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BELGRADES LANDING
by Robert M. Blacketer aka ^Writer
The cold wind blowing from the port made me glad of the warm shipsuit I was wearing. I had spent the last two weeks prowling around the dives of the city and now had no more leads than when I had started.
I had come to Primus to put a stop to the smuggling of Blue Heaven, a deadly new drug that had begun to show up all across the quadrant, but my casual mentions of Blue Heaven had brought me only blank looks and silence. I couldn't afford to press the issue lest I risk blowing my cover as a ship's crewman on extended shore leave.
Discouraged and frustrated, I was casting about for any idea that gave me any hope for success.
I had elected not to report to the Planetary governor upon arrival nor did I have any intention of doing so. This quantity of drugs doesn't suddenly start flowing in through customs without there being a rather large hole somewhere. I was suspicious of everybody at this point.
My plan had been simplicity itself. I would frequent the low districts, make contact with the unsavory elements of society, and thus latch onto the trail of the suppliers of the drug. This had proved to be much easier in theory than in fact. I had so far met numerous hard working people who, while they might not be totally legitimate, lived by their own moral codes.
Looking back I have to laugh at my own naiveté. This job had seemed so simple when Commander Haley assigned it to me at Sector Headquarters: "Go to Belgrade's landing on Primus. Find out who is letting all the drugs in and put a stop to it!" Filled with the enthusiasm of youth, I was sure it wouldn't take me long to clear up such a simple problem.
My patience, along with my temper, had grown progressively shorter as I continually ran into dead ends in my investigation. I thought glumly, whoever was running the drug ring, if indeed there was one key figure, was a whole lot smarter than a certain young ranger.
At times like this I wished I was still working with Captain Thompson as a trainee. Things were so much easier then! All I had to do was follow orders, try to keep out of trouble, and learn to work with my new computer enhanced systems. I had daydreamed then of what it would be like to be on my own as a full-fledged Ranger. I had to admit that the old saw that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence was never truer than at a time like this.
Shrugging off these troubling thoughts, I continued on up the street toward the restaurant I had taken to frequenting. I nodded casually as I passed the garishly costumed women working this section of the street. My father had taught me that you always treat a woman as a lady and I had found that they generally responded in kind.
This evening I noticed that there was a new girl on the corner. She was all decked out in a shimmering red dress whose already short skirt was slit up the sides. Her long dark hair set off the sparkling green in her eyes, but the pallidness of her face showed through the heavy layers of makeup and eyeshadow.
"Looking for a good time?" she called out suggestively as I walked by.
"No thank you," I responded automatically. Glancing at her face I saw that the smile she displayed was belied by the fear and terror in her eyes. Under all the makeup I doubted that she was over thirteen or fourteen at the most. I halted in midstep, all my anger and frustration flooding to the surface at this added injustice. My mission here was all important to me, but my Ranger Oath bound me never to turn my back on an injustice, and this was a glaring example of an injustice if I had ever seen one.
Turning back to the girl I asked gruffly, "What's your name?"
Relief at having a possible client mixed with terror raced across her face before she could get the smile glued back in place. "Betsy," she finally stammered, the terror having settled in her eyes. The smile stayed glued in place but she could not meet my eyes as she said, "It's twenty credits or one hundred for the night. " I could see the other women on the corner glaring at me, and I hated to think of what thoughts they were thinking of the kind young gentleman now.
I stood looking at her for a moment, noting there were no needle marks among the goose bumps nor could I detect any traces of other drugs at the moment. More gently this time, so as not to frighten her even more, I said, "My name is Russ. Are you hungry Betsy? I was just about to have dinner."
"What about my money?" she blurted. She managed to look at me this time but the smile was gone and her upper lip was trembling. The fear stood out like a dark stench to my enhanced senses.
Impulsively I peeled a hundred credit note off my bankroll, my character demanded I be flashy with money, and handed it to her. "Don't worry," I said, putting all the power of ranger psychology into my tone of voice, as I should have done in the first place. "No one is going to hurt you."
