“Identification,” the floating half-dome of metal in front of me said as a pair shiny cables tipped with claws delicately touched the badge; while a dozen more hung down until they nearly touched the floor. He had deliberately and with Choir’s help deactivated the auto-defence system for this purpose and Warden watched as the hovering silver-grey creature scratched the many gear and screw-like protuberances on its shell before it brought over the badge to the scanner. A second later a beep sounded out before the room flashed blue and another one of the Eazel’s drifted over.

“I do apologize,” the Eazel stated in a voice that sounded like the scratching of metal. “You were entitled to the express line. We will have to update our local facial recognition.”

“It’s no big issue,” Warden replied trying to forget the queue that he had been stuck in for the last hour. “Is there anything else you need?”

“Reason for coming here?” the first Eazel stated.

“To pick up some Solar-Sail Convertors,” Warden admitted with Wendy nodding silently in agreement.

“I haven’t heard of those before,” the original floating dome said as his shell gleamed dully.

“You can try the Helion Market,” his supervisor said. “A lot of ship parts pass through there and it’s relatively newcomer friendly. It was impossible to read any sort of subtext in his words. To Warden’s eyes the pair of them looked like a bunch of floating rocky jellyfish except lacking stingers in their entirety and with the presence of metallic barnacles on the topside.

“Thank you,” Warden stated. “I should only be here until I get the parts. Do I require any more documents or am I fine to go.” He had always hated these sorts of things. The amount of times in which his paper work was proven correct was outnumbered by the amount of times that he just got a few important aspects wrong and thus was turned away to return another day with the correct paperwork. Incorrect papers had been the bane of his administrative career.

“As long as your stay does not exceed fifteen days no additional permits are required,” the original Eazel said. “If you plan to start a business or purchase property then additional documentation will need to be obtained and processed. At that point you may need to submit additional forms due to change in intention.”

“You can take the Rail to the Helion Market,” the second Eazel said as a dozen tendrils curled themselves into the form of an arrow pointing at a tunnel into the rock. Just take the third left and then get off at the second stop.

“Thank you,” Warden said as he was handed a black circular coin the size of his palm that would serve as his temporary permit. “Nice folks over here,” he continued as he walked over to the instructed tunnel with Wendy.

“They’re very friendly,” she agreed as she followed him over to the tunnel. “Have you ever used one of these before, Sir?”

“No I have not,” Warden said as he saw the empty tunnel with a single two foot wide bar sticking out the front attached to a single rail that extended onwards into the tunnel. “Do I just step on the rail,” Warden asked coming to a stop.

“Just lean to the side when you have to get off,” Wendy said. “We had a few back at the prison. It’s surprisingly intuitive.” She stepped forward onto the bar and after a second there was a flash of green before she stepped forward onto the rail and then she was gone sliding down the rail with a speed that left her out of his sight in no time at all.

“Does she realise that I’m just a squishy human,” Warden mused to himself before shaking his head. While the thing looked dangerous it couldn’t be that hazardous if it was used for normal everyday transport. Without further preamble he stepped on the metal bar and after the light flashed he stepped onto the rail feeling as the soles of his shoes automatically glued themselves to the rail. The instant both feet locked to the rail a shock ran through his body anchoring him relative to the railing before his body accelerated down the railway with the stress and strain normally found in such high speeds completely missing. Indeed in spite the speed that he found himself going there was no wind blowing against his face and every breath he took felt fresh and clean; even if it felt a bit more oxygen rich than what he was used to.

A branch appeared in the road to the left and his body slowed down before he shifted to the right and bypassed the turn still remembering the directions and determined not to get lost this time. The whole process was indeed surprisingly intuitive and it was only another few minutes before he took the third turn to the left and slowed down opposite a the second open black door on his right hand side that slid open allowing him to easily hop off the rail as his feet became unstuck.

“Everything alright, Sir,” Wendy said as his bodyguard/secretary took her place by his side. “You seem to have done well for your first trip.” She had been standing in a silver grey waiting room complete with flat beige ‘seating’ areas.

“Please don’t only now tell me that the thing was actually dangerous,” Warden said with a sigh in his voice as they stepped out of the room. The first thing that struck him was how cold it was. The air seemed practically frigid and it didn’t help that his comfortable jacket and undercoat were replaced with an orange tracksuit top that was less of an insulator that he wished for. The air had a strange smell but it wasn’t unpleasant; almost sugary.

The sky above had a few dozen bright stars arrayed throughout the sky with a much larger green sun providing only minor illumination against the oppressiveness of the black curtain that covered the horizon. The roads were relatively busy with the floating Eazel that slowly ‘turned’ to look at them; or as much as a creature with no eyes could actually look at him. The so-called roads were a bit rough as the Eazel didn’t really seem to need it. Any carts or items that would normally trundle along the streets were instead hovering in much the same way that the Eazel did.

