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2022-02-20 01:25:17The 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 hole was about the size of his fist.
“What have you done to it?” Hanga sobbed between each word.
Tejeda shrugged, unconcerned. "Some security droids followed us as well, most likely looking for your 'baby.' I might or might have not used the case as a shield. One would expect that an engineer would build a laser-resistant container for his self-sufficient repair droid. Isn't that what it is? You've finally done it."
"It used to be a self-sufficient repair droid before a laser burned through its cortical insertion," Hanga said, his neck and forehead veins bursting. "Because of you, it is now useless garbage. This was the last thing I had. And you've ruined it."
“Thank you so much for yelling and blaming me for your problems. It makes me even more eager to assist you in fixing your issues. Oh, I already did that by rescuing you from the droids, shit head!”
"I'm sorry," Hanga said, puzzled. "I guess I can repair this. Only when I was hungry, back on Valeria, I lashed out like this. Is your air feeding system working?"
“Oh, no, we deactivated it.” Tejeda winked. “Nothing compares with actual food. Well, after the girls have their breakthrough into the mysteries of cooking. Let me get you their latest experiment.”
The Nubilae went to the counter near the bar and brought a spoon and a plate with something mushy. "Vegetable puree. Don’t worry. This is actually edible. Take a bite!" He paused and chuckled. "Better said, take a sip since you don’t have anything to bite."
Hanga looked at the spoon, his gaze sinking into the utensil's silver depths.
"That's a regular spoon. Carmen's hiding in here," Tejeda stated while stroking the chain around his neck. The shirt covered the spoon.
The Valerian ate his fill. He was again able to feel an old familiar warmth, despite the stomachache, as food passed through his belly.
“If your tummy hurts, you can go lay down in your room,” Tejeda said, resting on the chair’s backrest. “This happens after you ingest food after a long time. It will pass.”
“My room?" Hanga raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to stay on this ship?”
“Sure. That’s why I came after you on Erchpri. We need an engineer to get this ship to normal standards and further modifications after that.”
“What do I get for this?” Hanga asked the same question as he did all those years ago.
"I can absolutely do anything! Except for the things I'm unable to do." Tejeda poured two cups of coffee. "What do you desire? Oh, and give this a go." He put a sugar container in front of the Valerian.
Hanga reached for it and prepared to pour it all in his cup.
Tejeda grabbed his wrist, stopping him from dolloping sugar into his coffee. “A small amount is enough. Believe me.” After he watched Hanga tasting the black liquid and nodding, the Nubilae continued. “So, you will have a fixed salary coming straight from the Interplanetary Police’s pockets. How does that sound?”
"Credits are unimportant. They will not be there for me when I die. They won't be able to snuggle with me when I sleep. Credits are frigid and cruel, and I can only use them to buy items that I can make myself." Hanga took a big breath before continuing. "I just want to forget I ever met Maya."
“If I may offer my services,” E00’s voice started.
"No, you may not," Tejeda cut him off. "All you have to do is keep quiet." The Nubilae continued since E00 did not follow up. "Throughout my long life, I have had my fair share of unpleasant memories and heartbreaking losses. A memory saved is better than a memory lost, no matter how painful it might be. Memories are echoes of your life and a testimony of your passage through time." He clenched his hand around Carmen, his shirt wrinkling between his skin and the spoon. "Let's change the topic. How did you finally create a self-sufficient repair droid?"
“Why do you want to know? Do you want to give all my research to the Interplanetary Police?”
“No,” Tejeda answered. “That’s not my mission anymore. I am just curious.”
“If I tell you, you’d get mad.”
“I promise I will behave and keep my madness in check.” Tejeda pledged with a hand over the left part of his chest. “Cross my heart.”
"That's most likely not where your heart is."
“Definitely not.” Tejeda smiled. “Now tell me.”
"A young human stopped by my place a few days after you departed. He was well-versed in my studies. Apparently, the equation on which I'd based all of my work was incorrect. He fixed it and handed me an exotic metallic alloy for my droids. It aids in the replication process and makes 3D printing more dependable."
"Who was he, and what did this mysterious man want in exchange for his assistance?"
“He didn’t tell me his name,” Hanga responded. “He asked just for the nano-filling I’d scraped from your spoon.”
Tejeda’s eyes sparkled purple, but he managed to keep it in check. If looks could kill, the Valerian would have died in that instant.
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The Space Spoon 34. Hear the Screams
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The Space Spoon 35. Forbidden Modifications
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The Space Spoon 38. Blooming Friendship
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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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101. Monster Within Part 1
A/N: Monster Within is a side story taking place about a thousand years or more before the action in the novel. Enjoy!***Rayna sat in front of the mirror, removing her makeup. Who would she discover underneath? Foundation applied in triple layers, contact lenses, even a wig to make certain no one would see her change.Skin patches of different complexions stretched across her face like puzzle pieces jammed together into a chaotic pattern. Some parts of the jigsaw had wrinkles, while others were as smooth as a baby’s skin.Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of the mirror. Her heterochromatic eyes were both different colors than before she wore contact lenses. And her hair... Well, the hair looked more like a wig than the one she threw on the floor. Honey-blonde hair tumbled in waves over her right shoulder. Ruby-red hair, spikey like a hedgehog’s, pointed toward the ceiling from the top of her head. Black, curly strands went down to her chin from her left.She was a mo
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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
