Q&A: How Did Dervish Make 200 Credits?

Referencing: Bloodhunters v2: Blue Blood, Chapter 01.09, "Eroddicka"

In the story, there’s a line where Trenyn tells Raven, “…and Dervish made 200 credits. Not how you think.”

Okay, the first thing you need to understand is that Eroddicka isn't one of my favorite stories. It was one of the earliest Bloodhunters stories I wrote, back in the 90s, and it was so full of immature jokes that I spent more time delousing it than it originally took to write. I almost cut it completely, but there were elements I wanted to keep canon, such as a scene with Raven that gets a callback in book three.

That line survived, however, just slightly reworded. Originally Trenyn answered, “…and Dervish made 200 credits. Don’t ask how.” The original line implies that Dervish earned the money doing something Raven would definitely not approve of, most likely sex work. The revised line implies the opposite – that while Raven might assume that’s how Dervish earned the money, Raven would be wrong.

So how did Dervish earn the money? Personally, I’m a big fan of keeping it a “Noodle Incident” – an odd event that happens off-screen, that characters refer to, that is never fully explained to the audience. For example, the “Remember when you fell into that nest of gundarks?” line in Star Wars Episode II. Or the “Doesn’t matter when it’s Arcturian” conversation in Aliens. The fact that you don’t know all the details is what makes it funny.

But some people would rather have an explanation. If that describes you, read further for the boring answer. If you’d rather chuckle at the mystery, stop reading now.

    After leaving the brothel, Trenyn and Dervish cut through one of the station’s many casinos on the way to the arena. As they passed a particularly busy table, a lumpy, orange-skinned man in a business suit grabbed Dervish by the elbow.

    “Not so fast, pretty lady!” he said, with a disturbingly wide grin. His lips reminded Dervish of Grunthian murk-eels. His boneless arm wrapped around her elbow like a tentacle.

    “I’m in a hurry…” Dervish began. Trenyn hadn’t noticed she wasn’t behind them, and she didn’t want them to get too far away.

    “Can I get a blow for luck?” the gambler asked, holding up a pair of bright red dice with his other wormy hand.

    Dervish considered shrinking her arm out of his grip, or suddenly growing some spikes, but she didn’t want to make a scene the way Raven had. It was easier just to do as she was told. She blew on the dice, and the gambler rolled them.

    “Sevens!” the dealer yelled, and the gambler raked in his chips.

    “You just won me two thousand credits,” the gambler said. Dervish had already started to turn away, but he grabbed her again and handed her two one-hundred-credit chips. “Here’s your cut, dollface.”

    “Thanks, gotta go,” Dervish said, slipping out of his grip.

    “I’m in room forty-one twenty-one if you want to make some real money later,” the gambler called after her.

    But Dervish wasn’t listening. She caught up to Trenyn, anxious to show them her winnings.