‘Enter your docking bay reference on this terminal,’ the guard ordered.
I wonder what race he is, Zoren thought, while squinting at the plump grey-skinned guard standing in front of him. The guard had no visible eyes, yet he seemed to be able to see.
Kalrea entered the code on the terminal and then an image of the docked shuttle was displayed on a large monitor above the doorway.
‘Confirm this is your ship.’
‘Yes, that’s my ship,’ Kalrea replied.
‘Accept that you agree to this,’ the guard instructed, giving Kalrea and Zoren each an electronic tablet.
‘What… is it?’ Zoren asked Kalrea, hardly being able to see what was written on it. He wiped his eyes again, in between forced coughs.
‘It’s a legal document,’ Kalrea replied. ‘Basically if you’re maimed or killed whilst here, they accept no responsibility. Also, they expect payment from you to have your body disposed of or stored for relatives to take.’
‘Great! Not… that… I’d be… too worried… if I was… dead,’ Zoren coughed the words out.
‘If you can’t pay, then they will sell your ship or expect payment from the crew before it’s allowed to leave.’
Zoren quickly pressed the confirmation button on the pad and handed it back to the guard.
‘Have a good stay,’ the guard said, as the transparent door opened.
If I hear another, ‘have a good stay’, I may be tempted to put my hands around their neck and kill them myself, Zoren thought.
Through the doorway the smoke appeared to be a lot thinner. He rushed through and instantly bent over, staring down at the floor and placing his hands against his knees. He coughed violently and spluttered, almost making himself sick. His eyes were streaming with tears. He did not care what anyone might think, he had to get the smoke out from his lungs.
‘Are you sure you’re all right?’ Kalrea asked. ‘You don’t look too good.’
Zoren raised a hand in acknowledgement because he was unable to say anything.
After a minute of coughing, he managed to compose himself. He was now able to keep his eyes open for more than three seconds at a time.
‘Wow! Look at all those shops,’ Zoren said, now glancing around a massive entrance lobby, which stretched like a long wide corridor into the distance. High above was a colourful ceiling painted with landscapes from exotic worlds, which looked in need of repair and redecoration. Balconies split the two sides of the lobby in half, with walkways crossing at regular intervals between them.
He hurried over to the balcony railing and peered down at the many shopping floors beneath them. He counted sixteen floors, before a haze prevented him from seeing any further. In fact, the shops covered an area of fifty floors beneath them.
‘Right, now you’re fully recovered from that little bit of smoke…’
While Kalrea spoke, Zoren thought, Little bit of smoke! What’s a lot of smoke then? He glanced to Kalrea. To me, it looks like you actually enjoyed it.
‘…we need to get to level 5676, area 128. I’ve not been able to find any signs of your people, but I’ve located some of the crew from the Ringal who seem to be spending a lot of money on women. And one of those purchased a brand new ship less than ten minutes ago.’
‘How do you know all this?’
‘I’ve now gained access to all the security systems on Xim’gu. It looks like they monitor everyone. It’s supposed to cut down the number of deaths.’ With her head and eyes, Kalrea indicated towards one of the numerous cameras.
‘Kalrea, all the shops on this floor are selling the same thing. Just guns!’ Zoren remarked, as they wandered past the endless shops’ entrances. ‘Are you sure we don’t need any weapons? They seem to cater very well for those who may have forgotten them.’
‘Don’t worry, Zoren, you’re safe. Just keep with me, ok?’
Seeing that Kalrea was unarmed, a Gullin man approached her from the entrance of one of the shops.
That man physically looks very similar to me, except he has this hair stuff like Kalrea, Zoren thought.
He noticed something resembling an animal was clinging to the outside of the man’s leg. The animal’s eyes attracted his attention. They were large orange discs constantly looking around, moving from person to person, almost like they were searching for someone.
‘What’s that?’ Zoren asked Kalrea, pointing towards the animal.
‘It’s called a doump. It’s a pet. Going by the length of the spines on its head and back, I’d say it’s a female. And don’t point, to some races it’s an insult.’
