(If you missed part one, you'll want to start there.)

“That can’t be good.” Tammy muttered as she watched the abrupt scene change in the holotank. William locked up the lead position as he closed out the second lap when suddenly the unmistakable shot of a sniper rifle sounded from the rooftop. Seconds later the holotank fuzzed out and Jaimie appeared in the image, fighting with a man dressed entirely in black.

“That’s the man she was following when she left the pit area.” Jonathan said in a low voice. “I don’t know what set her off other than the fact he bumped into her.”

Tammy shook her head without turning away from the fight imaged in the ‘tank. “No, the Captain wouldn’t chase him down for something trivial like that. She has some reason I’m sure.” She glanced sidelong at Jonathan before reaching a decision. “Come on. Whatever her play is, I’m betting it was supposed to be low profile. When she wants to leave we’re going to need to move in a hurry.”

Jonathan looked at the crowd around them. Below the race continued but the racers glanced upwards as the crowd noise fell to a hush. He shrugged in resignation and stood up. “I knew we couldn’t just have a nice, simple day at the races.”

“Naw,” Tammy pushed playfully at Jonathan’s arm even as her eyes remained locked on the ‘tank above. “Where would the fun be in that?”

Tammy trailed off to silence as Jaimie made her desperate gambit and the assassin stumbled off the edge. A woman to her right screamed loudly as the body fell past the seating and hit the track below. Jaimie’s holographic image looked directly at the camera as she realized the fight had been recorded.

“That tears it, we’d better move!” Tammy said even as she broke into a sprint and headed for the exit. Seconds later her phone buzzed and she answered it without breaking stride.

“Hiya Captain. You know you were on live video for that little fracas?” She listened intently as she gently pushed her way through the jabbering crowd. Unnoticed above her Jaimie’s image dove through an access door and was replaced almost instantly with a newscaster sitting at a desk. “Right. Main entrance. Yeah, I’ve got Jonathan with me.” Tammy looked behind her to see Jonathan blocked by a knot of excited teenagers who were gesturing wildly at the holotank.

“Come on Jonathan! Time for you to show off your skills. We need to get out of here!” She reached backwards and not-so-gently grabbed Jonathan’s wrist. She completely ignored the shock and muttering of the gaggle of teens that she shoved in the process as she tugged on Jonathan’s arm and began to push her way towards the exit.

Tammy fought her way through the crowd to the main exit, still dragging a dazed Jonathan behind her. She had just passed a service door when it slammed open and Jaimie darted out into the crowd. Jaimie had recovered her ridiculous blue foam sombrero and Tammy couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

“Hey boss. Nice hat.” Tammy drawled before looking at Jonathan in exasperation. “Would you come on? We finally need you to move quickly and you’re dawdling like a prisoner on his way to the gibbet!”

Jaimie flashed her trademark smirk at Tammy, although it was mostly hidden by the oversize hat brim. “Best disguise I could find in a hurry. You folks think we can get out of here?”

Tammy nodded and shoved through the crowd with renewed enthusiasm. “We’re almost out. Then hopefully the King of Speed here can take over.”

It took a few more minutes than Jaimie liked but they won through to the parking lot outside the arena. Jaimie got in the back seat while Jonathan fired up the engine and Tammy scanned the crowd for observers.

“I think we may be clear, Captain.” Tammy said. “I don’t see anyone paying us any attention.”

Jaimie sighed and pointed at the hovercar’s roof. “Look up. I’m pretty sure some of the security cam bots tracked us into the car. Jonathan, be discreet and blend in as long as you can, but as soon as the alarm goes up we’re going to need speed. If we’re lucky this will just be local rent-a-cops.”

Tammy twisted in her seat to take a hard look at Jaimie. “Just what were you doing up there anyway?”

Jaimie sighed and took her hat off, regarding it with her lips twisted in a grimace of distaste. “You know, this thing really is hideous.” She sat it on the seat beside her and looked at Tammy. “That killer bumped into me in the pit. That’s rude, but I wouldn’t have killed him from that. The thing is that he bumped into me because he was on the phone. He was finalizing details on a contract to kill William if he was winning the race. I can’t say I cared for that. In the first place, I like William. In the second place I wanted to see a good race. I can’t see how sniping racers for having the temerity to win leads to a better competition.”

