Cath

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Light floated around to study Senjen for a moment. “Are you giving me an attitude right now? A simple ‘No’ will suffice.” Without stopping, the QV completed the 360 degree turn and then drifted over to the food truck.

“I’m Lelund, techsmith, at your service. These Tekeri tricked me! Said all I needed to do was transport some files to Outremer and they’d pay me handsomely. No danger, just needed somewhere secure to store it. Now we’re all in cuffs! Please, if you won’t free me, just let me transfer whatever it is to you. I’ll pay you the advance they gave me for your trouble.”

At this point, the woman looked up from her holo-pad at the captive Utaysi. The prisoner didn’t meet her gaze, instead looking back down at the floor. After a pregnant pause, she looked around at the crowd. It wasn’t hard to spot the other Utaysi standing some two dozen metres away.

“Forget it. I’m not paying those prices just for some simple crustacean paste!” Light blustered as he returned to wobble by Senjen’s side.

“I’ll find somewhere else. Ready to go?” His sonar picked the QV ship back up again. The two standing near it were still arguing. Light wondered where they’d come from and what group they belonged to. He resisted the urge to go find out; It would only complicate their mission further. Maybe he’d send Senjen once they’d made the drop.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Light coughed and flashed red as they surveyed the hangar bay.

He had seen a lot of disturbing things in his life, and was jaded to some extent. But there was something so distressing and overstimulating about this scene that he struggled to focus on any one aspect. QV eyesight was designed for deep water, so was best for tracking lights and colours in the dark. He relied on a type of echolocation to understand the shapes and movement within his environment. It was rare for any ocean to have this many large objects all at once, so his gelsuit tried to sculpt the scene to draw Light’s attention to things it thought were important.

“I don’t know. Did they try to scam their way on board, as they did with my ship? Imprisonment isn’t common on Korit; perhaps they were violent towards the crew and will be released when they calm down. Do you need to eat?” The ruckus on the cargo ramp had shaken Light, and that made him hungry. They had food back on the ship, but going back would prolong the amount of time they needed to spend here. The QV eyed the food truck’s wares.

“Hey…psst.” A message came through just to Senjen.

“Over here. On the floor.” The Utaysi bound in a row with the other prisoners raised their head and looked at Senjen.

“Please. You have to free me. I haven’t done anything. They’re going to torture us or something. I don’t want to die!”

The woman standing next to the prisoners didn’t look up from her holo-pad.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Some of the refugees took an involuntary step back when Senjen rose to his fullest stature. Combined with Light’s determined look and heavy armament, they made for quite a formidable sight to someone unacquainted with their actual personalities. The people they confronted were desperate, but not that desperate.

The lead Human shared another look with his compatriots, then raised his hands. “Ok, ok. Easy, big fella. We were just having a conversation. We’ll be on our way, find some other way off this station. You have a great day, now.” With that, they turned around and drifted away, back round the front of their ship towards the exit. The loader Tindrel followed them, more comfortable now the situation had been defused.

Light slowly lowered the Bang Stick and leaned on it like it was a walking staff.

“Nicely done. Now grab your gear - we have a drop to make.” There was a note of reluctant admiration in his light show. Perhaps his new assistant wouldn’t be a total disaster after all.

The QV stowed his weapon back in its locker then closed up the cargo bay door. He activated the locks, alarms and countermeasures. There was always a chance the rabble would return and try to break into his ship while they were gone. But these would hopefully deter any intruders long enough for them to get back.

Together, Light and Senjen followed the same route most everyone else had taken. Round the front of their ship and to the right. Two sets of dotted lines on the floor about four metres apart denoted the safe walking area for visitors - all other floor space was set aside for machines and cargo. Once they’d rounded the ship, the rest of the hangar bay opened up to them.

It was a cavernous rectangular space in total chaos. Their craft was on the left hand side of the bay and shared it with two others. They were both of a similar size but totally different designs.

The middle ship was a sleek, modern cutter with stealthy black camouflage. A large, disorderly queue of people, mostly Humans, wended their way round the piles of crates which dotted the surrounding area. They were in no way sticking within the dotted lines. Light could see two Humans in full combat gear scanning people and checking documents at different points in the line. Light then noticed a Utaysi and two Tekeri kneeling uncomfortably in a row. Their limbs were bound together by energy cuffs. A woman in a high-tech, lightweight suit consulted a holo-pad nearby.

On the other side of the Human ship from them, a QV gelship of pristine white jiggled sedately. Light could just about detect streams of gelcrates being carted out - sperm packets and eggs, or food from the homeworld perhaps? His understanding of QV body language was far superior than for the other species. It seemed like two of them were arguing about something.

Close to the exit, which was level with the middle cutter, a Tekeri hawked a variety of in-suit food pouches from the back of a small four wheeled buggy. Four mercs hung around next to it. Upon seeing them, one called “Protect your ship, sirs? Or are you looking for protection around the station? Experienced and licensed security teams with a 100% satisfaction rate!”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“Ah, well. I’ll leave you to it. Best of luck!” The Tekeri said abruptly. With a further sale seeming increasingly unlikely, they let the Human drag them through the crowd towards the exit.

