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2022-02-20 01:24:49‘There is little effort involved in destroying everything you cherish. The gap between happiness and sorrow is only a few atoms wide, smaller than the depth of a daydream.’
Hanga couldn’t believe that his brain spouted philosophical nonsense while he was being chased by merciless security droids. His heart threatened to grow legs and run faster than him. He used to stay in his workroom, not sprint like an athlete.
On Valeria, there was a saying: “What a man does with his own two hands, not even the devil can undo.”
An idea flickered inside his mind. Every evening, an event took place in the main corridor. One of the luckiest and wealthiest shopkeepers had the honor of showing the visitors some of the customs in the barbaric worlds and explaining them through science. Of course, in the end, he would invite the crowd to visit his shop and browse his wares. Everything was business on Erchpri.
Along the way, Hanga managed to get away from the droid tailing him. But the Market Hub had several more, and they were all on his trail. He had frozen in the corridor, trying to blend in with the wall as he squinted around the corner.
The right time arrived as a flame eater hoisted a torch in front of the audience, the heat from it warming cheeks and singeing brows. As they waited for the entertainment, the audience shouted and clapped.
He could sneak through the main hallway undetected, blending in with the crowd. His only option might be the vertical tubes with pads for transporting between floors on the other side of the corridor. For the time being, at least.
He stepped forward, but retracted his leg immediately and glued himself to the same wall as before. Breathing heavily, he peeked up and down the main corridor. Two security droids approached, one from each end of the corridor, using their anti-gravity systems to see above the crowd. Hanga had to cross this plan off his list. What list? Who was he kidding? He had no list. He was done for.
The Valerian closed his eyes and smacked the back of his head on the wall many times. When he opened his eyes again, the blue, starry shopfront with the words "Warren's Star Materials" flashing in a light display drew his attention.
Hanga barged inside, slamming shut the door. A round human face with an open mouth had its wide eyes pinned on him.
“You are Warren, I suppose,” the Valerian said between two erratic breaths.
“Y-yes,” the human stammered, nodding and shaking.
Warren had a large, flat expanse between his nose and mouth. Hanga found himself looking at it, unsure if his nose sat too high or his mouth dropped too low. Realizing he was wasting precious seconds, the Valerian clicked a switch to lock the front door and placed a “Closed” sign.
Hanga had struggled with politeness all his life since it could take on more shapes than a nebula and masked a lot more malice. Valerians weren't typically like this. But he didn't have time for that anyway, so he just blurted out everything.
“Warren, I don’t have time to explain. I need your help.”
Hanga peered into the man's eyes. Fear and distrust lurked behind a look that screamed, 'I'll run the first chance I have.' It was a disaster. The situation demanded drastic measures.
"I am aware of your unlawful activities." Warren's right hand grasped the edge of a shelf in response to Hanga's comments. "You have a private shaft that leads directly into the cargo hold. You're smuggling things in and out of the Market Hub, and if this comes out, you'll lose this business and maybe all your wealth."
The shop owner’s eyes unwillingly shifted to the left side, looking at the wall, before darting back at Hanga. The Valerian smiled, satisfied. "So, where do you keep the lifting gear controls? Behind a wall panel? Ingenious and in plain sight. No one would expect that."
Moving next to that particular wall, Hanga’s hands went up and down over each panel.
"I've recently assumed ownership of this store. If there is anything like you describe, it is not mine," Warren explained in a trembling voice.
Hanga yanked open a panel after a click in the wall. According to the Valerian's information, the shaft led down to the cargo hold. He just had a few steps to get to the docking area from there. Surely, he would find a nice ship to get inside as a stowaway.
"Warren, please be a good human and seal this panel when I go," Hanga pleaded as he passed through the wall breach. "We don't want the security droids to locate this hole. Best wishes!"
Hanga descended into the pit. After the wall panel closed with a muted thump, everything went dark. When he got down to the bottom, his hands came upon another hatch, this one firmly locked. But what kind of mechanical engineer would go anywhere without a mighty screwdriver? He pulled one from his jacket's inside pocket, and within seconds, all the bolts were free.
Looking across the cargo hold, he perceived no movement. The light barely reached his escape route. So far, so good. Hanga spent some time examining the room and any recesses, but he found nothing suspicious. He decided to make a run for it.
