by Barry Solway
Jon looked away, so Mel continued. “Anyway. We have to check on a few things. We had an idea to sell the ship. We’re not sure that keeping this ship will help us get back to Earth. We can use the money to find a place to hide out until we figure out how to get home.”
“Huh,” Riley said. “How do you sell a spaceship? Is there a Galactic eBay? You know, the trick is to set a high shipping and handling fee.”
Mel rolled her eyes. “Riley, stop. I have no idea. Anna is going to have to figure it out. But if any of you do have ideas,” she said, staring pointedly at Jon, “feel free to bring it up with Anna.”
At that moment, Anna’s voice cut in over the speakers. “We just came out of the hyperjump. We’re heading to the wheel world above Latanu. It’s called Chandir, which roughly translates as Silver Wheel. I’m researching whether we can repair the ship or sell it. In the meantime, you should be able to get off the ship and wander around for a bit.”
“About time,” Jon muttered.
“Is that a good idea?” Mel asked.
“It’s not your choice,” Jon interrupted. “I’m sick of being stuck on this ship. We all are.”
Riley frowned, but shrugged when Mel looked at him. “I’m good with just getting away from Jon, personally. We have to get used to being in alien cities at some point, right? Who knows how long we’ll be here. And we have Beats and Gorgeous to show us around.”
“Okay. Maybe we should try to stay in pairs, though,” Mel said.
“Maybe you should stop pretending you’re the boss,” Jon retorted as he walked out of the main cabin.
“What is with him?” Mel said. “I’m just trying to get us all home in one piece.”
“He’s not handling things well, that’s for sure,” Riley replied. “But look, Mel, Jon’s not your responsibility. He’s going to make his own decisions, you know?”
Mel reluctantly nodded. “You’re right. But how many of us have to die before we start working together? I just can’t bear losing anyone else. Even Jon.”
“I hate to be morbid, but speaking of losing people, we really need to figure out what to do with Sharon,” Anna said. “You all need to discuss it, but I think a space burial would be appropriate. Either way, you need to do something. The cryogenic pads don’t get that cold. It won’t be a problem for me, but for you guys it’s honestly going to get gross in here really soon.”
Riley wrinkled his nose. “Yeah, that’s a problem. “
Mel frowned. Sending Sharon’s body out into space might be their only option, but she didn’t have to like it. “Fine. Let’s make a final decision when we get back from our tour of the station.”
“Excellent. We’ll be docking in fifteen minutes,” Anna said. “Welcome to the Latanu system.”
Chapter 3
Mel couldn’t stop smiling. Part of it was the novelty and grandeur of the wheel world. The ‘station’ was a mile-wide wheel with a dozen huge spokes that radiated out from a central hub. Looking ‘up,’ Mel could see giant spokes disappearing into a convincingly blue sky, to fade away high above her. With densely packed buildings and teeming throngs of alien life, it was like nothing Mel had ever experienced. Part of it was the sensation of finally being free. Able to walk where she wanted, when she wanted. She felt a little more sympathy for Jon.
On one hand it was exotic, alien, and exciting. On the other hand, it felt like an overcrowded mall with tens of thousands of aliens crammed into too tight a space. The majority were the Latanua, who came from the planet the station orbited. Mel had met this species before. There had been two Latanua gladiators in their second gauntlet. The two aliens, Carun and Soryda, had been a married couple until Mel, Gorgeous, and Evan had set off a bomb, causing the street to cave in and swallow Carun. Evan had died in the same incident. Soryda blamed Mel for the loss of her husband and had tried to get revenge in the following game. And now, almost every alien here looked like her.
They were all between five and six feet tall, and even looked vaguely human, if their heads were covered with a bag. The arms were a bit stubby for a human and the legs a bit too long. Just enough for them to seem weird in a non-obvious way. But their heads and faces were clearly inhuman. Wide eyes with eyelids that closed from the sides gave them a slightly fish-like look when they blinked. They didn’t have a nose that Mel could see. But the most distinctive feature was the half dozen tentacles, between three and twelve inches long, clustered around a central mouth. When Mel had first seen pictures of them, she thought they had long black hair. But up close, the ‘hair’ was comprised of long strands, each much thicker than human hair, that moved of their own accord. They weren’t as functional as the face tentacles, but they could control them, so that all the Latanua seemed to have thin snakes undulating on their heads. Some of these ‘hair’ tentacles went down to their waist and were bright colors, especially blue and green. Mel thought it would be attractive if she could have gotten over the faces… and that they all reminded her of someone who wanted to kill her.
