Business is Business

2001 short story by Jonathan Hicks

Thirty-seven years after Episode IV – A New Hope

The sun was bright on the balcony, causing Captain Lovo to adjust the polarisation on his glasses to compensate. He pressed the button at the join of one and the glass shaded over with a mirror effect.

The chair he was occupying was large and comfortable, cushioned up the back and along the seat. The table, an ornately carved dark wood of an oval design, was covered in delicacies from all over this quadrant of the Setnin Sector, nibbles and savouries laid out for him and the others at the meeting.

Lovo looked around at the others at the table. Corri and Yedda Familee were sat to his left with their un-named sister between them, sampling the food and smiling with contentment, as they had not eaten anything so special in months aboard their starship the Endeavour. Their sister joined the tasting and produced a smile that swept the table with astonishment.

War Marshall Areed sat to his right, his uniform bright and perfectly cut. He appeared ill at ease here, at a social gathering, as he was a military man in every sense. He sipped at his cordial drink but refrained from touching the food. Even in the plush chair he was stiff-backed and apparently ready for action.

Next to Areed sat a long line of six people he had never seen before, all human of both sexes except for a huge Bovine-featured Chortese who sat in his chair with unease. He had a long still-healing wound down the side of his head, behind an incomplete ear, under his shirt and out of sight. The others looked relaxed, chatting comfortably enough between themselves and others, but strangely taught.

Next in line was a being of a species Lovo had seen whilst on business in En’Ka’Far space many years back. With long flowing robes and a tall cranium, long spindly fingers and a sharp eyed stare, the alien seemed amiable but there was a hint of danger, especially with the figure that stood behind him. The robes of the figure were unkempt and dirty, the hood covering the face completely except for the odd reflection of what may have been a facemask underneath.

Next to them sat a young man he thought he recognised but couldn’t quite find the name. He was well dressed with a casual suit cut by a good tailor. He helped himself liberally to the food on the table whilst in conversation with the woman sat next to him. Lovo knew the woman, knew her name was Pollyanna Chenk and knew she had been working with the man for some years.

He knew this because she was his wife.

They had exchanged pleasantries as they had met in the hall of the fortress, she was obviously shocked and surprised to see him, but had said nothing else as they had ascended in a turbolift to the ninth floor of the home of the Cipple sisters on Amagad. As a result, Lovo was now disorientated and his mind was not on the meeting. His apparent disinterest in the others some took as abrasiveness.

The Cipple sisters sat at the head of the table. Brea had cut her brown hair so that it hung to her shoulders in a series of plaits, with a smattering of makeup to enhance her visage. She wasn’t unattractive but, if Lovo hadn’t known she controlled one of the most powerful organisations in the Setnin Sector, he wouldn’t have given her a second glance in the street.

In contrast, Bessa wore her hair long. It fell in brown ringlets past her shoulders to her waist, swept back behind her ears with clips and fasteners so that it appeared unfinished. She had made more of an effort with her appearance than her sister, which had increased her conversational duties somewhat.

They all sat in the basking sun of Amagad, the soft breeze from the sea chill but welcome. Below them stretched bright Amagad City. Huge and teeming with trade and travellers and, most of all, safe and clean.

A strange contrast to how their father ran it, Lovo thought. He had only been here once, as a young man when the city had been in a state of disrepair, dirty and violent. He had promptly vowed never to come here again.

That was then, this is now.

The snows had receded early this year and the sun, now becoming more of a constant occurrence now that the planet was healing after it’s global disaster, was welcome. To sit, eat and socialise on the outside balcony of the Cipple sister’s office was a change to the strain of the turbulent times.

There was a ringing as Bessa, finishing a small laugh due to a comment from the tall-headed being, tapped her glass and stood to address them all. Conversations died, eyes turned to face the tall woman.

   “Thank you all for coming this afternoon. It was difficult to tie some of you down so that we could all meet here but here we are at last. Let me introduce you all to each other formally. This is Injevido Tru,” she motioned to the being with the robes and the tall cranium, “who is here by our request. He has his own up-and-coming operation in this sector.”

