New Title 1 (The traveler)

by Robin Marienus Miller

  Storekeeper, "yes, well when someone walks around bragging about something, it does come to that from time to time."

  Owsee, "how much will you sell this one for?"

  Storekeeper, "500 credits, no less."

  Owsee, "that a lot of credits. Can’t we do better?"

  Storekeeper, "it is not just the merchandise, it’s the responsibility. 500, no less."

  Owsee, "well, it's up to you. But 500 credits are a lot I think. If you come back another day maybe you pay less."

  I said, "it's not about money, Owsee, it's about respect and that's something I would not wish to cheapen, 500 will do fine."

  And I handed him my credit chip. He smiled and nodded at me, as to say, thank you. We finish the vowel program, and he downloaded his copy. Then he handed me the rolled up monitor, and the earpiece which felt surprisingly comfortable.

  As we were leaving he said, "you may wish to get a pair of gloves. They can have more than one use."

  I smiled and nodded as we left.

  “A visit to med lab”

  After we went out the door, Owsee said, "I think you want to get some gloves now."

  I said yes, and Owsee said, "okay, but first we need to go to the med lab and get you scanned. We have one of the best med lab's on this side of the galaxy. If anything happens to you, they can put you back together. But only if they have a scan on the file; they can't fix you if they don't know what you looked like before."

  I said, "all right, let's go to get me scanned."

  Owsee, "besides, I need to check on my arms."

  I said, "are you having problems with your arms?"

  He said, "no, not with these, my other arms. You see, when I first came here, over 35 years ago, I was working on the docks. There was so much work that I wanted another set of arms. So they cut off my old arms and put them in cryo, then gave me these. Once I got used to the claws, instead of the hands, I was able to work faster than ever; made a lot of money that way. But I do not want to go back to my home without my arms and hands. How about you? Would you like to have a set of claws? I'll give them to you at no cost."

  I said, "no thank you, I like it the way I am."

  So we went to the med lab. Owsee walked over to someone and started talking to him, or her, as I stood in the doorway.

  He then turned to me and said, "come over here, don't be shy."

  So I walked over to where he was and said hello to something in a tall black cloak, with a deep hood pulled over its head; I could see two glowing eyes under the hood, but nothing more.

  It said, "take all your clothes, Jewelry, weapons or devices, off and stand by the wall."

  I took everything off, leaving it on the floor by Owsee, and stood by the wall. A green light came down from the ceiling, then there were three bright flashes that came from three different directions. I could not see anything for a few moments.

  Then Owsee brought my translator over and hung it around my neck.

  He said, "it's all over, they got a good scan. You can get dressed now."

  So I put my things back on, and Owsee said, "they told me my arms are still in good condition. There has been no interruption in the cryo chamber. They can put them back on anytime I like, they just need a few hours to prepare them for reattachment. He gave me a list of drugs I should take to make the process go easier."

  I said, "so are you going to do it now?"

  Owsee, "I'm going to do it, but I’ll need some help. All the drugs on this list are mind altering and powerful. When the time comes, to be back here, I need to get past the guards. Maybe they will be understanding and bring me here, but I don't know. One thing is sure, I will be out of my head. And if I don't get here own time, I will lose my arms for good, they will not keep."

  I said, "I'll make sure you get back on time."

  He said, "thank you for being a friend."

  The doctor came out with a bag full of things, and they talked for a short time, then we left.

  “New gloves”

  Owsee, "I told them to find me at the Drink Drunk. Why don't you shop for your gloves and I'll meet you there."

  I said, "okay, I'll meet you there." And I went to the clothing store.

  I told the woman that I needed a pair of gloves.

  She said, "you mean you didn't come just to see me?"

  I said, "I came to see you, and a pair of gloves."

  She said, "well here I am, and here are the gloves we have. Anything special in that mine?"

  I said, "why, what have you got?"

