Speaker 1: Cuffed aboard the cosmocraft nowhere blare through the coylyks at
such a volume the base vibrated even through the muting glaze.
Or was that just my ears? Let me kissel synth streaked, screeching,
stabbing into my ears. My ship, I call it nowhere.
It takes me back and forth for now. The guard says,
I have rights, so exercise of course. My ship. I
call it nowhere. It takes me up and down for now,
the guards says, follow me. Oh, I'm in trouble now.
The lights they make me anxious. The smell it makes
me sick. The cuffs thy comp here are the worst.
A fire needs a wig. The lights I see them
demon The smell is fainter still, the cuffs they'll comp here.
Don't let up when gold dogs claim they're killed Cad,
I groaned, rolling out of the module to a light
in the middle of the corridor, running through the ship
to my back and TYPEE was still asleep, and the
Great Griever knew that after all the sweat and exhaustion
of last night, she needed a rest. I shut the
hatch softly behind me, closing her into the module and
shutting what noise I could out. I didn't bother with shoes,
say we've writ The cool touch of the metal to
my feet a jolt to the senses. But as our
instructors had reminded us about being startled in battle back
on Wolfthrop, that was just proof one was alive. The
silver suitcase still hung on the hook we usually used
for coats and colony propaganda featuring Airs with dicks drawn
on his face. Ah. Right, we hadn't stuffed it back
into the cranny when everyone pat it off. I suppose
there was just one thing on my mind. Cad was
kicked back in his seat, coffee cooled and on hand
as he poured it directly into his mouth, extending the
can to me. I took it with one hand and
twisted the middle dial of the radio counterclockwise. Aunt still sleeping,
I said, please be quiet. He swiveled in his seat
as I slumped into mine. Oh I get it. So
one wash it's your supersonic bat hearing or whatever, and
the next it's your girlfriend. You invited her on board
her Kad snapped, not a bomb, Jean. He glanced back
at the mouth of the hall, lowered his voice. Do
you have any idea what position I'm in. Pool hits
my guts and I, after everything I said, they'll never
His lip trembled. Uh. Despite everything, the lack of Nelson's
usual morning cheer was as disturbing as it was sympathetic. Relax.
I soothed fishing out the crew bowl. He handed me
the tin box of flakes. Paul just needs time to
cool off. We're all exhausted. That's just it, Jay Kad said.
You're the only one who benefits. I mean, your girlfriend,
the intergalactive fugitive gets a place to crash. You get
to curl up in a ventilated sex box every night,
while the rest of us are more concerned with the
you know, galaxy eating weapon locked away in the cosmic
cola bottle. You're just saying that because Pool's upset. I
turned to the windshield. I know you see some sense
in this. That's why you're on the fence. In the distance,
a roiling mass of powder blue dust washed over a
smattering of nanoplanets, the blue Wave Nebula. And for the record,
your module could be a sex box too, if you
just made a move already. Sage wisdom from the Earl
of Loverland Cad snapped, you know it, I sneered, and
there's more where that came from. We chewed in silence
for several two long avins before Pool marched across the cockpit,
planting themselves in their seat to my left and making
a big point of not looking over their shoulder at
cad aptain. They nodded. Translation Officer, I replied. The atmosphere
was as thick as comic cow milk, a buttery spread.
I wish someone would just slather across a piece of
toast already and take a bite of I decided to
break it as USh glided into their seat, a black
blur coat drawn around her, black hair, frazzled and flying everywhere,
not like USh at all. She hadn't slept, No, none
of them had because of the black hole. I'm sorry,
I said Dr Nunica. Okay, it's not fair to talk
like I'm just your captain when I'm really your friend.
USh swiveled in their seat, smooth out her coat. I'm
sorry too. I was more than out of line with
some of that stuff. It's just frustrating to feel like
things only fall apart when we rely on our feelings.
Everyone's paring off, and where does that leave me? Ush's voice,
and that made everyone swivel USh never cried. I've never
been anyone's favorite person. I know I never will be.
