Ya’Cahin was laying in a small dome like room. It was above where all their quarters were and there were a few scattered ladders to get up here. It was small, with a cushion covering the edges of the room. The dome had a clear glass ceiling showing space above.
She lay on one of the cushion, a flask loosely clutched in her hand. She and Jenny had worked for the better part of a cycle combing the cosmos for some sort of sign of another shard that was also nearby. They sensed them out there in the distance, glimmers of light that could be them but nothing they could confirm.
But they did find something they could possible run with. A muffled light hidden within a system of six planets. It was similar to what the shard looked like when they built the dampener. It could have been any other big source of psykik energy from an amp to some sort of device but it was the best lead and they had to go for it.
So, the ship was on course and they just had to wait out the travel time. She decided to take a break from interacting with most people and having a drink to calm her mind. Working with Jenny had helped calm the doubt in her heart but the guilt still lingered like a bad taste in her mouth.
She sighed staring at the stars, watching them pass. She reached out lazily toward them before letting her arm fall limp across her chest. She wondered just how strong that drink had been but she had a lot. Maybe less strong and more taste. But that was something for future Ya’Cahin to think about.
She heard the hatch open with a soft hiss and absently glanced at it. She saw the metallic head of Tahu first and then Ula as they both climbed up. Tahu went to sit opposite her while Ula went to sit beside her. A soft hiccup and Ya’Cahin smiled at the two of them.
“Hey metalheads. What’re you two doin up here?”
Ula glanced down at her but shook their head. “We were worried about you so we wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Worried is an understatement,” Tahu said as they leaned forward, letting their arms drape between their legs.
Ya’Cahin tried to sit up but slid the other way and snorted as she stared at the cushions. “I’m fine guys. Look at me. Just shooting the shit.”
“You’ve really taken to the Terran slang,” Ula commented.
Tahu laughed, “You look wasted.”
She waved her hand at them. “Something like that.”
“How much have you drunk?” Ula asked staring into the flask.
“I think I’ve refilled it 3 times. Probably.”
“Three? Yikes. Even Xilo never went that deep.”
“You should try it. It’s freeing.” She rolled onto her back and stared straight up trying to focus her eyes on one star but losing it in seconds.
Tahu gave a short laugh and followed suit, laying back and staring up at the stars, folding their arms over their chest. Ula glanced at the two of them and they would have asked but a long time ago they gave up trying to understand all of the nuances of their crewmates. But instead they followed suit, brushing the wires from their head.
They lay in silence the ship humming along. Despite neither of the Zorgs piloting they had long since interfaced with it. It was set to autopilot at a reasonable speed and they’d be warned if a collision was imminent. As Ya’Cahin lay with them she relaxed even further.
“Remember our first mission together?” Ya’Cahin asked her voice trailing off slightly.
Tahu couldn’t help but laugh at the mention of that. “You mean the first job we did since Xilo realized you stowed awy on the ship back on Rancire?”
“Yes that job. I think one of you kept trying to get me kicked off the ship.”
“It was Tahu,” Ula answered with a chuckle. “They didn’t think a Xanic ‘barely old enough to walk’ could be a mercenary.”
With a short grunt Ya’Cahin threw a tiny bubble of psykik energy at them. It popped near their cheek and they jerked away. “Come on Yaya. It was way in the past.”
“Yeah yeah. Whatever. Didn’t Xilo try to send us on an easy mission. ‘Get my feet wet’ where his words.”
“His definition of ‘get your feet wet’ was a fight club near Illaogi territory.” Ula shook their head.
“Trial by fire.” Tahu added.
“Well I’m still here. So, I must have kicked some serious ass right?”
“Kick serious ass.” Ula laughed covering their mouth for a moment and looked toward her. “I remember a different fight.”
She stared at them with dismay on her face. “Not you Ula. You can’t embellish a little bit? Just for me.”
“I’m sorry captain. I remember there was a lot of running and swearing on your part. And teamwork to be had between the three of us while Xilo did his best to infiltrate the compound. I do think the crowd booed you.”
She pouted and glared at the cushions. “So, what if they did. I still won in the end didn’t I?”
“We still won in the end,” Tahu corrected. “And yes, it was a mess of a fight.”
“Xilo put us through a bunch of crazy missions,” Ya’Cahin said as she stared up at space.
“Don’t act like you’re free of that mantle,” Tahu said rolling to look at their captain. “The jungle planet with Zier, the junk planet, hell the new kids. You’ve taken us on a ride. Almost as bad as Xilo.”
