H
HotelKilo
188604
Pumpkin Eater
Aashi had been mulling over the idea for some time, now. The idea to go to the Iruotl system. To Hlarai. To her home. She hadn't been since she was taken captive decades and decades ago. And she hadn't forgotten about it. But there was something keeping her away. Perhaps an old inkling that her family wouldn't want to see their daughter that turned rogue, that let them down, that turned her back on their way of life.
She had decided, though, and 46's presence made the decision all the more easy. She knew that with the android her chance of being hounded would be lessened. Or, at least, when it happened the chance of consequences would greatly decline. And so, with the decision made, she went to Field Unit 46 and told her the plan in so few words.
"Would you like to go to a land of dreams, 46?" Aashi asked her.
"Dreams, Captain?" she asked, sounding apologetic. The plain featured robot had been intently studying... Something, in digital form on a ship's terminal, "I'm afraid I don't sleep."
Aashi's smile crept up to her eyes before she spoke again, "You'll dream without sleeping once we're there. Let's go to the bridge."
Even in the short time she'd spent with her Iroma employer, she had grown used to her manner of speaking. And that arguing her inherent limitations seldom got very far. So, 46 nodded willingly, closing out her reading and standing, "Yes ma'am."
On the way there, Aashi contemplated just what it was she wanted to find in her homeland and why she felt it necessary to go, but then the dull pain from her shoulder reminded her that she still needed medical attention, no matter what pretty face she painted for her employer and friends. And only an Iromakuanhe would work with her body.
"Prepare for liftoff," Aashi said as she turned on the 12 graviton engines and grouped all of the hydrothrusters up. She opened up the channels and they were off the ground. She piloted the ship out of atmosphere and into the space around 188604, heading away from the planet. They were going to the Astral Cluster.
"46, I should tell you that we're going to my home, though I haven't been there in forty years. It will be dangerous and it will be fun, I can promise you that!"
Drawing the conclusion as soon as Aashi headed for the ship's controls, the android hastily took a seat. She watched the takeoff proceedure, studying the fluid motions before they surged up and out of the atmosphere. Flying was, an experience. One she could dimly recall, as if from a dream, when the company had sent her planet to planet. Usually in a storage hold.
"Home, Captain Nath?" she asked curiously, looking as supportive as possible despite the combination of 'danger' and 'fun', "What... Kind of danger?"
"The fun kind," Aashi explained the question away. Then, added, "I've pirated a lot of different people a lot of different times. I likely have a price on my head and it's even more likely the people that want my head will take it on or off my body. But, I need to be healed and I'm not going to some backwater colony to do it."
"Ah. Thus my presence," 46 replied with a hint of amusement, "That certainly does make for an interesting trip at least, Captain. Are there medical services there you trust? Or at least, perhaps some way to disguise yourself?"
"The best doctors I could possibly find and a whole heap of prajna. We're taking some home, in case of a future mishap, too. It won't do much to you, at least I don't think, but for me, it'll be a lifesaver. Disguise?" Aashi said. "I've never been seen without my familiar. She is me. I'll be able to blend in without her. Given, I have also changed out of my typical attire for the short shorts, sandals, and sweatshirt I've been wearing a lot on 188604. To top it off, I'm going to be wearing a wig of Akemi's. Well, one of Akemi's girl's wigs." She brought a bright blonde bob wig from her sweatshirt pocket, mussed and crumpled as it was it was still an important facet of the disguise, then put it back where it had been.
"That is an excellent plan, ma'am. On both parts," 46 admited freely, glad that Aashi had a fairly good grasp of the basics of concealement. Even among friends, removing the most obvious traits could make you nigh invisible. She laughed lightly, "Bonding agents and polymer's do me a world of good, though, and they're much easier to come by."
"I'm quite looking forward to pulling this off. What did you and your previous owner do a lot of? Anything like this?" Aashi asked of 46.
46 folded her arms beneath her breasts, looking embarassed, "Ah, well, my previous owner was the head of a construction firm. We didn't really do anything together, per say. Most of my life has been spent on developing planets and space stations guarding inanimate objects. It's boring enough they purchased robots to do it."
"You have to remember, ma'am, I have spent most of my life as... A very expensive, thinking robot. No one took the time to do anything, special with me more then they would treat the toaster to lunch," she elaborated after a moment's further thought. 46 blushed even as she said it, "I appreciate how well you've been treating me. It feels like I'm, a person, even if I'm not."
"You are, though. What makes a person a person is wanting to be one. You want to be a person, therefor you are. If you have desires, that makes you more of a person than anything," Aashi told the android, saying it contemplatively. "I once wanted to know what the extent of living matter's intelligence was, until I found out that everything has intelligence and the extent of everything's intelligence is infinite. You, my dear 46, are no exception."
"That's very optimistic of you ma'am," her gynoid bodyguard flushed harder, "It's just thinking of myself that way, with wants, desires, I still feel empty."
46 pressed a finger to her forehead, swiftly sweeping her brain, "No, that isn't the right word. Uncertain. As if it will all vanish, or, well, that it can vanish if my AI core is damaged. That's a much more frightening prospect when there's yourself to lose."
"Yes, I know that feeling," Aashi said. "That is a very thoughtful examination of the condition of life. Without yourself, you are nothing. With yourself, you are still succeptible to becoming nothing. Questioning your own existence and what makes it worthwhile is something that came with time for me. How long have you felt this way, 46?"
"Um, from the very beginning I suppose?" she said, bringing a hand to her chest, "I came to life with a full knowledge of life and my life threatened with imminent destruction. That's made me more... Introspective then I suppose is usual? It's something I've been trying to, not ignore, but work past for the last few days... What I want right now, almost as much as to fulfill my duties to protect you Captain, is to stop worrying and actually enjoy the gift I've recieved."
"What is this gift that you received?" Aashi Nath asked, wondering if it was the feeling of emptiness or something else that she didn't know about that the gynoid was referring to. "I'm sorry if I seem naive to it."
"Oh, well, for lack of a better term that's how I've been referring to my attaining sapience," she says with an embarassed fit of coughing, "It seemed to lack grace, just putting it bluntly."
Aashi replied, "I wish I could have been more cognizant of when I gained my own sapience. It took a long time for me to get to a point where I would call myself 'sapient', rather than just blind."
46 held up her hands, "It is different, I suppose, so suddenly being able to think on my own has been quite the defining moment. What I do with it, is, well, the question now. It seems to be going well."
"What is it you like to think about?" Aashi asked, realizing they were within the Astral Cluster, already. She got nervous excitement just being so close to the terrain she used to call hers. There was so much unexplored regions here and so many ways to get Uso the plunders she needed. But, they were on a specific mission and this wasn't her place, anymore. Pirating seemed to be a far-off and long-gone vocation now that she lacked a proper ship to do it in. She looked to 46, interested to know the answer to her question that she posed for the robot.
For her part, the realization they were now in system caused her to look down at the console for a minute. It seemed unlikely that they would be jumped by the Astral Vanguard out of the blue in a simple merchant vessel, nor was there really anything she could do against frame runners... Something that bore consideration when they returned to 188604. Swivelling back to give Aashi her full attention, she shrugged slightly, "What I'm doing, you, firearms, how I'll be able to pay Mr. Spacecase back, threats posed to your safety, questions about the terrain and fauna of the planet..."
"Ah, on second thought," 46 frowned at herself, "Those are not likes. Those are recent thoughts. The first three still apply."
"You like firearms quite a bit? We have some, just a few, left over from the big Freespacer pilfering mission!" Aashi said, "You'll be well-equipped from here on out. I'm also happy to hear I'm in your top three! That makes me over the moon!" Aashi let out a smile as she pulled back her hair and twisted it into a bun and pulled the wig out of her sweatshirt. She pulled it over her until the blonde edges met up against her dark skin and the bangs pushed against her black brows. "How do I look?" she asked, wondering how far from herself she looked.
"Yes ma'am. That seems to have stuck from my programming," she admits, slimply blushing as Aashi gushes further, "All I have at present is my service pistol. Hopefully that will be adequate."
46 adjusted her tank top a little, and checked to make sure everything else about her appearance was in order. Hair straight, skin clean, clothing neat. Her attention turned to Aashi, and she nodded, "Different enough. Most importantly, not distinctive. Like someone that needs a bit of medical attention and isn't too worried about how they look."
46 gave a thumbs up!
"That's what I like to hear," Aashi said. She then went on to ask, "What would you like to see of this wide open universe, 46? Anything at all or nothing in particular due to programming or some such?"
"I'm not sure my programming really dictates what I want," she smiled weakly, "That's my own indecisiveness. Seeing a new planet might help. You didn't say, what kind of a world is it?"
"It's a jungle planet with canal cities and temperate coastlines. It has its own airships and amazing views of the sea and sky. It is beautiful. I would hedge my bets to say you'll really like it, 46."
"The sea sounds nice. I've never seen the sea," 46 muses, sitting up straighter, "I'm looking forward to a fairly relaxed mission... In and out."
Comming in to request landing on the space port in Anuta, a city on Hlarai, Aashi got clearance using the name of her sister, Aami Nath. With all thrusters on, but not engaged, Aashi dropped into the range of 7000 m in altitude and threw the intertial dampers on, engaing all thrusters. She flew them down as if flying a normal atmospheric ship the rest of the way and engaged the docking gear at the appropriate height from the space port pad. She looked to 46 excitedly and brought her lips up in a smile after disengaging all systems.
She brought them to the light armory and said to 46, "Pick up whatever you want."
46 dutifully followed Aashi, checking out the armory curiously! She patted one of her cargo pockets, "For a civilized planet where we're undercover? My .45 might be the best choice... Don't want to carry anything openly, particularly."
