Destiny's Annex

In retrospect, Matt decided, springing for the oxygen mask option would have been a good idea. The orbital re-entry portion of the cab ride was particularly harrowing under near-asphyxiation conditions.

But here he was, in front of Destiny's annex. A disco as it turns out. The long line of beings winding around the building promised a long  wait.

Mat decided to play the "Decoder Ring Card" and shoved his way to the front of the line, risking evaporation by lazer, anhilation by plasma and some really dirty looks.

"Hey Buddy" he addressed the bouncer, "I'm supposed to be in here. I have a Decoder Ring."

The Malthusian Grock Warrior stared down at him from his two and a half meter height. He gave Matt all kinds of time to regret all of the day's decisions before saying "You and everyone here sunshine. Get to the back of the line."

Matt looked back down the line, every being waved a decoder ring at him and some not wholly pleasant smirks.

Well, he thought, this was a complete bust.

He wanted to head straight home but, of course, you can't find a cab on this end of town when you need it!
from thesamim

"No. My name is RinBin."
Matt frowned at the non-sequitur. Then he remembered that Nibelanjers were notoriously literal minded.
"My apologies." he replied. "my meaning was to inquire whether you too had received a decoder ring?"
"I see. No I have not."
Hmmm.... was RinBin here to dance??? Really? "So.... what brings you here?" he asked.
"That cab brought me here."
Matt just barely stopped himself from smacking his forehead. "I meant, what is the reason for the visit to this establishment on this night?" he rephrased.
"I come in response to this invitation." RinBin held up a see-through strip of milar encrusted with what Matt assumed were Ninblanjer symbols.
Great, Ninjamblers get invitations, I get a decoder ring! "I do not read Ninjblanjerese. If it is not too forward, may I ask you what the invitation says?"
"It says nothing. It has no vocal apparatus."
Oh, this was going to be VERY frustrating. "Sorry I meant...." but the Ninjblanjer held up one of his six hands. There was a twinkle in his third eye.
"My apologies Decoder Ring. I merely jest. Attempting to employ human humor."
Matt grinned. A Ninjblanjer with a sense of humor. THAT was unusual!

"The invitation is a summons to this establishment employing a rather trite word play on the Ninjanblese meaning of Destiny."
"Ah. Somewhat similar to what I got then.... Must be somebody's idea of a joke."
"Apologies Decoder Ringer, but I think no joking is involved here. Do you see the Malthusian Grock Warrior at the door?"
"Yes. Had a brief conversation with him just now."
"Well, the cost of employing him nightly is roughly equivalent to the gross planetary product of some of the smaller colonies. To have him keep guard at this door implies significant commitment to the task."

Matt's stomach did a small flip.

from Wordlinger

Matt had run out of small talk.  He fidgeted with the decoder ring while constantly surveying the line up and down.  People continued to line up behind him, which in his mind, meant he wasn't the biggest loser out here tonight.
His new Nibelanjer friend watched him bounce in and out of the line, never stepping out far enough to actually lose his place.
"Mr. Decoder Ring ..."
"Matt, my name is Matt."
"Ah, much better, Matt, you seem to be a man of much action, but your action accomplishes nothing."
"That's me alright, you just met me and already you know me better than two ex-wives."
"Please explain why you are with the action?"
"I just bounce around when I'm nervous."
"I see.  I too am with much excitement."
"Oh yeah, I can tell, I mean, why are you so excited?"
"So many people all coming to same place for secret reason.  We see them go in, very slowly, but none come out.  Must be very good inside."
"But why the secrecy?  They give out secret coded instructions in cereal boxes, it sounds like a publicity stunt, but we get here and it's still a secret.  Where are the cameras?"
"I think we will know soon, we have moved forward five places already."
"Not soon enough for me.  I wonder what idiot came up with this gag?"
"I see many beings in line to go in.  Maybe it not a idiot that do this?"
"Just because we're bigger idiots does not exclude him from the club."
"You think I'm an idiot too?"
"You're standing in this line talking to me.  Don't you have something better to do?"
"No."
Matt waited for Rinbin to elaborate, but nothing came.  "No?  You have nothing else to do with your life?"
"Certainly.  I have many other things I could do, but nothing better than this."
"That's sad."
"Not sad.  My entire life has been planned out for me.  Everything has been exactly as it should.  I was expected to be exactly as I should.  I was not expected to be here."
"Wow, you're quite the rebel, aren't you?  Don't answer that."  Matt continued to pop out and check the length of the line both ahead and behind.  "I think, maybe you were right about one thing, you weren't expected to be here."
"I already said that."
"I know, I know.  But have you noticed, you are the only Nibelanjer in this line?"
"No, I wasn't looking."
"Well, I looked.  And, another thing, everyone else here has decoder rings.  Where did you say you got that invitation?"
"I did not say."
"Where did you get it?"
"It was served to me with my morning meal."
"Your morning meal?  Does your morning meal happen to come from the Allfoods Corporation?"
"I do not know, I don't go in the kitchen."
"Never?"
"Not ever."
"Why?"
"Why is not important."
"Who never goes to the kitchen?"
"Me."
"What if you want a water?"
"Someone brings it."
"You've never ever been in the kitchen and you're morning meal was served to you with an invitation to be here, and if you get thirsty, someone brings you water?  Who are you again?"
"I am Rinbin."
"Where does Rinbin live?"
"It is not important."
"Why are you the only Nibelanjer here?  Where do you live?"
"I'd rather not say." 
"Of course, more secrets.  Why would I expect anything else?"

