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Chapter 35 - Dont You Have Enough Clothes?

  They call them Star Eaters. Monsters that live in the void between the stars and drain the life from system’s suns, leaving nothing but scorched husks behind. They’ve destroyed entire planets, although no one understands why, when they could just leave them plunged into darkness. Some people have theorized that it’s a twisted mercy, a quick death compared to the drawn out one that would follow a star's demise. I think it’s retribution for trying to protect our suns.

  -Log Fragment B-64

  “I know you want to go home, but if the Star Eaters come you may not have a home to go back to.” The little girl with silver hair stood stiffly in front of Maggie, fists clenched at her sides. “None of us may.”

  Maggie paced across the floor of the crystal ship, chewing on one of her thumbnails. “What are these Star Eaters anyways? Why are you so sure they’re coming? And why the hell is it my problem to deal with?”

  “Don’t be selfish! It’s your problem because as far as we know, your ship is the only one in good enough shape to use the weapon against them. As for what they are...” The little girl, Nee’la, looked at Te’chik. “They’re monsters, they suck the energy out of stars, plunging entire systems into darkness.”

  “They’ve destroyed whole planets too.” Te’chik said grimly, although she still seemed occupied balancing a crystal dagger on her finger. “Burnt them to a crisp. There’s a reason we fled rather than fight them.”

  “But we can’t keep running away. We have to make a stand!” Nee’la stomped a foot. “Surely even you have to admit that, convict!”

  “Sure. But I can’t blame Maggie for wanting to go home either.” Te’chik flipped the dagger into the air, catching it by it’s hilt. “She’s almost as much of a kid as you are.”

  “I’m not a kid.” Maggie bristled, her own fists clenching. It wasn’t fair, she hadn’t asked for any of this! And was there even a point to this conversation? It didn’t seem like she had a lot of choice in what she did or where she went. Ux’thu was determined to keep her on Silva Prime, or at least in the grasp of the Silvarians, her mother and aunt wanted to take her back to Earth, and the Freedom Coalition wanted her dead!

  “I’ve got literally centuries on you, to me, you’re a kid.” Te’chik chuckled and threw the dagger at the wall, embedding the tip in the already pock-marked metal.

  “Are you even alive still? I had assumed you were both some kind of ghosts, or hallucinations.” Maggie paused in her pacing, staring at the pair with a raised eyebrow.

  “Good question. The kid should still be alive, I put her in stasis with the others.” Te’chik said with a frown. She materialized another dagger, balancing it on the tip of her finger once more. “I don’t feel dead, but then, how am I supposed to know what dead feels like?”

  “The Key cannot pass onto a new holder until the previous one dies. But the memory of the previous holder lives on to advise and guide the new Key Holder.” Nee’la sounded like she was reciting some kind of instruction manual or textbook. Although she did look apologetically at Te’chik. “You’re more a memory the Key holds than anything, we both are.”

  “Huh.” Te’chik said thoughtfully. After a moment, she just shrugged. “Well there’s that. Who knew a memory could still get so damn bored. Not fair I tell ya.”

  “None of this is fair. Maggie, please, you’ve got to help us.” Nee’la turned her attention back to Maggie, her expression pleading now. “You have to help all of us! If the Star Eaters come then they’ll devour this galaxy too, star by star until there’s nothing left but darkness and death.”

  A shiver ran down Maggie’s spine. What could she do against something that could destroy an entire galaxy?

  But she had to try, didn’t she? If nothing else, she lived in this galaxy, her family lived in this galaxy. Countless innocent people, both human and non-human lived in this galaxy. She thought of Tommy and Jo, and let out a sigh. “Fine. But how am I even supposed to find the ship or get to it?”

  “The Silvarians can help you get to it. As for how to find it, it’s time and past you learn the finer points of space navigation.” Te’chik grinned and tossed the dagger into the wall as she stood up.

  Maggie woke up to sun streaming through the windows, and a dull headache as if she had just finished a marathon study session. The memory of star charts and equations danced behind her eyelids, and she let out a groan. Who knew navigation required so much math? Te’chik was pretty good at breaking it all down, but it was still a lot, and she wanted her to continue studying during the day!

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “You have a lot to catch up on.”Te’chik’s voice sounded like it was coming from behind her, but Maggie didn’t bother turning around. She wasn’t actually there. Not physically anyways.

  “I need to give my brain a rest before it turns into mush.” Maggie said defensively and rolled out of bed, her feet sinking into the soft carpet. What she really wanted to do was stay in bed all day, but she knew that Reshka’i would show up at any moment to take her to training, and she wanted to be dressed when the woman showed up. Preferably dressed and caffeinated, but she didn’t want any of the seaweed tea that the Silvarian’s drank. What she wouldn’t give for a good, unhealthy, ice cold soda chock full of sugar and caffeine. Or Becca’s special blend of coffee and hot cocoa.