Lovo frowned as Bessa passed over introducing Injevido’s companion but let it pass as she turned her attention to Pollyanna.

   “This is Drate Galletti of the Core Worlds and his partner Pollyanna Chenk.”

Partner? Lovo thought hurriedly. Business partner?

Bed partner?

   “Let me also introduce Dak Arlon, Mandon, Carlon, Arver, Elees and Beebee Siggiam. We had to sit Beebee at the main head of the table because he’s so huge he’d use the table as a footstool.” There were a few smiles and a couple of chuckles. “They are all Contract Combat pilots from the captured Euphoria Station.”

All six of them nodded and gave small waves as they acknowledged the others sat at the table.

   “War Marshall Areed, mercenary leader and tactician.” Bessa pretty much passed him over, much to the War Marshall’s relief. He gave a brief nod to either end of the table.

   “And finally, Captain Lovo of the Endeavour, with Corri and Yedda Familee and… their sister.”

Lovo nodded and muttered his hello, managed to hold Pollyanna’s gaze for the briefest of moments, then turned to face Bessa again. The Familee brothers smiled and nodded, and their sister smiled innocently as she realised attention was on her. She wiped the chippo-choc from around her mouth with her sleeve and pressed her face into Yedda’s shoulder in embarrassment.

Lovo was used to the Familee girl’s strange acts as it was not her fault, but the others who did not know her smiled in confusion. She did, after all, appear to be in her mid-twenties but was acting as a pre-teen. Lovo sighed loudly and ignored their stares.

Bessa was about to speak again but was interrupted.

   “Forgive me for being forward,” Dak Arlon said as he rolled a rock sweet around his mouth, “but what are we all doing here?”

Injevido looked at the pilot with disgust, as did Drate and Areed, but Bessa smiled and nodded.

   “Understandable, since you’ve just escaped the jaws of death, Mister Arlon…”

   “Don’t dramatise our escape,” Beebee rumbled. “We made it – a lot of people didn’t.”

   “Whoa,” Lovo said, turning in his seat to face the huge Chortese, “let’s give each other some slack, here.”

Injevido shook his head with impatience.

   “Squabbling before the reason for our meeting comes clear,” he said, his words perfect and accentuated by his sinuous lips. He turned to face the Cipple sisters. “Even though you present them with delicacies and decency you will never suppress their lack of grace, my dears.”

   “Who you talking to, bonehead?” Lovo snapped, harsher than he intended.

   “Watch your mouth, En’Ka’Far,” Drate echoed Lovo’s disgust at Injevido’s remark.

   “Shut up!” Bessa shouted. “For freck’s sake. Now I see why my father lost his temper all the time. Just shut the hell up, alright? If you want facts I’ll give you facts, but this concerns you all so if you want to fight, great, just not now, okay?”

All mouths closed. All eyes cast down and then rose back up to see if Bessa had calmed.

   “That’s better,” Bessa said with a shake of her head. “Please…”

   “Now listen up, this is important. We’ve all been blasting about this sector whilst the war’s been raging on, right? And what do we all have in common?”

   “We’re all stupid enough to stay in this sector,” Arver said in a dull monotone.

   “Other than that,” Bessa said. “Anybody?”

   “We’ve all seen action, ma’am?” Areed ventured. Bessa snapped her fingers and pointed at him.

   “Exactly! Now, the point is, the so-called Setnin Defence Force is reeling. Reeling through lack of manpower, reeling through lack of intelligence about the Ki-Ki Sector… just reeling in general, really. So why the Setnin Sector is reeling in shock, the Ki-Ki Sector is reeling them in. Got it?”

There were a few confused expressions smattered about the table as the beings nodded although they still appeared unsure of Bessa’s convoluted explanation.

