Lucky Seven Chapter 4

[Ed Man]

Lucky Hand
Chapter 4 Lucky Seven

Bob didn’t know what was going on and was starting to wish he had just went back to the Trading Station when the other Guard showed up. The new Guard replied as he took the others place. “They’re in the back don’t make me stand here and watch this door long get back as soon as you can you’re door man tonight!”
Bob felt a little better as he walked in but was still wishing he had just went on and left the Station.

The Guard took Bob to a section in the back where a woman was watching the door holding a servers tray. The woman had a cold look in her eyes that let you know at a glance she didn’t care about anything that happened to anyone there or to herself and was not to be messed with.
The Guard pointed to a table were they were playing cards. “The Teladi owns the ship talk to him.”

Everyone in the room was looking at Bob now as he asked the Teladi. “I’m looking to buy a ship and was told you have a Disco for sell?”
The Teladi looked up at Bob like he was a piece of meat and it was dinner time. “Teladi own Disco. But Teladi playing cards now you set in and play and we talk about Disco or you go on!”
Bob looked around at the players as they all were trying to size him up. “I really just want to buy a ship cards is a game of chance you can win or loose I don’t like to gamble.”

The Teladi snarled as he answered Bob. “Teladi playing cards you play and we talk about ship or you leave!”
The Guard looked a Bob and raised his eyebrows. “Well buddy what’s it going to be?”
Bob didn’t want to play cards they thought he was a easy mark and all he wanted was the ship so he looked at the Guard. “I’ll play I don’t want any trouble.”
The Guard smiled at Bob and said. “That’s why I’m here the house guarantees no trouble or cheating at our tables if you play you pay me 100 credits up front now.”

Bob handed the big Guard a hundred credit token and set down. Bob had set in on a three man game making it a even four. The first few hands the Teladi spoke a little each hand about the Disco as Bob let them win until he had figured out the Teladi had no intentions of selling him the ship he was trying to take his credits playing cards. Bob decided to ask one last time about the disco. “Tell me Teladi how much for the Disco right now?”

The Teladi looked at Bob. “Teladi play Human for ship. Teladi sale ship for 75,000 credits we play three hands for 25,000 each you win three hands you get ship for free. It good chance for human to win ship.”

Bob asked the Teladi one more time. “Just sell me the ship. It’s all I want.”
The Teladi looked back at Bob. “Teladi want to play for ship. If you want ship you play.”

Bob looked around the room as every ones eyes were on him again waiting to see what he said. Bob looked the Teladi in the eyes. “I play you for the ship if it’s the only way you’ll let me have it. Will you sell it to me?”
The Teladi laughed in a strange way even for a Teladi and said. “No we play for ship.”

The other two men got up from the table and went to a small bar the woman was behind in the room and ordered drinks and turned to watch the show.
Three tokens were given to each player to play with. One token each hand till someone lost all three of their tokens to the other.
The first hand Bob lost a token as the Teladi hissed with joy as he pulled it over to his pile.
The second hand Bob won and no hissing for joy as Bob got his token back.
The next hand Bob won again and the Teladi wasn’t happy but keep a rock solid attitude about the game.
Bob asked again. “Just sell me the ship and I’ll pay you the 75,000 credits.”
Again a quick no Teladi play cards. The next hand Bob won again.
Now things were starting to liven up in the room as the excitement built one more win for Bob and the Teladi lost his ship to the new kid.

To ask the Teladi to sell at this point would be a insult so Bob played on. The next hand the Teladi won giving him two tokens again and this time a hiss of joy came out of the Teladi as he thought he was on a winning streak.
Until the next hand when Bob won putting the Teladi back down to one token again.
The tension was high in the small room as the next hand was dealt out each player looking on at the others cards wondering was this the last hand or would the Teladi rebound and win?
The cards were turned up and a silence fell in the room as Bob won the last hand and the Disco.

The Teladi just looked at Bob as the house demanded the Teladi to pay up and sign the ship over. The Teladi just signed the ship over to Bob like it was nothing. He had most likely won it himself in a card game where he was the winner because it was set up for a human as Bob looked over the data on the Disco.

The Teladi reached over to Bob and took hold of his arm and asked. “Give Teladi chance to win back ship. Teladi have Kestrel it worth three times what Disco worth Teladi play Human for Disco and credits. You win you get nice new maxed out Kestrel. Same game three tokens each what you say Human?”

