The wanderer - run

We stopped at Escala so I stepped out to find Nonna. She was old and frail. She was happy to see me. She took my hand and took me to a café. She humbly asked me to take her granddaughter with me. As she feared her safety. Her uncle was heavily in debt. If Nonna dies then there is no one to take of her till she is old enough to be responsible. I asked her to convert her wealth to stones. Keeping only what Nonna needs. I will take her with me and raise her as my daughter and when she is old enough I will give her what Nonna has left behind. Nonna ordered her cyborg to do as I had instructed. The entire wealth amounted to six rainbow colored stones the size of my both fists put together. A private audience with a judge. And little girl Nyla officially became my responsibility and I took Nonna for a spin on the Lexicon for old times sake. Then little Nyla came with me on board Arman. We waved goodbye as I took her to the notary. The legal documents took an hour but once everything was set we went to my house. The little one was sad that she left everything behind but she knew that if she stayed then she would suffer bodily harm. I promised to raise her well and make sure she grows to be smart and productive. The trick was finding a school close by that fit my work schedule. Thankfully the info bot kindly found a match.

I was meditating when Nyla came with her friends. We talked and ate. She happily played with her friends. They left the house when it was bedtime. Nyla asked me why we are living in this house when we can live elsewhere. I told her that I chose this out of convenience. The place can be custom made for my preference. There are places like Megapolis where one wrong move means lost for days. The place looks absolutely identical. They are not allowed to make any changes so they stand out. The person will be heavily fined as the building will be restored to its former glory. Then there is Suburbia. The place has some decent qualities but the people who live there like to think that they are the masters of the universe. I grew up surrounded by people who were arrogant so I don't need the reminder. Nyla tried to negotiate so I took her on a little trip. Five minutes in Megapolis and she was begging me to take her home. The taxi driver was eyeing me weirdly so I made a fist and it caught fire. He immediately dropped me off at the right station and wished me a safe trip. I warned Nyla that there are bad guys out there and she needs to be cautious about her interaction. There is no shortage of those who take advantage of people. Measured optimism is best. I then took her to Suburbia and she got to see how awful the residents treated each other. Nyla finally accepted that we are living in the perfect place.

I would make sure that my days off are aligned with the weekend. So I can have fun with Nyla. The best days are when we hit the port. Then we get to see something new. We would hop on Stargazer and see the capital of the planet. Enjoy a few meals and also take a few memorabilia. The languages and clothes were spectacular. Some were humble. Others were arrogant. Some were annoyed to see us. While others were happy to see a new face. I made it a point to collect information both linguistics and practical. The curator would grin ear to ear as we came home. I would add the knowledge to the library as we go along. We would stay depending on the hospitability of the planet. If they are hostile we leave after refueling. If they are friendly then we would stay a week. Sometimes the governor would invite scholars for a lecture or two. The point was to exchange knowledge. The ship valued information more than it did currency. The best part is the galaxy is so vast that she could grow old but we would have seen very little. I made sure to keep my go bag just to be safe. I would also spend time fixing both ships in case I need it.

As she grew older I unfortunately remained the same. She can tell that there was something off me. But she waited till she was about to get married to ask me. I told her that I injected a controlled substance by mistake so now I am ageless. I am stuck in this eighteen year old body forever. She gave me a wink as she went off to live her life in Gollen 9. It was a world filled with all sorts of contradictions. The capital was an iron jungle while certain parts were slowly turning into a forest. Some parts of the city were decaying. Yet the city built high rises to house the rising population. I gave her her rightful inheritance as I went back to Arman. She wanted Lexicon for herself but her husband reminded her that there is no space for ship. I gave her a communication unit half the size of her fist. I told her if she needs anything just let me know. She promised as she went off to live her new life. As for me I went back to the junk yard to find a larger ship so I can store both my ships in case of emergency. I found a Strata 7 alpha carrier. It is a decent sized ship that could house both my ships with ease. I started searching for parts to salvage the ship and the guardian marshal caught wind of my actions. He thought that recycling was commendable but new and improved will always win. I chuckled at his nativity. But chose to stay silent. I found a few bots that were disassembled. I used them to fix the ship.

The next stop was Curzan a Normadic planet situated in the Burj constellation. It was a planet with very little technological advancement. The building had thin and long glassless windows that apparently welcomed the hot air and converted it into cool air before it went to the residential area. There were some structures that had pieces of wood that stuck out. Some were on top while others started from the bottom. Those that start at the bottom were used as a makeshift flight of stairs. There was one building that stood out most unusually. There It was a tall rectangular structure that stood twelve meters. It was made entirely of mud. You can see that roof. If it rains you will not be protected from it since there is no roof. And for some reason that is beyond my understanding this structure is eight degrees cooler than outside. They dug an underground reservoir to store water. The locals are dressed modestly. The women were fully covered. Their clothes were loose and hid their figure. Their face veils had a few holes strategically placed that gives a glimpse of the eyes. The men wore humble clothes and their animals were adapted to this arid environment. The elderly men wore white while the elderly women wore light gray. The unmarried men wore maroon or ultramarine. The unmarried women wore mauve and cobalt. The married men wore azure and teal while the married men wore bronze and copper. Each and every one had a fixed assignment. Slacking is discouraged. Some fixed the mud buildings. Others herd animals. The women cooked, cleaned and raised children. There were a few tents dotted here and there. There were those who wanted technological innovations so they hired engineers to turn this scorching ball of sand into something else. Farms were being built and I saw the beginning of a metropolis. A hundred years from now this place will be unrecognizable.

I boarded my stargazer and went back to Arman. I was surprised to see a bot examining my Strata. He helped me find the necessary parts to make my ship operational. Then I had to do a paint job. Thankfully Arman's next stop was at an intergalactic junction. This place had all the facilities I needed to fix my ship. A tow ship came and dragged it to the workshop. The head of the work shop said that it will take maybe a day or half a day. I had to pay him five thousand Valuta. I felt scammed but they were working on it. A bounty hunter. I can tell he is a bounty hunter by his outfit. Leather skin pants and armored shirt. A plasma pistol strapped to waist. A shock rifle strapped his back. His face covered with a matted Reggi cloth so only his eyes were visible. He demanded that he handover one of his co-workers. I asked him nicely to let the Corolla finish his work. The bounty hunter placed his pistol on my face and asked me to leave. I smiled as I caressed the pistol. The thing melted before he managed to pull the trigger. He screamed in pain and I happily used metal manipulation to wrap him in chains. He was in so much pain and I had sworn to heal not hurt so I used water to heal him. He stared at me with amazement. The authorities came and he was asked to leave since his bounty was cancelled. He didn't get the memo. The man gave me one final look before he walked out.

As thanks for my help the head of the garage kindly asked for anything specific. I said I didn't want my ship to stand out. I like to travel and sometimes I attract unwanted attention. I want the ship to be a place that also a living space. I wanted room for my plants, my first aid, a working kitchen. The sleeping area can be enough to fit just me. I would like to be able to fly the thing even if I didn't have a copilot. The man scratched his head and had the outside painted so that mimics the surrounding area. He said it is called Spook paint. The ship was reprogrammed so I can fly it solo. It even got a cloaking device so I won't show up on radar. Why did he do this? To protect me from the bounty hunter. He placed a few weapons too. A few dozen depth chargers, Ionic chargers and plasma canons. Tectonic sensors and a functioning medical capsule. A space for my tiny ships and a functioning submersible. Fully autonomous flying if I am unable to pilot. A small bunk bed for me to sleep in. A washer and dryer also small storage space for my clothes. I thanked him as I flew it back to my storage unit.