Jonathan spoke without taking his eyes from the traffic. “That may be a problem. I noticed the other drivers were clearly throwing the race, and we heard that there was a fix in. Apparently there’s a young buck around here that goes by the name of Lecault the Younger and he fancies himself a player. William was the only racer who defied him.”

“Yes!” Jaimie snapped her fingers and nodded. “That’s what the killer said, something about how he had disappointed this Lecault kid and that’s why he needed to bring me in. So who is the Lecault guy anyway?”

Jonathan turned his head to frown at Jaimie briefly before returning his attention to jockeying his way out of the lot. Traffic had begun to pick up as he neared the exit. “Well I gather everyone calls him Lecault the Younger because he’s the son of Duke Lecault, who apparently owns the vast majority of Coventry. It sort of sounded to me like Lecault the Younger has pretty free rein.”

Jaimie made a dismissive noise and stared out the window. “Spoiled nobleman’s son huh? We’ve done that drill before. We’ll just get back to the city and from there we’ll return to the Revenge.”

Jaimie’s phone rang and she flipped it out and studied the screen for a moment. As she read the incoming message Tammy’s phone rang as well.

After a moment of silence Jonathan growled low in his throat. “I’m perfectly capable of turning this hovercar right around and going back. Unless somebody tells me what is going on.”

Tammy glanced back at Jaimie with just a tinge of worry. “It looks like a warrant was put out for the Captain’s arrest. Pretty good image from the news video as well.” As Tammy finished speaking Jonathan finally made it to the exit and turned the car left, giving it both more throttle and altitude. Even as the engine opened up a police cruiser flipped on its lights and siren and accelerated after Jonathan’s little vehicle.

“Well. That can’t be good.” Jonathan said in level, calm tones as he floored the accelerator and suddenly dropped down, cutting around traffic and placing a large truck between him and the police. The dull hum of the engine rose in volume as he began to jink from car to car.

Tammy grabbed at the handle above her door, shooting a quick glance back at Jaimie. “Today hasn’t been a good day for plans, has it Captain?”

Jaimie chuckled throatily. “Just yesterday you were complaining about how boring this shore leave was. I give you just a little taste of excitement and you immediately start complaining. Besides this doesn’t change the plan at all. Jonathan, get us back to the city. And lose those cops!”

“Aye Aye sir. But let me just say … next time we rent a car and want something fast and interesting?”

“Fine. Next time you can have the speedy buggy. Just lose ‘em for now!” Jaimie rolled her eyes.

“Only way to do that will be with some offroading.” Jonathan flipped off the traffic transponder and wrenched at the wheel as he assumed full manual control. Startled traffic honked at him as he abruptly cut acro ss all the traffic lanes and plunged so low to the ground that the engines blew up plumes of gritty dust.

“Tammy get that map. We drove past some canyons on the way out here. I’m thinking if I go to ground in there then maybe I can lose our noisy escort.” As Jonathan spoke the police cruiser cut across traffic and clumsily followed Jonathan’s line.

An amplified voice boomed out from the cruiser. “Stop your engines immediately. You are believe to be harboring a known fugitive who calls herself Captain Jaimie Arcolier. We will use force to stop you if you don’t comply.”

Jaimie sighed. “That tears it. It’s not just a matter of of me killing the incompetent hired help. They figured out who I really am. Not that Coventry has ever been anti-pirate, but I’m sure it will be a convenient excuse. Plus I’d imagine somebody has their eye on the Cantrellan bounty.” She grabbed her phone and punched in a quick code.

“All crew, this is the Captain speaking. As of now all shore leave is cancelled. Everyone needs to get back to orbit immediately. Stinky Pete, start closing up the work. We’re going to be leaving in a bit of a hurry today. One Eye, get your people back to the shuttle as soon as you can.” She clicked her phone shut just as Jonathan slammed the brakes hard and fishtailed the craft into a narrow canyon mouth.

“All right!” Jonathan crowed as the cruiser flashed past the entrance, unable to follow his sharp turn. “That won’t lose them permanently but it will give us some room to work.”

Tammy pursed her lips in thought then twisted her torso around to face Jaimie in the back seat. “What do you think Lecault will do if we get away?”

Jaimie grinned at Tammy. “You mean when we get away. You don’t honestly think we’re going to get caught by a bunch of backwater cops do you?” Her grin slowly faded as she considered Tammy’s words. “I do take your point though. We’ll need to warn young William and his family won’t we? If we leave this Lecault punk with a black eye it will be William who pays the price.”

