《Childish Outlaw》


 First Meeting

    ¡°Ms. Gardner," Captian Shez addressed his second in command, "before we get into this next system, I must insist that you do not- as Mr. Holbrook is fond of saying- do not "freak out" or "fly off the handle" if we are hailed by a non-federation vessel."


    Sarah Gardner slowly turned her head to her captain, ¡°I wont beat around the bush, Captain, are you legal?¡±


    The captains scales clicked together as he shifted, ¡°indeed, this is as legal as every other merchant group. This area is the sector of Mafew, the Outlaw Lord.¡±


    Sarah snorted and couldn¡¯t help the suckle that came after, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Captain, I think my translator is acting up. Did you just say this outlaw is named ¡®Mafew¡¯?¡±


    The captains Chameleon like eyes swiveled in her direction, ¡°there is nothing funny, Ms.Gardner. There is a reason the federation looks the other way when he is involved.¡±


    Sarah couldn¡¯t help picturing the old villain stereotype where the bad guy is large and threatening, but has a squeaky or chipmunk like voice.


    Still poorly holding back a laugh, she said, ¡°no, to us humans, ¡®Mafew¡¯ sounds like ¡®Mathew¡¯ but said by child¡­or someone with a speech impediment.¡±


    ¡°Mmmm,¡± the captain didn¡¯t know how to take this information. He again nervously eyed his co-captain.


    The only reason she was here was due to last moment changes. This would be the first time she¡¯d been out this far. He would have wanted many others first, before her, if only because breaking in a new person to ¡°how things worked¡± was always such a chore.


    It was also dangerous depending on the outlaws¡¯ mood¡­


    ¡°You have never heard of the outlaw lord?¡± the captain inquired.


    ¡°Everyone has heard of him,¡± Sarah sighed, ¡°I just had no idea he had such a stupid name.¡±


    His scales shifted again, ¡°I ask, with pressure, that you watch your words if he hails us.¡±


    She rolled her eyes, ¡°does he bother with every ship that crosses his front yard?¡±


    ¡°I wish to have all my¡­contingencies, in order.¡±


    ¡°OK, OK,¡± she nodded. She wasn¡¯t stupid. She had, in fact, heard many stories about this famous federation outlaw. They were unbelievable and insane. No one knew what species he was unless you knew him personally, all because those who did know him refused to speak of it.


    The rumor that ¡°speak of the Devil¡± was made for this man was born from the reluctance everyone had to speak of him. They called him ¡°outlaw Lord¡± or ¡°The Monster¡±.


    But now Sarah knew the man probably spared those rumors himself because his name was ridiculous!


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t often contact those going threw his territories,¡± the Captain said, mostly to erasure himself, ¡°but Baron seemed to get along with him last time¡­so he might-¡°


    That was when the hail light flickered on and an image of a scrappy looking ship appeared out of the void.


    ()


    ¡°Gran!¡±


    Sarahs jaw dropped and she couldn¡¯t help what flew out of her mouth, ¡°HE¡¯S A CHILD?!¡±


    Capitan Grans scales actually blanched and the spindly third arm- usually out of sight- came from his back and tried to shove his First mate out of view.


    Sarah batted the hand away as Mafew- the undisputed Outlaw Lord- started to laugh.


    He was a HUMAN, and not only that, but he COULD NOT be more than 20 years! Sarah was infuriated! All the fear the federation had for this person must be NONSENSE! A ruse to keep traders and others in line!


    ¡°It''s fine, Gran,¡± he said, his broken teeth flashing. There was a latticework of scars on one side of his face which Sarah had no idea if it aged him or made him look younger!


    ¡°I was in the middle of briefing her as you came,¡± the Captain sighed as his scales slowly went back to normal.


    ¡°Sorry for the bad timing,¡± the boy smirked as his dark eyes moved to Sarah, ¡°My name is Mafew, and you?¡±


    He didn¡¯t have a lisp, nor did his voice match what she had assumed.


    ¡°Ah, um, First Mate Gardner,¡± she said, still trying to swallow this joke of a pill.


    ¡°You look like you need a nap,¡± he said, his smirk growing.


