Under the Sundowner Part 04
Under the Sundowner: Part 04
by Prowl-Ar Nightiger
As the lift doors closed, Duo shrugged his shoulders and returned to the kitchen. He shut down the matter generator's teaching guide and headed toward his room. He stopped abruptly at the sight of the indentation in the wall and the brown blood splatter. He scowled and backtracked to the bathroom.
"That explains what happened to his hand, I just wish I knew what pissed him off." He muttered, as he dribbled a very small amount of water onto a cloth before returning to the hallway. He quickly scrubbed the area until the bloodstain was gone.
"Not much I can do about the dent but at least it isn't as noticeable." He said as he then continued down the hall to his room. Once inside he opened his closet and frowned. The only change of clothing that he had was his flight suit. Since Daniel and Alec had known they were going to escape they had packed their belongings in their fighter's meager cargo space. They had been nice enough to give him a pair of pants and a T-shirt. The pants were too big but he'd been able to cut the legs down and cinch up the waist with a piece of string. As for the T-shirt it would have fit if he hadn't been what most beings considered overweight for a human.
"I hope Tye's shift isn't too long. I'd really like the chance to get some new clothes." Duo said as he slipped out of his pants and shirt and into his flight suit. He then pulled out the note that Tye had written and turned it over.
"Alec, Daniel went out to get some air and I've gone to do a bit of shopping and sight seeing. I plan to remain close the Cantina, Duo." He scribbled on the paper before tacking it over the dent across from Alec's bedroom door. He then continued to the lift; a couple of minutes later he was facing Roam.
"Duo, yeah? As I tol' yer frien', you kin come'n go as yah want. Just remember it's goin't be getting' real busy. What with the evenin' show startin'. So if I don' recognize yah when yah return don' take it personal."
"Thank you Roam, I'll be sure and remember that. By the way, what's the best way out to the bazaar?"
"Jus go on up to street level, an then down't da end of the buildin'. Den through the alley."
"Thanks again." Duo said, as Roam closed the door behind him.
A slight breeze was blowing up the road from off the desert. The air was warm but not uncomfortable. Duo felt a slight tickle in his throat from the dust but decided that it wasn't so bad that he couldn't wait until Tye returned.
As he entered the bazaar he was surprised at the number of people filling the area. It seemed that people had sprung from every shadow as the suns had set. He slowly made his way around, stopping from time to time to examine the different wares. He picked up a black leather belt with finely engraved silver shields stitched to it for thirty credits and a finely knapped stone dagger for 150 credits. His greatest find however was a set of solid crystal chopsticks. The hawker was an old withered man with leathery skin and when he asked for a thousand credits Duo didn't even bother to bargain, instead he paid the full price and was happy to do so.
Confident that he had spent enough time exploring the booths, he decided to check out the buildings. The shops on the side where the Sundowner was located didn't interest him that much though he decided he'd eventually check out the pawnshop. Besides, he'd have to make his way back across the chaos of the bazaar. He glanced up at the largest building, the Tempest Hotel, but decided since he already had a place to live it wasn't worth looking into. The next building did catch his attention. The Downtime Club held promise; however, as he entered the walled courtyard a large human dressed in a proper black suit stopped him.
"Excuse me sir, do you have a reservation?"
"No, I just thought I'd see what the club is like."
"There is a entry fee of 250 credits." The man said holding out his pad, which had a credit chip port. "Unless of course you would like a table in which case it is 500 credits." The man said as he grimaced at Duo's flight suit.
Duo frowned and hesitated before pulling out his credit chip. "This had better be a damn good meal."
"Oh I assure you we only serve the best, but the charge is just for a place to be seated."
Duo yanked back the chip that he had been extending toward the pad. "If that's just to sit then how much is it for a meal?"
"If you don't have the money for the best, then I suggest you find another place to stuff your face. We don't serve common gutter trash at this establishment." The man said, as he waived for an even larger human to escort Duo out of the courtyard.
"Don't bother with the bounce, I'm leaving." Once he reached the top step he turned and gave the man a dirty look before spitting into the courtyard.
The man looked infuriated but he didn't move. The bouncer charged up the stairs swinging at Duo's head with his giant fists. Duo sidestepped the blow and used the bouncer's momentum to trip him. He fell with a resounding thud. Duo was on him instantly pulling one of the bouncer's meaty arms up over his back and pressing the dagger against his throat.
"Now you have a choice, either you can agree to peacefully go back to your post or I can stain that nice suit of yours with blood."
"I think you forgot about me." The doorman said, as he pressed a gun to the back of Duo's head.