I could tell that she was responding to me on an instinctive level, that she desperately wanted to believe me, but wasn't sure she should. I put all the power of my personality into projecting protectiveness, as we stood there looking at one another. To my surprise she suddenly burst into tears! Instinctively I put arms protectively around her, only to feel her stiffen in my embrace. "It's okay," I said, using gentling tones the way you would to a frightened animal. "No one is going to hurt you," I repeated.
At my words she collapsed against me and wept, soon soaking the shoulder of my shipsuit with her tears. Not knowing what else to do, I held her and made soothing noises, while letting her cry herself out. We were ignored for the most part by passersby, but I noted one of the girls watching us intently, as though she were memorizing my every feature.
Betsy shortly regained control of herself and, pulling away from me, began to rummage in her bag for Kleenex. Wiping the tears and smeared makeup from her face, she mumbled, "I'm sorry."
"No problem " I said, offering her my arm in my best courtly manner. "I'm starving.!" Reluctantly she accepted my arm, and we walked the two blocks to the restaurant. I kept the woman who had been looking at us so intently under casual observation, and sure enough she strolled our way, ignoring potential clients as she strove to unobtrusively keep us in sight. Perhaps I had started to stir things up a little.
The restaurant was a rather small place run by a Lupine, one of the denizens of Wolf Four, but the food was excellent. I had been there on many previous occasions and was not overly surprised to be met by the owner as we entered. The Lupine and I had struck up a rather odd friendship, which had pleased me greatly since the Lupines were normally rather standoffish with humans. All Rangers were under orders to cultivate their friendship where possible, but this had met with only mediocre success so far.. I was surprised, however, when the Lupine barred my entrance and snarled, "No serrrve whorrres!"
Brushing aside the Lupine's powerful arm, I snapped, "The Lady is with me!" but the lupine again barred my way and snarled, "No serrrve whorrres!"
Taken aback, I stared the lupine eye to eye, my anger and frustration causing me to cast caution to the winds and stand my ground before him, my arm protectively around Betsy.
The Lupine resembled nothing more than an upright wolf. It's protruding jaw and sharp canine teeth were enough to intimidate anyone. The ears, slightly pointed and covered by light fur, quivered in irritation. For a tense moment that seemed to stretch into hours, the coal black eyes of the Lupine stared unblinking into my own eyes of blue. Not the blue of a quiet summer sky, or so I have been told, but the cobalt blue of a blaster barrel. The Lupine gave a slight shiver, as though someone had stepped on his grave, and looked away.
I said very softly then, "The Lady is with me Old Wolf. Do you really want to try to throw me out?"
He was taken aback by my response. This was not the way he was accustomed to being talked to by a human. As he surveyed me with a quick glance, my enhanced senses caught him taking special note of my massive shoulders and my height, which nearly matched the Lupine's own six and a half feet. I knew that he detected the presence of a weapon under my left arm, but dismissed it as to be expected in these quarters. My deceptively relaxed stance might have fooled an opponent less perceptive than the Lupine, but he saw it for what it was, the stance of a being ready for combat. He could detect no fear nor mocker in me, but rather a quiet determination that would not be denied.
Obviously puzzled by this human who was more than he appeared, the Lupine reluctantly turned and stiffly led us to a table in the corner.
I was sorry for the incident, as I had come to genuinely like the big Lupine in the short time I had known him. He ran a friendly little restaurant and even had checkered tablecloths on the tables. I figured he must have seen an old tri-d of a human diner and modeled his place on it. In general it gave the impression of a homey little eatery, and was quite popular with the human transients.
Quickly accessing the files on Lupines stored in the ship's memory, I conceived a plan to salvage the situation. When we reached our table I stood very erect and addressed the Lupine formally. "One has need to apologize for any offense one has given. One tends to overreact where the honor of the pack is concerned."