Bob looked at the Teladi. “I don’t want to play anymore I just want to leave while I’m ahead.”
The Guard was moving to set the Teladi down as the Teladi took hold of Bob’s arm again. “Don’t go Human I make deal better! I add Vulture to the deal you win game and you get Vulture and Kestrel! Play Teladi one more round what you say Human? Teladi want to play one more time here look at ships.”

The Teladi put his PDA in front of Bob showing pictures of the ships their data and what they had installed.
Bob didn’t want to play another round but was thinking about it the ships. They were nice and the Teladi could catch him in the Kestrel with ease if he wanted to and blow him away.

One of the men that was playing earlier spoke up as he set at the bar. “Play the Teladi and if he wins I’ll take you back to the Argon Trading Station and give you a hundred credits so you won’t be broke.”

Bob turned around and looked at the Man as he gave Bob his word he meant what he said and told what kind of ship he had and laid a hundred credit token on the counter to show Bob.
Bob looked at the Teladi. “I’ll play you one more time!”

The excitement of a second game had everyone on the edges of their seats as the first hand was dealt.
Each player had three tokens just as before and this time Bob could fill the tension of the high stakes game he was in. Each one was all in this time it was win or bust for either player.

The first had was dealt and the Teladi won as he gave a big hiss showing his delight.
The second hand went to Bob then the Teladi won again.
Then Bob won two hands putting him on top. Bob was wanting to order something to drink so bad as his mouth felt like a desert complete with sand. Bob knew better that to order anything for fear of someone putting something in it so he would just have to wait.

The two played on swapping tokens back and forth for what seamed like hours to Bob until the Teladi was down to his last token. The deck was still in play and hadn’t been shuffled and Bob had been counting every card.
The cards were handed out and Bob knew that the Teladi was about to loose as the last card was played.
Bob looked at the Teladi and made one last offer. “You sign over the Kestrel over to me and you keep the Vulture and I’ll sigh the Disco back over to you and we don’t play this last hand what do you say?”

The Teladi hissed up and snorted and said. “Teladi think you trying to get ship from Teladi because you know Teladi is going to win! We finish hand!”

The last hand was played just as the Teladi demanded and a hush fell as cards turned up and the Teladi lost.
The Guard walked over to the Teladi with a transfer pad. “Sign the ships over to the Boy he won them fare and square and get your things off his ships!”
The Teladi was in a daze as the big Guard had him sign the ships over to Bob and said. “I’ll make sure he gets his things off your ships for and doesn’t do anything to them for three thousand credits.”

The Man that offered Bob a ride back and a hundred credits spoke up. “Who you going to get to fly the ships for you young Man? The Asteroid field is murder for a auto pilot that’s one of the reasons this Station is still here it’s hard to get to.”
[Bob] “What do you suggest I do then?”
The Gambler spoke up. “I’ll buy the Disco from you for 60,000 credits and take that bum that brought you in here with you I’m tired of looking at him. He’s a good pilot but a real bad Gambler if he stays here much longer someone will end up killing him and I don‘t want to see that happen.”

Bob asked the Gambler as he sold him the Disco. “Why do you care about the old guy what’s he to you?”
The Gambler looked at the floor with a hurt look on his face and said. “He’s still my friend! I just don’t want to see him build himself back up just to loose it all again like he always does. I’m going off in the Disco so I won’t be here to watch after him anymore. You need to tell him that for me will you?”

Bob had seen the look on the faces of lots of people before as they did something that didn’t want to do but knew they had too.
The look of pain, sorrow, regret, grief and misery all rolled up into one painful look over a action they were about to do to try and end or correct a problem in their own lives but most of the time in the lives of their loved ones.
Bob looked at the man. “I’ll tell your friend and I’ll offer him a job flying the Vulture back to the Trading Station. But after that he’s on his own.”

The Gambler stoped and reached out to hand Bob something he had in his hand. “Here take this and buy him a suit and a weapon he’ll need it. If there’s any left give it to him he’ll need it and tell him good luck.”
The Gambler walked on off and out of sight as Bob looked at the two tokens worth a thousand credits each in his hand.
Now to find the old man and get him ready to go while the Guard made sure the ships were cleaned out. After asking the Guard at the door of the Gambling hall he knew where to find the Old Man. Bob looked at his PDA as it mapped his way back to the tourist section where the Old Man was setting right where the Guard said he would be.

