"Ash, we have received a message from the Callidus government. We are not permitted to leave Callidium yet, but the crew is no longer confined to the Solent. You are free to move about the city. They know you are not pirates and they believe you about the Sharlah invasion. They are working it out, slowly. They have not yet decided if they will aid us."
"Well that''s very kind of them to let us out of the ship." Ash said. The statement was dripping with sarcasm.
"Mr. Cross would also like to see you." Charlie said, ignoring his attitude.
"Alright, tell him I''m on the way."
Ash climbed down into the engineering section, his aging knees resented his decision to use the ladder, but he didn''t see Jayden anywhere.
"Yo, Jay, where are you?" He called out.
"Down here." Came the muffled reply.
Ash found him laying under a console with some of the wires splayed out in a rat''s nest on the floor beside him.
"What''s all that? I can''t really help you with whatever this" He waved his arms in a circle around this mess "is."
"Yeah, I know. It''s not this." Jayden said, doing the same motion as he scooted his upper body out from under the console. "It''s Charlie."
Ash tilted his head sideways like a confused puppy. "What''s wrong with Charlie?"
"Nothing, that''s just it. I love - Charlie is awesome, she''s perfect. She saved our lives more than once." His face was hard. Serious.
"I agree Jay, I still don''t understand. What is it you wanted to talk to me about."
"That Callidus, Seriff, He wanted her back, he programmed her to come back home."
"Yeah, that''s why he came to see us too, not just for the mac and cheese and conversation. He said he programmed her to be like his daughter. I can see why he would want her back." Ash said rubbing his stubble. It was odd to talk about Charlie when he knew she was listening. He wanted to say that maybe she wasn''t perfect. She ignored them when they told her to let the Callidus security guys go. "I don''t see why he couldn''t just make another?"
"Who knows." Jayden said. "This is all new to me. Just promise me you wont get rid of her, please?"
"I promise Jay. Charlie is part of this crew and we need her."
"One more thing Ash, the hyperspace drive is a fuel hog, we''re not on empty but we need to think about how we''re going to fuel up."
Ash called a meeting at the kitchen table and a few minutes later, everyone was there.
"We received a message from the Callidium government. They told us that we still aren''t permitted to leave the planet, not that we have anywhere to go if we did, and Jay has just informed me that our fuel is low. But on the bright side, we are now allowed to leave the ship and go out into the city."
"We have no money, what are we going to do out there?" Kate asked.
"Well, I think we should look around the ship and see if there''s anything that we can sell. We''re from a far away world that these people have never even heard about. Lets see if we have anything that they might want and try to make a deal."
For the next hour, the crew looked through their personal belongings and came back with a few random items. Jay offered up his stocked music player and headphones. Kate had a few books and some photos from Dottier. Ruo didn''t have anything but she had asked Kate for some of her clothes and offered up her Tiantang Navy uniform. Ash laid the rest of his liquor bottle on the table and his sheathed knife with the wolf on the handle.
This isn''t what I meant when I said "For the aliens"
The pile looked impressive to him but nobody could know what would be of value to aliens.
"Okay lets get it all packed up, we can use my duffel bag. Listen, nobody goes off on their own. We can split into groups of two if we have to but nobody goes anywhere alone." They nodded in agreement.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
<hr>
"Did Seriff say where his shop was? Maybe he would want Jayden''s music player, he likes gadgets." Ruo asked as they all shielded their eyes from the sun again.
"We should go somewhere else. I think I saw some street vendors a couple of blocks into the drive to our hearing." Jayden said quickly and locked eyes with her.
"Did you bring some of the macaroni and cheese?" She asked Kate.
"Yeah, I have it."
"We should go there, lets split up and do both?" Ruo said, pulling Kate by the arm.
"No no no, I''ve seen enough movies to know that''s a bad idea." Jayden said.
"Yeah, lets stay together, we can take the mac and cheese to him later, but lets see what these vendors are about. It seems like they use the same credits as Dottier. I guess that makes sense considering what we know now." Ash decided.
When they arrived at the outdoor market, Creatures of all shapes and sizes stopped what they were doing and looked at the humans before going back to their business.
"Well that was weird." Jay said.
"They only know humans from what they''ve heard about the pirates. This could work in our favor. Try to look tough and confident." Kate whispered.
"Bluff. Good call Kate. Remind me not to play poker with you." Ash whispered back.
Ash walked up to a clothing stall and confidently declared that he had the uniform of a war hero. The avian-like species of alien running the stall tilted it''s head and replied "Who?"