"Well damn, it looks like you've got me. Of course what you don't realize is that my partner, who was supposed to be backing me up, just slipped past you and into your club."
"What!" The man yelled as he spun around and pointed the gun back into the courtyard.
Not wasting his one chance, Duo jumped up and dashed into the crowd before either man could catch him. Within seconds he had reached the back of the artificial box canyon where he ducked into The Grease Pit. The place had three isles with open booths built into each side. Each booth consisted of a single dirty table and red plastic covered seats. He continued in to the innermost isle and sat down at the first empty booth. He had a good view of the door and the other customers partially obscured him from anyone else that entered.
A rather skinny waitress with broken fingernails and dark rings under her eyes stopped at his booth and dropped a menu. "Hey sexy, what can I get for you?"
Duo looked up at her and then at the menu. He quickly grabbed it and opened it he was shocked to find that everything was either fried or deep-fried. After careful consideration he chose coffine and then returned the menu.
"Just a cup of coffine will do, thank you." He said, glancing back at the door.
The waitress sighed and walked to the counter, filled a disposable cup with lukewarm coffine, quietly returned and placed it on the table.
As Duo sat, slowly sipping his coffine, as he began to calm down. "What the hell was I thinking? I could have been killed."
Duo jumped a little and hunkered down in his seat as several men entered.
"Hey Jake," one yelled across the room, "you'll never guess what just happened. Some kid just bloodied up the Downtime's bouncer and made a total fool of their doorman."
"It's about time someone put those snobs in their place." Jake yelled back, as they joined him at his booth and their conversation dropped to a normal level.
"I'm just guessing here, but from the way you're acting I'm guessing you're the one Reck was talking about?" The waitress asked, as she walked over and refilled his cup.
"I-I don't know what you mean."
"Don't worry, they won't be coming after you. They don't dare leave their post. In a couple of hours they'll have completely forgotten about you."
"I'll take your word for it, but I think I'll lay low and watch my back for a while." Duo replied as he took another sip.
"Are you sure I can't convince you to order something? I know it isn't the best, but the prices are reasonable. Besides I don't get paid for serving coffine."
"No, I'm good. What is my bill?" Duo asked, as he pulled out his credit chip.
The waitress sighed and handed him her bill pad. He paid the five credits and then transferred a hundred credits to her as a tip. She gasped, as she saw the amount.
Duo winked, "I may not have found anything I wanted to eat, but the service was the best I've found yet." He said as he left.
Several minutes later he entered the Sundowner. The band was on stage and several dancers were descending the stairs to the backstage area. Duo found an open bar stool and quickly sat down.
"So kid, what do you want?" Arlen asked, as he walked over.
"I'll take a Ghost Source."
"I hope you have the credits. I'm not giving out free drinks, especially when it's the most expensive drink I've got."
"That's all right, Tye transferred some credits out of his personal account for us." Duo said holding up his credit chip.
Arlen just starred at him for a full minute before filling a glass. "I just can't win with that kid around."
"What do you mean?"
Arlen sighed. "Never mind, I'm just going to have to talk to Tye about a few things. So, have you been getting to know the bazaar?"
"Yeah, perhaps a bit more then I'd like."
"Let me guess, you're the one that knocked Gervis out and bloodied Kennith's nose. I have to say that's been the best bit of news I've heard in quite a while."
"I only knocked the big one down and threatened him and then tricked the smaller one before he could blow my head off. By all rights I should be dead now." Duo said, as he took a long gulp of his water.
"Yeah, you probably should be. And I suggest you avoid going anywhere near the Tempest, Downtime, and Miner's Heaven brothel since they'll have your image posted as a trouble-maker in need of a proper lesson.
"If my exploration tonight has had one positive outcome. I've discovered that the bazaar needs a proper place to eat."
"I take it you also visited the Grease Pit?"
"Yeah, and though I didn't get into the Downtime, I'm sure there needs to be a better alternative. I've always enjoyed cooking more than flying. After what you said to Tye about starting a business with the new food generation unit; I've been thinking that I might be able to serve Lord Lightstripe better as an agent here on Vesuvia in that capacity. The problem is I don't have the money to acquire the units or the facilities."
"It's a good idea, and God knows all the agents that have been through here have always been pilots first and agents second. So, whenever something comes up they always jump at the chance for action. Tell you what, after you meet with Lord Lightstripe, if he agrees to your idea I'll help you out. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got other customers waiting. Oh and don't worry about the drink I'll just put it on your account."
Duo raised his glass to Arlen and finished it off. He quickly got up and his seat was immediately taken, as the music for the next show began. He made his way to the back door and down the stairs. He knocked on the door and was immediately swept into the room by Roam.