"Alright, then," Aashi said, masterfully closing the door to the armory and setting herself towards the hatch to the outside of the ship, "I want you to put these on, I had them made with the molecular furnace." She showed 46 a pair of curving brown horns fastened to a hairband securely. "Prepare to see the sea, 46."
Taking the headband, 46 fitted it snuggly over her head, adjusting hair back over top to conceal the band as much as possible. It would take some getting used to, having lived her whole life without the, frankly, huge horns that adorned the Iromakuanhe. First and foremost, she hoped not to crack them against a doorway and expose herself.
They couldn't help but notice the rippling of the sea, shining and brilliant as they walked out onto the space port on Atuna. They made their way away from the Pumpkin Eater and through a sprawling marketplace.
Aashi told 46, quietly and under her breath so as to not attract attention to the foreigner, 46, "We'll pick up supplies here after the doctor as there's no taxation in the marketplace in Atuna, other than elsewhere which the Vanguard taxes. We'll grab a ferry to Lahru, it's 100 miles away from here, but it shouldn't take us too long."
After gaping at the gleaning water that seemed to stretch forever, beyond the horizon, and theoretically forever, 46 was brought back to the business at hand. Nodding slightly, still careful not to shake her faux horns no matter how secure she thought they were, the gynoid looked around the immediate area for signs of checkpoints or security. Finding nothing to worry about as they walked, she kept a few paces behind and to the side of Aashi.
The ferry picked them up in a few minutes and Aashi traded over some kuon dalri electronically with a small goldish orange transaction tag she procured from her pocket. They got on and were ferried the distance to Lahru. The sparkling ocean grabbed at the light and reflected it against them, glistening luminously. Aashi held the rails of the ferry and breathed in the scent of the sea, reminscing on a childhood spent here and how much she had missed it without even realizing it. The ferry finally brought them to port and Aashi looked to 46, who was leaning on the railing starring admiringly across the sea. For once, her synthetic bodyguard had been quiet, spending the whole trip gazing out over the water.
"To the doctor's office we go!" Aashi said, still speaking under her breath. "The eating habits of the planet changed a few AR ago and the city sunk three stories, so everything is connected through bridges that were built between buildings. We'll take a gondola to the doctor, though. It'll be faster and less troublesome."
"Yes ma'am," 46 murmured softly.
She approached a gondalier and said, "Adravni!"
"Adravni!" he replied. She commenced to speak to him in Saalsari about the best way to get there and nodded her head happily when they had come to a conclusion. They traversed the canals of the city, a sprawling metropolis built around commerce, housing, and business all in the same. The buildings glistened orange-gold in the sunlight with curved architecture and teal lines running through them in various places and ways.
46 watched, only now did it occur to her that she couldn't speak a single word in Aashi's native language... That was potentially troublesome, but considering that it was the Iroma doing all the actual paying for things she hoped to rely simply on smiling and nodding. Barring that, she would have to accept a reputation for being uncivil.
In Saalsari, the gondalier said, "We're here!" Aashi procured her transaction tag again and traded her electronic KD for the ride. They took some steps up to an entrance to a building, which they entered through the double doors. It was anything but materialistic inside, with only the orange-gold coloring of walls making it look like anything decadent. Instead, there were merely plastic chairs and a desk at which sat a receptionist, her silvery blonde hair fell to her shoulders and splayed out against them. Her eyes glanced at Aashi, then at the gynoid, whose faux-horns made her all but blend into the crowd.
"You are a rarity," the receptionist said.
"Yes, yes she is," Aashi muttered. Then she added, "Those purple eyes are the the product of 1600 KD and a bit of somatic tuning."
Giving a trial run to her 'smile and nod' proceedure, 46 gave the receptionist a small smile as the conversation seemingly turned her way.
"I was going to say..." the receptionist said, trailing off. "What are you here for?"
"I am here because of this," Aashi said, fingering the hole in her hoodie. "I need a prajna injection."
"That will be this much," the receptionist said, producing a datarod and showing the number to Aashi.
"I can do that."
"Fantastic! We'll get you started right away. Would your companion like to join you?"
"But of course," Aashi said to the receptionist. They were led to a back office where the doctor would be and were asked to wait there. Some prajna tanks filled the room, as well as a sink, regular chair, and a table-like chair for laying or sitting.
"You wish for me to remain during the treatment, Captain?" 46 asked, looking about the clinical space appraisingly, "I don't wish to invade your privacy."
"I'll just be getting an injection and some gel rubbed on me, is all that will happen, 46. I'd be happy to have you here with me."
"I-is that Trade I hear being spoken?" asked a lanky, surprisingly aging Iroma man that walked in the room.
"My father is an archaelogist and has taught the two of us a thing or two," Aashi explained.
"You speak it very naturally," he said, directing his comment in Trade to 46.
"Oh, well that isn't so ba-," 46 cut herself short when the doctor arrived, not exactly certain what the conversation entailed other then the word 'trade'. However, she responded on cue, inclining her head his way, "Thank you sir."
The doctor introduced himself, "I am Dr. Vaidya. May I ask, are you a Lavans-Type Synthoid? I don't know if my eyes are going or if they're highly adept, your answer will likely tell me, though."
46's eyes flicked over at Aashi for a moment. "Yes," she said with a nod, figuring it was practically impossible to conceal the synthetic part of her nature. Hoepfully she was similar enough to the Lavans model to stand the scrutiny.
The doctor was quiet for a moment, a stern expression on his face, then brightened with a smile as he turned to Aashi and said, "I have a chart for you, my dear! Will you look it over?" he shuffled over to a his datarod on the counter and opened up the volumetric projector and keypad, punching in some words and numbers. He brought up a chart that converted Trade to Saalsari. "You could use some work," he said to Aashi. Then with a wink to 46 he told the gynoid, "Will you look it over and make sure it is correct? I don't expect your friend to pick up the nuances of Trade that she is missing in a moment, but perhaps you can help her later with what she is failing at."
A little perturbed that this doctor thought her Trade that outmoded, Aashi failed to realize this doctor saw through the charade and was willing to help teach 46 the language while putting up a front of accusing Aashi of knowing less than she thought.
"Well, thank you, Dr. Vaidya, but I don't know if I particularly need this," Aashi said, then the realization hit her and she spoke to 46. "I think you should look it over for the doctor, though. Just to be helpful."
Aashi looked to the doctor and he winked at Aashi with a wide smile as he moved the chart closer to 46.
Looking between the two Iroma, she held out a hand to take the proffered chart. "Certainly, doctor. I would be happy to help," 46 said cheerfully, taking the guide close to examine it better. Saalsari was an, interesting language, she realized looking upon the document. She squinted, "Perhaps while Aashi has her treatments."
"Very good, then," the doctor said as he turned to the sink and washed his hands, then put on sterile gloves and brought out a needle, placing it on a tray. He took out some prajna gel and took some of the gel out of its container with a clothe-tipped wand. He motioned to Aashi's clothing and she took off her jacket. He then applied the gel to the area where the bullet had entered and exited her. He then took the covering off of the metal of the needle and prodded her skin with it, pushing the lever down and pumping the wound full of prajna.
"How does that feel?" he asked sympathetically.
"It's not great," Aashi replied. "But it's not bad, either."
He removed the needle and looked to 46, saying, "If you would kindly return that, did you have enough time to study it? Er," he corrected himself, "look over it to find any faults?"
Closing the chart up, 46 held it back out to him without giving any sign of having noticed the slip-up. It wasn't quite enough for her to claim Saalsari as a language she could speak, but it was a fairly good start! She looked quite serious, nodding again, "Yes, doctor. Your trade looks impeccable to me."
"Thank you, doctor. I'll pay up front. It was very helpful to see you today," Aashi said.
"Any symbiotic tuning you may need?" he asked, clasping his hands together after having taken off the gloves.
Thinking of her familiar, she looked abck at him, smiling, and said, "Not for me, no thank you."
"Come back if you need anything at all!" he replied.
Aashi nodded, "I will." She left with 46, paid at the counter, and they left the offices of the doctor, going out the double doors they had come in.
"Time to go where I haven't gone in a long time," Aashi said to 46,
"Home?" she asked cautiously, letting out the breath she couldn't hold.
"Home," she replied. They took a gondala to a residential district a few minutes away from the doctor's offices. It was a large tower with the same Iromakuanhe aesthetics that could be seen elsewhere in the city.
46 let most of the ride pass in silence, uncertain as to how to broach the subject of family with Aashi... Erring on the side of caution had left them fairly quiet, though, something the gynoid couldn't allow to continue, "Your people certainly do have a way with structures."
"We certainly do. There is a lot to building a good structure, such as foresight and proper planning. I guess you say that because of the hotel I've built, as well. That has the same rounded, smooth look that my people ascertain as the most pleasing one. I could talk about it for awhile, but we're here. My childhood home is within these walls," Aashi said. She got out and helped 46 out of the gondola and continued up the stairs.
She looked up at Aashi's childhood home curiously, stepping out beside her Captain. "I can definitely see the appeal," 46 agreed, "Ah, how do you plan to introduce me? I'm not sure playing me off as an Iroma will really work with them."
"My family can know who you are," Aashi said, not concerned in the least. "I'm sure they'll love you!" She strode forward and went up the building with 46, to a mid-level apartment in the building's interior. The eggshell paneling of the hallways was offset with glowing blue trim. "I'll introduce you as what you are, as my friend."
She knocked on the door at the far end of the hallway marked Nath and a sharp-sounding reply could be immediately heard.
"Who is it?"
"Aami," she said to her twin. "It's Aashi!"
