Of Men and Spiders

Lucy walked confidently down the promenade, or at least she tried to. She might have once been one of the most feared pirates in the sector, but she'd been a domestic wife and mother for the last seventeen years. Admittedly, one with a bit more edge than most, but still, it was bound to have taken its toll on her. Now, a part of her mind was wondering how much of that time was showing in her gait and how many people would see it as a weakness...

Finding what she was looking for, Lucy walked into the most run-down looking bar in the area. Without hesitation, she walked up to the bar, ignoring the glares she knew were directed at her from every corner of the room, and slapped down a bit of coin. "Whatever rum you've got that won't make me vomit blood later."

The bartender poured what could only be generously called a mug, but Lucy grabbed the bottle as he went to pull away. "Leave it." then, she slid him a few more coins before he could protest.

Finally, she turned around and glared back at the crowd. A few of them had the decency to pretend they hadn't been analyzing her whole performance for any sign of weakness, but far more than she liked glared back. Doing her best to feign a bored expression, Lucy grabbed her mug and bottle; she made her way over to an unoccupied table with two chairs and sat.

Taking a drink, Lucy gritted her teeth at the sensation of fire passing down her throat. This was not a good rum. She wasn't even sure this could be called a rum in most places. Most likely, it had been cut with a mix of water and a much harder backroom brew, which probably gave it the notable aftertaste of woodgrain but would get you drunk faster than expected.

Of course, one group of particularly ugly-looking guys got up and strolled over, laughing amongst themselves at the fun they were about to have. Lucy only had enough time to whisper, "Stay out of this, Charlotte. I've got this." Before they stepped up to the table.

The evident group leader leaned down with a sneer and braced his hands on the table. "Now, what's a pretty thing like you doing in our neck of the woods. You looking for a good time? Cuz me and the boys will be happy to show you one!"

There were three of them, and it was clear they were armed. Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Lucy put her hands on the table between his and looked up as demurely as she could. "Well, I don't know about that. You three might be a bit much for little old me..."

With that, she slammed her hands out into his, destabilizing him just enough that she could reach up, grab his hair, and slammed his head onto the table. Of course, his friends were already drawing their weapons, but she was faster than the guy on her right, and on the left, she kicked out the extra chair into the guy's shin while she got both her guns up and in their faces, but before she could pull the trigger, a familiar if somewhat older voice shouted out behind the men accosting her. "Lucy the Red! I haven't seen you around here in a long time! What brings you out of retirement?"

The one who'd had his head slammed into the table stood up and turned around, only to be cold-cocked by the butt of what looked suspiciously like a sawed-off shotgun wielded by the nicest, most grandfatherly-looking man in the bar. Lucy smiled as she addressed the newcomer, even as she held her two outstretched guns in the faces of the other two men. "Bernard! How nice to see you! I was looking to get into contact with my father again and was hoping you might know where I might get ahold of him!"

Bernard laughed. "Captain Drake? Everyone knows where he's at, even the Core Systems! It's just that no one's stupid enough to stir up that old hornet's nest!"

The two still-standing men looked back and forth between Bernard and Lucy before one of them finally put two and two together as the color drained out of his face. "Lucy the Red? Drake's daughter?"

Bernard smiled at the man in a way that looked kindly on the surface, though anyone who knew the older man better knew there was no kindness to be had there. "Yeah, your boss picked a real good one tonight! Don't worry too much; ol Lucy here can be quite forgiving. But to prove your sincerity, you might wanna buy a round or three for the whole bar!"

As the men stumbled up to the bar to shell out whatever savings they had between the three of them, Lucy holstered her guns and smiled up at the familiar figure who sat down opposite her, setting his shotgun on the table with a laugh. She and Bernard used to play this game in her younger days to get free drinks. Judging by Bernard's grin, he thought it was just as funny now as it was then. "But seriously, Red, what are you doing here? I thought you up and retired?"

Lucy grinned back, took another sip, and regretted it immediately before answering. "Just what I said. I'm looking to get back in contact with dear old dad. He sent a message a bit ago that he wants to speak, and I figured I might as well take him up on that offer, just on my terms, is all. Think you can help me out, old man?"

Bernard's grin fell a little, and he shook his head. "You know I'd do just about anything for you, Red, but going against your father is one of the few things I won't. That's a surefire way to get everyone I know and care about dead."

Lucy nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I wouldn't ask you to go against him, not like that anyway, so here's what I'm proposing. You tell me how I can find him, then go sell me out by telling him what you told me. Let it be our little game to see who can outmaneuver who. If he can't outthink and outmaneuver some retired captain who's been out of the game for seventeen years, that's on him. And besides, it's not like I'm some central military figure. I'm his daughter. And to make it extra apparent you're not betraying him, I won't even pay you off. You can do this, pro bono!"

At the mention of no pay, Bernard's smile wilted just a little. "I suppose that's a good enough plan, but I'm afraid you are right about one thing..."

