Ion 417: Raiju

by James Darcey

  Panzo looked in the box and started laughing before getting down to bargaining the price. I guess they were good enough for him. They bid back and forth before settling on a price for ten items. After dropping nearly a whole stack of coins in the palm of the merchant, he held the last two aloft.

  "You can have these as well if you can get them installed by tomorrow."

  The merchant eagerly nodded and the coins dropped into the outstretched palm. He called into the back room for his assistant to get busy. This was going to cost even more when the dock master hit us with the worker entrance fee. Panzo poked me to remind me that we were wanting to make the ship look different anyway.

  Just about the time I was ready to call it quits with the shabby things I was finding, we turned the corner and walked straight into a shop that dealt in clothing. The entrance had swallowed us before I even knew it. They carried everything from under garments to outer wear for every occasion. I picked up a nice ship suit that was guaranteed against damage. It could even self-heal if the tear was not too large. It seemed made for me with the yellow and green patterning. I was examining a Meldin leather jacket when Lafiel called.

  She was telling me that a couple of Shitala'bu had sneaked into the landing bay, and nearly got to the ramp before she lifted it. The ramp moving had startled them, and they had run off. Panzo was standing close, and quietly mentioned that it was likely my lizard buddy looking for an easy route to our money. I guess he'd heard of these Shitala'bu before.

  We decided to head back since he figured that they wouldn't run far. They would likely return quickly, and with a way to open the ramp. I didn't want to leave Lafiel alone with no way to protect herself, so I urged Panzo to help me drag Traxel back to the ship. It took only moments to settle with the merchant for several outfits and two pairs of boots.

  We hurried back to the cantina where Traxel had stopped. He had moved to the one next door where he was trying his luck on some dice. We let him finish the round before dragging him out. From the looks of things, it was good that we did; his stack of coins was nearly depleted. He was also a bit wobbly on his feet. Panzo laughed when I suggested it was food poisoning.

  There was another of the Shitala'bu standing outside the entrance to our landing bay when we arrived, but he ran off ignoring our calls. I almost went chasing after him, though when he dropped to all four limbs I didn't think I had a chance of catching up. Panzo muttered something about lookouts.

  Inside the landing bay we found the ship still closed up. I held off calling Lafiel to open the hatch as I took a close look at the ship. I was walking under it looking at the scratches and scorch marks that Panzo explained as the missile 'near hits' we had used to escape, when a little commotion started up by the side entrance.

  There were a couple of Shitala'bu leading in a humanoid dressed in power armor. The one lizard that I was certain could be the very one I'd met earlier, was exclaiming something in its own language. The fact that he was pointing right at me was not a good sign. With the pointing done, both of the lousy lizards ducked back out of the landing bay leaving us facing the power armor.

  Both of my compatriots pulled out their pistols and began shooting him. The pellets were ricocheting off leaving only tiny dents in their wake. I could hear the guy's laugh as he slowly walked toward me raising his rifle. The same thrill I'd felt earlier began to rise inside me. I wanted him to come to me.

  Panzo called out a comment concerning cowardice that drew the guy's attention toward him. The guy didn't really even pause as the rifle swung and fired at Panzo. The movement happened so quickly compared to how slow he'd been walking, that I was caught off guard. I let loose a bolt that tore through the rifle, and into the suit. A hole about the size of my fist was melted in the suit's chest, and was now spouting small sparks from the charred circuitry beneath.

  The guy had been in mid step, and that's how he stayed. He was frozen in this pose as the suit slowly tilted and fell over. The smoking remains of the rifle broke in half. Little smoke trails drifted up from all the joints in the suit. I could hear a little moaning from the shattered faceplate that told me the guy still lived. A part of me wanted to let a second bolt loose to finish the job, but Panzo had been shot; his safety was more important. I left him there as I turned for Panzo.

