Log
entry: Landfall Styriga
My
uncle Spider never ceases to surprise me, first he agree to help
sneak me off the Shimout's Clan ship and who would have known that he
was friends with a Styrigian
. For the clans the Styrigian
were no better than pirates, it common knowledge that the first human
colonies on Styriga were the pirate crews that clan privateers left
stranded on that planet as punishment for their attacks on the clan's
plutonium convoys that supplied the world of the Inner Reach in the
days before the first muster.
Captain
Stamo did not fit my expectation of Styrigian smuggler, and from the
stories he told me on the long trip to Stryia he and my uncles were
close friends. A friendship that he extended to me. As I stare out
the port hole toward the approaching station, he started to make
small talk, “So Roddie your uncle told me that you are fleeing from
some trouble over a fight with your brother and a woman?”
I'd
smiled and I corrected him, “The fight was over who would rule our
clan, at the time I did not know that it was about that, I just
through it was just another sibling squabble. How was I to know that
it was going to lead to my clan deciding that I was going to take
over from my Grandma.
The
woman came later. My granny through that I would need a stabilizing
influence, that I was a bit too hot head to rule the clan by myself,
so she arrange a union between me and Dora Star Beam. Among the clans
she is known to be most level headed and deep thinking girl of my
generation.”
“Ugly
as sin, I bet.” added Stamo
“No
just the opposite, she so beautiful that she had boys lining up to
kill her brother in order to take his place as the future leader of
her clan. Their father found it a perfect solution, by marrying her
to me, she would get to rule my clan by my side, and her brother
wouldn't have to kill an army of her lovers to maintain his
position.”
Stamo
laughed, “You space clans are a strange brunch, any Styrigian male
would have given his left nut to be in your shoes.”
“None
of them met Dora Star Beam.” I countered rubbing the scratches and
the bite mark she left on my chest. A memento of her attempt to
demonstrate the pleasures that our union would have in store. Instead
I found myself a little scare of her naked ambitions and what it
would mean to the future of my clan.
Later
when the ship docked at the station, I searched for Captain Stamo to
say good bye and thank him. He grabbed my arm, “Boy where do you
think you are going, Stryigia is a hard world, and the Maltharion
customs are going to eat you alive. Follow me.” as he headed in the
direction of his cabin. When we enter he made a bee line to his
closet and pulled out a skein suit and he threw it at me. “put this
on and here. “ he said handing me a ID badge.
Marco
Stamo it read. “Marco Stamo , who he?”, I asked.
For
the first time since I met him Captain Stamo lost the smile, “He
was my son, he died during a student riot. The customer officer is a
Dralasite
to him all humans look alike. It will save you the fee on the
entrance visa. Tonight you come home with me, and in the morning I'll
take you over to the University dome.” He laughed and continue,
“You'll be a big surprise to my daughter, but you keep your hands
and strange Clan ways to yourself or I will be cutting off your
manhood.” He finished with a slicing gesture.
The
shuttle ride to the planet surface was rough, but surprisingly the
pilot was able to land at the small star port at the Newport Dome.
The Customer official at the star port waved me and Captain Stamo
through. The tram ride to Stamo 's home was short and filled with
Stamo reciting all the virtues of his daughter. The few pictures he
had of her was out of date, and mostly showing her at her eight year
birthday party, one of the few parties he was able to attend due to
nature of his work.
The
walk from the station to his home was brief, but as we near the block
that his apartment was located, he stopped and pulled me into a
alley.
“Boy
I going to need you to do me a favor, there a few men camped outside
my building, from the looks of them they're leg breakers from Big
Henry, a loan shark that I owe some money to. Problem is that Big
Henry not the patient type. If his boys are here they not going to
wait long, they may break into my apartment and grab my little girl.
There a pipe out back that you can climb, let my daughter know what
going on, and that she meet up with me at her aunt Diana. Got it ?”
“What
about you?” I asked.
“I
going to lead them away, and give you some time to get my little girl
to safety. Don't worry I know a few tricks to keep them dogs chasing
their tails.” He said as he nudged me toward the back of the
apartment building and there was the pipe he described. I found it no
problem to scale it to the second floor of the building and window of
Stamo's apartment. It was open, so I climbed in. I was greeted by the
site of a half naked girl around my age, and from the look of it
Stamo young daughter had grown into a beautiful fully endowed young
lady. She saw my reflection in her changing mirror, sprung around
screaming and planted a kick on my chest that sent me crashing into
the wall.
