Jack's Moonlighting Pt. 01

Author's Notes:

'Jack's Moonlighting' is the eighth story in the saga of Jack Danner. Minimal effort is made in this tale to explain the backstory, so it is highly recommended you read the first seven stories in the following order:

• Jack's New Job
• Jack's New Position
• Jack's Daily Grind
• Jack's Wage Slavery Parts 1 & 2
• Jack's Snow Day
• Jack's True Calling
• Jack's Righteous Gig
• Jack's Moonlighting Parts 1 & 2

All characters engaging in sexual relationships or activities are 18 years old or older.

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Jack's Moonlighting Part 1

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Chapter 1

To say an Orellian bears a striking resemblance to the Wildebeests of Earth's African Serengeti would be a rude and mean thing to say... about the animals.

The predominant species of Orellia were bipedal herbivores with thick leathery hides, whose heads and faces were covered in coarse and shaggy grey-black hair, very much like the African herbivore. They also had other features that were similar to the Earth creatures, such as curving horns on the sides of their heads, large and mobile furry ears, wide-spaced eyes, and a long sloping face ending at a wide nose above an equally wide mouth. While they had no teeth, their two grinding plates got the job done.

Broad-shouldered and tough as old boots, Orellians were a gregarious species, quick to laugh and equally quick to fight. They were a physical bunch, from playful but heavy slaps on the shoulder to clobbering each other with a knuckle sandwich.

But they never held a grudge.

While superficially similar in these ways, one critical difference was that no Wildebeest ever tried to underhandedly sue a man out of a business he'd built from the ground up with the sweat and toil of his own hands.

No Gnu would ever sink to such depths.

Jack stood in the Defendant's box in an Orellian Supreme Courtroom, waiting on the judge. In their justice system, there were no lawyers. The case was between Jack and Googan Harr, the Orellian claiming the Botany Ice Cream business should be owned by an Orellian, namely Googan himself. After all, he was the one who threw Jack into the ditch where the odd Human discovered Muul Weed.

He looked over at the brute in the Plaintiff box, and Googan grinned menacingly back at him. Most Orellians were just under six feet tall, but Googan was an exception here, with a little additional height at the expense of a little girth.

Definitely, much uglier than a Gnu.

A door opened behind the raised Judge's box, and an old Orellian stomped out and glared at the two in front of him, then at the large gallery of spectators behind them.

No bailiff yelled for everyone to rise as everyone was already on their feet, or hooves, in the case of the locals. Chairs were not allowed in the courtrooms as they might be thrown.

"I'm Supreme Court Judge Occta Keenz! Everyone shut up and listen!" he bellowed, and the courtroom became much quieter. With a satisfied snort, the judge read from the case details on his podium's screen.

"This high court has been convened today to hear the case of Googan Harr of Orellia versus Jack Danner of Chuuruthia. Plaintiff claims the assets of the Botany Ice Cream Corporation are sourced on Orellia and belong to an Orellian citizen, namely himself, by right of—" the judge peered more closely at his screen. "intellectual inspiration?" The old Orellian fixed a skeptical eye on the tall, brutish plaintiff. He snorted again, suggesting he doubted the male had the means to inspire anything but disbelief. He shrugged with a sigh.

"Googan Harr, you may address the court with your statement of intent," the judge said in his most official tone.

"Thank you, Judge!" Googan bellowed, earning another scowl from the older Orellian, who was not at all hard of hearing.

Googan smiled at the jury, who were made up of nine Orellian citizens, none of whom were allowed to be related in any way to either the plaintiff or the defendant.

"Good citizens of Orellia! It may come as a surprise to you, but Muul Weed is now considered a cash crop! This off-world scoundrel found a way to turn this menace to our drainage systems into a high-demand product, and the profits of this venture have been stolen from the very Orellian whose actions were directly responsible for the discovery."

Nine sets of wide-spaced eyes turned to glare at Jack.

Jack heard a quiet and polite throat-clearing sound. He knew this was only audible in his mind as it came from Rikki, the Tik sharing his perceptions. "Yes, Rikki?" he replied internally.

"Are you sure I shouldn't join you in the courtroom? It looks like it might get hostile," the Tik asked. Rikki had full access to Jack's vision, hearing, and olfactory senses. In truth, it shared all his senses, and the scent of Orellian anger rising was beginning to become noticeable over the other background odors.