“Everyone hang on!” Jonathan yelled as he accelerated down a narrow winding canyon. He was driving so low that the car threw up sheets of water from the river on the canyon floor.

“Jonathan … that’s a dead end!” Tammy said, in a high and squeaky voice.

“I know. I’m not faster than that cop cruiser, but I am nimbler. Like I said, hang on!” Jonathan continued to acccelerate, heading towards a sheer rock face where the river went underground.

“Jonathannnnnn!” Tammy screeched and at the very last second Jonathan pulled back on the wheel, simultaneously starting a barrel roll. The car almost scraped the edge of the rock face as it shot upwards and then upside down and facing back the way it had come. Jonathan completed the Immelman turn by continuing the roll until the car was upright and sped back down the canyon. The dust storms thrown up by his passage filled the narrow canyon and the light turned a dim amber as Jonathan plunged into the cloud. Just a couple of scant meters below them the cruiser screamed onward, obviously mostly blinded by the dust. Jonathan dropped the car back to barely above ground level as a horrendous metal crunch told them of what happened when the cruiser met the wall.

“So back to town then, Captain?” Jonathan took one hand from the controls to dash off a snappy salute in the mirror.

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Tags: Fiction, ThingAWeek, ShoreLeave, CaptainArcolier

Jaimie silently tailed the assassin as he climbed the steps, ignoring all of the door and landings as he went. It wasn’t long until he reached the top of the stairwell and pushed open the door marked “Roof Access”. The track itself was open to the elements but this was the roof of the audience structure, a large arc that cupped the finish line and pit areas. Stadium seating rose most of the way up, rising over the spine of the building where vendors sold food and souvenirs. The final few levels of the building were given over to luxury skyboxes and this door led out to the roof above those boxes. Heat waves shimmered above the tar and gravel surface revealed through the doorway. The killer bent and fastened a bit of tape over the door latch, ensuring that it wouldn’t lock after he closed it. He then headed over to the edge of the roof.

Jaimie slipped up to the roof door and peered through the grimy small window. The roof was dotted with small turbines and other ventilation shafts, as well as structures containing elevator winches and the like. She frowned and slowly eased the door open, watching her prey intently.

#

The hoverbikes jostled in a tight scrum as they approached the first corner. As the pack leaders began to brake the pattern spread out into a tighter line, only two or three ‘bikes wide. William jostled into a good position behind four other racers as he leaned low into the turn, his ‘bike fishtailing just a tiny bit as he cornered in a controlled skid.

Jonathan snorted as he saw number Thirty-Six at the rear of the pack. Sure enough he practically scraped his cowling in the dirt as he rounded the corner, but as Jonathan predicted that didn’t yield any extra speed. On the contrary, whereas the other ‘bikes rose smoothly back to full upright Thirty-Six struggled, wobbling a bit on the way back up and overcorrecting to the other side before settling down. “You see? Stupid arrogance!” Jonathan muttered to Tammy, but Tammy was focused on watching William who was riding very close to the racer ahead of him.

“Go William!” she screamed and pumped her fist in the air. William couldn’t have possibly heard Tammy up in the stands but he chose that moment to make his move. His top speed was marginally higher than the ‘bike he was chasing and he broke outside on the straightaway to glide past and take up fourth place. He waved at the racer as he slid by and cut back inside, throwing up a fan of dirt and exhaust as he moved.

#

Jaimie shook her head as she slid behind a small unmarked shed. The assassin didn’t even bother to check for observers as he opened the guitar case and withdrew a long slender barrel. The sniper quickly assembled his gun, adroitly snapping a clip into the weapon body and screwing the barrel into the matching socket. His gun assembled, he gently set it down with the barrel barely protruding beyond the edge of the roof. He smoothly knelt down on the rooftop and raised the scope to his eye, pivoting the weapon down to point towards the racetrack.

Jaimie scanned the rooftop and found another vantage point where she had cover from the sniper but was close enough to see the race. He had said “lap three” so she needed to watch the race to determine if the killer would take the shot. She bent low and scuttled across the rooftop to hide behind a large air conditioning unit. The crowd let out a loud cheer as the racers came out of the second major corner and hit a long straightaway.

#

“That’s weird.” Jonathan pointed at the second place racer, but Tammy ignored him, as she continued to cheer William on, her attention focused on the closing gap between fourth and third. Jonathan jostled her elbow until she looked at him in exasperation.