from Ivory

Matt’s curiosity grew. “You say your life has been planned out for you. Who planned it?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“Does anyone know you are here?”
“You know I am here. Others in line know I am here.”
“Yeah, cut the crap. Does anyone from your home know you are here, beside yourself?”
“I do not cut crap.”
“You know what I mean. Tell me the truth. Does anyone from your home know you are here?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“Do they know you are gone? Or did you sneak out or something?”
“I cannot know what they know currently.”

from LitMOO

 

Ando Weir's lanky frame paced back and forth across the entrance to the club. He wrung his hands around his Grey skinned wrists, and expanded his overly large eyes as stretched his already thin neck trying to peer around the imposing Malthusian Grock warrior guarding the entrance. Loud music from the club permeated the entry way, filling their ears with a monotonous drum beat. Despite the din, Ando's edgy voice cut through the air and grated on the nerves. “Why is it taking so long?”

Dap Cord sat in a dark corner of the entrance. He was the mastermind hired to do the job. It was his idea to lure the target in with this grand opening. He calmly dealt out another hand of solitaire on a small desk and said in a deep soothing voice, “Because it's a good plan, and good plans take time to develop.”

“I still don't see why we don't just go out there and get him.”

“That's because you're a dim witted moron! Look out there and tell me what you see?”

“I see a bunch of saps standing in line for nothing, that's what I see.”

“How many?”

Ando stopped pacing long enough to make a rough count. “I dunno, maybe about three hundred.”

“You know what you call three hundred people standing in a line?”

“Uh...ummm...”

“It's not a riddle you imbecile! They're called witnesses! So, you'll just have to wait.”

Ando continued his pacing. “I don't think I can wait.”

“That's your problem right there. You need to pause between your sentences. You don't think. End of sentence, pause. You can wait. End of another sentence.”

“I don't think you're being very nice to me.”

“There you go again. You still don't think, and of course I'm being nice to you just because I haven't stapled your flapping lips shut yet, now have I?”

The Grock warrior glanced over his shoulders as if expecting an order to squash Ando.

Ando stopped pacing long enough to view the line through a pair of binoculars. “What do they want with him anyway? He doesn't look very remarkable to me.”

“I don't know, and I don't care. But, he looks remarkable to me, remarkably like half a million imperial credits that is.”

“Who's that guy he's talking too?”

“What do I look like to you? The information directory?”

“I'm just making conversation, you need to lighten up.”

“And I'm just looking for my stapler, so you need to shut it.”

“What about all these people? Why do we have to take them too?”

“Do you want the inter stellar police force putting all their considerable people to work hunting you down?”

“Ummm, isn't that exactly what they're going to do if we take all these people?”

“First, they'll have to interview all their families. Thats three hundred families with mothers and fathers and maybe some brothers and sisters. Then they will have to track down all these missing people, not just us. And these people will be going a lot of different directions for them to follow.”

“Hey, that's pretty smart! I like that!”

Dap shook his head and groaned from his corner, “I'm sooooo glad you approve.”

from Ivory

“Ando, you can tell the Grock to let another 30 or 40 in, if that will shut you up.” Dap waived his arm to dismiss Ando.

“Bout time. We’ll be here all night by the time the target gets inside.”

“Yeah, well patience. Bet you lose everything prematurely, don’t ya? Just go.”

Ando ambled toward the Grock, enjoying his moment of command. “Hey, let some come inside. 30 or 40 should do it.”

The Grock Warrior looked past Ando to Dap for confirmation.

from Wordlinger

 

