Chapter 15 –All That Glitters
It turned out that finding a way to Thenat-6 was beyond easy.I had a few credits loaded on the chip from Vivith – I'd quietly programmed the remaining and embarrassingly scant 32 credits in my account to transfer over to Araxis later that night with a note thanking him for the soup (and also everything, it ended with a doodled heart) – so I stopped to grab some weird pink juice from a cute brin pushing a cart around, buttering him up so that I could get some leads on any ships headed toward the arena where I'd probably die.The concourse itself wasn't too bad: the gravity was a bit off, so my stomach felt like a lead balloon as I wandered about, sipping on juice that tasted a bit like sour berries and, inexplicably, blood.The air was comfortable enough, warmer than the creche's ship, and sweat started to bead in the small of my back.I shucked up my sweater sleeves, pushing them to my elbows, and ambled along.
This waystation, with a ketaari name I didn't have a hope in hell of pronouncing, wasn't less busy than Yellow Fin, but I found it a lot less overwhelming, despite the bad juice, heavy gravity, and hot air.Maybe it was because I had a plan, and a good one; what a novel fucking sensation.I guess it made a big difference to have smart people around you who actually wanted you to succeed, instead of very smart people who wanted you to just not be in the way.
I did miss Alet Trident, though, even if she did steal all my residuals and punt me into space without helping me make a plan.She could have just come up with a plan, even as a fun mental exercise, and given it to me so I had something like a starchart for my own life.
She probably charged for that.
Admittedly, I also wasn't sure if Vivith wanted me to succeed because they particularly cared about me, Sashen, the human.But they definitely wanted me to succeed because I could help Araxis, and thereby Creche Thiel.They also struck me as the kind of person who got an immense measure of satisfaction from watching one oftheir twisty plans go off without a hitch.Vivith liked to feel smarter than everyone around them, so it was a good thing that they were.
I, on the other hand, was happy to play the role ofgood-natured idiot.That piece of playacting almost always got me what I wanted.
I found the small ship docked near the biosphere, so as I picked my way toward its gleaming hull, I had a jarring moment of looking both at the yawning void of space beyond the humming atmoshield while also staring at massive trees that stretched upwards beyond the panes of crystal clear polymer delineating the start of the waystation's park.
It wasn't every day you saw a riot of life and the absolute nothingness of space at the same time, in such stark contrast.I hesitated, then, staring at the towering trees stretching toward the void of space.They seemed – impossible.Did I have time to go in?If I was maybe going to die – even if Araxis didn't think so – it would be nice to touch a tree first.Is that what peopledidwith trees?
I'd really thought when I left Seraphim, I'd get to see and experiencemore.But in the ten years that I called Yellow Fin home, I had only ventured out of the neighbourhood where the den was twice.Once was that time I had tried my hand at pit fighting for a bit of extra coin, which had cost me a broken nose, two lost teeth, and a medical bill that made the entire venture a massive loss.The second was to go to a play that Khrelen Tintissi had been cast in.The whole thing was in taar, so I didn't understand any of it – but he seemed good, and he'd paid for my ticket so it was a pretty thrilling night all around.
I finished the juice, which had grown on me despite its metallic tang, and dumped the empty cup in a waste receptacle at the end of the dock.The abayan cruiser I'd earmarked looked like it was nearly done loading.Trees would have to wait.
I tossed my bag over my shoulder, adjusting my walk to make it slow and nonthreatening, but as I approached the two abaya loading crates into the open hold of their small ship, their dark eyes tightened with suspicion anyway.
But I was virra.This was my wholething.
"Hi," I said once I was close enough to speak without raising my voice."I am so sorry to interrupt you.It's obvious that you're busy – but I need help."I let my pack slide down to my feet, and I worked to set my face into an expression of distress that they'd recognize.
I'd seen a lot of distressed abaya over the past week and change, and clearly I'd learned well.They looked at each other, and then straightened.The taller and stockier of the two spoke."I am Norril of Creche Bathel."He inflected the first word so that I knew what pronoun to use."This is Idralne of Creche Bathel."
The shorter, slimmer abaya inclined her chin.
If I had to guess, I'd have put both of them as irenek.I didn't know if there was a polite way to ask, and I didn't care enough to figure it out: I was just curious if I was beginning to grasp abayan gender enough to get a read.It felt like seeing the world through a pair of lenses that showed colours I hadn't been able to see before.
Or I was just making it all up.Who knew?
"I'm Sashen, most recently of Yellow Fin station.I'm travelling to Thenat-6 for work.I booked passage with some traders I thought seemed nice and gave them the last of my credits, but then they dumped me on a backwater moon near Vasimia.I don't think they were ever actually coming this way.I managed to make it here but…" I trailed off, trying to look even more morose.
"What is your work?"asked the shorter abaya.While her companion's face was pinched with sympathy, she looked a little more wary.
"I'm a dancer," I said."I've been working in a marn den, but this contract came along and I thought it might change things for me.I guess I was pretty silly."I was laying it on thick, but Ialsoknew that was how abaya liked virra to behave; Vivith had said as much when we'd been planning this leg of the journey and they'd looked very pleased as they muttered something about how I should justgive into my fundamental natureand seem very dumb and pathetic.
Araxis had been so sharp with Vivith then that evenI'dwinced, and although I didn't understand what he said in abayan, it had been nice to be defended.
I didn't particularly like that the additional cultural complexity I was discovering about being virra seemed to adddumbto thehot slutdesignation.Then again, if other virra were anything like me, maybe they also knew how to use what people thought to get what they needed and wanted.Maybe ours was such a good act that we'd convinced everyone else it was real.I wouldn't know until I met another adult virra out in the wild – and even then, it wasn't like we'd be identical.
I knelt down and grabbed Vivith's chip from my pack, holding it out."Here's my contract, if you want to check it out.I have 54 credits too.I'd be happy to send them to you as payment, although I know it's not much."
The taller abaya waved the chip away.Next to him, the skeptical one broke into a rapid-fire string of abayan.I didn't know enough to catch any words, so instead I focused on looking fragile and in need of help.I smiled sadly and added, once she finished speaking, "I understand if you can't help.It's probably pretty far out of the way."
"It is not far out of the way," said the taller one.The shorter abaya fluted a thin, irritated sound, and picked up another crate, stomping off with it as she vanished into the belly of the ship."We do not need your credits.Forgive Idralne.She has a difficult history with…" He looked at me, lips thinning.
Virra, he wanted to say.Instead, he settled on, "With dancers."
I nodded knowingly."I understand.Thank you, truly.You have my gratitude.I'm more than happy to help load your cargo.I like to be useful."
He trilled to himself."Hm, I think you had best go into the hold.There are some seats that fold down from the wall.You may settle in while Idralne and I finish loading.We will be leaving very shortly – and please refrain from wandering about the ship."
I smiled prettily and stupidly at him and, as I passed him by, he added, "Perhaps I will come and sit with you on the flight and you can tell me about dancing, hm?"