She smiled, not looking at them and feeling the warmth in her cheeks. As if that wasn’t enough Ula sat up against the glass and turned their gaze onto her. “Tahu’s right. You’ve been amazing as our captain. And as for the two of us we’ll stay with you until we can’t function any longer.”
Ya’Cahin rolled so that she could hide her face even more. She felt the tears in her eyes and assumed it was whatever the hell she had mixed together that made her feel this way. She wiped her eyes and sniffled into the cushions. “You guys are a good crew. And good friends.”
They stayed up there for a long time, just talking back and forth about old missions. Places they wanted to go. Things they wanted to see out in the galaxy. Eventually Ya’Cahin took leave to her quarters needing real sleep unlike her mechanical companions.
But as soon as she woke up she was on the bridge calling for a meeting in the half circle room. They’d been making steady progress toward their destination. At how fast they were going they were going to get there soon. Meaning she really had to brief everyone else as to what her plan was.
She strolled to the room comfortably, her mind eased off the last dregs of the things psykik touch. She still had a lot on her mind but she had a plan. Granted it didn’t go past this moment but if it worked out they’d be one step forward. If it didn’t then they’d get back to searching. She was okay with both outcomes because it was moving forward. Taking a deep breath, she heard a door open beside her and a drowsy Trey stepped out.
He glanced at her and forced a smile. “You’re looking bright captain. Get some good shut eye?”
She nodded. “I’m refreshed and ready. And I get a feeling you’re going to enjoy this next planet. Well it’s more of a moon.”
They started walking together, the idea that he’d like it made him perk up. He dragged his hands through his hair quickly trying to get it to smooth out some. “That’s no moon. It’s a space station.”
She glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. “No, it’s actually a moon.”
He looked at her and snorted. “It’s a movie reference from back home Yaya.”
She rolled her eyes at him as the door wooshed open. The lights were on and Jenny, Alice and Rizier were already in the room. Jenny was working at one of the consoles trying to make breakfast for herself and Alice. Alice was sitting with Rizier signing as the sand mentally spoke back.
Trey went to help Jenny and Ya’Cahin went to sit at the table. Both stopped mid conversation to greet her with a wave. But surprisingly Alice’s face was there on full display. No mask.
“How’s your throat, I know the operation got interrupted but anything?” Ya’Cahin said.
Alice shook her head and shrugged. “Still hoarse. I got close to a few words but nothing real. So I’m still talking with my hands,” she signed moving her hands quickly as if nothing changed.
Ya’Cahin stared at her for a long moment processing everything. She couldn’t help but ask. “No more mask?”
Alice smiled averting her eyes before meeting them. “It’s time I put that behind me. Especially out here in space.”
“Well good,” Ya’ Cahin smiled. “Glad you’re feeling better. I’ll get better at reading sign.”
That made her laugh, “Since you’re here, explain this to me. To us. Rizier has been trying but they’re as confused as I am. There isn’t a unified law enforcement in the galaxy. But we haven’t run into a lot of crime.”
Ya’Cahin snorted as she looked at the two of them and leaned her elbows on the table. “I forget neither of you have seen much of the galaxy. At least not yet. There’s a few different groups out there who like to think that they can have a say on what people should be doing in the galaxy. And honestly all of them are a pain.”
“There’s more than one set of cops in space?” Jenny asked coming over with two bowls. They were filled with colorful orbs sloshing around in a green liquid. It was a space food meant to be nutritious to the organism that ingested it. Taste wasn’t meant to be a factor. But for most of the terrans it tasted like cheerios.
“I guess that’s the law enforcers on your planet were called?” she asked and Jenny gave a quick nod. “Well since the majority of you are here and I’m sure that Seth probably knows this already. There’s about four factions that control sections of the universe.”
She touched the edge of the table and a keyboard display lit up under her fingers. Quickly typing a few images appeared floating from the center in a slow rotation. She pointed toward one bright image. There were several species, helmets under their arms and wearing white and yellow colors with smiling faces. Each was waving with confetti shooting in the air around them.
“These are the Illaogi. They’re kinda like peace keepers. Defenders of the weak. Yada yada. They uphold the law in their sectors trying to create a utopia for everyone but they have a no tolerance for illegal activity. You break the law they come down on you hard. Not the worst people in the world but they’re a bit self-righteous and up their own asses. They give you a fair trial but it’s harsh. You better be able to afford a good lawyer. Or just don’t get caught.”
She touched the image and spun it around quickly pointing to another group. These were standing rigid and all very large. Covered head to foot in blocky armor with guns at their sides. They almost all looked identical. They each had horns either on their forehead, the sides of their heads or where their noses should have been.