  "I always have something special," she said, "how about some Stillis, fire and heat resistant, gloves with built-in climbing grip abilities?"

  I said, "that sounds interesting, tell me more about them."

  She said, "well, you can dip your hands in liquid metal or o2 and not feel any change in temperature, and nothing will stick to them. But if you want them to stick, you just slap your hands on something, and it will not let go unless you push your hand forward and up. You can climb glass, metal, rock, wood, anything. They have micro suction cups and grip-hairs. They are also on sale."

  I asked how much and she said, "well now, that depends on whether or not I'm going to see you again, and when. I get lonely for humanoid companionship."

  I said, "I need to help Owsee for a few hours, but then I can be back."

  She said, "sounds purr--fect to me," and I again asked how much for the gloves. She said, "50 credits, marked down from 150. That is to say, you pay full price now, and get a hundred back when you come back. Any problem with that?"

  I said, "how do I know you've give the 100 back?"

  She said, "I have never broken a verbal contract, you will just have to trust me."

  So I let her scan my chip. She then handed me my chip back, and the gloves.

  I said, "I'll see you later," and started to walk out. Then I turned and said, "is there any way to cut a small hole in the finger of the glove, without damaging it?"

  She said, "a hole? You want to cut a hole in a brand-new pair of gloves? You will need a very hot laser to do that to those gloves."

  I nodded my head in agreement and gave a small wave goodbye.

  “Too many drugs”

  Then I went to the Drink Drunk bar. There were no guards outside. The door opened just as I stepped in front of it, but no one was being thrown out. I walk right in and to the table in the back where Owsee was sitting, the same one we were in before. It seemed a bit brighter than the last time I was there, and there was no background music or noise. I sat down and showed Owsee the new gloves.

  He asked, "how much did she charged you for them? I hope it was not too much over 100."

  I said, "only 50."

  Owsee, "50, only 50 for that kind of glove, I think she likes you."

  I said, "I'm sure she does. I plan to see her again after I take you to the med lab."

  Owsee, "good, good, you should get together and have some fun. But right now, I am trying to figure out what to drink with the meds they gave me. The instructions say it should be 25 to 50% alcohol, to speed the meds along. This is the first time I have ever been told, by a doctor, to get totally smashed."

  I looked over to the bar, and caught the eye of the tall yellow-skinned fellow working there tonight. He came over and said his name was, "Yo," and asked what he could do for us. We told him we needed something with a lot of alcohol in it. He said there was not much call for that around here, but that he would take his scanner and look in the back.

  While he was gone, Owsee started to take out his meds and put them on the table.

  "Look at this," he said, "they gave me too much. This bag of white powder, do you know what it is used for? This is what they use to make firewater with, taste it."

  I dipped my finger into the bag and tasted it. My lips and tongue went num.

  Owsee, "I have at least a pound of it here. You could keep the whole station up for a week with that much."

  I said, "well, look at it this way, you
can make your own firewater for a long -- time now."

  Owsee, "the instructions say I can eat it, inject it, smoke it or put it up my nose."

  I said, "it sounds a lot like something we head back on Earth."

  We were looking at all the other meds he had been given, when the bar keeper came back with a 5 gallon barrel. He put it on a bench near us and said, "I don't know what it is called, but the scan came up with 40% alcohol, and the rest is a mix of water, fruit juice and trace elements."

  He filled a small picture, and set it on the table with 2 cups. I poured myself a little and took a sniff, it smelled like orange. I then took a sip, as they both looked on for my opinion. After swallowing, and a brief exhale, I said, "rum, it's orange rum by God, 80 proof rum."

  "Is it good?" Asked the bar keeper.

  "Very good, I'll take the whole barrel if we can come to an arrangement on the price."

  "No, no," Owsee said, "put it down on my tab and we will negotiate price with the owner at a later time."

  Yo said, "is there anything else I may get you gentlemen?"

  I said, "yes, a large picture of ale and a couple straws, if you have them."

