Miami Pete 12

Miami Pete 12:

"Relax, she wasn't really IN your head, not like you're thinking anyway." The giant explained, "She can't read minds, she can just push emotions around. I find it puts people off balance, sometimes enough to make them slip up. I'm sorry I had to do that to you, but I needed to know if I could trust you.  It wouldn't be the first time someone used a cute young girl to make an old man let his guard down."

The giant smiled a big friendly smile, and it looked genuine.  I couldn't help liking him, but then again, he had already admitted to using a... something... to push around my emotions, so I wasn't going to start trusting him just yet.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" I asked.  It seemed like a reasonable request although I asked it a little harshly.

"How rude of me, I am Gregorious, Captain of the Pride of Rome." The giant, Gregorious replied. "And I'll refrain from asking your name, that is, unless you and Pete have managed to uncover who you are anyway. Last I spoke to him, Pete was just calling you kid."

"No, I still have no name." I had crossed my arms around myself and was acting sulky. A behavior that is very unlike me. Just what did that girl do to me?

"Very well!" the giant laughed, "In the mean time I shall call you Petra, the womanly form of the name Peter in rememberance of my friend.  It's a fine name derived from the latin word for Stone.  It was a name that suited Miami Pete, and I suspect it will suit you as well."

It seemed odd to receive a name from a strange giant, sitting in a pub on a space station so far from my birthplace.  Petra.  It felt right some how.  Like, boy: What's your name?  Me: I'm Petra. 

Man that... whatever she was... really did a number on my head.

"Well Captain Gregorious, I've said what I've come here to say.  Miami Pete is dead and gone and there isn't anything I can do about it.  Nice to make your aquaintence."  I didn't stick my hand out to shake, I just turned and walked away.  What else could I do?  It was stupid to show up here in the first place.  Gregorious was right, what could I do to him?  I was becoming well aware that he had the upper hand.  I hadn't even thought to bring a sidearm.  I'm sure HE brought a sidearm, along with a... whatever she was... and at least one crew member that I knew of.  Any other patron could likewise belong to Gregorious.  I felt outnumbered and surrounded.

"Aw, come now. Where are you going?  What are you going to do?" he called after me.  Not angry, which was a relief.  He actually sounded sad in a way.  Like me walking away had hurt him.  How could I trust him though?  I wanted to so bad, the time alone since 'rus One was wearing on me more than I had realized.  Gregorious was the first person I had talked to since then.  It almost hurt to walk away.

As I approached the exit, a young man slid into sight from behind a piece of the station structure.  He definitely didn't forget to bring sidearms.  He had them slung low on his hips like some vid cowboy.  He stood there, blocking my path and looked askance towards Captain Gregorious.

"Let her go Chance.  She's a friend, whether she relizes that or not, not one of your bounties."  Gregorious said.

"I checked, there's money." the young man replied.

The two stared at eachother for a few tense moments over my head.  I was stopped between them, not willing to go any closer to the dangerous newcomer, but not decided to turn and go the other way either.  Not that there was another way I could go.  The pub did have other exits, but I wasn't likely to make it to any of them if he was anywhere near as good with those blasters as his swagger said he was. 

Then he stepped aside.  "Good evening ma'am." He said as I walked through the hatchway.  As I walked away, I resisted the urge to look back, to run, to duck for cover.  The space between my shoulder blades itched like it never had before, and I found that I needed to find a bathroom soon or wet myself.

What had I gotten myself into?