From Ashes and Dust (Book One)

Chapter 22.1

The doors leading into Tau Honnor opened, and their senses were assaulted instantly. Vatra shielded her eyes from the neon lights overhead until her vision adjusted. The bustle and clamor of the people going about their day was deafening.

Stopping just beyond the door as it closed behind them, Vatra did a quick glance around the part of the station they were in. It was a shopping district. The location reminded her of a multi-level shopping mall on Earth. Craning her neck, Vatra peered up the seemingly endless stories above her of stores and businesses that moved with waves of patrons.

Floating signs above their heads rolled and bobbed as if on water, drawing in attention from customers on different levels. There were stores for clothes and jewelry, for animals and entertainment. Boisterous laughter and shouting erupted from the stores advertising games. Bartering and fast-talking words were exchanged from some of the smaller stores.

Vatra's eyes drank in the light from the signs overhead, mesmerized much like a moth would have been.

It's changed since I've been here, she thought.

"As much as I'd like to explore, we should find a district more fitting to our needs, right?" Hisato asked. He placed a hand on Vatra's shoulder. "We'll get pulled into this crowd if we don't move on."

"Right," Vatra said. "Stick together, but if any of us lose track of each other, just circle back to the ship. We'll all meet back here in about two hours."

"Aye, aye," Enyalius mumbled. He eyed the passing crowd with intrigue.

Those in Tau Honnor certainly were from all over; humans and alien races from planets across dozens of galaxies. Just the shopping district alone packed in over a thousand beings as far as Vatra could tell. She didn't want to imagine what the other districts looked like. Or smelled like. With such a vast amount of beings crammed together and mingling about, the odor was even worse than a musky locker room.

The small group pushed on through the crowd. They followed the signs to the food market and the stand to pay for refueling. It was more like tracking small images flashing along the walls, and arrows beneath the pictures, but Vatra assumed they were intended to be universal directions to the different districts.

Vatra kept close to Hisato, the two of them taking their task more seriously than the others. It was more than once that Vatra had to pull Fulgora or Enyalius away from a store. Set and Geb strolled at a pace behind the group that signaled they were in no rush, talking amongst themselves like they were reminiscing about some old war stories. If it wasn't for the fact they were surrounded by hundreds of other people, Vatra would have yanked out her hair and reprimanded everyone at one time.

It's like keeping a bunch of children focused, she scowled to herself. Vatra looked over at Hisato, and the two of them shook their heads in equal understanding.

They gave up on keeping track of everyone else. Babysitting was not their forte, and after the fifth or so time of pulling a god out of a jewelry store, Vatra and Hisato continued on their own. Hopefully those they left behind would remember what the plan was.

We'll meet them back at the ship in two hours.

Snaking through the crowd, Vatra and Hisato neared the line for the refueling station first. Dozens of impatient patrons waited their turn. Conversations heavy with words of complaints, at least from the languages that Vatra could understand, were held with little restraint.

A single person was working the station, tucked behind an opaque glass window. The worker was obscured from sight, but Vatra could hear a foreign language being spoken to the Katherian patron they were assisting.

Vatra sighed and folded her arms. She glanced over the refueling station tucked at the bottom of some type of club. There were neon signs of dancing figures flashing on the windows of the building on the floor overhead. The refueling station itself was inconspicuous. If it hadn't been for the small sign in the glass window, they'd have walked right by it.

"Should we circle back here after getting some supplies?" Hisato offered. He tucked his hands in his pockets and leaned back on his heels.

"I dunno," Vatra started, "it might be worse when we come back."

Both of them looked up in absent thought at the club. Music rattled the glass of the windows, a deep bass that Vatra could feel in her chest even from where she was standing. A lone patron of the club stumbled out of the blacked-out doors, letting out a blast of even louder music before the door swung shut behind them. They turned and made their way down the walkway, barely able to stand upright. Vatra watched them with the interest of someone who had little else to do.

The line in front of them moved as the Katherian woman who'd been helped left. They stepped forward, and Vatra noted that four other people had gotten in line behind them.

"We should wait this out a little longer, it might go faster than it looks," Vatra said. She glanced over at Hisato, but he had turned his attention to something else.

"I'm not sure we'll get a choice in that," he said. Hisato had taken his hands from his pockets, and his fists were slightly curled at his sides. He was ready for a fight.

Vatra followed his glance. Six goons emerged from the crowd to their right. The man in the center, a human, was covered in tattoos. His shaved head had been modified with a single, metal implant that gave the appearance of a horn sticking out of his forehead. The neon lights overhead flashed off the polished steel.

As the group stopped just a couple arm's lengths away, the man cocked a half-grin. "Vatra," the man drawled out. "It's been a while."

Turning to face the group, Vatra noted the variety of muscle that had been brought for the mere sake of intimidation.

He has two Grethorians this time, does he really need all those extra arms to back him up? I swear we cleared things up before I left, Vatra thought, looking over the massive Grethorians with a frown.

"Lorenzo, I thought I apologized for the misunderstanding the last time I was here," Vatra said with a forceful smile. "You know I would never come back to cause more trouble."

"Oh, of course not." Lorenzo walked forward and looped an arm over both Vatra and Hisato's shoulders. He turned and forcefully led them along with him. "But I had a run in with some friends of yours. You must understand how surprised I was to hear your name get dropped."

Shit. Vatra met eyes with Hisato. Did Hephaestus really manage to catch us already? And would he even have the guts to risk a war with everyone here?

"Oh, yeah?" Vatra asked, opting for the route of playing dumb.

"I caught them causing trouble in one of our bars. They didn't have credits to pay for what they bought. It seems like they must be new around here, but lessons need to be taught one way or another. You know I don't tolerate stealing, and especially fighting unless they're a participant in our games," Lorenzo explained. "I believe the main culprit was Enyalius, though all of them really enjoyed a good fight."

The crowd parted in front of them with every step they took, and not a word needed to be uttered.

Sighing in relief, Vatra looked up at Lorenzo. "I know, I'm sorry. And I know the price for breaking the rules matches the cost of what was done. So, how much do we owe you?"

Lorenzo paused at the front of a building void of any neon signs or notion of what was inside. He chuckled, slapping Vatra and Hisato on the backs. "You're mistaken. I won't be taking credits as payment for this. It's your luck that I know who you are, Vatra. And your friend here looks like a good fighter." Lorenzo pinched Hisato's bicep. "Both of you will be my fighters to make up for what your friends owe me. I needed two entrants into this competition, and now I have them. We're going to be a great team!"