"Nope. Please wait outside. Under no circumstances are you to enter the courtroom. That would guarantee I'd lose this case," Jack returned. "You look far too much like a weapon. Sorry, buddy."

Rikki's body was a small black orb, the latest upgrade being roughly the size of a basketball and so non-reflective it seemed to draw in all light around it. As it moved smoothly and silently, those who didn't know Rikki's gentle nature felt uneasy in its presence.

The truth was, Rikki was equipped with powerful weaponry inside the orb. Something they did not advertise.

A sigh came from the Tik. "If you need me..."

"I know. It'll be okay. It's almost my turn to speak," Jack replied as he watched the Judge.

The senior on the podium slammed his fist against the surface to quell the rising grumbling in the courtroom. Eyes returned to the Judge as he scowled until quiet was restored.

"Jack Danner, as a guest on Orellia and not a citizen, you are not bound by our laws, but you have an investment in our world that is being called into question. You may address the court with your rebuttal statement," the judge said.

Jack nodded respectfully to the judge, then glanced at the angered jury before facing his opponent.

"Googan, you ignorant turd gargler."

The jury burst into laughter, and the judge began pounding his fist for silence again once he stopped laughing himself.

Jack continued. "You don't have the intellectual capacity to run an operation like this. If you are successful today, all you'll have is the raw Muul Weed. The jury deserves to hear if you have a brilliant business plan to make a viable business from that."

Googan was grinding his plates at Jack but grinned in surprise when Jack handed him the opportunity to get control of the discussion once more.

"I will find my own scientist who will make this ice cream from the Muul Weed!" Googan declared, and the jury nodded at this. The gallery made encouraging noises.

"You've gotten ahead of yourself, Googan, which is a startling achievement for someone so slow-witted." More laughter from the jury and thumping from the judge before Jack continued. "Where will you process the raw Muul Weed into the product your imaginary scientist can use?"

Googan gripped his podium's edges like he was trying to tear it loose from the floor to smash Jack with it. Luckily for the defendant, it was securely triple-welded to the floor and wouldn't budge. The Orellian got a crafty look in his eye. "The processing plant my company delivers our collected weed to is on the edge of Orellia's capital city! As an asset of Orellia, it should be included in the assets given over to me."

Jack pounced on that. "Did you just mention that you already profit from the business you are attempting to steal?"

Googan looked at him cautiously. "What? No!" His eyes flicked up to see the Judge's disapproving stare. "I mean, yes, I have a business that harvests the Muul Weed from all the storm drains within the capital and the surrounding towns."

Jack spoke again to keep up the momentum. "Was it my direction that led you to set up this company, and did I not sign a contract with you to perform these collections."

Googan gave the jury worried glances, so he went on the offensive. "You gave me scraps when the riches go off-planet!"

The jury didn't like the sound of a local boy being a tool of the big bad outsider, and they snarled their disapproval.

Jack was ready for his next stage. "Let's pretend you are somehow worthy and get control of these assets, the Muul Weed, the factory I designed and built, which employs over eighty Orellian citizens." He looked the jury members in the eye as he stressed the next bit. "With full benefits." The jury murmured approvingly. "And let's stretch our imagination to believe you'll find a botanical scientist as brilliant as my Chuuruthian friend, and they find the formula to make ice cream." He saw Googan was watching for a trap in his words. "What will you do next?"

"I'll get a bigger home and buy my annoying brother-in-law one, so he'll stop mooching off me! I'll keep the remaining money and be rich!"

The crowded gallery cheered as that matched what they thought was a successful Orellian businessman.

"HA!" Jack laughed loudly in scorn, and the room went quiet. "You call that a business plan? You say none of the profits will benefit Orellia?" Jack gasped in outrage dramatically. "My business plan pays all the Orellians who collect the Muul Weed, including the employees at your company. It pays all the processing plant staff, including their health benefits. It pays government fees for running the plant. When the Muul Weed is sent to Chuuruthia for the final stage of becoming ice cream, fees and salaries for operating there are paid. The final product has been exported and sold on five planets with great success. Thirty-three percent of the profits are fed directly into the Orellian municipal budgets in the territories that harvest the raw Muul Weed. Your neighborhoods!" He gestured to the jury. "These funds pay for things like public works projects, education funding, and housing projects. They also buy all the beer for the annual beer fests!"