“If you thought the Illaogi were bad then check out the Larish. These take no nonsense and turn it up to ten. Everyone’s a criminal waiting to be caught with these guys. Shoot first, ask questions maybe. Back when Xilo was around we accidently got in their air space. The bastard’s tried to gun us down even through hyper jump. XIlo got us out of there but we probably got in trouble thanks to Xilo. Always check your maps and if you’re getting close to their air space turn around. Do not. Repeat do not. Go there.”
She swapped the image again and pointed to two people. One was wearing almost no clothes except a few straps of cloth around their chest. They had three arms, one from their stomach and each one had a sword in it. The skin was marked with glowing blue tattoos. The other was clearly a machine. It was older with dark color. It had the same sharp features as the zorgs but had weapons built directly into their limbs.
“These are the Eli and the Taq-Law. These are a warring group who’ve been going back and forth for the last few star cycles. They’re both fairly new but they’ve gotten a lot of pull especially the Eli. The Eli are powerful psyskiks trying to expand their grasp on the universe and cultivate other psykiks. Building an army. Very prejudice against our mechanical friends. Kinda radical to everyone else. Never had a good conversation with one.
“The Taq-Law however are machines who serve the One. A hive mind that’s been expanding from planet to planet, building their great machine. They’re an off shot of the same place that Ula and Tahu came from. Deviants from the directive. They’re not a fan of organic life. They invade planets, exterminate their life and turn them into factories for greater production. Most of the Eli were survivors of those invasions. Neither are as bad as the Larish but I wouldn’t mess with either.”
She pulled up the final slide and it was an empty one showing big empty space. “This is where we are. Empty space where no one has a say over anything. They call it Nor Thresis. Roughly translates to ‘Land of No Laws’” she shrugged. “The ones who make the rules out here are those with power or money. People like us live in the in between. Taking jobs as we can and not pissing off the wrong people.”
“So, then this world. The one where you think the shard is. It’s in Nor Thresis isn’t it?” Alice signed lifting her shoulders and Ya’Cahin pointed at her.
“I like you,” she smirked and looked at Jenny. “Can I make her my first mate?”
Jenny scowled and flicked a finger at her. Suddenly Ya’Cahin’s hand slammed into the table by her wrist. Resisting the urge to swear she glared at Jenny who protectively wrapped her arm around Alice’s shoulders and sat beside her. “Mine.”
Alice and Trey had to fight laughs as Ya’Cahin glared and tried to take her arm back. It wasn’t happening though she could drag it along the table using her own power, her wrist and her eyes aglow. “Alright. Made your point. Give me my hand back.”
Jenny laughed and snapped her fingers. Ya’Cahin’s arm jerked away from the table and she scowled rubbing her wrist. “Thank you.”
The door opened again and the two Zorgs along with the final theran came in. Seth walked straight toward the kitchen taking a cup. Pressing it against the nozzle he waited as it began to fill with dark liquid. Ula and Tahu sat around the table along with everyone else.
“Alright. We are all here which means we can get to business,” she clapped her hands together and pointed toward the screen displays. Each of the screens faded away and, in its stead, a floating sphere appeared. It was a pristine and white city like a floating crystal that glowed with the warmth of its sun.
“This is Utopia. A more perfect planet you won’t ever find in this chunk of the universe. But you don’t want to go there. The people there are rich and have never known suffering. Turns out suffering builds some good character.”
The plan pulled out and it showed moons circulating around it. “These moons are hubs of activity for Utopia. Some are for entertainment, some are for the trash they don’t want to think about anymore and some are just mini planets of regular people with regular problems.”
One moon highlighted and expanded as it became the focus of the view. It was a dark orange glowing moon. It looked partially metallic, giant spires and buildings. Even from that far away it looked like there was bustling with activity, an energy that radiated from it. “They call this moon Chance. It’s the hub of gambling in every sense of the word.”
She tapped the table and an image of the shard appeared buzzing with energy like electricity. Even though it wasn’t real she felt the real one react, to her thoughts of it. “We’re going to look for another one of these but it won’t be in plain sight. Jenny and I can sense the shard. So, if we can come across it we’ll know. If anything, some rich person is going to have it and if they’re not a psykik they won’t be bonded to the thing and therefore not be able to sense us.
“So, I’ve taken on the task to separate the crew into two teams of four. Myself and Jenny are going to be the leaders. We’ll each have a Zorg, some sort of stealth and muscle in case we need to get out in a hurry. My team will be me, Ula, Seth, and Trey. Jenny will have Tahu, Alice, and Rizier. Any objections to the teams?”
