(… continuing)
“One might get the impression that you are trying to avoid me, Dukk. It is almost as if you haven’t joined the dots,” Thumpol announced calmly.
“What dots?” Dukk replied, willing to play the game for now.
“The dots that join my influence with you securing what you needed to buy out Rachelle’s share of the Dinatha! You didn’t think the line of credit just appeared before you as if by magic!” Thumpol responded.
Dukk stared ahead.
“So, one might hope one would honour said favours in order to avoid any unpleasantness, of which I am not a huge fan,” Thumpol continued.
Dukk turned and made a comical face at Thumpol.
“Ok, point taken, however I am pretty sure you won’t share my appreciation from your perspective of the unpleasantness I have in mind for you!” Thumpol retorted.
“What do you want, Thumpol?” Dukk demanded.
“Simple, I want to support and help you as you get started as a rig Captain! It appears no one else is interested in passing any contracts in your direction,” Thumpol shared in glee.
“I gather you had nothing to do with that,” Dukk replied sarcastically.
Thumpol continued, “I am going to ignore that and put it down to long haul fatigue. Perhaps I have wronged you in the past. Let’s put that behind us. And since I am feeling particularly generous today, how about we put the favours behind us too?”
“What’s the catch?” Dukk interjected.
“No catch. I will even provide you with twelve months of contracts to get started?” Thumpol replied.
“What are the terms?” Dukk asked.
“The terms are simple! Twelve months’ worth of work for a fixed payment of seven hundred and fifty thousand EUs. That is on top of fuel, interest, fees, and sundries. Easy work and a fine offer some would say. I will even connect you with four of my finest people to make up your crew shortfall. And to top it off, I might even put in a good word with other brokers after the twelve months is up.”
Dukk said nothing.
“Not ready to decide? Take your time. I look forward to your decision tomorrow evening, when you officially take over as Captain,” Thumpol added.
Without another word, he then rose and headed for the door. The goon followed.
Dukk was gobsmacked.
His self-talk was racing, “Over twelve months, with five qualified crew to pay, the deal would make me less than I’d make in a few months as second in command. And I’d not be in any position to start clearing my debts. It would certainly increase my visibility and experience, but I’d risk being trapped taking Thumpol’s contracts for ever. Of which, the terms would certainly worsen once I had no other options. And what did he mean by ‘four of his finest’? My current crew shortfall is two, maybe three!”
Dukk felt like he was between a rock and a hard place. He wasn’t ready to decide. Something wasn’t right. His gut told him to hold off for now.
Dukk had lost the taste for the rest of the drink. He paid his tab and made for the street. He decided he needed somewhere else to think. Somewhere that he didn’t now associate with Thumpol and his goons.
As Dukk made his way away from the bar, his comms sounded. It was Larinette. Dukk answered but didn’t even have the chance to say hello before she got started.
“Dukk, you missed out. There were some great bargains to be had. I got a fab outfit for this evening and found you a new shirt. And that isn’t the best or biggest news. I am just of the comms with Kimseeti, the captain of the Plinthat. I’ve been offered second in command and the likelihood of captain within two years! Can you believe it, Dukk? My very own command in two years. I know you will miss me terribly and I will be hard to replace, but I would have to be crazy not to accept this offer! Look, we can talk more later, I’ve got to get ready for tonight. See you back at the h-pod. Bye.”
“WTF,” thought Dukk.
No sooner had the comms gone quiet when it chirped again. This time it was Rachelle.
“Hi Rachelle, what is wrong?” Dukk asked.
“Wrong? No, nothing. Dukk, are you okay?” Rachelle replied.
“Yeah, I’m fine, ignore me. Are you done?” Dukk said quickly as he caught his tone and corrected.
“Yes, all unloaded and ready for the inspection tomorrow morning. But that isn’t why I am calling. As a parting gift, I decided to get those starboard heat shield locks fixed. I’ve organised for a crew to be on the Dinatha tomorrow afternoon. They will get them sorted after the observer’s inspection. Come five p.m. when the legal details are all in order, you will be captain of the Dinatha in the best shape it’s been in, for ages,” Rachelle shared.
“Oh, thank you,” Dukk replied trying to hide his shock.
“You are welcome. Time to get showered and into some finery for our little party. See you soon, Dukk,” Rachelle said as she disconnected.
“That is totally out of character for Rachelle to be so generous! The world has gone nuts!” thought Dukk as he continued down the road in search of a place to think.
(to be continued...)
[Rule of Twelve, Double Take, Chapter 3- Grounding (Passage 3 of 5)]
All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2021 BJ Allen
I am investing in A.I. driven narration to bring the Rule of Twelve books to life.
It will be more than just narration in the traditional audio book sense. The A.I. will enable me to bring dialogue to life with character specific voices. This will create a rich and engaging narration.
Over the coming months I will be in catch-up mode, building the narration for already published material. Eventually, the aim will be to concurrently release chapters in both written and rich narrative form.
The narration will eventually make it to audiobook form for platforms like Audible and Spotify. However, to get it sooner, you will need a Locals subscription. The Locals App works just like your favourite audiobook app. So, you can listen on the go. Becoming a subscriber also helps keep this whole show on the road.
I look forward to sharing the journey with you.
Bradley.
Read Book 2 right here in Locals.
Navigate to "Content", "Articles" and choose Book 2 from the playlist
Read Book 1 right here in Locals.
Navigate to "Content", "Articles" and choose Book 1 from the playlist
https://bjallen.locals.com/content/articles/playlists/4330/oldest
Dukk opened his eyes. It was dark.
“A dream. It must have been a dream,” he muttered as he tried to fathom where he was. He tried to digest the pre-dawn excursion with Craig.
He swung himself out of bed. Marr was gone.
He checked the time. Mid-afternoon.
“What in the world is going on?” Craig demanded as the doors to the south banqueting hall, closed behind them.
Dukk, Marr and Emeelie stood before him. Beyond was the atrium bathed in orange light from the setting sun.
On the opposite side of the atrium the doors to the north banqueting hall were open. Music and chatter could be heard from within.
The noise from the others disguised the deathly silence that engulfed the four.
“I am going to need a shower and change of clothes,” Marr announced as she put her helmet and goggles back on the rack in the garage.
“Yes, the dust gets in everywhere,” Emeelie replied. “There are showers near the pool. Change of clothes too if you don’t want to go back to your suite all dusty.”
“That is a good idea.”
“Have you seen the pools below sea level yet?” Craig asked.
“Nope.”
“I was going to shower and change down there. Then use the sauna and take a swim. The pool up here can get quite hot in the afternoons.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Dukk said.
“Absolutely, lead the way,” Marr added.