The Lupine stared at me long and hard. The idea that a human should understand the concept of pack honor or was willing to act to defend it seemed totally foreign to him. To a Lupine, the members of one's own pack were akin to the immediate family of a human, except that the bonds were stronger. The honor of the pack was more important than life itself. To impugn the honor of another was to challenge his fitness to live and was the gravest insult that could be offered.
Feelingly the lupine answered, "Not so, brother. It is one who must apologize for one's inexcusable conduct and offer's Kkk'narrrge."
The Computer on my ship quickly supplied the information that Kkk'narrrge is similar to a duel but is fought with only those weapons which nature has provided. The Lupines are well equipped for this with their fangs and slashing talons. No Lupine would ordinarily consider offering Kkk'narrrge to a mere human, but he had judged, and correctly, that this was no ordinary human so there could be no dishonor in it.
Taking a moment to seriously consider the offer and thus not offer insult, as a quick answer would show either contempt or fear, I met the Lupine's stare, eyes of cobalt blue staring into eyes black as night, thus giving him honor as an opponent to be watched. After the appropriate time had passed, but not so much as to be an insult or imply weakness, I responded, "One is honored but one feels Kkkk'narrrge will not be necessary as one trusts that no dishonor was intended." This gave him an out wherein he could save his honor in that he had not intentionally offered insult to me. With this I bowed to the Lupine, doing him further honor by taking my eyes off him and displaying the trust I spoke of.
"It is one who is honored," answered the Lupine. "May one taste your scent, packkk brrrotherrr?"
"One is honored beyond words, pack brother!" I answered quickly, trying to hide my surprise at such an unexpected offer. At this the Lupine smiled, in the terrifying manner of his kind, and leaning forward, placed his muzzle with all those sharp teeth on my exposed throat. His hot breath tickled my skin as he inhaled deeply. Letting another at your exposed throat like this was the ultimate in trust. Speaking so that only I could hear he said, "One is Jarrrkkkal Brrrone, Packkkleaderrr."
Stepping back he waited to see if I understood what had just transpired between us, and what my response would be. He seemed pleased when I did not hesitate but thrust my nose into the fur of his throat and inhaled deeply. The scent of a Lupine is reminiscent of a wet dog, and it brought tears to my eyes, nearly choking me. My internal systems quickly compensated and I was able to conceal my discomfort. I wondered fleetingly how I must smell to him.
"One is Russ Jennings," I whispered and then added softly, "Star Ranger." I in my turn now watched for a reaction from Jarrrkkkal but saw nothing but a knowing look in his eyes and heard him mutter, "Just so," as though he had expected no less.
Extending his hand in the human manner he said, "Well met, paccckkk brrrotherrr."
"Well met indeed!" I responded feelingly, returning his crushing grip.
By this ceremony, as simple as it seamed, we had pledged ourselves as members of the same pack. Indeed, our honor now bound us closer than if we had been born to the same pack. I knew that Jarrrkkal would never reveal my secret to anyone, it would not even occur to him. As far as I knew, no human had ever been accorded acceptance into a Lupine pack. This was a great stride forward for the Rangers.
Turning to the girl, Jarrrkkkal asked, "May one have your scent little one?" Betsy had stood wide eyed through all of this ceremony and now she looked first to me and at my nod of affirmation, she let the Lupine smell her. There was exchanging of scents here. It was just the Lupine wanting to identify a member of my pack so he would recognize her in the future. By accepting me he had bound himself to protect her as a member of his own pack.
Smiling, I sat down and said. "How about some food Old Wolf?"
"What would you like today?" he asked, taking on the manner of a human waiter in the old videos.
"I think a nice fresh salad with blue cheese dressing, a thick prime rib with mushrooms and a big baked potato would be in order," I answered. "It's not everyday one gains a pack brother and I feel like celebrating!"
Jarrrkkkal was pleased at this compliment. Turning to the girl he asked in a surprisingly gentle voice, "And for you little one?"
"Can I have a cheeseburger, with French fries and a chocolate milkshake?" she asked hesitantly.
