Page 23 of Relyn (Warriors of Etlon #6)

Nora

N ora wasn’t sure what to expect from a space station.

Until she’d been hijacked to Etlon Two, she’d never been off planet before.

In the vids, space stations came in two forms. Either they were dark crowded dens of iniquity with pirates waiting to shoot you, or they were bustling shiny centers of commerce.

Koris Seven was somewhere between the two.

The hangar was filled with ships of all sizes and a more diverse group of aliens probably did not exist. Nora spotted a rainbow of aliens, only a few of which she could name.

She didn’t see any obvious Mahdfel either.

They were usually fairly easy to spot with their bulging muscles and their skin tight uniforms.

There was also no sign of weapons, as laser pistols and rifles were banned on the station.

Relyn assured her that there were plenty of ways to kill people without such weapons.

She was pretty sure he meant it to be reassuring, but instead, it made her tuck a knife in her boot and her lock picks back in her pocket.

Relyn wanted her to stay on board. She’d practically laughed at him when he’d suggested it.

Nora had a credit stick and she planned to use it.

Surely it would smooth her transition back home if she came bearing presents.

Bright assured her there were retail shops if she stuck to the commercial side of the station.

The part where Bright was going was rougher.

Nora had volunteered to go with her, but Relyn had absolutely put his foot down.

It was decided they would split up into two groups: Nora and Wendy would go shopping with Grom tagging along as their bodyguard and Relyn and Bright would go looking for specific supplies that they needed.

God, she really hadn’t thought about how her mother would react.

She’d been teleported away and hadn’t even received a bride price.

Her parents had often jokingly spoken of what they planned to do with the money if she was ever matched.

It was enough for them to retire and live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

The money did a lot to salve the wounds of tearing families apart.

The five of them exited the ship at the same time, and Bright closed it up. She’d quietly changed the code again and given it to everyone except Grom. Nora thought that was a good idea. As much as they’d touted to Grom that he was bodyguard, it was more like they were his babysitter.

At the exit to the hangar, Bright and Relyn took a left, while the rest of them went to the right.

The first shop looked quite familiar. It was just like one of those souvenir shops in downtown and New York City, filled with silly trinkets and mini Statues of Liberty and Liberty Bells.

Even space had tourist traps. Nora couldn’t help but walk in.

She had no idea what half the stuff did or what the little symbols meant. The way Wendy was browsing, she didn’t have much of a clue either.

“Ever been off planet before this?” Nora asked.

“Nope. Hell, I’d never been out of Canada before this,” Wendy said.

“I’ve been to Canada. It was lovely. So many trees,” Nora said.

“We’re lousy with them.”

They wandered a bit aimlessly through the aisles before heading to the next store.

This one seemed to sell clothing, and it was quite entertaining to browse the samples, some with extra arm holes or holes for tails.

The salesman saw them browsing and marked them for suckers.

He didn’t know he was dealing with a girl from Philly.

“This one, this one’s quite nice. It’ll go with your eyes,” he said, throwing a robe-like garment her way.

“It’s a little flimsy. Not sure I like the construction,” Wendy said.

“True. I can sew a straighter seam than that one. And space is fricken cold. I’d freeze in a hot minute,” Nora said.

The salesmen took a step back, but didn’t miss a beat. He grabbed the garment and tossed it on the counter.

“I see you are the more discerning type of customer. For you, we have the best of nanothermal wear. It will keep you warm in freezing temperatures and cool in the heat.”

“Does it wick away moisture?” Nora asked.

“But of course. Here, try it on,” he said, handing her a black vest that kind of looked like a fancy neoprene leather combo.

It was way too big for her, but she put it on anyway.

Without asking he grabbed the sides of the front opening and stuck them together.

Magically, it seemed they stayed put and the whole garment began to mold to her body until it fit perfectly.

The salesman rotated her around to a mirror in the back. Jeez, it made her go from teacher to some Lara Croft cosplay, but it was definitely badass. Give her a duster and she’d feel like a read space going adventurer.

She looked at Wendy who nodded nonchalantly. “It’s better than the other one,” she said. Nora continued to slow play him.

“Yeah, not sure it’s my look though,” Nora said.

