by DC Bastien
"Because last time you were up to no good."
"We were not! It was a completely legitimate shipping run."
"So legitimate that they went via a private contractor instead of through the Trade Federation?"
"We paid the taxes."
"On the declared cargo."
"On the cargo. Ithon, give it a rest. You ever think the reason you couldn't find anything illegal was because there wasn't anything illegal to find?"
"No."
There was a silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Vadim found it easier like this, holding a conversation without eye-contact. With most people, this would make him feel on edge. With Avery... he could almost pretend it was the good old days.
"So why do you think I'm here, if not to profit from my 'fellow criminals'?"
"You really need me to tell you?"
"Would I ask if I didn't?"
"Someone as vain as you... alright, Kip. I think you're here because you still have the instincts. You still scan all the bulletins, and you probably get access to ones you shouldn't. You piece things together without even thinking about it, and your gut tells you the same as me."
"My gut tells me I shouldn't trust Kre to cook when she's upset," the Captain snarked, rubbing at his stomach. Kre was fine at cooking when she wasn't distracted, but because she didn't focus when she was thinking about too many other things, she tended to forget to cook the meat as well as Humans liked it.
"It tells you there's something going on. It's why we're both here, why we both got charged by this Whale. You ever heard of one going all 'running of the bulls' before? No. Because it hasn't happened. There's something about to happen - something else - and if there's any decency left in you, you'll take me to the nearest outpost."
"And why would I do that?"
"Because you have no place here. If you insist on scraping a pittance from the edges of society, do it somewhere you're not going to get shot."
"And here I was, lulled into a false sense of politesse. But no. You're the same asshole you always were."
"Drop me off, and leave. And I won't be forced to flag your registration on the 'check on sight' list."
"Do, and I'll get a Judge to cite harassment."
"And when you do, you'll run into all the bureaucracy you love so much. I mean it, Kip. Clear out."
It was the wrong thing to say to him. Vadim didn't even realise it was deliberate.
***
[Sianor: Asdfghjkl!]
[Ashroe: Heh. I know. Poor Kip.]
[Sianor: No, no, it's... gah. I never knew I was into this before.]
[Ashroe: Oh, the innocence of youth. I'm going to go now, chick. Big meeting tomorrow.]
[Sianor: I forgot! Good luck with that.]
[Ashroe: Cheers :)]
[Sianor: I think I'm going to rewatch some episodes. I feel like there's something I've not quite got yet, but it's just... right there. Just out of reach.]
[Ashroe: Yes, I might need to take tomorrow and this weekend off. I've got my sister visiting. Sigh.]
[Sianor: Okay, I'll see you when you're back. Email me though?]
[Ashroe: Of course I will! You might help keep me sane throughout the whole 'look at my precious offspring' spiel, and the 'reptiles aren't really pets' stuff.]
[Sianor: Uck. Reptiles are lovely pets. I promise I will keep you company, but sane might be a step too far...]
[Ashroe: Okay, I'll settle for an alibi when I accidentally push her off a cliff.]
[Sianor: 'She was talking to me on webcam the WHOLE time, Sir!']
[Ashroe: They can check your logs these days. Hmmm. I need to premeditate this a bit more. And not where they can get to my logs ;)]
[Sianor: Go to bed :) You can think about murder in your meeting. Multitask.]
[Ashroe: Nice plan, do it on company time and be paid for it! I like your style. Well... goodnight.]
[Sianor: Bye!]
***
Chapter Four - Mission: Vendition
"You do not have to walk with me, Tho-Biann," Loap said, a fond smile on his face. It was difficult to make the gesture for him, but he knew that the mammalian species had evolved from seeing teeth as a threat, to seeing them as a gesture of amicable intent.
The engineer grinned at the diminutive. She knew it was a rare honour to be considered brood-kin, and she hefted her shoulder bag to try hiding some of her embarrassment. "I know. But I want to. You get better deals with me, anyway."
"Ah, so this is a commercial arrangement?" the Roq asked, pushing one trailing strand of ribbon and beads back behind her shoulder.
"You help me get the parts cheap, and without me spending all day, then we get to find some kelfis for me, and some cherisp for you. And I won't walk you as fast as Kre. Her legs are way too long."
"She is tall, even for a Sianar," he agreed. "You have to wonder how highly ranked she would be, if she chose to follow her ancestral rites."
"I couldn't see her doing it. Could you?"
"Do you mean, you couldn't visualise her daubed in blood, clad in bones and scales?" Loap shuddered, a clicking of scales through the gesture. "I can. Vividly."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend. I did not mean it literally, I meant... Kre. She's not very... killy?"
Loap's blue tongue ran across against his sharp teeth. "No offence is taken. It has - thankfully - been a long time since I saw a Sianar warrior in blood rage, but... she was a force of nature against those brood-traitors who shot me. I know it was in my defence, and I am grateful that I wasn't actually horribly killed, but it was... unsettling. I suppose there is blood-hunger in all of us."
