I ended up waiting around with Qelimara while Tarvalen and Aria finished repairs in the sky tower.
I opened my backpack again to make sure Lum hadn't started melting or anything, but she was still in one piece, gurgling and vibrating.
"Lum, are you really okay? You're making me worry," I fretted.
"Blblbb. Fish hooker," Lum replied, reaching towards me. Another vibration caused her to withdraw, however.
"WAH! Kelly, she really is sick!! That's not normal, I just know it," I yelled, grabbing her arm in a panic. "Also she mentioned fish again. Maybe it's the cure??"
"Remember, she's still a variant," Qelimara told me. "The first rule when dealing with variants is always to expect the unexpected. Maybe this is normal for creatures like her, or maybe it's like… teething, or something? I dunno."
"Teething, huh…" I pulled Lum out of my bag. She was almost a full meter tall now, but still lightweight as ever. "Sorry I freaked out there, baby dolly. I'm new to this mom thing. You'll always have my love, no matter what."
"Love love," Lum echoed. Then she sneezed.
"Ohhh. Kelly, Kelly, this is the first time she's copied my words," I nudged her. "She really will be okay! Just some growing pains, right, baby dolly?"
"Pbbfft," Lum spluttered.
"You realize I was just guessing," Qelimara said.
"Don't even worry about it! I'm not gonna worry about it," I declared. "Whatever happens, happens! I'll stick with Lum through thick and thin, hell and high waves!"
As I continued hugging Lum, Tarvalen emerged from the corridor with Aria close behind. "All done! Thanks for your patience, ladies," he announced. "Good thing Aria can make doors, eh? One less thing to look for at the Qeta Lot."
"We're still going?" Qelimara looked over.
"Yeah. Most of what I need can be found there," he nodded. "As for the other stuff… eh, I'll figure it out later."
I gave Qelimara a look. "Dare I ask what kind of world the Qeta Lot is…?"
"I think you'll like it actually," she replied. "It's just a giant trade station that orbits the world of Arqos. Travelers from across the galaxy stop there all the time, thanks to its position at the crux of three stellar currents."
"Ehm… you never did explain what exactly stellar currents are," I noted.
"You know, it's not really required to know everything that goes on out in the cosmos," she shrugged. "Just think of them like… cosmic highways. Yeah."
"Sheesh, you could just say you have no idea," Tarvalen cut in. "I could explain, if you'd like. I studied cosmology for a while in my youth."
"You take too long and use obscure words," Qelimara retorted. "Let's just get going."
"Sheesh, touchy. Whatever," Tarvalen muttered, then pulled out an itinerary. "Main thing on today's list, maintenance. Parts, repairs… I wonder if that guy I know is still—"
"We're not going to your guy," Qelimara cut in. "This is the Qeta Lot we're talking! You're never supposed to hit up the same spot twice!"
"Huh? But I always go to Burlong for work on the Shell," he muttered. "He's good, and he actually pays me to keep coming back."
"That's like the biggest red flag possible," Qelimara insisted. "You're just asking to get struck twice by lightning!"
"Not all of the vendors are like that," he protested. "And anyway, he came to me. You know I always hear out potential clients."
"Wow. You're serious. I'm surprised you aren't dead in a void somewhere, really."
"I wager it has to do with the Shell itself," Aria mused. "Spacewarping vehicles are incredibly rare, after all. And if Burlong has been paying you…"
"Oh! Maybe he's researching it," I deduced. "And he probably makes way more selling the copied schematics than what he's giving you."
"Hum." Tarvalen thought for a second. "That's just business, right? And we're both benefiting. Seems like a win-win to me."
"Tarvalen!!" Qelimara sounded stressed. "No, you know what, never mind. Let's just get going."
"I usually stay behind," Aria began.
"Nah, it's fine. Let's make a day trip of it, what the hells," Tarvalen told her. "Show Kendel and Lum around, scope out some sweet deals. I'm feeling it today!"
"Oh boy, he's in one of his rare moods," Qelimara said as we all got into the Shell. "Kendel, Aria, make sure he doesn't take any bait."
"H-hey, come on. I'm not that bad," Tarvalen muttered, placing a hand on the orb. "Position OW-11, correction 10 degrees east, displacement 11000 kiloms vertical, active orbital correction starting at… eleven hours, Centra33, Qeta Lot, Arqos."