"Of courrrse you can," he rumbled gently, "but I thinkkk you should also have some salad to go with it. We have some nice rrranch drrressing. Its from an old family recipe!"
"That'll be okay I guess," Betsy responded.
While the Lupine went to get our order I looked at Betsy and said, "He sure is taking a proprietary interest in you. Did you understand what all that smelling business was about?"
"Not really," she said in puzzlement.
"What it boils down to is that he and I have become sort of like blood brothers. He has taken you under his wing as a part of the pack. That means that anybody who would want to hurt you would have to fight him and the members of his pack first, and that he is obligated to help you in any way he can," I expalined.
"But why would he do that?" she asked suspiciously.
"Because he and I are pack brothers and I told him you are part of my pack, which means we are honor bound to protect you," I assured her.
"But I'm not!" she protested.
"But you are!" I affirmed. "I adopted you just as he adopted me."
We each sat thinking then, lost in our own thoughts until the meal arrived. Jarrrkkkal himself attended our needs, and the food he brought was superb. I was amused at Jarrrkkkal's manner toward Betsy. He hovered over her like a nervous mother cat over a single kitten, making sure that Betsy had all she needed and encouraging her to eat everything.
We had come to the end of the meal and I was wondering just what I was going to do with the little waif when I saw her sit up straighter and the terror reenter her eyes. Following the direction of her gaze I saw that two men had entered the restaurant and were approaching our table. One of them was a big bruiser who had enforcer written all over him, while his partner was more slender and somehow gave the impression of being oily.
The big one made a mistake immediately. Putting his hand on my shoulder he said, "Stay out of this if you want to stay healthy." I restrained myself from handing his hand back to him and bided my time to see what developed.
The other grabbed Betsy by the wrist and said harshly, "We have been looking all over for you. A friend of ours wants to meet you. Come on!" and started to physically drag her out of her seat.
Betsy barely had time to protest that he was hurting her when Jarrrkkkal appeared out of nowhere. The crunching of bones was audible as he grabbed the offending hand and hurled the oily character across the room and crashing into an empty table. The burly one yanked out a blaster but I clipped him on the side of the neck and took his weapon out of his slack hand.
Holding the captured blaster casually pointed in their direction I asked, "Do you have a storeroom where we can lock up this garbage Old Wolf?"
"In backkk!" Jarrrkkkal snarled.
"All right you two, on your feet!" I ordered.
"You don't know who you're messing with mister," snarled the small one. "You'd best let us go and leave town while you still can."
"On the contrary," I smiled. "I've got a pretty good idea what you are. Now move it or I'll shoot you down where you stand!" I did indeed know them for precisely what they were. They both had police records as long as your arm. What puzzled me was that their records stopped shortly before the sudden influx of Blue Heaven to Belgrade's Landing. Either they had turned into model citizens or someone was covering for them.
He started to bluster but after looking into my eyes he realized that I was not bluffing. I escorted them to the small room in the back where Jarrrkkkal securely locked them in, after none too gently searching them for weapons. Turning to me he asked, "What will you do to them?"
"Find out what they have done and see that justice is served!" I answered grimly.
In silence we walked back to the dining area where one of Jarrrkkkal's pack was unobtrusively keeping an eye on the girl. It was becoming obvious to me that there was more here than I had at first thought. I was glad I had decided to become involved.
"Is there a place we can talk privately Old Wolf?" I asked.
"I have office upstairrrs," he rumbled.
"Thanks. Come on Betsy," I said as I gently helped her out of the booth. Together we followed the Lupine up the hidden staircase off the kitchen, to an office that overlooked the restaurant. Motioning Betsy into what passed as a chair for the Lupine, I pulled up a stool across from her and said, "I need to know just what is going on here."
"What about those men?" she asked fearfully.
"Don't worry about them. Our friend here has them locked safely away."
