Under the Sundowner Part 03
Under the Sundowner: Part 3
by Prowl-Ar Nightiger
Tye sat at a computer terminal typing rapidly, every few seconds he would glance at the corner of the screen displaying the time. Each time he would try to type faster. Suddenly he stopped and stared at the form he had been filling in. It took a moment for him to realize that he had completed it. He scrolled up and then carefully checked to make sure everything was perfect before printing it off. As the document was printing he turned to another terminal and ran a query on the status of the Shadow Runners' credit accounts.
"Damn, Arlen has been busy the last two thousand years." He said as he transferred thirty thousand credits evenly between three credit chips.
Once the download was complete he checked the time again and scowled before shutting down the computers. He walked over to the door and pushed a panel next to it. The door swung open and Tye stepped out of the computer room and into the sonic shower of the floor's main bathroom. He checked to make sure that the computer room door had properly closed before continuing through and out into the living area.
"Hey Tye, something tells me you've got another secret room hidden in there don't you?" Daniel said from the couch. He had his legs draped over the back and his hair was lightly brushing the floor.
"That wouldn't be very smart, what with them being keyed to sonic frequencies. Now, where are your team mates?"
"I think Alec is taking a nap and Duo is in the kitchen; why?" Daniel asked, as he rolled over and sat up properly.
"Shock! I don't have time to get them in here. I've got bridge duty in less than half an hour. I just hope whoever's currently on duty won't be to upset when I show up a bit late. Anyway, I need you to give these to Duo and Alec." He said, as he tossed three small packages to Daniel. "I'll be back down as soon as my shift is over!" He yelled, as he ran to the lift and hit the button to take him to the top.
Daniel looked at the small leather packages and immediately realized that they were wallets. Each had one of their names emblazoned in gold lettering across the front. He opened the one with his name on it. The first thing he noticed was a note that slipped out. He carefully unfolded the note, quickly catching the credit chip as it fell.
"Daniel, in this wallet you'll find all the paperwork you'll need to move freely here on Vesuvia. Including citizenship papers and a speeder license. I've also included a credit voucher with enough credits to live on for a while. I realize that the first thing you're going to want to do is go out shopping, but please remember that the credits that you're using are from my personal savings so don't go overboard. Also, I'll be bringing a clothing generation closet with me when I return so you won't have to waste money on that."
Daniel held the chip up and squeezed the corner. The chips credit number scrolled across the top edge and Daniel's jaw dropped. Ten thousand credits was more money than he made in a year. "Hey Duo!" He yelled, as he stood up.
"Yeah, what is it?" Duo asked as he opened the kitchen door.
"Tye had to go, but he left these for us." Daniel said, as he handed Duo one of the wallets before heading for Alec's room.
"What's this?"
"There should be a note in there that explains everything." He replied as the hall door closed behind him.
He continued down the hall to Alec's room. He knocked lightly but no one answered so he carefully opened the door and entered. Alec was curled in a tight ball at the center of the bed. Daniel slipped across the room and placed the wallet on the nightstand where Alec was likely to find it. He turned and was about to slip back out when Alec suddenly sat up.
"He'll kill us! He'll kill us!" He yelled.
Daniel walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "It's all right, we're safe, everything's going to be fine."
Alec's body relaxed and Daniel caught him as he started to collapse. He lowered him back on the bed before getting up and slipping out the door.
Once in the hallway Daniel wiped the tears out of his eyes. "Damn you! Damn you! DAMN YOU TO HELL!" He yelled, as he slammed his fist into the wall. Blood splattered around the small crater that formed.
"What is going on?" Duo asked, as Daniel re-entered the living area.
"Nothing." Daniel replied, as he entered the bathroom. Seconds later he was back his hand freshly bandaged. "Listen, if you decide to go out, leave Alec a message letting him know where you went."
"Where are you going?"
"I don't know. Right now I need some air, open space, and maybe a drink. I'll be back later." He replied, as he hit the call button for the lift.
"Are you sure you don't want to talk about what's bothering you?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." Daniel snapped, as he entered the lift and hit the up button.
* * *
The lift doors opened into the basement of the Sundowner and Daniel slowly made his way across the chaos that was the "back stage" area. When he reached the exit he wasn't feeling any better and he wasn't looking forward to confronting Roam, the Sundowner's backstage guard.