A cold grip on his shoulder stopped him. Hanga heard an artificial voice behind him. “Target acquired, Awaiting orders.”
Hanga resisted and attempted to strike his pursuer. He couldn't because the hold was too tight.
“Orders received. Eliminate the trash. Proceeding to operation purge.”
A swift motion turned Hanga to face his attacker. As the hand holding his shoulder loosened its grip, the security droid’s other hand wrapped around his neck.
Icy, steely fingers encircled Hanga's neck. As his feet swung back and forth over the floor, his lungs burned for more air. Attempting to move the fingers or, at the very least, relax their grasp proved useless.
Hanga thought he was about to pass out. The droid's dark eyes glowed brilliant yellow. It remained motionless for several seconds as the Valerian gasped for air. Its fingers withdrew, allowing Hanga to fall to the ground.
"Tejeda claims you owe him twice. I believe you owe me threefold since I have missed the corn festival for this."
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The Space Spoon 30. Mysterious Benefactor
The hacked security droid dragged Hanga to an almost derelict ship. Covering his nostrils in an attempt to protect his extra-sensitive smell receptors from the mold reeking inside the vessel, the Valerian got into a room with multiple tables and chairs. It looked like an empty mess hall. Almost empty, since a young man sat at one of the tables, the same man who was Tejeda now.“Come. Sit here.” The Nubilae tapped the edge of the table with his fingers while his palm sat flat.Hanga moved in closer, his feet hesitantly approaching the table, and he took a seat in front of Tejeda. The latter picked up the case from the floor and tossed it onto the table, the same case Hanga had left at the bar. In a flash, the Valerian grabbed the case and examined its contents.When Hanga saw his baby, his eyes widened. He sighed as he drew it out slowly. He flipped over the metallic construct. Scorch marks plagued its bottom, which bent in a twist of perforated metal
The Space Spoon 31. Yacleemb
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The Space Spoon 35. Forbidden Modifications
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The door closes after the last man leaves the pub. Tejeda resumes his previous position and finishes his drink. By now, we are both soaking wet, but neither of us seems to care. My reason is the seven beers. I wonder what his is."Apparently, you're not leaving, and we've run out of time," he says as he turns to face me. His purple eyes sparkle. A chill goes down my spine. "These guys aren't going down without a fight. I might have to die to quench their hunger for vengeance. But the crystal I took is far more significant. It must be safeguarded."Tejeda leans forward, his hand reaching over the bar for the knife the bartender uses for the lemons. He sits again in his chair, gripping the handle with both of his hands, the pointy tip toward his stomach. I have seen this stance before in movies when someone performs seppuku.Filling his lungs with air, his chest expands, and he thrusts the knife right into his belly. I cover my mouth with a hand but not my eyes. I need to see what happe
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103. Meat Suit Part 1
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Rayna followed him through dark alleys, avoiding the city's main thoroughfares and heading for the city's outskirts. There weren't many other people around since it was late and freezing. The two veiled shadows of the night were easy to miss. Illuminated figures appeared randomly through the windows of dimly lit houses.He stopped in front of a derelict house. The sculpted archway stood crooked above the entrance, but he went beneath it without a second thought.Rayna stared at the white structure enveloped in moss to make sure it wouldn’t fall on her head. When the Bralxoid disappeared inside, she swallowed hard and followed him.Doctor Iadfoc invited her into a small, dark room with a single goose-neck lamp illuminating the top of a large table filled with glass vials. He gestured toward a threadbare sofa against the wall. He grabbed a simple wooden chair and sat facing her. For once, someone wasn't looking at her with meaningless pity, for which she was grateful.Iadfoc had a scann
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101. Monster Within Part 1
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100. Sunsetrise Part 4