"Deva! Aadhya!" Aami yelled as she flung open the door. "Aashi's home!"
46 stepped back, letting Aashi be the center of the attention! It at least sounded like a joyous welcome home!
Without realizing she had begun to cry, Aashi said her sister's name in a hoarse voice and opened her arms wide for a hug. Her parents came into the doorway and hugged their daughters. Then Devansh, Aashi's father, looked up to 46.
"And you brought a friend?"
Aashi wiped tears from her eyes as she nodded, "This is 46. Yes, she's my friend. She's, uuh, well, she's an android."
"An android?" her father, Devansh, questioned.
Aashi clarified as she continued to wipe tears from her eyes, "A Synthoid."
Giving 46 a chance to introduce herself, Aashi's father and sister stared at the gynoid while Aashi and her mother embraced in another hug.
Raising a hand awkwardly, 46 took the starring in turn, unsure if they were appraising or measuring her against their own artificial entities. She decided to try her rudimentary Iroma speech; it was enough to at least greet them without causing a major faux-pas, she thought, bowing in the Yamtaian way, "Mr. and Mrs. Nath. Miss Nath. It is a pleasure."
"Well," Aami said to 46 in a surprised tone. "Quite the introduction."
Devansh smiled widely and brought his arm around 46 for a hug, "Under sun and sky, I greet you warmly. Welcome to our home!"
"Yes, welcome!" said Aashi's mother, Aadhya, once she and Aashi were done with their embrace.
"Oh, thank you," she said, back to trade without warning as she was embraced in Iroma arms, not for the first time finding the taller horned humanoids to be excellent huggers.
Repeating the words 'thank you', Devansh then said, "Where are you from?"
"Nepleslia originally, though I have travelled a good number of places over the years," she said.
"Oh?" her father said in excitement.
"By Jarin's fortune!" Aadhya said and Aami looked shocked as well.
"That's what I meant when I said android," Aashi said. "She's not from here. Surely some non-Iromakuanhe have come to Iruotl before."
"No," said Devansh.
"Not one. Not that we know of," Aami clarified.
Aashi looked between the three of them, all gaping in surprise, and said, "Well let us in, let us in!"
Her family backed away and her mother and father set about continuing their preparation for dinner, enthusiastically ready to feed their daughter and her new, interesting friend.
Aami brought 46 and Aashi into the living room with her after getting a pot of tea and bringing it with her. She poured cups for each of them and, in excitement, began asking 46 questions.
"How long have you been alive? Does everyone in Nepleslia look like you? Are your horns even real?" Aami asked.
46 held up her hands apologetically, caught completely unawares by the revelation she was the first outsider Aashi's family, no, the whole planet had ever met. It didn't take a top-tier politician or anthropologist to realize that was absolutely serious business. So, trying not to be awkward or stiff, she followed Aami to the living room and her cup of tea. She took a sip, the temperature not mattering so long as it wasn't hot enough to melt her industrial grade polymer lips, to center herself and gain some ground for thinking.
"I was constructed in what is called YE 36, about two years ago in our standard temporal reckoning," she said, carefully imbibing hot tea between sentences, "However, as-built I was merely an artificial intelligence programmed to be a security guard. About a month ago I gained sapience and began a life of my own."
"What was it like, not knowing who you were on the inside?" Aami said, not fully comprehending what it meant to be an 'artificial' intelligence, but understanding close enough to garner a proper response to 46.
"It continues to be disorienting, since most of my memories are little more then data files in my brain. Seeing that in comparison to, remembering the feeling of an ocassion is very, different," 46 said with a healthy amount of pausing in between, trying to express something she didn't understand well herself, "It is interesting. And confusing."
Aami had been following along closely and looked to Aashi, thenback to 46, "How does my sister tie into this?"
"Aami," Aashi said. "I play no major role in 46's life. Hers is now much more interesting than even my own."
"Is that true, 46?" Aami asked the gynoid before taking a few sips of her own tea.
"I wouldn't say that necessarily," she gave Aashi a stern look as the obfuscation returned, "Your sister was gracious enough to take me in and provide employment when I was otherwise short on options."
"Well I'm glad she could be of use to you!!" Aami replied to 46, then, under breath as if to hide what she was to saying, muttered, "Even if she's been less than gracious with her presence here the last few AR..."
46 cleared her throat, giving Aashi a glance of her own, complete with raised eyebrows.
Aashi smiled, determined to pass off the remark as a simple aside, saying, "It has been ages, hasn't it?"
"What have you been doing, sister?" Aami asked, a bit forward in her approach.
Aashi crossed her legs and sipped her tea before saying, "Dabbling in this and that."
"We've heard stories, Aashi," her twin replied.
While that didn't sound exactly great for her boss, 46 held her tounge. Admittedly, she knew very little about Aashi other then her kindness towards her and that she associated with what charitably could be called thugs and killers. Even in her short stay on 188 she had picked up on that. Not like anyone tried to hide it. So she figured it would be best to stay quiet and let her Captain do her own talking.
"Oh, well, then why do you ask if you already know?" Aashi asked.
"I don't even know, myself," Aami replied. "Let's leave it at that. I know our parents want to turn a blind eye to it, though I'm not willing to feign such naivete."
"I've been on the winning side, I can say that much," Aashi said.
"It's ready to be served!" Aashi's mother announced from the kitchen.
"Let's go eat," Aami said with a smile to 46 and Aashi.
"Let's," Aashi said as she found her way to her old seat at the dinner table. She pulled out a chair and said, "There's an extra seat just for you, 46, right here."
"Thank you," she said, politely taking her place at the table. For whatever reason her owners had decided their bodyguards needed to fit in at social ocassions, a fact that made her glad every time someone had invited her to eat. At least she didn't have to be rude.
"So, 46," Devansh began after he had sat down, "what do you think of Aashi's homeland so far? Is it very different from the wonders you have seen before now?"
"Very," she agreed, inspecting her plate casually, "Most of the places I have been are either very, very urbanized, or nothing really beyond shacks. It is quite a pleasant compromise between the two, aesthetically."
"Well I'm gladd you like it," Devansh said, appeased by her response before Aadhya brought several bowls and plates of food to the table. There were long and flat breads to be used to soak up either the green mash or orange, runny liquid, both of which had white cubes mixed into them. A payam dish took up a large portion of the table, seasoned with ash garlic and still steaming.
"I haven't had a good meal in months!" Aashi exclaimed, putting the serving utensils to the bowls of food and bringing delicious morsels onto her plate. "What have you been doing here?"
"Your father has been working quite feverishly on his architecture projects on Lap Laputa," Aadhya replied. "Haven't you, Devansh?"
"It's been quite interesting, indeed. I've gained a lot from those old Makuori ruins, I have," Devansh said.
46 settled into the background, letting the reunited family discuss what they would. Scooping out her own helping of mush to go with the bread, it was hard to avoid comparison to other food she had seen eaten. Her own tongue, though fleshy enough, had no tastebuds, considering the expense and unecessary nature of such a feature, so there was only so much to judge it on. Bread was always good, or so her former employer had been fond of saying. Casting her gaze about the table, she quietly nommed bread first.
Aashi listened intently as her father and mother began to talk amongst themselves about the ruins and the exploration that was taking place there on the Makuori. Like 46, she didn't have much to add, and ate what was on her plate before speaking during a lull in conversation.
"How are your finances?" It was a rather abrupt way of asking it and she added, "I can always help you there."
"Oh, Aashi," her dad said. Her mother looked down and away. "We know you can, we're well aware."
"O-oh," Aashi replied. "Okay. But you are doing well?"
"We are," he replied. "Aami programs NI, did you know that? She's commissioned by the Astral Vanguard quite often!"
"Technically speaking, they'd like to know about your whereabouts," Aami interjected.
46 almost choked on her bread and orange stuf; apparently her sister had decided that subtly was for someone else.
"Aami!" their mother said in a huff.
"I'm only speaking technically!" Aami said with hands raised.
"I have a lot to do," Aashi said, cutting the dinner short. "I'll probably need to take my leave, but I'll visit more, I'm capable of doing so, now." The truth of the matter was the crew of The Devata were like a second family to her and the thought of visiting her own and leaving the crew behind had torn at her and, not wanting to leave them, she had foregone seeing her real family for such a great amount of time that she had eventually forgotten why she would want to see them in the first place.
Her parents got up unexpectedly and both hugged her while Aami rested her utensil on her plate and looked as if she were closing her eyes.
"46, are you ready to go?" Aashi asked her companion.
Dabbing at her mouth with a napkin, the sprightly gynoid pushed back from the table with a nod. "Yes ma'am," she murmured, turning to bow before Aashi's family, "Thank you for the meal. It was nice to meet you all."
"Then let's hit the road, it was really really nice seeing you, again. Really." Having forgotten her manners, Aashi turned to leave while her family said goodbye formally in Saalsari. She repeated back to them what they had said, “Touch divine, until we next meet.” When they were out the door, Aashi said, "Sorry about that! They can be so embarrassing!"
"They seemed very concerned for your health," 46 said quietly, then laughed, "And glad to see you. In an embarassing way."
"Just a little," Aashi said overdramatically. "I would say that. Now, let's see about getting some things to take back to the planet."
"Medical supplies, anything else on the list?" she asks, keeping her hands at her side as they walked. Back on the street, 46's attention appeared to wander as she examined other pedestrians along with the architecture.
While she herself took in the sights she had missed for so long, Aashi said, "I want to get us some plant starters, some things to put in the ground or in the arcologies. Some fruits, vegetables, drugs, the like."
