Heritage Lost

by S M Wright

  They entered the mess hall, which was bigger than the one on The Maelstrom, though not by much. It lacked the trappings of the Magistrate with its strict, uncomfortable floor plans. The designers at Garni had actually considered the living, breathing occupants of the vessel. Next to her, Mina's eyes grew to the size of saucers, no doubt imagining what the added counter space would do for her food prep. A small smile tugged at Katya's mouth; she had never expected the Reznic girl to be so taken with cooking, yet she had embraced it, molding it into her niche.

  Whereego grinned. "The Badgers are known for decent mess halls. There's still plenty of space for cargo; however, the crew quarters are a marginally smaller than some of the bigger classes. Now, if you'll follow me this way . . ."

  The crew rooms weren't far from the mess hall—five total, three sharing a bathroom. Each room held a bed with storage compartments built in beneath, giving enough room to store clothes and other possessions. The captain's quarters were marginally larger and had a small sitting area. Its bathroom, however, proved as cramped as Katya's old one.

  "It may be a challenge with the little one," the man said. He leaned forward, hoping to get a glimpse, but the blanket held firm.

  "It's actually a step up from our old ship," she responded.

  Their guide then took them to the cockpit, which appeared well kept with no signs of mess or tampered consoles. Rein and Katya spent a long span of time inspecting each station, opening the panels to check on chips, wiring, and other mechanical components—all appearing in good order. Next, they checked every inch of the engine room while Whereego and Mina, who had been regulated to Aquila duty, looked on.

  "Does it meet your approval?" Whereego asked when they closed up panels.

  "It seems to be in order." Rein stood after closing a low panel.

  Katya nodded. "How much will you take for her?"

  Whereego clasped his hands together. "320,500 aurum."

  "I can give you 250,000 and the registration to the Royal Justice. I imagine the difference can be made up with its scrap. It is a decommissioned Boita D-Class."

  Whereego tilted his head, undoubtedly calculating the value of said scrap. "Let's make it 280,000 aurum and the profits received from scrapping your ship."

  Katya bit the inner corner of her mouth. It'd be tight. There would be no choice but to accept odd jobs to scrape by. Loosening her jaw, Katya extended her hand, which Whereego engulfed within his own. His fur warmed her through the gloves.

  "She is yours then," he said while shaking her hand rigorously. "How long until we can do the trade?"

  From her jacket's pocket, Katya removed her slate. "We can transfer the funds now and complete the registrations in a few hours. My crew needs to get supplies before we depart for Horgi."

  "Good! It gives me time to book transport home."

  Whereego brought out his own slate and connected it to Katya's. The transfer went without a hitch. With any luck, the Michze wouldn't meet any consequences from having dealt with them. Her throat constricted as she secured her slate back into her pocket and left The Wandering Trader with her crew.

  On the outside, Rein returned to The Maelstrom to prep their gear to be moved while Katya, Aquila, and Mina went to procure supplies, which meant leaving the rows of tightly packed spaceships and entering the northern and pedestrian-only section of the port. The dirt path transitioned to brick. Shops lined it, packed so closely they resembled books on a shelf. Smaller stands had been set up in what openings they could find; their hucksters brayed about their wares. One woman sprayed perfume into Mina's and Katya's faces. They coughed and hacked as the odor overpowered their senses. Aquila jolted awake, pushing every which way against the sling to escape the lingering fumes.

  "The nerve of some people," Mina said around coughs. They darted away from the woman, who had already selected her next targets to spread her "tropical oasis" to.

  "Yep." Meanwhile, Aquila continued to sputter into her shoulder, his chin pressing into it as he did so. "Let's stay to the center of the path . . . we can use other travelers as shields."

  "Ah!" Mina grabbed Katya's arm and dragged her toward a shop, rightly named the Pink Cloud Boutique. The color bled everywhere. Even the door was pink. Katya stuttered her complaints, but Mina turned, her lower lip sticking out, quivering even. "Please?"

