July 6th, 2486 - Planet Sanctuary, Sanctuary City - Koltura District - Pazzik’s Mechanics

The mechanical bell rang, somewhere near the entrance to the dusty expanse of car parts, wires and metal plating. At the back of the store, Chara groaned, hoisting the heavy shutter over her shoulders.

‘Grandad! We’ve got customers!’ she called into the workshop behind the shutter.

Pazzik Rua Nagamine did not have to bend to cross over the threshold between the dingy workshop and the dusty store. He was small, green skinned and wrinkled, head clean shaven and a thick, white beard adorning his face, which Chara knew he had grown to cover a number of gnarled scars. In his white gi, tied with a black belt, the miniature martial-artist-turned-mechanic was far from intimidating.

‘Lift with your legs, not with your back’, Pazzik said as he wandered purposefully through the shop. ‘I’ve told you so many times’

‘When are you going to stop telling me?’ Chara asked, with an exasperated sigh.

‘When you do yourself an injury’, Pazzik replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. ‘Or, alternatively, when I die.’

Chara let out an amused huff, blowing a loose strand of poker-straight blue hair from her face.

‘Then I’m in luck’, Chara retorted, a hint of snark in her tone. ‘Since you’ll probably outlive me, considering I’m Human.’

Pazzik stopped in his tracks for a moment.

‘Don’t worry about outliving anyone Chara’, he said. ‘Keep your nose out of trouble, work hard and live well—and I do mean work hard. We’ve got a long day ahead of us, as always.’

Chara sighed wistfully, and carefully switched the pressure of the shutter from her gut to her thighs, gently bringing it to the ground behind her. She followed her adoptive grandfather at a distance, between the dimly lit aisles, until she reached the entrance way. Pazzik hopped up onto his stool at the counter, leaning forward to greet the three bizarrely dressed people who had entered the shop. She caught a glance from the one in sunglasses, and took a step back instinctively, a sense of fear descending upon her. The one with the chestnut coloured curls and stylish blazer jabbed him in the ribs, and she saw the blonde one’s ears fold in embarrassment.

‘Don’t mind him’, the woman with curly hair said in a whisper, winking at Chara. ‘His bite’s not as bad as my bark.’

Chara felt herself blush, suddenly giving an awkward smile in response. She had to turn her head aside. She felt a pull; a sudden desire to talk to the woman, to get to know her, to find out why she felt so incredibly, overwhelmingly attracted to her. The woman was stunningly beautiful, at least as far as she was concerned.

‘Welcome to Pazzik’s Mechanics, how can I help you?’ Pazzik asked with a friendly smile.

The Human wearing sunglasses leaned in, whispering in Pazzik’s ear. The old man listened attentively, his red eyes suddenly widening, his lips curling excitedly.

‘Chara, go fetch me the … special tools from the workshop’, Pazzik asked, then turning back to the strange trio he said, ‘We can discuss the specifics and the question of price while we wait.’

Special tools meant a business trip uptown, to some Spaceport where Chara and Pazzik would have to slave away at some criminal’s ship for several hours, removing any and all evidence that might incriminate in a court of law. Whatever Chara had felt when she saw the woman in the white blazer had evaporated, and had been replaced with the beginnings of distain. The strange trio were nothing but common thugs—they had to be, and following her grandfather’s advice, some flowers were not worth sticking your nose in, no matter how nice they looked. Chara shook her head, turned on her heels, quickly, hoping to hide her growing blush.

The mechanical bell clattered against the shop door, as it swung violently open. Chara hadn’t reached the shutter just yet, and curiosity dragged her eyes back to the door. It remained open for some time, as a procession of thuggish aliens meandered in, one after the other, as though they owned the premises. Chara felt her back press automatically to the shelving unit behind her. She would be completely obscured to the unexpected and unwelcome visitors, until they ventured further through the dusty, dimly lit aisles. She began to shiver, and began to clench and unclench her sweaty fists in hopes that the overwhelming sensation of fear would subside. She recognised the underlings of the Teqaku family at a glance.

‘Lovely establishment you’ve got ... having any trouble keeping the lights on lately?’ An insincere baritone boomed from the front door. It was followed by a high-pitched snickering, from a different set of lips.

Chara turned, watching down the aisle that separated her from the front door for any sign of movement. The shadowy form of a violet-skinned, rotund alien with horns like a bull and a jaw like a box, took up the entire doorway. He began to lumber towards the counter— Chara lost sight of him behind another shelving unit. Steeling herself, breathing out, she stepped into the aisle, praying that she wouldn’t run into any of the other thugs on her way.

‘… Although I see you’ve got a few new customers…’ the baritone grumbled.

‘Don’t recognise ‘em … you from off world, freaks?’ asked the owner of the snicker in a high pitched drawl.

Chara felt a hand on her shoulder, and each and every hair on the back of her neck rose in response.

‘Keep your eyes down—let’s take a little walk up to the front, shall we?’ a serpentine hiss advised her, the grip on her shoulder tightening. Her teeth began to chatter immediately, the quivering of her legs causing the set of tools dangling from the belt on her shorts to clank and clatter together. A bead of sweat formed on her thigh, and trickled down to her kneecap. The arm shoved roughly and Chara stumbled through the aisle.

‘Well, well, well … is this your daughter Pazzik? No, she’s too young, too Human…’ said a thin, blue-skinned alien woman with large, silvery eyes, long silvery hair, and tattoos marking almost every inch of exposed skin; most of her skin was exposed, thanks to a black crop top and shorts. Chara recognised her as the owner of the high-pitched drawl.

‘My granddaughter, Chara … I don’t believe you’ve met’, Pazzik said with a smile.

‘It’s so nice to see what’s at stake when making important decisions, don’t you think so Amarat?’ the enormous, violet-skinned alien asked. His four eyes fixed on Chara, his sunken chin flattening to accommodate a wide, unpleasant grin. The thin woman responded by cackling her agreement.

‘I’m sorry Cosmopoh, but you’ll have to come back another time’, Pazzik said, his voice suddenly hard and stern. ‘I’m with customers, and my granddaughter and I were just about to close up shop, come again tomorrow and—’

Before Pazzik could finish his sentence, the violet-skinned man named Cosmopoh slammed a fist onto the counter, veins popping on his forehead and all four of his bloodshot green eyes darting to the old man.

‘The Teqaku family does not wait!’ he growled. ‘Believe me, we have waited for you long enough, Pazzik Rua Nagamine! Your customers can wait outside, while we have a little chat about your granddaughter’s future...!’

Chara felt a hand tighten its grip on each of her shoulders, and felt her throat go numb with fear.

‘Bad vibes off this one’, the curly haired woman said, cutting through the tension like a plasma-knife through Onfirdian Sashimi. ‘Hey, old man! This is beginning to look like a problem. If we deal with it, can we get a discount?’

‘I … can guarantee that your efforts wouldn’t be in vain.’ Pazzik replied, his face contorting with pleasant surprise.

The curly haired woman responded by turning on her heel and kicking the man-mountain named Cosmopoh in the crotch.