A tall spare humanoid from the planet Kilgor, Thurgod was acknowledged as one of the leaders of the pirate group known as The Companions. Wanted for piracy, several contract murders, along with other assorted crimes, he had a large price on his head. That meant that he was as sort after by as many of his supposed friends and accomplices as by his enemies. Therefore he trusted none, not even his pilot or his counselor. By any standard, he was a dangerous person to cross. Especially as now when he was evidently in a great hurry, radiating a suppressed excitement.

“Fastos! Jenna! The side conference room, now! We have an important guest. Lista, Tyrone and the rest of you, see that the Master Moon is ready to leave soon." On his way to join the crew, he had heard that Jenna had killed a mercenary, giving a laugh he had promptly put it out of his mind.

*********

A tall slender woman moved with a supple grace amongst them, clearing the tables, picking up containers and drinking cups. This woman had a strange and rare mixture of piercing blue eyes and yellow hair that floated around her neck with a sensual air. She answered to the name of Ilisa and had been eagerly sought after by all the companions when she had first arrived, several standard monthly work cycles ago. This had not lasted for long. The first pirate to try grabbing her, pirates not known to be subtle in their methods of courtship, had been thrown over a table and then had his ship fall on him while he was under it checking a malfunction of the lower gunnery mounts.

*********

While musing about this as he and the others stood, Fastos’s attention shifted, Costos had arrived. A short and stocky man, Costos had a round, rather pleasant face with an engaging smile. Those taken in by the smile usually never noticed the cold, calculating eyes until too late. Moving to the front of the group that had formed, Costos folded his arms and addressed Jenna.

“You killed one of my men, Jenna. Now you owe me a blood price.”

Jenna merely raised an eyebrow. Blood prices were rare and usually restricted to highly valued crew such as pilots or weapons masters, not common mercuries. Blood prices were discouraged by most of the pirate leaders especially as they often were the source of feuds which affected business. “Why Costos, you have a sense of humor after all, I never knew it.” She relied. A rumor of chuckles sounded after her retort. It wasn’t loud, any more than Thurgod, Costos was not a person to make an enemy of.

“Hold up Costos.” Thurgod interposed himself. “Jenna was accosted and defended herself.”

“That man she killed was mine!” The angry words caused some muttering amongst the onlookers, most of whom supported Jenna. “He was one of mine and by the Dark Lords boots, I demand the price.”

“And Jenna is mine!” Thurgod snarled in reply. “You’ll get a blood price out of me when I run the Companions from the Imperial Palace on Tihab!”

Costos hand was on his sword and rage was in his eye. The crowd wondered why Costos was pressing the issue. Most thought that it was an attempt to kill the most dangerous of his rivals as he was well known as a skilled swordsman while Thurgod mostly relied on his strength and agility. Also there was history between the two and Costos had never accepted that both Jenna and Fastos had joined with Thurgod. Shorter then Thurgod and rather rotund, Costos was considerably more agile then he appeared. Thurgod knew this and prepared to make the most of his own advantages.

Costos smiled, his rage apparently dissipated and his hand fondling the hilt of his sword. “I won’t kill you, Thurgod,” He boasted, “But I will send you to the Playground.” The reference was to a notorious hellhole of prostitution in an adjacent sector, where there, it was alleged, one could buy any form of depravity, all one needed was the funds. “There are always those there would enjoy ...”

*********

“No you won’t.”

The calm interjection startled everyone, including those avidly watching. It came from Ilisa who had returned to the kitchen and had been studying the ongoing dispute with a calm and detached gaze. "Food's ready," she said as she picked up a laden tray and began walking towards the tables.

As everyone seemed so taken aback as to be deprived of speech, she continued talking, "The Empire has destroyed the Playground. Haven't you heard? Doesn't anyone follow the news? It's on all the comm's." With the food that had been ordered by Lista balanced on a tray, Ilisa walked with sinuous grace to the table were they had been sitting and seemingly oblivious to the intense interest of the crowd, rather greater than usual, placed the order on the table.

"What happened?" Inquired Costos incredulously, keeping an eye on Thurgod as he backed up.

"What happened?" Thurgod echoed the question with a dangerous edge to his voice, staying equally aware of his rivals actions.

Unaffected by the anger that her indifference had aroused, Ilisa flashed a look at Thurgod then surveyed the crowd. Her usual small smile played on her sensual lips.

"The broadcast, which I think is accurate as it came from an independent reporter who somehow was on the battle star, I think it was the Red Lassie, but I am not sure..." Ilisa pursed her lips in thought. “Aren’t you going to eat?” She queried.

"Get on with it!" Open anger was being displayed by Thurgod, along with several other members of the crowd now. More just looked stunned, yet fascinated.

"If you are so interested, it seems that the Red Lassie dropped out of hyper within a couple of fractions distance from the Playground. Then it speed into close killing distance, opened fire and blew the Playground into tiny bits then left. The whole operation was over in point four and only two craft got out of dock and had a chance to get away. They didn't, missile batteries were ready and destroyed them as well as any craft arriving and leaving before they had a chance to get far enough away from the star to jump"

With a shrug of her shoulders and a sway of her hips, Ilisa returned to the serving center leaving silence behind her. "Xto's" Breathed Jenna. "I think that they really mean business this time, Thurgod. There were powerful people on the Playground." This was an easy guess, there were always powerful people on the Playground. Blackmail was, rather, had been, the lifeblood of business on the Playground.

Thurgod was unable to speak. Nor were any of the crowd, all desire for another killing had evaporated. Fastos, seeing that all trouble had dissipated, left to the conference room. Tyrone spoke first.

"I think that we had all better get going, and fast." Tyrone contributed "If the Empire, curse them, has put us next on the list, and a battle star is on its way..."

"Yes, I agree.” Thurgod spoke, in a calm voice, his composure regained and his anger of a few fractions ago forgotten in the present crisis. “Tyrone, Lista, get back to Master Moon and make sure that it is ready. Jenna, come with me.”

*********

Leaning against the serving area, Ilisa watched the unfolding drama with a quizzical gaze. All unnoticed, this suddenly changed to a withdrawn almost blank look, as if Ilisa was somehow communing with another. She smoothly turned removed her apron, and left the tavern by another door.

*********

Costos on the other hand, was not at all pleased. Thwarted in his plan to dispose of his rival, he considered what would be his next move. Coming to a decision, he commed his second in command and arranged a quiet meeting. “Draucs, meet me at the third lounge.”