Hesitantly, and with much prompting and coaxing, the story unfolded. My anger mounted and the Lupine growled softly, his expression becoming increasingly thunderous as she progressed with her story. Betsy had run away from an unhappy situation at home only to arrive in Belgrade's Landing penniless and hungry. She was befriended by another girl who had introduced her to the oily character, whom she knew by the name of Otto. What had started as an apparent act of kindness turned into a nightmare as she learned that Otto's business was drug dealing and supplying young girls for his clients. Betsy was told she either worked for him or else.
One girl had tried to run away and Otto used her for an object lesson to keep the others in line. She had been beaten and raped by Otto and his partner and then they had given her an overdose of Blue Heaven. The effect of Blue Heaven is to turn pain into pleasure and an overdose results in the victim dying from overloaded senses. Then they slowly beat the girl to death, while she laughed and giggled in enjoyment.
I sat in silence for a few moments after she had finished while Jarrrkkkal paced, growling angrily under his breath. "Why not go to police?" he rumbled.
"The girl who was killed, she went to the police." After a pause Betsy said bitterly, "It was a security agent who brought her back."
Howling in frustration Jarrrkkkal leaped at me and snarled in my face, "What you do about this?"
I stared into the Lupine's eyes, which were glowing red in the dim light and fiercely said, "Dispense justice, Old Wolf. Dispense justice!"
"Why does he expect you to do anything?" Betsy asked in puzzlement.
"Because we are of the pack and I am a Star Ranger," I sighed. She cringed back away from me as though I had turned into some sort of monster. "Don't worry," I smiled bitterly, "I don't bite. You stay here in the office. Old Wolf and I have to have a little talk with your friends."
Trying to hide the fact that my feelings had been hurt by her reaction, I strode briskly out of the office. 'If you don't behave, the Star Rangers will 'get you' was a common tactic that mothers used for their unruly children. This was not the first time I had run afoul of it.
Trailed by the Lupine I went back downstairs to the storeroom. After Jarrrkkkal unlocked the door we cautiously went inside, where we found the two villains over in a corner with their heads together.
Separating them, I braced them with Betsy's story. Laughing the oily one said, "You can't prove a thing! If you'll take my advice you'll mind your own business and let me get about mine. Do you know who you are dealing with here?"
"I would like to know that," I responded taking out a pen and forms from my wallet.
"I'm Otto Bronsky," the oily one stated and seemed disappointed that I didn't cower at the mention of his name. "And my friend here is the one and only Herman Jorge. We are simply local businessman trying to make a living, and if you don't let us go I'm going to file a report with the police!" he said, full of his own importance.
Gritting my teeth I listened to Bronsky's diatribe as I penned their names on the warrants I had taken from my pocket along with the charges the computer had supplied for past crimes, as well as those I was currently aware of. The list was quite long. I carefully signed and dated each warrant and affixed my seal to them.
"What are you doing?" asked Bronsky.
"Making sure my report is accurate," I snapped.
"What do you mean report?" rasped Jorge.
Taking out my leather case I held it up so that my badge clearly showed and identified myself as a Star Ranger. The bruiser turned pale but the oily one just sneered although he did not seem quite so sure of himself as he had. I asked formally, "Do either of you gentlemen wish to make a statement before judgment is rendered?"
Bronsky just laughed, and said, "We'll be back out on the streets before you can get the paper work done," but the color drained out of the face his partner.
With a tired sigh I said, "By the power vested in me as a Star Ranger I hereby sentence you to death, execution to follow forthwith." With a strangled cry Jorge sprang at me. Skipping aside I pulled my needler and shot each through the forehead, before they could cause further trouble. Turning to the Lupine I said, "Old Wolf will you have someone carry this refuse out into the alley and put these death warrants in their pockets? Then have somebody make an anonymous call to the police. That ought to stir the rats nest up somewhat!"
With a respectful nod the Lupine set out to do the task. The death warrants were an official Ranger document that served notice to all and sundry that the bearer had been duly executed by a Star Ranger. It also let them know that a Ranger was on the case.
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