After a long day of work in the dry, oily and hot mechanics yard, Laika sat at a new bar she found, gulping down the cheap beer her measly pay could afford. Next to her sat a canvas bag filled with boxes of cereals, pasta's and a couple of cook in minute meals. She sat deep in thought, she had another of those dreams last night. She could barely recall the images: a boy with the same three tentacles as her clinging onto a rock pillar, laughing, his small vulnerable wings outstretched and he called for someone. Then another image of a large man, his wings tense and trembling, his silhouette illuminated against harsh white lights. Then a flash of a woman, a beautiful woman with full dark blue lips, screaming something at her, tears streaming down her face, her ears flat against her head and her tentacles are tense and tightly curled. Who is she screaming at? Is it me? Where am I supposed to go
A smash to her right brought her back to her senses, an orange waitress with long claws instead of hands had frozen next to her, the eyes on the end of stems protruding from her chest fixated on her. When Laika looked down she saw why, the waitress had tripped over her bag and dropped 3 large mugs, one was apparently full of acid as the floor began to dissolve. The same orange skinned alien that ran the joint flew out the bar yelling something in an Earthly tongue and descended on the broken glass like it was gold. Another orange waiter ran in with a broom and asked Laika something in English, she stammered and stuttered trying to remember the language and pronunciation. The waiter asked again in the guttural language Laika was used to speaking at the yard "Do you need a towel?" Laika looked confused "What?" The waitress looked down, so did Laika, to her shock. The glass had shattered and cut open her leg. Blue blood oozed out slowly. Laika swore loudly and leaped back, her wings that were hanging neatly behind her before snapped out, knocking over several people and sending many dishes flying backwards. The Waitress ran off, her stemmy eyes bobbing. Laika was frozen, she stared at her wound, comprehending when this had happened. The blood was leaking into her sock and into her boot. It was silly she realised later on, but she couldn't look away from her blue blood seeping out the wound, pumping was a better word. The waitress came back into sight, a flabby faced creature with small eyes and a tiny mouth following her. They disinfected her wound and bound it.
A family that Laika had once repaired their ship for were sitting in the restaurant and insisted on buying Laika a good dinner. She agreed thinking of the money she could save with the meal. The family had three parents and five children scurried around the table, screeching and playing. At first they discussed how the cost of Tikki metal was going up which meant food imports would go up in price, then they discussed the life of some famous person. After first course was served and the children were fed one of the parents left to take the children home. She didn't notice before but the creatures were simply shadows from the waist downwards and floated, their black cloaks hanging shapelessly.
Second course was ordered and the conversation darkened, Laika now listened earnestly. Before she sat quietly, listening and pitched in an opinion when asked. One of the planets on the out skirts of a nearby galaxy had declared war on Gortex, and it was rumoured he was heading towards the dead zone. Laika was shocked to hear this, she dreamed of someday repaying Gortex for what he did to ruin her only chance at life, but she never had a lead on him. Never knew how to find him, or where to begin. Now that she had a general direction she she felt purposeful. The conversation progressed, and she asked the family the name of a place where she could a new radio connection for her ship, they didn't ask explanation and eventually she plucked up the courage of asking where exactly she was. She was on a small planet named Palentine in The Virgo system.
Laika struggled to stay in the air on the way home. She was the heaviest she ever was, the family seemed to have stomachs and wallets the sizes of planets: the food kept coming, each time it was a new more extravagant course. So instead of finishing everything Laika flew away with a weeks-worths of take aways. Her wound was numb and it felt unusual not feeling the wind in that particular spot.
Laika had to stop twice to rest on her way home. Flying with multiple bags in hand and a full stomach summed up to a weight she'd never carried before. Yet she did not mind, for once the suburbs did not look gloomy and the wind felt warmer than usual. She's always assumed Gortex was on the other end of universe - as far away as her fading memories. Now he was close-by and reachable. But how? I can't go alone, that's suicide. Going with the others would be a group suicide, potentially even genocide. She never did find out what happened to the other Tribes.
When she reached the warehouse, it was late in the night and both moons were out, glinting merrily. She left the food where it needed to be and got to work. By the morning on the next day, she had compiled a full list of everything her ship needed and every calculation of how she could go without each part.
