Victory of the Stars

Chapter 8: Ragliam Bolt

As they walked into the tavern Vi fidgeted with the collar of her dress and tucked her hair behind her ears.
Kara had lent her a simple green dress and leggings, but the collar was much lower than she was used to, even if it was much higher than Kara's emerald crop-top.
The dress was a lot shorter than her uniform, and it bugged her.
Granted, she was used to the two-inch uniform collar that covered her neck.
Kara looked like she belonged there, in that bustling dark room full of so many different people all speaking different languages, and stop it, Vi, she told herself. You're overthinking,
just like you always do. It'll be fine.
Why am I nervous anyways?
She wasn't sure, but she felt horribly conspicuous.
Everyone seemed to know Kara. Most of the people greeted her with a smile and a word of welcome, though there were some good-natured insults and punches, too.
She fiddled with the bandage on her sore hand.
It was all a bit overwhelming.
She hadn't been in a crowd since they'd left the Galactic Council flagship, and she wasn't sure how long it'd been. Time was funny in space. She'd slept eleven times since then, maybe more. She couldn't quite remember now.
Head injuries were like that, though. She'd had a concussion before, and she remembered the disorientation and fuzziness it left.
Vi backed into a wall and whispered to 8-6, "Let's just- stay here, okey?" She glanced down to where 8-6 had been.
"8-6? 8-6? Oh.... by all the stars. Where could he have gone?!"
Vi swept her eyes around the room, catching sight of 8-6 just as a rather large alien bumped into him.
Vi sucked in a breath, almost coughing from the smells of cheap alcohol and sweat that permeated the bar, and began running over, but the damage was done. 8-6's sensors flashed red and he began swearing at the person who'd bumped into him.
I really need to fix his programming to be less aggressive.
The person turned and stepped towards 8-6 like he was going to smash him, but Vi quickly slid in between them. She kicked 8-6, who was still swearing, and respectfully inclined her head towards the person.
She wasn't sure what species they were, but she knew that she'd never seen them before.
I'd better frame my words to be as broadly polite as possible.
Stars, I wish he would shut up.
"I sincerely apologize for my droid. He has a faulty personality chip and did not mean a single word that he said to you-"
"I DID TOO, YOU ------------------------------------------------------------------------------!!!!!"
The person swatted Vi out of its way like she was a speck of lint and advanced on 8-6, who held his ground, swearing his sensors off.
Vi clutched her sore fingers, which she had banged trying to catch herself, and looked around the room for help.
Slowly, more and more people turned to see what was happening, until the tavern was silent except for 8-6 and the person swearing at each other.
Then, in the corner, a man stirred.
Quietly, he pulled back the hood of his long, grey, traveling cloak and tapped two fingers in a rapid, almost familiar pattern on the droid next to him, an R-D model almost twice the height of 8-6.
Vi frowned, trying to figure out what was so familiar about it.
Oh! It's morse code, she thought. Gosh, I haven't studied that in years.
In unison, the man and his droid began moving towards the fight.
The man went up to the person, whispering quietly in his ear, and the droid rolled up to 8-6, who spun around as if sensing another potential fight.
The new droid whacked 8-6 with what appeared to be... a screwdriver?
"YOU ------------------! What the --------- ---- did you do?! I'll-"
Suddenly his swearing turned into something different.
Vi giggled, despite the tension in the room.
His sensors flashed angrily, but try as he might, 8-6 could make nothing but turkey noises.
When 8-6 fell silent after finally accepting that he couldn't swear any more, the man and his droid turned to go back to their seats, but the person grabbed his arm.
Quick as a flash, the man turned back around and grabbed the person's arm, snapping it and throwing him through the door in one smooth motion.
Kara pulled Vi up off the floor, although both of them were watching him.
"Anything else wan'tae try me tonight?" He laughed. "Ah didnae think so." He walked over to Vi, who was now on her feet being fussed over by Kara. "So, what're ye lassies doin' here?" Kara turned and grinned at him.
"Ragliam! I'm so glad we found you!"
His face split into a wide grin, and he lifted Kara off of her feet into a hug. "Karani Noe, ah shoulda' known! Who's this wee lassie?"
Kara laughed and pushed his shaggy blond bangs off his face as he set her down.
"Gosh, Liam, don't break my ribs or anything. Wow."
Liam frowned, but in a way that suggested he was teasing her instead of actually being mad. Kara laughed."Yeah, yeah, I know. All business and no fun, eh Liam? Fine. This's Victory. I'm helpin' her ta get home. Can we talk 'bout that? We need a pilot and you know that you're the best in Pajille City."
Ragliam laughed, a big, boisterous sound that seemed to simultaneously drown and heighten the conversations around them. He swept his sandy bangs out of his eyes and bowed elegantly to Vi.
"A pleasur'ta meet ye, Victorie! O'course ah can try tae help ye, or me name's noo Ragliam Bolt! Come on, ove' here. The walls ha' ears, true?"
A little swept up in his strong accent and general ... existence, Vi just nodded.
Wow, he's... big.
That's not the right word.
He's ... personality and loud and very very tall.
That's not the right words either.
He was more overwhelmingly alive than anyone she'd ever met.
Ragliam escorted Vi and Kara and 8-6 over to the table in the corner that he'd gotten up out of. 8-6 tried to say something to Vi, but all that came out was annoyed turkey noises.