Time passes differently on Yacleemb. I can’t say it’s the 56 hours days, the peacefulness of the Spreahs, or Lyam’s company. What I do know is that I’ve lost track of time. Every day, he builds things for the village; he’s happy, full of smiles, and I’m drunk with his genuine blissfulness.Unfortunately, I still have memories and can’t help but feel guilty for not contacting our friends. Wanting to know how things are working out for our crew, I stroll through the forest to the shuttle. After it powers up, a small blinking red light appears on the console. A message from E00.“Shayla, I hope you’ve found Tejeda by now. More than two months have passed, and no news from you. In the time you've been gone, things got worse around here.“Since the day you left, Jackeye has been trapped inside his virtual reality. I can’t say if it’s a voluntary decision or not. He cut me off completely.“Cato took a shuttle and left the Space Spoon about a month ago. The Interplanetary Police files show t
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99. Sunsetrise Part 3
Shayla Bale's POVOnly Tejeda Hajar is capable of disappearing and leaving me with an ambassador’s corpse. Once again, I had to assume the role of acting captain and evade the Interplanetary Police. We are all renegades once more, as we were before Tejeda found us.The crew needs me to steer the ship in the right direction, but my thoughts are far away, following the faceless Nubilae who left us. I lean against the wall and stare at his empty chair, wishing he will appear there, smiling without giving me any explanation as he always does.“Thinking about him won’t bring him back,” E00’s voice echoes from the ceiling speakers. “If you want him here again, you must go after him.”“Don’t get me wrong, E00, I want to. But it was his choice. He left us. Even if I go after him, he may not come back.”“If there’s anyone who can shake him out of the state he’s in, you’re the one.”“Why must you torment me?” I slump in Tejeda’s chair, rubbing my eyes to forestall crying. The gesture is pointle
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98. Sunsetrise Part 2
Reaching out, Carmen’s hand brushes against mine. Even though I’m mad as hell, a rush of electrical discharges takes over my core. That happened every time she touched me since the moment we’d met. Every fiber of my body, carbon and silica alike, crave to have her again by my side.“I tested the spoon. All the results said the same thing: it’s Nubilae. Who was it?”“My sister, Celia.” For the first time, a vein throbs on Carmen’s forehead. But she regains the glazed look. “She died during Iadfoc’s experiment. Many did. The rest went insane. Only I, you, and Rahul remained true Nubilae. Well, now only you and I since you killed Rahul.”“He had multiple run-ins with me and my crew. If I let him continue, surely one of my men would have died. I had to do something.”“No,” Carmen shouts, showing the anger hidden behind her previous blank expression. “I sent him to see how you are and test you. Well, you failed. No Nubilae should value the life of a lesser being over one of his brethren.”
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97. Sunsetrise Part 1
A/N: Sunsetrise is a short story I've written before even starting the novel. It holds the ending of the first volume and is made up of 4 parts. The first 2 parts are from Tejeda's POV and the last 2 parts from Shayla's. Enjoy!***Tejeda Hajar's POV“Happy birthday, Shayla!” I invite her to sit on the blanket next to me with a pat.It took me about a week to create a perfect replica of Genoria Prime inside Jackeye's world.Once every two thousand years, Genoria Prime, a water planet with just a few stretches of land covered in sand, is perfectly aligned to get the ultimate romantic view. One of its suns sets while the other rises, a phenomenon called sunsetrise.To recreate it from my memories inside Jackeye's virtual world involved a few setbacks. But that isn't important anymore.Shayla takes one of the glasses of red wine and fixes her dark green eyes on me. “Whose body are you wearing now?”“You know bodies are just meat suits for me.” I give a sly smirk, looking her over. “Well,
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96. His Blade
Tejeda's lips moved as though they were not his own. “Who’s she?”Shayla placed a hand on his back, touching for the first time the sludgy skin he had in this form. “Tejeda, stop. He’s dead.”Tejeda lifted his head to look at the sky. He remained like that for a long while before murmuring, “Why did you kill him?”"Sorry! Next time," Shayla murmured, sheathing her scimitar, "I'll kill the other guy after he kills you."“How did you know which one was me?”“Really? Is there another idiot who would risk dying for a spoon?”She observed how he flinched but said nothing. There was something wrong with him. Nonetheless, Shayla didn't believe she had the authority to inquire. In any case, she didn't expect a fair answer from him."Did you bring any DNA for me?" Tejeda asked without turning around. "As you can see, I’m in bad shape."Shayla hurled a vial toward him, and he grabbed it with one of his two remaining tentacles.“This is the last one holding the blood of King Astin. Enjoy!”Tejed