  Traxel was struggling to lift the larger Kanari without hurting him further. Blood was oozing from a wound on his side that looked pretty painful. By the time I got to him, Panzo was on his feet and leaning heavily on Traxel as they headed for the ramp. I grabbed the furry engineer, and hoisted him to my shoulder. I ran up the ramp, taking the ladders two steps at a time. One of the bots had already configured the bio bed. I carefully laid him on the table, folding the scanner arm down over him. The little probes extended to take the needed measurements, and examine the extent of the wound.

  Lafiel's voice came out of speakers, echoing through the common room, "What happened?"

  Panzo could only moan, so I answered her, "Whatever a Sanconite is, the guy didn't like being called that."

  The display was split showing a view of the manipulator probes cleaning out the wound on one side, and his vital readings on the other. Diagnosis read that he had been hit by a phase pulsed laser, similar to the one in my stateroom, but a bit bigger. It would heal, but needed time and care.

  The unit was already cleaning out the wound, and it proceeded to cut away the burned flesh. I pulled out the small can of pseudo-derm, and carefully covered the hole. I flinched every time he made a noise, which was every time I applied a little more. Both our teeth were clenched the whole time I smoothed the gel into place. I knew he needed it, but still I hated causing pain.

  The tension eased a bit as I finished with the artificial skin, and I noticed that Traxel was pacing the floor behind me. I guess he was as nervous as I was about Panzo. He glanced at me, and stopped pacing. Throwing a glare at the bio bed bound Kanari, he blurted out a show of concern.

  "You best not die on me mangy dog! I've just gotten used to your stench."

  Lafiel sounded a bit calmer this time, "He should be fine. I told the bio bed to give him a dose of the med nanos. There's only four more doses, but this one should be more than enough. They'll speed up his healing so that he'll be back on his paws in a few days. Of course he'll look a bit scraggly until the fur grows back."

  I gently lifted the now sleeping Kanari as Lafiel retracted the bio bed. It was no problem carrying him to his stateroom, though even in his sleep he winced as I caught his foot on the doorway. I lay him on the bed, and turned the lights down low so that he could rest. As an afterthought I pulled the thin coverlet up to his chin.

  Traxel was gone when I got back out to the common room. As I turned toward his door Lafiel chimed in that he was out in the landing bay taking out the trash.

  "Is there a problem with the recycler unit?"

  With a light laugh she clarified, "I meant that pile of scrap metal that used to be powered armor. You did quite a number on that guy that shot my Panzo. Traxel's getting it out of the landing bay so there won't be any questions."

  "I wanted to watch him boil inside his suit, but I had to help Panzo."

  Now that the crisis was ending I prepared a large glass of onet, and sat down to ease the tension. After a few sips of this, Lafiel broke in to quietly ask how I was able to lift him so easily.

  "He's good size for a Kanari. Probably weighs in at over a hundred kilos."

  "It's this low gravity. Everything feels so light."

  "The surface gravity of this moon may only be point five, but the ship grav field is working fine at one standard gravity."

  "I was raised in one point eight, and thought that was normal until I escaped. I left the ship set to one because it's easier on Traxel. I didn't realize that a hundred kilos was heavy. You haven't been peeking in on my exercise time?"

  "I turned off the cameras in the staterooms. I mean, can you imagine peeking in on a Cordovan?"

  "But you'll watch Panzo,
right? In case something happens to him."

  She faltered on that one, stuttering a bit before dropping to silence. I had hit on something that was hard for her to talk about, but didn't know why.

  "He might need something, and you could send one of the bots to get it for him."

  "It's not that, it's just..."

  I had to ask her what was wrong twice before she finally replied. Her words sounded sad in their softness.

  "It would never work; I'm not entirely Kanari anymore."

  Her words touched upon a thought that was buried so deep in me; one that I hadn't even known it was there. I felt the dread lurking in the back corners of my mind. The feeling had reared up a few times since I'd read deep into Teyrn Elon's notes, but I kept jamming it back down each time. Now I put a voice to it.

