Chapter 2 #2
“Desur is done,” Amina declared cheerfully. “I’m going to grab him to do some shopping on the station.”
“I’m sure he was the only one you could convince to leave the ship,” Helmen said. “It stinks so bad out there.”
“I know,” Amina said. “I’m lucky Desur can’t say no. I’m getting parts; is there anything you want me to get?”
“I’ll send you a list,” Helmen said. “None of it is essential, so if the price is high, don’t bother.”
“I’m on it,” Amina said, then made a face. “As long as it doesn’t include setting foot in a Hulg restaurant.”
Hulg eating customs were barbaric, and their delicacies often meant consuming the animal while it was still alive. There’d been a few times a Hulg meal had disappeared and found its way to Amina’s cabin on the ship to eventually find a new home where it got to die of old age.
Thankfully the rest of the crew, and most Ugarians, detested Hulg eating habits as much as she did.
Helmen shuddered as they started walking down the corridor. “Never. I’ll make sure nothing on the list even takes you close.”
“Excellent!” Amina said with a laugh. “Let’s dock so I can go shopping.”
Polkor was an average Hulg station: crowded, busy, and stinky even though the restaurants were far from the docks. Amina was blessed with an average human sense of smell, but her companion Desur had the typical keen Ugarian nose.
“Why do Hulg stations always smell so badly?” Desur grumbled, pulling the neck of his shirt up to cover half his face.
Amina rummaged through a deep pocket on her jacket and pulled out a small jar of scent-dampening agent. “Here, use some of this.”
Desur grabbed it with a grateful wave of one ear. “You’re brilliant.”
He popped open the jar and dipped a finger in. Pulling his face free of his shirt, he rubbed the salve under his nose then sighed with relief.
After that, he held the jar to her. She took it back, did the same, and then closed the top to drop it back in her pocket.
The agent made her sense of smell disappear.
It was easy for her to ignore it, but Helmen once told her that for an Ugarian, losing their sense of smell was highly disconcerting.
It was a testament to how bad the stink was here that Desur hadn’t hesitated to use the salve.
“Where are we going first?” Desur asked, looking much more eager now.
“Merchant’s row,” she said, pointing. “That way.”
They chatted about items and shops as they walked.
It was a good thing they weren’t in a hurry because progress was slow.
Several Hulgs tried to knock into her, but she was used to their petty games and easily turned sideways at the last moment to avoid them.
A quick move of her foot often caught them instead.
It was fun to hear them curse and stumble as she and Desur walked on, unbothered.
“You’re going to get me into a fight doing that,” Desur said after the third time. “Some Hulg is going to take it personally, and then I’ll have to stop them from hurting you.”
Amina bit her lip to keep from laughing and hurting Desur’s feelings.
Desur was big for a male Ugarian, almost as tall and broad as Helmen.
His size was the only reason he ever won a conflict, and that was usually before it started because he wasn’t a skilled fighter.
It was a better bet that Amina’s speed and hidden natural weapons would win a fight than Desur’s size.
To save Desur from any potential confrontation, Amina ducked behind him and came up on his other side to avoid another Hulg trying to body check her. She kept that up, and due to Desur’s size, none of the Hulgs tried to do anything to him.
Finally they made it to merchant’s row. Polkor didn’t have the largest shopping area of the stations she’d been to, but it was big enough to find all the items she wanted.
The first few shops were easy, and she was able to buy everything they needed and have it sent to the ship. The staff at the fourth shop refused to even acknowledge her existence.
It was rare, but she occasionally ran into someone who thought humans were so lowly they wouldn’t even talk to her. It was too bad no one else sold parts for their ship or else she’d skip this place.
Desur’s ears were folded back, flat against his head, a clear indication he was pissed at the way she was being treated.
“Let me give you a list,” she said, tugging Desur’s information square out of his uniform pocket. She quickly dictated what they needed and handed it over.
