Page 46 of My Alien Angel
It takes a hell of a lot of effort and tongue biting to stop myself from blurting out the million and one questions popping into my head as we approach the station. The hobbled-together structure seems even more precarious up close, and even more dizzying,as I realize that none of the parts are even facing in the same direction. How the hell does gravity even work in there?
The view on the screen shows a close-up of the station’s exterior. We’re about to connect to a jutting out tube that is decorated in scrapes and dents and what looks like hack repairs. Holding my breath, I pray the whole structure doesn’t collapse on us the moment we connect.
There’s a soft metallic clanging sound, then the telltale hiss from the door. “We’ve docked,” Null says. “Get ready.”
Considering I have nothing but the clothes I’m wearing and the stolen weapon I’m not sure I want to carry, there’s not much for me to do to get ready. Null, on the other hand, puts on a military style vest, attaching a surprising number of weapons to it. Blades, guns and various unrecognizable gadgets. He looks like he’s gearing up for war. Once he’s done arming himself, he opens another hidden compartment and pulls a neatly folded swathe of fabric out and throws it to me. Catching the bundle, I realize it’s a cloak with a large hood. “Put it on,” he orders.
“Really? Am I supposed to look like a cartoon villain?” Seeing as he won’t back down, I throw the cloak over myself and pull the hood over my head. He shoves the gun into my hand again and makes sure it’s hidden in the folds of the cloak. I want to protest but realize that in a place like this, being able to defend myself is a necessity, and it’s not like I’d be able to fight anyone off.
Giving me a once-over, Null nods. “Don’t wander off.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be glued to your side.”
“Lucky me,” Null mutters. I stifle my snort. Doesn’t practice sarcasm, my ass!
Chapter 34
Fin
Thestation’stemperatureisuncomfortably hot. I would have expected things in space to be cold, considering Null’s ship was chilly, but Schloppe station is hotter than hell. Smells similar, too. I’m almost certain that one of the unpleasant odors in the air is sulfur, along with exhaust gas, something rotting and, of course, smelly socks. It’s dark, too. The few functional lights I can see are low and flickering like we’re in a horror movie. All in all, it’s not living up to my expectations.
We walk down a long corridor without meeting a single living soul, then through an airlock chamber with doors that don’tlook functional. At least, I think airlocks function better when there isn’t a hole the size of my head blasted through the door. Beyond the airlock chamber, the smell gets a little better. It’s still stinking hot, but it smells more like exotic food than rotting corpses which, while making me sneeze periodically, is still an improvement. There are people here, too. Aliens. Some familiar, like the tiger-striped ones or the blue-skinned ones and some not so familiar, like a woman whose lower half is a long snake tail.
The vast number of different alien species reminds me of the Mos Eisley cantina scene in Star Wars, minus the catchy music. Remembering the violence in that scene, I shuffle closer to Null, getting as close as possible without actually touching him. I’m sure he wouldn’t appreciate me hanging off him like a frightened child. Besides, the hood limits my field of vision, and I don’t want to lose Null in the crowd. I worried I’d look strange wearing it here, but I’m not the only one hiding my face.
Null growls something as we pass by a group of aliens. I don’t catch what he says but mirror his sentiment when I glance over my shoulder and see a metal collar around the neck of a slender, red-skinned alien. A four-armed female is leading him around on a leash like a dog.
Shuddering, I inch even closer to Null, realizing we really are in the lawless part of the galaxy. More than ever, I’m grateful to Eldri for recommending Null to help me. My current guide might be grumpy and terse, but he seems as disgusted by slavery as I am, which means he’s unlikely to sell me. I hope.
We stop at an intersection and I step closer to the rickety remains of a railing to admire the view. This section of the station stretches up and down from where we stand like we’re in the middle of an endless chimney. Fragile-looking walkways line the walls with various bridges and staircases connecting them at totally random angles. The walls are lined with variousstalls, shops and establishments. There are people sitting at a bar on chairs that appear to be hovering over open space. A street food merchant tosses a piece of grilled something-or-other down several levels where a tentacle, afreaking tentacle, whips out from a vent and catches it. Aliens of all shapes and sizes are selling clothes, weapons, scrap metal,otheraliens, and a dizzying array of goods I can’t even begin to describe. Looking down through the gaps between various bridges and walkways, I realize that deep on the bottom, people are moving upside down. Is their gravity different from ours? How the hell does it work?
When a hand clamps around my upper arm, I yelp, flinch, and nearly fall. “Careful,” Null hisses, pulling me away from the edge. “We need to ask about your friends. Do you know any of their names and species? Or just the ship?”
“The ship is the Supernova.” I know that one for sure. “But Omni never really…” I search my memory for names Omni mentioned but can’t come up with many. Most of the time I spent with Omni, I didn’t even know he was an alien. He talked about his friends sometimes but, obviously, couldn’t mention any specifics. “I think he talked about someone named Lyri. She’s a female. Oh, and their captain is called Zarkan.” At least that’s what Eldri said. “Omni is a member of their crew, but he’s locked up right now. He has wings.”
“A Quintran?” Null cocks his head to the side. “Interesting. That’s all you’ve got?”
“Well…yeah. Can’t we just look at a list of ships currently docked and find the Supernova?” Null’s unimpressed face makes me pause, I take another look at the chaos surrounding us. “Right. This place probably doesn’t keep lists.”
Laughing, Null shakes his head. “No, they don’t. They do ask for extortionate docking fees, though, so it’s unlikely your not-friends have been here for long. I’ll ask around. You follow meand keep quiet. I might not be able to fight off the horde that will descend on you if they find out you’re a human.”
A few hours later, I’ve sweated out two gallons of water under my cloak, Null has talked to dozens of aliens, half of whom were only interested in what I was and if I was for sale, and we’re nowhere closer to finding Omni’s crew than we were upon arrival. At least until Null’s current conversation partner, a half-snake person selling various gadgets, laughs. “Yesss. They come here sssometimesss. Good cussstomersss.” Looking Null up and down, he smirks. “You ssstand no chance.”
Refusing to elaborate, he turns to serve some customers. Null and I retreat to a quieter corner. “What do you think he meant?” I whisper.
“If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say there’s a bounty on your not-friends and he thinks I’m trying to collect it.”
“A bounty?” My eyes widen.
Null waves his hand at the crowds milling about. “There’s a bounty on most of the people here. Including me and now, most likely, you.” A bounty on my head. Wow! “The UGC puts them out on anyone who breaks the law. They’re usually too small to bother with collecting, especially since the UGC demands the target be delivered alive and unharmed. Private bounties are much more profitable.”
“Uh-huh. So, how do we find the crew?”
“We don’t.” Null leisurely leans against a post supporting the platform above our heads. “If I’m right, several of the people I talked with today will alert the crew that someone’s been asking about them. If they’re any good, they’ll come to us. Or they’ll kill me.”
“They won’t kill you.” Moving the hood up my sweaty forehead, I scowl at Null. “They’re good people.”
He snorts. “You’re naïve, human. There are no good people in the universe.”