    ¡°HAW?!¡±


    ¡°Please, Sir,¡± Gran sighed, ¡°do not tease my crew like this, especially the NEW ones.¡±


    Mafew cackled, ¡°fine, but only for you. Where is Baron? Filk has news for him!¡±


    ¡°His wife went into labor as we were boarding,¡± Gran replied, ¡°we left late as we had to-¡°


    ¡°HEY FILK!¡± he leaned back, calling off-screen, ¡°Baron has a mate AND offspring before you!¡±


    There was a roar deep within the other ship and Mafew laughed as he turned back to Gran, ¡°we are going to have to send gifts!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± Gran nodded.


    A huge crash echoed on the other side of the screen. Mafew didn¡¯t even wince.


    ¡°So, where ya headed?¡±


    ¡°Making a round, starting with Farga sector.¡±


    Sarah shot a look at her captain. If this person was really an outlaw, why were they just telling him everything?! She knew Grans species wasn¡¯t like the Morda''s! He could lie!


    ¡°Mmmm,¡± Mafew turned slightly, reading something, ¡°seems the conflict in the neighboring sector hasn¡¯t expanded that way¡­yet. But if your round takes you past the Fifth Born sector, you will need an escort. They are at each other and don¡¯t care who or what gets in their way.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Gran sighed, ¡°I was hoping it would be over by this time.¡±


    ¡°No such luck,¡± Mafew shrugged with his hands up, ¡°its gotten to a point even we¡¯ve stopped trying to meddle. Now it''s all about trying to contain the damage. I¡¯ve given more ground in this one conflict than I have my whole life.¡±


    ¡°That bad?¡± Again Grans scales became a malted color, ¡°but we are to be in Tarn Vector by-¡°


    ¡°Yyyeeeah, about Tarn,¡± Mafew shook his head, ¡°Tarn is all but swallowed up. We send relief ships when we can, but the Jarks do a damned fantastic job keeping everyone out.¡±


    ¡°But-¡° Sarah, who had been doing her best to remain calm, ¡°but the Jarks are the ones who requested aid from the federation because their oppressors were taking it to a whole new level! Why would they do the same to others?¡±


    Mafew stared at her and then laughed again.


    ¡°Gran, is she serious? Have I been away from humanity long enough I can¡¯t tell a joke anymore?!¡±


    Before Gran could reply she stood sharply and snapped, ¡°I¡¯m right here! You can ask me! And, no, I wasn¡¯t joking!¡±


    The most punchable sneer speared on his face, ¡°Are you colony-born? Cause if so, their education is lacking.¡±


    Fuming she clenched her teeth, ¡°As a matter of fact, I¡¯m from Earth-Prime! Which has NOTHING to do with this!¡±


    ¡°You mean everything is you¡¯re asking stupid questions¡­or did you have one of THOSE instructors that claim there is no such thing?¡±


    ¡°PLEASE!¡± Gran shouted and then cleared his throat, ¡°not with my ship.¡±


    But Mafew still had the sneer on his face, ¡°had Earth Primes education whithered away so completely that you are not even aware of its own past conflicts? AND within its own atmosphere!¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.¡°I am aware, but those happened so long ago that they ain¡¯t RELEVANT!¡±


    Curse this idiot for making her angry enough to slip in her speech and accent!


    He sighed, making her want to hit him more, ¡°no, not ¡°relevant¡± in cause and effect, but in a lesson of how people behave. Do you think other worlders have no greed? Do you think everything is so black and white that an enslaved world wouldn¡¯t JUMP at the chance to do the same to others? And, in most cases, they are more cruel than that of the original slavers! Humans are not the only race, or species, who suffer from ¡®emotions¡¯ and ¡®vices¡¯.¡±


    If she hadn¡¯t been so angry, she would have noticed her recent filling crack for how hard her teeth were grating against each other.


    ¡°What would someone who doesn¡¯t even know how to pronounce his own NAME know about EARTH EDUCATION?!¡±


    Gran actually let out a whimper.


    ¡°Tell you what,¡± he said, the smile all gone from his face and even voice, ¡°I like Gran. So I¡¯m going to let this slide so long as you get out of my sight right now.¡±


    ¡°TOUGH BALLS!¡± she snapped, flipping him off, at the same time Gran stood to physically escort her out of the room. She swore and tried to fight with Gran, but he wasn¡¯t using his third arm this time, his thick and muscular arms won the argument on their own.