“Senjen!” Light called again, before turning round and registering the small crowd of disreputable types closing in on them. He flashed pure yellow with surprised, then wobbled quickly up the cargo bay ramp and opened a long door in the wall. The QV’s suit made a manipular and pulled out a long black object with a chain of red and gold cylinders trailing from the stock. It was absolutely ancient, museum ancient, and Light had no idea where it had been in its long life. He’d just found it in the locker when he first took command of the ship. He also had no idea what to call it, but knew it was Human from the letters ‘BS’ carved into the side of the barrel. His knowledge of Human languages was limited, so he’d just decided to name it Bang Stick. Because he was led to believe it went ‘bang’, with devastating effect.

Light turned then stepped aside when a Tindrel stormed past carrying the last of the cargo boxes. Then they stood at the top of the ramp with BS cradled in both manipulars. He could have stepped down onto the deck and closed the doors, but a shameful part of his brain considered the possibility of leaving Senjen down there and taking back off again.

Upon hearing Senjen’s rebuke, the gaggle of refugees shared a glance. Then the Human male who wore a yellow and green spacesuit came up close to Senjen.

“Hey, pal. I AM a pilot, 431st Fighter Group, Gilpin fleet, so is my friend Rutuk’tk here.” He gestured to the massive Tindrel next to him. The insectoid flexed its big arms.

“In fact, this ship suits my friend much more than it suits your shotgun toting boss up there. How about we give you a billion Galactic Credits for it and be on our way?” The Human glanced behind him at this point, and seemed relieved when he looked back.

The Tindrel who had unloaded Light’s ship now stood behind Senjen. Their route was blocked by the dozen or so people who were trying to board the ship, and they seemed nervous to move through them.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

The Tekeri looked mildly disappointed Senjen wasn’t ready to buy an entire new body, but wasn’t ready to give up on the upsell opportunity. They spoke quicker and with more urgency now the customs business was done, leaning in slightly.

“Oh sure. Very reliable. All the Utaysi who go through here look different, that's why I thought you were a synth, see? But I can get you any kind of upgrade you need. Limbs, weapons, processing, drones, even that personality thing you said. We had a Utaysi like you in trouble for trying to rob a corporate vault right here on the Factories a few years ago. I’ll make a few calls and get you a good price, what do you need?”

Light was paying no attention to the conversation. Instead he supervised the Tindrel unloading their cargo. They must have received a command to speed up, because they practically threw the crates to each other. Their two large chitinous front legs splayed wide to allow their manipular hands space to maneuver properly.

“Please be careful with our wares! The contents may not be fragile but the crates are, with the way you’re handling them! ” Light exclaimed, floating over. The Tindrel ignored him, causing the QV to quiver with rage. Even though their employer didn’t care about the physical cargo, if Light couldn’t imburse them the full amount for it they would be punished. He turned back to his assistant who was a few metres away.

“Senjen! These dolts need help getting the cargo safely out of the ship!”

Just then, another Human pushed the armed customs inspector out of the way and rushed to Senjen and the Tekeri. A Tindrel and murky-looking QV followed, while other onlookers weren’t far behind.

“Are you heading off-world? Can you take us with you?” The Human asked. “We’ll pay!” The QV flashed. “We have to leave now!” The Tindrel wailed.

The Human customs inspector didn’t try to stop them this time. Instead they moved quickly to their Tekeri colleague and grabbed their arm. No words came over public comms, but it looked like they were advising they all left immediately. Senjen would likely notice that the Human had drawn their sidearm and held it close to their body.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

The inspection took an age, even if the Human did appear to be hurrying. Light waited with bated breath for them to turn a scanner on Senjen and ask to see a memory drive audit. But no such request came. Eventually the woman gave a thumbs up to the Tekeri, who motioned for the Tindrel and the automated loader arms they controlled to start grabbing the cargo. They raced forward enthusiastically, as if wagering who could move the most boxes.

The Tekeri motioned for both Light and Senjen to join them outside the cargo bay, then handed them both a small rectangular card.

“These are your physical access keys. It lets you back into this bay, and other Level 2 unlocked areas. Many people visiting Korit also choose to use it as their currency card. We use the Veruhn here - the exchange rate against the Galactic Credit is currently very good, owing to the current…climate.”

The Tekeri stole a glance to the left now, up the side of the bay towards the front of Light’s ship and then round to the right where the exit was. A few people in mismatching environment suits were waiting and watching from a safe distance.

They looked back again. “I’ve registered all your goods on the Exchange. For a further fee, I can broker for you, get the best price? I know Mokhtar would be very interested in these enzyme tanks.” A flicker of greed registered in the Tekeri’s beady eyes.

“Hey, move back! Wait until we finish unloading! Don’t make me check your access level!” The Human commanded on open comms, taking a few paces towards the ragged group of different species who had wandered a little closer. They skittered back somewhat.

