Aleks checked his mail. The informant did not deceive. The message indicated the planet Zeno and the Commander's Refuge, where Maestro often spent time.
The crew heard the quiet hum of heated turbines and the ship began to take off, leaving the space station. Soon the engine noise changed its tone. They felt a weight on their chests, pressing them into soft chairs. Loki picked up speed, slicing through open space. The ship was just hot and stuffy, it suddenly got colder and chilly, climate control turned on.
Above them stretched the cloudless expanse of the universe. The stars shimmered coldly like tiny diamonds on the black velvet of space. Elegantly curved, glowing veils of gaseous nebulae surrounded clusters of young blue stars. Aleks charted a course for the planet Zeno and stretched out relaxed in his chair. There were still 8 hours left before arriving on the planet.
The central screen displayed an impressive panorama of the minterium - the planet Zeno. The whole team could not help admiring its amazingly beautiful purple glow. Soon "Loki" entered the atmosphere and extinguished speed, starting braking. Aleks made several maneuvers and the ship landed softly in the spaceport.
It was not difficult to find the “Commander's Shelter” establishment. It occupied several upper floors of the command center. Aleks took a partner with him for insurance. The tall bouncer standing by the door nodded his way through. They passed a small corridor leading from the entrance to the foyer on the first floor, where a couple of barely dressed girls stood behind a counter in the dressing room and accepted valuables from those who entered. The girls weren't the only ones in this hall. Two massive guards in EFERRUM combat gear stood on either side of the locked doors, beyond which visitors could enjoy every imaginable pleasure. Street noise drowned out the music coming from the club, outside it sounded very muffled and weak. However, as soon as they got into the foyer, an ocean of sound fell upon them, drowned out only by a single wall separating them from the interior.
- Look after the little things? - one of the girls cooed loudly enough to be heard over the rumbling of music.
Aleks shook his head. He was not going to part with his weapon. It was advisable to leave valuables at the entrance only if by the end of the evening the visitors were going to get drunk until they lost their pulse or pump themselves up with cosmetology. But Aleks had other intentions, which the attendants could not guess. The girl pressed the button that opened the doors. The guards stepped aside, letting in new clients. Aleks and his partner took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The club had several levels. Each had a rectangular dance floor surrounded by a large outer ring. The entire structure was supported from below by a web of steel wires running to the base. The audience chose the level at their own discretion. Each of them had a unique musical style, special drinks and had its own dance floor. The furious music of the lower floors gave way to light chill-out rhythms on the upper floors and ended with enveloping space ambient at the VIP level.
Music, illumination and the crowd created a powerful energy that excited the nerve endings, releasing suppressed passions and wild, animal desires, most of which could be satisfied at the lower levels of the club.
They climbed to the middle level and made their way through the crowd of dancing bodies, drawing annoyed glances to them. In the center of the dance floor, on a small dais, there was a stage where three half-naked dancers swayed to the music. They were all very attractive, dressed in glowing tops, short skirts and high heels that shimmered in bright colors. Their smooth movements dazzled the eye. The pulsing light made it difficult to see, but the companions still skimmed around for the Maestro as they crossed the dance floor. They decided to split up to increase their chances. Aleks approached one of the tables and suddenly felt someone touch his hand:
- Hi honey, nice to see you again. I'm Mononoke.
Aleks saw the girl for the first time, but decided to play along with her and smiled in response:
- I am also glad. Nice suit. If I may say so ...
Her hair was an incredible shade of blue, and her clothes consisted of skinny trousers with slits and a fitted jacket made of stretch fabric. Under the rays of light, her outfit sparkled brightly with poisonous shades.
Mononoke smiled at his compliment.
- How do you do, maybe a little spacer?
- Thank you, I'm not in the mood.
- Why? Will you buy me a drink?
- Yes, please. Choose something for yourself, - he pushed the Aleks drink card to her.
Without looking at the map, she offered the Galaxy Shining cocktail.
- Okay, I'll be right back, - Aleks said and went to the bar, carefully examining the people along the way.
As he returned with two cocktails in hand, he noticed a half-drunk commander with CW stripes walking towards their table. He was about to land on the chair when Mononoke kicked him off:
- My boyfriend is already back, - she showed on Aleks.
To his relief, the man turned and dived to a nearby table, where two girls were chatting merrily. They gave the Commander quick glances and laughed when he missed the chair and flopped to the floor.