The Grock Warrior unhooked the rope allowing the next group in. Matt and Rinbin dutifully filed forward into the club. The Grock stepped in front of Matt and said, “All full.”
“But I'm with him,” Matt explained, “can't you let us stay together?”
The Grock glanced over his shoulder and Rinbin nodded his concurrence. The Grock shrugged his shoulders and simply said, “Ok. You go.”
The Grock slammed the door shut behind Matt.
Matt turned sharply and objected, “Hey! What gives?”
Ando ushered the group in front of them through the next set of doors, then shut those doors as well.
Before Matt could renew his objections, the Grock warrior was all over him. He gripped Matt under the arms and lifted him into the air like he was a child.
Dap spoke into a small radio, “We got him, start up the transports.”
Nobody paid any attention to Rinbin. He quietly stepped behind the Grock warrior and unfurled four of his six arms. He placed the upper two on either side of the Grock's head. His third hand went over the Grock's upper heart, and his fourth covered the lower heart. Then, Rinbin started to sing.
Matt had no idea what he was singing about, the words were all gibberish to him, but the sound was beautiful. Rinbin's voice was slightly deep and sounded like a chorus of cellos. The Grock Warrior loosened his grip slightly and Matt managed to wriggle free. He started looking for the exit, but had to stop when he heard the a new voice behind him. He turned around and saw the Grock staring deeply into Rinbin's eyes. He was crying and singing in the sweetest tenor voice.
Matt was stunned, and started to say so when Dap threw a rope around him, pinning his arms to his chest.
With the Grock subdued, Rinbin turned to assist Matt, but Dap had already pushed him out of the room to the transports. Rinbin started searching for the exit but heard the transports lift off and knew he was too late.
He pressed his finger to his temple, activating the transceiver under his skin. “I was too slow. They have taken the outlander. Yes. Yes. Understood, I will pursue.”
The Grock Warrior put his arm around Rinbin and said, “It's ok. Everything will turn out just fine.”
Rinbin hoped it would be so, but could offer no response.
The Grock then excused himself saying, “I have to go call my mother.”

from Ivory

As the Grock’s eyes cleared, he realized that all the doors in the chamber were shut and he was alone with Rinbin. Dap and Ando were missing. “Hey, what?” he said.

“Aren’t you going to make that call?” Rinbin asked.

“What call?”

“Your mother.”

“Why would I call my mother?”

“My mistake. Where’s the exit?” asked Rinbin.

“Exit? I operate the entrance.”

“Can you open the entrance?”

“Yes.”

“Please open the entrance,” Rinbin said.

The Grock released the lock on the entrance, and a crowd swarmed in from the line.

Rinbin slipped out.

from LitMOO

   Matt's head swooned. He felt like his brain was spinning around inside his head, and the room rolled around beneath him. He thought he was going to throw up, but stopped himself when he realized a hood was over his head. He shook his head and discovered the floor really was moving beneath him, artificial gravity. He'd been snatched. As clarity returned to his mind, he realized he must have been drugged. He tried sitting up, but was still too wobbly.

   "Ah, Mr. Schuster," Dap said, "I see you are awake."

   Dap pulled the hood off of Matt's head. Matt blinked and closed his eyes till he could adjust to the light.

   "You gave us a pretty good chase, Schuster, but you'd be surprised what kind of information a little money can buy."

   Matt managed to finally pull himself upright and said, "You must have me mistaken for someone else."

   "Please don't tell me you want to carry on with this Matt whoever charade?"

   "I'm afraid I can't help you, Buddy."

   "Hmm. No matter. I'm just a collector. First I collect you, then I collect the reward for your capture."

   "You're really barking up the wrong tree."

   "No, I don't think so, but then, I don't really care." Dap patted Matt on the neck with a micro hypodermic swab and said, "Good night, Mr. Schuster, or whoever you think you are."

   Rinbin had raced from the nightclub to the spaceport. A fast single seater was warmed up and waiting for him. He kept his eyes on his handheld monitor, and followed Matt's departure. He didn't want to test the range of the marker he slipped into Matt's pocket and rocketed the small ship off the ground and on their tail as quickly as he could manage.
　

from Ivory

"You gave him too much" a hissy, low pitched voicesaid."I gave him the right amount, how was I supposed toknow he'd be so sensitive?"

Another brash voice bellowed."How do you not know he'smissing two livers? Everyone KNOWS the story of how he lost them.

"Matt's head was pounding, distinctively reminding himof a marching band walking across his forehead. Groggy, he tried to open hiseyes, but blinked them shut again; there was a blinding light shinning downfrom above and it pierced his retinas with cruelty. Matt felt cold all aroundhis body. He attempted to move an arm but it stayed at his side.

"One liver, three livers, what's the difference; wholoses a liver and doesn't get it replaced right away anyways?"

Shocked by the voice, Matt caught his breath. 'Great,' hethought 'I'm in an organ chop shop. That's what they were doing with all thosepeople. Put a ring in cereal, trick them into showing up thinking it's all funand games, then CHOP CHOP cut a few organs out, and bam, the next day there 300people wake up in ice filled bath tubs with "Go to doctor NOW" pinnedto their shirts. Typical.

"It doesn't matter, it's your problem," The hissyvoice remarked. Matt guessed from the deep, throaty sound that it was aDiberian, one of the less savory races, not unusual to see involved in shadydoings.

"I'm not waiting anymore for him to wake up. It's yourshift now, enjoy."

A door slammed and there was much grumbling. Footsteps andsuddenly Matt was being shaken. He grimaced but kept his eyes shut.

