The next couple of days were strange ones for Callum. Even though he was supposedly on a critical diplomatic mission, he spent the time leading up to Li Mei's birthday mostly just killing time. Wu was completely unavailable, he was told, and they were left to their own devices. Callum spent a little time in the library with Russell, who hadn't left since the night before. Apparently there were books with information on what happened between the time that the original Russell had died and the present day. Callum had listened to Russell rant and rave but was soon bored and confused. After that, he spent most of his time wandering around the ship.
Valencia was with him every step of the way. From the moment they woke up, she had attached himself to him. On the one hand, Callum was happy to see her in good spirits again but on the other, he really didn't enjoy the feeling that he couldn't get away from her. Mikan was the opposite. When he asked her how her night had gone, she had mumbled a couple of words and hurried away from him. The pained look in her eyes suggested that it wasn't her normal shyness manifesting. It was easy to make the connection to the fact that he'd had sex with Valencia but that just bummed him out. He'd thought that he and Mikan had settled into a regular friendship.
All and all, by the time Li Mei's birthday had finally come around, Callum was ready to be off the Tianlong. He hoped there would actually be some conversation regarding this alliance. Maybe Wu would just reject it and he could go home. He missed Bel. He missed his sister. Hell, he even missed Yemoramato. Callum figured the birthday was a "formal" occasion so he dressed in one of the outfits Shargi had deemed "formal." The outfit consisted of a pair of straight white slacks, black shiny shoes with pointed toes, a long-sleeved, maroon shirt made of a soft material and a black half-cape. Callum didn't care for it.
He stepped outside his room and waited for Valencia and Mikan to come out. When they did, he could sense a definite chill in the air between them. They both looked amazing, though. Valencia was in a shimmering dress of blue-green. It had no back and very little front and was so thin he thought he could see the indentations of her nipples. The skirt was the opposite, layered and puffed and floor-length. He couldn't even see her shoes underneath it. Mikan wore a pale yellow one-piece that had billowy shorts instead of a skirt. Callum thought that was probably a good thing since it was so short that she would have been showing everybody everything underneath if it was a skirt. The top was sleeveless but had a much more demure neckline compared to Valencia's. As if to counteract that, there was a diamond shaped cutout exposing her navel.
"You two look very nice," Callum said. Both of them gave him identical raised eyebrows and frowns. 'I thought those two were fighting,' Callum thought, a little sulkily.
"They look like tramps," Taka said. "So they should fit right in." Callum looked over to see the girl striding down the hall. She was wearing dark slacks, a dark shirt and a pale green jacket. It didn't really do anything to diminish her beauty.
"Taka," Callum said, subtly interposing himself between the two women and the advancing girls. Both of them had gone red at her comment. Callum didn't think they would do anything but he didn't want to risk it. "You've come to take us to this birthday?"
She nodded. "Seems I'm good for nothing else besides bullshit like this."
"And you're not even good for it," Mikan muttered. Taka shot her a sharp glance and Mikan flinched. Callum wondered if she'd meant to say that out loud.
Taka glared at her for a moment longer and hissed. "Let's fucking go already." She spun on her heel and started to march away. Callum hurried to catch up with her, coming abreast so they were walking side by side. Taka glowered at him and increased her pace but his longer legs meant she would have to flat out run to stay ahead of him.
"Can I ask you a question?" Callum asked.
"About what?" Taka snapped back.
"You're father." Taka rolled her eyes but didn't say no. "I don't quite understand what's going on with all of this. Is he just making fun of us? Why hasn't he talked to us? Do you think he has any intention of actually allying with Princess Tsyirinsaku?"
"I have no idea what that fuckhead's intentions are," Taka grumbled. After a moment, she added, almost reluctantly, "But I don't think he is just screwing with you. If he was completely opposed to you, he would have said so. He's an asshole and he likes playing games but he says what he means. He wouldn't keep you here unless he was considering your offer or alliance or whatever."