  Yo, "straws? I do not know what this is."

  I said, "a small tube you can sip your drink through."

  Yo, "oh yes, jumbo sticks, we have them. I shall bring you some."

  "Jumbo sticks?" I said to Owsee.

  Owsee, "jumbo sticks, made from the secretion of a sap bearing tree, and ground up grain. You can sip your drink from it then eat them, very tasty, you will like them."

  Yo brought back a large picture of ale and a handful of jumbo sticks, then said, "will there be anything else?"

  Owsee, "yes, give me control over the security screen for this table."

  Yo, "of course sir." And he pulled out a chip from his pocket, and inserted it into a slot on the side of the table. Then he went back to his other customers.

  Owsee, "now let me show you why I liked this table so much."

  He then reached over and pushed a button where the chip was put into the table, and a force field went up.

  Owsee, "now no one gets close to us unless we want them to."

  He took a sip of the rum he had poured for himself and said, "not bad." Then he reached into the big bag of powder, and pulled out what he could get from the sides of his claws, and said, "I miss my fingers."

  I said, "let me help," and I grabbed a good three-fingered pinch then sprinkled it in his rum. He stirred it around with a jumbo stick and drank it right down.

  Then I said, "let me show you another way to do this stuff." And I took a pinch of powder and put it on the table. With the edge of a jumbo stick I made two lines. Then I put the stick to my nose and inhaled a line. He did the same and said, "that's good, I can breathe better on that side now, let's do the other side."

  So I got another pinch and made two more lines for us.

  "Very good," he said, "just the thing after all that dust from the ship."

  "What's this bag of green stuff?" I asked.

  Owsee, "that's a plant that grows on the fourth planet. Some people like to eat it, and you can smoke it when it's dry enough; this looks very dry. I have a pipe in my bag. It will make you very mellow, just the opposite of the firewater. Yes, here is my pipe, and a fire stick."

  I said, "fire stick, I've seen these before, they are short range lasers."

  Owsee, "yes, short range, I use it on delicate work."

  He filled the pipe with the dry plant and lit it. After taking a deep drag, on the pipe, he handed it to me.

  While exhaling he said, "I used to do a lot of this when I first came here, to mellow out after work. This is the good stuff. You always get the best from the med lab."

  I took a drag and started to cough. "It's strong stuff," he said. I relit it with the fire stick and was able to hold it in as I passed the pipe back to him.

  Then exhaling, I said, "do you think that laser can cut a hole in my glove right about here?" And I pointed to the spot where my ring was underneath.

  Owsee, "no, not this one. You could have it done at med lab, but I think you want to keep it a secret. The man you got the device from should be able to help you. He is your best bet I think."

  We drank more rum and smoked the pipe as he asked me to recite another poem or story. I told him about a metal disc called a quarter, which my race once used as credits. And how it once has the picture of a bird, named an eagle, on one side and a picture of a man on the other. Then they changed the pictures, I wrote a poem about it, and it went like this.

  "Three Eagles flue to do my wash, upon a summer's day,

  and three more flew to dry it, though for loss I may dismay.

  Upon my Eagles back rides the head of a man,

  to service all of the machines, across as token land.

  And though his deeds were many, and his face may be well known,

  it is the Eagles I will miss when from my hand have flown."

  Owsee, "very good, a story about change spoken in a poetic way. Your stories are not just facts, they explain how you feel about things. That is what makes them special to me. We must record them all."

  I said, "if you want to record all my stories, it may take years."

  Owsee, "and with each story you will become richer. I do not lie, that is one thing I would never do, you can ask anyone. I am from a race that lives on words. The old laws say that a liar shall have his tongue cut out. But it does not apply to outsiders. That is why we do not trust off-worlders too much."

  I said, "having your tongue cut out is quite an incentive to always tell the truth."

  Owsee, "yes it is. That is why I make such good deals. I cannot lie to anyone, it's just not in my nature."

