I appreciate the warning,” I said, “because they just followed us out.”
“Oh shit!”
“Maybe they’re just going to tail us back to the ship and make sure we leave,” I suggested.
“Maybe,” Angel said. “Does the pope shit in the woods?”
Angel took turns at each corridor that presented itself, ultimately bringing us into a large crowded one that was totally unfamiliar to me. The Carrillacki stayed behind us.
“Angel, they can’t just blow us away in public and get away with it, can they?”
“Who knows?” he answered. “New emperor, new rules.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“They’ve been going through a lot of emperors recently,” he said. “Whoever controls the emperor gets to make the rules. I don’t know about the new one, but Carrillacki have gotten pretty used to having it their way.”
“Great.” Then something caught my eye. “This way!” I grabbed Angel’s arm and pulled him through a side door in the passageway. I had just seen someone come through it and the way behind it looked deserted. The door closed behind us and we stationed ourselves on either side of it. Then we waited. Most of me was hoping the Carrillacki had missed our exit and would disappear.
It was a futile hope. Scant seconds later, the door slid open. I clotheslined the first Carrillacki through. Back in Dallas, that would have been fifteen yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. Here, however, we were playing without a referee. The Srihani’s eyes bugged out as he grabbed for his throat. He didn’t yell though. I had caught him just right; he didn’t even squeak.
The second one froze. That was all the opening Angel needed. He leaped in, grabbed the Srihani and rammed the Carrillacki’s head into the nearest wall. The Carrillacki slumped to the floor, leaving behind a smear of blood. Angel looked at the two of them with satisfaction.
“Perfect,” he said. “Both of them out and neither one dead. I do like the way you fight, Danny. I do indeed. Come on, we want to be off station before they wake up. I’m afraid getting laid will have to wait to the next stop.”
That was the end of my liberty at Orgumuni. I’d had a total of one drink, had done no sightseeing or shopping and
“You
pay
here, freebooter,” the second one said, and then they were both standing.
We were nearly to the doorway and the Srihani manning the desk was all the way back across the room at the inner wall. Why not seat the cashier at the door? Because this way, he had his back to a wall, a clear field of view and no one could get close to him from the corridor. Trusting souls, these were.
“Angel,” I said urgently, “give me enough to cover us.”
I could see him getting ready to fight again and my feeling that we should not was only reinforced by the Carrillacki’s apparent eagerness to goad us into a confrontation.
Angel pressed the wafers into my hand and muttered, “Walk slow, Danny. I’ll watch the Carrillacki. Keep your hand away from your blaster. I’m sure the guy at the desk has his hand on a weapon we can’t see.”
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but it was too late to change my mind. I could feel the pressure of every pair of eyes in the room on me. I’ve had seventy thousand people in a stadium watching me, but the intensity in that room was far greater. I made it to the desk, put the money in front of the cashier, turned my back on him and walked back to Angel. I have no idea how much change I left behind. At the time, I didn’t care a bit. Once reunited, we backed out the door and turned away down the corridor.
“Thanks for stopping that, Danny,” Angel said. “I could tell I was going to lose it and that wouldn’t have been good. Carrillacki has to be the most powerful kvenningar going and one of the nastiest. Carvalho won’t cross them unless he absolutely has to and if we make trouble for him in public with Carrillacki he’d probably make space burgers out of us.”
“I appreciate the warning,” I said, “because they just followed us out.”
“Oh shit!”
“Maybe they’re just going to tail us back to the ship and make sure we leave,” I suggested.
“Maybe,” Angel said. “Does the pope shit in the woods?”
Angel took turns at each corridor that presented itself, ultimately bringing us into a large crowded one that was totally unfamiliar to me. The Carrillacki stayed behind us.
“Angel, they can’t just blow us away in public and get away with it, can they?”
“Who knows?” he answered. “New emperor, new rules.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“They’ve been going through a lot of emperors recently,” he said. “Whoever controls the emperor gets to make the rules. I don’t know about the new one, but Carrillacki have gotten pretty used to having it their way.”
“Great.” Then something caught my eye. “This way!” I grabbed Angel’s arm and pulled him through a side door in the passageway. I had just seen someone come through it and the way behind it looked deserted. The door closed behind us and we stationed ourselves on either side of it. Then we waited. Most of me was hoping the Carrillacki had missed our exit and would disappear.
It was a futile hope. Scant seconds later, the door slid open. I clotheslined the first Carrillacki through. Back in Dallas, that would have been fifteen yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. Here, however, we were playing without a referee. The Srihani’s eyes bugged out as he grabbed for his throat. He didn’t yell though. I had caught him just right; he didn’t even squeak.
The second one froze. That was all the opening Angel needed. He leaped in, grabbed the Srihani and rammed the Carrillacki’s head into the nearest wall. The Carrillacki slumped to the floor, leaving behind a smear of blood. Angel looked at the two of them with satisfaction.
“Perfect,” he said. “Both of them out and neither one dead. I do like the way you fight, Danny. I do indeed. Come on, we want to be off station before they wake up. I’m afraid getting laid will have to wait to the next stop.”
That was the end of my liberty at Orgumuni. I’d had a total of one drink, had done no sightseeing or shopping and
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