Chaos Heir

Chapter 1221 Gambling

Loud snickers accompanied by occasional complaints echoed past the living quarters' thin walls, awakening Carlos. He opened his eyes, only to move them to his right, where a dim hologram acted as a clock. It was too early to get angry about that ruckus. It was too early to do anything at all.

Yet, the shouts didn't stop, preventing Carlos from falling asleep again. An annoyed groan eventually escaped his mouth as he forced himself up, sitting on the small bed. His hands went to his face, rubbing his drowsiness out of his brown eyes, but loud curses already resounded in his mind.

'I'm never hiring Orlats again,' Carlos swore, knowing he would break that promise.

As deceitful and distasteful as the Orlats were, they were pretty cheap and resourceful. No species could beat their ability to gather information or their connections. Moreover, they were quite small, making them ideal crewmates for life inside a spaceship.

Also, Carlos knew the Orlats he had hired weren't completely to blame for that mess. His pilot's occasional laughs resounded inside those living quarters, confirming his guess.

'Of all the pilots they could recommend me,' Carlos cursed in his mind. 'Why did it have to be that gambling addict?'

Carlos truly didn't want to leave his quarters to boss around his crew, but the shouts, complaints, and snickers didn't stop. He eventually stood up with a grunt, rubbing his greasy black hair to snap himself awake.

The living quarters' entrance slid open as soon as Carlos walked toward it. He quickly crossed the resting area, entering the circular dining room at the ship's center. The place was relatively crowded, with three of his human underlings standing by the walls with drinks in their hands. Yet, Carlos' attention immediately fell to the central table.

Two Orlats and a hooded figure sat on opposite sides of the interactive table, holographic cards shining before them. A numerical score also glowed under them, almost declaring the winner of that game.

The score didn't surprise Carlos. His mysterious pilot had a talent for games that involved bluffs and deceit. A black mask and shades covered most of his face, preventing him from using his expressions to his advantage, but his words were more than enough.

"And I swear," The hooded figure exclaimed. "This guy pissed himself on the spot. He was lucky I had my foot on his face. I would have made him clean it otherwise."

The two Orlats exploded into loud, cruel snickers, emptying their glasses and forgetting about the holograms before them. Yet, the hooded figure didn't, and the interactive table soon declared he had won another round.

"That makes it fifteen to zero," The hooded figure stated. "Pay up."

"What?!" One of the Orlats gasped. "How did you do that?"

"How would I know?" The hooded figure shrugged his shoulders. "You could have paid attention to the holograms and seen for yourselves."

"This is bullshit!" The other Orlats cried. "I demand a rematch."

"Do you even have the Credits to play another round?" The hooded figure wondered.

Both Orlats pressed on the interactive table, hiding the numbers that appeared with their four-fingered hands. They knew their losses were significant, but what they read still surpassed their expectations.

"So?" The hooded figure didn't fail to insist. "I want nothing less than having Orlats as enemies, but a bet is a bet, and it's time to pay up."

The veiled praise put the Orlats on their best behavior, but the truth didn't change. They didn't have the money. Even if they managed to wait until their next salary, paying back that debt would leave them broke.

"What? No money?" The hooded figure pretended to realize. "That's quite the issue."

"Double or nothing!" One of the Orlats suddenly shouted. "Once we get our salary, we'll play one last round. The winner takes all."

"As much as I enjoy your esteemed company," The hooded figure laughed, "Money now is better than money later, and this is a respectable vessel. We all must follow the rules, isn't that right, Boss?"

The Orlats and the humans nearby instantly turned, finally noticing the newcomer at the corridor's end. Meanwhile, Carlos ignored the stares, focusing on his mysterious pilot.

'That scoundrel,' Carlos cursed. 'He did it on purpose, didn't he?'

Unlike most of the crew, Carlos had some brains. His pilot acted all casual and innocent, but his ploys knew no limits. He could probably scam Carlos out of his ship if he allowed himself to play those games. Well, the vessel also had to belong to Carlos for that to happen.

"Trust is paramount when cohabiting inside a spaceship," Carlos announced. "Navin, Shirin, I'm afraid you'll have to pay up."

"Ah, come on, Boss!" Navin, the male Orlats, cried. "You know this bastard is cheating."

"Yes, yes!" Shirin, the female Orlats, added. "No one can win so many times in a row without cheating."

"If you know he never loses," Carlos snorted, "Why do you keep playing against him?"

"We wanted to make him show his face," Navin explained. "There are many bets on how ugly he is."

"Or scarred," Shirin added. "I'm betting on scarred."

"Can I bet on ugly and scarred?" The hooded man casually asked, as if the conversation didn't involve him.

Navin and Shirin exchanged a wary look before glancing at one of the standing humans. Still, the latter shook his head, rejecting their silent requests. "No more changing bets."

"Enough," Carlos ordered before the Orlats could start complaining. "Blue, you have the right to the money. You decide how to handle this."

The hooded figure tilted his head and crossed his arms, pretending to fall deep in thought. Carlos knew he was faking it, but his stupid underlings failed to realize it, and some dramatic tension built inside that dining room.

"Oh, I have an idea," The hooded figure eventually exclaimed. "You know how information is priceless, right? Why don't we exchange that instead of money?"

"Yes!" Navin immediately responded. "We agree!"

"No taking that back!" Shirin added.

"Well," The hooded figure said, taking his time, pretending to struggle to disclose his next part. "I've always been quite a fan of your species. You are everywhere and seem to know everything about everything. Yet, you never talk about your home planet."

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