  "What if I'm not Human enough? Will my mother's people turn me away because I can throw electricity?"

  Whatever reply she started to say, she changed her words mid-sentence to announce that another person was approaching the ship. He didn't appear to be threatening. An image popped up on the viewer to show a humanoid wheeling in a large crate. On closer look I could see that the crate was the one we had looked at earlier.

  "It's fine, Lafiel. He is coming to install a little accessory that we thought would be nice to have, especially after that Shitala'bu tried to steal my pouch."

  I had to make a quick explanation about the confrontation in the market as I headed down to the ramp. I hated having to tell her that was the reason that we had been attacked by the power armor guy. If I had dealt with it the first time Panzo might not have gotten hurt.

  I met the merchant's assistant at the bottom of the ramp, checking that it was indeed the crate full of stuff Panzo had bought. Traxel arrived at that point to help decide the best installation points. His experience with starships gave him a much better idea than I would have. I chimed in a couple times basing a little bit on stuff I'd read about choke points and such.

  Between the three of us we decided on placing one to each side of the openings for the ship. I thought it best to place duplicate ones just inside those openings for the ramp and cargo bay. The final two found a home along the sides, just under the engine pods. I would have welcomed Panzo's input from seeing actual fighting ships, but wasn't about to wake him.

  These were mini Gatling laser pods. They would retract inside covers about a half meter across, and a quarter thick. When extended, the lasers had their own targeting system and could tear through most anybody that came near. They would have had a little more difficulty with the power armor; but if they survived more than about ten seconds, they would get that too. Lafiel quietly instructed the two bots to run extra feed lines to the pods. This way she could directly control them herself. She would have the best set of pistols any lady could want.

  While I was watching him cut the holes and weld the pods in place I decided the ship needed a new look, I mean more than just adding the bumps of laser turrets. Battle scarred is not the best look. It's fine for a place like Rage, where it fits right in with the pirates, but I wanted to make a good impression on my mother's people. I didn't want to get chased away for looking like an outcast pirate.

  Just outside the landing bay I found that there were still a few of the workmen hanging around. By and large they seemed like the ragged segment of the workers. At my question about who could paint the ship they all eagerly exclaimed they could. One Gando stood off to the side waiting for the shouting to die off before she spoke.

  "They can all splash some paint on your ship, but you get what you pay for. I'm the best."

  "Get out of here, Mindew. Nobody wants to pay your price."

  Several of the other workers started laughing at her, and tossing jeering comments about how she had better realize her place or starve. The remarks must have hit a nerve, because she clenched her robe tighter as she turned to leave. There was anger in the stomp of her foot. I didn't let her get more than two steps before I spoke.

  "Mindew is it?"

  She stopped, and turned her glare at me as though she was waiting for more harassment. Her eyes burned bright against the red of her skin, seeming like they lit from within. The pale robe covered most of her, but she looked strong enough from what could be seen, though a bit gaunt; likely from hunger. Something told me that she never backed down from any challenge. The bright eyes were hunter eyes; they sealed the deal.

  "Grab your gear, and meet me inside."

  Her face blanked with the shock of the summons. She had been set for a rude rejection, and it took a moment for the words to sink in that she was hired. About the same time that the words sunk into her awareness, it did the same for the other workmen standing around. The others began shouting in indignation at my choice. I didn't bother to respond to them; instead I turned to go back to the work proceeding on the ship.

  An hour later my attention was drawn to the entrance where I could hear shouts of anger. Just then I saw Mindew wheeling in a large wagon full of equipment. Attempting to block her entrance was the dock master, and trailing behind were a few of the disgruntled other workers. It looked as though I would need to resolve another conflict before it got out of hand. I tapped the dock master on the shoulder to get his attention.

  "What seems to be the problem here?"

  He turned to me, pulling himself into the most officious pose he could muster.