Callum nodded, feeling relieved. If Taka said it, he thought it must be true considering how much distaste she held for Wu. Callum glanced back and saw that Mikan and Valencia had fallen a little ways behind. Mikan was the shortest of all of them and Valencia was wearing very low heels but still struggling. "Can I ask you something else about Wu?"
"Apparently I can't stop you."
Callum ignored her testy tone and said, "From what I've heard, your father has a lot of different…partners…" Taka snorted. "And many of them all live on this ship together. How…does that work?"
"Why? Your two fucking kitty cats having a little tiff?"
"No…Valencia is the only one I'm involved with and I wouldn't call her a kitty cat." He thought a kitty cat was like a pet or something. 'Though she did say I own her body and soul…'
"Really?" Taka raised an eyebrow. "Good for you." Callum almost admitted that he was in fact sleeping with another woman but held it back for now. It might piss Taka off and she wouldn't answer his questions then. "As for what you asked earlier, I have no fucking idea how it works. Don't ask me why all those pathetic bitches gather around that manwhore and why so many of them put up with his fucking philandering. Some of them seem so smart otherwise…I don't fucking get it. You'd have to ask one of them."
"Hmm." Callum planned to do that but he wanted an outsider's perspective, too. Maybe Li Mei? "Did you ever ask your mother about it?" Callum asked, off hand.
Taka tightened. There was no other word for it. Her back straightened, her shoulders hunched, her fists clenched, her lips pressed together and her eyes narrowed. "I couldn't tell you what my mother saw in the bastard in the first place but she wasn't one of the ones who stayed even as he fucked anything with a pulse and a hole. She left but my father wouldn't let me go so I'm stuck on this disgusting ship. I haven't seen my mother since I was six."
"Sorry," Callum said quickly. "I didn't…" He shook his head. "I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm sorry."
"Whatever," Taka muttered angrily. She noticeably relaxed, though. Callum decided to save the rest of his questions for another time. Or another person.
The room where the birthday party was taking place was surprisingly large and almost cavernous. A ridiculously huge light fixture with dozens of crystal-like bulbs was suspended in the middle of the room. Long tables with large bowls and plates full of food and drink were set up around the room. Hundreds of people mingled in the spacious area, sipping drinks, eating finger foods and talking and laughing. Callum was astounded. It seemed almost absurdly lavish and rich. 'So this is what a birthday is supposed to be like.'
Li Mei and Wu were at the front of the room, greeting all the new arrivals. Li Mei was resplendent in a long, scarlet dress with gold embroidery. Her hair was done up with golden ornaments. Wu, next to her, looked equally splendid. He had on a strangely long shirt that fell to his knees and voluminous sleeves that fell past his hands. The shirt was black with gold patterns, including a magnificent golden dragon across his chest. Underneath he wore black pants that also had gold trim. His hair was pulled up into a high ponytail.
"Hey, glad you could make it," Wu said, as first Li Mei, then Wu, shook Callum's hand. His hand was large but surprisingly soft, though the handshake was firm.
Where else was I going to be? "Thank you for inviting me, Laoban."
Wu kissed the back of first Valencia's hand and then Mikan's. Valencia seemed nonplussed but Mikan blushed. "You ladies look enchanting." He turned to Taka. "Thank you for bringing them." Taka looked away with a sneer.
"I'm honored you all have come," Li Mei said. Her voice was soft and smooth. "Even you, dear sister."
Taka glanced at her and smiled. It was the first time Callum had seen her smile and it was not pleasant. "I'd rather be literally anywhere else."
"Lovely," Li Mei responded with a certain amount of amusement.
"Taka, come on. Just for today," Wu said.
"Would you promise not to fuck anyone today?" Taka asked, crossing her arms. Wu said nothing. "I thought not. Pathetic." She turned and walked away. Callum was surprised to see her walk into the crowd, however, not out the door.
Wu watched her for a moment and then turned back. He had a smile plastered on his face but it didn't reach his eyes. "Well, go on. Eat my food, drink my booze, have fun." Callum opened his mouth but Wu preempted him. "We'll talk later. There are more guests coming in."