"Even me?" Biann asked, her heavily painted, deep purple eyes querulous and sad.
"Not you, Tho-Biann. Not unless your kin was threatened. Then it would be a different story: if Saidhe was in danger, you would feel ready to rip apart ships with your soft little fingers."
"Uhm... thanks, I think."
"What is it you need? More parts for the impulse?"
"And if I can find them, spares for the air scrubbers and heating filaments. I always try to buy things we don't need, so we have them rattling around for when we do need. And if we buy bit by bit, we'll never be selling things we actually require just to survive. You know?"
"I think you are much more grounded than the others assume you are. Perhaps your sister knows."
"No, she just thinks I'm scatter-brained. But it's okay, I can use it to my advantage. The kuzk who try to rip me off don't reckon on my smarts, and the good guys see a sweet, innocent little Helio and they want to help me any way they can."
Biann slid her arm under Loap's, guiding the Roq around the orbital market. It was thronging, the air rich with spices, flowers, and meat. As every sentient species was catered to, it was pot luck whether the scent assaulting your nose (or similar) would be appealing, background, or simply repellent. It was also that difficult balance between a lack of regulation to guarantee goods, weights and measures... plus a related lack of regulation preventing some of the less-savoury sellers and goods being there to hawk their wares. Biann had long ago stopped arguing about the morality of it, when it became clear she could get the things she needed. Sure they had to trade in solid bars rather than electronic ones, but so long as you came prepared it was okay.
The Adquem station was one of the more recent market-stations, and it orbited in the same solar system as the planet Lineon. As it had been built shortly after the founding of the Ur-courts, it had been designed for all species, and the architects had put in some cutesy design ideas that had never taken off anywhere else, but which the station liked to consider selling points. Adquem had been constructed with a series of concentric rings, but they were not aligned perfectly and instead twisted through jaunty angles. From the outside it looked like an onion that had been sliced, and each ring tilted haphazardly, only to be connected to the central hub via spokes. The spokes were elevators which slowly altered pressure and oxygen levels to approximate the rings.
Other
than the Bankers - who presumably breathed oxygen under those masks and hoods - all the major sentient life-forms had evolved on near-analogue planets. Kior-Dhalias actually used the carbon-monoxide as well as the oxygen, which had confused Human scientists to begin with. The Sianar came from the relatively oxygen-poor and gravity-harsh Raboros, meaning they were even more deadly when off-world. The Roq, by comparison, were weakened on planets other than their native Draqqi. The rings each simulated one of the home-worlds of the major species, although in reality it was just a minor tweak of the gross average that most architects and ship-builders used as a universal mean.
Each of the rings had the gravity set to the outer circumference of the disc, and the ceiling was completely transparent. That way you could see the crossing rings when you looked up, and feel slightly nauseous when you realised the floor was actually very slightly curved, and curved the opposite way to a normal planet's surface. Only the central hub - being too small and flat for gravity to work in the same direction - had a more traditional up-down pull. When you got into the lifts they turned you gently through the change in direction, by rotating the inside of the box ready to dock with the opening in your chosen circle.
"This... does not look like engine parts, Tho."
"Nope. It's not." She had brought him out from the elevator into a 'Hleen-like' ring. From there, they went to one of the traditional stalls, where the vendor sold Hleen decorations like vibrant face-paints (normally worn as something between Human accentuation and Sianar war-paint), scarves and head-decorations. The majority of the goods for sale, though, were the long, coloured and threaded strands that the Hleen referred to as 'bows' or 'bow-strings', which were by far the most commonly seen decoration. "I thought I could get you a little something for good luck."
"I don't have anywhere to attach them, though," Loap said, with a slightly more wry smile.
"You could tie one to your belt-straps," she said, tapping at the leather looping around his hips. "And I want you safe. It would be my honour to tie one to you."
Loap's eyes slitted shut, and his tongue whirred out a tiny purr. "Tho-Biann, please. I would love to."
The shop-keeper was a little too painted, covering over an older skin. He didn't wear the same understated display that Biann and Saidhe did, and his wrists clanked with very un-Hleel bangles. "Which would you like? You're a handsome couple, you know."
"Biann would be an excellent mate, but she is not my intended, Zer."
"Young beauty like you?" The Hleen looked Biann up and down assessingly, taking in her attire, her stance, her colour and the hue of her bright purple eyes. He clearly approved, because he smacked his lips together. "Someone already taken you? Because if not... I know plenty would offer a sizeable dowry for you."
"Thank you, but I am not looking right now," Biann demurred. "But you're very flattering. It will just be the bow-string."
"As you wish, my fair one."
Loap leaned over, sensing the discomfort and perusing the wares as a clumsy tourist would to distract the vendor's attention back to himself. "I am not as familiar with the meanings behind them all, I confess. I know the basics, but I would not wish to cause accidental offence."