  Sighing, she dropped her head in defeat and allowed Mina to tow her into the establishment. Despite the pink storefront and displays, clothes of different colors actually existed, though they were in the minority. Mina tore through the racks, holding up a few articles, keeping some on the crook of her arm while returning others until satisfied with her clutch.

  Then she turned on Katya, holding up tops to her before squinting and turning her head at odd angles. "Perfect! You needed new clothes anyways, so just let me"—she draped the olive top over Katya's shoulder and then went about finding others—"help."

  When her arms began to buckle, Katya cleared her throat. "Mina, we don't have time to try all these! We need to get supplies more necessary to our survival than clothing."

  Mina pouted. "You never treat yourself."

  Katya chuckled. "People have very different ideas of treating themselves. Mine is not clothes—"

  "Please!" Mina loomed on her tiptoes, her face now quite close to Katya's.

  Dumping the jumbled mess of clothes into the dressing room, Katya swung off the carry, handing off Aquila to Mina. She shut the door and then threw on each piece of clothing, checking fit with barely a glance to the mirror. From the other side, Mina tossed over a teal, fitted long-sleeved shirt and a brown leather vest, stating something about the color going well with her gray eyes.

  "I have enough, Mina!" Katya exited the dressing room, stopping Mina from tossing over more clothing. "These will do fine."

  "Did you even look at them while they were on?"

  "Yes." Katya bypassed Mina and deposited her pick of the original pile on the checkout counter.

  Mina came alongside her with another pile. "I figured we should get him some clothes too."

  Katya raised an eyebrow, impressed she'd found non-gaudy clothes for the boy. Her brow furrowed when the girl added, "And I picked a few for myself."

  "I can see." Katya pried her slate from its pocket and paid. As they exited the shop, she muttered, "No more frivolous purchases. From now on, we stick to the list of necessary supplies."

  Mina clicked her tongue against her teeth. "When we get a job, we should do this again. And who knows, maybe next time you'll actually enjoy it. You—"

  A loud gong-like clang beckoned those in the area to a general information console. Katya frowned. A special Magistrate news reports shot out and circulated above the pigmented holo-projector. The red banner gradually dispersed with two women newscasters taking its place. Below them, bars containing the official five languages in Magistrate space rotated underneath them. The newscasters themselves spoke in the Magistrate dialect, or rather a watered-down variety only found in media.

  "Plasovern has struck again," the woman with her hair in a bun said. Her tone was as unwavering as her facial expression. Katya smiled, one corner higher than the other. Most Magistrate newscasters, if not all, maintained the same guarded expression. "A Plasovern warship entered into the neutral zone, containing armaments previously believed to be beyond the terrorist organization's capabilities."

  Next to her, her co-worker with clipped hair picked up where she had left off: "According to Magistrate peacekeeping ship Bargerr, these armaments appear to have been given to a rogue band of the terrorist group by the Medzeci System of Planets. The Medzeci System, also known as the Medzeci Empire, is a known sympathizer of these Magistrate traitors and has provided supplies and weapons in the past."

  Katya ran a finger along the seam of one leather glove, watching the play unfold before her. Her eyes strayed from the projection to scan the crowd for any uniforms. She only found common people, but given the right incentive, they were more than capable
of tearing anyone apart. Flash an image of Rein or her on the screen alongside the right amount of aurum, and pandemonium would ensue.

  "This incursion into Magistrate space has already produced casualties," her counterpart resumed. "Bargerr has reported that the Oneiroi peacekeeping vessel Aletheia was attacked by the Plasovern. During the encounter, the vessel was completely destroyed."

  Katya's chest tightened. The crowd around her was too close. An image of the Oneiroi vessel, whole and its prime, flashed onto the screen.

  "There are no reported survivors," she continued. "Magistrate officials believe the Aletheia was targeted for its extremely valuable cargo. Plasovern agents are suspected of boarding the ship and removing this cargo prior to destroying the peacekeeping vessel."

  "Travelers should remain on high alert, particularly in the outer regions of Magistrate space known as the Fringe. All Magistrate citizens must remain vigilant and report any Plasovern vessels to the proper authorities," the short-haired one said.

  "Do not try to reason with terrorists or confront them," the first speaker concluded. "Remember the Aletheia's fate."