Callum reluctantly let himself be shuffled off into the crowd. Valencia and Mikan stayed close to him. So now what? He was just supposed to wander around eating and talking to strangers? He supposed that his village had done something similar on food delivery days, though those weren't strangers. Callum made his way to one of the tables that was stacked high with meats. He took a plate and loaded up. Valencia did the same. Mikan didn't follow suit. When Callum gave her a questioning look, Mikan just shook her head. She looked like she was going to be sick. Odd. He was certain he'd seen her eat meat before.
Callum surveyed the crowd as he ate. Most of the people were humans. He thought it was probably close to three-quarters. The rest were a hodgepodge of aliens, most of which he did not recognize. There were no fie and no dobed. He did see a few carcha, though, maneuvering through the crowd like predators. A few humans gave them distasteful looks and stepped away when they came near but most didn't seem bothered in the least. Their presence made his skin itch a little but he knew from Dahri that not all carcha supported the actions of their empire.
"Callum," Valencia said softly. He glanced at her. She was beside him and very close. There were shiny grease stains around her mouth from the meat. 'Cute.' "I have an idea." Callum nodded for her to continue. "I think we should go around the party and ask about Wu. Maybe we could get some information that would help us."
"That's a great idea!" Callum said brightly. They had some information on Wu's background but Callum really knew nothing about him or what motivated him. "Let's do it."
"Should we split up?"
Callum nodded. "I think so." He glanced at Mikan. "Are you up to it?"
"Um, I guess." Callum took her at her word, weak as it was. They split up and began to canvas the party for information about Wu. As hopeful as he was at the beginning, Callum soon realized that opinions on Wu were so varied that the entire exercise was pointless. Wu was a ladies man. No, he was a pervert. No, he was secretly homosexual and he used all the women around him as a cover. He was secretly working to destroy the carcha's empire. No, he was a secret informant for the carcha. He rescued human fugitives and set them up on a secret colony. No, actually he turned them over to carcha slavers. No, actually, he was building a secret army to take back Earth. Except maybe that army was to launch into deep space in cryo-sleep until they arrived in a new galaxy with a new planet where Wu would be king.
By the time he gave up, Callum felt like he knew less about Wu than he did before. How could one man have so many rumors about him? And how could some of the people remain on this ship if they thought he was the monster they told Callum he was? Callum wandered over and scooped up a drink from one of the tables and downed it. It burned going down, meaning it was some kind of alcohol. Callum was glad. He needed the drink.
"Having fun?" Taka asked. She was leaning against the wall behind the table, sipping on the same kind of drink Callum had just quaffed.
"Not really. Your father is a confusing person. Or people are very confused about him, I guess."
Taka scoffed. "He's not confusing. He's just an asshole." Callum grunted. That wasn't very helpful, even if he couldn't exactly disagree.
"I wonder if either of the others had any better luck than me," he muttered, searching the room for them. Valencia was talking, or maybe arguing, with an older human man. They both seemed angry, though not so much that Callum was worried about her. Mikan took him longer to find. She was off in a corner, with an unfamiliar alien with pale orange skin leaning on the wall next to her. Callum almost moved to intervene, until he saw her laugh. 'I guess she's doing a better job mingling than either of us.' Callum smiled. It was good to see her break out of her shell a little bit.
Taka snorted. "She's with that fucking icke? I guess the rumors were true then?"
"Rumors?" Callum turned to her with a raised eyebrow. Taka was staring at Mikan and the alien with evident disgust.
She turned to him. "You didn't hear?" Callum shook his head. "You said you aren't with her right?" Callum nodded, his stomach tightening up. Taka leaned forward, conspiratorially. "Well," she said softly, "apparently the other night, the first night you guys were even here, she and that icke got together in one of the fuck booths above the club."
Callum stared at her and slowly repeated, "Fuck...booths?"
"Yeah." Taka said, disgust evident in her voice. "I guess you might not have been in there long enough to see them but there are these tables and booths on a higher level around the dance floor. They were supposedly put in for watching performances but now they're just used so people can fucking paw at each other or out and out actually fuck. I swear, this whole ship is just so fucking gross."