   “Now, the problem the Setnin Sector has is that they have some idea what’s coming at them but nothing solid. They haven’t any infiltrators, or spies, or decent intelligence because when a front line planet gets close to the Ki-Ki invasion force they get rolled over.”

   “What makes us any different?” Pollyanna asked. Lovo stared directly at her but she was obviously making a conscious effort not to look at him now that attention was on her.

   “All of you have, or can get hold of, information regarding the Ki-Ki invasion which makes you invaluable to the Setnin Sector. Look…

   “Corri and Yedda Familee are the sons of a Ki-Ki Baron so they have information on the politics and hierarchy of the enemy. They also know something about these Minds we’ve all heard about so that’s probably more than the Setnin Council know. Lovo here has been flying around the sector for years so he knows the general layout and locations of key points. War Marshall Areed has actually planned and executed a highly successful attack on a Ki-Ki world so he knows about defence and combat capabilities of the enemy”, Corri and Yedda looked at each other, apparently perturbed at the mention of Areed’s military prowess. “He also worked for the Janites so he knows their military. These Contract Combat pilots have had first-hand engagement of, and survived, the enemy in space combat so they know starfighter and warship abilities. Drate Galletti is a prominent businessman from the Core Worlds, mainly carrying out Galactic Alliance contracts, so he has direct contact with some of the bosses on Coruscant so we’ve got the Galactic Alliance angle, and Pollyanna has recently been travelling to and from the sectors surrounding Setnin so she has the neighbour’s opinions. Quite a group, eh?”

There were a few nods of agreement but there were also a few frowns of those who were unconvinced. War Marshall Areed voiced his opinion.

   “Agreed, ma’am, we are a collection of those who have had direct contact with the Ki-Ki Sector and survived, but, if you’ll excuse me, I fail to see our significance. We are a few. The Ki-Ki invasion force is a few million. What difference could we make?”

   “Actually,” Lovo interjected, “I think what she means is how much are we worth. Am I right?” He looked over at Bessa with an eyebrow raised in inquiry. Behind her sister, sat with datapad in hand, Brea smiled.

Bessa smiled also, nodding slowly.

   “Exactly. How much would certain factions pay for what you guys know? How much would they pay for this little group, right here, and their collected knowledge?”

   “Charging for helping fight the enemy?” Yedda Familee blurted out. “Preposterous!”

   “Why not?” War Marshall Areed shrugged. “Is it not the way of business in this sector? Selling military knowledge or selling military skill, both have the same meaning for me. I have my small army and can fight, but if profit can be made from simply talking then I am agreeable to it, ma’am. I may be a soldier, but I’m not stupid.”

   “Same with us,” Dak Arlon said, his outspread arms encompassing his friends. “We fly and fight by contract. This is pretty much the same thing.”

Drate Galletti sighed but nodded.

   “I’m a businessman, and this underworld business may have been attractive to my father but he was Setnin-born. I’m a Core man, a Republic man, and I won’t stick my neck out for a place I’ve never known. Still – it’s good business. We have the supply, and the demand is very high. Right, Poll?”

Pollyanna agreed with a small smile and a murmured.

   “Yes, good business, makes sense,” but she seemed a little unsure.

   “Business recently has been slack,” Bessa said, picking up her glass and taking a sip. “Some of our best runs have been severed by the Ki-Ki advance. Ships are chased away, captured or blown to bits; businesses and contacts are cut off or killed. I need new revenue; you guys are it. Not only can we make money, and lots of it, but we can make sure this sector, the Setnin Sector, remains how we love it.”

   “Sentiment after business,” Injevido laughed. “An excellent set of values.”

   “Before we go any further,” Drate said, turning to face the En’Ka’Far, “who the hell are you?”

Lovo watched the young businessman intently. He had a hard stare that appeared to make Injevido nervous, as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and he noticed some of the others cast worried glances in their direction. He couldn’t gauge the man’s personality at such an early stage, but he saw that he had been smiling and amiable all the way up to the point where the meeting started.

