When Rhubin and I were about to enter the dangerous section of the station that had the storefront I needed to get to, two large and burly aliens stepped in front of us. They only had one eye and a big mouth with odd-shaped teeth.

“You need to pay the toll.” One of them said.

“Is it one or both of your lives?” I asked without missing a beat. They exchanged looks, at least I assumed they did, because all I saw was them twitch to the side towards one another without turning their heads, then twitched back to face me.

“It's fifty credits.” The one on the right said.

“Your life is only worth fifty credits?” I asked, surprised. “You didn't say if it was one or two, though.”

“Fifty credits.” The one on the right said pulled out a long knife and waved it at me, threateningly.

“If I kill you, there won't be a cartel after me or anything, will there?” I asked, grabbed the knife in a flash, then shoved it right into the part of the alien that glowed with the brightest Presence. I absorbed that Presence as it tried to escape and I felt a tingle go down my spine. The lifeless alien slumped to the floor and I kept hold of the knife. It made a slush sound as it was extracted from what I thought of as the alien's chest, and the other alien looked down at its quite dead fellow.

“What was the toll again?” I asked. “One or two lives?”

“Just... one.” The other alien said as it picked up the dead one, then it walked away.

“By the goddess.” Rhubin said. “Um... I...”

“We haven't entered the section yet, so you can make a hasty retreat now.” I said without turning around and I looked at the knife. It had a white sticky substance on it and I looked around for something to wipe it off. “You don't happen to have a cloth or something, do you?”

Rhubin handed me a square piece of cloth and I carefully wiped off the long knife that was more like a short sword, folded the cloth over, then put it in a pocket.

“I'll have it cleaned.” I said.

“Keep it.” Rhubin said. “Ullir, I think... yeah, I need to go.”

“Don't get into trouble.” I said, and he looked down at the pool of white liquid on the floor.

“That's what I'm hoping to avoid.” Rhubin said, then walked away without looking back.

I waited until he was out of sight before I hooked the long knife to my belt and walked over to the section I wanted to enter. I was surprised that it had a large security door and also no guards.

Maybe those two were the guards? I asked myself and chuckled as I walked over to the door. Self-appointed guards, maybe.

I stood there for a few moments and examined the door. I didn't see any energy fields or stun emitters, so I reached out and pulled on the handle. It made a clank noise and only moved an inch. I used my Detect Presence technique to look into the door and also through it, then saw that there was a bar on the other side that blocked the handle from moving all the way. I didn't see anyone on the other side of the door or within my detection range, so I used a Presence Hand to slide the bar over slightly and used the handle to open the security door all the way.

I stepped through and closed it, then put the bar back in place. That was a little too easy. I thought to myself and walked across the small room and into a hallway, then out into a huge area with people, aliens, droids, and machines moving around in an almost random manner. I waited until there was a small lull in their movements and entered the throng, then slowly made my way over to the shop that I wanted to get to. I put my hand on the door handle and someone spoke from behind me.

“Come with me.” A man's voice said.

“Is this important?” I asked, and he cycled the power on his laser weapon so I could hear it charging.

“Is taking the life of a sentient creature important?” He responded.

“If this is about the two thugs that tried to rob me, I was defending myself.” I said and smiled briefly as I turned around. “Preemptively.”

“The one still alive says differently.” The man dressed in a uniform said and pointed to the long knife on my belt. “They said it was you that robbed them.”

“Well, you know that's a lie.” I said, and he raised his eyebrows at me. “I would have killed them both, taken all of their things, then shoved them into an airlock and disposed of the bodies if I was going to rob them.”

The man just stood there and stared at me with shock on his face.

“I only have the knife because he didn't ask for it back.” I said and briefly smiled again.

“You... still have to answer for the crime.”

“What crime?” I asked.

“Murder.”

“Well, that's a lie.” I said. “If I wanted to murder him, I would have cut off his head or dismembered him in a fit of passion. As it was, he threatened me with a knife, so I took it from him and stabbed him with it. He died.”

Everyone else that was around or passed by, completely ignored us, and it was like we were in our own little pocket of time.

“You still killed him.”

“I haven't denied that part.” I said.

“You need to come with me.”

“I'm not very good with following orders.” I lied, and I saw the man's right eye twitch. So, he can tell when people lie. “Where would you take me if I went with you?”

“To the brig.”

“For how long?”

“Until the section manager can see you to judge your case and give you your sentence.”

“That sounds surprisingly like a rigged system. I didn't hear the words trial or defend yourself in there anywhere.” I said. “I'll agree to meet the section manager; but, not to sitting in the brig for an unknown amount of time.”

“You don't have a choice in the matter.” The man said and moved his laser weapon from side to side slightly, as if I needed the reminder that he was pointing it at me.

“I haven't even had my coming of age ceremony.” I said, and his eyes widened. “Look, I have business to attend to. You go and handle things and let me know when the section manager can see me.”

“You can't just dismiss a formally reported crime.”

“Can I formally report them trying to rob me, then?” I asked. “Before you say no, I have a corroborating witness that saw the whole thing.”