  I said, "it is still hard for me to believe my stories are worth so much. Maybe it is because I come from a planet of storytellers."

  Owsee, "things are different out here. You're one of the first to come so far. If there were many more of you out here, the price would go down. However, for now it’s just you."

  Taking another toke on the pipe, I asked, "what are those fungus looking thing?"

  "Mushrooms," he replied, "they are better fresh but they drive them out like this for storage, so they will last longer. They have a nutty taste to them and are a hallucinogenic. The instructions say to eat at least one but they gave me 10. Once I start this, I will not even be able to find the door."

  I said, "tell me what happens if someone breaks a leg, or otherwise can't walk to the med lab?"

  Owsee, "they sent a stretcher for them."

  I said, "so, knowing the condition you will be in, could we have them send one for you?"

  Owsee, "that's a good idea, I'll call and ask them."

  He used the com-link, which was on his shoulder, and called them. The reply was yes; they would send one when they were ready.

  Owsee said, "well that's a relief, now it don't matter how messed up I get, let's party!"

  And with that, we both ate a mushroom. They were very good, not like the ones I had on earth. These have a nutty flavor to them and were sweet. I wanted to eat more than just one, but I didn't want to get so messed up that I could not help him or miss my date with the storekeeper.

  Then Owsee said, "I need to use the waste disposal room. Turn the security screen back on after I leave the table."

  And with that he turned the force field off and got up, took a moment to get his balance, and then walked off to the waste room. I put the screen back up as soon as he left. While he was gone I did two more lines and filled the pipe again. As I was sitting there, toking on the pipe, when a green light started to flash on the edge of the table. Thinking it may be a transmission, I was debating whether or not to tap it when Owsee came back. I let him in, then put the screen back up. As he sat down he noticed the light, and said, "a communication. Maybe my arms are ready."

  He taped the light and a 3-D picture came on the security screen. It was a download from the med lab, ab
out the woman at the store. It included information, with visual aids, about human and Catalack matting.

  Owsee, "now I'm sure she likes you. Your species are not so different I see. I think you could make it work. It was nice of her to send you instructions."

  "Yes it was," I said, "I have never had a woman send me porn before."

  Owsee, "look here, it says her skin turns pink when she is sexually aroused. That is how you can tell if she is flirting, or if she truly wants you."

  I said, "that's a good thing to know."

  Owsee, "here, I'll put it on a dated chip for you. Maybe you can review the information with her later, It may lead to something."

  I said, "somehow I have the feeling that she will be doing the teaching, not the computer."

  Owsee, "I think you're right, let's drink to it."

  And we had some more of the rum with ale to wash it down with.

  Then he said, "do you have any poems about love or women?"

  I said, "there is one that comes to mind, now that you mention it. It's called, "it's cheaper to pay for it," and it goes like this.

  "It's cheaper to pay for it, that it is to pray for it.

  For the coast of a girlfriend, never seems to an end.

  There’s the dinner and dance, it's the coast of romance.

  And fixing her car may bring points to go far.

  But as cards find their max, as have paychecks done their dance.

  It's her time don't you know, and you've nothing to show.

  Then there's -- I may be late, just to give pain and grate.

  Can you forget the cost? Is there love without loss?"

  Owsee, “that's a very good poem, because it is true I think. It is hard to find a good woman, or a good man for that fact."

  I said, "Yes, well the search goes on, for most of us. But for right now I need to use the waste room myself," and got up -- then half sat down and stood up again.

  He turned off the security screen and said, "I'll watch your back from here."

  As I walked toward the room, I could hear the screen go back up. There was no one in there as I locked the door behind me and proceeded to take care of business. I was feeling the effects of the mushrooms and there were many pretty colors. But things were moving from far away to close -- then back again, this made it difficult to stand or walk. I soon return to the table. And as I reached out to get my balance I was zapped by the force field, just a little.