He knew he wasn’t trying to figure out if this man would be okay to work with. He was trying to ascertain why Pollyanna was with him, and if he was the reason she hadn’t been in touch with him for twenty years.

It was then he noticed the robed figure with Injevido step forward as Drate’s words snapped across the table. The cloth of the rags that passed for his coverings twitched, suggesting to Lovo he had a weapon of some sort secreted under his clothes. Injevido noticed the movement also and held up a hand to calm the figure.

   “A reasonable question, if indelicately put,” the En’Ka’Far said, regaining his composure quickly and nodding to Drate.

   “He’s here by our request,” Bessa said with a scowl. “He’s building up his own business here in the Setnin Sector and has a surprising amount of routes and trade runs to share. We’re giving him a hand to get going in the big time and this is as big as it gets.”

   “Helping out the opposition?” Beebee Siggiam said with a huff. “Things have changed. That would never have happened if Glann…”

   “We’re not our father,” Brea snapped from behind her sister. “We’re running a business, not an isolationist empire pretending to be what it isn’t.”

   “He’s dead, and so are his ways,” Bessa added. “This is a new underworld age, gentlebeings, and things are going to be done the way we see fit. No contests of power. No demands of loyalty, or division between the players. If there are any problems with that, then take a walk.”

   “But contest makes healthy business,” Lovo said.

   “And it also makes us nervous, wary, untrusting and paranoid. We’re not going to do anything that leads to any kind of problems that result in body counts. Or gang wars.”

There was an uncomfortable silence as the attendees went quiet, not wanting to pursue the matter further. The general mood around the table seemed to exude one thing – they were not convinced that the Cipple sister’s intentions would come to fruition.

   “So, where do we start?” asked Dak.

   “First of all I’m going to send out our Shadow Agents to…”

   “Don’t you mean Shadow Warriors?” Beebee interrupted.

   “Shadow Agents,” Bessa emphasized. “Why call them warriors? We’re not a military academy. Their duties now include business and profit scouting. They’re our travelling representatives and will search for those who require our services. That is, if you’re all interested still?”

There was a one hundred percent affirmation.

   “What shall we call ourselves?” Dak asked in a small voice.

Bessa shrugged.

   “I don’t care. You can call yourselves the Big Pink Prancing Grav-Ballet Banthas for all I care. That’s up to you.”

   “We’ll have to be called something decent, grab the attention of the prospective clients,” Drate said.

   “I don’t know,” Lovo said with a half smile. “The Pink Banthas sounds pretty good to me.”

The laughter around the table relaxed the previous moments of tension and the meeting continued.

The main entrance to the fortress bustled with activity as all the attendees said their goodbyes and planned for their next meeting. Every group agreed on a time so that they could sort out their individual dealings and be free to work as a unit.

Lovo sent the Familee children on to their ship and quick-stepped up to Pollyanna and Drate as they were conversing with Areed, who had expressed an interest in Core military technology.

   “Hello, Poll. Bit of a surprise,” Lovo said, trying to be as polite as possible. She had changed from the slip of the girl he knew, he married, into a strong woman with a very strong presence. That made him nervous.

   “How are you, Lovo?” she replied. “I see you’ve gone far beyond simple trading.”

Lovo smiled. “And you’ve come far from a simple salvager. Look…”

   “I was stuck in the Core Worlds and had to work my passage back. I couldn’t send a message to you because you never stayed in the same place for more than a week. That’s what you wanted to know, wasn’t it? Where I’ve been?”

Lovo noticed that Drate, half talking to Areed, was taking an interest in their conversation.

   “Is there anywhere we can get together? Talk for a while?” Lovo asked in a quieter voice.

   “I guess…” Pollyanna’s voice trailed off as she looked down at Lovo’s hands. “I see you’re still wearing it.”

Lovo looked at the marriage band around his thumb.

   “I guess I just got used to it.” He looked at Pollyanna’s own hands and saw her marriage band was missing. “Why didn’t you come back, Poll? What happened?”

   “I just told you.”