"Wake up you worthless glarfnock! You LIKE getting mein trouble don't you?"

Matt was still. He felt the unknown person set his limp bodydown again and breathed a slight sigh of relief. It was then that he got aswift punch in the stomach. Matt sat up with a wheeze and cough, eyes wideopen.

"Ha! I knew it, I saw you make a face, I saw you sigh,you faker!"

Matt turned and scowled, ready to come back at him with afist, but stopped dead cold.

from Aylce

Rinbin saw Matt's tracer enter into the thin atmosphere of Tau Pont, the fifth planet of the Tau Mega system.  He pulled his petite craft into orbit around Tau Pont's second moon and launched a small stealth probe into a synchronous orbit over Matt's reported position.
He held is finger to his temple and smoothly stated, "Voice encryption standard five, scramble code theta-theta-theta.  Connect network covert systems, sub-band delta epsilon."
The receiver in his head crackled for an instant then sprang to life, "Case authorization?"
"Three-three-zero-zero-zero-three."
"Authorization verified.  Code name Spider Bite.  Connecting..."
"Spider Bite?" he thought.  He's definitely going to have to file a grievance over this.
"This is Web Mother.  Report."
"Subject has been delivered to Tau Pont."
Rinbin could hear computer keys clicking.  "Thats too bad, we have no extradition agreements with Tau Pont.  How soon can you be back?"
"This is not acceptable.  I told you this was a bad idea.  He has no business being here.  You should have sent in a trained operative."
"And risk losing a valuable member of our team?  Besides, he volunteered."
"Your respect for life is truly deplorable, and he certainly did not volunteer."
"We just gave him the ring, we didn't force him to figure it out and go there.  Besides, we don't have anyone that looks like Schuster, and he's a dead ringer!"
"Perhaps you should not use the word 'dead'.  Do you not think they will notice he is human?"
"When will you be back?"
"Find out if we have allies that have extradition treaties with Tau Pont."
"That's a job for the diplomatic corp, we are just the inter galactic police.  When will you be back?"
"Is not our motto still 'To serve and protect?"
"When will you be back?"
"I did not think our motto meant to serve innocent bystanders on the silver platter!"
"WHEN WILL YOU BE BACK?!?"
"I do not know."
"What do you mean you don't know?  I want you coming straight home."
"I can not predict the inconsistencies of space travel.  I will be home when I am home."
"Come home now, that is an order."
"I must retrieve my probe, it is too valuable to leave behind."
"Very well, get your probe, then come home."
Rinbin clicked off the receiver.  He would get his probe, especially the probe he slipped into Matt's pocket.
from Ivory

 

Rinbin check the controls readying for an approach to Tau Pont. His hand paused. “They will certainly notice Matt is human,” he thought.

Clicking the receiver again, he heard the standard greeting and reentered his voice encryption data to log in.

“This is Web Mother. Report.”
“Where is the real Schuster now?”
“That’s classified. You know that. We discussed that before you began this mission.”
“Has he been moved recently? Are you sure he’s secure?”
“He’s secure. Now get your probe and get out of there. Why the questions?”
“Schuster has a sub dermal transponder. They will know if he’s exposed, so let’s expose him. Stop cloaking his signal.”
“What? Are you crazy? We’ve gone to a helluvalot of trouble to keep him safe. We’re not going to expose him. What are you drinking man?”
“I’m drinking pomegranate juice, but I don’t see the relevance.”
“Literal asshole,” Web Mother mumbled.
“We have to retrieve Matt. He’s not a trained operative. If you expose Schuster, they will wonder why they are receiving a homing signal. They will not know if they have the real Schuster or not. This will be my opportunity to extricate Matt.”
“Forget the stupid human. He’s expendable.”
“No. Expose Schuster under your watch. One hour should be long enough.”
“What makes you think they won’t kill Matt when they realize he’s not Schuster?”

from ruphass

Matt's head throbbed.  He wished they would stop drugging him.

"Ah, Schuster, I see you are awake again."

"I told you before, I never heard of this Schuster character."

"You're wasting your breath, besides, soon enough, you can explain it to the boss."

"Who's the boss?"

"He's the man who put a bounty on your head, that's all I need to know."

A lively tune started to play from Dap's hip.  He pulled out an old fashioned phone and said, "Hello?  Uh-huh, got him right here for you."

"What museum did you get that from?"Dap closed the clam shell and admired it for a moment.  "I won this in a card game.  It's quite rare, they tell me.  Good news, Schuster, they're here.  You'll be gone and I'll be paid."

"I hope they pay you enough to get the matching hand bag that goes with that thing."

Dap ignored Matt and opened the hatch to admit his guests.

A short man entered the room and said, "I'm Dr. Belkin.  I'll be examining him to be sure he is who you say he is."  Belkin walked up to Matt and ran a scanner over his temple.  