Mel pulled the makeshift hood to better cover her face. They had managed to modify some of the clothes on the ship to make the hooded shirts for her, Riley, and Jon. Hopefully, it would keep anyone from realizing they were an unknown, alien species. Mel found it odd to think of herself as the alien. As they had gone through the belongings on the ship, Gorgeous had also discovered several small discs, about the size of a silver dollar, that were the equivalent of prepaid credit cards on Earth. Gorgeous indicated the discs were popular on Sha Shahar because they weren’t traceable.
Mel followed close to Gorgeous, who walked with a comfortable confidence, obviously at home in the bustle. They made their way from the dock where they had left the ship and took a tram to the shopping district. Gorgeous and Beats both wanted to get what they considered real food. Mel suspected it wouldn’t work out so well for her, Riley, and Jon, but she was getting over her former reservations and was eager to explore.
Jon hung back, but he seemed content to finally be off the ship. Beats drew a number of stares and Mel began to wonder if it might cause a problem. She hadn’t seen any other eight-foot-tall, white, ape-like creatures wandering around. If the government got descriptions of Beats and Gorgeous, it would be easy to track them down in a place like this.
Aside from the Latanua, Mel noticed people from Kathor’s race. They were also very humanoid, except their faces were made of bone that hardened in different shapes as they became adults. The effect from a human perspective was that their expressions were frozen in place. Kathor had always seemed to be scowling and harsh. Another of his race, Harkin, had joined their team for their third gauntlet. His face had been frozen in a permanent and exaggerated smile, and Riley had named him Mr. Happy. To his people, this meant nothing, as their ‘mouths’ were just ridges of bone that happened to resemble a human mouth. All their emotions were transmitted by the shape of the eyes. Even knowing that, both Mel and Riley barely suppressed laughs when they passed one who looked like a sad clown.
“Hey, Gorgeous, what are those people called? The ones like Kathor?” Mel asked.
“Asadharan,” Gorgeous said. She intertwined an arm with Mel as they exited the tram and headed towards the main shopping district. “Their people like to travel a lot. You can find them on most worlds. They tend to work for the Order.”
Beats and Riley were just ahead, but Mel glanced back quickly to make sure they hadn’t lost Jon. He was straggling a bit, but more or less keeping them in sight. Mel tried to suppress her fears that they would get split up. As amazing as all this was, Mel realized she was getting overwhelmed. She had always been an introvert, dance and cheerleading aside, and it had been months since she’d been in anything resembling a public space. With all the new sights and sounds, it was a lot to take in.
“Are you okay? You seem tense,” Gorgeous said.
“A bit overwhelmed,” Mel said. “Just don’t leave me alone, okay?”
“I’ll protect you,” Gorgeous scowl-laughed. �
��I love this station. I was here once, before I went to Sha Shahar. They have amazing shopping in the upper levels, and there was an Ankhen dumpling stand to die for. We have to find it! You must try the Ankhen dumplings!”
“Uh, maybe. What are they? Can I eat them?” Mel said.
“Oh. I don’t know. Ankhen is the planet where I’m from. The dumplings are made from a grass we grow there. It tastes like—” the translator faded out at that point, giving Mel several impressions of fruity, nutty, strong, and pungent, which she thought wasn’t particularly helpful. “They can have animal meat, usually
“Okay, I’ll try one,” Mel replied. “But I need to figure out how to make you chocolate ice cream.”
Gorgeous had a surprised look, but the translators told Mel it was more like disgust. “Ice cream? Really? You milk an animal, like you’re a baby nursing? And turn it into a dessert? That sounds a bit… perverted.” Her expression shifted. “Not that I’m judging! I’ve heard the Nipunee do that. And the Maneshee might too, I think. Each race to their own. But it sounds gross.”