   “But…”

   “Everything okay here?” Drate stepped in now that War Marshall Areed was talking to the Contract Combat pilots about their combat shuttles. Lovo cleared his throat and smiled a false smile.

   “It was…” he looked at Pollyanna’s expressionless face. “It was nothing. See you around.”

Lovo walked away quickly, out of the huge double doors and down to a waiting speeder.

   “Who was that?” Drate asked with concern.

   “No one.” Pollyanna faced Drate and allowed a smile to wash across her face. “It was no one.”

Injevido watched the others depart in small groups and then walked out of the doors into the sun. He withdrew a long smoking pipe from the folds of his robes and placed it into his mouth, pressing the light stud on the pipe cup and puffing as it heated.

   “Well,” he said, turning to the robed figure next to him. “What do you think?”

   “Things have changed, and I can’t say for the better. The sisters have their father’s passion but their mother’s heart. They’ll have to choose which one will get them ahead in business because only the ruthless make it big.”

   “What if the Ki-Ki Sector takes over?”

   “It will make no difference. The underworld will thrive no matter who is in charge. It survived the Empire, it will survive these incursions.”

Injevido nodded in agreement.

   “And the others?”

   “I don’t recognise any of them, but I know of some of their names. Most of them are from outside the Setnin Sector. They pose no threat.”

   “I was concerned about bringing you, to be truthful,” Injevido said at the end of a long smile. “I wasn’t sure how you’d react to being here again.”

   “React?” the figure spat. “React to what? To a pale facsimile of a dead man’s dream? To seeing the family I used to kill for? I left Glann Cipple and let him die because he had lost his mind in his quest for power. All I see in there are two girls trying to be like their father in stature but not like their father in personality. It’s pathetic. When they see that people must die and opposition must be crushed with no mercy then perhaps I will raise my rifle for them. Until then, I’m satisfied raising my rifle for you.”

   “And if I move against the sisters? If I try to take them down? Would you shoot them for me?”

The figure was so motionless Injevido thought he had turned to stone.

   “I would. They are Cipples and my bond to the bloodline is strong but not separable from necessity.”

   “Would you kill me?” Injevido asked in a small voice.

   “Of course.”

Injevido shuddered.

   “When I found you I knew of your reputation. I’m just glad you’re on my side… at the moment.”

The figure nodded and preceded the En’Ka’Far to the waiting speeder.

   “I’m telling you,” said Himbimimam, pointing down at the receding figures of Injevido and his companion from the balcony. His huge frame towered over the sisters. “That was Carlonian Feese. I was here from day one, when Glann took over. I know it’s him.”

Bessa frowned at Himbimimam. The head of the Shadow Agents, and Brea looked up at her sister with worry.

   “So. He’s alive.”

   “But he’s been gone so long,” Bessa whispered. “Why has he resurfaced now? Why has he sided with Injevido?”

   “I’m not sure, but if I know Feese,” Himbimimam sighed heavily and shook his head, “he’s come back for a damn good reason.”

Business is Business

2001 short story by Jonathan Hicks

Thirty-seven years after Episode IV – A New Hope

Histories – The return of Carlonian Feese, the formation of the Pink Banthas, the renaming of the Shadow Warriors to the Shadow Agents and the state of play in the Ki-Ki/Setnin War.  After many years away from the sector, hunting down his cloned replicas Feese returns into the fray at the very heart of the conflict, prepared to do whatever is necessary for him.  On the side of the Cipple sisters for the moment, who knows which way Feese will swing?  One of the final stories of 2001, this highlights the workings of the underworld, the many deals and plans being made to strike at the Ki-Ki, but also to profit in the event of Setnin defeat.

Cast of Characters

Bessa Cipple

Brea Cipple

Corri Familee

Yedda Familee

Captain Lovo

War Marshall Areed

Dak Arlon

Mandon

Carlon

Arver

Elees

Beebee Siggiam

Injevido

Drate Galletti

Pollyanna Chenk

Carlonian Feese