A voice from the scanner said, "Amand Schuster, President ..."  Belkin shutoff the scanner, uninterested in the rest of the report.

Belkin tossed a zippered pouch to Dap and lifted Matt onto his feet.

Dap peeked inside the pouch and said, "A pleasure doing business with you."

Belkin led Matt to the hatch but stopped when he was contacted by his boss.

"Belkin, get out of there it's a trap.  Schuster's transponder was just identified half way across the galaxy."

"Nonsense," he said, "his transponder checked out."  Belkin pressed his head to Matt's chest and listened.

Matt knew Belkin was only going to hear one heart, so he bolted towards the exit, but was intercepted when Rinbin materialized into the cabin and grabbed Matt, then transported him back to his ship in orbit.

Matt's head had barely had time to shake off the effects of the drugs, being transported was worse.

Rinbin sprang to the controls and pointed the ship back home.

Matt was furious.  He started yelling at Rinbin, "You stupid son of a bitch!  What the hell are you doing here?  Do you know how long I spent setting that up?  I even had you guys fooled into thinking it was your idea!  Do you realize how close I was to meeting the boss?  Thank you for ruining a year of work!"

Rinbin was flumoxed.  His gaze bounced back and forth from one eye to the other. 

"Well?  What do you have to say for yourself?"

"You're welcome?"
from Ivory

"Look pal, I don't know who you really are, but you're not Schuster."
"And you don't need to know who I am.  I spent months setting this sting up, and all you had to do was follow protocol."
"If you were from an another agency, you could have just approached us for help, but you didn't, so you must be just another cowboy criminal."
"And you're just a bleeping bureaucrat who is sleeping with his secretary and lets state secrets slip out in his sleep."
"How did you..."
Matt growled, "Hang up on him!"
Rinbin disconnected the call and said, "I don't think they sleep."
"I know what they do, how do you think I learned about your operation?"
Matt sat in a corner sulking.  His mission was a shambles.
"Matt?  You are not wearing your jacket."
Matt scowled at him, "So what?"
Rinbin was watching the tracer on his monitor.  "Your jacket is leaving this system at high speed.  Perhaps we should follow it?"


from Ivory

"No need, Nibelanjer. I know where they're going.""But my probe. I must retrieve it." "So that's how you found me. I should have found it. The drugs I guess.""Yes. I must retrieve it." "No. That's what they are counting on. They've found the probe by now. It will be a trap. Why else would it be moving. Ando's not wearing my jacket as a fashion statement ya know." "He seemed to be fashionable to me." "Knock it off, Mr. Literal. Keep an eye on that tracker and let me know where it goes. Good to know where they WANT us to be. But we're going to the Gamma Galaxy." from ruphass

The communicator in Rinbin's temple throbbed, and when he didn't answer, it emitted an audible buzz.
Matt put down the maps he was studying and looked at his new friend.  Rinbin tried looking as if he was unaware that the buzzing originated under his skin, but his species was not very adept at that sort of deception.  He paced the small craft and tried to look like he was focused on something else, anything else.
Matt couldn't help smiling at Rinbin's new found larceny.  "Aren't you going to get that?"
"Get what?"
Matt simply pointed to his temple.
"Oh, this?  I already have it.  I have no need to get it."
"Are you going to answer it?"
"No, I don't think I will."
"It could be your boss."
"It most certainly is."
"He may be angry if you ignore him."
"Probably."  Rinbin continued to pace the room while ringing several of his hands.
"He might have new orders for you."
Rinbin stopped pacing and blurted out, "What do I call you?  I assume you are not Matt, and you surely are not Schuster."
"I don't suppose you'd want to go back to Mr. Decoder Ring?"
Rinbin looked puzzled.  "That is a joke?  If I am going to risk my career on your plan to go to the Gamma Galaxy, then I think I deserve to know who you are."
"If you feel..."
"And what your business is."
"As I was saying..."
"And why you felt it necessary to trick us into helping you."
"If you'll let me..."
"And please tell me this is not some vendetta, or anything against the law."
"Cooper," Matt spat out his name before Rinbin could interrupt him again, "Special Agent Matt Cooper."
"I knew it!  At least, I hoped it very strongly."
"Listen, Rin, if I didn't tell you before..."
"My name is Rinbin.  Rin is a girls name."
"Sorry, Rinbin, thank you for saving my life."
"You are welcome.  Even though they ordered me to leave you here to die, my instincts told me not to leave you alone in their clutches."
"I meant before, at the club, when you freed me from the Grock Warrior.  I wanted to be in their clutches.  That was my plan all along."
"Then maybe you should follow your jacket after all.  They will surely lay a trap for you."
"But they will know I'm not Schuster by now, so they'll never reveal why they want him in the first place."
"So that is why you are here?  To find out what Schuster knows?"
Matt nodded his head and tossed the map he was holding onto a pile of charts.  "Or maybe something he has, we don't know why they want him."
"Why don't you ask Schuster?"
"He's not talking."  Matt slid his finger across his throat indicating that Schuster had met with his demise.
"Do you know who else has the answers you seek?"
"Just the big boss, but we don't know who he is, exactly.  And now that they know I'm not Schuster, I doubt he'll ask me himself."
"Matt, remember what I did with the Grock Warrior?  If you find this boss man, I can make him reveal this to you."
Matt's spirit perked up.  He cracked a small smile, which slowly widened into a full blown grin.
Rinbin offered one of his hands and asked, "Partners?"
Matt nodded enthusiastically.  "Partners!"
They shook hands and Rinbin climbed into the pilots seat.
from Ivory

