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“What was his story?” Irene asked as they headed to the ship.
“Dramok Parlek was big, big manager of most successful bands on Kalquor,” Jemi said.
“Huge,” Rusp concurred. “Be managed by him, promised to succeed.”
“Now he’s here, so his career went wrong. He suffered a scandal and fell out of favor.” Irene thought of drugs, drinking, stealing his bands’ money.
Sherv tapped on his handheld and spoke to it when his Kalquorian-to-English program came up. He frowned at the written language and prompted it to speak. “Unrestrained Carnage,” the electronic voice said.
“That was the band’s name he managed, his best band. Major success. Always sold out. They were called the only true lemanthev band.” Sherv sighed and shook his head. “They crazy, do stupid stuff to show they lived as hard as they played. Too much drink, too much drugs. They have crazy friends along to party, just as bad.”
“Parlek understand to watch them always,” Jemi said. “He had whole group keep track of them, keep them from trouble. He and howler have huge fight one night about it. Others, band and friends, jump in, tell Parlek he’s bad. They threat to sign new manager. They have this fight often.”
“But Parlek got hurt by the howler,” Rusp said. “He had to go to hospital for treatment. He was mad, so as he is taken by medics he said to band, ‘fine, you want to destroy yourselves, go ahead.’ He take chaperones away, sent them home.”
“The band and friends celebrated by taking lots of drugs and drinking. They locked themselves in a room in the place they were staying and played a game with a blaster. Parlek always made sure there were no weapons around for them, but the minders gone, and they got one. They play a game where when someone loses, he blasts his head off.” Sherv’s face was grim.
“What, like…Russian roulette? Never mind,” Irene said. They wouldn’t know what she was referring to. “But that’s insane!”
“They insane. And bad messed up from drugs. A guy who didn’t die during the game said someone would lose, tell them goodbye, and blast. They all laughing, including guy who die. They push him to the side, keep playing.” Jemi’s tone was awed in horror.
“Seven died before law show up and force way in,” Rusp said. “Including everyone of the band.”
“If Parlek had kept them watched, they wouldn’t have done it. So everyone hated Parlek, and he lost the rest of his bands.” Sherv finished.
They’d reached the ship and went in. Following their lemanthev shows, the guys usually hit the showers right away, and Irene was ready to do so as well. The stage lights had been cheap, which meant they had been hot.
She was fascinated by the story, however. Pausing in the main cabin, she asked, “Parlek was blamed because those guys couldn’t assume personal responsibility for their actions. It seems a little unfair.”
“He knew what they do if left alone,” Sherv said. “Yes, they were to blame, so he wasn’t a criminal and sent to prison. But he knew. He had told producer of recording company he wasn’t sure the money the band paid him was worth the trouble they did, and if they destroyed themselves, he would be relieved.”
“It was in his head to get rid of them,” Jemi said. “Then they are this great band gone before their time, and he make much money from selling what they had done.”
“Is that how it ended up?” Irene accepted Jemi’s offer of her lens holder and was relieved to slip the purple contacts out of her eyes. As her surroundings came into focus, she wished she could have seen Parlek better to gauge how he’d done in the end.
“The band was like gods after they died. Money was earned from—” Sherv used his handheld again, which helpfully said, “Commemorative items to honor.”
“Parlek didn’t take his cut,” Rusp said, leaning against the dinette table. “He used it to start a group to fight drug use among lemanthev bands and their followers. It has done good too. Now many bands howl for clean bodies and minds to be real men. And Unstrain Carni…” he stumbled over the name and glance at Irene for help.
“Unrestrained Carnage.” Such an apt name.
“They are now a story of what not to do. People still listen to their music because it is great, but no one tries to behave as them anymore.”
“The culture change for better since they died,” Jemi said, his tone grudging. It was obvious he was a fan of the deceased band, no matter how screwed up his lemanthev heroes had been. “Parlek don’t look he does well now, does he?”
“He messed up, but he tried to make it right.” Sherv had sat on the lounger, and his gaze went distant. “He knew the best music in his day. He liked us and our rimnastin. This is huge Parlek asks to help us.”
“Maybe you should give each other a chance,” Irene said. “If I were sticking around, I’d be all for it. Redemption for him, success for you…it’s a story fit for a drama vid show.”
“Maybe he don’t want us if you aren’t part of it.” Sherv’s expression darkened. “Maybe I don’t want rimnastin without you.”
Irene went to him. She sat next to him and smoothed a sweaty strand of hair from his face, her heart breaking. “I wish I could stay. I love what we’re doing. You know I do, and you know I’m crazy about you guys, but I need to go home to my parents. They must think I was stolen by Kalquor, same as the rest. They’ll be worried sick.”Her mother collapsing as Irene was flown away…
And all the other times they’d had to part after too-short visits. The anguish and tears hadn’t lessened over the years.
“We understand.” Sherv attempted a smile, but there was agony in it. “We wish you happy more than the music.”