“What?” Tammy snapped.

“There’s a fix or something. The racer in second place won that corner. Coming into the straightaway he could have cut off first and moved into the lead. Watch him on this next turn. He’s delibrately choosing to stay in second place.”

The man sitting next to Jonathan snorted and leaned over to whisper conspiratorially. “Of course he is. That’s because he’s not an idiot. Everyone knows that beating Lecault’s man at the races is folly. Everyone except that daft boy in crimson, and he’ll learn soon enough. Any race you see Twenty-Three at you can assume he’ll win the show. The fun is all on seeing who takes second.”

“Who’s Lecault?” Jonathan asked innocently.

“Ach! Are you simple? Duke Lecault runs this city and make no mistake about it. But it’s not the Duke who I mean. It’s his spawn who likes his betting. Any sport here at Coventry and sooner or later you’ll run across Lecault the Younger. And you’d be wise to let him have his fun as well.”

Tammy let out an ear-splitting war whoop and Jonathan winced before focusing on the jumbo holotank overhead. The main pack had reached the farthest part of the track and were racing down the back half. Although Jonathan could just make out them racing in the distance the holotank was much easier to see right now and in it he could see that William had daringly cut inside the third place racer and managed to edge his opponent off the best line for the corner. As they came out of the turn William applied thrust earlier and had quickly moved into third and began a strong bid to catch up with the leaders. As Jonathan scanned the race he shook his head as he watched the ‘bike in second place practically idle in order to avoid overtaking Number Twenty-Three. Twenty-Three had been going far too fast into the corner and had come to almost complete stop, inches from the barrier on the outside edge of the curve.

“Look at that. He’s so much better than Twenty-Three his main problem is that he can’t even make the race look good.” Jonathan muttered with disgust. “William is going to eat both of them alive on the next lap.”

#

Jaimie found tracking the race with only a fraction of her attention difficult. She was mostly watching the silent assassin, who was simply watching the race and not even looking through his scope. As the racers closed the loop and began the second lap she risked a glance and could see that William was in a strong third place. It was strange, in her glances at the track she would have thought that first place would have changed by now, but she couldn’t spare any more attention to track the race closer. She wished that she could see the holotank but that was projected underneath the roof and wasn’t visible to her. At any rate, she thought it was time to consider her tactical options. She assumed that William would take the lead during lap two and that her sniper friend planned on taking him out at the start of the third lap. The thing that troubled Jaimie is that she had prepared for a day at the races, not a rooftop fight. “You have to figure that he might be a stupidly obvious assassin,” she muttered to her shadowing hoverdrone, “but still he must have at least some combat skill”.

Jaimie didn’t have a gun, and she didn’t have her trademark rapier. She had a slim stiletto in a wrist sheath and a tiny throwing knife tucked in one of her boots but neither was a good choice for protracted combat. She frowned and looked at the still form of her target. No, she couldn’t afford an extended fight. She was going to have to strike to kill. If she was lucky she could kill him and then get away from the roof and leave before the body was found. But he was likely to be better armed than Jaimie and she couldn’t afford to give him the opportunity to strike back.

#

Jonathan watched the second lap unfold with a mixture of disgust and excitement. On the one hand the revelation that most of the racers were racing for second, not first had dampened his excitement. On the other side of the equation though was William, who didn’t seem to care about this Lecault the Younger business. The second place racer, number Eight was still making a shambles of trying to be behind Twenty-Three. Coming out of the first corner of the second lap William was glued to number Eight’s rear bumper. It was obvious to Jonathan that number Eight was in a pickle. If he tried to stay behind Twenty-Three he was going to be forced into an inferior racing line. If he took a lesser line then William had already demonstrated that he could force his way inside. That would give him a clean lock on second and if William played aggresively he could pass Twenty-Three in the same maneuver.

“GO WILLIAM!” Tammy screamed, drawing shocked looks from the people around them. Jonathan didn’t even notice the crowd reaction, focused as he was on William’s racing. The three racers swept into another corner and it happened just as Jonathan had predicted. Twenty-Three took the turn with arrogance and sloppily had to break hard, turning a sharp corner into something closer to a bootlegger. As Twenty-Three downshifted furiously to restore speed Eight was forced to either cut inside to pass or to flare far outside the ideal racing line. Number Eight made the same choice he had on every previous corner - he cut wide outside, drifting at a near-idle as he waited for Twenty-Three to accelerate.