That was when Lucy noticed the shotgun's barrels were pointed toward her, and Bernard's fingers were still on the trigger. She gently placed her hand on the other end of the barrel, careful not to look like she was trying to reposition it as she answered. "Ah, I really have been out of the game too long. He's already a few steps ahead of me..." Then, with a quick flex of the muscles in her new hand, Lucy pinched the barrels shut, clearly surprising Bernard while she shook her head and continued. "Well, fair enough. I knew this was going too smoothly."

Then, as she stood up, Lucy nodded toward her old friend. "No hard feeling, Bernard; I know the game. I'll tell you what, you tell my father I'm loading my supplies and taking off. He's got until the end of my stay to get me a tempting enough offer before I really go rogue on his ass!"

Bernard looked at his shotgun, then at Lucy. "How do you know he won't just grab you and call it a day?"

Lucy smiled in an old, familiar way that widened her eyes just a little too far and showed too many teeth for most people's comfort. "Because my father was never one to waste resources, and I doubt he wants a station full of corpses as all that's left in this sector when I disappear again."

As Lucy walked away from the bar, she had a bounce to her step. This was starting to get fun... Maybe she wasn't as out of practice as she thought.-Per their plan, Charlotte moved a few hands out into the loading area, careful not to be seen. It was relatively simple as these were some of her smallest appendages, barely larger than a human hand. Lucy said she didn't want to reveal their advantages too early, but She was not about to miss out on an opportunity to observe more humans in their natural environment.

The way the humans move this way and that, some with clear purpose and destinations and others strolling casually about, was pure chaos. Apparently, this wasn't a typical human settlement but rather a more transitory space created more for trading goods, both normal and illicit.

As Lucy returned to the dock, someone tried to slip their hands into her pockets unnoticed, only for his hand to be caught in the vicelike grip of Lucy's new hand. At first, Charlotte thought he'd been trying to take something out of Lucy's pockets like She'd observed several others in the crowds passing by, but instead, she seemed to be holding something in his hands. Lucy grabbed the object and let the other human slink away.

Once in the safety of the dock, she activated the device, and an image of another human popped up on the projection. Lucy shook her head and spoke first. "Really, Dad, setting old Bernard against me? That was just low. I hope you didn't threaten his family or anything."

The older human, apparently Lucy's father, laughed, indicating mirth despite his daughter's dour expression. "Oh, come now, that was just a little test. If Bernard had been able to bring you in, I'd know you were too far gone and might have let you retire for real! But don't worry, he'll be fine. I'll even send him a small bonus for getting you to speak with me!"

Charlotte noticed several other humans sneaking into the loading area and carefully positioned several of her hands. Meanwhile, Lucy didn't seem particularly pleased. "Oh, please! Don't give me that 'If you hadn't done this, I would have done that' crap. No, you wouldn't. That's just the way you used to punish me as a child, telling me about some pretend reward I was now missing out on. That shit barely worked then, and it certainly doesn't work now. Why don't you cut the bullshit, stop playing these games, and come meet me for a nice father-and-daughter talk?"

The humans in the room were spread out, apparently trying to surround Lucy. Charlotte readied her hands; it was almost time.

The human in the image shook his head. "You know it's not that easy. If you want my men to respect you and your authority, you must earn it. Prove you're still Lucy the Red, not just some old washed-up civilian!"

Lacy pinched her nose in frustration. "But I am just some civilian now, Dad! Why won't you just leave me and my family alone?"

The human in the image sighed. "Well, if that's so, I suppose I'll see you soon."

With that, the humans moved forward, only to be tripped up by the thin strands of web Charlotte had placed around their legs. As they fell forward or struggled to retain their balance, more of Charlotte's hands lept forward, biting the humans who were subsequently paralyzed by the new venom She'd developed specifically for safely neutralizing humans.

Lacy rolled her eyes. "Really, Dad? A grab squad? Will you stop wasting my time and get serious? The next time you send some goons after me, I won't play this nice!" With that, Lacy dropped the device on the floorplates and stomped on it.

As she walked up the ramp to the shuttle, Lucy spoke to Charlotte. "So, were the supplies delivered and loaded?"

Charlotte walked along the wall beside Lucy as She answered. "Yes, and as you suspected, one of the delivery men interacted with the ship's electrical system."

Lucy smiled, reminding Charlotte of Scott when he had a particularly clever idea. "Good, that means the tracking device is in place. Now, let's get out of here. It's time to go fishing!"

Charlotte hesitated a moment. "What does acquiring a water-based life form have to do with your father?"

That made Lucy stop, then, after a moment, chuckle. "No. You're not getting me with that this time!"

That only confused Charlotte more as she picked up the pace to keep up with Lucy, who was now walking ahead. "But that didn't clarify anything. I still don't understand how a water-based life form will aid you in dealing with your family!"