The man opened his mouth for a moment, then closed it. “You can't file a report after the fact to try and mitigate the murder charge.”

“Yeah, I thought so.” I said and calmly walked over to him. He didn't react, I assumed because he thought I was coming with him, so I grabbed his weapon from his outstretched hand before he could react and pointed it at his head. “Did you see that? You were threatening me with a weapon, so I took it from you. I could have killed you with it before you even blinked.”

The man just stared at me as I stepped back and right in front of his eyes I disassembled his weapon.

“Unlike the thieves, I knew you didn't intend me harm.” I said and handed him the pieces. “Now run along and get me that appointment.” I said, turned him around and pushed him into the crowd. He stumbled into a couple of people, and they still didn't pay him or me any attention.

I held in my laugh at the absurdity and walked over to the shop and entered it. “Hello to the shopkeeper.” I said and shut the door, then walked over to what I thought was the main counter. I saw all kinds of electronic devices on the shelves that I passed. I had no idea what a lot of them were called or what possible functions they would have. With my technique Detect Presence on all the time, I could see a figure as he sat on the floor behind the counter. I could also see a large laser weapon in his hands.

“I'm not here to cause you trouble.” I said and used Detect Presence to look at the laser weapon. I found the charge release and used Presence Hand to flip it open.

“Garshnak!” A deep voice said as his weapon lost power. I watched him flip a few switches, turn a knob, then smack the side of the weapon with the palm of his hand. “Piece of junk!”

“It's just the charge release.” I said as I casually leaned on the counter. “Flip it back and let it build up again.”

“Oh.” The deep voice said. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” I said and glanced over the counter. He was an alien of some kind with beige skin, average height, and was also completely bald. That made me laugh, and he looked up at me with three eyes.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Not you.” I said and held my hands up in surrender. “When I saw your bald head, it reminded me of a shaved fluffy puff-ball alien called Gruskluan.”

“GRUSKLUAN!!!” The alien yelled and stood up, his uncharged weapon forgotten. “You know him?”

“Know him?” I asked and grinned. “I'm the one that arranged to have that bastard shaved bald.”

“You... you...” The alien put the large laser weapon on the counter, walked around it, then took me into a hug. “I should declare you my brother in arms; but, my brothers would kill me!” He said.

“I don't want to cause a family quarrel.” I responded, and he grinned at me as he let me go.

“What can I do for you?” The alien asked. “Someone that can pull off a stunt like that on Gruskluan deserves the best service!”

“Well, I've got a bit of an odd request.” I said.

“Let's hear it.”

“I'm looking for a high quality focusing crystal.”

The alien's jaw moved up and down as if he was speaking, except that no words came out.

“Before you freak out, yes I've been declared a rogue by The Order.” I said. “Even though I was never inducted into the organization.”

The alien closed its mouth and frowned as it squinted its three eyes at me. “It's not supposed to work like that.”

“They pretty much do what they want and no one questions them.” I said and shrugged. “They killed my parents, who were also declared rogues. When they kidnapped me, they took the focusing crystals from my inherited weapons.”

“Those bastards!”

“That's almost exactly what I said when I found out.” I smiled. “I don't intend to use them; but, I would like to put them back into proper working order.” I said and looked around for a moment, then leaned in close. “I took a focusing crystal from a member of The Order to repair my mother's weapon. Unfortunately, it's a much lower quality one and it's old and practically worn out. It's not a fitting replacement for me to have to remember her by.”

The alien nodded his head in understanding.

“I took a newer one from another member to put in my father's weapon and it works fine; but, I'm not comfortable with that and it feels wrong, if you understand what I'm saying.”

“I do.” The alien said. “I've had a few customers complain about weapons not feeling right.”

“So.” I said. “Can you point me in the right direction?”

“You're a fresh face, completely unproven, and you could be working for The Order.” The alien said.

“All I'm doing for those assholes is a job they can't do themselves.” I said. “I'm hunting down a member of their own organization that went rogue last year.”

The alien didn't say anything and I didn't see surprise on his face.

“He stole things from me and I want his head.”

“The bounty?”

“I told them I wouldn't be back for it when I send them his head as proof.”

“You really broke away from The Order?” The alien asked.

“I was only a child and they wouldn't let me leave until my sixteenth birthday.” I said. “They kidnapped me and held me prisoner for twelve years, stole from me, and tried to send me on a mission that they thought was guaranteed to kill me before my coming of age ceremony, which I didn't have yet, even though I'm sixteen.”

“They wanted to remove you as a threat.” The alien said and caught on to the facts right away.

“They tried.” I said and smiled. “I cut off one of their arms and interrogated them, then they told me about the blue skinned and black horned alien that was responsible for everything.”

“Do you know his name?”

I held in my laughter, because the alien already knew who I was talking about and that he was a male. “It's (Undecipherable).” I said. “Him and his sadistic snot-nosed apprentice.”