"Yes ma'am," she tried to guess roughly how how much space that would take up, and whether or not she could carry it all. Then her brow furrowed again briefly, "Er, you don't mean to plant the drugs, do you?"
"We get to decide what's legal on 188604, nobody decides it for us. Not Nepleslia, not Yamatai, nobody but Uso. And if the Commonwealth doesn't have a problem with selling them to us, why should we have a problem buying them?" Aashi asked almost rhetorically, though she was definitely interested in 46's answer.
46 blinked, then pressed two fingers to either side of her nose, "I.... No.... I was thinking of synthetic medication, not medicinal plants. My apologies."
The android had indeed been trying to decipher whether or not it was some sort of Iroma technology that allowed Aashi to throw pills or tablets or what have you into the ground and make something grow.
Aashi blinked for a moment while she comprehended what it was 46 meant and then her laugh run out from her before she said, "You're funny, 46..."
They went back the way they had come to Atuna, where the Pumpkin Eater and the marketplace was. She began to barter with 46 by her side and got themselves a few Mazrit fruit starters, Kwirin berry plants, and Runyaen seeds from one stand before going beneath several draped cloths to another, far more discrete stand. There, she bought Rohk'so plants which had latent psychoactive properties as well as Salcra Weed plants wich had similiar properties and she bought many strains. Slajatki-on, which induced increased euphoria and sexuality in the user, was one of the seeds she picked up, as well. She bought Barra Leaf upon Barra Leaf and then went to a hookah wholesale stall to buy about twenty apparatuses for the act, planning on opening a hookah bar on the planet. They used two GE lifter dollies and crates to bring along their purchases.
46 ably managed the two dollies, making it look like it was taking effort at least.
Soon, they were approached by someone, a young and lean red-headed Iromakuanhe man that clasped his hands together and opened his eyes wide before speaking.
"I see you are a pair of business women," he began.
Aashi put a hand on her hip and swayed it to the side as he spoke, lips pursed together.
"Well do I have an offer for you!"
"Go on..." Aashi said.
I am a stall operator for Treasure Trove Fro-"
Aashi interjected, "And you would like to bring your wares to where we operate, I'm presuming?"
"I just noticed you picking out items that seem to point towards the two of you bringing these goods to a place that doesn't otherwise have these necessities," the red-head said politely, but with an air of confidence.
"What do you think, 46?" Aashi asked, hoping she had picked up the language enough to add her two cents. Three, she hoped.
"Not really sure..." she said, looking skeptically at the vendor in question, appraising. In truth, she was far from sure that they wanted to get involved in reselling Iroma merchandise on 188.
"What do you see about it that couldn't benefit us?" Aashi asked.
"Us?" 46 felt around her mercifully perfect memory for the right words to get across what she wanted to say, "Um. Cargo fees? Having a steady source of things you need? Don't you have some space to lease anyway?"
"We have the necessities he seeks," Aashi mused. "And the clientele from Akemi's as well as the resort would do well with something sweet to satisfy their tastebuds. I say we go with it." To the Iromakuanhe man, she said, "What is your name?"
"Mine? I am Nu'talo Coopam," the red-headed replied.
"Nice to meet you, I'm an associate of USO. That's all you need to know about me. Let me see your datarod and we'll send you the coordinates of our planet. We'll be needing two Troves to start with on our planet, named 188604. We'll see you in the next couple of..." she trailed off.
46 leaned against their dollies, providing Aashi with an increased air of authority by having a subordinate to order around.
"Days, yes. It'll take days to get there with all of the supplies," he said after he had handed her his datarod and seen the coordinates she entered.
"How many?" Aashi asked.
"Four."
She said, "Make it three, Nu'talo. Bring only yourself and one other."
"My sister! She operates one, as well," he replied.
Aashi nodded, "Then bring her and make it a quick journey."
"Until the next tie we dream together," he said with a hand wave.
Aashi nodded and then to 46, said, "That's how business is done. Akemi is going to love this, 46. I'm glad he propositioned us. Now, to get some organoids..."
"The little man that was threatening that other fellow?" she placed names shouted with faces seen as best she could, "If what he brings is even a tenth as good as what your mother made, no doubt the city will be in an uproar. There isn't much dining variety that I have heard of."
Aashi and 46 found what Aashi was looking for, the basis for the arcologies, organoid life support systems and biomass harvest systems.
"These will do it," Aashi said after bartering to have them sent to the ship.
"Is that all, Captain?" she asked, glancing skyward for a hint at how long the planet's day was. More importantly how much was left.
"No components forgotten?"
"We've done what we came to do," Aashi thought back to her family and said, "and then some. Let's get this on the ship." She paid a porter to take all they had bought to her ship and when that was secure, she asked, "Shawarma?"
"That is food, yes?" 46 asked curiously.
"Does food go into your stomach and get expelled the natural way of does something else happen?" Aashi asked as she walked towards a food vendor.
"Ah. People ask that a lot," 46 followed, "But yes, the natural processes do occur."
"Then let's get some!" Aashi said emphatically. They made their way there and the roaster cut off a slice of meat, then another, and another from the spit. Finally, there was a plate full of the meat for them to share and a pieces of bread to go along with them. A zesty sauce was an accoutrement to the meal they were to share, as well.
Aashi took one of the plates and let 46 get the other with bread and sauce on it and sat down nearby.
"So, 46, what is it you'd most like to learn? It could be anything from sewing to piloting and anything in between."
It was dangerous to let the gynoid take bread... By the time they sat down, 46 had a piece of her newly declared 'best food of all time' in her mouth, innocently nomming away at it. She didn't answer right away and took some meat from Aashi's plate as they rested, eating for a time.
"I am... Beginning to consider that I should learn cooking," she finally said, after quiet contemplation of the dip, even if voicing that thought made her flush, "Or perhaps social interaction. It is something that has been, missing, my whole life. And I can not download the required information."
"Social... interaction," Aashi mused after she had eaten a bit, "is a dangerous and delicate beast. Without it tamed, though, you will find it can loom over you causing unwarranted strife on your life. I learned it through my upbringing in a very different way than I learned it later in life. I learned to be brash and domineering by way of being a," she motioned her hand around, as if to say pirate, and continued on, "but as a kid I was taught pleasantries and to be nice to all. Now, at this age, I find a little bit of both can take you a long way. Which do you feel you are missing?"
She nodded at the implicit acknowledgement of her, their, trade. "Ah, well, mostly the part about not coming off like a robot. Something, I think, that can only improve with practice," she held her hand over where the heart of a Yamataian would be, "I want to seem natural."
"It depends on who you are talking to. Everyone is a reflection of the people they are around.To me, you do seem very natural," Aashi said. "To someone that is themselves not natural, you will seem a bit off. What I think you're looking to do is blend in-"
An Iromakuanhe man sat down next to Aashi, interrupting her, and said, "Hey money bags."
"What do you think you're doing?" Aashi asked him. He then put a hand on her arm, holding onto it tightly as another man sidled up next to 46. "Tell us, will you hand over what you've got politely or will we have to ask twice?"
Aashi made to speak, but 46 was between them in a flash, the man's arm twisted back to the limits of articulation, with their hands oddly entertwined, stretched across Aashi's lap. The other hand was free near where her Iroma companion knew the pistol was hidden. Her sensors were spreading out around them, listening, watching for the 'we' involved in the robbery attempt.
"How about a counter offer, friend," 46's mouth parted in what was perhaps a welcoming smile, "I let you keep your arm attached, without surgical assistance, in exchange for letting us be."
"I guess I could..." he stammered and trailed off, then, seeing his cohort rise up and make to strike down 46 with an ectosymbiote weapon attached to his wrist.
It was something she hadn't considered aboard the ship, as the compact Nepleslian .45 automatic's wide muzzle appeared in the second Iroma's face, whether or not the relatively low velocity cartridge would do enough damage to be fatal, considering the species' boniness. It was almost certain it would. Yet she hated not knowing. Ironic, considering how ominscent she felt in the tight environment around them.
46 twisted the man's arm back hard enough for him to feel the bone on the break of snapping. "If you do not think that I can take the both of you at once," she kept her sentences as simple as she could.
"Oh-okay, Saints be damned I didn't know..." he choked out. "You convinced me, stand down," he told his comrade and, with bulging eyes, he dissapeared back into the crowd, not waiting for his friend to be released by 46 before taking his leave.
46 turned the other character loose, with a slight shove away from Aashi, keeping herself stretched across where she hoped an Iroma's vitals were.
"Take care of yourselves!" he shouted sarcastically as he was pushed out of their presence.
"Let's go back to the ship," Aashi said decisively. "I can only imagine you agree."
46 rolled out of her lap onto a knee. She stood, nodding sternly, and re-concealed her handgun, "It would be best. Before they decide to bring back friends less inclined to see reason."
She offered Aashi a hand up, which Aashi took graciously and with a smile. The two of them made their way through the market with no trouble at all, all of the way back to the Pumpkin Eater.
"Want to learn a thing or two about piloting on our way back?" Aashi asked 46 with another smile directed at her.
"I can give it a try, ma'am," she agrees, raising her thin eyebrows in poorly hidden excitement.
"Well then, let's 'give it a try'!" Aashi said after she had tipped the porters and started to step through the hatch. She held onto the top of it and turned around to 46 to say, "It's been fun, this adventure of ours to my home, 46. Thank you."
She nodded enthusiastically, "Other then our encounter with the local thugs, it has been quite an enjoyable trip! It is a wonderful planet, Captain."
Aashi nodded and said, "I think so, too. It is with a heavy heart that I leave it, again. But 188604 calls to me, and you as well, I hope."
"Opportunity awaits," 46 murmured, casting her gaze up at the Pumpkin Eater.
