It didn't take Romeo long to show up. One thing was certain though; no one would ever tease him about his name. He was one of the taller men I had seen, and he was solid muscle. He probably would have made most wrestlers think twice about an arm wrestling match.
"Ready to go?"
He nodded, and I started walking down the ramp. He walked amiably beside me, often getting startled glances from people we passed due to his sheer size.
'What is the nearest location a taxi can get to?'
"Richardson Square. Benjamin is only a two-minute walk from there."
Several taxis were always around the base of the docking station, and we got into one. I took the front seat while Romeo somehow managed to squeeze into the back.
"Richardson Square, please."
The hover taxi took off, gaining altitude to get over buildings between us and our destination. We got there within five minutes. 'Is he still out cold?'
"Affirmative. Go down the back alley between the clothing store and the shoe shop. If Romeo stays mostly behind you, the shield can block anything that might otherwise hit him."
I pretended to check my Guide for a map before pointing. "Looks like we get to go down that nice spooky back alley."
Romeo raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, but didn't hesitate in following me. I had no idea why any of my crew would wander down such a questionable alleyway.
"I believe he was pulled out the back door of the store he had been in."
'Lovely... Which way now?'
Starsong continued to give directions as we followed the twisting narrow path. I spotted the slumped form on the ground and quickly went over to kneel down beside him as I checked his pulse.
Starsong informed me, "He will have a splitting headache when he wakes up, and he may have a bit of a concussion, but otherwise there is no damage such as broken bones."
'And just how can you tell that?'
"Your communication device has some fairly elaborate scanners built into it."
'Great... I am now a walking Analyzer... Are we safe to move him?'
"Yes."
I sighed. "He is just out cold, but we are safe to move him."
Romeo took my word for it, and he would have recognized Benjamin as one of our crew. He picked up the slender man, and we started walking back.
We were halfway back to the road when Starsong commented, "You have company ahead. Your Guide will work with this group."
'That thing was supposed to be a tool, not a formidable weapon capable of taking on a small army...'
"That is a minor detail."
There was no point in arguing with him, and it was about to come in very handy. I spoke quietly, "We have company ahead, so don't let them take you by surprise. It looks like Benjamin's assailants didn't go very far. Do not get between them and me."
Romeo narrowed his eyes at the shadowy areas ahead, but didn't comment or slow his walk. My own heart was speeding up despite the knowledge that my shield would stop them even if they did get close.
Four shadows moved out to block our path. Romeo stopped beside me. One man tapped an iron bar into the palm of his other hand. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
I remained composed and walked two steps forward with a faint frown. "You have the Captain of the Starship Starsong, and you, sir, are in our way. This is your only warning. I am not in a mood to play nice. Stand aside."
The man cackled, revealing yellow and rotting teeth. "In other words, we have a nice ransom. This has been a profitable night after all."
I shook my head in exasperation as I pulled out my Guide. Mine had been enhanced far past the capabilities of any of the other Guides. I held it up in front of me as they started to slowly walk closer. I smirked slightly at the troublemakers as I tapped a button. "Smile for the camera."
An almost soundless whoosh was heard as a dim yellow light pulsed in a half-circle away from the Guide like a flash of slow light. The garbage can lids rattled as it passed over them, but it hit the men fast and hard, sending them to the ground unconscious.
I lowered the Guide and put it back in its holder before looking over my shoulder at a rather astonished-looking Romeo. I said, "They won't be getting up anytime soon. Let's go."
He blinked at me with stunned eyes but followed swiftly enough. We found a taxi the moment we got to an actual street, and we were soon heading off to the docking station. Taxis and public transport did not have the clearance to fly as high as the docking station platform, so the taxi landed in a parking stall on the ground near the base of the docking station.
Romeo dragged the still-unconscious Benjamin out of the taxi and packed him towards the entrance. Two of the guards stepped forward to intercept us. "Stop, what is your purpose?"
I stepped forward once more. "I am the Captain of the Starsong, and both of these men are members of my crew. One was mugged, and I wish to get him to the Medical Bay sooner rather than later."
The guard snorted. "A Captain? Right. Are you even out of school yet?"
I gritted my teeth slightly at the insult, although I didn't let them see that their condescending attitude was getting under my skin. "I tell you truly; I am Captain Wanderer. Move out of my way." My voice conveyed my faint warning.
The man crossed his arms. "You may have the uniform, but those are easily duplicated. We will have to verify your identity."
I pulled out my ID card and passed it to him, keeping my expression calm and faintly annoyed. He made a great show of holding it up and inspecting it – and overall just taking his time to annoy me. Not a wise move when one of my crew was injured and a guard was being a jerk.
Starsong listed a few potential options since the guard was plainly not going to let me pass anytime soon, but one of the options was much faster and more efficient. I turned to Romeo and said, "If I gave you my word that you would be safe, would you trust me to get you onto the ship swiftly?"
He nodded slowly, but there was no trace of a doubt present. "Yes, Captain. I trust you."
Starsong had already alerted the Bridge to our difficulties and my plan. I looked up at the ships that blotted out most of the sky above us as I tapped my communication device, "Captain to Bridge, I need a tractor beam to take these two to loading bay three. Have a medical team waiting."
A chorus of three voices all replied instantly, "Yes, Captain," and "Aye Aye, Captain," as if they had just been waiting for me – which they had been.
Romeo's eyes barely had time to widen before a dull green beam shone down on him. A normal tractor beam was more or less useless in a planet's gravity. Starsong's capabilities, once again, broke a few rules regarding current technology.
It swiftly pulled Romeo and his load towards the ship with a speed that was probably just slow enough to keep Romeo from having a heart attack. It was plenty fast enough to beat the elevator inside the base of the docking station though. I truly hope that he is the kind of guy who likes roller coasters and similar rides...
The two guards and anyone else who had been in the area were either staring at the rapidly disappearing duo or gawking at me. A docking station was a busy place with lots of people coming and going, so there was no lack of bystanders. And the guards hadn't bothered anyone else in a spaceship uniform...
I still don't like having so many people staring at me...
I raised an eyebrow at the guard who was still holding my ID card. "Well? Are you going to let me pass or am I going to have to take a shortcut as well? I am already expecting that someone higher up will be coming to find me, although there are technically no rules or laws against using a tractor beam while docked."
He almost dropped my card in his haste to pass it back to me. "My apologies, Captain. You may continue."
The use of the tractor beam would gain the attention of the supervisors, who would probably be inquiring into what had gone on. The truth would probably lead to some disciplinary action on their part due to their unprofessional behavior.
I fixed him with a stern look. "I really hope that there is not a repeat of this event."
Neither guard replied, so I walked past them and into the building. I really did not want to have to stand in a crowded elevator with people staring at me, so I headed for the stairwell escalator.
It was an escalator that went up in a slow spiral with solid walls on both sides. People could either stand on the moving steps or climb the stairs for a faster ascent as they preferred. It was much slower than an elevator, so few people ever used it.
This time was no exception, and I was relieved to have some alone time, even if it wasn't going to last long.