Amy’s Smile
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One day Amy was slow in returning from one of her expeditions. They thought little of it, nor did they mark that she returned in a rather more somber and pensive mood than was usual.
Later that day a crewman stopped by. He was one of the more vacant-eyed goblins who were generally delegated running and cleaning duties. He looked up at Richard with considerable trepidation.
“The captain wants to see you and the whelp,” he managed.
“What for?” responded Richard.
“Not supposed to say,” he replied somewhat matter-of-factly.
Richard acquiesced, and he and Olivia departed after the goblin. Sharon was left alone, rather bewildered. Had Amy gone somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be again? She was a bothersome… Sharon had almost thought “child” but caught herself. It was hardly a child, but trouble nonetheless.
There was a sharp rap at the door, and Sharon stepped over to answer it. To her dismay, it was the loathsome executive officer, flanked by two of the larger crewmen, who greeted her on the other side.
“Hello,” he said as they pushed into the room. “Mind if we have a look around?”
Sharon did mind, but didn’t think it was the appropriate time to push back. What was going on? It seemed early for the goblins to make a move against them.
As the other two began to search the room, the ex-o began to question her. “We are missing a crewman. I don’t suppose you would know anything about that?” he queried, observing her closely.
She carefully kept her guess as to what happened to the crewman off her face. “No, I don’t,” she replied, as she silently cursed Amy.
“I think you do,” he smirked. “There’s reasons the captain and I wanted you to keep the girl in line, and Jerry was one of them.” His eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at her.
“Folks saw her with him today. I think something happened. I think you and the Mr. found out. Killed him, didn’t he?”
Sharon was surprised, and not sure what to say. The beady-eyed man took it as confirmation of his hunch. He smiled cruelly, “He’ll be dead soon, captain will make sure of that. Falls to me and some of the boys to get you and the girl ready for market before we get to town.”
He grabbed her upper arm to keep her from trying to run. Her face relaxed, and she dropped into a wider stance. She stripped his grip, and shoved him back hard into the wall. His lunge forward was met with a snapped kick to the neck, and he crumpled to the floor.
The other two were on her in a flash, trying to grapple her. Sharon had lived in the outer layers of a hill though, and tossed them aside.
They drew their knives and advanced toward her. “Don’t,” she commanded in a calm voice.
At that moment Amy opened the door behind her.
“Hi! What’s going on?” she piped cheerfully as she took in the scene. Her eyes found the body of the ex-o. She looked at Sharon and smiled knowingly.
The other two goblins stood dumbfounded as she hopped over to the body and looked down at it. The head lolled to the side unnaturally, and a trickle of blood was drying at the corner of the mouth.
She seemed to be about to say something when Sharon heard voices in the corridor, “Alright, you go in first.”
Sharon turned to see Richard stepping into the room. His hands were bound. He was followed shortly by the captain, who was pointing some sort of firearm at his back. He had a look of puzzlement that let Sharon know this was not the scene he had been expecting to walk in on.
His eyes darted around the room. “Where is Clay? I was expecting to meet him here.”
Sharon turned, and she felt her face go pale. The room was clean and ordered. There was no sign of search, nor of the body, nor the two goblin crewmen. Amy stood there facing them with a little smile, the top half of her face now obscured by the shadow of her hood.
She turned back to Richard and the captain, now staring at each other. The rather paunchy middle-aged goblin seemed to still hold Richard in check with his bound hands and the odd looking weapon. Richard had taken up a deceptively casual stance that Sharon knew from experience.
Things might have gone poorly for the captain, had the dim-eyed messenger from earlier not arrived just then. Sharon noted that his vacant gaze had been sharpened with a dose of fear.
“Hull contact near the level 13 receiving bay. Think it’s the Imperialists, sir! Musta’ been following us since we arrived in-system.”
The captain cursed. “You’re welcome to stay here, or help fight off boarders,” he said as he lowered his gun. The two goblins hastened out the door, leaving the three of them alone in the room.