For some reason, Callum's thoughts seemed to be moving in slow motion. "So Mikan…and the icke…were seen in one of these…booths?"
"Not just seen," Taka said, evidently not noticing Callum's distress. "Apparently she fucked him right there in the booth. Not even discreetly. Just went right fucking at it." She shook her head. "I had hoped those two were just dressing like sluts to impress my father. Most women do," she added with a sneer. "I didn't expect her to be such a fucking straight-up whore, though. She doesn't look it."
Callum's brain felt like jelly and his body felt numb. Mikan had had sex with a stranger. In public. It just didn't seem possible. Maybe Taka had it wrong. But where would the rumor have come from? Could Mikan really have done something like that? She did have sex with you when she barely knew you. When you gave her every opportunity to run away.' And hadn't Venus said that her powers would increase their sex drive? He'd been with Nita, Bel and Valencia since they'd gotten together. Was it really surprising to think she'd been with other people, too? And how long had he really even known Bel? So why was he so shocked? Was it just because of the who and where? Or was it something more?
"Yo. Yo! You still with me?" Taka was waving her hand in front of his face.
Callum blinked and shook his head slightly. "Sorry."
Taka sighed and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "No. That was my bad. I forget that most people aren't as used to sleaze and debauchery as I am. To tell the truth, I'm relieved to see you so shaken. After I heard what she did, I figured you were all a bunch of fucking perverts like my father. Especially since you're mech pilots…"
Callum shook his head and muttered, "That's alright." He really wasn't listening to her, with his mind still spinning.
A ringing sounded through the room and it took Callum a moment to figure out where it was coming from. Wu, near the back of the room, was tapping on the side of his glass with a fork. The various conversations being had around the room died off until it was silent. "Now that everybody has arrived, I'd like to say a little something about the guest of honor. My daughter Li Mei is turning thirty years old today!" Clapping broke out around the room. Callum belatedly joined in. "Anyone who has been on this ship for more than a few days knows how absolutely invaluable she is to keeping Tianlong running smoothly. And she has been since she was ten!" Li Mei, standing next to him, blushed and looked decidedly uncomfortable.
"She's had to," Joan called out, "since her father spends more time chasing girls than running his own ship!" Laughter broke out in the room and Wu grinned. Taka scowled. Joan had said it in good humor but Callum would bet that Taka had been thinking the same thing with a lot less levity.
"Truer words never spoken, my dear!" Wu said with a laugh. "I owe everything to the women in my life. So let's give a rousing cheer for my daughter on her thirtieth birthday!" There was a loud cheer. Callum didn't join, mostly because he wasn't sure what to do. After the cheer died down, Wu added. "And I want to thank everyone who has come here tonight. You do me great honor." That was met by a polite clap.
Which was ended when a voice thundered, "And what would you know about honor?!" Everyone, including Callum, turned toward the sound of the voice and Callum's stomach sank when Russell jumped up onto a table. He stood there with his hands crossed over his bare chest, feet spread apart, glowering at Wu. "You are an absolute disgrace to humanity!" Russell snarled. "I have spent the past few days looking up everything I could about the last two centuries and I could not be more disgusted. What has happened to us? Where has our will to fight gone? I couldn't find a hint that there has been any serious resistance! Not a shred! What the fuck has happened to us?"
Wu seemed irritated but not actually enraged, which Callum hoped was a good sign. Callum was trying to decide whether he should try to drag Russell off the table or stay away so as to be associated with him as little as possible. "What the hell are you talking about, little robot?" Wu snapped.
"I'm talking about the fact that humanity seems to have accepted its place as subservient to the carcha! It wasn't like that in my day!" Russell shouted. "You know why? Because back then, I was the strongest human alive. I was the banner for human liberation. I gathered our strongest and fought and bled until I had the carcha on the fucking ropes!"
"Really?" Wu said flippantly. "Well then it's pretty weird we're all still at the mercy of the carcha and most people have no idea of the man you claim to be." That provoked a smattering of laughter, most of it nervous.
