by Terri Lane
“Well thank you, now I know. Here is you purchase Mr...” Tessa trailed off. She always liked to know the customer’s name. You never knew when an important connection could be made.
“I am sorry. My boss would be ashamed of my manners. I am Jindal Lawthul, assistant to the Kindar Ambassador, Jobol Santeria. At your service. Also thank you for your service. The Ambassador’s mother is coming to the station for the first time and he wanted to get her something nice,” he explained of the package he picked up off of the counter. I smiled.
“You are very welcome, Jindal Lawthul. Please let me know if you or your boss needs anything else. I will be happy to provide it if I can,” I replied with a smile. He bowed. As he turned away he put a stack of coins on the table, and then disappeared into the crowd passing by. Tessa’s eyes about popped in surprise. Most transactions were done with credit. Coins were used for things like tips and black market purchases, if you didn’t want anyone to know what you were buying. Tessa hadn’t had a good enough job to warrant a credit chip. Her boss just paid her in coins. Jindal had left her the biggest tip she had ever received. Part of her wanted to run after him, in case it was an accident. The bigger part of her didn’t. Nope, he was a smart guy, he knew what he was doing, she told herself counting out the money. Nice, dinner was paid for. Hell a week’s worth of dinner was paid for!
“Hello Miss?” a voice said and she pocketed the money.
“Yes sir?” she said with a big smile. The man who had spoken was a distinguished, middle aged human with graying hair and a mustache. He wore a decent suit and had a confident bearing.
“I was looking for the perfume Misty River,” he said. Tessa immediately went to the shelf and retrieved a small phial.
“Is this what you’re searching for sir?” she asked, knowing it was.
“That is it exactly. Thank you. I was wondering if you have greater quantities than this?” he asked.
“It only comes in smaller phials sir. There are several Alien species who are allergic to it. So the makers of the product decided to keep the amounts small. I have heard a little bit is not a problem to the aliens, only a larger quantity,” Tessa informed the gentleman. He nodded understanding, but his brow furrowed.
“Well Miss, my name is Jonathon Lockley. My mother came through a few months back and fell in love with this stuff. She is back on Earth and asked me to send her some. Actually she asked for a lot. Do you have much in stock?” he asked with a charming smile and a glint in his eyes. The man was used to getting what he wanted. Tessa debated internally and then mentally shrugged. Her boss wouldn’t mind if she sold out of something. It would create a demand when word got around.
“We have a couple cases in the back. How much would your mother require?” Tessa asked in return. He smiled in apparent relief although it did not reach his dark eyes.
“I will take all that you have. My man here will carry it back to my quarters,” he said gesturing to a short, thin, balding man. Tessa went into the back and brought out the four small cases of the perfume.
“Her you go sir. It is 92 phials of the perfume. Are you sure you need so much?” she couldn’t help asking. She didn’t mind a good deal, but she drew the line at really ripping people off.
“Indeed I do. She has several friends who have asked for some and she may even sell it on Earth. How much?” He asked a little shortly and Tessa stopped asking questions. She totaled it for him and he didn’t even flinch at the cost. As he followed his man away he left a sizable tip on the counter. Tessa shook her head bemused, as she pocketed the money. It was turning out to be a good day.
***
Tessa looked around her little apartment when she got home from dinner with Lindesty. Dinner had been fantastic and hanging out with the ladies from Dancers Galore was always a kick. Now though, it was late and she knew she was not going to get any sleep. She liked finally having a little place to call her own, but she was feeling the need to go for a walk and see what she could see. On Station One you never knew what might be around the corner so she put on a white jacket over her red, silk wrap and went back out to walk the corridors.
Without planning to she ended up in the alien section. The corridors always had different and interesting people. They did not follow the night and day schedule that the humans did. As she came around the first corner on the main corridor Tessa saw a Gorgon walking toward her. The Gorgon were an eight-limbed species and were always seen in an atmosphere suit with a built-in translator. This Gorgon was familiar to Tessa. She had talked to him before, and they had got along. He worked security for his embassy on Station One.
“Hello Mr. Killgeer,” Tessa said as they drew even. He was a big alien. Almost seven feet tall.
“Cake and grass Tessa,” he responded. Tessa shook her head.
“What?”
“Wheels and rope,” he said this time. Tessa guessed what was going on.
“Your translator output is not working Mr. Killgeer,” she told him. The alien cocked its round helmeted head. One of its arms went to the collar on the suit and long, thin tentacle fingers began tapping tiny buttons. After he did that red lights began running from side to side on the collar until one by one they changed to green lights.
“How is that? Can you understand me now?” Tessa smiled for him.
“That is better Mr. Killgeer. You must have had a glitch. Did you re-boot?” she asked, curious. He nodded.
“Yes and it appears to work. I wonder how long I have had a problem. I have spoken to several people since my patrol began and none mentioned it. None answered me either so maybe it has been down for a while. Thank you for the consideration Miss Tessa,”
“Of course, no problem. I am just out for a walk. Is all well with you and yours?” she asked conversationally, looking up at the metal suited body, wondering what they really looked like.
