by Juliet Sem
"Get behind us," Gontu ordered, "And cover your ears!" He raised a projectile weapon.
Keestu and Rue retreated and did as they were told. Even so, Keestu winced from the report of the projectile weapon, which echoed sharply in the space protected by the force fields. She watched as the gun released a load of pellets that killed ten of the creatures at once. Another shot by Tenget killed another dozen, and the remaining creatures turned away from their attack and began feasting on the fallen.
"Get back to the Jewel," Gontu yelled while he and Tenget continued guarding their retreat.
Rue and Keestu retrieved their purses full of Units and retreated towards the Jewel, their feet slipping on the floor.
Captain Nebo stood just inside the Jewel's berth, another weapon at the ready, Paxi beside him with a com.
"They're clear," Nebo yelled as loudly as he could, and as Gontu and Tenget retreated, Keestu saw that they were wearing earplugs.
When Gontu and Tenget were back in the Jewel's berth, Paxi gave the all clear, and Nebo fired his weapon into berth two ninety-five, releasing a gas canister. Paxi spoke rapidly into her com, and the force field on that side of the Jewel's berth sizzled into place, locking the creatures in with the gas. The remaining creatures were overcome and dropped, sprawling on the deck.
Keestu and Rue went back aboard the Jewel to find Vahin waiting for them. Keestu was turning towards their cabin, intending to change her clothing, when Rue started laughing.
"I'm sorry," she said, "But I never thought if we got into a fight that we would end up stomping some nasty little beasts snapping at our ankles."
Keestu laughed with her. "You're right. I always imagined human opponents myself."
Vahin stopped them from going to their cabin. "You need to be tended by a suited medic before you change out of your clothing. We found out from Hub Control that they are called 'bile nippers', and the Jewel's medic has to make certain you weren't scratched, as their claws contain an acid compound to help their digestion that is caustic to humanoid skin."
"I don't feel any burning anywhere," Keestu immediately said as the safety-suited medic ushered them into the Jewel's small infirmary.
"Neither do I," Rue reported.
The medic nodded, but carefully sprayed them with an acid neutralizing compound before cutting their pants legs off and placing them into a hazardous materials bin. He indicated that their purses were to be emptied and discarded as well. Their Registered Units and coms were sprayed with the neutralizer before being washed by another suited Jewel crewmember, and the medic carefully inspected both girls for scratches before telling them to shower in the infirmary's bathroom.
Paxi had come back onboard and was sent to fetch fresh clothing for both girls. Keestu frowned as she came out of the shower wrapped in a towel and Rue went in. "The Jewel needs a stronger soap. My ankles are stained brown from that stuff that came out of the bile nippers."
Vahin frowned and left the infirmary. He returned a minute later and informed Keestu, "Unfortunately, the brown stains must wear off naturally. It's part of what gives the bile nippers their name. It's an enzyme they produce throughout their alimentary canals that works in conjunction with the acid in their claws. Fortunately that substance isn't harmful to humanoids."
"Where do they come from?"
"They are native to Chtawlikt, and Princess Shina will talk to their Senator, who happens to be on the Hub dealing with other Chtawlikt trade matters after visiting Sandar to meet Prince Dinus. I hope Princess Shina finds out just how the Chtawlikt got away with having containers carrying living animals on this level of the Hub. Live cargoes are supposed to be restricted to the storage levels or trade ship level."
Rue had come out of the shower, and Keestu gave her the news about their skin being stained.
"What about our clothing?"
"I'm afraid that's a complete loss," Vahin informed them, "The bile affects the molecular structure of both plant and animal materials, quickly breaking them down."
Rue frowned as the medic disposed of the last of their clothing. "Oh, eta. Those were brand new shoes, and I've never had a pair of custom-made shoes before."
"Sorry, Rue," Keestu said. "We could get you another pair of shoes while we are on the Hub."
"It won't be the same," Rue sighed.
"I'll get you another custom made pair when we get home, then," Keestu reassured her friend, trying to cheer her up.
"Oh, would you? Thanks, Kee," Rue said, her mood lightening instantly.