It's just a lot to get used to. Hey, whoa,
I soothed. One. Love doesn't have to be hierarchical. I
can care about everyone equally, even if I'm being more
physically intimate with someone else. And two, I'm not going
anywhere USh, none of us are. Cad nodded, not even
after Uh, you should say it, Nelson, Pool cut in.
That is something USh was right about. It only exacerbates
the situation to act like none of us know what's
going on here. I don't intend to leave either, but
if we're gonna keep living together, we should all be
more honest about how we're feeling. It would cut down
on emotional outbursts. You mean violent, I corrected, Still see
over the slap. I'm sorry, okay. Pools six eyes closed
in a rolling wave of blinks, their scales shifting with
the airflow inside the craft. Cad, I'm sorry you had
to hear my feelings first. From USh and Sable. I'm
sorry I hit your girlfriend. It's just tears. Slid between
the divits and Pool's fine face scales, adding a watery
shimmer to the bronze shine. None of you could possibly
understand the way I feel about what's happened to my kind.
You keep saying that USh cut in, but I don't
think it's true. Pool, not completely USh, I hissed, What
was she trying to evoke? Another strong reaction? I mean it,
USh went on, Yeah, it was hundreds of yushes ago.
But back on Earth, people who look like how we
do didn't exactly have it easy. Slavery, segregation, redlining. Jennie,
you're not the only one who hurts. You know. She's right.
Kad added, grievers are only grievers because we're not allowed
to go home. We may not have known it was
your father that my simar, Pool grumbled, not my father
or mother, my Simar, my layer. It's sick that your
own Simar would turn their hotshot on you, said. Cad
actually said, Pool, it wasn't all that surprising. When I
was young, after hatching during my churlish straw, my childhood travels,
I sought them out. It was embarrassing for them. Collidizans
are supposed to take pride in learning about the universe
on their own with no hand holding. Mistakes are a
mark of pride. It means you tried and failed, that
you still tried. In human culture, said USh, that's known
as neglect. Well, Pool made it very clear to me
that we are not humans, said Pool. There's only so
much to see an open space. There's lively spots, sure,
but a lot of it is just dark matter. I
had too much time to think, got really into watching
human television shows, too curious kids, a father to give
you advice, a mother to hold you and tell you
everything will be all right. Sitcoms, I said they were
considered a special privilege viewing back in the academy. Pool
nodded sitcoms. They confirmed I sought out my cimar. They
were certain episodes where long lost relatives would reunite. A
guest star would feature. The audience would clap and awe.
All Pool did was glare down at me and hand
me a shovel. They said it would be our first
bonding activity, that I would help them dig a lava
well for the local Calids. Four feet five feet six
ten twelve fifteen. When we were deep enough, Pool used
a ladder to climb out and pulled it up after them. Yuzza,
Kad exclaimed, in a thin whisper, as if praying there
was no God with me. When I spent eight arons
climbing out, said Pool. I was just a child, barely
four feet tall. If that, I thought it must be
some mistake. But when I approached Pool, they only sneered
at me. Now you are kaleidising, they said, Now get
out of my sight. Sheesh, and I thought an anonymous
soup of DNA made for a dark origin. Kad was
the first to speak up. I may not be banished,
but I do understand having shitty parents. My own mother
abandoned me on Talcetti when I was just out of
thorough Buildwin Middle. That's why everyone on this craft is
so important to me, including you Pool, so important. I
I'm sorry if I ever I didn't know about Kimmy.
Don't pull thrash the dashboard, pushing away to swivel in
their chair toward Cadbury. Don't say her name, please. I
didn't mean to shut myself off. I really care about you,
cad the I just need time. Cad nodded. I understand.
I won't bring her up, he said, let's just forget
about yester wash and move on. A message came in,
and a good customer too. He stroked his stubble. Actually
a lot of good customers. I pulled the message deck
up on the viz ejector, a blue tenant screen flashing
out of the glowing blue dot embedded in the control panel.