“It is quiet tonight. With the conference coming up I felt it would be a good thing to add new security routes,” he told her. Tess nodded.
“Then I won’t keep you. I will see you later,” Tessa told him. She always appreciated the aliens who would stop and talk to her. She never wanted to be an annoyance. Enough aliens had no use for humans and would ignore her if she spoke to them.
“Good evening,” he responded and they went their separate ways.
As she passed one area she could smell the chemicals that wafted from the Lantel quarters. Those aliens required a strong chemical presence in their rooms that sometimes leaked out to the hallways. It wasn’t harmful to humans or others; it was strong however. Tessa held her breath for a few steps to get away from it before breathing again. Once safely passed she kept strolling down the corridors.
The Alien Quarter was a big part of Station One so there were plenty of halls to walk. She would wave or say hello to different people when she saw them. Some responded and others didn’t. As she approached a crossroads in the corridors she heard a clanking noise and then a wheezing. She peeked around the corner and saw an access hatch open and two men in masks doing something to a computer port. There was a familiar scent, not strong enough to recognize. Then she saw a being on the ground, wheezing for breath. It was an alien. As it rolled over groaning she recognized him. It was Jindal Lawthul from the booth, earlier in the day. She moved without thinking about it, going around the corner.
“Hey, what are you doing?” she called to the men messing with the access hatch.
“Take care of that,” one of them said and continued whatever he was doing to the system. The other one stood and came towards Tessa. She rolled her head on her neck once and was ready. The man reached for her.
“You are in the wrong place girly,” he told her reaching. Tessa grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her, kicking at the same time. Tessa let go of his arm when she connected with his ribs and he stumbled back, crying out in pain. The other man turned from the panel and moved towards her. He was the taller of the two and when he swung at her Tessa ducked and sidestepped. He anticipated that
, swinging back around and catching her in the stomach. She had not expected that and bent forward with the force of it. She jerked back, not liking the vulnerable position and just missed being hit on the back of the head. Gasping she backed away. The tall one kept advancing on her and the other one was moving to catch up, cursing Tessa.
The downed alien turned where he lay and kicked out, catching the first man she had hit in the legs and causing him to stumble to the side. The Kindar representative began yelling for help as he struggled to his feet. She could see his arm was useless at his side. Tessa returned her attention to the man advancing on her and feinted a kick, then stepped forward as the man hesitated and caught him in the jaw with a solid punch. It did not seem to affect him and he returned the punch with lightning quickness. Tessa was unable to avoid it and it hit her jaw, knocking her back against the corridor wall. Her head thumped the solid wall and the sound rang in her ears. Everything became foggy and she tried to shake it off. She felt her arm being grabbed and she was swung. Then she hit the wall across from her, face first, hearing a loud pop and feeling severe pain. As the gray fog became thicker in her head she felt herself fall. The last thing she remembered was someone trying to catch her.
********
Tessa paced her cell after breakfast the next morning. Occasionally she would stop and feel the bruise on the back of her head or her broken nose. She had been seen to by a doctor, answered questions and then thrown in a cell until they figured out what was going on. Tessa was not happy. She did not mind being in a cell if she actually did something wrong, but this time she hadn’t and she was offended. She had actually been trying to help someone. She went back to pacing. There was a chiming noise and the cell door slid open. A security guard was standing there and gestured to her.
“Come with me now,” he said and Tessa did as she was asked. She didn’t have much of a choice. She followed him down the hallway and into another room. This one had a desk and screens all over the walls showing different scenes of life around the Station. The man behind the desk was the same security guard that had busted her sneaking off the carrier she had stowed away on. He was second in command of security these days. Of all the people, Tessa thought to herself. She was angry that she had already gone over her story twice.
“Would you like to tell me what you were doing in the Alien Quarter at that time of the night? You had no reason being there,” he said.
“I couldn’t sleep so I took a walk. I do it all the time. I have seen other security personnel on my walks as well as aliens. It has never been a big deal. I don’t see why it is now. I was trying to help the Kindar when this went down. Why don’t you ask him? I have told you what happened,” Tessa asked.
“He has declined an interview so far. I have a request in. Since he is part of the ambassadorial staff he has diplomatic immunity. You do not!” he said and I sighed. Great, the Kindar won’t answer questions so all he has left is me, Tessa thought sourly.
“I take it you still can’t identify the two men who attacked him and me? Is that why you are hassling me? I haven’t done anything wrong,” Tessa said.
“You are a stowaway and a transient. We both know you have been up to something and I want to know what. When something goes wrong in the Ambassadors’ corridors we take it seriously and investigate everyone,” he said. It angered me but I could see his point. Earth built and operated the station since it was on the edge of our space. The other races, however, paid for a lot of the expense so they could use the base as a shipping port and center for negotiations with other races. Therefore it was a priority to keep the aliens happy. Tessa shook her head; glad the headache was mostly gone.
“The only thing I have done wrong was stowing away. I haven’t done anything else wrong and if I remember right, the shipping company did not even press charges. That was the station ruling wasn’t it?” Tessa asked already knowing the answer.