    The door to the bridge shut and the panel flashed red, indicating that it had been locked.


    She stamped her foot over and over again while screaming through her teeth.


    The others on board watched with trepidation as they turned to go a different way. Even the other humans. Seeing their reaction didn¡¯t help at all.


    She had done EVERYTHING to be able to leave the Prime System and escalate herself to the upper echelons of this Trading Company. She¡¯d even slipped laxatives in the food of those ahead of her for this trip!!


    And this¡­BARELY NEW ADULT was going to ruin everything! Could he even be considered an adult?


    She froze at that thought.


    The stories about the Outlaw Lord were many and contradictory, yes, but the ONLY fact that didn¡¯t change in each telling was how he¡¯d been raised by Marg, the last true pirate.


    So what did this fool know about Earth Prime¡­or even the colonies for that matter?! If rumors were to be believed, and Gran made it seem like they should be, then this guy wouldn¡¯t know SQUAT!


    She huffed, feeling much better about her knowledge and security that she knew more about the rude outlaw. Her security was dashed, however, as the captain came through the ships com informing everyone they were to receive a boarding party.


    Sarah ran to the Out Deck and practically glued herself to the viewing window.


    It was a few hours before the bay doors opened and sad excuse for a Travel Pod entered. The Capitan entered once the doors were shut and the atmosphere in the area had stabilized.


    The Pods ramp crashed down, making her wince, and out came three figures.


    Mafew was prominent as the other two were giants compared to him. He was, what, 5¡¯6¡¯¡¯ at MOST?! And yet the other aliens flanked him like bodyguards.


    The boy clasped hands with her captain and seemed to be in genuinely good humor. The others also shook the Captain''s hand.


    Then the large aliens got to work. They entered and exited their pod with many boxes and bags.


    Confused, she watched as some others from the storage level of the ship walked onto the deck and behaved as if this was normal! They waved and chatted with the outlaws as if there was NOTHING wrong with this! They even waved at the Lord who struck up conversations with them. He pointed to the boxes and bags and the Storage workers nodded and one even laughed.


    Were they¡­smuggling?!


    Had she been removed so that her Capitan could set this up?! She had, before, thought very highly of her boss¡­but now¡­


    Looking back at the Outlaws, she made eye contact with Mafew, who was no longer smiling. He then turned his head and spoke to the workers. They nodded and the one that had laughed was now crossing his heart and holding up a Boy Scout sign.


    Did he just-


    She had the second highest authority on this ship, so if she asked what was in the boxes, she had BETTER be told!


    When they boarded again, right before the pods doors closed, Mafew caught her eye again and wiggled his fingers in a teasing goodbye wave. He was even smirking again!


    Furious, she marched right to the men and women moving the outlaws supplies and demanded to look through them.


    ¡°No,¡± came Margaret''s stern answer, ¡°you are not allowed to look.¡±


    ¡°I am second-¡°


    ¡°Second, Ms. Gardner,¡± breathed one of the gelatinous aliens on the ship. He was holding the largest box, ¡°the captain himself said no one was to look in these. Not us, or him. No one.¡±


    ¡°Are you guys fine with this¡± she asked, doing her best to regain momentum, ¡°this is smuggling and could get us all in trouble.¡±


    ¡°¡­are you speaking mutiny?¡± Margaret raised an eyebrow, and then smiled turning to the man behind her, ¡°don¡¯t it sound like Mutiny to you Jake?¡±


    The man, who had been all smiles and good cheer with the Outlaws, was one glowering at her.


    ¡°It does, but I honestly don¡¯t think she¡¯s aware of what she¡¯s saying.¡±


    AGAIN! WHY DID PEOPLE TALK LIKE SHE WASN¡¯T THERE?!


