Fragment by Paul G Swanson (me reader .txt) 📕

feeding the port fee. He flicked his ear and enabled the comlink for his ship and crew members. "Moumoru, are you there?"
"Yeah Boss. What's up?"
"How much fuel does the ships battery have currently?"
"Enough to get us anywhere we want."
"And the bill for the recharge?"
"More than we have currently. Once you're done with that small job we have enough to pay for that though. So don't screw up." He heard laughter on the other end.
"Yeah, yeah laugh it up buddy, you're next. Gotta go, almost at the rendezvous point." He flicked his ear again and heard the link terminate. Breaking away from the crowd he crossed the street in front of him and saw a familiar face from long ago.
He pitied this man, he really did. This was the same man that had welcomed Psylix into the space colony and granted him a place to live before he had one of his own. The once well-respected doctor now looked homeless and malnourished.
He stopped hesitantly. This would stir up bad memories for both of them. He frowned and stepped out of the shadows for doctor Matsuo to see clearly. His eyes widened in fear at once and he stumbled back slowly. Psylix pointed at the box on his side and Matsuo immediately understood why he was here.
"Hi doc, how are you these days?"
"As if you have to ask! Just look at me! This is all your fault, you and that, that thing you brought to my hospital!" Matsuo spat out his words sharply and quickly. He wasn't nearly as degenerated, as he at first appeared to be.
"Look, there was no way I could have know Somie would be infected with such a thing. Even you didn't know what it was. You know that." He un-strapped the package and held it out. "Let's not discuss such things. You saved him, and me. And for that I'm grateful, but right now I'm just here to deliver this."
"Grateful my ass! You take what life I gave you and you continue to work with dangerous people! You don't appreciate it at all!" Matsuo stepped forward and snatched the package out of his hands. "Here, take this and be gone! I don't care anymore at this point, I'm still healing people." Matsuo tossed the money at Psylix.
Psylix not amused watched the paper money flutter to the ground. He collected the money and started to walk off. He stopped just far enough away to say one last thing and still be heard. "Doc, I really don't do these side jobs anymore. I made a promise to you that day, I haven't forgotten. This is just a one time thing."
He started the long walk back to the Farsight, his ship. He flicked his ear and reported his success to Moumoru and quickly terminated the link again. He wasn't in the mood for chatting.
He stepped back into the crowd and hoped to blend in. He didn't like to be noticed. Humans didn't get to see to many Atrions. So naturally he stood out. It wasn't that fact that he didn't like to be seen; it was the fact that eyes that looked back at him were always full of pity. He didn't want to be pitied.
He had already received a lifetime's worth of awkward apologies. He had grown numb of the words 'I'm so sorry'. It was inevitable though; he couldn't exactly hide his tail. It would slice him up if he concealed his tail under his clothes so he simply let it hang out naturally.
He walked quickly through the crowds, anxious to get back. His stomach growled telling to stop and get food. He listened and glanced around looking for something to eat. To his right he saw a store labeled 'Mathenius interstellar - Everything store'.
He figured why not, maybe they have food. He pushed the door open and heard the bell ding signaling a welcome from a bald man sitting in the far of the store. There were only a few people in the store, all in line, waiting to pay for whatever they were carrying. He glanced around and saw mostly machines scattered about on tables with price tags. He looked past the machines to his far left and he heard a woman yelling into a videophone at someone. He walked a little closer curious as to what she was yelling about. He was careful to hold his tail close to his body. He didn't want to knock anything over.
He wasn't able to get too much out of listening to her rant into the phone. He was only able to hear a few tidbits about 'get you act together' and 'pack your bags'. He thought to himself for a moment and he had an idea.
As he got closer he saw that the shirt she was wearing had the logo of the shop imprinted on it. Also taking the view in he could see that she was very beautiful. Her chestnut hair was short and held back from her face with bobby-pins. And her tight pants fit her very well. He waited until she hung up the line. She turned around and jumped startled.
"Oh my goodness! You scared me! How much of that did you hear? I'm so sorry!"
"Hey, its no big deal. More importantly, do you work here?"
"As a matter of fact I do!" She proudly told him. "It's just me and Mathenius."
"I'm Psylix. I've never been here before."
"I'm Sarah. Is there anything in particular you need? We have robots, engine parts, guns, tools, etcetera."
"I was actually hoping to get some food around here." Upon hearing that she looked a little bit surprised, she must not get to many people asking for food here, he thought.
"Right this way, we actually have a large selection in the back here." She guided him past all the mechanical aisles.
"So, this may sound like a typical question. How does an attractive woman such as yourself come to work here?" He was stereotyping her but didn't care; he actually was interested.
"I actually do the marketing, he handles the mechanical work." She stopped and he nearly walked into her. He wanted to then he could have had an excuse for touching her, but he decided to behave himself. He stepped back a little bit before she noticed, he didn't want to ruin his plan accidentally.
"Ah this looks good." He said aloud and grabbed a drink off the wall. "So, does being in marketing pay well?" He asked her grinning. She frowned.
"Are you trying to pick me up for a one night stand or something?" She accused him.
"No, no! You misunderstand!" Not that he would mind, he thought to himself. "I'm just asking. It sounds like you're going to be traveling with someone that's a little less then cooperative."
"Oh, so you heard that. What's it to you. Thinking of stalking my gorgeous ass or something?"
"Um, no. That's not quite where I'm going with this. Why are all you people always so paranoid?" He shook his head confused. How was he going to say this?
"Well?" She crossed her arms impatiently waiting for the answer.
"Look, Sarah was it? I own a ship down there in the port. We are a little hard of money right now. To the point where I'm having to do irritating side jobs just to pay for the damn fuel and port fee." He sounded irritated, he knew it but he didn't feel like hiding it. "So are you going traveling or not?"
"Well, I'm the guardian of this guy since his parents passed away. He's in denial. I wanted to take him to earth one last time so he can finally understand why he was to leave with me and not stay. Are you heading in that direction?"
"Like I said, if you pay, we'll go." He paused and added, "We need you to pay half up front though." He handed her his card and left the store after he paid for the drink.