He was right, A who's who of our most reliable,
most obnoxious, and most risky customers have been barred. At
the shared Visa mail inbox, there was a backlog of
twenty five messages. Did we launch a new ad campaign
or something? I asked, clicking through the little library like overnight?
You know what they say said, USh, you make a
splash and everyone else gets wet. Trust me. Kad scowled
at one name on the screen. No one's getting wet
for Marshall Boners, Kad's ex boyfriend Boners, who swore his
last name was pronounced Bonners. Was worse than a maroon
red suits at organization on their side practiced strategic striking.
Marshall was an orange suit. The suit dyed painstakingly ground
from the rarest ombrex roots recessed beneath the thorn riddled
worm infested trees out in the peripherals, bucking every law
against gambling the colonies had ever tried to bind him in.
This took a group of ever present hot shot toad
and lackeys known as the bone Men, to maintain all
clustered around the Lucky eleven casino on Pisces eleven, a
planet coated in pink sand that it started out with
pale white beaches where we suggested clients not screw us over,
he ensured that they wouldn't, assigning his goons to stake
out clients, scour every word of personal information given and
not given. Boners dealt in information as his form of contraband,
tips for fixed dust dismatches, known drop points for dollar
deliveries to colony banks. What he could verify he used
to enrich the lives of everyone on Pisces eleven. What
he couldn't he sent the bone Men to seal up
so as to leave no trace for the no Knocks
to come sniffing around. Thorough ruthless, and according to Cad,
a primely selfish lover. Hence our long absence from the
little pink planet. Caad clicked on the message a video
of boners and his most extravagant velvet robe flickered to life,
the raider's grizzled voice humming out of the speaker on
the dashboard. Oh, guylick, screw, been a while since we
caught up. I've got enough friends around the galaxy to
know you're in a tough spot. Could use a place
to dock, collect yourselves away from prying guys. This could
be arranged easily if you swing on by the luck.
Think of it as a favor for old time's sake.
A Nelson cad blushed as the video paused and the
message ended. He's got some real nerve thinking I'd fall
for that. You think it's a setup, I asked. Scrolling
through more messages, I clicked on Steph Margarine, a customer
we delivered to twice or so before one USh. That's
been a considerable amount of time pouring over astro physiological
theories with during our drops. Her message could have passed
as a replay of the previous Hi, Kylixers, I haven't
picked up in a while. Been thinking of trying some
of the blueberry stuff. I hear something went down out
in the open. Let me know if you need a
place the dock for a few days. Have some time
to collect yourselves without worrying about fuel. It could be
like a favor for old time's sake. Ay I show creepy,
said USh. They're coached, pull nodded, compromised. Still said USh
is pull handed or a tissue. The doctor wiped her face.
Boner's is the most connected guy in the universe. He'll
know someone neutral to take the blunder off of our hands.
Sh Cat hushed. Spittle sprang across the room with such
force that USh activated her helmet. Don't say it out loud.
We should call it the He tapped his chin, the
faint tune of an electric guitar solo floating up from
the radio the Boogie Woogie. USh produced the napkin from
her lab coat that she used to wipe Nelson's spittle
from her helmet surface. It's not gonna go super critical
just because we mention it by name Nelson, Not to mention,
said Pool rolling all six of their eyes. It's a
bit diminishing to reduce a weapon of galactic destruction to
a reference to funk music. Haven't you ever heard of
jinxing cad shot back? Luck is fickle, better not to
poke the beast. You know they've got you. Humans pegged wrong,
said Pool in university. I was always led to believe
in time, you'd get easier to understand. Tendon's chittering approached
the little crow cat scrambling up Ush's leg to beg
for a steel biscuit, sitting up in her lap. Me more,
he squawked, fid more. She rooted around in the drawers
for a cube shaped ingot slipped one to Tendon's grasping claws.