Mel laughed. “Yep. Much worse than rat-hamster meat, I’m sure.”
They finally arrived at the main shopping district. The tunnels and tight walkways from the tram opened out into larger but still crowded boulevards. The artificial sky shone a bright blue, but there was no obvious sun or source of light. Mel could see small clouds drifting above them.
Gorgeous called out to Riley and Beats. “I am going to find an Ankhen dumpling stand! Mel wants to try the dumplings.”
Beats made a face. “That sounds like a truly horrid idea. The Ankhen dumplings are always made with rodent meat, quite repulsive. You should try Maneshee jungle bread. Delicious.”
Gorgeous stuck out her tongue. “The insects in jungle bread are too crunchy for my taste.”
Mel laughed. “Maybe we can do both.” Or neither. She turned back as Jon caught up with them. He looked around, scowling at everything. “Doing okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” he snapped, trying to avoid touching another alien who walked by him. “It’s too crowded here.”
Mel shrugged. “You were the one that wanted to get off the ship. Gorgeous and I are going to find a dumpling stand. Do you want to come with?” Personally, Mel hoped he would say no, but she knew Jon didn’t get along well with Beats, or even Riley for that matter, and she didn’t want him wandering off by himself. She knew she shouldn’t make Jon her responsibility, but couldn’t help herself.
“No,” Jon said flatly.
“Fine. Don’t get lost.” She took a breath and deliberately turned her back on Jon. He was going to have to look after himself, she told herself firmly.
Still arm in arm, Gorgeous and Mel walked past Beats and Riley. Mel leaned over and whispered to Riley as they passed. “Try to keep an eye on Jon.”
“When did I become the babysitter?” Riley asked. But he stopped when Mel stared at him. “Okay, okay. We’ll keep Johnny-boy out of trouble. That’s not to say Beats and I won’t get in trouble, mind you.”
“Uh-huh. You boys have fun. We’ll see you back on the ship if we don’t run into you before that.”
“Roger that, Captain,” Riley said, giving Mel an exaggerated salute. Riley and Beats turned into the crowd as Mel and Gorgeous continued on. Mel smiled. Captain. She liked that.
They ran into a few species Mel had never seen before, at least not up close. A group of frogmen that Mel had only seen in footage of the gauntlets. Gorgeous said they were from the planet Nipun. A small, pixie-like couple from Chota glanced at them with their typical solemn expressions. They looked like little girls with sharp features and pointy ears, and both wore thin sundresses. Other than having only three fingers per hand, they were surprisingly human-looking. Gorgeous told her that the males were shorter and had pointier chins and ears, which to Mel made them look even more like little girls. It was difficult to look at them because there had been a Chota they named Red Shirt in the last two gauntlets. Red Shirt had been a psychic and had tried to manipulate Mel. But it backfired, and in a fit of rage, Mel had bludgeoned him to death with her rifle. Remembering it made her ill, and she quickly looked away.
It became more of a problem as they wandered through the crowded streets. Too many of the alien species she had met had either kept her prisoner or tried to kill her in the games. On the positive side, she hadn’t met a Nipun yet who wanted to kill her.
They passed a restaurant with small tables coming out into the street. Most of the occupants were Latanua, but Mel noticed a large table with half a dozen very fat aliens. They were about her height. Four of them gave her the impression of being female, while the other two seemed to have bigger heads and hands and looked just generally rougher, giving her the impression they were males. She knew enough not to make that assumption, or to even assume it mattered what sex they were. Certainly, the Chota demonstrated that, since there didn’t seem to be much difference in the way the males and females of that race acted.
Mel estimated that each of these new aliens weighed nearly three hundred pounds. She wondered for a moment if they were the same species as the Whale, a large eel-like creature they had run into in several gauntlets. But these aliens didn’t have the tentacles or the gross, eel-like quality that the Whale had. They looked very human, except for the body hair and the eyes. Their body hair ranged in color from red to brown to black and they had large colored patches where human eyes would have been. For two of them, the patches were blue, and for the other four they were a light yellow. All of them, even the males, had long hair that mostly matched their body fur.
