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Big Hit: Btech Style, The
Setting up an assassination in the Battletech universe.
by William Pora |
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Solaris City, Rahneshire
Solaris, Lyran Alliance
December 8th, 3058
From dusk until middlenight Solaris City could boast a nightlife better than all the capital worlds of the Inner Sphere combined. Every pleasure known to man no matter how illicit could be found in Solaris City for the right price. After middlenight though, the tempo of the city slowed dramatically and only the die hard party animals roamed the streets, with one exception. Bernard Hughes walked the dark silent streets of downtown Solaris City this night. His party days were long past him, however tonight he played the part of an adventurous tourist looking for some off the beaten path fun. Bernard was looking for a specific party. He found it in one of the more squalid neighborhoods. Tourists never came to this part of town, not even the adventurous types. Only locals came here.
Guido Alfonze, the private eye Bernard had hired, had given him this address as a likely starting point. Normally Bernard would have dispatched a half dozen detectives from reputable detective firms to look for Oswald, but on Solaris only a crook could find someone in the local mob, and Guido Alfonze was such a crook. After seeing the bill Guido had prepared Bernard was sure Guido was a crook.
The address turned out to be a cabaret called The Blue Wasp. The blue neon outline of a Wasp mech lit up the doorway. He went in and took a table near the back. On stage a hairy legged transvestite was singing a mellow jazzy song in German. A mellow crowd was spread out around the main stage quietly listening. Bernard thought it bizarre, but he was here to catch a different sort of show. At a nearby table sat a fat, porky man drinking champagne and talking with one of the waitresses. He was obviously a regular as he joked with several of the waitresses and harassed some of the prettier ones, yet the bouncers nearby didn’t pay him any attention.
An hour passed and Bernard was getting bored with the place. He was starting to think that Guido had cheated him when the back door opened and a tall man dressed in a dark tuxedo walked in. The fat man saw him and his eyes bulged with fear. The little waitress sitting with fat man sensed trouble coming and scurried off. The new man sat next to Porky, as Bernard had now tagged him, and said nothing. Bernard could see Porky sweating from ten meters away. Oswald had arrived.
For a few more moments no one said or did anything. Then Oswald casually poured himself some champagne from Porky’s bottle and tasted it. His face soured at the taste of it and he dropped it into Porky’s lap. Oswald said some things to Porky which Bernard couldn’t hear from his table. Bernard wondered if Oswald knew Porky was reaching for a knife in his boot with his free hand. Oswald laughed and then shook his head slowly. Porky stopped reaching for the knife.
“Damn he’s good.” Thought Bernard.
Porky began protesting, excitedly trying to explain something.
Oswald whispered something back and Porky leaned back looking paler. He reached in his pocket for a pen, and wrote something down on a napkin. Oswald accepted the napkin, and Porky quickly left the bar.
Oswald hailed a waitress ordered a new bottle of champagne, and watched the new act on stage. A pretty red head wearing a blue dress was sitting on a stool singing a sad slow love song. Oswald waved at her and she returned him a fast sly smile.
Bernard decided it was time to move. He casually went over and sat down in the empty chair next to Oswald. Neither man said anything until the waitress arrived. Oswald paid for the bottle and gave the waitress a handsome tip. He poured two glasses and offered one to Bernard.
“Does the Order have nothing better to do than to hound me all the time.”
“Guido?”
“Yes, He came to me the day he received your message. I told him to go ahead and tell you where I was.”
“That confident are you?”
“Yes.”
“Well it’s not for that this time. I’m only relaying a message to you.”
Oswald took out a black cigarette case with a diamond on the back. He took out a cigarette and lit it. After a puff he continued.
“More come back or we’ll kill you messages? No thanks I’ve better things to do these days.”
Both men clapped as the singer finished her song. The transvestite came back out again and began singing.
“This is a.... unique lifestyle. Quite a comedown though from Princess killer, or revolutionary leader.”
Oswald grinned.
“It’s not the money or prestige, it’s the perks. Though the money’s not as bad as you’d imagine. Lots of parties, lots of women, fast cars, easy work. Being an enforcer for the Solaris mob isn’t difficult. No secrecy rules, no paramilitary training all the time, no monastic lifestyle, and few guidelines. You just lean on your mark, collect what’s owed, and enforce the patron’s law if what’s owed can’t be collected, the rest of the time you party.”
The little redhead that had been singing on stage came to the table. Oswald got up and was apparently leaving. Bernard fished in his coat pocket for the letter.
“Well, I think we have something worthy of your attention. Look this over, and if you’re interested, I’m sure you’ll be able to find me.”
Oswald looked at the letter then finally took it. He put his arm around the redhead and left the cabaret.
Bernard finished his champagne. The transvestite on stage winked at him, and Bernard decided it was time to leave. |
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