Chapter I
They had spent 12 months on Talisn 14. Talisn was a smaller planet in the same system as New Earth, with vast oceans, and several continents ranging from desert wasteland to lush tropical forests, and in-between. Talisn however, was sparkly populated by humans, and heavily populated by Mantrins. But as of late, with the creation of New Earth, Talisn 14 had been transformed from a remote planet to the center of trade and activity in the system. Humans, and aliens alike filed onto the planet; there for the amazing array of items to buy, and some there to sell there own in the vast markets that encompassed most cities on Talisn 14.
The Valkyrie had stopped on the planet for much needed repairs, which would hold them there for at least 6 months. Korso had chosen a small city on the southern most continent with a Mantrin name he could barely pronounce. The city was roughly the size of New York City back on earth, but compared to the rest of Talisn 14, that was small. Strange enough the entire crew felt comfortable here. Most humans would have felt out of place as the minority on the planet, but after spending 15 years adrift in space, Korso, Cale and Akima were adjusted to the situation. Stith on the other hand, was in an ecstatic mood. It had been at least 10 years since she had left with Korso on the grand mission to save human kind, and another 2 years since she had seen another Mantrin like herself. Never the less, being here was like going home again.
Not far from the run down hangar where the repairs were being done on the Valkyrie was the hotel/bar where the crew would be spending the next 6 months. It was not the fanciest of places in the city, but it would have to do on their extremely small budget. The outside of the hotel was deceiving to the naked eye. The exterior was a flat gray metal wall with windows on all sides, some glowing with light, and some dark. The door had a large glowing sign over the top if it broadcasting several slogans and pictures about how good and clean their hotel was and about their great offers.
On the inside however, things were different. The lounge was filled with furniture that was falling apart, most of the couches and tables were being held up by wooden splints on their legs. Not to mention the entire room smelled like vomit, stale cigarettes, and alcohol. The rest of the lobby was much the same. The carpets were all worn down by years of walking, the main desk was a mess of papers, keys and packages, and most of the lights were busted, dim, or sputtering in their last days of life. Upstairs the rooms showed signs of miss use as much as lack of cleaning. In fact, it looked as if no maid or cleaning hand, or living soul had been up to their rooms in a decade. But the crew couldn't afford any other place, so they stayed here.
After signing into his or her rooms, everybody split. Cale went out on the town, probably heading to a better bar, Akima headed down to the hangar to work on the Valkyrie, and Korso went into the industrial part of town to track down need items and supplies. Stith however, not wanting to leave, stayed at the hotel and visited the bar downstairs. The bar itself was not lacking very much. The tables and bar were made of a wood the humans called oak, and reflected the lights from above like the wood was a mirror. The cabinet behind the bartender was fully stocked with every human, and alien beverage that could be mustered, and several taps lined the backside of the bar as well. The floors were well swept, the tables clean, and there was only a thin wisp of smoke on the ceiling. Stith could see where this hotels priority was.
The room was sparsely populated with patrons. A few tables seated Mantrins and humans alike, and the bar was left empty, occupied only by the Mantrin bartender behind it. Stith walked up to the bar and sat herself in a stool.
"What would you like there sweet thing?" asked the bartender.
"Give me anything." Said Stith. "Just make sure it will do the trick."
"I got just the thing." Responded the bartender. He turned to the shelves behind him and pulled out several long necked bottles and began to pour them into a silver cup. Replacing the bottles he capped the cup and began to shake it back and forth with two hands. After about a minute he stopped the shaking, and poured off the contents of the cup into a glass and served it to Stith.
"Here you go." He said handing her the glass. Stith observed the contents of the glass. The liquid filled the cup to the brim and had a little cap of foam at the top. The liquid itself was a thick milky white with little bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass. Stith slowly brought the glass to her mouth and took a sip. Her tongue was shocked at the powerful mix of vanilla and alcohol that leaked into her mouth. Stith put the glass down and let her mouth adjust to the drinks taste. Another Mantrin entered the bar and sat down near her.
"New here?" he asked. Stith turned to the voice. It was female.
"Yes." Answered Stith. "How could you tell?"
"Well," started the middle-aged female, "I come here at least every other night, and I haven't seen you around her before. So I assume you must be new."
"You have no idea!" Said Stith.
"Well maybe not," she said, "but I do have the time for you to tell me where you came from."