William didn’t bother with any such maneuver. He cut his hoverbike sharply inside as soon as Twenty-Three flared his airbrakes and began to fishtail around. William had braked for the corner earlier than Twenty-Three so he had lost some ground in the start of the turn, but it meant he could lean inwards and focus all his energy on cornering. He drew an almost perfect line, kissing the inside curve at its center point and then accelerating sharply to rocket out of the second half. The crowd erupted in pandemonium as William shot by Twenty-Three and Eight and took the lead. William didn’t simply pass Twenty-Three, his sharp corner highlighted the shoddy driving Twenty-Three had been exhibiting all race. The racer on Eight bashed his fist against the front cowling of his ‘bike in frustration as he waited for Twenty-Three to regain control and accelerate down the straightaway.

By the time Twenty-Three got up to speed again William was down the straightaway and closing in on the next corner. It was obvious to all that Twenty-Three had no chance of catching William now. Eight might be able to put up a fight but he would have to pass Twenty-Three on the next corner and that seeemed an unlikely choice. Jonathan snorted as he heard the announcers speculate that Twenty-Three was possibly having a controller malfunction.

“It’s the classic problem - failure lies between controls and seat.” Jonathan muttered to Tammy. Tammy showed no signs of having heard as she continued to cheer and scream for William.

#

Jaimie heard the crowd roar and it only took a quick glance to confirm what she suspected – that William was now easily leading the race. The sniper bent back to his scope, carefully training his line of fire right on the first corner of the track. Jaimie shrugged and flexed her arm just so, catching the hilt as the stiletto popped out into her hand. She reached with her left hand and withdrew the small throwing knife from her boot. She nodded theatrically at her hoverdrone and gauged the distance between her and the would-be killer. It would take two swift steps to reach him. If she was lucky he would be so absorbed in his scope that he would never know she was present. She glanced at the track again and confirmed that William was rounding the last corner of lap two. It was now or never.

She sprang across the rooftop, planning on striking a fatal blow into the sniper’s kidney. It was on that critical second step when she discovered that the assasin was not quite as complacent as he looked. A small unit on his belt blipped a quiet beep. She hadn’t seen him activate the personal radar unit earlier but now he was alerted to her presence. He reacted instantly, dropping prone even as he rolled to the side. His shot rang out and buzzed harmlessly off into the sky as she jabbed her stiletto into the roofing tar to his left side. So much for a silent and fast strike! That shot was loud, and it wouldn’t be long now before security flooded the rooftop.

The sniper flung his his rifle to the side and sprang up to his feet. To Jaimie’s dismay he drew a wicked serrated vibroknife and turned it on. The teeth of the knife blurred into a buzzing chainsaw of destruction. Jaimie knew the teeth would have monofilament edges that were sharper than diamond. If he parried one of her strikes the knife would cut the tempered steel of her stiletto like it was a softened stick of butter. And if he actually cut her with the blade, well that didn’t bear considering. The assassin grinned with a feral snarl and gestured at Jaimie, beckoning her closer.

“Come on now, this is foolish.” Jaimie said. “You’ve missed your target and we both know that even if I left right now you wouldn’t get another shot before the race was finished. Security will be here any moment, we should both leave before anything worse happens.”

“Worse for you or worse for me, love?” he leered at Jaimie. “See, first off I think Security will leave me alone. Second off, I’ve just failed Lecault the Younger. There’s only one thing that might make him inclined to let me live. Sad for you, but that item would be fetching your head on a stick!”

As he finished speaking he lunged forward, swinging his knife wildly. Jaimie jumped to the side and parried with her throwing knife. The low hum of the knife abruptly changed to a whining bandsaw as it sheared the blade clean through and Jaimie cursed as her arm was cut by the metal splinters flung loose. She tossed the useless hilt aside and circled away from her attacker. She stepped towards the roof edge and nodded carefully at the drone, which the sniper had not yet noticed. She spoke, raising her voice and hoping that the crewmembers piloting the drone would understand her plan.

“It’s to be that is it? I’ve seen your surprise but do you seriously think I don’t have a few tricks of my own? You’d best be watching your flanks, lest you get a startling revelation.”

The sniper ignored her jibe and crouched low before springing at Jaimie a second time. She ducked low and stepped away from the roof edge, yelling “NOW!” as she sacrificed her sole remaining weapon to push the vibrating blade away from her.