“I can also help you get whatever you need to buy. Perhaps some more gel for you, sir?” He directed his gaze at Light, who shook his body by way of polite disagreement then looked back at the Tindrel loading boxes onto a cargo conveyor. The Tekeri turned his attention to Senjen, ignoring the commotion off to their left entirely. “The Utaysi are customisable, right? How about some upgrades? I’m sure I can find you the best pieces. What do you say?”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“Very good. Keep it that way.” Light replied, relaxing a little. Once autopilot was enabled, he took one last look at the station through a navigation camera and his body flashed black with green trim out of fear. Even the smallest of the fourteen rings along that long central corridor towards the Great Elevator Bay was bigger than the rock he’d spent his formative years on.

“It will hold.” Light assured Senjen, heading to the first door outside of the control room. It opened into a spherical area about three metres in diameter which was originally the pilot’s cot. The room was full of more gel, some of which tried to float out. He collected the escaping blobs into his suit and entered fully into the room, closing the door behind him.

Immersed in the full extent of his gel bubble was the only time Light felt something approaching safe. It clung protectively to his frail body, instantly improving his breathing and alleviating some of the aches that gravity brought. He tried to swap the tired suit he’d been wearing the past day for fresh gel, though none of it was exactly fresh anymore. Light blanched at the thought of how much the replenishment would cost.

After about ten minutes, Light exited the cot back into the corridor. His gel suit was about twice as thick as before, amounting to a metre of ‘meat’ around his otherwise lithe frame. The gel was more blue-grey than green now, though sickly patinas still bubbled to the surface occasionally.

Light made his way to the main cargo hold, where Senjen had busied himself with piles of crates of all different makes and sizes. The current configuration of the room wasn’t original to this ship; it’d been transplanted in at some point in the past. Tindrel rock-material met cool brushed metal of Human design. A large ramp door with black and yellow stripes at the edge made up one entire wall of this room.

Light’s implant told him the dock authorities were ready for them to unload, so he hit the archaic switch dangling from the ceiling that opened the bay doors. A bright light flashed and spun in the room as the door swung slowly down and they joined the vacuum of space. The utilitarian backdrop of the docking bay appeared. Light could make out a tall Tekeri in a sanguine red environment suit flanked by two hulking Tindrel dockhands and one Human. Automated cargo handling machines stood solemnly behind.

“Welcome to Factory Number Five. Customs Declaration and docking fee, please.” The Tekeri asked, accessing their comms.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Light sighed, which manifested as a low-pitched staccato clicking. He then shivered as pain shot up his deformed tentacle. He had started this day in a foul mood and felt none of his usual satisfaction in imparting knowledge.

“The dock inspectors are the nerve endings for most of the rest of Korit. They know who would be most interested in your cargo and can set you up with a meeting to do business, taking a percentage. Those are your ‘customs charges’. If you’re disagreeable with the inspectors, they may inform on us and we’ll end up losing the whole lot anyway.”

Light detached from the ship’s controls and floated towards Senjen. “In this case though, the cargo in our hold is just a decoy. What's really important is inside your head.” His other tentacle reached out to tap the Utaysi’s jaw, the gel suit stretching lethargically to accommodate. The QV resisted the urge to pry open his assistant’s mouth to look inside, as sometimes his species did around opaque species.

“So don’t give away that you’re storing anything, no matter what they try. Ok?”

The ship shuddered violently around them, and several items came free of their hooks to float around the control room. A detailed hologram of a planet beamed into the middle of the cavernous room room and alien symbols flashed around it, indicating they had arrived in the system.

“Just tell them what else we’ve got and where we got it from. If they ask how we got it, make something up that isn’t ‘it was in the ship when we got here’. You know how to do that right? I’ll take us in.”

Light floated back to the control and plotted a course for the Fourteen Factories orbital station around Korit.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

A Quelun-Vosh approximately named Into-The-Abyss-In-Search-Of-Light tugged irritably at the ship’s controls and let out a wracking cough. His gel bubble was uncomfortably thin and sickly green in hue; his tentacles could barely make the requisite moves to control it. He made a mental note to replenish it when they got to port.

The control room, like much of the ship, looked like the inside of a cave. Control panels protruded from roughly hewn black walls. The displays were programmed to relay information in ways a QV could easily understand, though they did also bark reports at him verbally in Tindrel. He could understand some of it and his gel suit translated the rest, flashing separate lights on the inside of his bubble.

His suit also alerted him that his assistant had entered the cockpit fully. He turned and watched the crude lights flashing off their metal casing, then coughed again. “The best way to survive on Korit is to be invisible. The more you give away, the more people have to use against you.”

ITAISOL, as Humans often (and annoyingly) called him, looked distastefully at Senjen’s distinctive shell. His suit used sonar and echolocation to paint a picture of his surroundings, and he was increasingly worried the Utaysi was going to attract more attention that it was worth in protection.

“Did you mention you can change bodies? Mayhaps embody something more…discreet.”

“Four minutes to translight exit to our destination.” A Tindrel voice barked into the room.

He glanced back, then gestured to Senjen.

“Time to prepare for inspection. Do you have the docking and customs fees?”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Congratulations guys!

Now i can finally go back to page 1 and read it from start to finish!