   "Matt, how did your features come to resemble Schuster's?   Was it a painful process?"
   "Not for me.  Schuster is the one who had the surgery."

   "Ah, so that must be why you are taking it so personally.  Then they must know it was you that impersonated Schuster."

   "No, that's not what I am taking it so personally, after Schuster's surgery, they had me killed."

   Rinbin's eye's grew even larger and rounder.  He tilted his head and said, "You look very good for a dead person."

   "Thanks, Rinbin.  You should have seen it.  They blew me into a million pieces.  There was nothing left to identify the body.  It was lucky for me that I had intercepted an encrypted communique ordering the hit."

   "Who would go to such elaborate efforts to impersonate you?  And why you?"

   "Information.  Schuster must have wanted some information and I must have had access to it."

   "That would mean infiltrating secure systems.  That is a very daring undertaking."
   "He had help.  Someone on the inside."

   Rinbin slammed the controls to the side throwing Matt against the side of his seat.
   "Watch those course corrections, I bruise easily."
   "My apologies, Matt.  The inside person you speak of..."

   Matt waited for Rinbin to continue, and when he didn't, Matt went back to his story.  "So, after they killed me, and after Schuster got whatever he was after, someone killed Schuster, only he didn't know that Schuster had enemies who had figured out what he was up to.  That's when he found someone who looked like me, for them to capture in Schuster's place."

   "There could not have been enough time to surgically alter someone to look like you."
   "No, they found someone who already looked like me.  Someone who believed he was doing an official service for..."

   Rinbin interrupted, "For the inside person.  For the police.  For my superiors."
   "Yep.  Your boss.  The same bastard that makes your life hell."
   "And the man they found who looks like you?"
   "My brother."
   "So that is why you are taking it so personally."
   "Yes.  That is why I am taking it so personally.  Your boss wanted to sacrifice my brother so he could sell Schuster's information."

   "Is your brother ok?"
   "He's hiding.  He was a bit surprised to see me, but he's ok.  So Rinbin, I have a question for you."

   "Anything, Matt."
   "Where are we heading, if not back to Gamma Galaxy?"
   "If my boss is the inside man, I thought maybe we should change vehicles."
from Ivory

Belkin closed the comm unit. I don’t know how they know I’m going to Destiny’s Annex, but they can’t know that I’ll be expecting them.  He landed his small craft and taxied into a hangar where it would be out of sight.He left the gear that he’d brought with him from Tau Pont in the rear of the ship and hurried to Destiny’s Annex.

The place was deserted. The hundreds of beings who had been invited to the hoax were gone, either by way of decoy ships arranged by Dap or of their own means. He entered through an unmarked door at the rear and descended a narrow stairwell. At the bottom he turned left, opened a beat-up wooden door and entered. The subterranean lobby was a brightly lit, sterile antechamber. He placed his hand on a scan screen and said, “ Boomerang.” The adjacent metal vault door opened. Inside, lab techs moved about purposefully. The huge tank o fviscous blue liquid dominated the cavernous chamber.

“Belkin, what kept you? Do you have it?” A Nibelanjer approached him.

“No, I—“

The Nibelanjer produced a hypodermic from his lab coat pocket and stabbed it into Belkin’s neck. “Dispose of this waste.” He waved at two workers nearby. 

from sweemzot

   Rinbin guided the small craft into Hommel Alpha 5, known for the exquisite beauty of it's rings and the unrivaled ruthlessness of it's inhabitants.  It has little in the way of native species, and absolutely no native sentient beings, and as such, has been an ideal location for the galaxies criminal element.  It was home to cutthroats, assassins and pirates.  And one of those pirates owes Rinbin a life debt.  Despite the dangerous nature of it's pioneers, Hommel Alpha 5 survived by way of it's code, a code of honor, and it defended it's code with unabashed fervor.

   Upon approach, Rinbin was immediately greeted with a warning to turn away in the most unkind language.  Matt perked up an eyebrow after hearing the threat of immediate disintegration if they do not turn around, but Rinbin calmly cleared his throat, pressed his finger to the communicator in his temple and said, "A pink and silver serpent finds rainbows of many hues exquisitely royal."

