Log 922 (A New Crewmate)

“Gared!  You fried the co-axial transwarp inducer!” the feminine voice shouted from inside the paneling.
         The “uh huh” that came back sounded distinctly like Gared wasn’t paying attention.  The truth wasn’t far from the implication either.  In fact, he was placing virtually all his attention on the bent over figure of Talisa, ship’s mechanic and captain.
         “We’re going to be stuck at this port for at least a sola which is going to put us even further behind in our schedule!”  Talisa shouted again.
         Another “uh huh” was muttered as he watched her backside move this way and that, a big grin on his face.  The opportunities to appreciate this vantage point came along quite frequently much to his enjoyment.  What made this occasion extra special was the fact that Talisa wasn’t aware he was watching her backside because as soon as she found out, Gared would be flat on his back with a boot to his throat.
         When her head finally popped out of the paneling, pieces of dark blue hair had come loose from her ponytail and smudge marks dotted her face.  Brushing back the stray hairs that had fallen in front of her eyes, Talisa stared at Gared with an intense look of disapproval.
         “Well, what are you doing just standing there?!” Talisa demanded, her patience expired.  “Go and find us a place to stay while I TRY and find the right parts.”
         “Whatever you say, boss,” Gared replied, grinning ear to ear as he walked off the docking pad.