“The Carrier’s Captain did not want to waste the time. The station laws prohibit stowing away so we had every right to press charges,” he said becoming annoyed.
“Charges that she was found guilty of, correct Mr. Norton?” a voice from behind Tessa said. Tessa turned as the security man answered. It was another Kindar. About the same height as Jindal, except with brown hair and not black. His eyes were a sparkling purple. He was as handsome as Jindal was.
“Correct, Ambassador Santeria. She was found guilty and did time in the brig for it. She has a criminal record, and that is why I think she knows something about what happened to your aide. How is he?” Norton asked the Ambassador politely. Ambassador! Tessa thought.
“He is healing nicely thanks to Dr. Hanson. Jindal is positive that this lady did nothing but help him,” the Ambassador told the security man.
“Well Ambassador, you never know about the people who live where she does. I will be more comfortable when my investigation is complete,” Norton told the Kindar. The alien nodded and appeared thoughtful.
“Hm, I may be confused Mr. Norton. I admit I do not always understand how human Earth laws work, but you said she has been incarcerated for this crime of “stowing away”, yes?” He asked.
“She did. She stowed away on a ship to get here over a year ago,” Norton told him.
“A serious crime to be sure,” Tessa thought she heard sarcasm in his tone. “If she spent time in the brig does that then mean she paid for this serious crime? If that is the case, she should be judged on behavior since then, correct? Or am I wrong? As I said, I do not always understand human law,” the Ambassador finished. Norton looked embarrassed. He opened his mouth and was interrupted as a high ranking officer walked into the office.
“I am sorry it took me so long to get here Ambassador. I hope all is as it should be?” the woman asked. Tessa realized it was Commander Earhart, the Commander of Station One. Tessa almost came to attention. She had only seen her once or twice from a distance.
“I was just discussing that very thing with Mr. Norton. He seems to think that even though this young lady did not commit a crime, she should remain under guard,” the Ambassador said. Tessa knew that Norton had not said precisely that. Tessa almost felt sorry for him, while wondering what she had got herself into.
“Actually Commander, I am looking into whether she did commit a crime or not,” Norton said in his own defense.
“Look Mr. Norton, Commander. I know, as do all Station residents that the main hallways have security cameras in them. You could easily trace my route last night. I had dinner with some friends and then went back to my quarters. From there I took a walk until I ran into the incident that caused me to defend myself. Your cameras will show I did nothing wrong,” Tessa tried. The Commander was a tall, good-looking redhead with angular features and keen gray eyes. She looked from me to Mr. Norton and then the Ambassador.
“Well Mr. Norton?” the Commander asked.
“It does not appear that she has done anything wrong,” he grudgingly admitted as he glared at Tessa. The Ambassador became cheerful with a wide smile.
“Excellent. Then I would like a moment of the young Miss Tessa’s time as my government would like to thank her for assisting my aide. According to him he could have easily been killed if she had not come along and bravely decided to help. Is she free to come with me Commander?” the alien said looking at the Commander, ignoring Norton. Norton was looking angry.
“Will your aide be free for an interview and a statement?” the Commander asked. The Ambassador nodded, still smiling.
“Of course. He will be here shortly. The doctor has only just released him,” the Commander was told.
“Very well then. You are free to go Miss Sealand. Please make yourself available for further questions if we learn anything more,” she said and Tessa nodded.
“Of course Commander, just let me know,” she responded and got a nod back in return. She thought she saw amusement in the Station Commander’s eyes as Tessa left the room with the Kindar Ambassador!
***
&nbs
p; Tessa walked with the Ambassador feeling like she was in an alternate reality. She was one of the underclass of the Space Station One, at the furthest edge of human space, and she was walking with the Ambassador of one of the oldest and most powerful worlds in the known Galaxy. She could sense possibilities for her future in every direction but was unsure of what they were. One question was bothering her though.
“May I ask a question Ambassador?” Tessa asked.
“You just did. I will allow another. You can call me Jobol if you would. I do not believe in formality unless it is a formal situation,” he answered.
“Thank you Jobol. I was wondering why you used the power of your position to help me out of the brig? I follow politics and know that most anything you do has a political motive behind it. It is part of your job,” she said. He stopped and glanced down at her. Their eyes met and she could see the humor as well as the compassion sparkling in their depths.
“A brilliant computer tech and an astute political observer. I am impressed Tessa. I hope you don’t mind if I call you Tessa?” he asked and then went on, not waiting for her answer. “You are right that most of what I do is politically motivated. In this case I truly want to thank you for helping Jindal. He is my friend and assistant. So in this case it was a personal choice and not a political one,” he answered and began walking again. Tessa noticed he walked slower so she, being shorter, could keep up without trouble. They walked through the back corridors to the Alien Quarter and from there into the Kindar sector.
The whole time while they walked, Tessa held back a flood of other questions. Like how he knew she was a computer expert. They went further into the area and came upon a wide door with a sign written in several languages. One of them was in Earth Standard. It said. Office of Kindar Affairs. He pressed a few keys on the door pad and it slid open. She followed him inside to a big open office area with a wide desk on one side and a couch with a low table in front of it holding several pitchers and glasses.