There were collective head shakes from everyone and she smiled. “Good. Now we’re going to want to not get too much attention so odds are we won’t have any weapons. For most of us that’ll be okay but just be aware. In regards to clothes, we’ll have to get a change of clothes. We need to look great nad right now we look pretty shabby.”
“Cut us some slack,” Trey said as he nudged Seth and glanced at Jenny and Alice. “We haven’t seen fancy clothes in years.”
“Here here,” Jenny added.
“Well then tonight’s the night to show off. Remember even though we’re searching for the shard it’s a gambling moon with clubs. Let’s get some fun out of this. Just don’t get in trouble, don’t get caught doing anything illegal, and stick together. Especially you terrans.”
“Why us?”
“Because none of you know alien customs like that,” Tahu said. “So let’s reduce the chance that you guys piss someone off or worse ingest something not suitable for your bodies.”
“How much time do we have before we get there?” Jenny asked and then looked toward Ula.
She touched her wrist and a display appeared in front of her. “We have almost four cycles until we reach it suitably. And then we’d have time to prepare before embarking onto the planet.”
“Alright,” Ya’Cahin pulled the image back from the moon and pointed to a small station floating around it. “This is a way point. There’s a few surrounding Chance. It’ll give us a chance to shop and get a change of clothes before we touch down. Ula direct us to the satellite. Terrans we’ve got some quick home work to do and then,” she clapped her hands together. “It’s time to go shopping.”
The satellite was a somewhat busy location with other ships docked near it. They floated their way into their line. When it was their turn a tube connected their ship to the sattelite, allowing them to come aboard. Once the six of them made it over they were each taken away by a robotic consultant. They were yanked into a small rooms and dozens of displays turned one.
They were scanned from all angles and a receipt was given to them written in a language that was foreign to all of them but the Zorgs. Almost without warning they were made over from top to bottom with little say in the matter of direction of where they were going. Hair, makeup, accessories. All done in a whir of appendages.
The clothing was at least a little more contained. Three options were presented and they got to pick which of them that they would want to wear. Both Zorgs were finished first, meeting in the lobby. The lobby was small, a rough sphere with several doors that went into the salon pods. The door back to their ship was open but covered with an energy wall to act as an air lock.
The Zorgs had their skin polished to a nice sheen. Though Ula’s cables were left as a bit of a curtain parted to one side of their face while Tahu’s were tied like a pony tail behind their head.
Ula wore a dark blue robe hugging their frame the material seeming like a malleable plastic, a holo cloth around their shoulders, and boots that came up to their knees. They didn’t like the idea of new clothes but it worked for the most part and she had to look the part. Tahu wore a similar blue robed that was split up the middle revealing part of their chest and stopped at their shoulders. The ends were tucked into boots as well but left a lot of space for their legs. Paired together they looked like a couple or siblings.
Ula looked down at themself and glanced at themself from behind and then frowned. “This seems short. Though I guess this is how I’m meant to dress for this type of event.”
“I will say it is a little odd for me too,” Tahu said tracing their finger against their chest and then shrugged. “I think it looks nice for us both.”
Ula shook their head. There was a mirror against one of the walls and the pair of them stood together looking themselves and each other up and down. “I think I can see the appeal.” They admited after some more thought.
Another door opened and Jenny came out. Coughing on a mist of perfumes she held a hand to her mouth and noticed metal like color on her nails. It changed colors as it caught the light. Her hair had been straightened and then curled that bounced at her shoulders. Her lips were colored with the same light altering color as her nails.
She was wearing black dress that went to her thigh, a soft cotton like material and tight against her. Rather than boots she was wearing shoes with a small heel. The machines had also given her an assortment of bracelets on her wrist. She pulled at the edges of her dress and frowned hard. “God this thing is so short. And what is this color?”
“Wow, someone’s looking ready for the ball,” Tahu clapped and she narrowed her eyes at them. “Hey remember I’m made of metal. Fragile under that gaze.”
Rolling her eyes she walked over to them and looked at herself with raised eyes. She’d never seen herself in make up and wearing clothes like this, let alone so revealing. But it wasn’t as embarrassing as she thought. Didn’t feel as exposed as back when she went to prom and was wearing more.
Another door opened and she glanced over her shoulder to see Trey step out. She gasped because she saw for the first time Trey with his hair entirely red. It was a shock of bright orange that had been combed back along his head. He was running his fingers through it, shaking it out and mussing it up somewhat.
