Stars of Charon (Legacy of the Thar'esh Book 1) (18 page)

“—and all
sorts of disgusting interspec—”

“Look
Twiggy,” Loid cut off Ju-lin before she could finish. “It’s also the place you
go on Shindar II when you want to hire some local color to do your dirty work
for you. I have a few friends there, and a cargo hold full of Kevarian ale.
Between the two we should be able to pump some of the locals for information.”

“Oh
disgusting,” Ju-lin rolled her eyes at Loid’s inflection on the word pumped. “I
want none of that.”

“Good,
it’s settled then. I’d best go freshen up!” Loid said as he turned to go into
one of the bedrooms.

“I don’t
like the idea of leaving you alone,” I turned to Ju-lin.

“Sweet of
you,” she said, patting the weapon on her belt. “Me and my plasma torch will be
fine.”

She
looked at me like she was going to say something else, but hesitated.

Once we
heard Loid had the water running she leaned forward quietly, “You still have
the memory card, right?”

“Yeah,” I
answered. “I stashed it back on the ship.”

“Good,
let’s keep it quiet,” she said. “And be careful.”

Her tone
was kind, almost affectionate. All I could manage was to smile back at her
stupidly.

“Alright
Eli!” Loid came bounding into the room. His hair was wet down and slicked back.
“Time for some Par’eth!”

Chapter 20.

The four of us stood in the dim light as the battle raged
around us. Our ship shook as our guns fired. Soon, I said quietly to myself.
Soon.

I looked across to Kal, Jen’tak and Tren. Kal was checking
his weapons again, Jen’tak was tightening his armor, and Tren was just standing
there, holding the handle on the bulkhead as we waited.

There was a howl of triumph from the gunners, and the message
went out over the shipboard coms. The ship had been disabled, we were going in
to board. Kal, Jen’tak and Tren looked to me, waiting for my signal. They
treated me with the deference that I used to hold for my elders. I was no
longer their equal. The honor of the last battle was mine.

I felt the soft impact of the boarding clamp and turned to
the hatch. I had survived my last battle through luck and cowardice. And the
failure of my survival had been commended as victory. I felt as if I were
buried beneath the shame of it. But today, I would redeem myself. Today I would
lead a boarding party and reclaim my honor.

I opened the hatch, and leapt down into the enemy ship, knife
in hand.

It was
well into evening when we left the hotel and made our way across the city. As
the sun was setting, the city’s harsh yellows melded with the oranges and
greens in the sky, creating a mellow and serene skyline. The surface of the
moving walkways were covered with some sort of solar-luminescent paint. They
glowed a soft shade of blue in the darkness like streams or veins. The overall
effect was incredibly beautiful.

I had no
idea of what to expect from the Par’eth. The Celestrials were so aloof that it
was hard to imagine what a pleasure house would be like. It wasn’t a concept
that I recalled reading about on the Slate, nor could I remember any sort of
thing in my memories And between Loid’s enthusiasm and Ju-lin’s disgust, I
became increasingly concerned that it wouldn’t be the sort of place that I
would enjoy.

“Here we
are,” Loid said as we neared a large domed building. “The local Par’eth. Now, I
would warn you about what you will find in here, but that would ruin the fun.”

Loid
grinned at me, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

“Can you
at least tell me what we are looking for?” I asked.

“Not what,
who,” he replied. “I have a history with the Matron of this particular
establishment. She owes me some favors.”

“A
Matron?” I asked. “Is she Celestrial?”

“Of
course. She owns and operates the Par’eth, but when I first met her she
operated a trading outpost out on the verge near Collective space.”

“How can
she help us?” I asked.

“The
Celestrials treat a Par’eth like a kind of sanctuary,” Loid answered. “Think of
it as neutral ground. Everyone has to leave their weapons at the door and is
scanned as they come in. Rival shipping cartels, fringe groups, and all manner
of unseemly folk use it to buy and sell goods and services. If we can find
anything anywhere, it will be here.”

With
that, Loid stepped forward to the door and pushed it open. Four well-armed
Celestrial guards were standing just inside a small, well-lit entryway. There
was a desk to the left, and the walls were lined with small cubbyholes with
steel doors. I presumed they were for checking weapons.

“Shesuren,
Eti’katc’kahn,” one of the Celestrials said reverently before switching to
Common. “Welcome, it’s been awhile since we’ve seen you out this way old
friend.”