‘Oh, right!’ Zoren replied. ‘I’ve read about and seen pictures of pets in some of the old books we had, but I’ve never seen one for real. The ones from our books look a lot different to that, far more attractive with a nice fur coat and definitely more cuddly.’
‘Depends on your point-of-view. To a Gullin, something with fur would be weak and they would probably eat it. Whereas they believe the spines on the doump are a sign of strength and respect.’
I wouldn’t want to stand too close to him. Those spines look dangerous, Zoren thought.
‘For today only we’re doing a Hegol range special,’ the Gullin said to Kalrea. ‘Only 560 yek will buy you this Hegol railgun and a riffle.’ He showed the handgun to her, while holding the riffle out in his other hand.
‘I’m not interested,’ Kalrea said to him.
‘It fires ninety rounds a minute and has the new thousand-round magazine. You won’t find a finer example on the planet.’
As they walked, he continued to follow them.
‘A lady like you will need something to protect herself around here. Just 540 yek will buy you this handgun and rifle.’ He stopped. ‘Come on! 500 yek and they’re yours.’
Kalrea ignored him.
‘Suite yourself! Don’t come back here when you get killed.’
‘There’s a transit stop over there which will take us to level 5676, section 127,’ Kalrea said.
They approach a small and neglected looking transit station, which was set back between two of the shops. The platform area was only six metres wide and there was a single door set into a far wall. It must once have been a very impressive station because there were the remains of flamboyant architecture and elaborate lights. However, there was now rubbish everywhere and what was left was covered in mould and plant-life.
Something stinks of rotten vegetables, Zoren thought, as he glanced at a tall muscular well-dressed man standing behind Kalrea who was also waiting for the transit. He looks like another Gullin. In fact, there seems to be a lot of that race here by the looks of it.
Zoren noticed the Gullin had two guns on his belt.
Where’s that smell coming from? he thought, sniffed the air searching for the source of the odour. It’s him!
The well-dressed man reached out and deliberately pinched Kalrea on her back-side.
Did he just… He did! Zoren was taken totally by surprise, but Kalrea seemed to ignore it.
The transit station door started to vibrate and a rush of air exited from small gaps in its frame, causing some of the rubbish nearby to lift into the air. Then, a few seconds later, the transit arrived. With a screech of discomfort, the door slid open and a wall of smoke pushed outwards from the interior of the transit.
Not more smoke, Zoren thought.
They stepped inside.
The grubby transit had no windows and was about twelve metres long, with a long bench positioned against the longest wall, opposite the doorway. The bench was packed with people, scrunched uncomfortably together, so Zoren and Kalrea had no option but to stand. There were many people smoking, while others coughed and spluttered alongside them. Some of the people were talking in languages Zoren could not understand. The well-dressed man had followed them onboard.
The door closed behind them, cutting off the smoke’s escape. The transit shuddered forward a few metres, and everyone had to steady themselves, before it accelerated
away.
Now there’s another smell, Zoren thought.
He turned to see a short yellow-skinned man who had the face of a baby. He was wearing a face mask covering his mouth and nose.
Why has he got a mask? He smells disgusting.
Zoren grimaced. He looked to Kalrea, who shook her head and smiled back at him.
‘I can see you don’t like the Honrt’s aroma,’ Kalrea said. ‘I think it’s rather pleasant.’
‘Are you serious, Kalrea?’ Zoren replied quietly in case the Honrt could hear him. ‘I’m sorry, but I need to move.’
Zoren shuffled away from the Honrt, then glanced back to Kalrea, who was moving to join him. He noticed that the well-dress man seemed to be staring at her.
‘The Honrt wears a mask because he has a very sensitive nose,’ Kalrea said. ‘Your smell would be very unpleasant to him.’
‘Is that so? Then, maybe I need to get a mask.’
The well-dressed man approached Kalrea. ‘Hello gorgeous, haven’t seen you around here before. Are you lost?’
Kalrea ignored him, but Zoren momentarily made eye contact with him.