Tendon muled its thanks, licked one of Ush's cheeks, and
scuttled off toward the hall. Petrsite Cad called after it,
and we all shared a laugh for what felt like
the first time in centuries. The lighter mood wasn't broken,
even when n Tiapee came yawning out of the corridor,
rubbing her eyes and looking and smelling very much like
we've been fucking Jisaran's before. Her suit was wrinkled and
only halfway zipped, sliding off her shoulders as she leaned
over to stroke the wild splay of feathers sticking up
on Tendon's head. He clicked his beak, cocking his head
as his long black tail flicked in the air a moment,
fixing one black eye on entia apiece. Finally, Tendon blinked
and snapped at Ant's forehead, peeking a shallow pink scratch
above her eyes. As he screamed more into had more.
Aunt waved him aside as he lunged at her, giggling,
and Tenden lost interest, slithering down the corridor and out
of sight. I dusted the loose feathers off of her
suit as she strode in my chair, leaning down to
kiss my neck. I didn't know you guys had a pet.
We don't, USh, said Tendon's more like an extortionist. Aunt chuckled,
sitting across my knees. The act drew attention to how
she donned her spacesuit garishly gold, away from the milky
silver plating of the dragoon ship she'd resided in the
last year. And I hadn't. In fact, I'd forgotten to
put on a shirt. I was grateful then, to be
too dark skinned, to noticeably blush, to think the captain
in their powder blue boxers, to think the heiress on
the runaway's lap, to think all that loving last night
after all our silly shyness. Two years ago my groin ached,
but I'd never been so happy to hobble off to
the med bay for an ice pack. Not now, though.
Now there was just Aunt's soft lips grazing my ear,
her fingers playing across my horns, the beer like draw
of or new breath. Sure we hadn't cleaned up yet,
but the bacteria that grew from nentyape Adams was more
than fine with me. Waiting on your orders, Captain Pool
piped up. Oh right, yeah, yeah, right, let's get the
wash started. Uh, thank you, translations officer. Every time someone
new moved aboard, there was the matter of assigning their seat.
I was the captain. This was my responsibility, and although
the spot at my right hand had experienced sheriff fussing over,
that was where the first mate sat, and cad for
now forever was my first mate. Aunt couldn't change that.
A captain and their girl were close, but a captain
and their first mate were closer. Next, Nelson should do
cad d mind, cad Berry grumbled, for her highness, why not?
Aunt took the seat beside him, stretching along the cracked
blue leather. I have dozens of maps, do you, I nodded,
You can load them into the ves ejector. Just don't
judge the search history. It uh gets lonely when you're
not here. No judgment, Aunt blushed, clicking the vice ejector
to life and pretending not to read the search history.
As she erased it, we can start fresh, no problem,
new history, new mission, new name, she mused in tipeece Sable.
Where'd you pick up that name anyway, Wolfthrop employee registry,
I said, Hannigan's Sable. He was the library attended in
Scout School, the only employee who had ever referred to
me by my true name. Because of my off days
washes long bouts of depression that left me unable to
attend piloting courses due to my tear blurred vision, the
library became a sort of silent sanctum, away from my
competitive classmates and harsh instructors. Sable was a devoted atomist, gentle, graying,
and just past middle aged. The griever was recruited as
part of the Phoenix Order. Sable was dark skinned, unlike
the rest of the instructors, and looked down upon by
staff and students alike. Because of the nature of his
assigned domain. To be fair in the Colonies, books must
be approved by dozens of government officials before publication, swept
for swear words, mentions of sex, mentions of violence, and
historical accuracy. What was left behind after the butchery was
a husk. Not every book was a colony wash ghost
of itself, though some were just written that way to
adhere to and reinforce the standard set by the government.
Every other book in the library another volume of Colony Conflict,
the most popular series in the Colonies, styled in the
form of a debate series, with resonans riding in with
vaguely treeson his questions to be set straight by the author.