"Daniel, right? Arlen said you'n yer teammates kin come'n go as yuh see fit." Roam said, his deep voice booming across the room even though he was speaking in a normal tone, as he opened the door.
"Thanks, I just need to get out for a bit." Daniel said as he marched out the door and up the flight of stairs to the back entrance to the Sundowner. He looked inside the nearly full club before continuing up the stairs to the large alley that ran behind the Cantina.
The suns were just beginning to set and the air was still hot. He took a deep breath and started coughing, as his lungs seemed to fill with dust. "Right, first thing I'm going to find is a mask that will let me breath." He said as he turned to his left and walked along the back of the Sundowner. He turned left again and walked down a small passage, which ran along the side of the cantina, then out into the bazaar. The area was filled with small booths hawking different goods, but he didn't see anything that he wanted from them. He stared at the brightly painted signs that hung over the buildings and only two caught his eye. The first was Cool's Hoverbikes and the second was Zen's Pawn Shop.
"Cool's, probably has everything I want, but I'd better see what I can find in the pawnshop before I start spending Tye's credits on new equipment." He mumbled to himself as, he entered the small shop.
"Ah, a new customer! How can I help you on this fine evening? I pay top credit and sell at rock bottom prices. I know that isn't the best way to make a profit but I believe the customer comes first." The shop owner said. He was an ancient, overly thin human with a baldhead and scraggly beard. Large round glasses sat crookedly on his face making one eye seem bigger than the other. He was sitting cross-legged on the glass counter next to the register.
"I'm thinking of going for a ride out in the desert and I'm looking for a breathing filter." Daniel said, as he looked deeper into the shop. A set of shelves ran down the center of the store with items stacked to chest height and more junk was covering the walls on both sides.
"Yes of course, I have a really good one back here somewhere." Zen said as he jumped off the counter and scrambled down the first isle. "You'll also be needing a thermal conditioning jacket, helmet, and gloves. Not to worry, like I said the prices are very reasonable!" He yelled, as he seemed to disappear into a pile of junk. He popped back up seconds later with the items.
The jacket was a dingy white leather with black stripes on the shoulders and arms. It looked to be in good condition but it was at least two sizes to large. The helmet had a large crack running over the top and a round hole at about ear level. The gloves were well worn but they fit perfectly and still had plenty of life left. Surprisingly the breathing filter looked like it was new. Daniel started to put it on but Zen stopped him.
"The breather is in good condition and can easily be adjusted to fit but you'll have to get fresh filters for it. I'm sorry, but I don't have any of those in stock at the moment. I'm sure you'll be able to find them at either Cools or Diggers."
"Thanks, I don't want the helmet but I'll take the rest."
"Good, good. Now is there anything else I can get for you? I have a wide range of survival equipment."
"I could use a good knife, a canteen, and a blaster if you have any."
Zen squinted and frowned. "Is that a joke? Blasters are illegal, if anyone even tried to pawn one here I'd turn him in to the Imperiam authorities."
Daniel sighed. "I guess I'll just have to wait until Tye returns and ask him to get me one." He muttered, as he tried to think if there was anything else he might need.
Zen stared at Daniel for a minute before reaching behind the counter and pulling out a small belt buckle. "Does this mean anything to you?" he asked as he handed it to Daniel.
Daniel held it up to the light. It was a light metal with green enamel surrounding a stylized 'SR' in the center, "Yeah the SR stand for shadow..."
Zen grabbed the belt buckle and jumped over the counter. He lifted a box of rings out of the glass case he'd been sitting on. Then he pushed a button that had been hidden under the box. There was a loud click and a section of the wall behind the counter swung open revealing a collection of weapons. "I'm sorry I don't have any blasters but these antique firearms work almost as well."
Daniel smiled as Zen showed him several guns. He settled on a revolver with a custom shoulder holster and two speed loaders. He also added two boxes of bullets to his growing pile of items. "So how much do I owe you?" He asked, as he pulled out the credit chip.
Zen quickly tallied up the items. "Normally it would be five thousand credits but seeing as you know people I'll give you the lot for four thousand five hundred."
"Three thousand."
"Are you kidding! How am I supposed to survive if I start giving things away? Four thousand."