Ruo straightened her back as Ash pointed to her. Though she couldn''t understand what the being was saying back to him, she had guessed correctly. The bird leaned closer and took a small sniff and then tossed it''s head back and flapped it''s wings furiously, knocking over a small shelf next to it. Jayden''s face nearly exploded as he tried to hold in the laugh that was forcing it''s way out through his nose. The market took notice once again.
"I was in that pod for a long time." Ruo said in her defense.
"Yeah, they must have a sensitive nose or something." Ash said as his lips twitched. He was fighting for his life.
"Can we please move on. Try your knife somewhere, I''m sure they''ll want that." Ruo said.
The crew walked through the bustling marketplace, staring down anyone who looked at them for more than a quick glance.
"Humans! what are you doing here? Why have you not been arrested?" A Callidus waved his hands at them.
"Shut your mouth merchant. Our credits work just the same, maybe we''ll buy something from you if you behave." Kate said in a surprising display of bravado. "Here, you first. Look at this blade, how much will you pay?"
The Callidus shrank back in his seat. "Noo noo, I don''t want that. That beast is a bad omen, very bad. Take it away, please!"
Ash looked at the wolf on the handle and back at the Callidus. "This? You have these here?"
"No, not here in the city. They are in the forest, they hunt in packs and kill lost children. Please, leave me." It said, waving for them to go.
Ruo leaned in and asked "What was that?"
"He was scared of my knife, said something about bad luck. He''s scared of wolves." Ash said, moving on to find a new merchant.
One of the stalls seemed to have nobody working there but all of the merchandise was still sitting out and their money box sat unattended, nearly half filled with silver credits.
"There must be five hundred credits there, where are they? That''s dangerous." Kate said quietly.
"GOOD DAY HUMANS!" A tiny voice called out from under the table and a small white rodent stepped out and started to climb up the leg of it''s full sized wooden chair.
"Hello there, how are you?" Ash asked.
"I would be better if you could help me. You see, I had a wonderful day at the market but my helper needed to leave. Can you help me take my profits to the bank?" The little rodent asked, holding it''s paws together.
"Well I don''t see why not. Maybe you could pay us for the trouble?" Ash asked.
"Certainly." It replied
Kate grabbed Ash by the arm and pulled him a few steps away. "Ash, I know that wasn''t a human that you were talking to, but that sounded rehearsed. I think he''s setting us up. He''s running a scam, I''m sure of it."
Ash met her gaze and the feeling crept into his brain like a delayed web signal. "Now that you say it, I think you''re right." He turned back to the alien and said. "I''m sorry my friend, we are late for a meeting."
"You disappoint me human. I expected no less from a pirate."
"Lets go drop off this mac n cheese before he calls his associate." Ash said and started walking back toward the Callidus with a fear of wolves.
"Excuse me, do you know where the gadget shop is? It''s run by a Callidus named Seriff?"
"Three blocks to the north." It said and pointed behind it but it''s eyes settled on Ash''s duffel bag. "What is that?" It asked.
Ash looked down and saw that his 3/4 full bottle of bourbon was sticking out of the top. "Oh this? This is a rare intoxicant from a distant planet called Dottier. It can make you brave" He paused. "Beautiful.. and Intelligent."
"Really?" The Callidus purred.
"Oh yes, what will you pay me for such a potion?" Ash said.
"Let me try it." The Callidus said flatly.
"Well, it''s taste is not important, it''s effects are why it is so costly."
"Let me try it or no deal."
"Okay. You can take one drink." Ash said.
He could feel the eyes of the whole crew, even Ruo who could put the pieces together rather easily on that one, as he poured a shot of bourbon into a the cap from the bottle. The alien took it and dumped the whole shot into it''s mouth before heaving and holding it''s throat. Once again, the entire market looked at them.
"Oh no! Are you okay?" Kate cried and reached for the fox man.
He went down to his knees and gasped for air before starting to laugh. He climbed back to his feet with a chuckle and tossed the cap back to Ash. "Worthless swill."
Ash just stood there, dejected. "Nice one. Nice prank. That was actually really good. What''s your name Callidus comedian?"
"Jarrowelz." he said, cracking a smug fox grin.
"Okay Charles, you got me. So you don''t want this?" Ash asked.
Charles just shook his head and pointed toward Seriff''s shop again as the rest of the market started laughing in a smorgasbord of alien sounds.