Bob set down and told the Old Man about what his friend said and asked him to do and how he needed to hire him to fly the Vulture back to the Trading Station for him.
The Old Man held his head down looking at the floor and said. “We’re the best of friends! We went through the Navy together and flew in the same squadron together. We even started a business together! I knew that someday he’d get fed up and leave me stranded and I don’t blame him one bit.
I’ve been nothing but trouble for him ever since I started gambling.”

[The old man stopped as if in a daze for a minute then said.] “Well we’ve got a lot to do come on I’ll show you where to go by the way my name is Jake it‘s good to met you.”

Bob shook Jakes hand and took off behind him again into a different section again and into a shop. As Jake picked out the things he needed he explained that you never trust anyone on a Pirate Station and he needed to buy a security drone and send it on first to scan the whole ship with orders to shoot anyone onboard.
Then go onboard and look for yourself and check everything then leave. Jake took off into the back of the shop and when he came out he looked like a different Man as he stood there all cleaned up holding his bag ready to go.
Bob paid the clerk and handed Jake the rest which wasn’t much after everything was paid for.
Jake led the way again to a different shop that sold drones. After some talk and price tag shock Bob picked one out.
The drone followed along behind them as Jake led them to the docks.

Bob was way past ready to go when he reached the Docks he was exhausted. The only good thing was he had finley got something to drink.
The Guard was right by the ships when they walked up. “I checked the ships out and had the Teladi remove all his things so you’re ready to go. Stop in and see us when you’re in the sector and thinks for your business.”
The guard gave Jake a grin and shook his head as he walked on off. The drone was sent onto the Kestrel first while the two waited outside and a few minutes later it came out after finding nothing.

Bob sent the drone into the Vulture next as he got up to go inside Kestrel and do his own sweep the Teladi walked up. “Teladi want ships back! You sign ships back over to Teladi and Teladi let Human live!”

Bob looked at the Teladi Gambler who had the drop on them both with his pistol pointing at Bob.
Two more Teladi were behind the Teladi Gambler ready to back him up with there claws on their pistols ready to pull them out.

Bob and Jake were both looking at the Teladi when his eyes seamed to swell out of his head as they heard the pop from there right. All four of them realized the Gambler had been shot about the same time each pulling there pistols to defend themselves. Jack shot the Teladi closest to him while Bob was trying to get a shot on the last one the body of the Gambler fell as if it was in slow motion blocking a clean shot from Bob. They seen the last Teladi flinch as a pop sounded again from the right as the Guard shot him.

The Guard had seen the Teladi and his buddies headed back to the docks where the ships were and came back to make sure they didn’t start any trouble. Security was all over them within seconds as Bob stood looking at the three dead Teladi in the floor knowing it could have been him in the floor if the Guard hadn’t returned and shot them first.

Within minutes the bodies were gone and the floor was being cleaned and the drone was finished with it’s sweep of the ship. The Guard looked at Bob. “I think you two need to leave now we don’t need any additional problems springing up from this right now and stay away for a few weeks before you return.”

[Bob] “Not a problem Officer we’re leaving now!”
The cockpit and seat was small and the controls were awkward as Bob strapped himself in after taking a quick scan of the ship. “Jake are you ready?”
[Jake] “Just about don’t you love these seats!”
[Bob] “I’ll follow you get clear and go straight to the Equipment Dock in Cloud base South East.”
[Jake] “Understood pulling out now.”

Bob seen real quick how hard it was to fly a ship with Teladi controls as he exited the Station and made his way through the asteroids to open space.
Bob was really sleepy and worn out even after all the excitement it was hard for him to hold his eyes open as followed the Vulture while it creep along headed for the Gate at it’s top speed of slow.

Bob was impressed with the speed and equipment on the Kestrel seeing real quick why the Teladi had wanted the ship back so badly he had a pair of Phased Repeater Guns mounted in the mains with a pair of PAC weapons and a PAC in the turret and three IRE weapons in the hole. The logs showed he had just installed the Repeaters and upgraded the speed, rudder and cargo close to max.

On the other hand the freighter was in good shape but in bad need of speed and rudder upgrades. It did have one 25 meg shield and a second 5 meg and a PAC in the turret, four fighter drones and a small selection of missiles that would make most would be Pirates look for a easer target.
Bob and Jake had been talking to help pass the time. Bob was undecided about keeping the Vulture and didn’t have the funds to buy much freight with after changing the cabins over for a human crew.

But Jake had talked Bob into keeping the Vulture by the time they docked with the understanding if Bob didn’t like the way things were going in a few weeks he could sell it then. But at least he would have tried to make a go of it.