Taking care of business

That fancy lady, miss Zanzibar, that came to see me the other day, she came back to Hale's today. I didn't see her at first, just saw she'd left a note for me on the bar counter. I was a bit busy, so I didn't read it straight away.

Then, a little later, she came 'round again, and her and me and Jai and Emma and Kren and Vega sat around and talked for a bit. We had tea and/or coffee, and I gave Jai and Emma some of the Soylent Green snack samples I picked up.



After a bit I remembered the note, and I pulled it out of my pocket and read it.

Gigi Gabe,
I came to visit to Hale's Moon once again. I was weak in my resolve and looked in on our mutual acquaintance, Raids Blackburn. Raids is standing in the middle of the floor. I don't know if this is a concern.

Since the lady in question was still around I asked her if it was true. She said yes, and I... well. I ain't proud to admit it, but I saw red. Nobody does a damn thing about it, nobody seems to care. So the way I reckon, it falls on my table to care.

I hiked over to Firefly's, and true enough, there the thing was, standing in the middle of the floor.



I walked around it for a bit, trying to suss out if there were any wires or anything that could be easily yanked out to disable the gorram thing. Couldn't find any, and after I unsuccessfully tried to nudge the gun out of its hands, Emma and Jai catch up with me.

I get a little hot-headed, and tell them to help me drag the thing outside and set it on fire. Emma... took exception to that. She said I shouldn't hurt the machine, that it weren't fair. She stood between me and the bot and said that I could move her if I wanted to, but if I did, she didn't know me very well after all. And... what could I say to that? And those big eyes?



I stood down, but told Emma that when, not if but when, the thing wakes up and starts going for people, I will end it. Emma was upset and walked out the door in a huff.
I told Jai that Emma is too naive, but all of a sudden she reappeared, riding a small mulebike. She tore into Firefly's on it and picked up the warbot with the front end grappler.



She raced out of the bar again with the bot firmly attached, and while Jai managed to jump onto the mulebike, I had to run after them. At first I thought Emma was ornery and was going to drop the thing in the Lounge or something, but she headed to the southwest instead, towards the old lab.

She was being a very clever girl today. Not that she normally isn't.

Turns out, she wanted to drop the bot into the pit in the lab. She wanted to, to keep people from hurting it, and while I didn't share that sentiment, keeping it locked up in the lab seemed like a shiny idea. Me, Jai and Vega helped Emma drag the bot down the stairs.



Once we got it down, Emma could bring down her mulebike and pull the bot the rest of the way over to the pit.





And now it's down there, and I hope that's where it's gonna stay. Still have to make nice with Emma, though. She weren't too happy with me. Just trying to protect her, is all.