“That’s a lot,” he muttered.
She grabbed hold of him and pulled his ear closer to her to whisper, “Bargain him down to half what he’s asking. I’m going next door to buy some crunchies.”
He gave the Hulg staff an unfriendly glare, his ears still pinned in a combination of anger and aggression. “Are you sure? I don’t think we need any of these parts, they’re only spares."
“If we have any issues, they’ll be needed,” she countered.
“But I’ll make sure we never have to come back here again.
When you bargain, stand too close to whoever you’re talking to.
Bump into them as often as you can. If they tell you to stop, ask them to be more careful.
Merchants can’t start fights because the station will fine them. ”
“It’s too bad it doesn't extend to all the Hulgs here,” he grumbled, taking the information square from her.
“I’ll wait for you next door or further down the corridor,” she said. Turning on her heels, she marched out of the store, accidentally knocking into a display of reinforcing putty on her way out and knocking all the containers to the floor.
It was petty, but it made her feel better.
The next shop was run by another Hulg, but this one didn’t care that she was human. He grunted at her to only touch what she was going to buy, then he went back to whatever he was looking at on his information square.
She moved to the rack of snacks. The ones she liked weren't there, but she grabbed some she knew the Ugarians would enjoy. When she spotted familiar packaging, she crouched down and dug into a bin. After a while she pulled out a few of Helmen’s favorites.
She heard someone else come in but was too focused on her task to look up.
After going through the entire bin, she only found three. She was going to start looking through the next bin when she heard the newcomer’s loud declaration.
“But I need the bug-pucks, and the directory says you sell them!”
He sounded so forlorn she stood up and moved around the rack, ready to help.
To her surprise it was a large Talin standing at the counter.
He was a beautiful gold color she’d never seen before, with copper-colored quills that darkened to black at the tips.
The scarf he was wearing looked like it’d been roughly torn from a larger piece of fabric.
She almost let out a startled sound when a little red lizard head poked out from the scarf.
This Talin had a pet lizard? It was adorable, but was that common among them?
“I don’t carry anything like that,” the shopkeeper said again. “But I have some lovely hichels and yos mash.”
“No, I need bug-pucks,” the Talin insisted. “It’s imperative.”
“Bug-pucks don’t exist,” the Hulg said. “You’re making up items to force me to give you a discount for not carrying them.”
There was a row of overlapping plates running down the Talin’s back. Amina watched as they all moved rapidly to create an angry buzzing sound.
“I wouldn’t do that,” the Talin declared. “You’re being deliberately obtuse to drive up the price. Where are your bug-pucks?”
After seeing the lizard, Amina understood the miscommunication.
Even though she knew going near this unknown Talin was a risk, she wasn’t too concerned.
Desur was right next door, and even a Hulg station wouldn’t let someone grab her and carry her off.
It would be bad for their bottom line to get a reputation for kidnapping!
Stepping up next to the Talin, Amina spoke up, drawing both the shopkeeper’s and the Talin’s attention.
“I think he’s looking for gilgon soup starters,” she explained.
The Hulg looked both relieved and aggravated. “Then why didn’t he ask for that in the first place? What even is a bug-puck?”
Complaining the entire time, the shopkeeper stood up and made his way to another section of the shop.
Amina looked up at the Talin who was gaping down at her with an open mouth. “Even though they are described as bug-pucks, no one calls them that. Are you going to use them to feed your lizard?”
“You’re a human?”
Amina bit back a sigh. “Last time I checked.”
The Talin jerked a little, looking around as if someone was going to jump out at them. “You can’t be here. It’s not safe.”
A genuine smile curved her lips. Was he with a group of Talins and worried one of them would try to abduct her? How sweet!
“I’ve been on this station before,” she said. “It’s not my favorite, but it’s not that dangerous.”
The Talin made a soft sound from deep in his chest. “There are dangers you might not be aware of,” he said, his voice urgent. “Please, let me help you.”