* * *

He walked up to his ship and saw Somie sitting on the steps waiting for him. The tattoo just under his right eye was pulsing like a heartbeat. His orange eyes glowed slightly in the dim light. His face was frowning, and like a cat his long pointed ears were bent down.
"Somie, you need a pill. You are radiating again." Somie glanced up at Psylix and nodded in acknowledgment.
"I know. I'm trying to learn to contain the radiation myself. It's just too different from the waves. I can't control it the same way." Frustrated he grabbed the container of pills from his pocket and twisted the cap off. Taking a single pill he tossed it down his throat. "I'm way to dependent on these things. I don't like taking them and not only that, I'm starting to build up a resistance to them."
"I know, Somie. I know." Psylix put his hands in his pockets. "I don't like taking my medication either but I have to. Unlike you, if I stop taking mine, I'll simply drop dead."
Psylix remembered the first time he came across Somie. How could he forget, he not only electrocuted him by accident, he nearly crushed him. If he hadn't seen Somie appear out of lightning himself, he would never have believed Somie was from another dimension. He brought with him what looked like the ruins of a tower and a small pose doll. It was a sudden entrance and left both of them injured. It took a while for Somie to warm up enough to tell him what really happened, but even now it still shocks him when he thinks about it.
Psylix stepped into his ship and walked up the spiral staircase skipping the three side landings. At the top he twisted the hatch and opened the door and closed it behind him as he entered. Sitting in the pilots seat as usual was Moumoru.
Sleeping. Psylix thought it was funny that even though Moumoru wasn't human he looked like he was. He was even almost biologically identical to them as well. He often just wrote him off as one, but despite his appearance his intellect was vastly superior even if his attitude wasn't.
Psylix not in a good mood walked over and slapped him suddenly to wake him up. He jumped in his seat and hollered in surprise.
"Oh hey boss! Didn't see you there."
"Of course not, you were sleeping." Psylix sat down in the copilots seat and propped his legs up on the ship dashboard leaning back. "We may be getting out of here soon. I gave