*
As the door opened, Aria suddenly shifted.
"What's up?" Qelimara's eye-line glinted in her direction.
"A… very distinct feeling." She tapped her chin(?). "Something's watching us. I didn't notice in the sky tower due to the barrier, but I think they've been watching us for a while now."
"Ahem. Tarvalen," Qelimara began.
"Not my fault! There are no bugs or trackers anywhere," Tarvalen quickly disclaimed. "We'll just need to keep an eye out, maybe leave someone to guard my ship."
Aria raised her hand. "I've already warded the Shell. We can at least rest assured no one will steal or scrap it."
"Oh, that's perfect," Tarvalen exhaled. "I should take you with me more often. So, uh… you wanna go duos? Me and Qelimara, you and Kendel?"
"How dare you exclude Lum," I told him. "Hah, just kidding. She and I are basically one person. Or, maybe one and a half people?"
"Yeah, this works. Maybe I can buy a leash for this man," Qelimara said.
"What? Your sense of humor is scuffed," Tarvalen muttered. Then the two of them walked off.
"Hmm… the Qeta Lot," I said, taking a deep breath. The air felt smooth and sterile in my windpipes. "They said this was a space station, right?"
"Indeed. This is my first time here as well," Aria replied. "Tarvalen would almost never take me with him on his journeys."
"Cool! New experiences, let's go," I yelled. "Oh wait, Tarv and Kelly left already. Where's a map?"
"Uhm… that way, perhaps," Aria pointed. Next to the entrance of a wide corridor was a hologram stand.
Thankfully, it really was a map. "Landing port Centra33," Aria read. "And the other two went that way, towards… Heraworx's Metal District."
"You've got reading, then. I'll handle talking," I decided. "Put my superspeech to the true test."
"Very well. Now, where would you like to go? I doubt you'll find the Metal District interesting."
"Is there like a hub or something? Maybe a flea market," I suggested. "Try zooming out. It can zoom out, right? I wanna see what's out there."
"Alright." Aria touched the slider on the hologram, and our blip became impossibly small. Then it merged into the blip indicating the Metal District's location, then all of the blips in Heraworx merged into one blip.
"Wh-wh-whaaat the hell is this?!!" I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "This friccing space station is the size of a continent!!"
"She did say it was large," Aria recalled. "I suppose there's no apt way to properly encapsulate the Qeta Lot's scale without seeing it yourself."
"No kidding," I said. "Shit, now I don't even know where to start."
"Well…" Aria zoomed back in. "Down this way is a platrail that leads to another district in Heraworx. It seems like the Centra landing ports are the main inlets for each… territory? Let's call them territories."
"And Centra33 also implies the existence of at least thirty-two other Centras…" I rubbed my head. "What am I saying, there's probably like a hundred. You could probably spend your entire life here, and not even come close to seeing everything the Qeta Lot has to offer."
"Yes, Qelimara mentioned once that everyone's experience in the Qeta Lot is different for this very reason," Aria mused as we started walking.
"Yeah, like how Tarv found a rare exchange opportunity, but Kelly probably had to watch for scams or double crossing all the time," I noted. "Or, hmm… maybe it's based on their outlooks on life?"
"Who knows," Aria shrugged. "I won't be getting anything though. Not that I brought money in the first place."
"Oh right, money," I muttered. "They probably don't accept darmas here, huh?" I felt like I hadn't dealt with money in ages. And I certainly wasn't carrying any in the several months I had been bedridden.
As we whizzed along the platrail, we passed through a long, transparent tunnel that showed off the space beyond the Qeta Lot – a shining, silver-blue planet hung in the deep void of darkness.
That's… a real, actual planet. I really am in space.
I recalled that the world below was called Arqos. What was it like down there? What were its people like? Did they use darmas like on Galacti? No way, right? We were in a totally different part of the galaxy.
The tunnel gave way to metallic walls. As we slowed to a stop in this new district, I suddenly got an idea.
"Hey, Aria. If we can't buy anything, let's try selling stuff instead," I proposed. "Like your br – uh, potamell."
"Not a bad idea, I suppose." Aria looked at some signs. "And this place… hmm, the Zero District? Not sure what that entails…"
"I can tell you. For a price," something whispered.
