by Adair Hart
Andia walked alongside Emily. “Morning has little meaning on stations like this. Business is open at all times, although there are some periods of time busier than others. From what I know, Coris is particularly busy when it is morning on Kreagus.” She smiled. “This must be fascinating to both of you.”
Dr. Snowden chuckled. “A week ago, I was teaching students about astronomy. Now I’m walking inside an asteroid. It’s … kinda surreal.”
After ten minutes of walking, Evaran paused outside an entrance, lit by bright signs surrounding it, and then raised a hand. “I think we are here.”
They gathered around Evaran, who pointed to a large doorway. Above the doorway was a large holographic sign that had an image of an asteroid with a large crater on it, and the word Duzuul’s across it. On each side of the entrance were two large reptilian humanoids. They had on patchwork armor with large weapons on their backs and sides. They reminded Dr. Snowden of what a crocodile would look like if it was humanoid. They were even more reptilian-looking than the Drodalians. He wondered if they considered humans a delicacy as well.
“Once inside, I will hopefully locate someone who can help us find the whereabouts of the information broker,” said Evaran.
They walked up to the reptilians. One of them hissed. “Fredorians! No trouble in here. If trouble, I am trouble.”
Evaran nodded at them. “You will not need to worry about trouble from us. We are just visiting.”
The reptilian that spoke before waved them in. Dr. Snowden, Emily, and Andia followed Evaran in.
Dr. Snowden knew the Fredorians had a reputation on Kreagus, but it seemed to extend out here as well. He coughed at the cloud of smoke that descended on him and waved his hands around, trying to dissipate it. “A bit smoky in here.”
Andia laughed. “Some of it is probably not from smoking.”
Dr. Snowden grimaced with wide eyes and looked at Emily. “Sounds great.” He noted that Duzuul’s was fairly large. A center area had a rectangular bar with a tough-looking humanoid serving drinks and food. The bartender had multiple flaps on his head and four arms. Dr. Snowden mused that four arms as a bartender would be quite handy. Tables and booths dotted the rest of the room. There were several doorways that he guessed were the bathrooms or maybe led to other rooms deeper in the asteroid. Although it reminded him a typical bar on Earth, everything was high-tech-looking. The walls had metal panels and consoles, and holograms seemed to be playing on some of the tables.
The varied species hanging around intrigued Dr. Snowden. They ranged from humanoid to nonhumanoid in various colors. The one that stood out to him was a large cobra-looking being in the back by a large stage. He shivered at the thought of a large sentient snake. A mesmerizing beat pounded through the smoky room, and two large boar-like humanoids were on stage.
They walked up to the bar.
Emily nodded her head. “Sounds like rap.”
The boar humanoids growled to the beat.
“Maybe not,” said Emily with raised eyebrows.
Andia half smiled. “They’re Hyborix. That is one of their battle songs. Great mercenaries, but not too bright.”
Emily snorted.
Evaran waved down the bartender, who walked over to him. “Where can I find the information broker?”
The bartender smirked while slowly raising his head. “Never heard of him.”
“Are you sure?” asked Evaran.
“Quite,” said the bartender, walking away.
Evaran turned around to face Dr. Snowden, Emily, and Andia. “Well, I guess I will check with others.” He pointed at an open booth near the entrance. “You three can get a table.”
Dr. Snowden waved at Emily and Andia. “You two go ahead. I will get us some water.”
Emily squeezed Dr. Snowden’s shoulder, then left with Andia to the booth.
Evaran took off to another part of the bar.
Dr. Snowden turned around and tried to wave down the bartender. The bartender arrived after a few waves, and Dr. Snowden ordered a few glasses of water. The bartender smirked as he went to get it. A humanoid woman with a patchwork of brownish light armor walked up next to Dr. Snowden. She had green skin, blue eyes, and a shock of black hair pulled back. His heart raced as he did a double take at her presence.
The woman smiled at him. “Name’s Jala. Dropped off some cargo and here for another twelve hours.” She looked around, then stared at him. “Want to get some food, take it back to my quarters, then have sex?”