“They seem to be very good at Anti-Gravity technology,” Wendy said as they passed by another rectangular building floating a foot off the floor.

“Is Anti-Gravity common?” Warden asked watching as everything seemed to be floating slightly above the rough ground. “This was only meant to be a mining colony attached to a spaceport. We’re not supposed to be in the middle of any interstellar empire. In fact we’re supposed to be skirting the edges of the maps right here.” That was at least to his knowledge and according to the information Choir had imparted.

“They might be skilled with this form of technology, Sir,” Wendy said. “They seem to be able to float naturally despite being made of metal. Maybe they learnt the trick behind it rather early on and they’ve just built it into their architecture.”

“Makes sense,” Warden remarked. “But it does seem that they are woefully lax when it comes to the finer points of road building as a result,” he said pointing at the rocky mess that was shamefully called a pathway that he walked upon, immensely thankful for his good boots. “Yes these aren’t roads that would get the old Roman stamp of approval.”

“Who are the Romans?” Wendy asked as the two continued throughout the district. There were a few metal signs floating alongside the buildings and the pair perused them looking for an engine salesman.

“A group of marauding raiders that built an empire upon slaves and then died when the slaves ran out,” Warden responded back without any nuance. “They were a famous and influential civilisation in my home world but ultimately consigned to the dustbin of history. The descendants of their land eventually formed a country that was currently allied to my own,” he continued although he was unable to fully keep the bitterness out of his voice.

“Are you okay, Sir,” she asked somewhat timidly. She always gave the impression of walking on eggshells around him despite her superhuman strength, but it was not in his nature to pry. He had the inkling that maybe their relationship was not built upon the bedrock of truth.

“Yeah I’m fine,” he replied only half-lying. “Is that the place we were looking for?” he said as he pointed towards another one of the squat buildings. They all looked the same to his eyes with very little variation besides the rough metal bits sticking out in imitation of the Eazel’s shells but this one contained a sign that was swiftly translated into a desirable configuration.

Enginious Power Workings

That was a terrible pun that was inflicted upon them and it was made even worse by the knowledge that the pun had been automatically translated and then the wording twisted so that the alleged humour could be conserved. Warden felt a slight pang of sorrow at the realisation that Choir would have to both endure and participate in the bad pun but he brushed it off focusing on the issue at hand.

“It looks like it Sir,” Wendy responded. “If they don’t have it in stock then they might know just who is selling it.”

“An experienced shopper?” Warden asked as they walked towards the building with the sign.

“I’m afraid not, Sir,” Wendy admitted apologetically. “I sometimes sold our wares at the market when I was younger but that was a very long time ago.”

“I didn’t get the opportunity to go shopping when I was younger,” Warden admitted choosing not to mention who that ‘our’ was yet. “My family always had people who did the shopping for us.” He stepped upwards into the floating block that may or may not have been the store they were looking for and slid open the door.

Instantly stepping through into the room the sugary smell disappeared and they were confronted with a room filled with transparent glass vaults each containing some form of outlandish gadget. A scant few of them Warden might have recognized as something existing in his own homeland but the majority were indistinguishable.

As soon as he entered the room the sound of two voices speaking to each other in a rapid murmur that condensed into recognizable words. Apparently no sound could travel past the doorway of the building and Warden was once again forced to confront the technological advancement of this race if this sort of soundproofing came standard. Standing in the middle of the room were two beings talking to each other. One was the an Eazel like any other that they had seen while the other was what could only be described as a large gelatinous blue droplet that undulated slightly but kept returning to a shape that looked like an Eazel but was held up by its wires, lacking the inherent ability to float.

The conversation stilled as the two newcomers entered the room and there was a moment of silence before the gelatinous one spoke up with a voice that sounded like rippling water.

“Two Maatins?” he questioned. “You two are quite a long way out of your little corner of the universe. You do realise that Eazel are asexual right?”

“None of us are Maatiin,” Warden stated immediately dispelling the notion. “I’m human, my race apparently looks a bit like them, and my assistant is a shapeshifter. We came looking for Solar-Sail Convertors.”

“Are you sure you need that specific type,” the Eazel spoke up. “And could you not claim my species are asexual just because our method of reproduction doesn’t fit into the narrow definitions you amorphous beings have.”

“Hey don’t insult our…” the blob of blue jelly said before he was put off by a cough from Warden.

“Excuse me,” Warden started politely. “I believe that is the ideal type that we need. I’m not sure how substitutable that they or an equivalent are but I was told they are obtainable in this location.”

“They’re somewhat specialised stuff,” the Eazel responded. “None of us would have any pre-built in the store but most of the parts that I sell are modular and if you give me some time I can do a quick assembly. How many did you need?”

“As many as possible,” Warden replied. “I have about seventy-five scales to spend.”

