"So what was Burlong gonna do if you couldn't pony up?" I asked as we carted the Shell through the Metal District. Rather, the vehicle I'd rented was doing the heavy lifting.
"Probably scrap it as collateral, if I had to guess," Qelimara shrugged.
"Eugh! Nightmares," Tarvalen shuddered.
"Oh!" My face lit up at my new idea. "How much do you still owe your builder guys?"
"Um, like three hundred thousand fjolds," he absently replied. "But since they only take fjolds, whenever I make money I have to go to a trade station to convert it. It's really not worth the hassle every time, but they get dangerous when I miss too many payments in a row."
"Light work," I declared. "The Qeta Lot is a trade station, right? I'll cover your debt too."
"Uh, really?" Tarvalen rubbed his head, seeming to think for a moment.
Then he pulled out a paper. "Say, while you're feeling altruistic… mind taking a look? It's a list of upgrades for the Shell, as well as their projected cost."
As I looked over the list, Qelimara looked over my shoulder. "Hey, those are my suggestions," she exclaimed.
"Er, yeah. Not like they were bad ideas. Certainly better than mine," he muttered. "And you know, there's no need to put yourself out for me if you don't want to, or can't afford it–"
"Shut! We're running a full retrofit of the Shell, and that's final," I told him. "We're in the perfect place for it, right?"
"Ooh, fun," Aria clapped.
"You're serious?" Tarvalen still couldn't believe it, heh.
"Super serious. We're doing this right here, right now!"
First upgrade: reinforced armor, actual shields. A Qelimara special priority request, the Shell could now deflect most incoming attacks and withstand any type of extreme weather, from Echnogg's freezes to the hottest volcanic flows.
Second upgrade: a pair of retractable autoturrets. Now we wouldn't be completely helpless if we somehow got attacked mid-warp.
Third upgrade: an enhanced flight system. At first it could only levitate a bit, but with this ring-shaped addition, its mobility now matched that of a regular full-range hovercraft.
Fourth upgrade: a greatly improved finish, allowing for smoother spacewarping. Tarvalen could have picked any color, but ultimately went with brown again.
"Honestly, Kendel, I cannot thank you enough for this," Tarvalen said, voice full of emotion. "I don't even care anymore! I'm free! You wanna go somewhere, just say the word. Anywhere in the galaxy, I'll show you all the sights!"
"We're already friends, you know," I replied. "It's the least I can do."
Even though the exchange rate for fjolds surprised me at first (three hundred percent!), it ultimately didn't make much of a dent in my coffer. And Hervar had enough that a billion was doable for her! Rich people really did live different lives.
Huh, I wonder if Hervar noticed we ditched her, I absently thought. Will she get mad? I'd hate to get like a bounty or something and lose access to this place; I'd lose my coffer too.
"Hey Kelly, dumb question. Can I only use my Qeta credits in the Qeta Lot?" I asked.
"You can access your coffer and make exchanges in any trade station, don't worry," she assured me. "There's at least one near each stellar current, and obviously the Qeta Lot is a trade station too. The first and biggest, fun fact."
"Cool, cool." I looked over at my bag, still in Aria's arms. "Hear that, Lum? Your college funding's secure."
"She's gone still and silent as stone," Aria reported. "Has been for a while, actually. She doesn't seem to be dead, but…"
"Yeah, I should get her looked at," I decided, taking back my bag. "I'm sure there's someone in the Qeta Lot that knows what's… WHAT!? BABY DOLLY!!"
The gears in my head ground to a halt as I stared at what was in my hands.
Lum… wasn't Lum anymore. She'd turned into some kind of ovaloid thing with strange markings all over it! I honestly wasn't sure whether to scream or cry.
"What's with the freakout?" Tarvalen asked, then caught sight of Lum. "Wait, is that Lum? What happened?"
"She seems to have… turned into something like an egg. Or maybe a cocoon," Aria observed. "Maybe I'm reaching, but perhaps this is normal?"
"Everything about this variant is inconsistent with the documented common traits," Qelimara said. "Which, I mean… I guess that tracks. No variant is exactly the same, I don't know what I'm saying."
"Curious," Tarvalen said. "Is she just… like that now? Or will she hatch later?"
I turned the silvery thing around in my hands. "I guess we'll find out eventually," I sighed. "Ugh, this sucks. I just bought a cute new dress for you, you know? You just gotta wear it so we can, like, frolic together in a field or something, and go on a picnic, and take lots of pictures."
I wiped away the tears sliding down my face. It has to just be a phase, right? Please just be a phase.
"Just a phase, just a phase. You'll be okay, baby dolly," I murmured as I placed her on my head. The cocoon remained perfectly balanced and upright on top of my sunhat, even as I walked up the steps into the Shell.
"Huh? You're just gonna roll with it?" Tarvalen scratched his neck. "I was gonna see if I could find a guy, but…"
"No, Ken's got the right idea. It's too risky," Qelimara shook her head. "We're still dealing with a variant, after all."
"Ehm… not much else to be done, then? Whatever, I guess." Tarvalen followed me inside, followed by Qelimara and Aria. "This sure is a load off my shoulders though. Thanks again, Kendel. Just say the word if you want to head out again, you hear? I can totally find a variant expert or something, and we can warp there straightaway!"
"Y-yeah. Sorry, I need a moment," I replied. "My mind's suddenly turned into such a mess…"
"Oh, for sure. I get it," he nodded. "Home base first, then. You just get some sleep, keep your baby dolly close. Or maybe, like, sit on it or something. Cocoons are basically eggs, right?"
"No," Qelimara and Aria both said.
"Oh. Don't listen to me then." Tarvalen went ahead and touched the orb as the hatch closed. "Position, home."
~~###*