*****

         Talisa had spent the last half-sola coaxing, arguing and finally bartering a price she didn’t quite approve of, with a Praxian for the parts she needed.  After pulling a little mechanic magic and getting the ship working, she thought about the Danubulan rattacks currently sitting in the cargo hold.  On their way to a buyer on Calla 4, she was reminded that they needed to be fed.
         Pouring the last of the grain feed into the cages, Talisa set off to find Gared.  Despite many annoying quirks, his habit of spending time in local bars was one that she was grateful for more often than not and the scene she came across was one she had long grown to expect.  Surrounded by a group of listeners, he was spinning yet another fabulous adventure of which the details were usually fudged.
         “So the Lat’chian guard has me in the corner and the look on his face is telling me he thinks he got the best of me when I-“ his voice falters at the sight of his captain.
         “When you what?” she asked, left eyebrow arched.  “Offered to be his love slave like he wanted?”
         Bolting out of his seat, Gared demanded with hint of indignity, “I had to throw him off guard!”
         “Ship’s ready, hot shot,” she replied casually and walked away.  Behind her the table burst out into laughter and a smile crept onto her face.
         It was another sola before he spoke again.  “Calla 4 is coming up,” he stated in a low voice.
         “I can’t believe you’re still mad,” she sighed.  “You know, you’re worse than a Zaxan culpar.”
         “You could’ve let me have my fun,” he growled back, pointing his finger at her.  Unbeknownst to him, she had been feeling bad ever since she got up.
         “If I buy you a keg of Sarubian ale, will you stop being mad?” she offered finally, after a long moment of silence. 
         It was another long moment before he responded, “Fine and you’re no longer aloud to interrupt my stories anymore.”
         A sly remark immediately popped into her head but she kept her mouth shut.  She didn’t actually need Gared on the ship but he was a better pilot than her and more importantly, though she would never admit it to him, the company was usually nice to have.
         “After we drop the rattacks off, we can take a break and I promise not to come into any of the bars while we’re here.”
         He would’ve responded had there not been a jarring explosion at the back of the ship that shook the two of them in their seats.  Talisa quickly brought up the status screen in front of her when another jarring explosion happened.
         “Can I be allowed any length of time when I don’t have to fix this thing?!” she muttered to no one but herself.  Glancing over her shoulder, she called out, “Can you evade the shots?”
         “Umm, captain, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that now.”
         “I can’t friggin believe it!  They’re actually trying to board my ship?  They’ve messed with the wrong person.”
         “Please don’t lose your temper,” his voice was tinged in worry with a slight hint of fear.
         With her gun at her hip, she grabbed her carbide staff, currently in its shortened state from its holding case in the arm of her chair.  Heading down the corridor that linked the bridge with the quarters, kitchen, and most importantly the cargo hold where the intruders would be entering.
         Just as she was about to enter the cargo hold, something grey darted out from an indent in the wall, nearly causing her to tumble into the door but ‘something’ inside her began to flow and underlying natural reflexes kicked in as she rolled, grabbed her gun and pointed it towards the direction she came from.
         “Please help me!” the voice and body were small and childlike.
         “Who are you and what are you doing on my ship?!” Talisa demanded, feeling the ‘something’ growing stronger inside.
         “Please help me!” the girl repeated.
         There was a loud bang that came from the cargo which prevented the conversation from going any further.
         “STAY HERE!” she shouted, and resumed her trek to the back of the ship.  With her gun in her hand, she peeked around the corner and ducked back just as a blast went rushing by her face.  With a quick glance, she fired into the cargo hold hoping to hit at least one of the intruders.  Back and forth this went for several minutes before she saw one of the rattacks scamper past her in an attempt for freedom.
         “I’m getting paid good money for those!” she stated once again to no one but herself.  Letting her anger fuel the second persona inside, she let it take over.  Dropping the gun, she extended the staff until it was five feet in length and then with a push of a tiny button, she revealed two knife blades at each end which were razor-sharp and glistened in the ship’s light.  With lightning fast moves, she lunged herself into the cargo hold and struck the closest intruder’s weapon out of his hand, immediately following it up with a jab into the abdominal area.  As she continued skewering the other three interlopers, blood, deep purple in colour, covered the blades and made splatters all over the floor.
         With the four intruders dead, the blood thirst inside had not been sated and she made her way back towards the front of the ship.  The girl was still in the corridor but Gared had joined her.  As he looked up, he could tell Talisa wasn’t back to herself just by looking at her eyes.  Normally, they were a blue-grey hue but with her altered state, they turned all black with silver irises.
         “Talisa, you need to calm down,” Gared called out to her but apprehension rang through every fibre of his being.  He whispered to the girl, “You need to go, now!”
         She kept a steady, unflinching gaze on them both as she slowly walked towards them with deliberate steps.  In the back of her mind, Talisa was trying to force her body to stop.
         Please, you have to stop.  The threat is over.  Can’t you see Gared?  You know he’s no threat and neither is the girl.
         I must finish what I started.
         Gared was slowly inching his way towards a lever on the wall which would bring down a door to separate himself from Talisa if needed.  Growling to the girl again, “You need to run now!”
         The girl refused to back away and instead slowly reached into her pocket and pulled something out that immediately flashed a blinding light.  It took Gared a few seconds before he could begin to make out shapes again but what he saw caused him to let out a sigh he never knew he was holding in.  Talisa was lying in the hallway unconscious.
         Looking at the girl with disbelief and suspicion, he slowly made his way towards Talisa’s crumpled body.  Checking her vitals, he made sure that she wasn’t harmed and turned his attention towards the girl.
         “What did you do?” his first question came out a little harshly.  “Who are you?  Why are you on this ship?”
         “I had to get away from those Xi’xians,” she replied softly.  “They were planning to do a very bad thing.”
         “Wait a minute,” he said, the words starting to sink in, “they boarded our ship because of you?  Why?”
         “Because I took the Eye of Mezmy from them.”
         “So that’s what that was,” he uttered to himself.  “Wait, you have an Eye of Mezmy?”
         Just then a moan was heard and Talisa’s body sluggishly moved until she was sitting upright.  Rubbing her eyes, she moaned, “What happened?”  Blinking a few moments, she finally noticed the girl standing several feet away.  “You…how did you do that?”
         She simply smiled. “The other one inside you seems very young.”
         Taken aback by the statement, it was a few moments before she asked warily, “How do you know that?”
         “I can see him.” The declaration was very matter of fact.
         “What the hell is going on?!” Gared demanded, raising his voice quite loudly.
         “Gared, go back to the bridge.”
         “Not until I know what’s going on.”
         “Please just go back to the bridge,” she said again, a little more firmness in her tone.
         Scowling, he got up and stared for a moment at both the girl and Talisa who was slowly getting up before stomping off to the front of the ship.
         “Who are you?” she asked when Gared had disappeared.
         “My name is H’kani.  I’m sorry I snuck onto your ship but you were the only one leaving when I needed to escape.”
         “Why were they after you?”
         “I stole something from them,” she replied and pulled out the small crystal attached to a gold chain.  This time, however, there were no blinding flashes of light.  “They were planning something terrible that involved the Eye of Mezmy so I took it.”
         “So that’s what did it,” Talisa commented in low tone to herself.  “There’s something different about you.”
         H’kani smiled.  “I come from an endangered race as well.  Are you Viridian?”
         With a look of shock, it took a few moments for her to respond, “Yes…how did you know?”
         “I came across another of your kind once before although he was much older than you.”
         Another of her kind?  A flood of questions crowded her mind but she forced herself to focus her attention on the current situation.  “How do you know about the Eye of Mezmy?”
         “The Eye seeks out a guardian to keep it and the universe safe.  The last guardian was killed by the Xi’xians so the stone called out to me.  I am its new guardian.”
         “I don’t usually offer free rides but I’ll take you wherever you need to go,” she offered after a period of silence.
         “The Eye of Mezmy would prefer to stay aboard,” the girl stated simply.  “It says it can help you.”
         “Oh no, that’s not an option.  You’re more trouble than you’re worth and I can’t afford any more damage to the ship or wild chases for that matter.”
         “Wouldn’t you like to control him?”
         “It’s not that simple.”
         “But it can be.”
         “You don’t understand…wait, why am I arguing with you?  This is my ship and I decide who stays.  Give me the name of a place I can take you or I will drop you off at a location of my choosing.”
         “That’s cold, Talisa,” Gared replied from a hidden spot down the corridor and appeared to give her a look of disapproval.  “How long do you think she’ll last with those brutes chasing after her?”
         Flashing him a stern look, she stated, “I can’t afford to give anyone a free pass irregardless of their situation.  We’re barely making ends meet as it is.”
         “Can you cook?”
         “I am familiar with many planetary cuisines,” she replied happily.  “I’m also good at coercion.”
         “Apparently,” Talisa muttered.
                “C’mon Tali,” he cajoled. “At least, try it out.”
                Giving him a dirty look, she pondered it for several moments flicking her gaze between the two before she let out a sigh. Gared’s face broke out into a grin.
                “You keep grinning,” she threatened lightly. “You’re gonna clean out the storage room for her to stay in.”
                “As long as I don’t have to put up with your cooking,” he jibed and disappeared with a chuckle before she could make any further threats.
         “Welcome to the ship,” she said in resignation. “I’ll show you where everything is.”
         H’kani beamed and followed behind with a light step.