"Thirty-five hundred."
"This is robbery, Thirty-seven fifty"
Daniel considered for a moment and then slid the holster over his shoulder and fastened it. "Done."
Zen up rang the amount on the register and Daniel pressed the chip into the slot to transfer the credits. He then put on the jacket, clipped the small canteen to his belt, and slid the survival knife into his boot. He tucked the boxes of bullets and the gloves into the jacket's pockets, picked up the breathing filter, and nodded to Zen. "It has been a pleasure doing business with you. I'll be sure to send my friends here when they decide to do some shopping."
"Many blessings upon you kind sir. And remember, if you need anything else we're always open." Zen said as he climbed back up on the counter.
The stop at Cool's Hoverbikes was quicker, since Cool wasn't the kind to bargain. In the end Daniel discovered that it was cheaper to buy an old used hover bike then to rent one. After adding a helmet and filters for his mask he ended up spending 5,435 more credits. He just shook his head as he walked the bike out the back doors and onto the same alley that ran behind the Sundowner. He placed a fresh filter in the mask and strapped it on. He then powered up the bike and headed out into the desert to clear his head.
About an hour later he glanced down at his locator unit. It was the first thing he had made sure worked before buying the bike. He wanted to go for a ride, not get lost. A small icon blinked between an arrow and the number 432k in the lower right corner.
"Huh, not bad for an hours ride. I guess I'd better start back. Oh shock!" He yelled, as he looked up. He hit the retro thrusters and nearly threw himself over the front of the bike in an attempt to miss the tent that had seemed to appear out of the empty wastes. He missed the tent, barely, and the bike came to a stop surrounded by a large encampment.
"Oh shit." Daniel whispered, as he desperately tried to restart the bike's thrusters.
"It sounds like you have sand in the intake." A voice said from behind Daniel.
Daniel looked up and froze. He was surrounded by what he could only describe as bipedal dragons. They ranged from six to ten feet tall and were covered in tribal markings. They also had long spears or daggers pointed at him.
"I-I didn't mean to intrude. I was just out for a ride. Please, don't kill me."
"If you insist. However you may change your mind seeing as you've volunteered to be on the menu as the main course. If we kill you first it'll be much less painful." A six-foot warrior with tan hide and a pair of daggers said, as he gently poked at Daniel's arms.
"All right then, come on! But I'm warning you right now that I'm much more dangerous than I look." Daniel said, as he carefully stepped off the hover bike. "I guarantee that I'll take more then one of you with me. Besides I have friends at the Sundowner who'll come looking for me."
"You might as well give it up Kell. He might have been caught off guard for a minute there, but he isn't scared out of his mind." An eight-foot brown warrior said, as he lowered his spear.
"Fine Terran, you win this time." Kell said, as he nodded to the other warriors. They lowered their weapons and started back toward the central fire.
"Hello young human, I am Kell, warrior of the Vesuvian Arakeen Lorekeepers tribe." Kell said, as he extended his hand.
Daniel hesitated for a moment at the sight of Kell's talons before shaking his hand. "I'm Daniel Dacat of... well, I guess the Dawncaller Clan."
"Dacat? You're of the Great One's linage? Shen! Get over here and fix this young man's hover bike." Kell yelled, as he turned and ran toward the fire. "We are honored by a hatchling of the Great One's line!"
"Are you really a descendent of the Great One?" Terran asked, as he kneeled down to look Daniel in the eye.
Daniel nodded but didn't raise his head afterward. "Yeah, I guess. Though it isn't as great a thing as you might think. If anything my family's existence is a black mark on Prowler's lineage." He said, as a tear rolled down his cheek.
"Please stop, nothing is so bad that it merits the wasting of water." Terran said, as he gently pushed Daniel to get him moving toward the fire. "We were just about to begin our time of story telling and we haven't heard any new stories for a long time. Perhaps, if you tell us what you are holding back, you will feel better?"
"I-I guess, it couldn't make things any worse." Daniel said, as Kell motioned for him to sit on a large blanket before the fire.
Daniel sat down and stared into the dancing flames. "After Prowler died in the battle against Kindra..." A chorus of hisses echoed around the fire.