Pumpkin Eater
Aashi had been mulling over the idea for some time, now. The idea to go to the Iruotl system. To Hlarai. To her home. She hadn't been since she was taken captive decades and decades ago. And she hadn't forgotten about it. But there was something keeping her away. Perhaps an old inkling that her family wouldn't want to see their daughter that turned rogue, that let them down, that turned her back on their way of life.
She had decided, though, and 46's presence made the decision all the more easy. She knew that with the android her chance of being hounded would be lessened. Or, at least, when it happened the chance of consequences would greatly decline. And so, with the decision made, she went to Field Unit 46 and told her the plan in so few words.
"Would you like to go to a land of dreams, 46?" Aashi asked her.
"Dreams, Captain?" she asked, sounding apologetic. The plain featured robot had been intently studying... Something, in digital form on a ship's terminal, "I'm afraid I don't sleep."
Aashi's smile crept up to her eyes before she spoke again, "You'll dream without sleeping once we're there. Let's go to the bridge."
Even in the short time she'd spent with her Iroma employer, she had grown used to her manner of speaking. And that arguing her inherent limitations seldom got very far. So, 46 nodded willingly, closing out her reading and standing, "Yes ma'am."
On the way there, Aashi contemplated just what it was she wanted to find in her homeland and why she felt it necessary to go, but then the dull pain from her shoulder reminded her that she still needed medical attention, no matter what pretty face she painted for her employer and friends. And only an Iromakuanhe would work with her body.
"Prepare for liftoff," Aashi said as she turned on the 12 graviton engines and grouped all of the hydrothrusters up. She opened up the channels and they were off the ground. She piloted the ship out of atmosphere and into the space around 188604, heading away from the planet. They were going to the Astral Cluster.
"46, I should tell you that we're going to my home, though I haven't been there in forty years. It will be dangerous and it will be fun, I can promise you that!"
Drawing the conclusion as soon as Aashi headed for the ship's controls, the android hastily took a seat. She watched the takeoff proceedure, studying the fluid motions before they surged up and out of the atmosphere. Flying was, an experience. One she could dimly recall, as if from a dream, when the company had sent her planet to planet. Usually in a storage hold.
"Home, Captain Nath?" she asked curiously, looking as supportive as possible despite the combination of 'danger' and 'fun', "What... Kind of danger?"
"The fun kind," Aashi explained the question away. Then, added, "I've pirated a lot of different people a lot of different times. I likely have a price on my head and it's even more likely the people that want my head will take it on or off my body. But, I need to be healed and I'm not going to some backwater colony to do it."
"Ah. Thus my presence," 46 replied with a hint of amusement, "That certainly does make for an interesting trip at least, Captain. Are there medical services there you trust? Or at least, perhaps some way to disguise yourself?"
"The best doctors I could possibly find and a whole heap of prajna. We're taking some home, in case of a future mishap, too. It won't do much to you, at least I don't think, but for me, it'll be a lifesaver. Disguise?" Aashi said. "I've never been seen without my familiar. She is me. I'll be able to blend in without her. Given, I have also changed out of my typical attire for the short shorts, sandals, and sweatshirt I've been wearing a lot on 188604. To top it off, I'm going to be wearing a wig of Akemi's. Well, one of Akemi's girl's wigs." She brought a bright blonde bob wig from her sweatshirt pocket, mussed and crumpled as it was it was still an important facet of the disguise, then put it back where it had been.
"That is an excellent plan, ma'am. On both parts," 46 admited freely, glad that Aashi had a fairly good grasp of the basics of concealement. Even among friends, removing the most obvious traits could make you nigh invisible. She laughed lightly, "Bonding agents and polymer's do me a world of good, though, and they're much easier to come by."
"I'm quite looking forward to pulling this off. What did you and your previous owner do a lot of? Anything like this?" Aashi asked of 46.
46 folded her arms beneath her breasts, looking embarassed, "Ah, well, my previous owner was the head of a construction firm. We didn't really do anything together, per say. Most of my life has been spent on developing planets and space stations guarding inanimate objects. It's boring enough they purchased robots to do it."
"You have to remember, ma'am, I have spent most of my life as... A very expensive, thinking robot. No one took the time to do anything, special with me more then they would treat the toaster to lunch," she elaborated after a moment's further thought. 46 blushed even as she said it, "I appreciate how well you've been treating me. It feels like I'm, a person, even if I'm not."
"You are, though. What makes a person a person is wanting to be one. You want to be a person, therefor you are. If you have desires, that makes you more of a person than anything," Aashi told the android, saying it contemplatively. "I once wanted to know what the extent of living matter's intelligence was, until I found out that everything has intelligence and the extent of everything's intelligence is infinite. You, my dear 46, are no exception."
"That's very optimistic of you ma'am," her gynoid bodyguard flushed harder, "It's just thinking of myself that way, with wants, desires, I still feel empty."
46 pressed a finger to her forehead, swiftly sweeping her brain, "No, that isn't the right word. Uncertain. As if it will all vanish, or, well, that it can vanish if my AI core is damaged. That's a much more frightening prospect when there's yourself to lose."
"Yes, I know that feeling," Aashi said. "That is a very thoughtful examination of the condition of life. Without yourself, you are nothing. With yourself, you are still succeptible to becoming nothing. Questioning your own existence and what makes it worthwhile is something that came with time for me. How long have you felt this way, 46?"
"Um, from the very beginning I suppose?" she said, bringing a hand to her chest, "I came to life with a full knowledge of life and my life threatened with imminent destruction. That's made me more... Introspective then I suppose is usual? It's something I've been trying to, not ignore, but work past for the last few days... What I want right now, almost as much as to fulfill my duties to protect you Captain, is to stop worrying and actually enjoy the gift I've recieved."
"What is this gift that you received?" Aashi Nath asked, wondering if it was the feeling of emptiness or something else that she didn't know about that the gynoid was referring to. "I'm sorry if I seem naive to it."
"Oh, well, for lack of a better term that's how I've been referring to my attaining sapience," she says with an embarassed fit of coughing, "It seemed to lack grace, just putting it bluntly."
Aashi replied, "I wish I could have been more cognizant of when I gained my own sapience. It took a long time for me to get to a point where I would call myself 'sapient', rather than just blind."
46 held up her hands, "It is different, I suppose, so suddenly being able to think on my own has been quite the defining moment. What I do with it, is, well, the question now. It seems to be going well."
"What is it you like to think about?" Aashi asked, realizing they were within the Astral Cluster, already. She got nervous excitement just being so close to the terrain she used to call hers. There was so much unexplored regions here and so many ways to get Uso the plunders she needed. But, they were on a specific mission and this wasn't her place, anymore. Pirating seemed to be a far-off and long-gone vocation now that she lacked a proper ship to do it in. She looked to 46, interested to know the answer to her question that she posed for the robot.
For her part, the realization they were now in system caused her to look down at the console for a minute. It seemed unlikely that they would be jumped by the Astral Vanguard out of the blue in a simple merchant vessel, nor was there really anything she could do against frame runners... Something that bore consideration when they returned to 188604. Swivelling back to give Aashi her full attention, she shrugged slightly, "What I'm doing, you, firearms, how I'll be able to pay Mr. Spacecase back, threats posed to your safety, questions about the terrain and fauna of the planet..."
"Ah, on second thought," 46 frowned at herself, "Those are not likes. Those are recent thoughts. The first three still apply."
"You like firearms quite a bit? We have some, just a few, left over from the big Freespacer pilfering mission!" Aashi said, "You'll be well-equipped from here on out. I'm also happy to hear I'm in your top three! That makes me over the moon!" Aashi let out a smile as she pulled back her hair and twisted it into a bun and pulled the wig out of her sweatshirt. She pulled it over her until the blonde edges met up against her dark skin and the bangs pushed against her black brows. "How do I look?" she asked, wondering how far from herself she looked.
"Yes ma'am. That seems to have stuck from my programming," she admits, slimply blushing as Aashi gushes further, "All I have at present is my service pistol. Hopefully that will be adequate."
46 adjusted her tank top a little, and checked to make sure everything else about her appearance was in order. Hair straight, skin clean, clothing neat. Her attention turned to Aashi, and she nodded, "Different enough. Most importantly, not distinctive. Like someone that needs a bit of medical attention and isn't too worried about how they look."
46 gave a thumbs up!
"That's what I like to hear," Aashi said. She then went on to ask, "What would you like to see of this wide open universe, 46? Anything at all or nothing in particular due to programming or some such?"
"I'm not sure my programming really dictates what I want," she smiled weakly, "That's my own indecisiveness. Seeing a new planet might help. You didn't say, what kind of a world is it?"
"It's a jungle planet with canal cities and temperate coastlines. It has its own airships and amazing views of the sea and sky. It is beautiful. I would hedge my bets to say you'll really like it, 46."
"The sea sounds nice. I've never seen the sea," 46 muses, sitting up straighter, "I'm looking forward to a fairly relaxed mission... In and out."
Comming in to request landing on the space port in Anuta, a city on Hlarai, Aashi got clearance using the name of her sister, Aami Nath. With all thrusters on, but not engaged, Aashi dropped into the range of 7000 m in altitude and threw the intertial dampers on, engaing all thrusters. She flew them down as if flying a normal atmospheric ship the rest of the way and engaged the docking gear at the appropriate height from the space port pad. She looked to 46 excitedly and brought her lips up in a smile after disengaging all systems.
She brought them to the light armory and said to 46, "Pick up whatever you want."
46 dutifully followed Aashi, checking out the armory curiously! She patted one of her cargo pockets, "For a civilized planet where we're undercover? My .45 might be the best choice... Don't want to carry anything openly, particularly."