"Sure." Responded Stith. "I guess I have the time as well. It all started about 10 years ago…" Stith then proceeded to tell her about how she met Korso, and how he convinced her to join him on his great mission concerning mankind. Then she moved on to her travels with Korso, finding Cale, saving the Titan, and all the adventures in between. However boring most might have seen it, the person was different. As Stith told the story she could see the female Mantrin's eyes light up and react to parts of the story.
"Well," she said when the story was done. "Seems you have had quite the adventurous life." Stith nodded in agreement. As the night had gone on she had taken in about 7 of those milky white drinks, and by this time of the night she was feeling a little light headed.
"So what about you?" Asked Stith. "Tell me about…" A huge Mantrin wearing a black vest came stumbling behind Stith as she was talking. Loosing his drunken balance, he tripped and drove his shoulder right in the center of Stith's back. Stith yelped as her face was sent forward into the glasses and bowls that had collected in front of her over the night. All of the glasses smashed to the floor. Enraged, Stith turned under his weight, and pushed off his chest. "Get the fuck off me asshole!" She screamed. The male Mantrin flew back and slammed into the wall behind him. He hit with a sickening thud and sank to the floor, dropping his glass.
"Stith you really shouldn't..."
"Not right now!" Said Stith. The male Mantrin, the fall seeming to sober him up, pulled himself up from the floor. He had to be as tall as she was, if not more. His eyes pulsated with anger. He took one step forward so that he was in arms length.
"Do you know who your messing with bitch?" He asked in deep but smooth sounding voice.
"Three hundred pounds of shit if you ask me!" Stith barked back. The male Mantrins yes flared. He lunged for her, his arms reaching for her neck. Stith, more sober then he, side stepped, and as he flew by delivered a stiff elbow to the back of his neck. He landed face first on the bar with a grunt. Seeming to loose no steam he turned and lunged for her again. This time Stith had enough distance to do what she pleased. She spun on her left foot and extended her right, delivering a devastating kick to his gut. The male Mantrin howled as he landed in a pile of stools. He didn't try to get up, only moaned and grabbed at his chest and stomach.
The entire bar was focused on her. For some reason they all had a look of fear in their eyes, as if she had caused her own death. Stith didn't care, she just wanted quiet. She turned back to the bar and tossed a few credits on the table. "I'm going to bed, it was nice meeting you." With that she went up stairs, leaving the bar in shock.
They had spent 12 months on Talisn 14. Talisn was a smaller planet in the same system as New Earth, with vast oceans, and several continents ranging from desert wasteland to lush tropical forests, and in-between. Talisn however, was sparkly populated by humans, and heavily populated by Mantrins. But as of late, with the creation of New Earth, Talisn 14 had been transformed from a remote planet to the center of trade and activity in the system. Humans, and aliens alike filed onto the planet; there for the amazing array of items to buy, and some there to sell there own in the vast markets that encompassed most cities on Talisn 14.
The Valkyrie had stopped on the planet for much needed repairs, which would hold them there for at least 6 months. Korso had chosen a small city on the southern most continent with a Mantrin name he could barely pronounce. The city was roughly the size of New York City back on earth, but compared to the rest of Talisn 14, that was small. Strange enough the entire crew felt comfortable here. Most humans would have felt out of place as the minority on the planet, but after spending 15 years adrift in space, Korso, Cale and Akima were adjusted to the situation. Stith on the other hand, was in an ecstatic mood. It had been at least 10 years since she had left with Korso on the grand mission to save human kind, and another 2 years since she had seen another Mantrin like herself. Never the less, being here was like going home again.
Not far from the run down hangar where the repairs were being done on the Valkyrie was the hotel/bar where the crew would be spending the next 6 months. It was not the fanciest of places in the city, but it would have to do on their extremely small budget. The outside of the hotel was deceiving to the naked eye. The exterior was a flat gray metal wall with windows on all sides, some glowing with light, and some dark. The door had a large glowing sign over the top if it broadcasting several slogans and pictures about how good and clean their hotel was and about their great offers.
On the inside however, things were different. The lounge was filled with furniture that was falling apart, most of the couches and tables were being held up by wooden splints on their legs. Not to mention the entire room smelled like vomit, stale cigarettes, and alcohol. The rest of the lobby was much the same. The carpets were all worn down by years of walking, the main desk was a mess of papers, keys and packages, and most of the lights were busted, dim, or sputtering in their last days of life. Upstairs the rooms showed signs of miss use as much as lack of cleaning. In fact, it looked as if no maid or cleaning hand, or living soul had been up to their rooms in a decade. But the crew couldn't afford any other place, so they stayed here.