"Huh!?" I looked around, but didn't see anyone.
"We're looking to sell, not buy," Aria replied. "And you would do well not to cross us."
"Yeah, I could smell your aura from down the platrail," the voice said. "A loleli Sage, how rare. And the energy from the demiqon's pack… I assume that's the goods?"
"Depends on who's asking," I retorted. "And for the record, we only do face-to-face transactions!"
The voice fell silent for a moment. "Fine," it finally said.
Then a whirlwind formed in front of us, quickly solidifying into a dust-grey man wearing a black cloak. "I'm Hujahn. A storm spirit, in case you couldn't tell. Now, what are you selling?"
"Straight to the point, huh?" I warily eyed him. "You're not gonna try anything, are you?"
"Oh, not on my watch," Aria stated.
"What she said. Give your bodyguard more credit," Hujahn said. "If you ask me, she's working way below her pay grade here— okay, okay, I'll shut up. I'll shut up! promise!"
"Huh?" I looked over at Aria, but her eyes remained calm and cheerful. "Uhm, right. Give me a sec." I opened my bag and looked around – textbooks, Lum, journals, my degree… oh, here we go. I forgot about these.
I pulled out the two Galacta rings, shimmering and golden. Hujahn's eyes immediately widened – was that shock or awe? Maybe both.
"I'm Kendel, by the way. I wonder if you know what these are," I casually began.
"You–! You really–!!? That's… that's really and truly… a full-strength, authentic pair of Galacta Rings…" Hujahn wheezed, then composed himself. "Heh… heheh. I see now why you hired such a powerhouse. How much do you want for them? A million? Two? Heheheh, I bet you could get five million if you're persuasive enough…"
"Waaait, five million what?" I glared at him.
"Qeta credits, of course. The most stable exchange rate in the galaxy, all above table," Hujahn hastily replied. "Er, mostly above table. But I wouldn't dare offer anything less."
"Hmm, fair. I can only sell one of these to you though," I decided.
"What!?? You know Galacta rings always come in pairs," Hujahn protested.
Huh, they do? "Well, considering what I went through to get them, they hold quite a bit of sentimental value to me," I explained.
"Listen, not everyone on this slab can afford to take emotions into account," Hujahn retorted. "But since you're not from around here, I can let it slide. Six million for both, what do you say?"
"Hmm…" Six million Qeta credits did seem like a lot, but I had no frame of reference for values here. I kind of wished the ones who actually knew how this place worked were here. Maybe that was a mistake in hindsight.
"Come on, clock's ticking," Hujahn told me.
"Huh? I'm in no rush," I absently replied.
"Hah! But he is. Right, HUJAHN?" Another voice, sharp and chilling, cut through the air. It was another merchant! He looked to be human-ish, but he was two full meters tall and had three long, lean arms.
"Oh? I've seen his kind before," Aria said. That's a Norn."
"A norn?" As I stared at him, more merchants of assorted races approached.
"Tch. Forget this," Hujahn muttered, then WHOOSH! He was gone.
"Huh?" I stowed the Galacta rings, now somewhat confused.
"I'm Bugumi, with the Zero District Commerce Guild," he introduced himself. "And Hujahn is a… troublesome scalper we're keeping an eye on."
"So, what, was he lying this whole time?" I asked.
"Not really. It's just his favorite strat to pull on unsuspecting newcomers," he told me. "Buys your stuff for cheap, resells it for ten times the price. Scummy, but not technically illegal. You know how it goes."
"Six million is cheap? Sheesh," I said.
"Er… well, no. That's quite a lot," Bugumi assured me.
"Those things he was try for buy, I saw," another merchant said. "Galacta rings."
"Galact—?! Visitor, is this true? You're putting Galacta rings on the market??"
"Kendel. And yes," I said, pulling them back out. The merchants all crowded closer, staring intently. I think the only thing stopping them from trying to take them was Aria's powerful aura.
"That… yes, those truly are Galacta rings," Bugumi nodded. "I won't ask how you got a hold of such a pristine pair. But, if you want to get the most value out of them, I suggest putting up at our auction house, Zero-One."
"Your auction house?"
"It's the closest one," Bugumi shrugged.
"Sure, whatever," I sighed.