The drone popped up to her opponent’s left side and flashed a brilliant strobe light while it sounded a strident klaxon. The man stumbled and changed the angle of his stroke away from Jaimie. The angry buzzsaw sounded again as his knife sliced the the hoverbot cleanly in half. Jaimie struck at that moment, when he was off-balance with his weight over-extended. She tucked her shoulder down and hit him just above the waist, crashing into him with all her weight and energy. He took a quick stagger-step, attempting to remain upright but realized too late how close he was to the edge of the roof. There was a raised edge about calf high and he struck his leg on the roof and completely lost his footing. Jaimie dropped herself spread-eagled and flat on the roof as he windmilled his arms and fell outwards. He seemed to almost hover in the air over the roof edge for a split second before he fell, just enough time for him to start screaming. His scream dopplered away as he fell the long distance down before hitting the racetrack with a sickening crunch.

Jaimie stood up and brushed gravel from her clothes, playing to the camera by force of habit, even though her camera had in fact been destroyed. “That wasn’t as discreet as I had hoped, but perhaps I can still make a clean getaway.”

Then she saw the two-person blimp that had hovered over the track getting the live footage for the holotank. Her heart fell as he realized that the holo-camera was focused on her, presumably broadcasting the fight live to the holotank beneath her feet.

“Well shit! That’s going to complicate matters.” she muttered to herself as she sprinted for the stairwell access.

Tags: Fiction, ThingAWeek, ShoreLeave, CaptainArcolier

Jonathan led Tammy and Jaimie into the hoverbike arena, almost dancing with impatience as Tammy moved slowly. Tammy was infamous on the Beauteous Revenge as a late riser, and she had only reluctantly agreed to make it out to the distant race site by 10 AM. She clutched an oversize travel mug of coffee protectively and glared at Jonathan. “I’m sure we have plenty of time, especially after your mad drive out here.”

Jonathan was a tall and quiet man who tended to blend into his surroundings. All three pirates were dressed inconspicuously for the trip to the races, but Jonathan would never normally draw a second glance from an observer. He bounced on his feet impatiently, gesturing towards a line filtering into the arena with his eyes glittering. “Pfeaugh. That little scooter we rented couldn’t go fast if you dropped it from orbit and slid it down an mountain of ice.”

Tammy rolled her eyes as she drank her coffee. “Whatever, Speed Demon. I heard how the engine screamed. I’m on vacation remember, if you burn out the hypercoils you can take the bus for all I care.”

Jaimie weighed in on the debate by gently pushing Tammy in the small of her back. “Look we have plenty of time before the races but I want to get a good seat. I’m hoping to find some good betting today and that means we need to scout out the racers. That boy William was going to give us a good tip yesterday before you scared his mom with your round heels and raucous ways.”

Tammy smiled at the mention of William, forgetting her mock feud with Jonathan. “Maybe we can find him here. I got the impression he was going to be at the races today.”

Jonathan grinned and pointed at a large holotank above the line. “There is a William in the second race today. Wouldn’t it be funny if it turned out to be the same guy?” He looked at Tammy expectantly only to be pulled up short by her surprised expression.

“That sure would be funny. Turns out it’s true!” She jabbed at Jaimie’s shoulder and pointed at the holotank. “Look at that! Our little bartender turns out to have multiple talents.” She grinned at Jonathan. “I’m so glad I insisted we get here early!” She trotted forward to join in the end of the queue as Jonathan sputtered in outrage at Tammy’s reconstruction of recent history.

Jaimie laughed and shrugged at Jonathan as she followed Tammy into the line. “C’mon Jonathan, I’m buying admission today!” She wagged a finger at him with mock severity. “But it’s not a free ride, I expect you to find out which bike will be the fastest machine!”

It took about twenty minutes to get through the line, find some seats and verify they had time before the races. By unspoken agreement the trio went down to the pits where it was possible to check out the bikes and the racers.

The first race would be starting soon, but the first was the slower bikes, the class that Jonathan had dismissed as “kids with training wheels”. The serious betting was on the second race, the unlimited class races. It looked like a full card - twelve racers and five laps. The course was an intriguing mix of straightaways with some twists, a pair of nasty hairpins and even some dirt ramps that an adroit ‘biker could use to catch some air. Not really useful from a racing perspective, but certainly worth showmanship points from the crowd.