"This symbol here," the engineer said, pointing at a triangle with a tiny glyph inside, "...this means luck. And the one above is a blessing of friendship. The colours would suit your scales, I think."
"The three knots above reinforce the message," the hawker added. "The core of the ribbon is the finest Earth silk. I like to use found items from other cultures, as you can see." A flick of his wrist, making the gold and brass circles jangle noisily. "I feel it adds to the message. You seem to be well-travelled, by your accents."
"Our Captain is Human, yes. We have a very mixed crew," Biann answered. "How much for this one?"
"For one as pretty as you?" He whistled through his teeth, then sucked his lips in for a little too long. "I would go to fifteen bars."
"Fifteen?" She put her hands on her hips. "I can buy three for that, back home."
"But you are so very far from home, precious child. And you know as well as I do that the bows pick the wearer."
"I will pay no higher than seven," she scoffed.
"There is silk. Did you know how they get the silk? It is from the web of a worm. Tiny little creatures. The threads are wound over and over, twisted like the threads of fate. Do you really wish to reject such serendipity?"
"Ten."
"Twelve."
She flicked out one larger ten-bar, and one single-bar.
"You would see me starve, child!"
"Then you will accept her money for mine, and I will pay fifteen for the one of her choosing," Loap said.
"No! This was supposed to be a gift for you!" Biann objected.
"And it is, truly. It means a lot to me, and I would love to see my caring for you dancing amongst your other memories. Please, Tho-Biann. Let me."
She sighed. "Okay, but you must find the one for me."
"Are my terms acceptable, Zer?"
"Yes, they are. But I am interested to see what fate would move your hand."
Loap leaned closer, head tilted, to get a better look. He ran a taloned finger against one thread, tilting it back and forth. The colour was a vibrant blue, and the gems threaded along were at uneven lengths, a collection of whites and faint rainbows over translucence, like the slick of oil over clear water. At the very bottom was a charm of silver metal, shaped like a snake. "This one."
"Interesting choice," the vendor said, sitting back in a musical noise of adornments. "It means two-spirited. It is a mirror, another self."
"A twin," Biann said, her face breaking out into a smile. "You picked me and Saidhe."
"She must be very different to you, if you picked this," the other Hleen said. "It is normally a somewhat... negative connotation."
"It depends how you interpret it," she replied, and slid her bars over the table. "But it's perfect for me."
"A question, if it is not impolite?" Loap asked.
"No question, honestly asked, is impolite. It shows you want to learn," the seller said.
"Thank you... Why would you sell this, if it is negative in meaning?"
"Ah." He smiled wider. "A good question, and it shows how sharp you are. If we restrict things to only the positive, in order to try and influence the greater whole, it is a bad omen. We all carry something we fear, or dislike," he said, finding a black and silver bow and showing it. "To carry our worries shows we are not hiding from them, and we are aware of them and ready to face any adversity."
"That does make sense," the Roq agreed.
"Plus," and the merchant's smile grew more feral, "...the uninitiated other species go for what appeals to them. And who am I to say that for them, wearing a strand that means infertility will make them bear weak or no young?"
Loap pulled out two more bars, a ten and a five, and he lifted the bow up for Biann. "Would you please, because I would not wish to damage your wonderful headdress?"
"Of course," she said, clipping it to the right, in pride of place. "Would you like me to attach yours, too?"
"I would."
***
[Ashroe: That's still what I love most about this show. I mean for their writing. I do like the world, but I think it's underused.]
[Sianor: You mean the team dynamic, don't you?]
[Ashroe: Even if I don't ship some pairings, I love the chemistry between them. They're just so fun together.... it makes me smile.]
[Sianor: Biann is such a lovely person.]
[Ashroe: I did squee over the cultural things you put in, though. Those are the details that make the world feel real to me.]
[Sianor: Oh, I know! I just think the varying cultures are so cool. I know they're a bit stereotypical in a way, but they do buck their own trends, too.]
[Ashroe: And the mirror up to reality is what made me fall in love with sci-fi as a genre to begin with. It's just so much... broader.]
[Sianor: Let's p
ush on, I've got an assignment due back soon and this is much more fun.]
[Ashroe: Don't let your education suffer, though.]
[Sianor: I know, I know... but art!]
[Ashroe: I will remind you that you said that.]
[Sianor: :)]
***
"Where are we heading to?" Kre-Nappre asked, between the directions left and right as they manhandled the boxes of supplies onboard. Vadim had taken every opportunity to put her strength to saving money. She did not mind, as the physicality of useful activity was good for the body. "I would like to research our destination before departure, so I can calibrate my sensors in advance, and contact the communities to ask if any would like my ministry."
"Well, you won't have to do much extra work. We're staying in this sector for a bit."
"Oh?" Kre's ears flickered in interest, her head cocked to one side. "Is there enough work?"
