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PREVIOUSLY: Rue and Val have traded WHISPER'S fighter ships for a slick new transport, while they wait they wait for guns to be installed they shop for supplies, meanwhile Red Klaw and his men close in on them...
Rue guides Val through the outskirts of The Market. They are well below the transparent domes that keep out Baralland's raging storms, but plenty of natural light trickles down to the dirty streets. Two and three story buildings are carved out of the indigenous brown stone, they form the bulk of the "city". The space between the buildings is crammed with tents and vendor's booths offering everything from food and weapons, to slaves and exotic animals.
Val has to struggle to keep his jaw from falling open at some of the things people try to sell him. Rue steers him around the pushers, through the maze of sleazy stalls. Then they come around a corner and find themselves at the edge of what looks like any respectable market on any other planet.
Val is a little surprised, but this is exactly what he needs. "Now we're talking, let's buy some supplies!"
"You sure? It's your money, you earned it, you don't have to spend it on our supplies." Rue reminds him.
"You bet your ass I earned it! And now I'm using my hard earned cash to stock my sweet new hide out!" Val grins, he is already pulling a slick new leather jacket off the rack to try it on. Rue laughs and slaps him on the back.
Much deeper in the city, Herrick and his gang of thugs spill out of their favorite bar, half drunk and fully juiced up; they are eager for a fight. Laurine has given them a detailed description of Val and Rue, now they spread out into the city to find the pirates.
Herrick and his crew are a motley bunch of power junkies. They all have a grotesque array of implants and enhancements to increase their physical prowess. Red Klaw, with his state-of-the-art, razor sharp, fully articulate fingers, and top-of-the-line infrared vision, is an idol to them. They are all anxious to earn his favor. When they pour out of the bar, the locals scatter.
Unfortunately for Herrick and company, Rue and Val make short work of their shopping. They pack Kross's beat up old transport with a cart load of supplies and are long gone from The Market by the time Herrick and his goons roll through.
As they break out of the planet's atmosphere, they use the com bracelets they found on WHISPER'S bridge to call Garr, Fay and May. Garr and the girls are thrilled to hear how well the trip went.
Val flies close to the edge of the planet's atmosphere, both he and Rue scan the horizon for any sign of WHISPER. He tries every scan this old heap has to offer, but there is nothing.
"Hey, ah, you guys think you can gimme' some coordinates? We've got no sign of you on our scanner!" Val finally asks into his com.
"Sure," May's silky voice comes through the com. "We're also opening the cargo bay door, that should help."
The moment the cargo bay doors start to open, Laurine knows something's up. She pulls her ship back away from WHISPER. When she sees the old heap of a ship they're flying, she understands immediately. They left WHISPER with two brand new fighter ships, this must be a loner ship to use while they wait for something else. This is very good, it will give Red Klaw plenty of time to arrive.
She makes a quick call to Herrick, "They're back at the ship," She tells him, "It looks like they've been shopping for a new ship, any idea where?"
"Yeah, there's a couple of places." He answers.
"Get some men out there to wait for them, maybe we can catch them on the ground." She orders.
Herrick just grunts at her and cuts the transmission. Laurine smiles, she knows Herrick hates taking orders from her, but with Red Klaw on the way he has little choice.
Several light years away, on the bridge of his transport ship, Red Klaw paces anxiously back and forth. The entire ship quivers with the strain of maintaining top speed for an extended time. The pilot nervously glances up, not sure if his piloting skills are enough to keep Red Klaw from killing him out of pure rage and impatience.
"How long?" Red Klaw demands furiously for the hundredth time.
"Five hours, maybe less." The pilot answers dutifully.
"Make it less!" Red Klaw snaps as he marches off the bridge back to his quarters.
On WHISPER'S top level, the pirates lounge around the massive executive dinning table, completely unaware that Red Klaw is speeding toward them. They linger over the remnants of a grand meal as Baralland drifts slowly across the skylights above them.
"That was incredible!" Fay exclaims.
"Where did you learn to cook?" May asks Rue.
Rue smiles a sad smile, "My mom, she loved to cook. Every Sunday she used to make these fantastic feasts, she would always draft us kids to help her." His warm memories are bitter sweet.
Garr changes the subject, "How long before our transport is ready?"
"Probably a day or so." Rue answers, "Maybe we should check out a race."
"Race?" Val perks up, "What kind of race?"
"There's a zero G track down in the canyons along the equator." Rue responds.
"They call it 'The Blender.'" Garr explains to the girls.
"The Blender? That's here?!" Val marvels. "They never tell you in the sports book where the tracks are!"
"Yeah, I think there's a race tomorrow." Rue responds.
"We should check." Garr says.
"Could we come?" Mays asks.
"It's been a long time since we were...out." Fay continues.
"We should all go." Rue answers. "What do you say Val?"
Val ponders a moment, "I, I was hoping to do some tinkering around, besides I'm not sure how we're gonna' find this thing if nobody's on it. Why don't you guys go find out what the race schedule is, and I'll work out some kind of remote control to get us back on board this ship."
"Sounds like a plan." Rue says as he pushes back from the table.
As they clear the dishes off the table, Garr explains to Fay and May some of the sights they will see. They put away the leftovers and take the dishes back to the kitchen.
Then they all wander down to the immense cargo bay where Kross's loner ship sits. Val waves at the others as they climb aboard the rickety old ship and take off through the cargo bay door. He closes the door and gathers a pile of supplies to take up to his new room on the executive level.
When WHISPER'S doors open Laurine pulls her ship back again. She watches from a safe distance as the transport leaves WHISPER'S cargo bay. Frustrated with waiting she follows them. When they are close to Baralland's meager traffic lanes, she buzzes rudely past them.
Rue swerves away from her, but not before she can see him and Garr through the transport windows. She punches the accelerator before they see her. Her beefy little ship speeds away.
As she makes a wide loop back toward WHISPER, Laurine weighs her options. At least two of the pirates are off the ship, she has no way of knowing if the Habergeon are with them or not. But without the Tarcillian her odds of overtaking anyone left on board are much better.
By the time she's back to WHISPER, Laurine's mind is made up; she's going in...