The first bike they saw sat open, its emerald cowling advertising a local fast food chain resting on the ground. Jonathan stopped dead in his tracks to examine the exposed machinery and Tammy bumped into him, as she had been making eyes at a passing racer and not watching her cohorts. She made a face at Jonathan’s suddenly unresponsive back as she stepped a pace away. 

“Watch it buster!” Tammy spluttered but Jonathan nodded idly, clearly not processing her words.

Jaimie lay her hand gently on Tammy’s shoulder. “It’s all right. You know how he is around speed. We’ll get to see William before the race I promise.”

Jonathan nodded respectfully at the mechanic and pointed at a glowing coil of superconducting cable. “You run her like this? No safety interlocks on the gyros?”

The mechanic nodded gruffly at the pilot, suppressing a grin. “Oh aye. My ‘biker complains that the precession on the corner costs him too much speed otherwise. Keep an eye out for him on the hairpins. He’ll scrape the inside of the cowling, he lays my baby flat sideways as he goes around.

Tammy rolled her eyes and muttered something about “macho idiots” under her breath as Jonathan nodded at the mechanic.

“I can imagine. That’s going to be a sight! Aren’t you worried about stability on the moguls though? A wrong move and it’s going to happily plow a field for you, right there in the middle of the track.”

“Aye.” The mechanic shrugged. “He’s good and it’s the way he wants the bike. I wouldn’t drive it this way, but he hasn’t wrecked it yet. Number Thirty-Six - you’ll see him in the winner’s circle here soon.” He gestured with a large wrench at the idling engine. “I’d best get back to it or this bike won’t be going anywhere.”

Jonathan nodded again. “Thank you for your time. And good luck to number Thirty-Six!”

As they walked around Jaimie closed the gap to talk with Jonathan discreetly. “So what do you think? Thirty-Six a contender?”

Jonathan shook his head minutely. “Good mechanic, but the driver’s an idiot. The safety interlocks don’t cost any speed unless you’re riding way too close to the redline. One day he’ll be a hair slow to react and . . . well he’ll have a closed casket, let’s just say that.”

Tammy suddenly let out a squeal more appropriate for a twelve year old girl than a Chief Engineer, and clapped her hands together with delight. Jonathan stared at her, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion as Jaimie smiled wryly. “I take it you’ve never seen Tammy on the prowl before. There are shore leaves where I can’t sell a thing to my fans, but Tammy? Tammy leads the dream life of every middle-aged housewife when I let her out of the engine room.” Jaimie pointed across the narrow pit area to a gleaming crimson hoverbike ,where William leaned against the saddle and animatedly spoke to a mechanic. “That there is young William. Memorize him looking nonchalant quickly, because our girl is about to tie his tongue in knots.”

William wore skintight racing silks. The archaic name did a poor job of describing the garment, which was created from synthetic low-drag fabrics and shimmered in the hot service lights of the pit. In the bar William had looked awkward and uncomfortable. It was obvious to Jaimie that the boy lived for the races. She folded her arms and watched Tammy approach William. William broke off his conversation and visibly swallowed when he saw Tammy.  Jaimie was about to speak further to Jonathan when a tall man bumped into her and continued walking without even breaking stride.

Jaimie brushed her arms with annoyance and glared at the man. He continued to mutter into his phone, seemingly not even aware that he had collided with another person. Jonathan opened his mouth but Jaimie held up her hand wordlessly and began to follow the man, staying a few scant paces behind. The man took a furtive glance at William and nodded once before veering to the outside, brushing against a pretzel vendor on his way out.

Jonathan stood with his mouth hanging open as he watched his Captain stalk off, clearly intent on eavesdropping on the rude man in the dusty black leathers. He turned back to Tammy, only be even more dumbfounded as she giggled like a schoolgirl and reached inside her low-cut blouse to withdraw a baby-blue filmy scarf. She tied the scarf around William’s neck like a kerchief, talking animatedly the entire time. William simply watched Tammy’s motions like a man entranced, not even trying to match the flow of her chatter.

Jonathan waited idly at the edge of William’s service area, throughly ignored by everyone.   Tammy finished her flirtation with a final trilling laugh and a kiss on William’s hotly blushing cheek. She waved a farewall at the racer and slipped her arm inside Jonathan’s when she approached. “Come on Jonathan, I want to place a bet on my young suitor.” She frowned briefly as she realized Jaimie was nowhere to be found. “Where did Jaimie go?”