   Matt started to ask, "What the..." but Rinbin raised three of his six arms to indicate this was not the time for questions.  Rinbin clicked his temple to put the receiver in speaker mode.  

   "Whoever you are," a voice said, "You are violating our sovereign space.  You have been warned.  Turn around now, before my pateince runs out."

   Rinbin repeated his code, "A pink and silver serpent finds rainbows of many hues exquisitely royal."

   "Yes, yes, I heard your giberish the first time.  This is an official channel, and you have no business here."

   "A debt unsettled is a heavy burden.  A life debt is a debt for life."

   "Who is this?  Quoting the Code of Arvan won't grant you access."

   "I have given you the royal code, why do you persist in detaining me?"

   "You'll give me your name or I'll persist in blowing you out of this existence!"

   "I am Rinbin, an acquaintance of Madam Arvan.  I believe you've heard of her, and I doubt she will take kindly to the way you treat her friends."

   "What?  You really expect me to believe you are friends with Lady Arvan?"

   "What penalty falls upon those who displease Madam, excuse me, Lady Arvan?  I believe there is only one penalty, so it should be easy for you to deduce."

   Matt and Rinbin could hear the muffled sounds of someone on the other end talking over another comm line.

   "Forgive me sir, you may pass.  Please proceed to the coordinates I've sent to your nav computer."

   Rinbin put the craft in auto pilot and was guided to a grand estate nestled in a large mountain range.  Matt decided to keep quiet and follow his friends lead.  After the craft landed, they were led to a grand ballroom where their host had already set a fine assortment of hors d'oeuvres.

   A woman's voice yelled out, "R.B.!"  

   Matt cocked his head and mouthed the question, "Arby?"

   Rinbin ignored him and approached the woman, who was reclining in a luxurious chair covered in thick soft furs.  He stopped before her and bowed low, his arms flailing and crossing every which way.  "Lady Arvan, it is good to see you."

   "Oh, stop that."  She said.  She jumped out of the chair and flung herself into his arms to hug him.

   Matt's jaw dropped.  She was stunning, absolutely stunning, and she was also the most notorious pirate in the known galaxy."

   The hug ran it's course and she stepped back and peered around him.  "So, you bring another cop to my most secret hiding place?"

   "Your hiding place is not so secret as you think."

   An aide ran into the room and whispered in her ear.  "What is this R.B.?  I think I would have preferred that he were a cop."

   "Oh he is, I assure you."

   "That's not what my people say.   They say he is that no good, no account liar, Shuster."

   "I think if your people dig a little deeper, they will find Schuster changed his appearance to impersonate a cop."  Rinbin pointed four of his arms at Matt.  "Lady Arvin, I would like you to meet my friend, Matt Cooper.  Special agent Matt Cooper.  I owe him my life."

   "A life debt?  Well we certainly have a lot of those in one room at one time."  She whispered back to her aide and sent him off to check his facts, but he whispered back that they had already uncovered that he had altered his appearance.

   She stepped around Rinbin to face Matt more directly.  "I am wondering, if what you say is true, why Schuster would want to impersonate you, other than the obvious choice of ruggedly handsome good looks."

   Matt blushed and said, "I'm wondering that too.  In fact, that's how Rin-, I mean Arby and I met.  I was impersonating Schuster to uncover what it was he stole from my files."

   Lady Arvan, motioned to her aide and he disappeared through a side door.  She turned to Rinbin and gently cupped her hand around his ear, "So this is why you came to me?  Because you wanted information for your friend?  And because you owe him a life debt, and I owe you a life debt, you thought I should help him?"

   "Well actually, I just wanted an unregistered ship."

   "But," Matt said, "I would really appreciate your help.  Really."

   "Oh, R.B., you have been away for so long, and you never write, you never visit."

   "Lady Arvan, your people wanted to blow me to smithereens, even after I gave them the  pass phrase."

   "But didn't you ever try to visit?  Didn't you even want to see me?"

   "You know I'm married."

   "Why must you bring that up?"

   "But, Matt is not married."

   Matt's eyes broadened and his heart skipped a beat as a cold sweat encompassed his whole body.  So much for a life debt.

from Ivory

The workers in the subterranean lab approached Belkin’s blood-spewing body. “Rinbin, could you give us some warning next time? Or use an injectable? I’m tired of cleaning up blood. A little tidiness wouldn’t hurt,” Dap said.

“Stop talking to me like I’m my OCD brother, Reesborg. He never leaves a mess, now does he?” Rinbin replied. “And if he doesn’t finish the mission with Lady Arvan, you won’t have to clean up any more messes. You’ll be the bloody mess, Mr. Mastermind. Your plans have failed at every turn, Dap.Two hours. You have two hours, then we finish the job my way.” 

from sweemzot

Matt woke from his dream in abject terror.  Rinbin wasn't who he said he was.  He put his faith and his very life into the hands of a fraud, and called him friend.  Matt breathed in deep gulps of air to calm himself.  As the terror subsided, he became acutely aware that he was in a big overstuffed bed wrapped in thick soft furs.  He sat up and tried to blink the sleep from his eyes.  His head hurt.  Had he been drugged again?
 "Good morning darling." 

