Pandora's Chase

Chapter Twenty-Two

Cael stepped on the ID plaque on the floor by the wall, and a small compartment in the wall opened, revealing a keypad. He keyed in a long code and spoke his name. A moment passed, and then the wall blocking off the club lifted into the ceiling, exposing the main entrance. Cael led Chase inside where there were the last of the workers cleaning and closing up from the night before. The door hissed closed behind.

"Cael," a man said as he approached.

Cael motioned to the man slightly with his arm still holding papers, "My manager."

"Jorno," Cael said, "how was last night?"

"Good, good. We had an excellent evening. The music was great and the sales broke the average."

"Okay, good, thank you. We're going to have a seat over there, don't mind us."

"No problem, sir. We're almost done here, maybe five minutes before we leave. Would you like something to drink?"

"Water would be fine, thanks." Cael said as he motioned for Chase to take a seat with him in a nearby booth.

Chase couldn't help but look around. He would call the décor old-fashioned on Earth; on the Moon, it seemed distinctly out of place. Beautiful. Deep mahogany wood formed booths with columns reaching to the ceiling. The same wood topped each table and the main bar, polished so well you could see your own reflection. Auburn tapestries hung on the walls, complementing the booths below them. The whole place sang of immense wealth, and Chase eyed Cael, wondering just how rich the man was.

Chase resisted his desire to give an impressed whistle and said, "Your place is nice!"

As Chase sat down, soft music began to play from speakers that must have been hidden in the walls of the booth. Cael sank onto the opposite side of the booth, directly across from Chase. For a moment, they sat there in silence, before Cael cleared his throat.

"So, Chase, your father was pretty good to me back in the day. I suspect you're here to collect on one of the numerous favors I owe him. Right?"

Chase looked at him. Numerous favors.

"Let me be clear. I hold no illusions about my debt to Leo--I'd still be in prison if he hadn't advocated to reduce my penalties. Even so, two decades is a long time to hold onto the willingness to do a favor, especially considering that it was Leo who arrested me in the first place."

"I understand, but the favor shouldn't be too hard. Based on what Leo told me about you anyway."

"I see. I hope he didn't tell you too much," Cael said. We haven't seen each other in a long time. A lot has changed since then. What is it you need?"

"Well, unfortunately, we're having a bit of a family emergency, and we need your help for some travel-related stuff."

"We?" Cael asked and glanced around, as if he was expecting Leo to pop out of the shadows.

"My father was planning on coming along, too, but he was detained at the last minute, so I had to come alone." Chase tried to infuse as much meaning in his tone as he could, to signify that Leo was in a startlingly similar situation to the one Cael had experienced in the past. He hoped this might soften the man up, make him more likely to help.

"Detained," Cael said curiously. "All right, go on. I'll see if I can help you, but be aware that I'm not risking this"--he gestured to the club around them--"for anything. I'm grateful for what your father did, kid, but not enough to throw my new life away."

Jorno came over and delivered water to each of them, placing a tall glass each on a coaster. Chase immediately took a drink.

"I understand," Chase replied. "I don't need that much. Honestly. All I want is a good pilot and a crew willing to take me somewhere."

"That's it? Well, that's no problem at all. Just head down to--"

"No!" Chase interrupted. "I need a good crew that I can trust. I don't have time to try and find one myself. A lot of people's lives depend on it and my father said you could help with that."

"What kind of family emergency is this?" Cael asked. "Where do you need to go?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but the less you know the better," Chase said sternly, trying to mimic his father's style of negotiating. "Where I'm going isn't exactly clear yet. That's why I need a good pilot."

"If you don't know where you're going, then it doesn't matter what kind of pilot you have," Cael insisted.

Chase was beginning to feel a bit out of his element as the conversation went on. A piece of him had hoped the fighting skill he'd experienced at home would somehow manifest into something resembling decent negotiating skills. But it wasn't working.

Cael continued to push back, and Chase became more flustered. He finally decided to let Cael in on part of his secret. "I have a map," he said. "It points in the direction I need to go."

Cael took a drink of his water and set his glass back on the coaster. "What's at this mystery place you need to get to?"

"My brother, and that's all I can tell you." Chase was nervous about telling the man so much, and he hoped it didn't come back to bite either of them in the future.

"I see," said Cael. "How much can you afford?"

"Not much. I need bottom dollar," replied Chase.

"Doesn't your father have friends left in IPAC to help him out?"

Chase knew he was actually asking if IPAC was involved and whether anyone was getting arrested. Money wasn't the question here. "No, he left that life a long time ago. In fact, I'd like to stay as far away from IPAC as possible."

Cael shot Chase a suspicious look, taking the hint about Chase's need to stay clear of IPAC, and then said, "Okay. I've heard of a crew currently in the docks that might be able to help you. I can meet with them and feel them out, if you'd like."

"That's all I'm asking," replied Chase.

"All right. I'll head down there later this afternoon. No one will be at the docks this time of day, and I have a few administrative things I need to finish up here first."

"That sounds great! Thank you," said Chase, relieved. "In the meantime, is there some place I can rest? Maybe get cleaned up?"

Cael chuckled and shook his head. "Sure, kid. You can hang out at my pad until you're ready to go. Just give me a minute and I'll take you there."

Cael rose, grabbed the papers he'd been carrying around earlier, and disappeared into what seemed to be a back office behind the bar. Chase sat alone in the booth for a few minutes, observing the club in awe.

"If this is what his club looks like, I wonder what his place is going to be like," he whispered to himself.

It had been several minutes before Cael returned from the back. He was finishing up a phone call and placed the phone in his pocket. "I'll be busy for the next couple hours so I should take you to my place now."

"Oh alright, are you sure I'm not putting you out?" Chase asked, exiting the booth and swinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"No, no. I'm fine. Lots to do here."

Cael ushered Chase out of the club and showed him the way to his place.