Dr. Snowden’s eyes widened. “I beg your pardon?”
“You’re human, right? From Fredoria?”
Dr. Snowden licked his lips and swallowed hard. “Yeah … I am.”
“I’m a Ranax female, or didn’t you notice,” said Jala as she eyed Dr. Snowden.
Dr. Snowden sighed. “I don’t know what a Ranaxian is.”
Jala laughed. “Oh, really? An opportunity for you to learn, then.”
The bartender slammed some water containers in front of Dr. Snowden, causing him to look at the bartender. The bartender chuckled at Dr. Snowden. “Careful with this one. She bites.”
Jala tossed a look at the bartender.
Dr. Snowden gulped as he grabbed the three containers. He exhaled sharply and faced Jala. “I must get back to my group.”
Jala edged in close and slipped a small, circular device into Dr. Snowden’s pants pocket. “You have my communication chip now. If you change your mind, contact me.”
Dr. Snowden nodded vigorously. “Okay.” He turned to walk back. His eyes popped open when Jala smacked his rear.
Jala laughed. “Don’t forget me.”
Dr. Snowden walked back to the booth. Emily had her head down in her arms, and Andia was trying to hold back a laugh. He sat down and passed out the water containers.
“Emily, are you okay?” asked Dr. Snowden as he reached out and shook her forearm.
Emily looked up. She had a big smile and tears streamed down her face. “Uncle Albert! You’re quite the chick magnet!”
Andia and Emily burst out laughing.
Dr. Snowden half smiled. “Well, I’m not sure what exactly happened up there or what a Ranaxian is, but they seem quite forward.”
Andia chuckled. “You’re fine. Ranax has a matriarchal society. They may look similar, but the women are physically stronger and a bit larger than the males. They dominate that society. You ran into a lonely space trucker, judging by her armor.”
Emily beamed a big smile at Dr. Snowden. “I’m sorry, Uncle Albert. It was just funny seeing your face when Andia told me what was going to happen.” She let out a hearty laugh.
Dr. Snowden nodded. “Yes, well, it was an interesting experience.”
Andia put a hand on Dr. Snowden’s shoulder. “Human males are somewhat of a Ranaxian female fetish. However, any woman would be proud to have you for dinner.”
Andia and Emily laughed through their smiling.
Dr. Snowden sighed. It seemed Andia and Emily had bonded well, even if it was over his bumbling around a Ranaxian female. Over the next five minutes, Andia explained early Ranax civilization in a nutshell. It paralleled Earth’s history in many ways, except on Ranax, it was the women who were in power. When the Ranaxians went out into the galaxy, they were surprised to find most planets were male dominated, which they seemed to have no problems with. Since Fredorians looked the most like them, they tended to seek them out. On Ranax, it was the men who got pregnant and the women who took care of breastfeeding the baby, although the men could too. He shook his head at the thought. He figured Jala, upon seeing him at the bar, thought she might have struck gold. Still, beautiful women who could not get pregnant did not seem like a bad deal.
Evaran returned after a few minutes and sat at the booth. He exhaled from his nose. “It appears there is a virtual intelligence booth nearby that functions as a go-between. The information broker listens to the requests through it and responds if interested. We need something to trade with, however.”
Andia reached out and touched Emily’s hand. “Maybe … ,” she said, glancing around, “he would be willing to accept me as an informant in his network in exchange for any information.”
Evaran tilted his head. “That could work. You would do this?”
Andia smiled and put both her hands out, palms up. “Finding the Arkaron crystals is worth giving away an occasional piece of information. If it helps Fredoria. I’m in.”
Evaran pursed his lips, then nodded at Andia. “Okay. Let us head out, then.”
They got up from the table and walked toward the entrance. When they were almost there, Jala walked by Dr. Snowden and slapped him on the rear as she passed, causing him to jump. Evaran turned toward Dr. Snowden with a quizzical look. Andia and Emily chuckled through their smiles.
Dr. Snowden shook his head and gestured toward the entrance as he looked at Evaran. “It’s a long story. Let’s just go.”