He was wearing a grey suit jacket with long tails that seemed to be attached to his pans legs. He rolled up the arms of it and they had little tassels hanging from the edge. Underneath he wore a bright red shirt that was slightly see through. “Whatever they put in my hair is a pain to get out.” his hand glowed with heat and instead of the bright flames it was a silvery haze burning at the substance.
He looked at everyone else then let out a soft whistle. “Look at you Jenny. Score two for the bi squad.”
She snorted but looked him up and down. “You know when your hair isn’t drenched in ash and you actually wash up a bit you look pretty handsome. But I also know you very well so personally it would never work.”
“Oh whatever,” he walked over then looked at the pair of Zorgs and nodded slowly making a face. “Alright, I was wondering what you two would dress up.” He ran a finger down Tahu’s chest slowly and hesitated for a moment. “I approve.”
“Well thank you partner,” Tahu’s smiled broadened and it made Trey’s cheeks brighten slightly but both grinned at one another. “Not bad looking yourself.”
“See Jenny? That’s how you compliment a crew mate.” He said motioning toward the Zorg. Jenny gave him a flat stare with mild contempt. He shivered and tried to hide behind Tahu with mixed success.
As the two fought to see who would take her wrath Seth popped into existence. He was wearing a black tunic vest combination with a dark blue band around his waist and a matching one around his forehead. He had on gloves and dark pants ending in polished shoes. His hair was slick and pulled back into a loose ponytail. He had a bowler hat on his head just above the headband.
With his hair not covering his face she saw the sharpness of his cheek bones and jaw. Even though she knew he was eating he still looked gaunt in some ways. Maybe that was just the mutated genetics. He glanced between them all slowly before settling on Jenny. “At least you clean up nicer than Trey.”
Trey almost looked seriously hurt, “That’s the best you got for me. Thought we were friends.”
She giggled and motioned for him to join them. “You almost look like you’re not the grumpiest man in the world.” Trey said sullenly.
Seth smirked lowering the hat and dipping his head. “I can only keep the façade going for so long before someone sees through it. Waiting on our Captain and Alice?”
“Yeah. She always takes forever to get dressed.”
Alice walked forward, heels clacking against the floor. She was wearing a tank top with strange purple material. It shifted as she moved almost like a satin but more liquid. It went all the way over to her neck and tied around it. Sometimes it flowed to cover her arms and others it would retreat away. She had on a long skirt of the same material but black. She was wearing tall heels which made her even taller than everyone else.
She wasn’t wearing her mask and her skin had a bit more color to it. Her hair had been done so that it was combed onto one side of her face covering her scars. Her lips were painted a purple that complimented the top. On her wrist was the iron bracelet that Jenny had made her and she’d never taken it off.
Seeing her without her mask, walking forward steady stride and a relaxed smile. With all of that confidence focused on her made Jenny weak at the knees. When Alice finally stood in front of her Jenny had missed the first few words she’d signed having lost focus on anything that wasn’t her.
“I don’t think she read a word you said,” Seth chuckled. “Too busy staring.”
“I wasn’t,” she paused. “Well so what if I was staring. I’m allowed to stare.” Taking a quick step forward she wrapped her arm around Alice’s waist and pulled her close. She smelled nice, a sweetness that flitted through her nose. Not something strong but gentle and enticing.
Alice stared down at her, blowing a kiss before taking a step back. “You look beautiful.”
“Do I really?”
“She tends to say what she means,” Tahu said. “Where’s our captain? I want to get this show on the road.”
“Complain complain. It’s all you do Tahu,” Ya’Cahin said as the door opened. She walked out a grin on her face. She had a glowing blue veil covering her face that was almost entirely translucent. She was wearing a short-sleeved top with swirling green patterns. It went down over her legs made of the same material as Ula’s dress. The spines on her arms and head were painted a light green that glowed and seemed to control and guide the patterns in her clothes. Her legs were bare ending in a pair of short boots.
Rizier solidified near her, arms folded and as tall as Alice. They were wearing new bandages and a better robe tied around their body. Rather than have anything covering their face it was just shifting sands. Tilting their head they waved a hand at them and everyone waved back. “I couldn’t figure out what to wear so I went for something simple.”
“It looks good on you,” Alice signed and they nodded.
Ya’Cahin raised her veil slightly and smirked looking at the crew. “Now we don’t look like a bunch of misfit bounty hunters. So let’s go mingle and,” she motioned toward the door and snapped her fingers “Get this party started.”
The Harlequin Library 