The members of the jury and the entire gallery screamed their praise for Jack's plan. The only thing that outsells a story of local-boy-beats-off-world-tyrant was an offer of free beer.

Googan gaped in dismay as he saw his chance of victory instantly evaporate. The jury was unanimously on Jack's side now.

He spun to face Jack and roared angrily as he launched his attack from the railing surrounding the plaintiff's box.

Jack was ready as he'd slipped his gloves on to protect his hands and leapt at Googan from the rail around the defendant box. They crashed together, and Jack ensured he caught the large Orellian's fist against his horns. Then his fist connected to the cheek of his attacker, and Googan slammed to the floor.

His gloves were covered in pure Reaver Silk, preventing anything from penetrating to scratch or cut his skin. The interior was padded with impact gel which prevented his bones from breaking. The gloves had no weighting or hardening to increase damage, so Jack had to rely on his strength and skill. Luckily, he had Gee and Bal as trainers and sparring partners, so he had plenty of both.

Googan rolled back to his hooves and shook off the hit before charging at Jack once again. He tried to grapple with Jack but couldn't keep up with his opponent's bobbing and weaving and the flurry of punches quickly thrown.

When the heavy weight slammed into Jack's back, he was thrown forward, and Googan connected with a punch of his own. Jack rolled with the hit as best he could, but his head filled with stars momentarily.

"Jack!"

"No! Stay outside, Rikki," Jack shouted in his mind. "I'm okay!"

Jack caught a sloppy kick against his thigh, which hurt, but he grabbed the leg and twisted it until Googan fell against the Orellian, who'd come to his aid.

The two got into a shoving match.

"Back off, Gunt! I've got this!" Googan yelled.

"Stop dancing with him then and fight!" the other yelled back.

"Fucking my sister doesn't make you a better fighter than me!" Googan growled as he shoved Gunt aside, trying to get to Jack, who was now back on his feet.

Jack now knew it was the brother-in-law who'd hit his back. Time to go on the offensive again.

"So Gunt's the coward who attacks from behind? Is that the only way he can trick your sister into mating with him?"

Googan suddenly burst into a loud, raucous laugh, and Gunt's expression darkened. He threw a punch that connected solidly with Googan's chin. The big Orellian staggered back towards Jack and suddenly found himself being lifted in the air. Jack bellowed with the effort to lift the heavy male, then threw him at Gunt, who'd frozen in place. The two collided and went down in a pile. Jack stepped forward and delivered two more punches, and the two males were down for the count.

Standing up again, Jack straightened his clothes and turned to the judge. He smiled as he did a little ceremonial flick back with his feet as if kicking dirt on his beaten opponents.

The judge nodded to acknowledge his win.

"The court hereby finds for the defendant... with a stipulation," the judge intoned.

Jack's eyebrow went up. A condition on his win?

The old Orellian fixed an eye on Jack. "The idea that off-world interests are profiting from Orellian resources was the only reason that moron got his day in court. The court believes that seventy percent of the profits should come back to Orellia."

Jack gave the judge a pained look. "We'd have to shut down the business as thirty percent would be insufficient funds to support its inevitable growth." He paused as if thinking. "We might be able to manage thirty-five."

Judge Keenz smiled slyly and gestured for Jack to approach the bench.

It was time to begin the negotiation phase.

-=-

As Jack left the courtroom, jostling his way through the excited crowd, he contained his smile as the gallery cheered for Judge Keenz, the hero of Orellia.

The chief justice had negotiated hard for the people and squeezed another ten percent out of the off-worlder to ensure forty-three percent of the company profits would be directed back to Orellian use, the extra ten dedicated exclusively to the beer fests.

What Jack was keeping to himself was his glee at getting the judge to agree to a fifty-year exclusivity license for all Muul Weed, signed by their highest legal authority. Before, there had been no license, and anyone might have swooped in to negotiate a better deal on the Muul Weed with the existing harvesting companies or set up a harvesting operation on the remaining sources. Now, he had a guarantee.