  Katya tugged Mina away from the frenzied crowd. "I can't believe Plasovern could take out an Oneiroi vessel," one voice among many uttered as Katya and Mina slipped from the mass of people. A layer of panic hung in the air while they conversed among themselves. Gilga, after all, was a Fringe planet, closer to Medzeci than to the core Magistrate planets. Once they were farther down the promenade, Katya released Mina from her grip.

  "Walk fast," she said. "We're finishing our shopping and leaving this world." Before any newscaster could divulge information on The Maelstrom or its crew.

  "The newscast was wrong." Mina stopped.

  "Keep walking and talk quietly." After they passed a few storefronts, Katya continued, "It shouldn't surprise you. Why not use the situation to fan the flames of patriotism? It reminds people to be afraid of Medzeci and Plasovern." Katya glanced over her shoulder. "There are still so many things I don't understand. Why was the Aletheia so far from its previous location and its intended destination? What cargo was it carrying?"

  "Maybe we shouldn't ask those questions." Rustling followed as Mina moved her bags to the other hand. Aquila shifted in his carrier at the movement.

  "We might as well. We've already been lugged into this mess. If the Breks had recorded some deterrent on that beacon . . . no, if I hadn't let my curiosity get the better of me, we wouldn't be in this mess."

  Mina scrunched her lips. "Then what sort of mess would Aquila be in?"

  Pride swelled in Katya's chest. Despite her world being turned upside down, Mina still considered the sole survivor of their ill-fated rescue mission—though the girl had always proven resilient and flexible in a way she envied. The boy slept, his face embedded against Mina's shoulder, unaware that he was now the topic of conversation. Likely he'd be dead; however, a quick death might have been better than what they had offered him so far.

  "I imagine not a good one."

  Several blocks from the crowd, they reached a broad service mercantile, which offered a variety of items from bulk food supplies to bedding products, even replacement sinks for a variety of spacecrafts.

  "Let's try here," Katya said, opening the door and entering.

  "Wow!" Mina swiveled about, her eyes darting between all the shelves and displays. "We didn't have stuff like this on Reznic."

  "Trust me, Reznic had comparable shops . . . just not on the lower levels."

  "Ah, those types of stores." Mina reached out to touch a shiny kettle. "The kind for the rich, huh?" She then held up the kettle. "Can I get this?"

  Katya rolled her eyes and took a few steps away. "Why not? It can fit in with the clothing, category frivolous purchases."

  Mina inspected several other items that caught her fancy, like a moth attracted to flame. Katya said no to the majority of them. They continued down the rows. As they reached the food aisle, she took Aquila from Mina. Now, how to do this without causing a scene? She nudged Aquila with her hand to attempt rousing him. He didn't exit his dreams, if he even dreamed.

  Next to her, Mina rattled a large canister of dried beans, drawing a scowl from Katya. "So, how are we going to find what he fancies without—well—looking like we kidnapped him and now have no idea how to feed him?"

  "That's why"—she pointed to the empty spot where the beans had come from—"I was hoping to wake him and see what food he reacts positively to."

  A smirk spreading across her face, Mina shook the jar beside Aquila's ear.

  Nothing.

  Sighing with the dramatic flair of a teenager, she returned the beans as directed. "I say we just grab a bunch of random stuff. One of them's bound to work. Besides, I'm not against trying to cook some of this"—she fingered a jar filled with a pinkish goo—"er, exotic cuisine. What you suppose this is?"

  "It's Darr," a store clerk said, ambling down the aisle with a cart filled with boxes and jars containing food. "Bulk orders can be placed at the counter. There are options to order based on species and dietary needs."

  "Thank you." Katya caught Mina's arm with her free hand and escorted her and the kettle to the front counter. More people had walked in, a few wearing Magistrate insignias. Mina stepped closer to her and adjusted the blanket to better cover Aquila's face.

  "Can I help you?" the man behind the counter asked. "My store has everything you could want." He handed a clipboard to them. "Bulk orders are made through these forms and delivered as soon as they can be filled."