I
got up, thanking Steno for the Skein suit he gave me, without it the
kick would have easily broken my sternum. I tried explaining but she
was too focus on fighting to listen. Her style of fighting was
unknown to me, among the clan we practiced a martial art tailor to
zero g and confines of ship corridors, but I did figure out a tactic
to get past it. I kept dodging and as she sprung around to deliver a
high round house kick I duck under it and moved in close. She came
out of the kick and found her self almost pressing against me. I
grabbed her tight, pinning her arms against me. She struggled and
when she couldn't break free, she started to scream. So I shut her up
the only way I knew how, I kissed her.
We
kissed for almost a minute, and when I felt she was no longer
struggling, I broke it off. “Look your father sent me, there some
men coming here and we need to get to your aunt Diana.” I stammered
as I let her go.
She
look at me, “Why didn't you say so sooner.” and slapped me. “Not
ever again without my permission.”, she utter and then locked her
lips with mines. We would have been kissing for hours if it wasn't
for the loud sound of men running up the stairs of her apartment. She
grabbed her blouse and don it as I head down the pipe. A few seconds
later she followed. When she reached the street, she motion for me to
follow. We ran through the back alleys of the Newport dome till we
reached the tram.
Stamo's
sister lived in University Dome, and we rode the car in silent till
she look at me and asked. “Who are you? And how do you know my
father ?”, and before I could answer several teenage boys dress in
blue enter the car from the adjacent tram car. The leader of the
group look at me the pretty girl beside me, and motion for his
companions to follow.
“What
do we have here. “ He said leering at Stamo's Daughter.
“
Gentleman, I would look for easier prey.” I replied, as I rose into
a combat stand.
“Yeah,
or what ?” he commented as he drew a knife.
“Or
this !” screamed Stamo's daughter as she landed the same kind of
kick that she hit me with back at the apartment on his chest. Before
he could ever hit ground, his companions jump us. I will not bore you
with the details of the battle, it was short and brutal, when the car
reached the university dome, me and Stamo daughter hobbled out of
the car clinging to each other like contestants of a three legged
race. Our blue clad attackers laid scatter on the floor of the car
moaning.
As
we walked it was obvious that both of us were badly hurt, but Stamo's
daughter was able to guide me to her aunts apartment and as we
reached her aunt door, she collapsed. I pounded on the door and a
lady that appeared to be an middle age version of the girl in my
arms, appear.
“Oh
my god, what happen?”. The woman asked as she guided me to place her on the couch.
“We
were attacked on the tram.” I moaned, as I realized that my left
arm was broken.
A
small boy appeared from one of rooms of the apartment. “Stephen,
get the Saw Bones, your cousin is hurt.”, she barked at the boy who
disappeared out the front door. She turn to me and commanded, “Help
me get her to the bedroom.” With a little effort and a lot of pain
we managed to get Stamo's daughter into bed, at that point I collapsed
into a chair by its side.
It
couldn't have been more than ten minute when the boy reappeared with
two Dralasite
in tow. They waddle over to bed and examined Stamo daughter, and
began treating her. The larger of the two Dralasites calmly explained
the nature of girls injuries, which included a stab wound that was
dangerously near her left kidney and as he finished he comment to the
smaller, “See Joseph how humans with their specialty organs are
always in danger to injuries to them.” Pointing at me he continue,
“Their internal skeleton is quite fragile just look at that one
there, it plain to see that he has fracture the bone in his left
limb, it will need to be set.”
Waddling
over to me they worked in sync to set the bone and then applied an
instant cast. They left without even saying a word. As they departed
Diana enter, “I have another bed if you care to rest young man.”
“No
but thanks, I like to stay here and make sure that she alright.” I
said as I notion toward the sleeping girl..
“Fine,
but don't strain yourself, the Doc said you are badly injured.” and
with that she was gone
I
must have fell asleep and woke to sound of crying. As I open my eyes,
Diana and her son were by the side of bed, on it the daughter of
Stamo was in tears.
“What
happen?” I was startle by the scene,
“My
brother is dead! The Leg breakers caught up with him and he was
killed in the struggle with them.” Diana replied with tears in here
eyes
I
rose out of the chair, and approached Stamo's daughter. I touch her
on the shoulder and said “I sorry.” and she grab me, and held on
tight as she broke into a storm of sobs. What could I do but hold
her. I remember the words that my father spoke to me when my mother
died, and then the words my Granny told me when my father was killed
at Dixon. None seem to fit, and yet I found myself telling her not to
worry, that she would never be alone that I would be there forever by
her side. The sobbing stopped and I noticed that she had cried
herself to sleep. I gently lower her head back onto the pillow.
“Artemis
is lucky to have found such a dutiful suitor. I wonder why she never
spoken of you?” Diana started to rise, “What do they call you?”
“I'm
Rodworth.” I answer and I just realized that this whole time I
never knew Stamo's daughter name. “Artemis.” I whispered as I
looked at her and settle back into the chair and shortly after that
unconsciousness.