Aleks sipped his drink and found it quite pleasant. He let the girl chat for a while while drinking a cocktail, but then he got down to business:
"Am I looking for a man here named Maestro?" Do you know him?
She shook her head.
- I've never heard of him.
- It's a pity, but still, thanks. He owes me a couple hundred BIPs.
Mononoke thought for a second, but shook her head again.
- No, I have not met a person with that name. What are you going to do with him?
- I'll put the blaster to his throat and shake out the entire amount for each BIP until I get my two hundred back, - Aleks replied.
- Haha, shaking out is great! - the girl laughed.
Aleks smiled:
- We match each other. Will you be here tomorrow?
Mononoke looked disappointed.
- May be.
- Well. By then I will have my coins, and you will help me spend them on the spacecraft.
Her face brightened.
- Sounds tempting. Happy dreams are guaranteed to us.
- It will be so, - Aleks promised and finished his cocktail. - And now I have something to do.
With these words, he got up from the table and contacted his partner. The companion's voice was slightly distorted by the radio transmitter built into the bracelet on his wrist. The background noise of the club made it difficult to hear the words clearly. They met at the spiral staircase leading to the VIP level. The guys looked around and decided to climb the spiral staircase upstairs. As they climbed higher, they felt the pressure of the sounds gradually weaken. At the very top level of the club, the music was quieter and the lights more subdued. Peering into those present, they never noticed anyone like Maestro. The companions approached the corridor leading to the private offices.
- Sorry, all rooms have already been booked, - blocked the way for security.
- We need to get to a friend. His name is Maestro. He should be here, - Aleks addressed him.
The guard looked down at his wrist.
— You’re not on the clearance list, I’ll have to call him.
- Not worth it, - Aleks said quickly. - We want to surprise him. It's his birthday today.
The security hesitated, considering the two harmless-looking guys.
- If I miss you, I will be breaking instructions. I could be fired, - he finally said, although his tone did not express an unconditional rejection.
- We don't want to create trouble for you at all, - Aleks answered and handed him a bracelet with a sum of one hundred BIPs. - Just let us pass, pretend we weren't here, we won't bother anyone.
At the club, the guards were well paid, but that didn’t mean they didn’t take bribes when the opportunity presented itself.
- Okay, come in, - the security snorted, letting them pass.
The companions ran quickly but silently down the corridor. The first two doors were closed from the outside, several others were closed from the inside.
- What are we going to do? - the partner asked quietly.
- Hope for luck!
They reached almost the end of the corridor, until finally one of the doors was open. Aleks turned the knob with a gentle motion, peering carefully through the crack. A satisfied smile touched his lips.
- Here - he whispered when he saw that they were at the address.
Maestro was seated at a buffet table with two long-legged dancers. He seemed not in the least surprised to see the uninvited guests with weapons at the ready. With a nod of his head, he showed the girls to the door and they slipped out of the office.
- I have already been warned about your arrival. I advise you not to rattle your weapons and then you can safely return to your ship. What do you owe to your visit?
- We brought a business proposal from our MONSTERS allies! - Aleks replied, hiding a blaster in the inner pocket of his overalls.
Maestro offered the guests a drink while pouring champagne into the glasses. Then, grinning, he turned on the encrypted hologram from Ty. The air vibrated, turned dull white, and then crumbled into many shining crystals, from which the male figure gradually began to gather. The platform projected a three-dimensional image of Ty, creating an almost complete illusion of presence.
MONSTERS offer was tempting. As a gift Aleks brought the latest generation security module from them. And also provided fresh intelligence on the activity of the Ancients. In addition, in the event of an alliance, EFERRUM had the opportunity to access secret MONSTERS developments, including blueprints for the advanced Excalibr heavy fighter and high-tech ship enhancement modules.
- As a sign of goodwill, I declare a truce for two weeks. I will gather the council of the Jarls and we will make the final decision, - Maestro said.
He put a bag of black chips into Aleks` hand.
- The casino of our club is at your service. Food and drink at the house's expense. Get some rest. Today you are our guests.
Aleks nodded to his partner and they left. Maestro grinned slyly after them. He understood that in order to raid the Ancients' sector, he would need to gather into a fist all the operational formations of heavy fighters. And to be distracted now by settling old scores meant dissipating forces. Therefore, the truce was the best fit for his mission.
- MONSTERS suffered the most from the alien invasion. Of course they need allies now. But I have to check the threat of the Ancients myself, - he said in thought and lit a cigarette.
Author: Андрей (@Vectrum77)
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