"Alright, then," Aashi said, masterfully closing the door to the armory and setting herself towards the hatch to the outside of the ship, "I want you to put these on, I had them made with the molecular furnace." She showed 46 a pair of curving brown horns fastened to a hairband securely. "Prepare to see the sea, 46."
Taking the headband, 46 fitted it snuggly over her head, adjusting hair back over top to conceal the band as much as possible. It would take some getting used to, having lived her whole life without the, frankly, huge horns that adorned the Iromakuanhe. First and foremost, she hoped not to crack them against a doorway and expose herself.
They couldn't help but notice the rippling of the sea, shining and brilliant as they walked out onto the space port on Atuna. They made their way away from the Pumpkin Eater and through a sprawling marketplace.
Aashi told 46, quietly and under her breath so as to not attract attention to the foreigner, 46, "We'll pick up supplies here after the doctor as there's no taxation in the marketplace in Atuna, other than elsewhere which the Vanguard taxes. We'll grab a ferry to Lahru, it's 100 miles away from here, but it shouldn't take us too long."
After gaping at the gleaning water that seemed to stretch forever, beyond the horizon, and theoretically forever, 46 was brought back to the business at hand. Nodding slightly, still careful not to shake her faux horns no matter how secure she thought they were, the gynoid looked around the immediate area for signs of checkpoints or security. Finding nothing to worry about as they walked, she kept a few paces behind and to the side of Aashi.
The ferry picked them up in a few minutes and Aashi traded over some kuon dalri electronically with a small goldish orange transaction tag she procured from her pocket. They got on and were ferried the distance to Lahru. The sparkling ocean grabbed at the light and reflected it against them, glistening luminously. Aashi held the rails of the ferry and breathed in the scent of the sea, reminscing on a childhood spent here and how much she had missed it without even realizing it. The ferry finally brought them to port and Aashi looked to 46, who was leaning on the railing starring admiringly across the sea. For once, her synthetic bodyguard had been quiet, spending the whole trip gazing out over the water.
"To the doctor's office we go!" Aashi said, still speaking under her breath. "The eating habits of the planet changed a few AR ago and the city sunk three stories, so everything is connected through bridges that were built between buildings. We'll take a gondola to the doctor, though. It'll be faster and less troublesome."
"Yes ma'am," 46 murmured softly.
She approached a gondalier and said, "Adravni!"
"Adravni!" he replied. She commenced to speak to him in Saalsari about the best way to get there and nodded her head happily when they had come to a conclusion. They traversed the canals of the city, a sprawling metropolis built around commerce, housing, and business all in the same. The buildings glistened orange-gold in the sunlight with curved architecture and teal lines running through them in various places and ways.
46 watched, only now did it occur to her that she couldn't speak a single word in Aashi's native language... That was potentially troublesome, but considering that it was the Iroma doing all the actual paying for things she hoped to rely simply on smiling and nodding. Barring that, she would have to accept a reputation for being uncivil.
In Saalsari, the gondalier said, "We're here!" Aashi procured her transaction tag again and traded her electronic KD for the ride. They took some steps up to an entrance to a building, which they entered through the double doors. It was anything but materialistic inside, with only the orange-gold coloring of walls making it look like anything decadent. Instead, there were merely plastic chairs and a desk at which sat a receptionist, her silvery blonde hair fell to her shoulders and splayed out against them. Her eyes glanced at Aashi, then at the gynoid, whose faux-horns made her all but blend into the crowd.
"You are a rarity," the receptionist said.
"Yes, yes she is," Aashi muttered. Then she added, "Those purple eyes are the the product of 1600 KD and a bit of somatic tuning."
Giving a trial run to her 'smile and nod' proceedure, 46 gave the receptionist a small smile as the conversation seemingly turned her way.
"I was going to say..." the receptionist said, trailing off. "What are you here for?"
"I am here because of this," Aashi said, fingering the hole in her hoodie. "I need a prajna injection."
"That will be this much," the receptionist said, producing a datarod and showing the number to Aashi.
"I can do that."
"Fantastic! We'll get you started right away. Would your companion like to join you?"
"But of course," Aashi said to the receptionist. They were led to a back office where the doctor would be and were asked to wait there. Some prajna tanks filled the room, as well as a sink, regular chair, and a table-like chair for laying or sitting.
"You wish for me to remain during the treatment, Captain?" 46 asked, looking about the clinical space appraisingly, "I don't wish to invade your privacy."
"I'll just be getting an injection and some gel rubbed on me, is all that will happen, 46. I'd be happy to have you here with me."
"I-is that Trade I hear being spoken?" asked a lanky, surprisingly aging Iroma man that walked in the room.
"My father is an archaelogist and has taught the two of us a thing or two," Aashi explained.
"You speak it very naturally," he said, directing his comment in Trade to 46.
"Oh, well that isn't so ba-," 46 cut herself short when the doctor arrived, not exactly certain what the conversation entailed other then the word 'trade'. However, she responded on cue, inclining her head his way, "Thank you sir."
The doctor introduced himself, "I am Dr. Vaidya. May I ask, are you a Lavans-Type Synthoid? I don't know if my eyes are going or if they're highly adept, your answer will likely tell me, though."
46's eyes flicked over at Aashi for a moment. "Yes," she said with a nod, figuring it was practically impossible to conceal the synthetic part of her nature. Hoepfully she was similar enough to the Lavans model to stand the scrutiny.
The doctor was quiet for a moment, a stern expression on his face, then brightened with a smile as he turned to Aashi and said, "I have a chart for you, my dear! Will you look it over?" he shuffled over to a his datarod on the counter and opened up the volumetric projector and keypad, punching in some words and numbers. He brought up a chart that converted Trade to Saalsari. "You could use some work," he said to Aashi. Then with a wink to 46 he told the gynoid, "Will you look it over and make sure it is correct? I don't expect your friend to pick up the nuances of Trade that she is missing in a moment, but perhaps you can help her later with what she is failing at."
A little perturbed that this doctor thought her Trade that outmoded, Aashi failed to realize this doctor saw through the charade and was willing to help teach 46 the language while putting up a front of accusing Aashi of knowing less than she thought.
"Well, thank you, Dr. Vaidya, but I don't know if I particularly need this," Aashi said, then the realization hit her and she spoke to 46. "I think you should look it over for the doctor, though. Just to be helpful."
Aashi looked to the doctor and he winked at Aashi with a wide smile as he moved the chart closer to 46.
Looking between the two Iroma, she held out a hand to take the proffered chart. "Certainly, doctor. I would be happy to help," 46 said cheerfully, taking the guide close to examine it better. Saalsari was an, interesting language, she realized looking upon the document. She squinted, "Perhaps while Aashi has her treatments."
"Very good, then," the doctor said as he turned to the sink and washed his hands, then put on sterile gloves and brought out a needle, placing it on a tray. He took out some prajna gel and took some of the gel out of its container with a clothe-tipped wand. He motioned to Aashi's clothing and she took off her jacket. He then applied the gel to the area where the bullet had entered and exited her. He then took the covering off of the metal of the needle and prodded her skin with it, pushing the lever down and pumping the wound full of prajna.
"How does that feel?" he asked sympathetically.
"It's not great," Aashi replied. "But it's not bad, either."
He removed the needle and looked to 46, saying, "If you would kindly return that, did you have enough time to study it? Er," he corrected himself, "look over it to find any faults?"
Closing the chart up, 46 held it back out to him without giving any sign of having noticed the slip-up. It wasn't quite enough for her to claim Saalsari as a language she could speak, but it was a fairly good start! She looked quite serious, nodding again, "Yes, doctor. Your trade looks impeccable to me."
"Thank you, doctor. I'll pay up front. It was very helpful to see you today," Aashi said.
"Any symbiotic tuning you may need?" he asked, clasping his hands together after having taken off the gloves.
Thinking of her familiar, she looked abck at him, smiling, and said, "Not for me, no thank you."
"Come back if you need anything at all!" he replied.
Aashi nodded, "I will." She left with 46, paid at the counter, and they left the offices of the doctor, going out the double doors they had come in.
"Time to go where I haven't gone in a long time," Aashi said to 46,
"Home?" she asked cautiously, letting out the breath she couldn't hold.
"Home," she replied. They took a gondala to a residential district a few minutes away from the doctor's offices. It was a large tower with the same Iromakuanhe aesthetics that could be seen elsewhere in the city.
46 let most of the ride pass in silence, uncertain as to how to broach the subject of family with Aashi... Erring on the side of caution had left them fairly quiet, though, something the gynoid couldn't allow to continue, "Your people certainly do have a way with structures."
"We certainly do. There is a lot to building a good structure, such as foresight and proper planning. I guess you say that because of the hotel I've built, as well. That has the same rounded, smooth look that my people ascertain as the most pleasing one. I could talk about it for awhile, but we're here. My childhood home is within these walls," Aashi said. She got out and helped 46 out of the gondola and continued up the stairs.
She looked up at Aashi's childhood home curiously, stepping out beside her Captain. "I can definitely see the appeal," 46 agreed, "Ah, how do you plan to introduce me? I'm not sure playing me off as an Iroma will really work with them."
"My family can know who you are," Aashi said, not concerned in the least. "I'm sure they'll love you!" She strode forward and went up the building with 46, to a mid-level apartment in the building's interior. The eggshell paneling of the hallways was offset with glowing blue trim. "I'll introduce you as what you are, as my friend."
She knocked on the door at the far end of the hallway marked Nath and a sharp-sounding reply could be immediately heard.
"Who is it?"
"Aami," she said to her twin. "It's Aashi!"
