Lainy and Ryder sat in Chows office. The room was roughly square and one wall was taken up by a huge window that looked out into the expanse of space. It was brightly lit with an artificial white light, accented with neon signs of many different shapes and colors. A large wooden desk, an oddity up here in mars orbit, occupied a potion of the view from the window. The two of them sat on one side in padded, velvet chairs. On the other side, in a high backed black leather chair sat Chow...

After they had found him seated in the V.I.P section of Rubinski's, Lainy had been let through the wall of tall muscular suits and Ryder was not. She strolled over to chow, Ryder couldn't hear over the thumping euro-tech music, but Chow spread his arms in an obviously welcoming gesture. Lainy leaned in close and talked right into Chows ear. His smile wavered briefly, Lainy turned back toward Ryder and winked at him. Chow stood and snapped his fingers at his ridiculously oversized security guys. They pushed through the crowd, the tight lipped, serious expressions never faltering as they cleared a path for Chow, Lainy and Ryder followed closely as to not be swallowed by the thrumming, frantic dancers crowding the dance floor...

Now, back in his office, Chow stood up from his chair and crossed to a side table, all black and gold, covered in liquor bottles, mostly vodka. He selected a bottle of ancient Grey Goose Vodka from France, obviously brought up from Earth. He poured three measures into three crystal rocks glasses, another oddity this far from earth. He downed one and carried the other two to his guests.

"So, What is it you need from me Pengyou?" He asked, using the Cantonese word for friend.

"My father is missing and Ryder here tells me this douche bag Klaskin has him." Lainy stated, hooking her thumb at Ryder. "I need some "supplies" and any info you can give me on this Klaskin shithead." She made air quotes to make her meaning known to Chow.

Chow tapped an extended index finger on his lips, contemplating his answer. He smoothed is long white mustaches and spoke, slowly and deliberately. He reached into a drawer of his desk and removed a box. From the box he removed a long necked pipe and stuffed a pinch of what Lainy assumed was tobacco into the bowl. He tamped it down with his thumb and said, "You would do well to stay out of this, Lane." He sat forward placing his elbows on the desk and lit the pipe with a match which he struck on the outside of the box. " This man is dangerous and if I'm saying that then he has got to be Edu, as you well know" He tended to mix his English with a peppering of Cantonese, Edu means vicious.

"No shit. He's tried to kill me, like, 4 or 5 times." She said. "Don't worry about me, Ryder here is some sort of fuckin hero or something and I can certainly take care of myself." Lainy pulled out her Plasma Knife and slashed a couple times in the air for emphasis. The Security guys tensed and one reached automatically into his jacket but Chow waved them off with a flourish of his hand. "I just don't know anything about this Klaskin chump, aside from the usual bullshit i found on the info-net." She stood and downed the vodka.

"Ok dear, give a list of the supplies you need to Chance over there," He pointed the end of his pipe at one of the burley security guys." and give me an hour or so to compile some info, its got to be done carefully, but Lainy " He stood and pulled a piece of paper out of his desk drawer and scribbled something on it. He slid it to her with one finger. Out of nowhere two identical men, short but surprisingly strong, obviously either augmented or some sort of Genetically enhanced clones, had grabbed her and Ryder and pressed identical slim blades to their necks. When he spoke again Chow face was serious but still spoke in a quiet tone. "After this we are even. If I ever see you here again I'll kill you personally."

Ryder's eyes were wide with surprise, but returned to the stoic detachment that was ever present on his face. The two men withdrew the blades and tucked them away inside their dark navy suit coats. They slid silently away disappeared once again from wherever it was they had come from.

"Now go and enjoy yourselves. Come back in an hour and I will have what you need." He puffed out a large cloud of sweet smelling tobacco smoke and waved his arm toward the exit. 

The two guests stood and as they approached the door out of Chows office, it slid open with a hiss and slid shut again as they walked away, the guards followed until they reached the transport tube.

Ryder waited until the tube door closed and said. "What the fuck." For the first time since she met him he pulled a vape pen out of his pocket and took a long inhale and released a huge sweet smelling cloud. "Do you look for trouble or does it just follow you around?" 

"What, that? That's just Chow. He's just a bit theatrical. It works on some people, present company included, but I know better." She pulled the slip of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Ryder.

"I'm going to fuck with this guy. Hahaha." Ryder read aloud. "Wow, that is fucked up. How could you let him do that?"

"I didn't have a choice. Chow is melodramatic, but he was only half joking. He probably will kill me if I come back here after today." She shrugged her shoulders and punched Ryder in his chest. As she stopped out of the tube she said almost as an afterthought. "Besides asshole, payback's a bitch."