    ¡°I just want to make sure it''s not weapons or-¡°


    ¡°It is not,¡± Margaret laughed, ¡°it''s the same stuff every time, so -¡°


    ¡°HOW do you have so much trust in those lawbreakers?! He could switch it up and we could be-¡°


    ¡°Even if he did,¡± Jake rolled his eyes, ¡°they all go to the same place, and the same people, and they¡¯ve been checked out by the federation themselves. Everything is above board.¡±


    ¡°Is it true you nearly got us all killed by insulting the Lord?¡± the blob shuddered a bit, ¡°I¡¯m going to have to work off this extra tension from just hearing about it.¡±


    ¡°HE¡¯S A BRAT!¡± Sarah stressed, ¡°I don¡¯t see why anyone takes him seriously!¡±


    Jake snorted and then excused himself, passing the others with his load. Margaret shook her head.


    ¡°Look, Ma¡¯am, you¡¯ve just been promoted enough to see what we¡¯ve been privy to for a long while. Before you jump into a Grathits nest with both feet, perhaps hold still and listen to those who know better~¡±


    Then she left the blob following close behind.


    She wanted to stomp her feet again, but instead, she simply told herself she¡¯d wait and bide her time. NOT because Margarete told her to, but because once everything calmed down, she could sneak into the Storeroom and just look herself.

 Persons of Intrest

    Mafew chuckled as his ship sailed away from the Traders ship.  It had been a long while since he¡¯d met a new person in this way.  Everyone was always the same, or they¡¯d been thoroughly schooled in what not to say or do.


    A little refreshing to meet someone so stuck up they ignored even the minor warnings given to them.


    Ulra patted his shoulder, ¡°They are good people, Child.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re the only one off world that gets to call me a Child, much less treat me like one.¡±


    ¡°You are not that upset,¡± the Dorak scoffed and Mafew grinned.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.  She¡¯ll learn as others have.  So long as she doesn¡¯t cross a major line, I¡¯m actually in good spirits.  We got supplies to all the Vectors including the hard ones, and so far no one has said anything stupid¡­Ms. Gardner being the accepting of course.¡±


    ¡°And you got those letters out,¡± Ulra nodded, ¡°and on time this time.¡±


    ¡°Actually that¡¯s what I¡¯m most excited about!¡± Mafew spun in his chair, looking every bit the child Sarah had accused him of being.


    ¡°No scoldings for me!¡±


    ()


    Sarah had made her way up by keeping her head down and doing as she was told while doing what needed doing in secret and with an innocent face.


    There was no way she¡¯d let ANYONE damage her reputation.


    As days and cycles went by, she rewrote her resume and applied to other Companies.  She hadn¡¯t sent the applications, yet, only a fool would do that in the middle of space.


    No, she just got everything ready for the moment she got back.


    She couldn¡¯t get anywhere with a company that was firmly in the pocket of outlaws.


    No, PIRATES.


    She sneered as she mentally scolded the Feds for lying openly to everyone.


    They had NO control over this boy!  How was anyone supposed to feel safe?!


    She also wrote strong letters to the Federation and CC¡¯d other groups she knew were always against the Outlaw clause.


    She received Thank yous and accommodations from those groups.


    The company didn¡¯t care what views you held, so she did all this with abandon!  Telling her story, and only exaggerating where she knew she could get away with it.


    This was how things got done!


    It was pathetic and so sad that this was the case, but if she didn¡¯t push, nothing would happen.


    It had been that way her whole life.


    ()


    Mafew scowled at the incoming message.


    ¡°James! What¡¯s up?  It''s not my name day!¡±


    ¡°Stop, this is important,¡± James, a proud desk jockey and reluctant soldier from the federation came on screen, ¡°Who did you piss off?¡±


    Mafew blinked at his first and long-time friend, ¡°¡­no one important?  Surely?  I honestly can¡¯t think of anything major enough that would require you to call me directly.¡±


    ¡°OK, recount time.¡±


    Mafew wrinkled his nose, ¡°Come on, James!  I can¡¯t be bothered to account for every Barking Tog that got their panties in a twist!  They get hot and bothered whether I say anything or not.  Heck, my mere existence in this galaxy is enough to make them cry.  I don¡¯t have to do a thing!  Even Hellen still has nightmares about me¡­.she calls me often to tell me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you must have stepped on a rather influential toe this time, cause politics has EXPLODED here!¡±


    Mafew turned his wrinkled nose into a full-on face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t back off now,¡± James hurried, ¡°higher-ups just want to know your side of the story.¡±


    Mafew sighed and had to think hard.