I spent octobers surrounded by such tones as colony conflict,
doing your part through reproduction and colony conflict, the widespread
issue of colleidis in cannibalism. The roundabout explanations inside were
dry and desperate for agreement. The social contract of the
Colonies required two signers. This dedication to portraying one view
with no true, reasonable acknowledgment of opposition disturbed me in
a way I hadn't been able to name until the
librarian pointed it out after I asked him why all
the books were boring because of their propaganda. It was
my introduction to the word, though I wouldn't really grasp
the meaning of it for Yushus till the initiation evasion.
It's easier to gain access to restricted areas when you've
got a name on hand as an excuse, I said,
Sable sent me. I haven't seen him in yushes but
it's the first thing I remembered when I introduced myself
to Cad. This I had done over that purple hammer
he kept on his hip, wrestling with him to convince
the mechanic I needed the engine out of the ship
he was working under. Cad had installed it after some convincing.
Except then I'd used the different first name XGJ twenty
one fifty one. I'd said, zena gene Sable. CAD's advice
had endeared it to this wash drop the zeno keep
the gene. It'd been in his idea too, to tinker
with the spelling, borrowing that J from my birth order designation.
In that way, Cad had helped me become me Entiapee Sable.
Cadbury shot me a hard and concerned look, Captain, am
I missing something right? It wasn't exactly planned, I said.
I mean, we haven't made any arrangements, but I know
some things. Terrence exchanged rings, right, and I've heard about
Rice factoring in somehow slow down. USh urged rings, said
Pool human custom, said cad robotically. Some cultures exchanged them
like a way to flag that you're mated. He chewed
on this a moment, turning to me, Jean's engaged. It
means they're going to be married. Aunt squealed, Aunt sable
entire apeece sable sable. She tasted the name the future
moving kind of fast. USh muttered, Oh, here we go,
I said, because this was what everything had been coming
to all along. If humans were slaves to their impulses,
Zeno's were tenfold, USh hatter pedestal above it all untouched
by desire or impulsivity, and I had my mess below.
It only seems that way because grievers don't marry, I
pointed out, it's been over a yush, and we love
each other, and you spent most of that yush in orbit.
USh shot back, just like I knew she would, though
her tone simmered into her real talk mode. That last
name is a backup plan, Adams. Once you two signed
the paperwork, everyone will know and no one is going
to like it. You don't know that, cad cut in.
Things have changed a lot, even just in our lifetimes, humans, xenos, klids, octals.
I've seen so many inner kind families in open space
and never in inner space. USh confirmed the colonies don't
tolerate the things we do. Aries is the colonies incarnate.
Aries won't have a choice but to accept us. I said,
marriage makes a family. As far as Terrence believe, it's
the first thing we'll do with the Drakens, the permit
and the wedding, all on the same wash, the same aren.
My thoughts were racing, and Tyapee strode to the pilot's
seat to stroke my horns, tracing the curves of the
hard black cartilage. I shivered, relaxed, she soothed. It'll work out,
I just know it. Aunt fiddled with the sputtering staticky
radio embedded in the dashboard, twisted the end dials until
the disco and funk channel faded into chatter. The kepler
and Councilman has gone back on every running promise for
the last decade, a different voice modeled by poor reception
on their cell line call cast better the griever you know,
than the griever you don't. Back to the original caller
if you can even call him a griever after all
the shit he's pulled, The line disconnected abruptly, both calls
dropping as the host cleared his throat. Looks like we
lost the signal. Maybe the both of you will calm
down a bit before we come back to you in
twenty Remember your call must originate from an encrypted server.
This is Fara or Farah coming at you live. Following
Councilman Cadbury's appearance at People's Pipe and brief but controversial speech,
caller number five, you're on the air. What are your
aggrievances with the Councilman's language? Councilman Cadbury, USh, look to Nelson.