They left the Jewel carrying new purses and were escorted by Gontu to the next nearest lift, number two hundred eighty-five, while a Hub crew cleaned up the mess that blocked their way to lift three hundred. Gontu gave them the barest of salutes before heading back to the Jewel.
Keestu and Rue watched as people from other ships joined them, and Keestu noted they were murmuring quietly amongst themselves using their native tongues as they waited. Finally, the lift doors opened, and Rue and Keestu crowded in after allowing those arriving to exit. When the lift was at capacity, a warning sounded, and some additional shuffling took place as a larger party who didn't all fit in the lift moved off so they could remain together, allowing several other single travelers to get on.
The lift hummed up to the next level, where the trade kiosks were located, the doors opening and letting them out to reveal a riot of civilian dress. Keestu quickly recognized the colorfully patterned flowing robes favored by the residents of Weegai, who were also set apart by their jet-black skin. They had, however, opted for more substantial shoes on the cold decks of the Hub instead of their famously comfortable and beautifully woven sandals. She heard the now familiar slapping of bare Shatopa feet, and turned to watch a large group of them go by. A family group she thought must be from Kielra judging by their randomly striped heavy hooded cloaks, dark brown skin and black hair passed them next. Just as she thought she caught sight of other shoppers wearing Sandarian clothing, Rue tugged on her sleeve.
"Look at all the shops! It looks so much larger than the Market at home!"
Keestu grinned and followed her friend. They quickly saw there was no strict layout to the kiosks, so there was no way of knowing what wares they'd see in the next one. However, signs at each entrance gave the planet of origin of the goods to be found inside, so they decided to skip the ones marked Sandarian in favor of seeing what the other Union planets had to offer first.
Despite the number of people she was seeing, Keestu didn't feel crowded. Everyone she saw was polite, smiling, and courteous, and the clerks were polite and helpful to everyone, regardless of species. Anonymous for once, Keestu enjoyed the feeling of liberty it gave her to be seen as a young girl out with a more affluent friend on holiday on the Hub.
The air of the Hub was colder and damper than she remembered, but clear, recycled so well it lacked the chemical tang you often had to suffer through on a spaceship if it had been in space a while. The Hub's daytime was based on Uriel's capital, which roughly coincided with daytime in CeCe, so the lights were at full brightness, simulating midday. As she and Rue strolled along, Keestu glanced up at the ceiling in the distance but couldn't see it through the glare of the lights.
She and Rue went into one shop and found the Shatopa were experts at finding shells and pearls in their rivers and oceans. There were single large pearls of the expected colors of white, black, pink, and beige, in just about every shape and size, most mounted in pendant and earring settings. There were also many similarly sized and colored pearls that had been matched and stranded into necklaces.
"I think Marinat would like one of these," Rue said. "She's getting old enough to appreciate them. What do you think, Kee?"
Keestu thought about Rue's younger sister, who she hadn't seen for some time. "She's a couple years older than Hemda, right?"
"She's ten–only one year older than Hemda–and already being asked out on dates."
"Lucky her," Keestu said. "So what color do you think?"
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bsp; "She's very into pink right now, medium shades, so I think this strand right here," Rue said, deciding on one.
"Nice choice," Keestu agreed. "They're not too big to overwhelm her, but also large enough to last her a few years."
"When she has a daughter, she can pass them on to her, too," Rue said. "She's very into the idea of having a daughter so she can name her for our mother."
Keestu nodded sympathetically. Rue's mother had died onboard ship from an unexpected postpartum brain hemorrhage shortly after giving birth to Marinat. They had just entered a ring-generated wormhole when labor started, and by the time they'd gotten anywhere near medical facilities, her mother's brain damage was too severe for her to be saved. Several pictures taken of her mother holding her immediately after her birth and family video recordings made before she was born were all Marinat had to remember her mother by. "Arana is a pretty name for a girl," Keestu said softly.
Rue smiled wistfully. "I agree, but I can't take that from her. It's all she's talked about naming a daughter since she was old enough to understand what happened when she was born. I just wish I hadn't been sick and had gone on the trip with them. My father told me my mother asked for me at the end."