  Katya leaned over Mina's shoulder, pointing to the options that she wanted checked. Mina still snuck on a few extra items to their order. Rolling her eyes, Katya wondered if the teen even knew what half of them were. Poisonous or not to humans, Mina would attempt to cook them all the same.

  Katya passed the bags containing their clothing to Mina, leaving Aquila in his carrier on her back. With her arms free, she removed some check marks—garnering a pout from the teen—before signing off. Under miscellaneous requests, she added a toddler bed. "We'll also need a toddler bed delivered."

  "That can be arranged—oh my, what interesting eyes."

  Her face chilled when she saw Aquila. He was awake, with his large pale blue eyes—squinted against the light—darting over his surroundings before settling on the shopkeeper. The man stiffened. Katya willed her facial muscles not to flinch, though she knew she had paled, her lips far too cold. In the background, each and every Magistrate presence in the shop glared at her. They could descend on them in a second. All they needed was one word. A tremor shot up her legs when she met the shopkeeper's gaze. There was understanding there, an understanding that said he knew exactly what Katya had against her back.

  "He takes after his father," Katya said after the silence lingered. "H-he's no longer with us."

  The shopkeeper didn't blink, almost as if daring her to do so first. His attention only broke when Katya nudged the clipboard toward him. Lifting it, he scanned their order, taking his time, calculating the sum. When he finished, he smiled.

  "That's a shame." The man lingered on the final word. He had rather sharp canines that might have been chiseled to points. "Will you be paying up front?"

  "On a time-hold basis," Katya said. "Supplies scanned at our ship. You'll receive your payment and a little extra . . . for your excellent service. Our location and ship is on the order form."

  The shopkeeper licked his lips, letting the silence hang between them. A few more seconds passed before the man nodded his head. "Expect your order in a couple of hours."

  "Good." She nudged Mina into step with her, taking her own bag of clothes from the teen. As they headed toward the door, her spare hand pressed Aquila's face against her shoulder.

  Keep walking.

  She fought her urge to peek around her shoulder.

  Straight ahead, pick up your pace.

  The door shut behind them. It did not reopen. Retracing their path to the ship, she gave into paranoia and glanced
behind. No uniforms. Her heart, however, didn't settle.

  "What's going on?" Mina asked after a few blocks. "What's a time-hold basis?"

  "It's to prevent him from getting two paychecks without having to lose one—in this case, our order." Katya ground her teeth together. "He's had some contact with the Oneiroi. He knew exactly what Aquila was." Mina skidded to a stop, but Katya caught her arm and whisked her onward. "There's no time to dawdle. Stay alert and listen. We're going to step up our movements, get things moved over, and then, when the supplies arrive, toss them aboard and leave."

  "What if he has Magistrate forces waiting—"

  "He won't. The Magistrate doesn't wait, not for a man to make a profit off traitors. He'll wait to report us until he has our funds. The bribe might get us a few extra minutes, but not much. We'll have to change our destination to buy time." Katya maneuvered her hand until she had a firm grip of her com. "Ferrutius? How's the transition progressing?"

  "Everything's off the Royal Justice. Currently, working on loading everything into the cargo hold of our new vessel."

  "We'll be there momentarily to help." Katya paused. "We need to hurry."

  "What happened?" his voice cracked over the speaker.

  "I'm afraid one of the merchants might know what I'm carrying."

  Static. Katya imagined he was probably cursing and hitting—or stomping on—something. Then in a level voice, he said, "We'll be ready to leave in an hour, barring Magistrate bureaucracy and its red tape."

  Within fifteen minutes, they arrived at The Wandering Trader; boxes were stacked in front of its ramp. The freighter that had been parked next to their new vessel had left; however, most of its other surroundings remained the same. Rein rushed down the ramp and gave The Maelstrom's registration chip to Katya. "You can hand this over to Whereego. He's already moved his personal belongings to a hotel."

  Katya set her bag of clothes on a crate. "Mina, help Rein." She then surmounted the ramp.

  She found Whereego outside of the captain's quarters, where he stood stonily peering into the room that had been his home for four years. He only turned when Katya stood next to him.