"That's right. I had them! But they are clever and ruthless. They got me. I failed. I admit it." Callum didn't think he could ever remember Russell being so frank. "But at least I tried! At least I fought! At least I didn't bow down and lick their feet like a pathetic little puppy!"
Instead of getting angry–at least visibly–Wu just laughed. "I don't know who programmed you with what bullshit but you clearly know nothing about the actual universe. If this is how Tsyirinsaku thinks, I think I want nothing to do with your suicidal, childish rebellion."
"And I am starting to think we don't want anything to do with you," Russell spat back. "You had an entire planet by the balls with your organization and you gave it up to be, what, a small-time information broker and smuggler? You're the most powerful human alive and all you use your power for is fucking. What do we need you for? I bet Callum and Mikan could beat you in a fight right now even though they've been pilots for less than a year!" Callum was starting to think not tackling Russell the moment he started speaking had been a very bad idea.
"Is that so?" Wu said with a slight smile.
"It is so!" Russell said, cutting his hand through the air and then pointing at Wu. "In fact, I challenge you! How about that? When my two proteges beat the shit out of you, you become our bitch. You're already a bitch, so it shouldn't be that hard for you."
Wu burst out laughing. "I think I like whoever programmed you. What do I get if I win?" he asked, apparently completely unruffled.
"What do you want?" Russell snapped. "You can kick us off your ship. Take our mechs. Dismantle me and kill them. Whatever. Because there is no way we would lose to a coward like you." Callum felt rooted to the floor, unable to speak. How could anyone be so incredibly reckless?
Fortunately, Valencia was able to find her voice. "What the hell is wrong with you, Russell?! You can't bet our lives away without even talking to us about it!" she shouted.
"Don't even worry about it," Russell said. "No way you guys lose. No way. You have heart. This creep lost his soul a long time ago."
Wu started chuckling and it soon developed into full blown laughter. A few of the other guests nervously joined in. After he stopped, and wiped a tear from his eye, he said, "Soulless, am I? Alright, I accept your challenge." Valencia started to protest but Wu held his hand up to forestall her. "We can talk about what I want if I win after but rest assured, it won't be your lives or mechs or anything that serious. And if you win, I will agree to become Tsyirinsaku's ally under whatever terms you dictate. Sound good?"
"Sounds great!" Russell shouted back.
"Shut up!" Valencia snapped. "Just…shut up for a second." She glanced at Callum, letting him know it was up to him.
Callum forced himself to calm down and think things through. Things had moved so fast his head was spinning. When he sorted it all out in his mind though, it looked fairly good–though he hated how Russell had gotten them there. He did want to see what kind of power Wu had so he wasn't opposed to sparring. It would be two on one so he and Mikan might even win, then the Princess would get what she wanted. The problem was if they lost. He glanced at Wu. "Before we agree, I want to know what you want from us."
Wu arched an eyebrow. "Audacious to be demanding from a person you challenged." 'I didn't challenge you. Callum held his tongue, though.' "I haven't really decided what I want yet, so…"
Great. Callum tried to think how Wu could hurt them. He said he wouldn't take their lives or their mechs. What else? "You won't make us work for you or keep us here against our will?"
Wu snorted a laugh. "Why would I even want that? No, you'll be free to go."
Callum thought some more but he couldn't think of anything else. Maybe he would make them do something humiliating but Callum figured he could bear that. Valencia had already left the matter in his hands but that still left Mikan. He glanced at her. She seemed nervous but nodded her agreement. Callum turned to Wu. "Alright."
The entire room seemed to hold their breath at that moment but Wu swiftly punctured the tension by saying, "Good. Maybe the mini-man will let us get back to our party now." A wave of laughter rippled through the room. Russell sneered but, to Callum's relief, he hopped off the table and stalked away. 'I need to talk to him.' But first he needed to gather with Valencia and Mikan. As he threaded through the crowd, he glanced at Wu. The man seemed utterly unaffected and that made Callum very, very nervous.