"Here he is! Now we celebrate!" Roam boomed
The room was filled with cheering as Duo looked around in complete confusion. A dancer, dressed in a nearly transparent purple dress, pointed to a monitor that was playing a loop of Duo's performance at the Downtime. "Don't look so down, we haven't had a show this good since Prowler made fools of the Imperiam soldiers." She said, as she dragged him to the center of the room.
* * *
A loud thump echoed through Alec's room followed seconds later by a scream. "NOOO FATHER!" For a second Alec lay on the floor in confusion as to where he was and what he was doing.
"Shock, not again. I hope no one heard that." He said, as he extricated himself from the knotted blanket. Once clear he opened his closet, pulled out a faded pare of blue jeans and a brown T-shirt. He slowly got dressed and then sat on the edge of his bed staring at the blank wall.
"Why? Why did Dacat take you away from me? What did we ever do to him? And why in God's name hasn't Prowler agreed to meet with us!" He yelled, as he stood up and pulled open the door. He was going to find Tye and find out just what was going on. However he stopped short when he noticed Duo's note.
"Out to get some air, huh. That means Daniel is pissed off about something." He said as he pulled the note off the wall. "Damn it! If it wasn't bad enough that my nightmares have to continue to plague me; it's worse when they case a burden for Stripes!" He yelled, as he ran his hand over the dent in the wall. He crumpled the note in his fist and only then noticed that there was writing on the back of it. He quickly unfolded the wadded paper and read the note that Tye had left for Duo.
"Well that explains what Stripes was doing in my room." He said, as he turned around and re-entered his room to get the wallet. "So I guess that means I'm on my own."
He walked back out in the hall, turned to his right, and walked down the hall away from the living room. When he reached the end of the hall he opened the door to the flight simulator room and made his way to one of the units. He slid into the cockpit and pulled the canopy down.
"Now what scenario should I run?" He asked himself, as he scrolled through the options.
Two minutes later he cleared the screen and got out of the unit. "Maybe Stripes and Duo had the right idea. I hope getting out of this hole will help me feel better as well." He said, as he stopped back at his room to grab his thermal-conditioning jacket.
A minute later he nodded to Roam as he left the backstage area. The moon bathed the avenue in a pale blue glow as Alec slowly walked towards the spaceport. He glanced down the alley towards the bazaar and decided that he didn't feel like being around anyone, so he continued on. Twelve minutes later he punched in the code for the hangar where they had left their fighters. The door slid open and then shut with only a whisper of moving sand. He walked past the small office and pilot's quarters, down the ramp to the floor, and across to his fighter. He ran his hand over the fading and scorched brown paint.
"Father, this was your fighter. The only thing I have left to remember you by." He said, as he climbed inside. The cockpit was large, since the Shendrian Lance fighter had to be able to accommodate pilots who were often larger than a regular human. However since he was a member of the Brushfighter Clan, elk horns and confined spaces never seemed to work well, the excess space had been converted into an expanded cargo area. He opened it and pulled out his flight helmet. After putting it on he slid down, closed the canopy, and relaxed. Something about just sitting in the fighter always made him feel safe.
"So you've finally made it. Have you met with Arlen Sundowner yet?" The ship asked.
Alec jumped, slamming into the canopy so hard that it hurt even with his helmet on. "What the? Who said that?"
"I did of course."
"Father?" Alec asked, as an image appeared in his heads up display.
"Who did you expect?"
"How?"
"A trick I found in the logs of Lord Prowler Lightstripe. I knew that there was a possibility that Dacat would find out about our planning on contacting Arlen Sundowner for help. So I copied my mind into a memory crystal and then wired it into my fighter. I knew that some day you would inherit . . . Me, I guess you could say."
"So you've been here all this time?"
"Of course." Father replied.
"All the time when I was growing up and I would sneak into the clan hanger and hide in here you were here?"
"Yes, why do you thing you felt so safe? I wanted to tell you that I was here but the risk was too great that someone else would find out. I had to wait until you had escaped from Shendria to make contact with you. But look on the bright side I wasn't able to yell at you. Just think of all the times when you were growing up that you were in here and I was the only one that kept you from destroying the hanger and killing yourself."
"I-I never realized. You know, all my life I've had so many questions I've wanted to ask you but now that I have the chance I can't think of a single one."
"That is all right... Someone is coming! I'm going to shut down now."
"But Father, I want to talk to you some more!" Alec yelled, as the star fighter's systems began to shut down.
A small hidden panel located next to the communication console popped open and an amber crystal slid out. "That is a copy of the one hard wired into the fighter's computer. When you remember some of those questions you want to ask me just slide it into a compatible data pad and I'll be there. Then when you return, replace the crystal and my memories will automatically be updated." Father said and then the inside of the fighter went dark.
