Who Wants Muffins?

No one was talking in the escape shuttle. Therod was piloting while Rem and Rolando kept their guns on Riobeck for fear he had been lying and there was some hidden compartment or some other secret for him to unleash on them. Riobeck was bemused at how things turned out, but he was still in charge of Drydek and so he knew things would be ok. Therod enjoyed the silence especially after all the combat. But she knew that Rolando or Rem would ruin it, and she was not wrong.

"So a recipe book?" Rolando had a smile on his face like a cat who ate a small bird. Riobeck changed his expression from bemusement to a bit more concern.

"How would you know about it?"

"Trezlan is my father." Riobeck shook his head. He hadn't seen it, but now he did.

"So here to taunt me about that book is that your end game?"

"I'm just wondering what it's worth to you." Rolando pulled it from underneath his prisoner garb, it looked fairly ordinary absent all the weird writing on top of it. Riobeck practically salivated at the sight of it.

"What is that Rolando?" Therod did not like how this was going, she didn't know what the book was, but she definitely knew with the people involved it was bad times.

"Recipe book Therod, I heard it makes a killer muffin recipe." Rolando winked at Riobeck who tried not to register what he said at all.

"I could go for a muffin right now." Rem had no idea what he suggested but Rolando let it hang there.

"So your father let you know about what's in the book, what do you want for it?"

"I don't know exactly, Dad just said to let you have it." Rolando turned it over, Riobeck could barely contain his glee. He flipped through the pages greedily looking for the one he knew should be there, worried perhaps Trezlan in an act of fuck you had taken it out, but he found it where the ghosts said it would be and his face lit up.

"Thank you Mr. Quick in the coming future I might not annihilate you." Therod and Rem did not like the sound of that but Rolando remained smiling.

"You think you have a future Mr. Riobeck that's cute." The voice startled everyone but Rolando, Hanlon's emergence from no where was a terrifying thing for most people, but Rolando had been prepared for it, if only because his Dad told him it was the most likely outcome.

"What ar..." Riobeck was cut off, a pall fell over his face.

"I am what you sough to become, and I don't like competition." The older executive suddenly aged rapidly until he was nothing but a skull and bones. The book fell limply from his hand to the deck, no one on the ship dared touch it.

"Anyone else have delusions of godhood?" They all shook their head and Hanlon picked up the book and then it was gone. And then Hanlon was gone.

"Rolando one day I'd like to know what just happened, but that day is not today." They all agreed and the silence returned.