"Deva! Aadhya!" Aami yelled as she flung open the door. "Aashi's home!"
46 stepped back, letting Aashi be the center of the attention! It at least sounded like a joyous welcome home!
Without realizing she had begun to cry, Aashi said her sister's name in a hoarse voice and opened her arms wide for a hug. Her parents came into the doorway and hugged their daughters. Then Devansh, Aashi's father, looked up to 46.
"And you brought a friend?"
Aashi wiped tears from her eyes as she nodded, "This is 46. Yes, she's my friend. She's, uuh, well, she's an android."
"An android?" her father, Devansh, questioned.
Aashi clarified as she continued to wipe tears from her eyes, "A Synthoid."
Giving 46 a chance to introduce herself, Aashi's father and sister stared at the gynoid while Aashi and her mother embraced in another hug.
Raising a hand awkwardly, 46 took the starring in turn, unsure if they were appraising or measuring her against their own artificial entities. She decided to try her rudimentary Iroma speech; it was enough to at least greet them without causing a major faux-pas, she thought, bowing in the Yamtaian way, "Mr. and Mrs. Nath. Miss Nath. It is a pleasure."
"Well," Aami said to 46 in a surprised tone. "Quite the introduction."
Devansh smiled widely and brought his arm around 46 for a hug, "Under sun and sky, I greet you warmly. Welcome to our home!"
"Yes, welcome!" said Aashi's mother, Aadhya, once she and Aashi were done with their embrace.
"Oh, thank you," she said, back to trade without warning as she was embraced in Iroma arms, not for the first time finding the taller horned humanoids to be excellent huggers.
Repeating the words 'thank you', Devansh then said, "Where are you from?"
"Nepleslia originally, though I have travelled a good number of places over the years," she said.
"Oh?" her father said in excitement.
"By Jarin's fortune!" Aadhya said and Aami looked shocked as well.
"That's what I meant when I said android," Aashi said. "She's not from here. Surely some non-Iromakuanhe have come to Iruotl before."
"No," said Devansh.
"Not one. Not that we know of," Aami clarified.
Aashi looked between the three of them, all gaping in surprise, and said, "Well let us in, let us in!"
Her family backed away and her mother and father set about continuing their preparation for dinner, enthusiastically ready to feed their daughter and her new, interesting friend.
Aami brought 46 and Aashi into the living room with her after getting a pot of tea and bringing it with her. She poured cups for each of them and, in excitement, began asking 46 questions.
"How long have you been alive? Does everyone in Nepleslia look like you? Are your horns even real?" Aami asked.
46 held up her hands apologetically, caught completely unawares by the revelation she was the first outsider Aashi's family, no, the whole planet had ever met. It didn't take a top-tier politician or anthropologist to realize that was absolutely serious business. So, trying not to be awkward or stiff, she followed Aami to the living room and her cup of tea. She took a sip, the temperature not mattering so long as it wasn't hot enough to melt her industrial grade polymer lips, to center herself and gain some ground for thinking.
"I was constructed in what is called YE 36, about two years ago in our standard temporal reckoning," she said, carefully imbibing hot tea between sentences, "However, as-built I was merely an artificial intelligence programmed to be a security guard. About a month ago I gained sapience and began a life of my own."
"What was it like, not knowing who you were on the inside?" Aami said, not fully comprehending what it meant to be an 'artificial' intelligence, but understanding close enough to garner a proper response to 46.
"It continues to be disorienting, since most of my memories are little more then data files in my brain. Seeing that in comparison to, remembering the feeling of an ocassion is very, different," 46 said with a healthy amount of pausing in between, trying to express something she didn't understand well herself, "It is interesting. And confusing."
Aami had been following along closely and looked to Aashi, thenback to 46, "How does my sister tie into this?"
"Aami," Aashi said. "I play no major role in 46's life. Hers is now much more interesting than even my own."
"Is that true, 46?" Aami asked the gynoid before taking a few sips of her own tea.
"I wouldn't say that necessarily," she gave Aashi a stern look as the obfuscation returned, "Your sister was gracious enough to take me in and provide employment when I was otherwise short on options."
"Well I'm glad she could be of use to you!!" Aami replied to 46, then, under breath as if to hide what she was to saying, muttered, "Even if she's been less than gracious with her presence here the last few AR..."
46 cleared her throat, giving Aashi a glance of her own, complete with raised eyebrows.
Aashi smiled, determined to pass off the remark as a simple aside, saying, "It has been ages, hasn't it?"
"What have you been doing, sister?" Aami asked, a bit forward in her approach.
Aashi crossed her legs and sipped her tea before saying, "Dabbling in this and that."
"We've heard stories, Aashi," her twin replied.
While that didn't sound exactly great for her boss, 46 held her tounge. Admittedly, she knew very little about Aashi other then her kindness towards her and that she associated with what charitably could be called thugs and killers. Even in her short stay on 188 she had picked up on that. Not like anyone tried to hide it. So she figured it would be best to stay quiet and let her Captain do her own talking.
"Oh, well, then why do you ask if you already know?" Aashi asked.
"I don't even know, myself," Aami replied. "Let's leave it at that. I know our parents want to turn a blind eye to it, though I'm not willing to feign such naivete."
"I've been on the winning side, I can say that much," Aashi said.
"It's ready to be served!" Aashi's mother announced from the kitchen.
"Let's go eat," Aami said with a smile to 46 and Aashi.
"Let's," Aashi said as she found her way to her old seat at the dinner table. She pulled out a chair and said, "There's an extra seat just for you, 46, right here."
"Thank you," she said, politely taking her place at the table. For whatever reason her owners had decided their bodyguards needed to fit in at social ocassions, a fact that made her glad every time someone had invited her to eat. At least she didn't have to be rude.
"So, 46," Devansh began after he had sat down, "what do you think of Aashi's homeland so far? Is it very different from the wonders you have seen before now?"
"Very," she agreed, inspecting her plate casually, "Most of the places I have been are either very, very urbanized, or nothing really beyond shacks. It is quite a pleasant compromise between the two, aesthetically."
"Well I'm gladd you like it," Devansh said, appeased by her response before Aadhya brought several bowls and plates of food to the table. There were long and flat breads to be used to soak up either the green mash or orange, runny liquid, both of which had white cubes mixed into them. A payam dish took up a large portion of the table, seasoned with ash garlic and still steaming.
"I haven't had a good meal in months!" Aashi exclaimed, putting the serving utensils to the bowls of food and bringing delicious morsels onto her plate. "What have you been doing here?"
"Your father has been working quite feverishly on his architecture projects on Lap Laputa," Aadhya replied. "Haven't you, Devansh?"
"It's been quite interesting, indeed. I've gained a lot from those old Makuori ruins, I have," Devansh said.
46 settled into the background, letting the reunited family discuss what they would. Scooping out her own helping of mush to go with the bread, it was hard to avoid comparison to other food she had seen eaten. Her own tongue, though fleshy enough, had no tastebuds, considering the expense and unecessary nature of such a feature, so there was only so much to judge it on. Bread was always good, or so her former employer had been fond of saying. Casting her gaze about the table, she quietly nommed bread first.
Aashi listened intently as her father and mother began to talk amongst themselves about the ruins and the exploration that was taking place there on the Makuori. Like 46, she didn't have much to add, and ate what was on her plate before speaking during a lull in conversation.
"How are your finances?" It was a rather abrupt way of asking it and she added, "I can always help you there."
"Oh, Aashi," her dad said. Her mother looked down and away. "We know you can, we're well aware."
"O-oh," Aashi replied. "Okay. But you are doing well?"
"We are," he replied. "Aami programs NI, did you know that? She's commissioned by the Astral Vanguard quite often!"
"Technically speaking, they'd like to know about your whereabouts," Aami interjected.
46 almost choked on her bread and orange stuf; apparently her sister had decided that subtly was for someone else.
"Aami!" their mother said in a huff.
"I'm only speaking technically!" Aami said with hands raised.
"I have a lot to do," Aashi said, cutting the dinner short. "I'll probably need to take my leave, but I'll visit more, I'm capable of doing so, now." The truth of the matter was the crew of The Devata were like a second family to her and the thought of visiting her own and leaving the crew behind had torn at her and, not wanting to leave them, she had foregone seeing her real family for such a great amount of time that she had eventually forgotten why she would want to see them in the first place.
Her parents got up unexpectedly and both hugged her while Aami rested her utensil on her plate and looked as if she were closing her eyes.
"46, are you ready to go?" Aashi asked her companion.
Dabbing at her mouth with a napkin, the sprightly gynoid pushed back from the table with a nod. "Yes ma'am," she murmured, turning to bow before Aashi's family, "Thank you for the meal. It was nice to meet you all."
"Then let's hit the road, it was really really nice seeing you, again. Really." Having forgotten her manners, Aashi turned to leave while her family said goodbye formally in Saalsari. She repeated back to them what they had said, “Touch divine, until we next meet.” When they were out the door, Aashi said, "Sorry about that! They can be so embarrassing!"
"They seemed very concerned for your health," 46 said quietly, then laughed, "And glad to see you. In an embarassing way."
"Just a little," Aashi said overdramatically. "I would say that. Now, let's see about getting some things to take back to the planet."
"Medical supplies, anything else on the list?" she asks, keeping her hands at her side as they walked. Back on the street, 46's attention appeared to wander as she examined other pedestrians along with the architecture.
While she herself took in the sights she had missed for so long, Aashi said, "I want to get us some plant starters, some things to put in the ground or in the arcologies. Some fruits, vegetables, drugs, the like."