Alec placed the crystal in the inside pocket of his jacket and opened the canopy.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that anyone was in here." A man, about the same age or a bit older then Alec, said as he removed his breath mask. "My name is Zor, and I just stopped to pick up a few things I left here." He said, as he continued across the hanger and pulled a tarp off from a hover bike.
"Yes! It looks as if the kids took good care of her while I was away. Now, all I have to do is wait until Rashee returns and then I can go and get the rest of my things." He said, as he got on the bike and started the engine.
"Um, not to be rude, but who are you and how did you get in here?" Alec asked, as he climbed down from his fighter.
"Oh, I thought I'd already covered that. I'm Aureliyus Zinge, Captain of the Accordia Relocation Cruiser Phoenix, but you can call me Zor. A couple of months ago I had to high tail it out of here. With the Imperiam gone I'm back to get the things I left behind." Zor said as he pushed the bike toward the door so that he didn't kick up as much dust.
"But how did you get in here? We changed the codes after we arrived."
"Oh, I just used the underground tunnels. Now if you'll just give me a hand I'll get out of your way."
Alec nodded and held the door open.
"Thanks, you wouldn't happen to have any free time on your hands would you?" Zor asked as he got on the bike.
"Uh, well, I guess I do."
"Can you pilot a hover vehicle?"
"No problem, but I don't know you so how can you expect me to trust you?" Alec asked, as he stepped back ready to pull the door shut.
"You're one of the pilots that Dare helped right? I stopped at the Sundowner but Roam told me that you'd already left. Tye gave me a message for you. If I can just find it." Zor said, as he began patting down his pockets.
"I'm warning you, I'm trained in multiple fighting techniques."
"Not to worry, you can trust me. I work for Dare and for Prowler, well, sort of anyway. As I said I'm the Captain of the Phoenix, which is owned by the remnants of the Fyretech Corporation. Since Dare is the one who is in charge of Fyretech I work for him. Of course I just learned that Fyretech, is actually owned by ShadowTech, which is owned by Prowler. Ah, here it is!" Zor said, as he slowly pulled a small holo-projector pad out of a pocket.
He pushed the play button and Tye's image appeared, "Alec, Daniel, and Duo. I'm not sure which one of you will be seeing this but Zor asked me if I knew anyone he could trust on Vesuvia. He knows, well more then he should, but Lord Lightstripe has given him clearance to know about our home world. I figure if Lord Lightstripe trusts him that much then you should be able to as well."
"Yeah, if you know that much and you're still alive I can trust you. Though I'm starting to wonder if Prowler is the right person I should be seeking help from. What you know is . . ."
"One of the best kept secrets in the universe and I'm lucky that I'm still alive. Yeah, Prowler told me that I was never to mention what I know to anyone and I'm not happy about Tye telling you that."
"It does prove that I can trust you."
"Good, now will you take this thing so I don't have to worry about it?" Zor asked, as he tossed the holo-projector to Alec.
Alec caught the device and immediately erased the message. "I'll just keep it with me until I can return it to Tye." He said as he slipped it into a pocket. "So what do you need help with?"
"I need to run out to my old mining site and pick up a couple of things. The problem is, one of those things is a prototype starfighter. If I go out there on my own I'll have to leave my hover bike."
"So you want me to bring the bike back while you fly the fighter."
"That's the idea. Though I figured I'd rent a hover truck if I could find someone to help me."
"So why did you bring your hover bike out here?"
"Because it's quicker to circle the outskirts on the bike to the truck rental than to walk through the city. If you want to wait here I'll pick you up once I've got the truck."
"Actually, if you don't mind, I think I'll come with you. It seems that all I've done for the last couple of days is sit around and wait."
"Whatever." Zor said, as Alec climbed on the back of the bike.
Two hours later Zor slowed the truck as they approached a narrow opening in the shear face of a large cliff. "Hold on, this is going to be a tight squeeze and I've never tried to navigate the canyon at low speed."
"You've got to be kidding!" Alec yelled, as the truck slid left and right around boulders and the canyon walls.
After five minutes of constant fear the canyon opened up and the truck drifted to a stop in front of the ruins of a mining camp. Zor shut down the truck and climbed out. Alec followed him as he walked to the front of a ruined tent.
Zor bent down and ran his hand through the sand. "I'm sorry Revo. If you hadn't met me you'd probably have found your big strike by now." He stood, looked at the remains of the tent, and shook his head before heading toward the mine opening.