"Or traveled through time, as it turns out, Crystal began attacking Accordia. The Accordia Defense League led by Rusty Darkmane, Prowler's best friend, came up with a grand plan to save everyone. He transported the people to a new planet hidden from Crystal. Everything seemed to be going well for a time, but after many generations the Dacat family felt that they deserved more respect since Prowler was known as 'The Great One'." Daniel leaned back on the blanked and stared up at the stars before continuing.
"Of course most of the population of New Accordia disagreed with this idea. The Dacats were attacked and eventually exiled. Using Prowler's log as a guide they soon discovered the location of the planet their ancestors had lived before settling on the original Accordia. They returned to this planet hoping to find a new home." Daniel shook his head and frowned. "How I wish they had found a different planet or even died in exile."
"If that had happened would you have been born?" Kell asked.
"Probably not, but it would still have been better in the long run. Prowler had visited the planet before his final battle, and was considered to be the world's long lost hereditary leader. Because of that fact the Dacats were made the planet's rulers. Again for many generations things seemed to be good, but of course good things never last." Daniel stopped and just lay quietly.
"Please continue young master. You are safe here."
"There is nothing you could do to me that my family hasn't done to the people of my world. I'm-I'm just worried that if Prowler doesn't do something soon things are going to get worse. I'm also worried that in his battle against the Imperiam he may not see what is happening on my world as an immediate concern. We've been waiting here one Vesuvia for several days and he has yet to grant us an audience."
"Do not fear, our stories tell of the Great One and how he saved our people from Kindra when she destroyed our world. He will not abandon people in need no matter what other battles he is fighting. Now please, continue with your story." Terran said as he handed Daniel a pillow.
Daniel placed it behind his head. "In recent generations the control that the Dacats have exerted has become tyrannical. They see plots against them from every Clan. The more they try to put an end to the plotting the more the people begin to plot. The current Lord Dacat believed that one family was plotting against him so he summoned the entire Clan. He then asked the members he believed had been plotting against him to step forward." Tears again began to stream down Daniel's face leaving muddy splotches on the blanket. "Then, as his guards watched, he accused them of treason and execute them one by one. If any of the other members of the Clan showed any form of sympathy they were executed as well. When he was finished the Clan had been reduced by over half its members. Of course being his heir I was forced to be there to witness the slaughter." Daniel cough-sobbed for a minute before continuing.
"Now I've made it here to Vesuvia but I'm afraid that many more people are going to die because of my father's lust for complete control. What's worse is that he knows that Prowler has returned and so he is getting even more paranoid. And I can't do anything!"
"I've fixed the bike." Shen said, as she came into the ring of light wiping grease off her hands. "It was indeed sand in the intake."
She looked around the circle at the angry faces staring back at her. "What? Did I do something wrong?"
Terran shook his head and stood. "No, it's just that Daniel's story was not a particularly happy one. I'm sure that Kell will fill you in. Right now I believe that Master Daniel will want to be returning to the Sundowner.
Daniel also got up and walked with Terran to his hover bike. "I don't really feel better."
"I can understand that. You have given us much to think about as well as a good story to trade to the other tribes."
"A story to sell?"
"Yes, as the Lorekeepers it is our job to remember all the stories of our race and then sell them to the other tribes. Your story will be added to the story of the Great One. It will show that just because one individual can become great, that does not mean that all those of his line will be great. Also that even if the sire is bad the hatchling has the potential for greatness."
"The hatchling? No, I've done nothing that is great I'm a coward. Instead of confronting my father I ran away." Daniel said, as he climbed back on his bike.
"If you had confronted your father would you be here?"
"No, I'd be dead."
"Then you have taken the right course. In coming here you will eventually find the help you need to overcome the pain and evil of your past."
"I-I guess."
"Don't worry, if Lord Prowler hasn't met with you then there is a very good reason. I know that you will see him eventually. In the meantime I would suggest you tell your story to Lord Sundowner. Once he knows all the facts surrounding your mission you may find that he has ways of convincing Lord Prowler to see you sooner."
"Now that does make me feel better." Daniel said as he started the bike.
"I am pleased that we were able to help."
"Well, goodbye. I hope that I'll meet you again someday." Daniel said as he waved and engaged the bike's engines.
"Farewell young Lightstripe, though your journey will be difficult you will prevail." Terran said as he watched the hover bike disappear over the dunes.