It was another ten minutes before Tammy found out where Jaimie had gone. Tammy and Jonathan had gone to place their bets and returned to their seats before her phone beeped. She pulled it from her waist and looked at the screen for a moment before frowning and shoving it at Jonathan.

“Found a problem. Put a thousand on young William for me. Will be back later - J.” was on the screen. Jonathan looked back at Tammy and shrugged. “I guess we’d better go make another bet.”

#

Jaimie in the meantime had begun stalking the man in the black leathers as soon as she overheard a fragment of his discussion. All she had heard was “the boy in red? That’s my target?” but it was enough for her to make a snap decision and begin to tail him. As she concentrated she made out a few more fragments “. . . Lap three . . . If winning . . . A clean shot”, but she heard enough to know the situation. This man was an assassin, hired to kill William if he was winning the race! She assumed this was ludicrous as any such murder would certainly invalidate the bets, but perhaps the motive was one of humiliation and revenge, not one of financial gain. In the press of the crowd it was easy for her to follow the assassin as he left the pit and headed towards the arena exit. She clucked her tongue in exasperation as she studied the man. Captain Arcolier made her living from impressions and theater. Some days she made more from the piracy and some days she made more from the real-life theater of piracy, and as such a professional she was almost offended by the stereotypical garb of the hireling.

“I mean . . . Really? Black leathers all around? Couldn’t find a sandwich board that said “Assassin for hire” to wear?” Jaimie muttered to herself. “It’s bloody ridiculous, that’s what it is.”

The hireling paused to purchase a sausage from a passing vendor and Jaimie took advantage of the time to send a quick message to Tammy. She also bought a ridiculous large floppy foam sombrero from another vendor, which she quickly donned to cover her face in deep shadow. It wasn’t much of a disguise, but it was the best she could arrange on short notice. She frowned as she realized the sniper was leaving the arena proper. Following him through the crush of the crowd was easy, especially since his black leathers stood out against the crowd of brightly-dressed racing fans. Outside the arena the crowd would be lighter and mostly moving opposite Jaimie and her target.

The man proved exceptionally easy to tail however, single-mindedly heading back to a small vehicle without ever seeming to check for observers. He pulled a long guitar case from the back seat of the vehicle and Jaimie had to work to suppress her snort of derision at the the obviousness of the case. “Who brings a guitar to hoverbike races anyway?” she muttered, half to herself and half to the omnipresent hoverdrone recording her motions.

#

“Where is she?” Tammy asked plaintively. “She’s going to miss the main race!” Tammy gestured down below where the bikes were already assembled in the starting pattern. It would only be a few more minutes before the drivers were announced and the race began. Jonathan shrugged helplessly at Tammy’s question and scanned the racetrack with a pair of binoculars.

The arena speakers crackled to life as the announcers called out the first driver who entered the track from a side door, grinning broadly and waving to the crowd. It was only a few more moments before all twelve racers were standing next to their bikes. Tammy screamed and blew a kiss as William was announced and he walked out to stand by his bike. He still wore her blue scarf like a kerchief. She clutched coquettishly at Jonathan’s arm and pointed at the scarf. “See! He’s wearing it!”

Jonathan snorted and gently disengaged his arm from Tammy’s grasp. “Of course he is. You’ve totally overpowered the boy.” He gestured at Tammy’s blouse sarcastically. “Don’t you think you brought cannons to a sparrow hunt here?”

Tammy smiled and crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing them upwards. “Why Jonathan! People might think you are jealous!”

Jonathan was about to retort but then the starting pistol fired and the race began. His focus instantly transferred to the track and the racers. Tammy frowned for a moment before turning herself to find William on the track and cheering her racer on.

#

Jaimie had a nervous moment when the man in black ran a security card through a reader and opened the door clearly marked “Staff Only”. He slunk inside and crept up the service stairwell. She paused and then decided if he hadn’t checked by now that he wasn’t likely to worry about observers. She found it amazing that he would be that arrogant, everything about his dress and attitude screaming “hired killer”, but she was willing to take whatever minor bonuses Fate saw fit to grant her. She darted forward and just caught the door with her fingertips. She waited for an agonizing moment, holding the door open in full view of anyone who might happen along before she dared to pull it open again. Cheers from the arena told her that the main race had begun as she slipped inside the stairwell and pushed the door closed with a soft “click”.

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Tags: Fiction, ThingAWeek, ShoreLeave, CaptainArcolier