“It’s
been too long,” Loid replied. He took his pistols from his belt and handed them
to one of the guards who turned and locked it in a steel storage cubby on the
wall. “Far too long for
me. I have a shipment of
Kevarian Ale back on my ship. Are you in the market?”

“We’re always in the market for Kevarian.” The guard seemed
pleased.  “The usual price?”

“That’s
what I was hoping,” Loid answered. “I had the landing crew unload it at the
docks, it should be there for you to pick up at docking pad CX-23.”

“Such a
pleasant surprise,” the guard answered as he pulled a tablet from his belt. “We
will open a tab for you and your friend.”

“Please,”
Loid said.  “How is the Matron this evening?”

“She is
well, I will notify her that you are here, I’m sure she will be pleased to see
you.”

“We’d
like that,” Loid smiled. “Now, if you will permit?”

“Your
friend,” the Celestrial paused. “You vouch for him?”

“Of
course,” Loid said. “There been trouble lately?”

The guard
paused, looking at me from head to toe.

“No more
than usual. Go ahead then. Enjoy.” The guard motioned for the others to step
aside, allowing us to enter.

We passed
through a narrow doorway into another short hallway. There was a slight humming
sound coming from the walls.

“Scanners,”
Loid commented. “If they detect any weapons they seal the doors, trapping you
inside.”

“Efficient,”
I said.

“Very,”
Loid turned and flashed a smile. “Now, shall we?”

When he
pushed open the next door the small scanning room was immediately flooded with
music and lights.

Stepping
into the Par’eth was like stepping into another world. Which, I found out, was
precisely the intent. A purple-tinged sky was projected on the dome above us
with multiple overlays, simulating six low-orbiting moons. I wasn’t sure if the
sky was modeled after a real world, or if it was an artistic creation. Either
way, the effect was stunning.

In the
center of the dome was a circular bar where patrons of all races were standing
around, drinking and chatting openly. A stream flowed around the bar, creating
a self-contained circle that acted as a boundary. From the bar, patrons could
cross one of a dozen decorative bridges and find private tables surrounded by
lush foliage. Some tables were open to the air above, while others were
protected by smaller cloudy domes that offered the diners more privacy. A
number of uniformed Celestrial guards were positioned throughout the area,
though if they were armed, I couldn’t see any weapons.

Beyond
the bar on the far side of the dome was a dimly lit area. There were privacy
domes here as well, but instead of tables, I saw round beds. As I watched, I
saw a tall Celestrial male walk up to one of the beds. He was greeted by a
slighter Celestrial wearing a flowing robe. Something exchanged hands, and then
they stepped inside as the dome swept to a close.

“Helluva place,” Loid commented as he patted me on the back.
“Come on, let’s get up to the bar. Hopefully the Matron will have time for us
soon. In the meantime, let’s see what we can find out from the locals. Stay
close.”

Loid and
I walked down the main path that led from the entrance to the bar. I saw that a
number of the patrons were wearing various uniforms. Off duty workers I
guessed. I scanned each as we walked by, looking for four-pointed silver stars.
I didn’t see any.

Loid
nodded to the bartender and spoke rapidly. The bartender was a willowy
Celestrial female with a jeweled piercing in her nose and starbursts tattooed
on her temples. I was surprised to see that she had a shapely form similar to
Earthborn women. In a moment she turned around and handed us two tall glasses.

Loid said
something back to her and smiled. I lifted my glass and took a tentative sip.
The first taste was bitter and with a floral air to it, as it slid to the back
of my tongue the aftertaste was sweet and fruity.

“That’s
not bad,” I said.

“Nope,
not at all,” Loid said. “Don’t hit it too hard though, three of those and you
will be crawling home.”

“Loid Burns,”
a voice boomed behind us.

Loid’s
hand instinctively went to his empty holster at the sound of his name. As we
turned, I saw the largest human being I had ever seen. He had deep brown skin
and light brown eyes. His head was shaved and his stubbled jaw line was sharp
and forehead pronounced. Between his stubble, eyebrows, and lashes I was
certain he wasn’t a Celestrial. He was possibly even Earthborn. He was wearing
a tight-fitting jacket with light-green luminescent stripes down each sleeve,
and a metallic band across his forehead resting on the tops of his ears. Given
his size, I was pretty certain he could rip me limb from limb if he felt like
it.

“That
is
you, you jackal!” The voice boomed.

“Cway!” Loid’s
face lit up when he saw the giant. “You’re the last face I expected to see way
out here, did the circuit finally kick you out?”