  "You cannot be having unregistered skill-workers in here! I will have to fine you for this. Now throw her out!"

  "What is the cost of the license?"

  "The license is eight thousand Ranar, but she hasn't got the money for it. I will have to fine you five hundred for trying this."

  There was a trick that I had been learning from the merchants, especially watching the ones here on Rage's Moon. Angry retorts and protests usually drove the cost up, whereas voluntarily increasing the cost a minute amount resulted in far greater benefits. I dropped six coins into his pocket, watching his jaw drop. He started to sputter a protest about how he couldn't be bribed. I smiled, cutting him off.

  "That's more than ten thousand Ranar according to the money changer down the street. That buys her license, and pays the fine, leaving you a little left over to cover the hassle of hurried registration. You can have it filed today?"

  I didn't even wait for a reply, but turned my attention to Mindew. Her expression was a close match to the one on the dock master. I have to give her credit for a quicker recovery though. She started opening up the sides of the wagon, and pulling out her equipment without a comment. I cut straight in to the work I wanted done.

  She nodded along as I described fixing the missile damage, and the scars from the pod installation. Ten minutes into it she relaxed enough to get back into the professional attitude that had first drawn my attention. Her only question was to ask what color I wanted. I knew from the three months we had traveled together that Lafiel's favorite color was blue. Not just any blue, but the silvery-blue of the hottest stars. Upon describing this to Mindew she smiled.

  "I call that nova blue. I can get some mixed up right away."

  I left her to get busy on the work. Now that she had something to do her whole demeanor changed. The world around her ceased to exist as the equipment was unloaded from her wagon. She was in her element, and all that she saw was the work she was doing. I was like that sometimes when I exercised. The thought of exercise brought a smile to my lips. I headed upstairs to ease the tensions in my muscles. An hour later the water washed the last of my worries down the drain.

  Panzo slept for a good ten hours. I came across him on the mid deck control unit for the AI. Actually I need to quit calling Lafiel an AI, since she isn't artificial at all. Panzo had just finished welding a small emblem on the cryo tank. His smile faded a bit when he saw my concerned look. He glanced up at the ceiling, and called to Lafiel.

  "Now you finally get your comet, my friend."

  He showed me the small trinket he had purchased from that shop. It w
as a small comet, the symbol of the Reliance Guards. It was the very pin she had been trying to achieve when the disease struck down her chances. This reminded me, and I added the note to paint the comet on the side of the ship, along with the ship's name. I forgot all about why I had been going upstairs. Instead, I turned back down the ramp, telling Panzo to get his tail back into bed. Mindew had already started painting when I stepped off the ramp. As soon as I could catch her eye, I asked her to also paint the ship's name on the side. She smiled and nodded.

  "But you know, this isn't really paint. Those guys out there would use paint, and it would start showing wear after a handful of atmospheric entries; of course you would be long gone by then. I like to use molecular bound metallic coatings. It'll take diving through a solar corona to weaken it."

  I drew the symbols to use for the name, and an image of Lafiel's pin for the comet. We would be leaving here with the new name boldly displayed. The Denkou Comet would erase any trace of its heritage in Flux Genetics.

  Panzo kept trying to find things to do, so I stayed in the common room to chase him off to bed every time he left his stateroom. I sent Traxel on the few errands that needed to be completed during the two days it took for the pods to be installed, and Mindew to finish making the ship blue.

  When she called me to let me know the job was done I went down to settle up with her. The ship looked marvelous. She wanted to forego payment in thanks for my buying her license, but I insisted. With the money I gave her she vowed to open a shop. She had her license now and a shop would put her a step above the rabble lurking outside the gates.

  We lifted off in silent mode in the middle of lunar night. We were all anxious to put this place behind us and find Terra, Sol. We could find a welcome there, and a home. Panzo vowed that he would still go back to Reliance someday, but for now he needed to get things ready and help me as per his loyalty oath.