“But you haven’t seen all the features. This activates the body core analysis. It senses your species median temperature and then heats up or cools to maintain core temperature.”

“Yeah, and how much is that?”

“It’s quite a deal. Only four hundred and ninety nine credits.”

“So they play the same game in space that they do on Terra, I see.”

“Games?” The salesman asked coyly. His skin was kind of a blue rubber, and wearing a very purple spangly shirt that showed off his lopsided arms that seemed to have multiple elbows in them. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Five hundred credits? Does he think you just walked out of space yesterday?”

“That’s a very good deal. A very good deal.”

“Funny, I just had a friend tell me she got one for three hundred,” Wendy said.

“Do you know where? It’s nice and all, but I don’t know if it’s five hundred credits nice,” Nora said, ignoring the salesman and his flailing arms.

“Four ninety nine credits, not five hundred.”

“Yeah, I’ll give her a ring. This guy’s just playing you.”

“Okay, for you, four hundred credits.”

Nora pulled at the fabric. “How does one get out of this thing?”

“I think you press that button right there,” Wendy said. Sure enough it released the front enclosure of the vest and relaxed the fit enough to begin taking it off.

“Ladies, ladies, you won’t find a better deal. I can’t get it wholesale for three hundred.”

“Three fifty, then. Otherwise, I’ll give you my friend’s number. She’s got all the Mahdfel connections and I’m sure-”

“Mahdfel?” The salesman looked nervous. His arms twitched and his eyes darted around, as if he expected a Mahdfel to show up and find issues with his merchandise. Nora was beginning to suspect some of it must have fallen off the back of a spaceship, or whatever they called it here.

“You have a problem with the Mahdfel?” Wendy asked suspiciously.

“No, no problem. Never any problems. Three seventy-five you said?”

“Three fifty.”

“Right, right.”

Nora handed over her credit stick and he subtracted the credits. He couldn’t get them out of there faster enough. Grom had stood at the doorway to the store the whole time and tagged along with them as they walked down the corridor.

“You think that’s a good deal?” Nora asked as soon as they were far enough away.

“I have no idea, but you definitely look kick ass in it. Makes me want to keep shopping, though I haven’t got any credits. I’ve got money, just back at home.”

“No worries. This is Clover’s credit stick. I plan on paying her back when I get home. I’m sure she won’t mind if we borrow it for a few incidentals. Though, if this is the non sketchy area of the station, I wonder what the sketchy part of it looks like.”

“We’re staying in this section,” Grom suddenly said from behind them. His eyes were darting back and forth. He was apparently taking his bodyguard duty very seriously.

Wendy rolled her eyes and then her eyes lit up. Nora turned to see where she was staring. It was a jewelry store.

“Look at that!” Wendy sprinted ahead and looked at the line of cases filled with shiny things. It wasn’t just the traditional rings, bracelets and necklaces either. Nora tried to figure out how some of the jewelry could even be worn. Her imagination failed her on several pieces.

“I wouldn’t even have a guess at what some of this is worth,” Wendy said.

“Diamonds are only worth a lot on Earth because of their history and the fact that the diamond merchants hoarded them, and made manufactured diamonds seem less luxurious. Who knows if, for example, that stone with the fire,” Nora pointed to a brilliant stone that seemed to be lapping with blue flames, “isn’t as common as a rock on some planet. ”

“It sure is pretty though.”

“Maybe we could bring Bright by here. Otherwise, we’re gonna get scammed.”

“I can buy it for you,” Grom said.

Wendy laughed. “I’m a woman of independent means. I don’t need a man to buy me pretty rocks.”

“But-”

“Forget it Grom,” Nora said. “We’re just shopping. Girls look at a lot of pretty things they don’t intend to buy.”

Grom retreated back into his sulky silence and they continued on their shopping trip.

Further on they found another clothing shop that seemed to be absent a sly salesman.

Nora found a dark brown coat that matched her new vest, and Wendy found a pair of pants that both of them agreed were kick ass.

Everything fit perfectly because the clerks took a quick body scan and replicated the design to match their exact dimensions.

Nora had heard that this tech was available in some higher end Earth stores, but it was way out of her limit as a teacher.

Here, even the coat was only a hundred and twenty credits instead of the thousands of dollars it might cost on Earth.