"What was that?"
He tried again, sounding more annoyed.
Everyone laughed.
Ragliam's energy was infectious. Like Kara, he never stopped moving, tapping his fingers on his droid's crimson chrome surface or doing extravagantly complex movements that seemed to serve no purpose whatsoever.
He seemed to simultaneously draw and push away attention, and it was taking all of Vi's energy to stay focused on him.
Her head felt fuzzy again.
Kara swept her braids over her shoulders and sat down next to Ragliam, the two of them teasing each other and laughing over jokes that mostly involved murder.
Vi tugged on her collar, trying in vain to pull it above the nape of her neck, and tucked stray curls back into her braid.
She wanted to shrink so that nobody would notice her or grow so big that everyone would. She wanted to understand this man, but she wanted him to like her.
He reminded her of Captain Riley.
She pushed that thought away. It was too fresh, too sad.
I love his accent, Vi thought. It's like ... music and ocean waves and the wind on the trees all
together. I wish I could talk like that.
Quietly, so nobody would notice, Vi tried to imitate his accent. "Weel now, how 'boot that, eh lassie?"
Ragliam turned towards her. "You're a right hand at imitatin' accents, noo? Tha's a pret'y good impression thar!"
Vi ducked her head, embarrassed that they'd heard her attempt. She tried to laugh it off, but her natural accent bled through like it always did when she was upset.
"Oh, we-ell, I suppose I c'n do a fair few a' accents si-si-si je veux. I mean, if I wanted to. Which I don'! I'm gonna stop talkin' now."
Ragliam laughed again. "You've got a roight noice one ye'self, lassie!"
Kara laughed and pulled Vi over to sit next to her, holding her hand like she wanted to transfer some of her courage and energy through the contact.
"Why don't we have a drink and we can talk about why we were looking for ya, eh Liam?" Ragliam nodded.
"Why no'? Oi! Three lionn vachdar ove' here!"
He cut Kara off as she tried to pay for the drinks, and they had a brief tussle.
Vi shrunk back from them as they almost hit her.
Do... do they always act like this around each other?
The server brought the drinks, and Liam turned back to the girls.
"So. Wha' can ah do fer ye?"
Vi tucked her hair behind her ears and tugged her collar back up. "Well, Mr. Ragliam-" "Liam," he interrupted.
He wants me to call him Liam? But... he's an adult?
Just call him what he wants you to call him.
"Um... L-L-Liam. I need to get home to the Galactic Council but I can't fly and apparemment Kara ne pouvait pas- can't either. She said that you can?"
She swallowed.
As soon as she'd mentioned the Council Liam's friendly demeanor cooled and he looked at Kara, though he was speaking to Vi.
"Yeh're from th' council? What're ye doin' out here?"
I did something wrong.
He's not gonna help us and I'm gonna be stuck here and-
Vi swallowed down the beginnings of the marble again and glanced at Kara for reassurance. Kara smiled gently and squeezed Vi's hand to reassure her that she was there and ready to support her.
Vi took a shaky breath and swallowed the marble again.
She couldn't remember what language to use.
"Um. My-my-my-my captain and I.... we were on-on a mission and I... um... our ship was captured by the Dartranian Empire... um... and-and-and Xian boarded... I ... um... sheshesheshe...he's... he was a rebel spy? Et-et-et-et-et-et-et she... lui tuer? He's.... D-d-d-d-d-dead and the Galactic Council needs to know. It-it-c'est assez d'evidence um it's enough evidence to declare war and I just need a ride-"
"No," Liam said. Vi blinked and Kara flinched.
I don't understand. He said no? But then I can't get back and they're going to think I'm dead too and I'm going to be stuck here and I can't do that.
Okay don't go into panic mode breathe.
I can't breathe.
Breathe.
Liam downed his drink, his fingers tapping furiously on the droid again. Vi tried again.
"I don't understand. You said you'd help, and now you won't? I thought-"
Liam interrupted again.
"Ah. Said. NO. Ah don't get involved wi'tha Dartranian Empire. Or the rebels. Better not tae get involved. Fin' someone else. Nice tae see ye, Kara."
He stood, slamming his chair back so forcefully that it fell over, and started walking out. "Wait!"
Liam stopped but didn't turn as Vi ran up to him. The bar had gone silent again, everyone watching to see how this tiny girl would incur his wrath.
I should sit back down. This is a bad idea.
Vi rubbed her sore knuckles as he glanced back at her.
"Ah told ye already. No. Now leave, lassie, before ye get hurt."
Vi tucked her hair behind her ears but didn't back down.
Her stomach was tying itself up into knots.
"Please, Liam. There's nowhere else I c'n go."
Her shoulders shuddered, suddenly cold without the warmpth of the jacket she'd left on the seat with Kara.
He sighed and looked down at his droid, tapping his fingers on its surface. The droid blinked back.
He sighed again, pressing his hand into the bridge of his nose.
"Maybe ye've got'a point, R-4." He turned around to face the girls and flipped his head sideways, throwing his sandy bangs out of his eyes.
"Okay. Fine. Ah'll give ye a ride. But ye've got tae do somethin' for me, first."
He didn't wait around to see their reactions. By the time they realized what he'd said, he was out the door.
Kara squealed and pulled Vi out too, dropping the jacket back into her arms, both of them stumbling onto the hot midday sands of the city.