AL2 Ch1

Chapter One

Zander glared back at the old crew of the Righteous. Everyone but Andy and Verm, that is; those two didn’t meet his eyes. They’d both seen the bodies that Zander and Veldiami had left behind.

“Righteous, open portal to dock three-six-nine. Everyone but me is going to the dock,” Andy told the ship.

“Confirmed. There is one person with you who is not crew. Is this correct?”

“That is correct,” Andy replied. “The dock should have some engineers standing by. Bring them here; they’ll be going over you. They get as much access as I can grant them.”

“Confirmed. Setting portals and initiating.”

Zander felt a moment of falling, but it was a scant second before his feet touched the floor again. He stood in a featureless room. Besides the crew— who’d already turned to leave, grumbling as they went— there was another person there.

Before Zander could greet her, Verm stepped in front of him. “Badger, you will speak to your captain for me?”

Zander gave the Cyclops a nod. “I’ll talk with her. I’m not sure if she needs another engineer, but you did what you had to. You have my stamp of approval. Do you get along with Dwarves?”

“Yes. I have no problems with any race.”

“Okay. Just not sure how to contact you.”

“I’ll check in with Fractured Dreams when they dock. Will that work?”

“They should be here in two or three days, so yeah. I should be able to tell them by then.”

“Thank you,” Verm said, extending a hand.

Zander shook Verm’s hand, his FN Scar dangling on its sling. “Hope to see you again, Verm.”

That left just the person who’d been waiting to speak to Zander as everyone else had gone. She came forward, a pleasant smile on her face. “Badger, was it?”

“Call me Zander,” Zander chuckled. “I’m a pilot from Fractured Dreams.”

The woman stared at him for a moment. “A pilot? Not security?”

“Correct.”

“I see. You’re quantum-shifted, as well?”

“Long story, that,” Zander sighed, “but the short answer is yes.”

“What race are you?”

“Well, I’m assuming you’re a Sylph,” Zander said, not answering right away. “Or am I wrong?”

The woman looked to be a cloud formed into a female shape, but with a mini-tornado where her legs would be. She appeared to be as solid as anyone else Zander had met, but she was disconcerting, she looked like a bipedal cloud. Her skin, if you could call it skin, was the color of clouds, but she lacked eyeballs, just having whiter clouds in the spot where they should be. The clothing she wore covered her like it would anyone else, even if the bottom of her skirt fluttered constantly.

“That’s correct.”

“As for what race I am, I’m Human.”

The Sylph’s tornado stuttered for a moment before spinning faster. “A Terran? All the way out here?”

“Yeah. I came from even farther out, and Fractured Dreams rescued me. What’s your name, miss?”

“Whisponette. I’ll be your guide.”

“That works for me. Fractured Dreams won’t be here for two days, which leaves me in a bit of a lurch. I don’t have any cash.”

“If you’re a pilot, then you needn’t worry. Should we go verify who you are, then register you?”

“Sounds good to me, Whisponette. Where do we go?”

“Follow me, please.”

Following the Sylph, Zander was mildly amused. He’d just met the first female alien he had absolutely no attraction to. It could be the fact she was a shaped cloud, or it could be that she had no ass to speak of, but he felt zero attraction for the woman.

It was a bit of a walk, and there wasn’t a lot to see. The room entered a long hall, which terminated into another room. Behind a desk, a haggard, extremely ugly man sat. He looked up when they entered, then grunted.

“Gerz, I have with me the Shifted. He is a Terran and claims to be a pilot. We need to check and then register him.”

“Fine, fine. Bring him to the desk,” Gerz croaked out.

“No offense, but what race are you?” Zander asked.

“Goblin,” Gerz sneered.

Seeing the overly large nose, eyes, and ears, Zander had to admit that the man would fit a lot of the myths about the ugly spirits that had been gathered under that name. He briefly wondered if Gerz had any feet problems; that’d been their Achilles heel for some of those same stories.

Reaching the desk, Whisponette had Zander put his back to it, then touched something to his neck. A few seconds later, she gasped, as did Gerz.

“He’s a pilot. First registered Terran pilot. They’re supposed to be getting theirs cataloged soon,” Gerz said, his voice still croaking. “Your AI is still spreading; it has not integrated fully, yet. You’re not even a month old on your commitment to the Galactic Assembly.”

“I’ve heard I have to spend a tenth of my lifetime in service,” Zander commented.

“That’s correct,” Whisponette said. “We are waiting for the numbers from Terra on their pilots and how many years that will mean. Very well. Register him, Gerz.”

“I know my job!” Gerz croaked angrily.

Zander answered the questions Gerz had, surprising the Goblin when he said he was a pilot for Fractured Dreams. That apparently meant more paperwork for him, making him mutter more. When he finished, Gerz had him place his hand on a spot on the desk. Having given a sample of his DNA to Dreams when signing on, Zander figured he knew what they were doing.

“You’re now logged in the Galactic archive, and your DNA has been recorded in the system,” Gerz said. “Your account is currently empty. Due to you being a new pilot, the Assembly grants you five hundred thousand credits. Until Fractured Dreams arrives and confirms that you are indeed their pilot, you’ll have to survive on that.”

“Okay, but that tells me nothing. Sounds like a lot, though.”

“The credit is the lowest denomination of Galactic currency,” Whisponette explained.

“So a penny. Got it,” Zander nodded. “Sounds like yen, honestly… that ran about a hundred to one for the dollar. Let’s make this simple: what will a room cost me for the night?”

“Depending on where you stay, it could run up to a fifth of your total,” Whisponette said, guiding him toward the far door. “Come with me. Gerz gets cranky if people stay in his office.”

“I think he’s just like that all the time,” Zander said as they left.

