Twinks in Space: Destination Unknown - Part One - 39. Chapter 39 - Hunter vs. Queen

Golvinte froze in his tracks and his eyes flashed to the stage. Phentrom’s collar was still clutched in his grip, but his attention was now on the performer.

“Schmoodle?” Golvinte replied in dismay.

“Yes, Golvie, your schmoodle is performing as Priestess, and you’re interrupting me!”

“But babe,” Golvinte said nervously, “what are you doing here?”

The diva on the stage snapped back, “What are you doing to Phentrom?! That’s right,” she replied to his startled expression, “Phentrom and I had a lovely chat before the show began tonight. And besides, you told me you had a job, and I’m sure you’ve been busy and focused, but I haven’t even heard from you in over three days! Also, let’s not pretend you didn’t know I was doing several shows on different planets.” Priestess stomped one of her high heels and whined, “You couldn’t just turn up and be supportive; no, you had to ruin my night!” The diva then added flatly, “And you have, you’ve ruined it.”

“Schmoodle, please, not in front of all these people,” Golvinte begged, looking around at the crowd, all of whom were staring at him.

“Hunny,” someone shouted, “you better spill that tea!”

Another person added, “Priestess wasn’t kidding when she said she was a top!”

“Babe, I’m on a job,” Golvinte pleaded, nodding at Phentrom, who he was now loosely holding.

Then he felt the cold of a blaster barrel press against the back of his neck, and a voice he was expecting said, “Release our friend.”

“Madam Fonith,” Golvinte replied, “please, allow me to transfer you a payment in exchange for you turning a blind eye.”

“What are you doing?” Priestess shrieked at him from the stage. “Golvie, first you interrupt me, and now you’re just ignoring me?!”

“Sorry, schmoodle,” Golvinte replied, “erm… but I’ve got a gun in my back.”

“That’s your fault!” Priestess screamed. “Let Phentrom go, right now!”

Golvinte furrowed his brow. “But babe, this is how I make money.”

“This is how I make money, and you’ve destroyed my night! And you heard her,” Priestess added, indicating Fonith, “Phentrom is a friend.”

“Also,” Fonith chimed in, “you won’t be buying me off.” She pushed her blaster’s muzzle harder against Golvinte’s neck.

He released Phentrom’s collar.

“Go to my reserved booth in the back, Golvie,” Priestess demanded from the stage. “Go to my booth, now. Go sit in the back and wait for me.”

“Oooh, she’s a sassy queen!” someone shouted.

Another voice added, “She just put her bitch in his place!”

The crowd laughed, and more of them added their own quips.

“Who gave Priestess permission to be so ultra?”

“She could boss me around any day!”

“Priestess is so fiery!”

As Golvinte began to shuffle toward the back of the tavern, one person commented, “There goes a sad puppy.”

Everyone laughed.

“Bye, girl!”

“See ya, sis!”

When the shamed bounty hunter was seated and pouting, everyone turned back to Priestess.

“Are you okay, hunny?” she asked Phentrom from the stage.

“Yes, thank you,” he replied, “just a little shaken.”

“As am I,” Priestess declared, “and I’m not in the right headspace for being up here. Meet me for a drink,” she insisted. When the audience began to protest her leaving the stage, Priestess added, “No, I refuse to give all of you a subpar performance. I’m done for the night, and that’s that. Besides, you’ve all just gotten quite enough of a show from me and my lover. Phentrom,” she said, pointing at him, “the bar, now.”

“Go ahead,” Fonith said to Phentrom. “Suoki and I’ve gotcha covered.”

A moment later, the mandroid and the queen were standing at her private booth. Golvinte looked up at them, but Priestess’ eyes bored into him.

“First,” she said, looking over at Phentrom, “please, allow me to apologize for my lover’s actions. I’m sure the bounty on your head is high, but no one is taking one of my adoring fans while I’m in the middle of entertaining him,” and she looked back at Golvinte, “not even my Golvie.”

Phentrom was nervous by what he heard. “Bounty?”

Priestess put her hands on her hips and said, “Go ahead, Golvinte.”

He scrunched up his face. “Schmoodle, you know I don’t like it when you call me by my full name.”

She leaned forward and said in a voice laced with venom, “Golvie, tell him why you were hunting him, or I won’t be coming home with you.”

Golvinte was already slumped in his seat, and his shoulders seemed to sag even more. “It was the Red Stars. They reached out and hired me for the job.”

“The Red Stars aren’t the Red Stars anymore,” Phentrom declared.

Priestess and Golvinte were confused.

“Well, not the way they used to be. They’ve been absorbed by the Giblox Authority, and they’ve aligned with some sort of fallen kingdom. They’re not just mercenaries anymore.”

Golvinte seemed to consider something. “That must be why the bounty’s so high.”

“What do you mean?” Priestess asked.

Golvinte held up his device for her to see the screen.

“Wow, that is a large bounty, but how much were you about to use to buy off the woman with the gun to your neck?” Priestess waved for Phentrom to sit in the booth across from Golvinte, and the diva sat beside the mandroid. She stared at Golvinte expectantly.

“They want him alive.”

“Don’t tell me!” Priestess barked.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, looking at Phentrom, “they want you alive.”

Phentrom focused on Golvinte. “Wait a second, I’ve seen you before.” He scrunched up his face. “You were the last other man on the train back on Allthrin, and then you bumped into me in Doljah on Xanithon!”

Golvinte looked sheepish. “Yeah, I’ve been tracking you since you broke out all those test subjects.”

“They were children!” Phentrom replied in dismay. “They were being held as prisoners, and those scientists were systematically killing them!”

Priestess glared at Golvinte.

“I wish Lyoth were here,” Phentrom added, more to himself than the others.

“That’s the reason they’re after you,” Golvinte interjected. “They want to experiment on you.”

“You were bringing someone in for human experimentation?!” Priestess growled.

“Babe, he’s not a human.”

Priestess gasped. “You’re barely a human sometimes! I’ve only known Phentrom for a matter of hours, but he’s more of a man than most men I’ve met. You will not be collecting this bounty.”

“Yes, schmoodle,” Golvinte replied in a dejected tone.

“In fact,” Priestess added, “you’re going to help Phentrom.”

Golvinte was curious. “What do you mean?”

Priestess nodded to Phentrom.

“We’re looking for a lost starship that may be beyond the outer rim. It’s called the Ulaa-Lah.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Golvinte replied, putting up his palms in a gesture of surrender. “Not fulfilling a bounty is one thing, but the Red Stars – or Giblox Authority or whoever – are also looking for that ship. They told me they’re going to war over it, and him,” he added, nodding to Phentrom. “I don’t want to be on the opposing side.”

Priestess pursed her lips at Golvinte. “This twink’s boifriend, Lyoth, led a rebellion here in Boullia Bay and liberated the inhabitants.” She paused. “And your employers want to experiment on a mandroid who they consider to be malfunctioning. Your bosses are villains.”

“They’re not my bosses,” Golvinte responded quickly, “and they are going to war.”