Keestu, her eyes stinging, put her hand on Rue's arm, squeezing it sympathetically. Rue gave her a wan smile and patted her hand reassuringly. "I'm okay with it now. I felt horrible for years, of course, but the Union bans children suffering from local childhood illnesses to travel to the Hub, and no one knew that Marinat would come a month early."
Rue picked up the necklace and took it to the counter. The Shatopa shopkeeper smiled brightly at them. "Find all you like?"
"Oh, yes," Rue said enthusiastically, "What a lovely selection you have here."
"Cost even less on Shatopa," the shopkeeper said, winking conspiratorially at her. "You come visit us sometime, no?"
"If I can," Rue promised, smiling back.
"That will be seventeen Units, eighty Parts. Will you be using Registered or Neutral Units?"
"Registered," Rue said as she pulled up her purse and opened it. She pulled out one large platinum colored twenty Unit coin and handed it to the shopkeeper, who slipped it into his Unit reader. He closed the top and pressed the "R" button on it. After a few seconds, the machine beeped, the text on the screen confirming that the twenty Unit coin registered to one Ismer, King of Sandar, and Associates and been transferred to Shatopa's Treasures, the Hub. The shopkeeper's eyes widened in surprise, but she recovered quickly, opened her register, dropped in the coin, then pulled out Rue's change in the form of two silver one Unit coins and two gold ten Part coins and placed them into the machine. Pressing another button, these Registered Units and Parts were transferred to the ownership of Ismer, King of Sandar, and Associates. She gave the coins to Rue, who dropped them into her purse.
"Where should I send this? Delivery free on all Hub Shatopa items, so you don't have to carry around all day."
"Berth Passenger two hundred ninety-four," Rue said. "Sandar's Jewel."
"Sandar's Jewel, Passenger berth two hundred ninety-four. Got it," the shopkeeper said, sealing the box, marking it, and putting it into another sealed and marked tube before handing it to a staff member, who took off with it, the sound of his slapping feet quickly masked by the sounds of the crowds outside the shop.
"Here receipt chit. You keep until have package, then insert into tube and place both in any receipt box located right next to credit terminals all over Hub. Thank you, and come see us again."
"Thank you," Rue said.
Keestu couldn't suppress her giggle as they left the store. "That's the first time I've seen a purchase in person. It was easy," she said.
"Oh sure, if you don't want to haggle over the price," Rue said, realizing that as Crown Princess, Keestu had nothing to do with everyday activities like shopping.
"Who'd want to with it only being seventeen Units eighty Parts for a strand of pink Shatopa pearls, even if tax is a little higher on the Hub than at home?"
"Right, it's the getting here to the Hub that'll cost you," Rue commented as they continued walking through the stores.
After a while, Keestu's stomach audibly growled. "I guess it's time for lunch," she said.
Rue smiled and replied, "I agree. But where to eat?"
They found a lift and went up to the restaurant/entertainment level. It was much quieter, with everyone seeming in much less of a hurry either going to or coming from eating or entertainment. However, as they passed several bars, they could hear the occupants talking loudly and cheerfully if the doors were open as they went by.
"It smells heavenly," Rue said, inhaling deeply as they looked for a restaurant.
"What are you in the mood for?"
"I'm thinking seafood, which should satisfy but not be too heavy before dinner, Kee," Rue said.
"Yeah, I have to agree with you there. But, what planet?"
Rue laughed. "Well, now that's a tossup, isn't it? How about since I bought Shatopa pearls, we eat Weegai seafood instead?"
"Sounds like a good deal to me," Keestu said, allowing Rue to steer her to a Weegai restaurant that smelled especially appealing.
They were quickly seated in a quiet private booth and brought a complimentary appetizer of lightly breaded lodalvo fingers with a spicy dipping sauce while they looked over the menu.
Their server took their order, and promised to bring soft Sandarian style bread with their meal, which would came with a side of steamed Weegai sea vegetables.
When the steaming platter arrived a few minutes later, Keestu wondered at their choice. It smelled very strongly of fish.