A tinkling sound, similar to windchimes, came from Whisponette before she spoke. “You aren’t wrong.”

“Nice laugh,” Zander smiled. “I think it might be best if I grab a room. I’m tired. Maybe you can show me a good place?”

“Of course. This way.”

This was a much shorter hallway, but it terminated in another room. In the middle was a console that his guide glided toward. She tapped on it for a moment before nodding. “We’ll be going to Cartin District. You should be able to relax there until your ship arrives.”

“You’re the guide. Take us away.”

Zander felt another brief portal. It looked like they were in the same room, but this one had four doors leading out of it. Whisponette floated toward one of them, so Zander followed her.

When they left the room and hallway behind, Zander whistled softly. They’d come out onto a street. He could see businesses dotting the road either way, and aliens dotted the avenue as far as he could see in both directions. Above him, flat-bottomed sleds or something similar glided past, he caught sight of people sitting or standing on them. That moment drove home just how different everything was.

Whisponette was beside him in an instant, her hand resting on his arm. “Are you okay?”

“A lot to take in,” Zander replied before taking a deep, slow breath. “So many different races, but I think I know a lot of them. My world had a lot of myths that dealt with them. Not sure about a few of them though.”

“Other Shifted have said similar things in the past.”

“That makes sense,” Zander exhaled, feeling better. He started to settle into the craziness before him. “Kind of like being at DragonCon… everyone in cosplay,” he muttered.

“What?” Whisponette asked.

“Just getting my mind wrapped around things enough to handle this.” He waved at the street. “I’d like a room first, please.”

“Of course. Follow me.”

Zander trailed her— he didn’t gawk, but he did rubberneck a little. It quickly became apparent that everyone else who could see him was doing the same to him. He was a completely different race than any of them had seen before. His eyes didn’t find any obvious weapons on display besides his, and that had him wondering about personal protection.

They walked past a number of businesses with items displayed in windows facing the street. Those same windows were clearly marked with the name of the places, not that Zander could read them. He couldn’t even guess at half of what he saw in passing.

They came to a building that rose higher than the others around it, windows dotting the front wall. Hotel, Zander thought, proven right when Whisponette led him inside.

The lobby was open; it had seats and tables spread around it, but with clear walkways to the far desk that stood beside two elevators. The color scheme of the place consisted of shades of light blue and gray, making Zander think of the sky.

Behind the desk, another Sylph waited for them. The man smiled, then spoke to Whisponette in a soft, whistling language. She replied back, then turned to Zander.

“This is Skyreach. It is owned and staffed by a family of Sylphs,” Whisponette explained. “Your stay would cost you ten-thousand credits a night. Is this satisfactory?”

“Are there any pictures of the rooms?” Zander asked.

The man behind the desk placed a tablet on the desk. “We have a variety of rooms based on your sleeping needs,” he replied.

Zander swiped through until he found one with a bed. “This style. It comes with appropriate cleaning facilities, right?”

“Of course, sir. One for your body, and another for waste. The latter can be altered to suit your needs.”

“That’ll work,” Zander grunted. “Where do I sign?”

The man took the pad back, worked on his side, then placed a different pad in front of Zander. “Your hand, please.”

Zander pressed his palm to the pad, feeling the same mild tingle he’d felt every time his DNA was accessed.

“Your room is on the fourth floor, number forty-two.”

“Oh good, we’ve found the answer,” Zander chuckled. “Keys?”

“It’s keyed to your DNA,” the man said slowly.

“He’s a Shifted,” Whisponette smiled, “hence why I’m with him, Stevlono.”

“Ah, of course. You will lead him?”

She didn’t answer, just floating toward the elevator to the right of the desk. Zander trailed her; the mix of known and unknown was a little jarring, but he was quickly acclimating. The elevator didn’t have buttons for floors, just a pad.

“Place your palm,” Whisponette told him. “It will take you to the right floor.”

“Security measure?” Zander asked as he did so.

“Privacy measure,” she corrected him. “Only guests can access their floors and rooms. You can register up to two who can use the elevator to reach you.”

“Got it,” Zander said. “Where do I find you after I wake up?”

“MX?” Whisponette asked.

“How can I assist you?” a pleasant, if slightly detached, voice asked.

“I need you to verify Zander Greaves.”

“Will Zander Greaves speak for me?”

“Hello, MX. You’re the AI for the Hub?”

“I am the AI of MX Hub. That is correct. Your voice has been logged as Zander Greaves, and has been attached to your record.”

The elevator doors opened, letting them out. The pair walked down the hall, but they didn’t have to go far, as his door was directly beside the elevator. Zander palmed the door open and went inside with Whisponette behind him.

“When I need to contact Whisponette, you can help me?” Zander asked, continuing the conversation.

“That is correct,” MX replied.

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome.”

Zander checked the room, then fixed the toilet to be what he needed. It wasn’t perfect, and the bed wasn’t as good as what he had on Dreams, but it would work. He gave Whisponette a tight smile. “How do I get my clothing cleaned?”

“The bots here can clean them. MX, please notify Zander when Fractured Dreams docks.”

“This had been added to his requests,” MX replied.

“One last question before I rack out? Station security isn’t going to hassle me, right?”

“For carrying your… things? No. That was all logged when you arrived.”

“Good. I hate being without my gear. It almost cost Dreams. I should call you when I wake up?”

“Of course,” Whisponette smiled. “Sleep well.”

Zander took another look around the room once she’d left. “Skyreach?”

“Yes?” The voice was lighter but just as emotionless as most AIs.

“I need a connection for my AI.”

“Where in the room?”

“The bed. I’m going to be using it shortly. Also, I’ll need the cleaner bots in a few minutes. My clothing will be set by the door.”

“I have heard your requests and will comply.”

“Thanks,” Zander said as he started stripping.