"Revo and I were partners. You know, I said that I had to leave Vesuvia in a hurry. The reason was because I'm a wanted man. Bounty hunters found me and they killed Revo.
"You're wanted?"
"Heh. Who doesn't the Imperiam want for something? In my case they killed most of my family and framed me. I stole a starfighter and ran. I figured if I came out here to the ass end of nowhere that they'd never find me."
"I-I know how you feel." Alec said, as Zor lit a torch and started down the mineshaft.
"How could you possibly know how I feel?" Zor yelled.
"Because I had to watch as a tyrant executed my family in front of me. What's worse I had to keep from showing any emotion or he would have killed me as well. Then for nine years I had to show up each year as he chose a further two people from my Clan to execute."
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize. Anyway, I came out here to Vesuvia and ran with one of the gangs in town before hooking up with Revo and becoming his partner. It was tough work and he was a real slave driver but he had a kind soul. He really was the closest thing I had to a father. And then a group of bounty hunters killed him. Of course they were killed minutes later by another bounty hunter. I escaped from her only to be captured again by my brother, who had believed the Imperiam's lies, until they turned on him. He then helped me escape and I'd been on the run until I met up with the Shadow Runners. So how did you escape?"
"I didn't escape, well, not really. I was lucky that I wasn't one of the ones chosen for execution. You see, on our planet when we come of age we are required to attend the academy. I was the first from my Clan to come of age after the executions so there was no way I could escape. Though by that point I was ready. You see the tyrant's son was the same age as I am so I planned on tracking him down and killing him. That way the tyrant wouldn't have an heir."
Zor stopped suddenly and ran his hand over the wall. He smiled and pushed his hand through an opening that was covered by a piece of cloth that, in the torch light, had blended in with the mine's walls. He pulled and a door swung open. In front of them a staircase rose into the darkness.
"Please continue." Zor said, as he started up the stairs.
"Well, what I hadn't expected was that the tyrant's son would be assigned as my roommate. I knew that I couldn't kill him right away since it would be obvious that I was the one to blame. So I waited and planned. It didn't take long for me to discover that his father thought of him as a disappointment and probably had him placed with me in the hope that I would kill him. Still I couldn't let that stop me. What I had planned was for the good of my world."
"I can understand that. In my own way I'm fighting against the Imperiam for the same reason."
"When I finally had the chance to kill him he asked me for only one thing. He wanted me to make it as painless as possible since he refused to fight me. I was rather surprised. We just stood there staring at each other for what seemed like forever. I had to kill him but I just couldn't. Luckily we were interrupted. A classmate burst in on us with the news that the Great Prowler had returned. In that moment I knew the best way to stop the tyrant was to contact the Great One. So here I am waiting for an audience."
"I hate to tell you this, but it may take some time. Prowler left on a mission just before you arrived. Dare says that it shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks." Zor said, as he placed the torch in a wall bracket and pushed a switch.
The lights came on and a large circular room was revealed. Several chairs had been carved from stone and had overly fluffy pillows to sit on. A fireplace with a large mantle was carved into the wall on one side. At the back was a kitchen separated from the living area by a low wall that looked like it could also serve as a countertop. A large dining area was beside the kitchen and was also separated from the living area by a low wall.
"Wow! If you had a place like this why did you live in a tent?"
"Who says we lived in the tent? Sure we had a couple of cots in there but that was just for appearances. For the most part the tent was just a place to hide weapons in case of claim jumpers. We had a really good sensor system, or so we thought. If any sizable force attacked us, we could retreat to the mine and then defend it from multiple hidden tunnels. If they set up camp to starve us out, I could take off with the fighter and that would be the end of the siege. This is my place. Revo had his own set up hidden around here somewhere."
"You mean you don't have a map of the tunnels?"
"To much chance of someone finding it. No, we kept to our own areas. The hidden tunnels we dug together so we knew all of them without needing a map. I'd planned on settling here, but not now. Maybe once the Imperiam is defeated Rashee and I'll come back. Maybe by then it won't hurt as bad knowing that I... that Revo... Anyway I have a question about your roommate. Why was he willing to let you kill him?"
"I, well, as I said he was my room mate. He told me that every night in my sleep I would scream out for my family and in fear that I was about to be killed. He would sit with me and tell me that I was safe until I relaxed."
"That's why you trusted him? It seems a little naive to me."
"You would have trusted him. That is if you'd run into him instead of me. Daniel helped me plan out our escape. So, shall we start packing? I don't see much here that can be moved so this shouldn't be much work."
"Sure there isn't much in this room, but wait until you see the rest of the rooms." Zor said, as he crossed to room and opened another hidden door.