"Oh my," she said, "That's quite pungent."
Their server grinned at her, his white teeth flashing brightly in his cheerful blue-black face. "Tastes a lot more mild than it smells if it's the first time you've had our whitefish. You also get a variety of sauces if you want to dress it or the vegetables up," he indicated the sauce bar, "Our basic white and red sauces are the most popular for that particular fish platter."
"Do you have a preference?" Keestu was surprised that Rue asked their server for his opinion, though it made sense when she thought about it. "White sauce definitely. Goes well with both the fish and the steamed sea veggies."
"Thank you," Rue said. "I'll have to try it, then."
"Well, the menu said they've also got several butters, including Sandarian, at the sauce bar," Rue ventured after their server left, "So if we don't like the sauce, we can always use butter."
"I never had to dress my own meal myself, so I'm following your lead, Your Highness," Keestu teased.
Laughing, the girls went to the sauce bar, nodding amiably at the others in line, and looking around while waiting, seeing quite a few of the larger tables were occupied by Shatopa.
Keestu was surprised how light a flavor the fish had. She tried it with Weegai's white sauce, then with Sandarian butter, and decided on the white sauce. It had a slight peppery tang to it that complimented the fish well.
The bread, touted as being Sandarian style, was actually a loaf big enough for two. It wasn't soft, like Sandarian bread, but it was hot and fresh, and Keestu didn't think the crust was too chewy, and the bread had a hearty if slightly sweet flavor to it.
The steamed vegetables were rather bland, so she put white sauce on them, which greatly improved their flavor.
Keestu insisted on paying for lunch from her purse, though she'd been told all the Units were registered to the palace. Keestu wasn't certain if the Units given to Rue were being deducted from her pay. She figured if she paid for most things, she could always ask Vahin for more Units if she ran out, though she thought the several hundred she'd been given should be more than adequate for their visit.
After they were done eating, they purchased many other curios for various family members, since it turned out that every kiosk offered free delivery. Before they knew it, it was time to get back to the ship and prepare for the formal dinner with Shina.
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p; They found their way back to the Jewel without incident a few minutes before they had to leave for Shina's suite.
"Your Highness, Rue," Vahin greeted them as they entered the bridge. "I'm glad you are prompt. Your luggage has already been moved to Shina's suite. It's a formal occasion, but not as formal as the senatorial dinner a few nights ago, so Shina says you may both wear slacks if you'd like," Vahin finished as first Tenget and then Gontu arrived back at the Jewel.
Vahin then wryly told them, "Several of your purchases have arrived," and showed them the packages. Sorting through their receipt chits, Keestu and Rue saw that everything they'd bought had beaten them back to the ship.
When they were ready for dinner, they left for lift three hundred together. Keestu was happy to see that there was no sign of the bile nippers or their shipping crate as they passed through the access corridor uneventfully this time. Seeing the receipt station next to the lift, Keestu and Rue inserted their tubes with their chits into it and were thanked once again for doing business at each business on the Hub.
It seemed eerily quiet to Keestu as they got out on Shina's level, though here and there were a few people walking, and children were playing among the many oxygen-giving plants that dotted the tranquil corridors here. Hearing water in the distance, Keestu was surprised to find fountain cheerfully burbling outside her aunt's suite. Shina's suite was large, taking up a goodly portion of the cul de sac it was located in and Keestu leaned back to see it rose several stories towards the darkness of the roof above, which had darkened to simulate night for the residents. Since the lights helped heat the level during the daytime, the temperature had dropped a few degrees, though not to an uncomfortable level.
They were immediately shown in to Shina's suite and informed that they should change before Prince Dinus and his contingent arrived, and Shina had recently finished work and should arrive home shortly before Dinus was scheduled to arrive.
A servant led Keestu and Rue to their suite on the third level, which had a single shared large common room with two bedrooms off either side of it. Each bedroom came with a full bath and had no water rationing. Shina's rooms were on the uppermost fourth floor of her suite and off limits to anyone but Shina and her staff seniors; the private lift that went to that level was programmed to accept authorized people by thumb and retinal prints only.