The Gay Space Adventure

Chapter 1: Rania

It is not often that the average person finds themselves illegally smuggling an extremely explosive substance to some of the richest families on the planet. Due to how taking an average works, if there is an average person participating in such activities, it would be counted within the things an average person does.

    Considering this, I would say my brother and I could be included in the average of the general populace. Especially considering the financial instability of the average of the Hiemyxian populace. Which prompted the smuggling. What a low we had reached.

    The hustle and bustle of the lower city markets of Hiem was an ideal cover. No one questioned a pair of teenagers relaxing on unlabeled steel crates. No one even batted an eye, even those that may have seen the stain of oil on Zyren's sleeve, or those that recognized that the crates were indeed fire safe, which, while not rare, was not the most popular choice when putting its weight into account. Thankfully, the general mass of society did not care much for the lives of others. The reasoning as to why so many were left to sleep on the streets, or treated with disdain rather than sympathy.

    Not all good things came from that, but in our circumstance, I was grateful for it.

    The lower markets were not just known for their business. They hosted all sorts of people, from planets around the galaxy. This was where societies came to meet, communities came to bargain with (and occasionally mug) stall owners. Products from all around were sold here. It made it colorful.

    Zyren tapped me on the shoulder. My brother had been watching the crowds with me, but, to be honest, he was more attentive than I was when it came to looking for people.

    I don't think they're going to be walking, I signed to him.

    He rolled his eyes. No. Greezle's out there. By the sperry stand.

    Greezle. A frog-looking Aolian, with large, floppy ears, a wide green face, and a cane to hobble around on. Sorry sap she was, she barely had a life. All she ever did was harass her tenants for the latest gossip. We'd been living in her crappy apartments for three years, and in all that time she hadn't quit bothering us. I did not want to listen to her gossip while we were partaking in illegal activities.

I can distract her, Zyren signed. Just in case they come, and she sees us.

I nodded my agreement. I was the better negotiator out of the two of us, anyway. Zyren never pressed hard enough for a higher price.

Zyren's lizard, Wyvern, popped its head out of his coat pocket. The thing changed colors all the time. Currently, Wyvern was yellow and purple. That lizard was a nuisance, always getting into the kitchen when it shouldn't have been, always leaving scraps of skin or scales about the apartment, occasionally a scorch mark, when it sneezed hard enough to breathe its fire. Luckily, that was never enough to do more harm than cosmetic damage.

Zyren looked delighted at its presence, though. He looked at me, grinning. He knows we're going near the sperries.

The little red fruits were Wyvern's favorite, as Zyren had explained many times before. He gave that lizard far too much attention. It was spoiled as it was. Zyren used the excuse of the thing's awful past—he had rescued it from smugglers, after all—and that was all it was: an excuse.

    I watched Zyren casually run into Greezle, purchase some sperries from the grumpy blonde vendor, and lead Greezle away from the smuggling situation.

    At least we didn't have to worry about her. I hoped he wasn't stuck talking to her for too long.

    I knew the customers had arrived when the crowd murmured and parted around a pair of individuals. I had figured they would take their ship; usually, we delivered to their house, so I hadn't been sure. It seemed like they had walked instead. Who knew.