Calvert - "Preparations"

<snip>
"So, mate" said Eddie eventually "you want me to betray the crew and
become a fugitive – again I might add – just to make fabulous amounts
of riches. I don't think that's likely, I'm loyal to my mates I am."
Eddie sat back definitely. No way was he going back to prison.
"There's a lifetime's supply of alcohol and hookers up for grabs too"
added Jed casually.
"Deal" said Eddie simply.
<end snip>
Who: Jed Calvert
Where: Blue Dwarf
When: After the SC ship crashed up the BD's bottom
Jed's meeting with Eddie had gone very well the other day. If Jed
seemed deluded that he could actually make his plan of turning the
Blue Dwarf into a floating isle of filth depravity, Eddie was even
more so. Eddie loved the idea, and Jed knew that he would do
everything possible to help him keep the Blue Dwarf away from Earth,
as Eddie has about a zillion people wanting to arrest him or kill
him. Jed had almost as many, and also he didn't want to face the
SpaceCorps probing into his past record in case they figured out his
bloody secret.
A horrid taste crept into his mouth as he thought of it and he washed
it down with some liquor in his hipflask. It was some special
moonshine that Eddie had sold him, and it was eroding the flask from
the inside out, which is why it had a gritty taste and had bits in
it. Jed spat.
Jed worried that although Eddie was 100% behind his idea, he couldn't
trust the man as far as he could sneeze. Eddie knew that they could
make huge amounts of money together, but he also knew that Eddie was
smart enough to realise that on his own he could make even more.
Which made Jed extremely wary.
Jed clutched a piece of paper in his hand. It was a hand-scrawled
note from Eddie. "Meet me in Cargobay 9." it said.
Jed entered the bay and pushed aside a few cobwebs and oily chains
hanging from the ceiling. The dark lighting played tricks on the
Captain's eyes, he saw a large mechanical mining drone and adopted a
defensive position, until he realised the drone looked like it hadn't
operated in years.
Eddie appeared behind him and Jed spun quickly, he knew that Eddie
would stab him in the back at some stage but didnt expect it to be
yet. Luckily this wasn't the time.
"Present for you mate." Eddie said, and tugged on a dirty sheet. The
sheet fell to the ground revealing several roulette tables, poker and
blackjack tables.
"Here. All we need to start our own illegal gambling business."
Jed nodded and rubbed his stubbly chin. "An' th' other things ah
asked fer?"
Eddie took some business cards from his wallet. "These are cards for
all the best pimps in the known galaxy. Man, their girls are really
hot."
"They darn well better be."
"Oh mate, they are. There's this GELF girl with like a hundred
breasts, and this other girl with this tongue that's about a metre
long, you should see what she can do with it. Mate, this will be
great." Eddie punched the Captain in the shoulder.
Jed nodded and gritted his teeth.
"Say, mate. You're not having second thoughts about this are you? I
mean, this was your idea right? Didn't you say some 'angel' showed
you the future?"
"Not an angel. Some alien or something."
"Hot?"
"Hell yeah, but what about the crew? We'll still need a crew for this
gorram ship, but they're not interested. They're loyal to the JMC."
"True. I got that impression too mate. But they don't want to leave
the ship do they? Or be split up? You just have to make a speech and
they'll follow you."
Jed shrugged. Then he stopped and turned to Eddie. "Hey! You don't
tell me what I should do!"
Eddie moved his eyes from side to side. "I thought this is the plan."
"The plan is how I say it is, not you. Ya hear?"
"Well..." Eddie stepped back a little as Jed started getting irate.
Jed looked for a moment like he was going to punch him, but then
turned and stormed off, leaving Eddie covering up the gambling
equipment.
A thousand lightyears away on a dessert island, the real Eddie
Monsoon tried to shake his way free from a plasma cage.