It's a common name on kepler. Cad plucked a dirty
rag from that leather tool belt to swipe across his
sweaty forehead. Adams, you listen to this hot garbage and type,
He shushed him, twisted the middle dial clockwise just a smidge.
She glanced at the clock on the dash. Every day
they call at the same time. If I could just
hear their voice, the caller's line crackled, they launched in
a monotonous reciting norma eight five sixty seven nine three
Remember a scat eptical scat an Tiape hurriedly retrieved a
notepad from the gray cranny. Coin scribbled the coordinates furiously.
These are the only numbers they ever repeat. Now I
understood this was her tipster, the stranger who had snitched
on the Collidizans and exposed Aunt's friend's death, and in
a roundabout way, the blunder lab. I've been reading lots
of Olivia Crest you mentioned, I sighed, and according to
her spymaster's manifesto, every good movement needs a neutral ENCRYPTI
reporting firm the numbers, the coordinates, but maybe something in
the afflection could tell me who's reciting them and why.
As for the sign off, it's typical of red suits.
Rat Latin, get it, stay skeptical. Great griever. Crest is
a genius drool spilled from one corner of Ant's pretty mouth.
On one hand, it was kind of exciting to see
hersel worked up over someone, even if they weren't me
but Crest was something of a sore spot. Not that
I cared about her being TeX's top priority. I didn't
want to be, but Olivia Crest was above even me
when it came to targets of aries wrath. The ex
constable had gone rogue three yeshs ago, abandoning her post
and taking the inner space to repent for all the
planet dominating by shrinking into the shadows for once. Crest
didn't stay silent, though, blowing the whistle on a secretive
mining operation on Ross ninety eight, Colony prisoner is forced
to harvest streaker for slave wages. What would Cres know,
I grumbled, She's just some guilt driven leaker exactly, Aunt said,
slipping her notepad into the cranny. She's got nothing to
lose in everything to gain from spilling the colony's secrets.
A total badass. How many riots did she subdue while
she was a constable, I said, with that stun stick
with her hot shot? How many is Adams USh cut
in and Ntiapee blushed lay off? Ugamir kad clapped a
hand on my shoulder. I'm happy for Eugene, really, that's
why we just want you to be safe. I stood
so he could wrap his arms around me. I love you,
Kadkad's hugs had a grounding effect, unmatched even by actually
landing CAD's steady steel grip. I looked over his shoulder
at USh and Pool motion for them to join us,
all of you. They squished in, all of us, holding
each other in a circle, closing aunt out. I opened it,
extending a hand to the constable, and I love the
aunt too. Pool grimaced as in tiape. He took my
hand and squeezed into our circle. I'm gathering that, said
the translations officer, nostrils flaring as they sighed. If you
trust your gene, then so do I. They stepped back
from the hug. But we need to lay down some
ground rules. My thoughts exactly. USh nodded some boundaries, like,
for instance, no sex in the common areas that goes
for any kind digital oral cyber aren't cyber and digital
the same thing, said Cad. Questions like that, first mate said, USh,
are why we haven't needed these rules until now. I
fought back laughter as I came to Kad's defense. Give
Nelson a break, USh, we haven't needed those rules because
we're all considerate shipmates. Of course, I enjoy the special
affection me and Aunt chaer, but that doesn't mean I'm
gonna throw my crewis knees out the air lock. There
is no Coylaks without each of us. There's no Coylaches
without Cad. Pull pointed out. There's nothing Nelson can't replace.
That's just it, I replied. Each of u is a
part no one could replace. I looked a USh, and
I wouldn't even if I could. I'm in love with entipee,
and I'm in love with this crew. Doctor Ugomehr blushed.
I concur she said, Now, if it gets any warmer
or fuzzier in here, we'll have a critical mold infestation.
Let's move on to logistics, Captain. What does Adwas bring
to the table other than her glowing personality and a
ten ton name. Aunt gaped, straightening in her seat and
letting a shade of that constable formality creep into her
tone when she said, pardon me, comp here, I graduate
at top of my class from the finest institution in
the entire galaxy. Yeah, sure, whatever, Pull snorted from their seat.