    ¡°The system- no, it''s now sector-wide conflict is a place I could have pissed someone off.  I¡¯ve been sending relief ships and getting people out who want nothing to do with that nonsense.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re aware of that, so that¡¯s not it.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.¡°Um, sent Carla a nasty letter, but she shouldn¡¯t get it until the Trader ship carrying the letter delivers it.  That won¡¯t be for¡­well that depends on how fast they navigate Fifth Born¡­¡±


    ¡°What vessel?¡±


    The Holbrooks ship, ya know?  We get along with them, I stopped them to inform them of the potential conflicts in their way, cause I¡¯m a good person.¡±


    James rolled his eyes, ¡°whatever, did anyone on the ship seem displeased with you?¡±


    Mafew blinked, ¡°ah!  Yeah, there was this one chick.  Can¡¯t say I remember her name, but she didn¡¯t seem to like me at all.  Not that it was my fault-¡°


    ¡°I¡¯d say 50% at LEAST is always your fault, Mafew,¡± James cut in, while typing fast on another computer, ¡°Sarah Gardner sound familiar?  Or Watson-¡°


    ¡°GARDNER!¡± Mafew nodded, ¡°that¡¯s the chick.  She got all hot and bothered cause she didn¡¯t understand the conflict.¡±


    James turned a long-suffering look to his friend, ¡°How many times do I have to tell you to work on your face and tone when you explain something?


    Mafew frowned, ¡°I was very nice about it!  I even laughed to show that her rudeness didn¡¯t upset me!¡±


    James dropped his pen and began to massage his temples.


    ¡°You REMEMBER I told you not to LAUGH at people?!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t laughing AT her!¡± Mafew was now legitimately getting upset, ¡°Gran was getting nervous and only calms down when I show good humor!¡±


    ¡°This is a mess,¡± James sighed, ¡°Only I and your parents would know what you were doing.¡±


    Mafew shrugged, ¡°That¡¯s not my problem.  It''s her¡¯s for being so¡­what¡¯s the word.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going there,¡± James picked his pen back up and scribbled on a nearby pad, ¡°Anything else?


    ¡°I really think she¡¯s the only one I¡¯ve truly bumped heads with on a personal level.  Everyone else is generally speaking.¡±


    James nodded, jotting more down.


    ¡°Was she someone important?¡± Mafew asked, thinking about it, and started to gin again, ¡°should I add her to my Christmas card list?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± James slammed a fist down, ¡°And stop that!  You¡¯re making my job SO HARD!¡±


    Mafew apologized sincerely as his friend looked and sounded like he might start crying.


    ¡°Right right,¡± Mafew raised his hands in surrender, ¡°Since the letters are already in transit-¡°


    ¡°GO GET THEM NOW!¡±


    Mafew pouted, ¡°but there are good ones in there.¡±


    ¡°MAFEW MARG O''SHAN!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t get to use my whole name!¡±


    ¡°YOU WILL GET THOSE LETTERS BACK!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not my mother!¡±


    The pen in James¡¯ hand snapped in his fist, ink dripping to the desk, ¡°would you like me GET her?  Because I-¡°


    ¡°ALRIGHT!¡± Mafew shouted, his own hysteria rising, ¡°No need to threaten me!¡±


    James rubbed his face, muttering how he obviously had to¡­


    ¡°¡­How are they, anyway,¡± Mafew asked, tentatively.


    ¡°Well enough,¡± James took the alternate conversation like a lifeline, ¡°Harold is still teaching, if you can believe that.¡±


    ¡°Sadly I can.  Do I not send enough for them to live on?¡±


    ¡°You know they don¡¯t touch that.  Everything goes into the account you made in high school.¡±


    ¡°The hell,¡± Mafew shook his head, ¡°I thought I closed that up!¡±


    ¡°Cause you were a minor, remember, you had to have your parent with you.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°Damn indeed, but I¡¯ll tell them your sentiments.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯ll have to write an extra letter.  Janett was supposed to use that money for reservations.  She always wanted to fix up the backyard¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell them that you keep a share to live off of and you only send ¡°what¡¯s extra¡±. Sound good?¡±


    ¡°Very.¡±


    ¡°Now go get those letters and apologize to Gardner while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely-¡° before he could say ¡®not¡¯, James thanked him and cut the communication.