“Barely above the market rate,” the Eazel said. “Not accounting for the labour of assembly. It’s not much of a profit.” He paused as if waiting for something else.

“If this is going to develop into a bargaining thing I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint you,” Warden admitted to himself unfamiliar with all but the faintest notion of bargaining. “I still only have seventy-five scales.”

“Just say ‘Then I will pay you with my gratitude and favour’,” the blue gelatinous being said. “It’s mostly symbolic don’t worry. Wow you really are from a foreign culture. Didn’t you think about picking up a visitor’s booklet.”

“Then I will pay you with my gratitude and favour,” Warden stated dipping his head towards the Eazel. “And you are correct. I haven’t been around these parts before. I am afraid that I’m woefully ignorant about the culture.”

“That’s fine,” the blue semi-transparent creature said before its insides changed colour and it morphed into a poor imitation of a human, no of him Warden, with far less details. No nose or eyes sat upon its pale face and it possessed a mouth that opened revealing two sets of…no he only had two teeth replacing the thirty two of a human with two undivided sets that ran across the top and bottom of its mouth.

“As a member of a different race you can hardly be held to the same standards,” the Eazel stated. “You have not grown up with our ways and I can hardly expect you to adopt them.”

“Where are you from anyway?” the blue slime-creature asked. “I’ve never heard of a human before.”

“I couldn’t tell you where my homeland is,” Warden admitted. “I’m a bit lost. I have another person who is going to be navigating me back home.”

“So the convertors are just to get you off this rock,” it said causing the Eazel to flail in what might have been anger. “Sorry Biifteer, but you have to admit this place isn’t Alphaspire.”

“Forgive us if we are involved in the process of mining and not petty politics and backstabbing,” the Eazel said and once more its tone wasn’t translated. Unlike Wendy or Surge it seemed that Choir couldn’t or wouldn’t translate the emotions of third parties. That could be a future weakness.

“How long will the conversion process take?” Warden asked trying to keep the two focused on his problem.

“Should be about two to three hours,” the Eazel said as it opened up various displays picking up random bits of technology. “What is the rush?”

“Well I don’t think there’s very much to eat here,” Warden admitted. “Or at least not anything that won’t prove toxic to me.” He heard Wendy’s stomach grumble slightly as he spoke and his secretary turned away in embarrassment.

“Well I can empathise,” the gelatinous guy who went unnamed still said. “I have to pack special snacks whenever I travel to meet the Eazels but what can you do. I doubt a grocer serving my race would make its money back.”

“This is not a tourist attraction Undo,” the Eazel named Biffteer stated as he grabbed a couple parts before assembling them, pulling out strange tools that performed various functions. “I’m still not sure why you came here directly in the first place but the environment can’t be too good for you.”

“It’s also due to a work thing,” Undo said “I have to be in this neighbourhood for a while and I thought why shouldn’t I check out good 842D.” The two of them continued speaking and Warden stood back deciding not to interrupt them again. He spent time watching before drawing the pack of Psionic Enhancers out of his pocket. While he was here he might as well try them again and try to get it to work; he still had Wendy to watch over him and she was much more proficient at defending himself.

“Mind if I…?” he asked gesturing to the Psionic Enhancers while looking at Biffteer.

“Be my guest,” the Eazel stated. “Nobody besides you two in this room have any lungs.”

“Much appreciated,” Warden said sticking a Psionic Enhancer into his mouth before lighting it up. A familiar coolness started up before the world sharpened and then fell apart. He had never taken drugs before and he wondered if the image of a Warden of Coldreach smoking unidentified substances was a bit… Those thoughts dispersed as his consciousness felt lighter, liberated from the fleshy prison although he was able to maintain his balance and the sense of synaesthesia didn’t re-emerge.

His emotions dampened in intensity as he lazily observed the egg of potential: Him. It was a small thing hidden beneath the folds and grey matter and bio-electricity but it felt slightly tangible than last time, seeming to touch against the workings of his thoughts before shyly retreating back into non-existence. Still this state was transient and after a few seconds he found that the senses that he had turned away from him came rushing back with intensity causing him to close his hands as a minor headache assailed him before it swiftly faded.

“Are you okay, Sir,” Wendy said and Warden nodded before he took another deep breath. This time he didn’t focus on the elusive orb but instead tried to maintain his head, focusing on his dulled senses even through the smoky Disconnect. It felt cold, but relaxing and he casually watched the conversations while barely understanding them. Wendy looked to be talking to the blue guy…Undo was his name, but it…

His thoughts were disturbed by another visit from the Egg from him touching his senses and with that interaction his eyes widened in shock breaking him free from the Disconnect and painfully launching him into that bright loud world.

“Get down,” he yelled grabbing Wendy and pushing them both to the floor; only for nothing to happen.

“Are you okay?” Undo said to the fallen pair. “Maybe you should take it easy on the smokes,” he had barely finished his sentence before the whole room exploded.