Evaran bobbed his head. “As you wish.”
They exited Duzuul’s Crater and turned right onto the platform. After a minute’s walk, they came upon an alleyway. It then took them another thirty minutes to navigate the winding, interconnected alleys and arrive at another section of the platform overlooking the interior. A doorway with a humanoid robot stood in front of them.
The robot shot out a yellow beam from its eyes at them as they approached. “The chamber is available for use. Please secure your weapons and stand at least two feet away from the walls at all times.”
Evaran gestured for them to enter. “We are here.”
Dr. Snowden glanced at Andia and Emily, then walked through the door.
The room had eight even sides, with a raised octagonal platform that was waist high in the center. Andia and Emily walked to his right and Evaran to his left. The door closed shut, sealing them in.
Dr. Snowden jumped a bit as he looked around. “So … what now?”
Evaran raised a finger. “Give it a moment.”
The center platform shimmered briefly, and a holographic male human appeared. It rotated its head slowly from left to right as it scanned them. It looked at Evaran. “State your business.”
“We seek information on the lost Arkaron crystals.”
The hologram tilted its head. “Your payment method?”
Andia stepped forward. “I am the prime ambassador of Fredoria. I offer myself as an informant in your network.”
The hologram stood straight. “Processing. Please wait.”
They waited for several minutes. The hologram smiled. “This platform will descend. Please do not be alarmed. The information broker has decided to negotiate with you.”
“Sounds like we got a deal,” said Emily.
The hologram looked at Emily. “Not yet.”
The platform descended for a minute, and once it stopped, the door they came in slid back open.
Evaran put a hand out toward Dr. Snowden, Emily, and Andia and then walked through the door. After a moment, he waved them through. Once they were in the large room, the door behind them closed.
Dr. Snowden noted the room was jam-packed with screens, holographic displays, and other devices and machines he could not identify. There were several metallic covered tables sprinkled throughout the room with various gadgets on them. “Whew, what is all this?”
“A control center, it looks like,” said Evaran.
They walked over to one of the tables, which Evaran scanned with his ring.
Emily and Andia walked over to another table that had a three-foot-tall brown furred statue of a creature. It had large black eyes, a bushy tail, and claws on its hands and feet. Emily ran her hand over its head. “This almost looks real.”
The statue smiled. “Boo!”
Emily let out a startled shriek and jumped behind Andia.
The statue laughed. “Sorry, sorry. I know how skittish humans are. Welcome. I’m the information broker.” The broker jumped off the table and pointed at Evaran. “You’re back!”
Dr. Snowden pulled his head back and scrutinized the broker. “You look like a giant squirrel.”
The broker chuckled. “Squirrel? Oh, from Earth, right? Earth squirrels are primitive. I’m evolved, but I suspect you didn’t come all this way to discuss my evolution.”
“No, I didn’t mean—” said Dr. Snowden.
The broker cut him off. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I was just messing with you.” The broker walked over to the table Evaran was at and hopped up onto a pedestal. He then began tinkering with a device.
Evaran scrutinized the broker. “I do not believe we have met.”
The broker eyed Evaran for a moment. “Interesting.” He went back to tinkering with his device. “So, the lost Arkaron crystals, huh?”
Dr. Snowden, Emily, and Andia walked over next to Evaran. Dr. Snowden studied the device the broker was working on. It reminded him of a locket. The outside had a stainless steel finish, and the inside had a foam-like texture.
Evaran rubbed his chin. “Yes. Senator Kraas suggested we check with you. She seemed to think you would talk to us.”
The broker looked up at them. “Senator Kraas … even more interesting. Why did she think I would help you? I’m curious.”
“Because we aren’t Kreagans,” said Andia.
The broker paused, then made a sidelong glance at Andia. “She’s partially right.” He grinned big as he faced Andia. “Prime ambassador of Fredoria, Andia Kiggs. You were willing to be an informant for my network. Intriguing. Do you think Senator Kraas was correct?”