Besides, he'd been prepared to go as high as forty-eight percent.

Rikki was immediately before him as he stepped out into the hall. "You've been hurt!"

Jack grinned, then immediately regretted stretching his cheek as it stung. He shrugged as he tucked his gloves away. "It's nothing."

"Did you forget we've got to rush back to Callosephia for the charter signing ceremony?" Rikki asked.

Jack frowned. "We still have time, don't we? They were gracious enough to postpone it for two hours. I was only in the court for forty-five minutes."

Rikki dipped forward in a Tik nod but realized the gesture was invisible on a featureless orb. "Yes, we have time, but your face has changed colors on the right side and appears swollen."

Jack sighed. "Yeah, I know. The brawling ambassador strikes again."

"JACK!"

He turned to see Googan rushing up to him. He held out a hand with a raised finger. "Stop."

The Orellian skidded to a stop and looked at Jack cautiously.

As Jack was assured the male wasn't coming at him to continue the fight, he relaxed a little. "What?"

Googan glanced nervously at the silent orb, then leaned a little closer to Jack. "I just wanted to make sure you still want my company to fulfill those orders."

Jack sighed. "Of course, I do, but since you were busy wasting time with this lawsuit instead of collecting, you're going to have to make up your twelve percent shortfall this week."

The Orellian looked at him in shock. "I'm already running my team hard to meet the quota!"

Jack fixed his eye on the male. "You're the one who insisted on such a large territory. Because you introduced me to the Muul Weed, you were the first one I came to with the idea of setting up a company to harvest it." Jack gestured back at the courtroom, where the cheering continued. "This is how you repay me?"

"I'm sorry! I got carried away. It was Gunt's idea, really," he admitted.

Jack smiled. "Then shouldn't it be Gunt harvesting the additional twelve percent?"

Googan stared at Jack as the idea percolated through the male's dim brain. "The idiot sits around my house all day. He's available to do this work! That is an excellent idea! Thanks!"

He gave Jack a friendly slap on the back, which would probably leave a bruise, then rushed away to tell his deadbeat brother-in-law he had work to do.

Jack flinched and glanced at Rikki. "Let's get out of here before someone else thanks me."

He gingerly touched his cheek again and winced.

"Would you please stop touching that?" Rikki asked, feeling the pain as well.

"Nag, nag, nag," Jack sighed.

"Wha—I never—" Rikki picked up Jack's amusement and silently moved off toward the Gate terminal with Jack following, a small grin on his... sore face.

Chapter 2

Queen Elissa checked the time again as she sat with Sultessa Sahhahr, waiting for Jack to return from Orellia. The official ceremony wasn't for another thirty minutes, but Elissa was worried that something might have happened to Jack as the Orellians had quite a reputation for their rough natures.

They were seated comfortably within the building on Callosephia, which once housed the Altarian's Colony Leader. Now all the windows were cast wide to let the planet's hot winds flow through all the rooms. The heat wasn't an issue for the Sultessa as her people were reptilian and needed the hot temperatures to function.

Elissa was wearing a new gown designed to moderate the temperatures within it to a more comfortable level.

"I'm sorry this has been my first opportunity to meet with you face to face," she said to the other leader. "Preparing the charter has been a more complicated procedure than I expected. We had to call upon the experts who studied the one for the Shreen when Altaria granted them the charter for Chrystan. That time it seemed to go much faster!"

The Sultessa shook her head with a smile. "I fully understand your schedule is filled with the duties of running your empire, as mine is filled with recreating the Ishilon society. I'm thrilled we're able to spend this time together."

"I understand Jack's address to the Ishilon people went well," Elissa said.

The Sultessa smiled widely and nodded. "He was very eloquent and reached the hearts of his people. They've been warriors all their lives, so being told they needed to take up the mantle of teachers, bakers, tradespeople, artists, shopkeepers, doctors, scientists, and a host of other occupations was not well received initially. But he understood them and demonstrated how we could remain warriors and occupy the positions our society desperately needs to fill. Jack has such vast experience with so many trades. The people are now on a quest to learn where our alternate strengths lie. It's been six months since he gave us that first lesson. Aptitude testing is ongoing, but we're filling the gaps steadily. The process has been both surprising and satisfying, expanding the potential of our people!"