I just mean that you should do your best to
stay out of the way. I understand we're all getting
to know each other here, but when it comes down
to it, you're just some colony college grad whose father
gave her the first and only job she's ever had,
an immature brewer, a no vice faarer. Hey, I can
get along just fine. Aunt protested. Maybe you can, said Poole,
But you wouldn't know. Daddy's always stationed you out of
the way, promoted you out of dangerous way. That shield
is gone now, Yukakkad nodded, grunting, they're right. You're in
open space, our territory. Just stick with us when things
get hairy, and don't try to negotiate over us. We
know how to haggle. We know what we're doing. Aunt
clicked on the visitjector. Got it, she said, stick to
what I'm good at. Held a map over the blue scanner.
The blinking blue light on the dashboard washed over the image,
spinning it back out in holographic form, a map of
the Milky Way. I'll try to course if you set
a location. What do you think first, mate, Cadbury, I
nodded at the expanse of space before us. Cadbury inspected
the holographic map leaping out of the visitjector blinking red
dots springing up to signal where in the galaxy our
most recent messages had come from. He clicked on a
red dot hovering near Jupiter. The name that expanded out
of it Finton Hendricks. Hendrix was no maroon, no Griever.
Even his message lacked the structure and urgency of the
previous two, of any that we chanced to listen till
then his pale face sweeping in and out of you
as he fumbled with his cell phone, slurring into the mic,
Kyle Riggs cream, I'm there a party in the usual
place and we can user refreshing, got any of the
garlic batch left? Oh? And what about that? In his excitement,
Finton dropped his phone and the video blinked back into
the dash CALLISTO said Cadbury. If Boners knows everyone, then
Hendrix knows everyone else. A little risky, I considered. But
it's a residential area. Terrens don't run patrols on themselves,
after all. I'd say, let's get rid of the blunder
and get on with our lives. But Cadbury adjusted the
efficiency controls of the antiox tank, but I prompted, it's
only fifteen planetons. He said, we'll make it, but our
ion belt could use a replacement if we want to
make the most of the undergau crystals. Your escape was
very fashionable, Captain, but all that weaving really strength, the machinery,
excellent attention to detail. First, Mate, I noted, Fence got
colony cash right, pull nodded, hush money more like half
in drokens half in dollars. They scowled. He's sort of flaky, though,
and Adelite detected us rotating the cosmocraft three times to
declare that we were leaving the Condor quadrant. Aunt chimed in,
if he's a colony agent, he might be able to
help help me get it. My porta deposit box. I
left the key back in my ship, but I do
have my envoy ID. Still, won't it be under your
father's name, though I asked, and tie it be huffed.
I'm an adult gene, despite what everyone in the galaxy thinks.
I don't let my dad pay for me to coast
through life. That's blood money. My constable wages went straight
into my mouth most of the time, but I managed
to save some for well, when I met you, I
figured I might need cushion for when I left my post,
no more than ten thousand, but an ion belt should
only be a couple thousand dollars only. I said, we
need drokens, though Kad said, trust me, the only belt's
worth shelling out five hundred for our droken bought octalidas
in weaving practically indestructible, unlike this colony sown thing. Well,
Aunt hesitated. I don't have clearance for that. Taking out
money is one thing, but the idea will be flagged
if I try to convert. According to Livecrest, anyway, anyone
would convert for a doctor, USh flashed their League of
Galactic Healer's id the metal card and printed with her
face the signature of the Lord of Galactic Healers and
an iridescent symbol. Two snakes quailed around a staff, the
words do no harm inscribed under their tails. Quick thinking crew,
I said, I know this is kind of a meteor
in the trajectory, but we'll get through it like we
always do. At the shift from idle to thrust, the
Kylaks rocketed forward, lurching at first like an injured locust rat,
before bounding across the black Field together