After signing into his or her rooms, everybody split. Cale went out on the town, probably heading to a better bar, Akima headed down to the hangar to work on the Valkyrie, and Korso went into the industrial part of town to track down need items and supplies. Stith however, not wanting to leave, stayed at the hotel and visited the bar downstairs. The bar itself was not lacking very much. The tables and bar were made of a wood the humans called oak, and reflected the lights from above like the wood was a mirror. The cabinet behind the bartender was fully stocked with every human, and alien beverage that could be mustered, and several taps lined the backside of the bar as well. The floors were well swept, the tables clean, and there was only a thin wisp of smoke on the ceiling. Stith could see where this hotels priority was.
The room was sparsely populated with patrons. A few tables seated Mantrins and humans alike, and the bar was left empty, occupied only by the Mantrin bartender behind it. Stith walked up to the bar and sat herself in a stool.
"What would you like there sweet thing?" asked the bartender.
"Give me anything." Said Stith. "Just make sure it will do the trick."
"I got just the thing." Responded the bartender. He turned to the shelves behind him and pulled out several long necked bottles and began to pour them into a silver cup. Replacing the bottles he capped the cup and began to shake it back and forth with two hands. After about a minute he stopped the shaking, and poured off the contents of the cup into a glass and served it to Stith.
"Here you go." He said handing her the glass. Stith observed the contents of the glass. The liquid filled the cup to the brim and had a little cap of foam at the top. The liquid itself was a thick milky white with little bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass. Stith slowly brought the glass to her mouth and took a sip. Her tongue was shocked at the powerful mix of vanilla and alcohol that leaked into her mouth. Stith put the glass down and let her mouth adjust to the drinks taste. Another Mantrin entered the bar and sat down near her.
"New here?" he asked. Stith turned to the voice. It was female.
"Yes." Answered Stith. "How could you tell?"
"Well," started the middle-aged female, "I come here at least every other night, and I haven't seen you around her before. So I assume you must be new."
"You have no idea!" Said Stith.
"Well maybe not," she said, "but I do have the time for you to tell me where you came from."
"Sure." Responded Stith. "I guess I have the time as well. It all started about 10 years ago…" Stith then proceeded to tell her about how she met Korso, and how he convinced her to join him on his great mission concerning mankind. Then she moved on to her travels with Korso, finding Cale, saving the Titan, and all the adventures in between. However boring most might have seen it, the person was different. As Stith told the story she could see the female Mantrin's eyes light up and react to parts of the story.
"Well," she said when the story was done. "Seems you have had quite the adventurous life." Stith nodded in agreement. As the night had gone on she had taken in about 7 of those milky white drinks, and by this time of the night she was feeling a little light headed.
"So what about you?" Asked Stith. "Tell me about…" A huge Mantrin wearing a black vest came stumbling behind Stith as she was talking. Loosing his drunken balance, he tripped and drove his shoulder right in the center of Stith's back. Stith yelped as her face was sent forward into the glasses and bowls that had collected in front of her over the night. All of the glasses smashed to the floor. Enraged, Stith turned under his weight, and pushed off his chest. "Get the fuck off me asshole!" She screamed. The male Mantrin flew back and slammed into the wall behind him. He hit with a sickening thud and sank to the floor, dropping his glass.
"Stith you really shouldn't..."
"Not right now!" Said Stith. The male Mantrin, the fall seeming to sober him up, pulled himself up from the floor. He had to be as tall as she was, if not more. His eyes pulsated with anger. He took one step forward so that he was in arms length.
"Do you know who your messing with bitch?" He asked in deep but smooth sounding voice.
"Three hundred pounds of shit if you ask me!" Stith barked back. The male Mantrins yes flared. He lunged for her, his arms reaching for her neck. Stith, more sober then he, side stepped, and as he flew by delivered a stiff elbow to the back of his neck. He landed face first on the bar with a grunt. Seeming to loose no steam he turned and lunged for her again. This time Stith had enough distance to do what she pleased. She spun on her left foot and extended her right, delivering a devastating kick to his gut. The male Mantrin howled as he landed in a pile of stools. He didn't try to get up, only moaned and grabbed at his chest and stomach.
The entire bar was focused on her. For some reason they all had a look of fear in their eyes, as if she had caused her own death. Stith didn't care, she just wanted quiet. She turned back to the bar and tossed a few credits on the table. "I'm going to bed, it was nice meeting you." With that she went up stairs, leaving the bar in shock.