“Kick me
out?! Bah, the circuit would be nothing without me,” the man smiled, fine lines
curled up from the corner of his mouth. “Naw, I just met with some Celestrial
engineers who came up with some new thruster tech. They want me to help endorse
it back in the Protectorate and Collective. They are kitting out my ship now so
I can give them a whirl.”

“Ah, a
sellout then!” Loid smiled as he turned to me, it was the most relaxed I’d seen
him since we left
Tons
. “Eli, this hulking piece of humanity is Cwaylyn
Jones, one of the fastest racers in all the human systems.”

“He
misspeaks, I’m
the
fastest racer in the human systems,” Cwaylyn
responded. “I have a hangar full of gold medals to prove it. Just for that,
Loid gets to buy me a drink.”

“Whatever
you want,” Loid nodded to the bartender. “I have a tab started.”

“I bet
you do,” Cwaylyn answered with a booming laugh. “The Matron still comping all
of your drinks?”

“We have
an arrangement,” Loid answered with a smile.

“Yeah, I
bet you do,” Cwaylyn laughed harder.

“Eti’katc’kahn!”
A short Celestrial separated from the crowd and clasped Loid on the shoulder.

Loid
greeted the newcomer and began speaking rapidly.

“Eti’katc’kahn,”
Cwaylyn turned to me, laughing. “Goofiest damn name I’ve ever heard. If the
Skin-er, Celestrials ever decide to honor me I hope that they don’t call me
something that stupid. But then again, the reason they even decided to give him
a name in the first place is ridiculous enough, am I right?”

“Eti’katc-what
does it mean?” I asked.

Cwaylyn
raised one of his bushy eyebrows, “You don’t speak Celestrialese? And Loid
hasn’t hooked you up with a ComBand?”

“A what?”
I asked.

“ComBand,”
Cwaylyn tapped the silver band across his forehead and laughed. “Or maybe he is
trying to keep things from you, who knows. Here, just a second, bartender!”

He leaned
across the bar and spoke to the bartender and tapped on his ComBand. She
nodded, and a moment later pulled one from under the counter and handed it to
him.

“Here you
go,” Cwaylyn said as he glanced back at Loid who was still engaged in close
conversation with the Celestrial. “Hold still. I put it on his tab, the Matron
never charges him anyway.”

Cwaylyn
took the half-circle band and pushed it against my forehead. It fit tightly
around my head, spanning from the top of each ear. Cwaylyn smiled once more and
tapped the side. I felt it warm up slightly as it turned on.

“Now,
Eti’katc’kahn,” he said.

As he
spoke the ComBand came to life, there was a slight flash of light, and the
words “Man with stone-crushing breasts” floated above Cwaylyn head.

I
laughed.

“It’s a translation
matrix that uses the same basic holographic projection technology as a heads-up
display in a cockpit,” Cwaylyn explained. “If you focus your eyes on someone
the sensors will tag them and begin translating what they say. It’s Celestrial
tech, pretty clever.”

I moved
my head from side to side and saw that the words “man with the stone-crushing
breasts” stayed fixed in their position above Cwaylyn’s head as they slowly
began to fade.

“How did
he get
that
name?” I asked, still laughing.

“I was
back years ago,” Cwaylyn responded. “Before I got into the pro racing circuit
Burns and I used to team up from time to time. We had a few scams and some good
times. My favorite was taking a ship, rigging it up for speed, and then loading
in some cargo to give it a false positive of illegal goods on a cargo scan.
It’s pretty easy to do actually, most customs and flux point patrols focus on
trying to make sure that their sensors don’t miss any illegal goods. They are
so eager to detect something illegal, that it ain’t that hard to spoof their
sensors to make them think I have a cargo hold full of weapons-grade uranium
when it’s really industrial cotton swabs. Anyhow, I would run the blockade and
lead the local fuzz on a chase, meanwhile Loid would slide right in behind me
with the
Tons
loaded down with illegal plasma rifles and stims behind
cargo shielding and nobody would give him a second glance.”

“Sounds
effective,” I took another drink.

“Piles of
coin my friend, piles of coin. Anyhow, we’d delivered a bunch of supplies for a
Celestrial asteroid mining facility,” Cwaylyn continued. “We were drinking our
wages when an alarm went out across the station that there had been a cave-in
on the far side of the asteroid, and that a crew of a few dozen workers were
trapped, stuck in their environmental suits and running out of air.”