“What species are they? They seem familiar,” Mel said, pointing. Gorgeous followed Mel’s finger, a scowl-laugh on her face at something else she had been looking at. As soon as her gaze landed on the group, her expression went flat.
“Oh. Those are Ankhen. My people,” Gorgeous said. Her voice was quiet, and Mel felt Gorgeous’s grip tighten on her arm.
Gorgeous didn’t seem happy to see them. Mel would kill to meet another human at this point. But she wondered about that. She craved the idea of being back among people she was familiar with, people she knew. But there were lots of people in her life she could think of that she would definitely not want to hang out with, even stuck halfway across the galaxy. Maybe it was the same for Gorgeous.
“That’s interesting,” Mel said offhandedly. “They look so different, so big, you know. I didn’t recognize them as being like you.” Something happened that Mel had never seen before. Gorgeous’s eyes changed color, pulsing between their normal green and a dark, icky color that Mel thought looked like overcooked spinach. Her face had gone slack, and there was a distinctive sobbing. Mel didn’t need the translator to tell her that Gorgeous was crying.
“Gorgeous? What is it? Did I say something? I didn’t mean…”
“No, it’s fine,” Gorgeous said. Mel reached up and touched Gorgeous’s head lightly. “It’s… nothing. We should go.”
Gorgeous tucked Mel’s arm back into hers and pulled her away from the restaurant. Mel looked over curiously at the group of Ankhen. Three of them had stopped talking and were staring pointedly at Gorgeous. Mel guessed that she and Gorgeous were making a bit of a scene, standing in the middle of the road blocking people while Gorgeous cried.
As she turned away, she overhead one of the men make a causal remark. “I shouldn’t stare, but that’s just… well, unattractive doesn’t quite cover it, does it?”
The other one, a woman, nodded and whispered in a loud voice that Mel thought was entirely intended to carry. “It’s what happens when people don’t take care of themselves. Pathetic, really.”
Mel glanced back, puzzled by what the translator was saying. Their expressions seemed to be a combination of amusement and disgust. Wha
tever it was, Gorgeous was acting like she hadn’t heard it. Her eyes had stopped shifting colors and settled back into their normal emerald green. Mel pulled Gorgeous in closer, squeezing her arm as they walked together.
Chapter 4
Gorgeous moved forward with purposeful strides, obviously searching for something. Mel tried to take in the sights and sounds of the station. For all the futuristic, exotic feeling of being on the wheel world, she couldn’t help but feel that, in a certain way, it was rather ordinary. Shops selling clothes and electronics that wouldn’t have looked out of place on Earth. At least half the buildings were restaurants, which was pretty much exactly like the mall at home. Even the electronics stores didn’t seem very unusual. There were weird contraptions she couldn’t tell the use for, but many were obvious: thin flat panels that were almost certainly monitors or televisions, tablets of various sizes, and lots of wearable electronics like watches, bracelets, and even belts. She knew that Kathor’s ship had technology more advanced than the rest of the galaxy, but she was still surprised that the level of technology here didn’t seem much higher than on Earth.
“I just realized I don’t know much about where you’re from,” Mel said. “It seems like you’ve traveled a lot, though. Why did you go to that place? Shasha-harhar or whatever it’s called.”
“Sha Shahar?” Gorgeous shrugged. “Trying to get away. School was too boring. I like being around new people, but I didn’t… I didn’t get along with my family or the people I grew up with. All the normal jobs people get when they grow up seemed pointless and stupid to me. I wanted to dance, but I don’t have the right body type to be a dancer, you know?”
Mel frowned. Gorgeous had the perfect body to be a ballerina or hip-hop dancer, and she moved with a natural grace that made Mel jealous. “I bet you’d make a great dancer. I trained as a dancer and gymnast for years, but I wouldn’t say that’s what I want to do for a living. It doesn’t exactly pay well.” Mel almost had to laugh. That was something her father would have said.