"Yes ma'am," she tried to guess roughly how how much space that would take up, and whether or not she could carry it all. Then her brow furrowed again briefly, "Er, you don't mean to plant the drugs, do you?"
"We get to decide what's legal on 188604, nobody decides it for us. Not Nepleslia, not Yamatai, nobody but Uso. And if the Commonwealth doesn't have a problem with selling them to us, why should we have a problem buying them?" Aashi asked almost rhetorically, though she was definitely interested in 46's answer.
46 blinked, then pressed two fingers to either side of her nose, "I.... No.... I was thinking of synthetic medication, not medicinal plants. My apologies."
The android had indeed been trying to decipher whether or not it was some sort of Iroma technology that allowed Aashi to throw pills or tablets or what have you into the ground and make something grow.
Aashi blinked for a moment while she comprehended what it was 46 meant and then her laugh run out from her before she said, "You're funny, 46..."
They went back the way they had come to Atuna, where the Pumpkin Eater and the marketplace was. She began to barter with 46 by her side and got themselves a few Mazrit fruit starters, Kwirin berry plants, and Runyaen seeds from one stand before going beneath several draped cloths to another, far more discrete stand. There, she bought Rohk'so plants which had latent psychoactive properties as well as Salcra Weed plants wich had similiar properties and she bought many strains. Slajatki-on, which induced increased euphoria and sexuality in the user, was one of the seeds she picked up, as well. She bought Barra Leaf upon Barra Leaf and then went to a hookah wholesale stall to buy about twenty apparatuses for the act, planning on opening a hookah bar on the planet. They used two GE lifter dollies and crates to bring along their purchases.
46 ably managed the two dollies, making it look like it was taking effort at least.
Soon, they were approached by someone, a young and lean red-headed Iromakuanhe man that clasped his hands together and opened his eyes wide before speaking.
"I see you are a pair of business women," he began.
Aashi put a hand on her hip and swayed it to the side as he spoke, lips pursed together.
"Well do I have an offer for you!"
"Go on..." Aashi said.
I am a stall operator for Treasure Trove Fro-"
Aashi interjected, "And you would like to bring your wares to where we operate, I'm presuming?"
"I just noticed you picking out items that seem to point towards the two of you bringing these goods to a place that doesn't otherwise have these necessities," the red-head said politely, but with an air of confidence.
"What do you think, 46?" Aashi asked, hoping she had picked up the language enough to add her two cents. Three, she hoped.
"Not really sure..." she said, looking skeptically at the vendor in question, appraising. In truth, she was far from sure that they wanted to get involved in reselling Iroma merchandise on 188.
"What do you see about it that couldn't benefit us?" Aashi asked.
"Us?" 46 felt around her mercifully perfect memory for the right words to get across what she wanted to say, "Um. Cargo fees? Having a steady source of things you need? Don't you have some space to lease anyway?"
"We have the necessities he seeks," Aashi mused. "And the clientele from Akemi's as well as the resort would do well with something sweet to satisfy their tastebuds. I say we go with it." To the Iromakuanhe man, she said, "What is your name?"
"Mine? I am Nu'talo Coopam," the red-headed replied.
"Nice to meet you, I'm an associate of USO. That's all you need to know about me. Let me see your datarod and we'll send you the coordinates of our planet. We'll be needing two Troves to start with on our planet, named 188604. We'll see you in the next couple of..." she trailed off.
46 leaned against their dollies, providing Aashi with an increased air of authority by having a subordinate to order around.
"Days, yes. It'll take days to get there with all of the supplies," he said after he had handed her his datarod and seen the coordinates she entered.
"How many?" Aashi asked.
"Four."
She said, "Make it three, Nu'talo. Bring only yourself and one other."
"My sister! She operates one, as well," he replied.
Aashi nodded, "Then bring her and make it a quick journey."
"Until the next tie we dream together," he said with a hand wave.
Aashi nodded and then to 46, said, "That's how business is done. Akemi is going to love this, 46. I'm glad he propositioned us. Now, to get some organoids..."
"The little man that was threatening that other fellow?" she placed names shouted with faces seen as best she could, "If what he brings is even a tenth as good as what your mother made, no doubt the city will be in an uproar. There isn't much dining variety that I have heard of."
Aashi and 46 found what Aashi was looking for, the basis for the arcologies, organoid life support systems and biomass harvest systems.
"These will do it," Aashi said after bartering to have them sent to the ship.
"Is that all, Captain?" she asked, glancing skyward for a hint at how long the planet's day was. More importantly how much was left.
"No components forgotten?"
"We've done what we came to do," Aashi thought back to her family and said, "and then some. Let's get this on the ship." She paid a porter to take all they had bought to her ship and when that was secure, she asked, "Shawarma?"
"That is food, yes?" 46 asked curiously.
"Does food go into your stomach and get expelled the natural way of does something else happen?" Aashi asked as she walked towards a food vendor.
"Ah. People ask that a lot," 46 followed, "But yes, the natural processes do occur."
"Then let's get some!" Aashi said emphatically. They made their way there and the roaster cut off a slice of meat, then another, and another from the spit. Finally, there was a plate full of the meat for them to share and a pieces of bread to go along with them. A zesty sauce was an accoutrement to the meal they were to share, as well.
Aashi took one of the plates and let 46 get the other with bread and sauce on it and sat down nearby.
"So, 46, what is it you'd most like to learn? It could be anything from sewing to piloting and anything in between."
It was dangerous to let the gynoid take bread... By the time they sat down, 46 had a piece of her newly declared 'best food of all time' in her mouth, innocently nomming away at it. She didn't answer right away and took some meat from Aashi's plate as they rested, eating for a time.
"I am... Beginning to consider that I should learn cooking," she finally said, after quiet contemplation of the dip, even if voicing that thought made her flush, "Or perhaps social interaction. It is something that has been, missing, my whole life. And I can not download the required information."
"Social... interaction," Aashi mused after she had eaten a bit, "is a dangerous and delicate beast. Without it tamed, though, you will find it can loom over you causing unwarranted strife on your life. I learned it through my upbringing in a very different way than I learned it later in life. I learned to be brash and domineering by way of being a," she motioned her hand around, as if to say pirate, and continued on, "but as a kid I was taught pleasantries and to be nice to all. Now, at this age, I find a little bit of both can take you a long way. Which do you feel you are missing?"
She nodded at the implicit acknowledgement of her, their, trade. "Ah, well, mostly the part about not coming off like a robot. Something, I think, that can only improve with practice," she held her hand over where the heart of a Yamataian would be, "I want to seem natural."
"It depends on who you are talking to. Everyone is a reflection of the people they are around.To me, you do seem very natural," Aashi said. "To someone that is themselves not natural, you will seem a bit off. What I think you're looking to do is blend in-"
An Iromakuanhe man sat down next to Aashi, interrupting her, and said, "Hey money bags."
"What do you think you're doing?" Aashi asked him. He then put a hand on her arm, holding onto it tightly as another man sidled up next to 46. "Tell us, will you hand over what you've got politely or will we have to ask twice?"
Aashi made to speak, but 46 was between them in a flash, the man's arm twisted back to the limits of articulation, with their hands oddly entertwined, stretched across Aashi's lap. The other hand was free near where her Iroma companion knew the pistol was hidden. Her sensors were spreading out around them, listening, watching for the 'we' involved in the robbery attempt.
"How about a counter offer, friend," 46's mouth parted in what was perhaps a welcoming smile, "I let you keep your arm attached, without surgical assistance, in exchange for letting us be."
"I guess I could..." he stammered and trailed off, then, seeing his cohort rise up and make to strike down 46 with an ectosymbiote weapon attached to his wrist.
It was something she hadn't considered aboard the ship, as the compact Nepleslian .45 automatic's wide muzzle appeared in the second Iroma's face, whether or not the relatively low velocity cartridge would do enough damage to be fatal, considering the species' boniness. It was almost certain it would. Yet she hated not knowing. Ironic, considering how ominscent she felt in the tight environment around them.
46 twisted the man's arm back hard enough for him to feel the bone on the break of snapping. "If you do not think that I can take the both of you at once," she kept her sentences as simple as she could.
"Oh-okay, Saints be damned I didn't know..." he choked out. "You convinced me, stand down," he told his comrade and, with bulging eyes, he dissapeared back into the crowd, not waiting for his friend to be released by 46 before taking his leave.
46 turned the other character loose, with a slight shove away from Aashi, keeping herself stretched across where she hoped an Iroma's vitals were.
"Take care of yourselves!" he shouted sarcastically as he was pushed out of their presence.
"Let's go back to the ship," Aashi said decisively. "I can only imagine you agree."
46 rolled out of her lap onto a knee. She stood, nodding sternly, and re-concealed her handgun, "It would be best. Before they decide to bring back friends less inclined to see reason."
She offered Aashi a hand up, which Aashi took graciously and with a smile. The two of them made their way through the market with no trouble at all, all of the way back to the Pumpkin Eater.
"Want to learn a thing or two about piloting on our way back?" Aashi asked 46 with another smile directed at her.
"I can give it a try, ma'am," she agrees, raising her thin eyebrows in poorly hidden excitement.
"Well then, let's 'give it a try'!" Aashi said after she had tipped the porters and started to step through the hatch. She held onto the top of it and turned around to 46 to say, "It's been fun, this adventure of ours to my home, 46. Thank you."
She nodded enthusiastically, "Other then our encounter with the local thugs, it has been quite an enjoyable trip! It is a wonderful planet, Captain."
Aashi nodded and said, "I think so, too. It is with a heavy heart that I leave it, again. But 188604 calls to me, and you as well, I hope."
"Opportunity awaits," 46 murmured, casting her gaze up at the Pumpkin Eater.