Matt's terror returned as he recognized the voice of the notorious Lady Arvan. 

"Am I ... did we ..." 

"Relax sweetie, I never take advantage of a sleeping man." 

Matt's relief was tempered by his trust in the dubious nature of her honor.  "My head hurts, did you drug me?" 

"You think I need drugs to get a man into my bed?" 

"No, I think you would use guns."
 She couldn't argue that. 

"If you didn't drug me, then it was RinBin.  He fooled us all!"

submitted by Ivory

from skipper

"No, darling, it wasn't R.B., you were targeted by these lobe inducers we found.  Schuster had many enemies, including me.  I don't know what he stole from your files, but we think it was destroyed, leaving you the only one with the information and they want it."
"So this lobe inducer scans my brain and tells them what I know?"
"No, the lobe inducer plants false memories into your brain to break the trust between you and R.B.  Their hope is to catch you alone.  Their extraction methods are even less pleasant than the lobe inducer."
Matt carefully wrapped the skins around his waist as he climbed out of the bed.
Lady Arvan was disappointed to see such modesty.  "I think it's all very funny.  You chase Shuster to learn what he learned that you know, and his friends are chasing you to find out what Schuster knew that you forgot."
"Very funny, only you left out the part about the crooked cops sitting on my files.  They already know everything I know, so why would they still be after me?"
"Because they don't know what Schuster stole from you.  There's a gap in your files that they want."
"Great, I just need to sneak under the noses of some very crooked cops, and peek into my own files."
"First you get dressed.  Fresh clothes are in that closet over there."  She pointed to the double doors that opened into a walk-in closet larger than Matt's apartment.  "Then you eat.  After that, we'll go look at your files."
"Wait!  I was only kidding!"  But, he was too late, she had already left the bedroom.
The closet was filled with men's clothes of every size, and more than one species.  He found a rack that was his size and tried not looking like a pirate or a thief.  When he left the bedroom, an aide stationed outside the door directed him to breakfast.
Rinbin was already at breakfast.  

Matt seated himself and was served a variety of root vegetables mixed with various sausages and sweet cakes.  He was as surprised by his own hunger as he was by the deliciousness of the meal.  As he was scraping the last scrap of sweet cake through the last remains of the gravy on his plate.  Rinbin sat across from Matt waiting silently for him to finish.
"Something on your mind Arby?"
Rinbin squirmed in his chair, then stiffened and said, "I am learning the affectionate nature of your kind, specifically the way you are prone to tease, but such nick names are the exclusive domain of females, and tend to be of a very sexual nature.  I would prefer you call me Rinbin."
Matts cheeks warmed.  He cleared his throat and asked, "Sexual?"
Rinbin solemnly nodded his head.  "If you are finished with your meal, perhaps we should go   examine your files."
"Whoa, no way.  I'm not breaking in to get my own files!  I'd end up in a shootout with my own people."
"There is no need.  Lady Arvan has brought them here."
"Here?  How?"

submitted by Ivory

from FirstMate

"She is an extraordinary thief, and she has many renowned thieves in her employ."
Matt followed Rinbin to the den where they had his files laid out for him.  They were sorted chronologically which made it easy for Matt to run through matching up with the way he remembered the cases.  He ran through the files then shrugged his shoulders, "They're all here.  Whatever they are after, must be in those other files when I was loaned out to military intelligence."
Everyone at the table groaned.  Lady Arvan left the table to huddle with her people.  Matt grabbed two of Rinbin's hands and placed them on his temples and nodded.  Rinbin hummed silently and heard Matt's thoughts.  "Lady Arvan is too interested, and it was too easy for her to get my files here.  We need to get out of here."
Rinbin stood and announced, "Lady Arvan, before you try to breach military security, I think Matt and I should simply waltz in there and request a look at his files.  If we fail, then we should have served as a diversion for whatever you have planned."
Lady Arvan didn't want them out of her control.  "I like that idea, but I think I should go with you, in case something goes wrong and you need to escape."
Matt said, "Two cops and a pirate go into a bank.  The first cop tells the bank manager to act normal.  The second cop also tells the bank manager to act normal.  The pirate looks the bank manager in the eye and asks, "Is this really how you normally act when two cops and a pirate come into your bank?"
Lady Arvan blinked at Matt, waiting for an explanation.
"I think," Rinbin said, "that Matt is merely pointing out that two cops and a pirate don't belong together."
"Why didn't you say so?"
Matt just shrugged.
Lady Arvan had no adequate excuse to accompany them, so she let them go.  She felt confident that she could always catch them again.

submitted by Ivory

from skipper