 Second Meeting

    When Holbrooks Co. finished their rounds months later, Sarah was eager to get home.  She knew these trips could last years, depending on how far out you went, but for the first time out?  She was secretly grateful for the conflict which shortened their time by quite a bit.


    What she didn¡¯t figure was the arrival of Mafew for the second time.  The Captain had made it clear he wouldn¡¯t bother them anymore.


    ¡°Hey Gran, I have to check the bags I gave you,¡± Mafew said the moment the feed connected, ¡°apparently I¡¯m not allowed to send my usual Christmas cards this year.¡±


    Sarahs heart skipped a nervous beat.


    Had she resealed the letters perfectly?


    She couldn¡¯t remember.


    But then she had already taken the pictures of the letters, or ¡°Christmas cards¡± as he called them, and sent them to their respective persons.  He wasn¡¯t going to get away with insulting such high-profile individuals just because he took them back.


    Her smugness allowed her to raise her head a little higher.


    ¡°I¡¯m also supposed to apologize to Gardner,¡± he said, not looking at her though she was right there, ¡°So I will be the only one coming over, is that OK?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Grans scales shone happily, ¡°This is most pleasant!  Would you stay for a meal?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± he said, a small smile on his own face, ¡°Everything blew up- literately- and I have heads to remove from spines.  This is the only time I have to get those letters back.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Gran nodded, ¡°we shall open the doors for you right away.¡±


    He stood and left, thinking Mafew would hang up as he usually did.  But the moment Gran was gone, Mafew turned his attention to Sarah.


    ¡°I look forward to seeing you shortly if you would give me a moment.¡±


    And then he turned off the communications.


    WHY WAS HE STILL SO CONDESCENDING?!


    She had been assured by her new contact in the Federation that this MAN CHILD would be taken care of!


    Her superiority fueled her anger, and her sense of being the one in the right calmed her down again.


    She marched down to the Out Deck, this time waiting with the Captain to enter the area proper.


    He said he was going to apologize, which meant he was most likely sore about being told off¡­yeah, that¡¯s why he ignored her before.  She was SURE it was because he was doing his best to save a bit of his pride.


    Well, as the OLDER one, she¡¯d have to teach him that not everything is as easy as a simply apology.


    The green light flashed, letting them know it was safe to enter the Deck.


    It was the same narlly looking pod.


    She did her best to not make a face at the pod.  She knew guys were touchy about their ships¡­


    ¡°Mafew!¡±  Jake and Margarete passed by her with the bags they had taken from the ship before.


    ¡°Hello!¡± Mafew beamed and waved at them, ¡°how are you holding up?¡±


    ¡°Doing well,¡± Margarete beamed, ¡°we got good products and I¡¯m excited to share the souvenirs this time around!¡±


    Jake nodded.


    Mafew reached in the first bag and began to pull out everything into a pile.  As he went through it all the storage workers looked over at their First Mate and then back to Mafew.


    ¡°You OK with¡­¡± Jake aimed a thumb at Sarah who openly glared at her crew mate.


    ¡°I am here because-¡°


    ¡°Yeah, all if fine,¡± Mafew said not looking up.  Margarete snorted at how red Sarahs face was becoming.  They all knew, by now, how much the woman HATED to be cut off.


    ¡°Surly there are other ways you could send these letters?¡± Sarah said instead, going with a different tack.


    But he didn¡¯t answer her as he began to separate one pile from another.  She grit her teeth again but held it in.


    Moving on to the next bag and the next.  Finally, he had three different piles.  He put one VERY reduced and small pile in one bag, and a larger pile in another.


    ¡°The larger one goes to the professor, right?¡± Jake asked.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.¡°Of course,¡± Mafew frowned, for the first time looking offended, ¡°I¡¯m not a masochist.¡±


    ¡°How do you even know that- whatever, never mind,¡± Jake shook his head.


    ¡°Did I not use the word correctly?  James said it that way¡­¡±


    ¡°Did James give you the definition?¡±


    ¡°¡­no.¡±


    ¡°Somehow that makes me feel better,¡± Jake folded his arms and sighed.