The alien nodded and hit a button, which closed heavy metal shutters over the door and windows. “This way.” He said and walked around the counter. I followed him and he took me into the back room and over to a wall of odd electronic things. He grabbed a shelf and pulled, and the wall behind it popped out and the shelf swung out to reveal a door.

The alien put his hand inside a small hatch, and with Detect Presence I saw that he entered a long combination of numbers into a touchpad there. There was a hishing sound as the door opened.

“Did I just hear a Warglesnort fart?” I asked, and the alien whipped his head around to stare at me, then he burst out laughing. He sounded like a donkey that couldn't get enough air.

“A... a... Warglesnort fart! Heeehaawww! Heeehaawww! Heeenh heeenh heeenh! Heeehaawww!”

I couldn't help myself and laughed at his ridiculous laugh, and we stood there for several minutes.

“You... funny.” The alien said when he calmed down. “I've got to tell Meaglesnarn what you said!”

“Is that where we're going?” I asked.

“Yes!” The alien said and I followed him through the door and it hished shut behind us. The alien laughed for another couple of minutes as we walked down several hallways and passed through several doors and other security checks, then we arrived at the place that I assumed was our destination.

“Meaglesnarn! You have got to hear this!” The alien said and quickly told the other alien, that looked like him, what had happened. The second alien laughed like a donkey for a minute or so, then clapped the first alien on the shoulder.

“Mogglesnark! I haven't laughed like that in weeks!”

“I told you.” Mogglesnark said. “This is... say, I didn't catch your name.” He said as he turned back to me.

“Hunter.” I said.

“Hunter here needs a couple focusing crystals.”

Meaglesnarn's mouth dropped open and he stared at us for about twenty seconds, then he realized what was said. “You can't say stuff like that out loud!” He exclaimed and roughly grabbed Mogglesnark's arm and shook him.

“It's okay.” Mogglesnark said, then explained what had happened to me, my situation, and who I was looking for. Meaglesnarn did the same thing Mogglesnark did when I told him, and his jaw opened and closed for several moments and he didn't make any sound. He clamped his mouth shut and nodded when Mogglesnark finished talking.

“This way.” Meaglesnarn said and walked to the wall behind where he stood, then walked right through it as if it wasn't there.

“Wow.” I said and looked at it with Presence. It was a solid wall as far as I could tell and there was nothing behind it. I had assumed it was the edge of the station, and I was completely wrong.

“Meaglesnarn makes great holoprojections.” Mogglesnark said and followed the other alien.

I followed him and we stepped through the wall holoprojection and I was surprised that there was an entire market behind it. I looked at as much of it as I could, and I saw laser weapons, grenades, proximity mines, spacial charges, mining equipment, gourmet foods, a brothel, several fruit stands, clothing stands, and a whole bunch of other things all mixed together.

There was no rhyme or reason to where things were. I tried not to stare at what looked like a sushi stand serving customers that was right next to a stand with a guy cleaning his laser rifle and sold various weapons.

Do they even care about sanitary food conditions? I asked myself.

“Here we are.” Meaglesnarn said and knocked on a door, then entered without waiting for a response. I looked inside and saw several aliens, some of which looked just like the two I was with, and when I looked up, I saw a very bright glow of Presence. I didn't say anything as we went up the stairs several floors. We kept getting closer to that bright glow, and I had a hard time not concentrating on it.

When we reached the right floor, I couldn't see anything else except that bright glow. I was sure we had passed several people, some of whom had taken an interest in me and followed us; but, I only had eyes for that bright glow.

Meaglesnarn once again knocked on the door and waited for a moment, then entered without waiting for a response. “Great Aphatoris.” He said and bowed deeply to the brightly glowing source of Presence. “I have someone you need to meet.”

“Well, then.” Aphatoris said in a normal voice and not the booming one I had expected from someone with so much Presence. “Please, bring them in.”

“Quick! Quick!” Meaglesnarn waved Mogglesnark into the room, who grabbed my arm and pulled me into the room with him. “His name is Hunter and...”

“Quiet.” Aphatoris said and stood up. “I believe he can speak for himself.”

Now that I was close enough, I managed to see through the brightness of the Presence around the powerful being that stood across the room and started to make out the details.

It was a woman.

There were other people in the room with her and they were hard to see. When I stepped forward to get close to her, they tried to interfere. I created several Presence Hands and grabbed those people, then threw them across the room to slam against the walls and held them there. She stared at them for a moment, then glared at me as I walked over to her.

“You dare...”

“I can't greet you properly if they are in the way.” I said as I stepped close to her. I had never seen or even heard of anyone that had this much Presence in them, not even The Wise One whose Presence was about half as bright. I reached out with my hand to take hers and she caught her breath when our skin touched. Her Presence flowed and swirled around her, down her arm, and into me. Her eyes widened as my Presence accepted hers and they swirled together, instead of what she had expected it to do. Namely, block her flow of Presence and try to deflect it from touching me.

“Wh-who are you?” Aphatoris asked in a whisper with wonder in her voice.

“I'm someone that needs your help.” I said and stared into her eyes for a moment, then I surprised myself, and her, when I took her into my arms and kissed her.