He turned to Zoren and asked, ‘Are you two together?’
Zoren nodded.
‘Is this your boyfriend?’ the man said to Kalrea, but she did not reply. ‘He looks a bit weird in that costume. Is it supposed to make him look tough?’
He unexpectedly moved towards Zoren, pretending to reach for one of his guns. Zoren instinctively took a step backwards, stepping on the foot of another passenger.
‘Oy! Watch where you’re standing, fool!’ the annoyed passenger replied. He pushed Zoren away.
The well-dressed man laughed and then turned to Kalrea and said, ‘He’s a wimp!’
Zoren knew that Kalrea was starting to get annoyed from the way she tensed up.
‘A girl like you needs someone like me to protect her, not this boy! Do you want me to get rid of him?’
Boy! I’m not a boy!
Zoren felt intimidated by the man and was unsure how to respond to his goading. He was about to say something, when Kalrea turned towards the man and said,
‘What’s your problem? Why don’t you go and bother someone else. I don’t need any protection, all right! And leave him alone!’ She turned away from the man.
‘I love a strong willed woman. I’ll protect you from the weirdoes. I know all the good places in this sector. Loose him and we can spend some time together, then if you’d like we could go back to my place.’
He pinched Kalrea’s back-side again.
That must have tipped her over the edge because she turned and grabbed him by the throat, pinning him up against the wall of the transit and lifting him from the floor with just one hand.
‘Touch me again and I’ll break your arm. Is that clear?’
The man tried to nod slowly. His face turned a shade of red.
Zoren was suddenly aware that everyone in the transit was staring at her, so he said quietly,
‘Kalrea… Kalrea, I thought you said keep a low profile, don’t attract any attention.’ He coughed loudly, so Kalrea would hear him.
Kalrea glanced around, before letting the man go. He fell to the floor.
The transit now arrived at a terminal. ‘Are you still here?’ Kalrea said aggressively to the man. He quickly left the transit.
A Gullin woman sitting on the transit took a wide piece of rofhi bark from her mouth. ‘Good for you, dear,’ she commented, while smoke bellowed from her mouth and nose.
Zoren was now trying to hide himself even more by covering his eyes with the edge of his hood.
I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of Kalrea that’s for sure. I don’t know what she may be capable of.
Twenty-eight minutes and twelve stops later, Kalrea and Zoren reached their destination and left the transit.
Er… It gets worse. Now, what the hell’s that smell? Zoren thought, covering his nose. Smells like excrement. That’s disgusting! I definitely need one of those face masks.
He gazed around the deserted and dimly-lit transit station, which had six corridors leading away from it like spokes on a wheel, none of which looked very inviting. A haze of grey and white condensed water vapour was moving slowly beneath the ceiling, forming a micro-climate. The air was very humid and the walls were cold and damp, making him think that it could rain at any moment.
‘That way!’ Kalrea said. ‘The place we’re looking for is along that corridor.’
As Zoren started to walk along the corridor, he was caught by surprise when a dark-green slimy slug, over half a metre long, appeared from a drainage duct at the base of the wall in front of him. It quickly slivered across the floor and up the wall on the opposite side of the corridor, disappearing into the cloud of vapour. He felt a shiver run down his spine as another one appeared briefly from beneath the humid haze in front of him. He moved to the side of the corridor to avoid it.
I’m not even going to ask what they were or what else may be lurking up there. The less I know the better, he thought and then said,
‘I don’t think I’d want to live in this area.’
‘Yes, it’s not so pleasant in this part of Xim’gu.’
‘And the other areas are?’ Zoren said with a sarcastic voice.
He was now constantly glancing up at the ceiling.
They exited the corridor and entered a large circular space over three hundred metres in diameter, which had a high vaulted ceiling. Around the entire perimeter were the entrances to many bars, all with flashing coloured lights and bright signage trying to attract people inside. This area was once a grand leisure centre with a space in the centre for theatrical performances and adorned by plants and flowers, but there were now just areas of blue grass overrun by weeds and the remains of a central stage.