    Mafews scowl deepened, ¡°What¡¯s it mean?¡±


    Margaret laughed while picking up the bags, ¡°all yours, Jake.¡±


    She then left quickly, still laughing.  Jake made a face before explaining that it wasn¡¯t important.  Then he too left after his coworker.


    When they were gone Mafew grinned, ¡°that was funny!¡±


    Sarah scoffed, ¡°so you¡¯re saying you actually know what the word means?¡±


    Mafew laughed, ¡°Duh, I¡¯ve memorized Earths dictionary a while ago.¡±


    Oh, so NOW he reacted to her¡­


    ¡°Riiiight,¡± Sarah rolled her eyes.


    Mafew looked the woman up and down and did his best to keep a sneer off his face.  But it didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°Right,¡± Mafew replied, ¡°since I have these letters back, I guess the next order of business is to apologize.  I am SO sorry, Ms. Gardner.¡±


    The putty look on his face was mocking and only pissed her off more.


    ¡°Is¡­that¡­¡±


    ¡°Great, now I¡¯m done,¡± he hefted the third and largest bag over his shoulder.


    ¡°NO YOU ARE NOT!¡± she snapped, ¡°APOLOGIZE PROPERLY!¡±


    Mafew blinked in shock as Grans scales malted.


    ¡°¡­I did¡­¡±


    ¡°NO YOU DID NOT!  You are not SERIOUSLY sorry!¡±


    Openly confused he said, ¡°duh, I wouldn¡¯t have to be TOLD to apologize if I was ¡®seriously sorry¡¯.¡±


    She nearly took off her shoe right then and there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize unless-¡°


    ¡°Look, lady,¡± Mafew made a face, ¡°I would love nothing more than to not apologize to you, because I¡¯ve not done anything wrong.  However I learned AGES ago to do as I¡¯m told by specific people.  Cause If I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    He shuddered.


    ¡°The federation say¡¯s they don¡¯t control you,¡± she dug, trying to get more information.


    ¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Mafew threw the bag onto his pod.  ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t respect specific people.  If James cries over something I did, I would feel awful.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± she folded her arms, clenching her fists, ¡°You¡¯re not sorry to me, you¡¯re sorry to your handlers.¡±


    ¡°¡­is that a problem?  You are still getting an apology.¡±


    ¡°ITS A HUGE PROBLEM!¡±


    Mafew rolled his eyes and groaned out loud, ¡°Stop yelling at me, I can hear you just fine!  If you want my respect, then earn it!¡±


    Her face twitched, ¡°EARN it?!¡±


    ¡°Did I stutter?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to-¡°


    ¡°So let me get this straight,¡± Mafew poppied her stance, ¡°You don¡¯t have to earn my respect, but I¡¯m - in your opinion- demanding I respect you for no reason?¡±


    ¡°Ugh,¡± she shook her head, ¡°you are a human, yes?  Not a halfbreed?¡±


    Mafews head actually tilted to one side, completely confused.


    ¡°Then you SHOULD know how to respect those older than you!¡±


    Mafew guffawed, ¡°are you mental?!¡±


    ¡°May I intervene?¡± Gran asked, his scales nearly completely white and curling at the ends.


    ¡°No worries, Gran,¡± Mafew said, ¡°I¡¯m not in the mind to blame good people for the idiocy of one.¡±


    ¡°IDI!-¡°


    ¡°I have to leave,¡± Mafew announced reaching out to shake Grans hand, ¡°I¡¯ve done everything I came to do.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re not going to actually apologize?¡±  Sarah cut in.


    Ignoring the older woman he got back onto his pod and waited for the deck to open.


    She swore, throwing her hands up in the air before storming out.


    Grans eyes spun and he gave a few swears of his own before following his First Mate.  He was going to write a letter to the Boss as soon as possible.


    ()


    Mafew pinged James and waited for the response.


    ¡°Be calm,¡± Ulra cautioned, ¡°you might not get your friend on the other end.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t care,¡± he shrugged, ¡°I need more information.¡±


    Ulra shook his plated head, ¡°You learned some terrible habits from Marg¡­¡±


    Mafew grinned, showing his teeth, ¡°thank you.¡±