Andia glanced at Evaran, then back at the broker. “I don’t know, but we’re here, so you must be interested a little.”
The broker raised his clawed hand “Ha! Not bad.” He pointed at Evaran. “He is why I am talking to you all now.”
Evaran narrowed his eyes. “Elaborate.”
The broker stood straight up and, in a deep mocking voice, said, “Elaborate.” He then burst out laughing. He smiled and took a deep breath as he wagged a finger at Evaran. “You know, you loosen up over time. I forget sometimes how stiff that form is for you.”
Emily eyed the broker. “You know Evaran?”
“Of course I do, Emily. I’m the information broker. However, since he is a time traveler, we meet out of sequence. This must be his first time meeting me, but not my first time meeting him.”
Andia’s lips parted. “You believe he is a time traveler?”
The broker put his hands together and squealed. “Oh … she doesn’t believe yet!”
“I seem to be meeting others out of sequence as of late,” said Evaran.
The broker clasped his hands in front of him. “And why do you think that is?”
After an awkward silence, Dr. Snowden slowly nodded and waved a finger. “Because he spends so much time in this area, he would see the effects of his future selves’ actions more frequently, including those who have already met his future selves.”
The broker stopped and stared at Dr. Snowden. “Even now, you are this observant. Amazing. You’re very astute. Evaran already knew the answer, but he chose to let someone else answer. Interesting. Well. Back to the Arkaron crystals thing. I don’t have much information on them. However, I know someone who would.”
Evaran pursed his lips. “Who would that be?”
The broker squinted at Evaran. “An answer for an answer. An information trade. And Andia will be an informant as needed. Deal?”
Andia nodded at Evaran.
Evaran gestured toward the broker. “We have a deal.”
The broker broke out a big grin. “Excellent. Me first. Who else have you met out of sequence recently?”
Evaran looked at the ground for a moment. He then made a sidelong glance at Dr. Snowden, Emily, and Andia. “Seeros.”
The broker licked his lips. “Ahh. Seeros is an enigma. Hard to find information on. From what little I do know, he is like you without the Torvatta
. Very powerful.” He circled his hand. “What do you have on him?”
Evaran half smiled. “Seeros is an Antigulan. He is from a timeline that no longer exists and blames me for the timeline changing.”
“Kreol Juul. That would explain the bounty on you,” said the broker, shaking his head slowly. “And Krikus Det, here at Coris. You’re quite popular with the bounty hunters.”
This was the first Dr. Snowden had heard of a bounty. He wondered if Evaran going off by himself was related to it, and if Kreol Juul and this Seeros character were part of that.
“I am not familiar with Krikus Det,” said Evaran.
“Oh … yeah … he’s sneaky. Here to collect you and your friends. I can’t see him, which is unusual. I would be careful on the station,” said the broker.
“Noted. Now, whom should we contact for more information?” said Evaran.
The broker nodded. “Maxilogoraxifintocolosta. I just call him Max.”
Emily giggled.
“His name is funny, isn’t it,” said the broker.
“And how do we find him?” asked Evaran.
The broker laughed. “Another trade. Excellent. This time, though, it’s information for an action.” He snapped the locket device shut and tossed it at Evaran.
Evaran reached out and caught it. He scanned it with his ring. “An information device.”
“Yes, yes. If you take that to him, I will tell you where he is. Deal?”
Evaran nodded. “It is a deal.”
The broker walked over to a wall with a large screen. He sat at a console and pulled up a galactic map. After a few moments of navigating it, a planet highlighted. “Max is there.”
Dr. Snowden scrutinized the planet and ran his hand over his cheek. “There’s no sun. A rogue planet?”
The broker shook his head while smiling. “The astronomy professor strikes again.”
Dr. Snowden exhaled sharply through his mouth. “This Max guy is living on an inhospitable rogue planet, then?”
The broker spun around in his chair a full turn before coming to a stop facing Dr. Snowden, Emily, Andia, and Evaran. He clasped his hands in front of him. “Inhospitable?” He chuckled. “You have the Torvatta. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone without a ship like that.”
