The Consequences of Our Actions part 3

Jason threw his cards down, scooping up the earnings. He gave the two crewman. Vic and Charlie, a grin, before popping one of the round fried dough balls from the basket in the center of the table into his mouth. He loved paying poker with the two. Between the heavy beat of the music and the girls gyrating on stage, they couldn’t keep their heads together enough to make decent players. He scooped up the deck and began to deal again.

“Damn it Jason….but you know, I fink I’m right in asking whats up wiff the captain. I mean, he’s not right in the head and you know it…” Crewman Vic said “Is he just leading us all out to die in some insane quest for revenge or somfin? You’ve all seen how he acts when we go up against Amarrians.”

Gunnery Officer Gerard nodded slightly “It’s true…you have heard the rumors that he killed an Amarrian man here on station? The security forces say it was an accident but I’m not so sure” all three man scooped up their cards, Jason scowling slightly.

“Listen, both of you need to just shut your mouth. The captain pays good and he always pulls us through, right? So whats your problem?” he demanded, popping another dough ball into his mouth.

“It’s nuffin, I guess, I just don't want to end up ramming into Amarr Prime because the captains a loony is all.” Vic muttered

“Alright, that's enough. Come on, we need to leave anyway.” Jason said firmly, grabbing the cards up and slipping them into the deck pack. He tucked it away, leaving a chit on the table and tossing one up onto the stage, as he led the two men out. They stepped into the glaring lights of the stations red district, and began to walk down the slightly curved hall towards the center spire, the “docking pillar” as it was known.

Vic gave a sound of surprise “Oi, isn’t that the captain over there?” he said, pointing. Jason squinted a bit, looking at the figure. It looked like the captain, in a way. Same build, same height, but he was in the clothing of an Amarrian commoner. That wouldn’t make much sense. They all sort of scooted to the opposite side of the avenue as he walked by, hands in his pockets and head down. It was the captain, there was no doubt about it. Jason considered giving a shout, but instead kept his mouth shut, watching the bigger man go by. Huh. He’d never seen the captain off the ship before, and he’d expect this particular district to be the last place the man would go. He had a private thought about the captains “No Women” policy, but he kept it to himself.

He realized that Vic was tapping on his arm “Come on Jason, let’s hit another bar before we call it in, eh? We aint even got in a fight yet tonight.” Jason laughed and nodded, putting an arm around either mans shoulders “Can’t let you boys go a night without fighting, you might get soft on me.”

—-

A few hours later, Jason was wandering back through the red light district. The station ran on EST, so it was mostly empty now, and the night walkers were out. He knew he would be nursing a headache in the morning, both from the fight and the drink. It had been a fun fight, it least, and Vic had only broken a nose and lose a few teeth this time. Gerard had hauled him off to the medical bay while Jason had made a break to avoid the inevitable round of questions the authorities tended to start asking at such things. He was lurching along through a nicer part of the entertainment district when he noticed the captain emerging from a capsuleer tea house. Jason looked around blearily and snuck into the shadows of a nearby door, not wanting to risk his job on a drunken night out.

The captain paused and looked around, turning and speaking to someone in the doorway. An Amarrian woman, who must’ve been in her early forties, stepped out, and quietly took the captains hand, smiling up at him. From her bearing and the implants carefully concealed behind her hair, he knew she was a capsuleer, and probably a holder. She leaned up and gave the captain a light kiss on the cheek, and he saw the captain smile, which sobered him up tremendously, and the two walked hand in hand towards the central pillar. Before they got out of view he fumbled into his pocket, pulling out his pad and snapping off a quick picture of the twos faces.

Jason rubbed his eyes, wondering if it was just the drink. No, that had been to real, he thought in surprise. He stepped out of the doorway, suddenly feeling more alert “I think it’s time to really dig into the captains background…” He murmured to himself, heading in the direction of a friend.