  She sighed as she shuffled over to the dresser, pulling out one of the outfits Ux’thu and Theodrakis had given her. It seemed like they were all thin, flowy and simple. Too bad she didn’t have any of the jumpsuits she had gotten on Galaux Station. Or maybe some of the other fun clothes they had out there. There had been some styles that made her think of cyberpunks that had been pretty cool. As it was though, she was stuck dressing like a beach hippie. With a shrug, Maggie pulled on the clothes, stepping into open-toed sandals. Maybe she could convince them to get her some jumpsuits, or better yet, let her go shopping. There had to be someplace around here to buy some clothes.

  “Robin, you awake?” Maggie looked around the room until she spotted the rooms computer station. She sat down at the polished wooden desk, the computer turning on as soon as it detected her. The screen was setup similar to a tablet screen, with a small collection of icons, and most of the screen taken up by a search box. There was no keyboard though. And to be fair, even if there had been a keyboard it wouldn’t have been one Maggie knew how to use.

  “I don’t actually sleep.” Robin said as he popped into view beside her, leaning over her shoulder to look at the crystal slab that served as a computer screen. “You slept in a bit, Reshka’i will be here any moment.”

  “I figured, but I want to try and find some things too. Think you can work on it while I learn how to move stuff with my mind?” Maggie looked up at Robin, smiling in spite of her headache. She had gotten so used to Robin’s constant presence. Did that mean she was taking him for granted? Or was it normal to be so attached? She couldn’t imagine doing any of this without him.

  “Sure, what do you want me to look for?”

  She could feel his breath against her cheek as he spoke, and it sent a shiver down her spine. Firmly, she turned her attention to the screen, a blush rising in her cheeks. That was stupid, he didn’t even breath! He was a ghost! “Current star charts, and if there’s a place to shop for human clothes around here.”

  “Didn’t Theodrakis give you enough clothes?” Robin asked, glancing at the dresser and wardrobe. “How many clothes do you need?”

  “I want some jumpsuits, like what I had on Galaux Station. I know jeans are too much to ask for.” She had looked at prices for jeans at Galaux Station, and they were insane, if you could find them for sale at all. A patched jean jacket had been almost as much as the stations equivalent of a motorcycle!

  “Those did look cute on you.” Robin smiled appreciatively. He shrank down to his chibi size, and stood in front of the computer, the screen flickering as he interfaced with it. “I’ll see what I can do. Be careful in training, and remember, you can’t trust that woman.”

  “I remember.” She blushed deeper at the compliment and stood up. Was he flirting with her? No, that was stupid. A guy could give a girl a compliment without it being flirting! Maggie shook her head, ignoring the snickering from Te’chik in the back of her head.

  “You alright?” Robin looked at her, an eyebrow raising.

  “I’m fine, just thinking silly thoughts.” Maggie said.

  “Like what? I could use a good laugh.”

  There was no way she was going to ask him if he was flirting with her! Luckily, a soft chime rang through the unit before she could answer. “I’ll uhm, tell you later.”

  She was halfway to the door when the chime rang again, and she rolled her eyes. The woman could be patient at least! She opened the door to the furry, frowning face of Reshka’i, a human boy standing just behind her with a case almost as big as he was. “Magdeline, are you ready?”

  “I go by Maggie, but yeah, I’m ready. I don’t suppose you know where to get something caffeinated around here, and maybe some food?” Had she missed breakfast? It still felt pretty early.

  “You will eat after training. Follow me.” And without waiting for a response, the little Silvarian turned and headed down the hallway, followed by the struggling human boy.

  “Do you need help carrying that?” Maggie fell into step next to the boy, looking at the case. He couldn’t be much older than ten or twelve! Startled green eyes looked up at her, and he quickly shook his head.

  “He’s fine.” Reshka’i said, not bothering to glance back. “These first few sessions will be here, until I can convince your Grandfather of the importance of taking you to the main research facility. If you want to lighten his load help with that so that he doesn’t have to carry the equipment so far.”

  “My father seems pretty keen on me not going to that research facility.” Maggie said. “Actually, most everyone I know except you and Ux’thu seem to think me going there is a bad idea.”

  “Narrow minded fools, we make important progress at the research facility, and we have the equipment to train you more fully there. But we’ll start with what we have now. I’m sure you’ll come around eventually.” Reshka’i led the way into a small, windowless room with a single table. Light seemed to emanate from the very walls, ceiling and floor, eliminating any shadows. The boy lugged the large case over to the table, sliding it on it. “Today we are going to do two things. First, we will start to acclimate your mind to controlling computer systems. We are also going to delve into your mind to see if there are any clues as to where your ship is. Go ahead and sit down.”

  Maggie hesitated, looking at the mysterious case uneasily as Reshka’i started to open it. “How are we going to do that?”

  “Sit down and I will show you.” Reshka’i smiled, opening the case to show a complex machine with multiple switches and dials, one half taken up by a crystal screen.

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