There were a lot of people moving about between the bars.
Zoren heard a noise like someone was aggressively knocking on a door.
‘What was that?’ Zoren said.
‘That was a railgun being fired, somewhere over there in one of those bars,’ Kalrea said, peering into the distance.
‘I hope that’s not the bar we’re heading for?’ he replied.
‘No, this is the place we’re looking for,’ Kalrea said, moving towards a nearby bar.
Standing outside the door and holding a very large gun across its waist was a tall creature with a large head, which Zoren recognised was a Drulfian.
On each side of the doorway there was a three-dimensional glowing red and blue image of a Gullin woman standing in a bikini. The two women were pictured life-size, with their arms stretched out high above their heads, so their hands were above the level of the top of the door. They were both supporting a muscular Gullin man who was wearing shorts and lying on his side above the door with his arm supporting his head, in what was an impossible pose.
‘Are you sure this is the right place, Kalrea?’ Zoren asked, feeling embarrassed to enter such a seedy establishment.
‘It’s the right place. I know that a lot of the crew from the Ringal are in there.’
‘What are we going to do?’
‘Well hopefully the captain of the Ringal will be inside. He’ll definitely know where the Agonians are. If he isn’t, then I’ll have to ask one of the crew where I can find him.’
As Kalrea went to push open the door, the Drulfian put his arm out in front of her, preventing her from entering the bar.
‘Are you in the right place, lady?’ it asked her.
‘What do you mean?’ Kalrea replied.
‘This is not a tourist area of Xim’gu. I don’t think someone like you would want to go in a place like this.’
Kalrea pushed its arm to one side. ‘I’m not a tourist, all right! And this is where I want to go.’
Zoren shrugged his shoulders, when the Drulfian glanced at him and then quickly followed Kalrea inside.
In the large, noisy and smoke-filled bar were about thirty people. All the men were of a
race he did not recognise, so he asked Kalrea quietly who they were.
‘Frinduls,’ Kalrea replied. ‘Some of them are the mercenaries who took your people.’
Zoren had already met a Frindul, the previous day, when the Polnozoo was attacked and he had been trapped under the large girder on the space station, but that time they were wearing space suits and he could not see them at all, so he had made the natural assumption that they had to look the same as him. Instead, they were completely different.
He gazed at a Frindul sitting at a nearby table who was smoking a stubby blood-red stick and was wearing a green feather covered coat. His light-green leathery face was long and thin, like someone had squeezed his cheeks together, pushing his swollen and cracked mouth outwards. The face appeared to be wet with two large snowy-white eyes, but there were no visible nose or ears. At the base of the back of his head was some long coarse hair.
The Frindul turned towards him, and Zoren unknowingly made eye contact with him. He felt very uneasy and a cold shiver ran up his spine, as the Frindul’s large eyes seemed to cut right through him. Zoren turned quickly away.
There were four Frinduls standing at the bar, laughing, drinking and playing a game with brightly-coloured circular discs. Next to them, a Gullin woman in a bikini, this time a real woman, had her arms around the necks of the two Frinduls standing either side of her, while further along the bar a couple were kissing very lovingly. At some of the tables Gullin women were entertaining the Frinduls, chatting and drinking with them.
As Zoren and Kalrea approached the bar, the noise in the room lessened and everyone seemed intent to stare at Kalrea, who turned towards then and said calmly,
‘You look like you’ve never seen a female before. You all need to get out more.’
‘Dress like that in here and you’re asking for trouble,’ the young Gullin barwoman said to Kalrea and then asked her, ‘What do you want to drink?’ and pointed to four huge display windows, which each contained a coloured liquid.
I hope she doesn’t ask me.
He tried to listen to the conversation of two Frinduls standing nearby, but they were both speaking in another language.
‘Two of the tyi, please,’ Kalrea said to the barwoman, who then went to a display window, which contained a blue liquid, and pressed a button beneath it twice. Two small transparent bags were filled with the liquid and she returned with them.
Aurora Saga 2 Immortality for Life Page 8