My Exploration Begins

[Vixesita]

I couldn't help the awe and amazement I felt as I looked around. Having been raised in a province that was committed to honoring tradition, I knew that such ships existed, but our people had never been privy to the details of it. Ships and space travel had been relegated to certain provinces on our planet, and very few Echani actually learned about them. I could see panels that I assume opened up, and gadgets - things I'd never had any idea existed, and I couldn't imagine what they were or did.

I looked again out the window at the passing stars. Eshan was now a distant memory, as far from that clear pane as I was from my family. Echos of our times together chose that moment to resonate through me: Father handing me my first training dagger, Mother sparring with me, all of us sparring together to work on agility and reflexes, that first dinner without Father, and finally my elevation ceremony without either of them. I found myself clenching my dagger hilt, a scowl on my face, as I came back to myself from my reverie. I glanced around and saw that 2 of the guards were eyeballing me. I was tempted to give them a sparring match, work off some of the angst I was feeling, but I wanted to get off on a good foot when I reached Carratos. I cleared my face and removed my hand from the dagger, showing that I was no threat, and they moved along. I knew nothing of anything outside of Eshan, and this journey of mine filled me with excitement and trepidation in one breath.
____

We finally settled into the spaceport on Carratos. I waited while all the other passengers began disembarking, preferring to be one of the last ones off to avoid the jostling and invasion of personal space. By the time I stood outside of the ship, bag in hand, and breathed that first breath of Carratos air, I was as mentally prepared for anything as ever. The next 20 seconds proved that my training would be as useful here as it had been on Eshan.

A crew of pirates swept through the area, claiming the goods of unwary travelers, and the lives of some who were less skilled than they. I had my bag over my shoulder, and my dagger and my sword at the ready within seconds of recognizing the threat. One approached me, all but his eyes covered, grabbing for the strap that was slung over my shoulder and across my breast. He must have thought the blade that he pushed toward my throat in his efforts would deter me, so he didn't expect that my own sword would intercept his blade as my dagger-bearing fist drove up into his chin hard enough to knock him backward. The stun wore off of him quickly, and his eyes glinted with a new anger at my defense of my person. His blade, I'm not sure what it was, even, sliced around toward my face and chest, but he found himself quickly blocked by my sword at the same time that I dropped and swept a leg under his own, felling him. In a very agile move, he popped back up off the ground, stabbing at me. He managed to catch me in the shoulder, even with his blade glancing off my own dagger. My sword just happened to sweep around under his blade-hand and catch him below the ribs, driving upward, at the same time that our blades met. He died very quickly.

As I glanced up, I noticed one of his mates headed my way; this one looked young and limber. He had a smirk on his face that told me he found me a toy with which to play. His hand held a gun-like weapon, similar to the handful I had sparred with back on Eshan, and I quickly gauged which directions I would need to move in order to avoid any unnecessary wounds. He still smirked as he drew close enough to tell me to hand over my bag. I stood at the ready, sword and dagger crossing one behind the other, my legs wound springs that would allow me to bolt in whatever direction I needed to move. The twitch in his muscles alerted me to the action, and I dropped to the ground, rolled toward him, and came up under him, dagger to his groin and sword to his throat. I asked him if he really wanted my bag badly enough to suffer a worse fate than his friend. He looked as if he wanted to turn the gun my direction, but as if his prized possessions may take precedence. He dropped the little gun thing and took off like a shot. A glance around told me he was the last one, and I could safely go about my business.

I picked up the gun that he had dropped, examined it. I hadn't seen one like this before, so I gingerly flipped it around. I found what looked like the power button I had seen on other models. I pressed it and heard the gun power down. I tucked it into my bag, replaced my sword and dagger in their respective sheaths, and proceeded onward. It was time to do some serious exploring.

[member="Justice Caydence"]
[member="Vance Caydence"]

 

[Vixesita]

As I exited the Spaceport, a barrage of smells and sounds assaulted me. I stood aside, just outside the door, and took in my surroundings. Clearly, straight ahead and to the left was a market place; to the right was a row of what appeared to be business buildings. I could see people moving purposefully along, not a one seeming to tarry anywhere for any period of time. Most notable were the pirates, against whom I clearly would have to defend myself, and some military personnel, whom I couldn't decide whether I wanted to approach or avoid.

I decided to start looking for a place to sleep: either a camp site wherein I could set up my gear or a boarding house of some sort. I moved along the path to the main thoroughfare and turned right, smoothly joining the flow of foot traffic. It was nearly a kilometer from the Spaceport before I found a vacancy advertised. Opening the door, I made my way as quietly and discreetly inside as I could manage. Once the door closed behind me, I looked around and found an open seating area in the room to my left. I made the assumption that this was where I could wait, and elected to do so, setting my bag down on the floor just inside the door. It was only a few moments before I heard a sprightly step headed in my direction.

A bright, vivacious woman all but bounced into view, her burnt sienna colored tunic flowing much more gracefully than her gait.

“Oh, I thought I heard someone come in! Welcome! Make yourself right at home, no need to stand about like you'll be brushed off at any moment. I'm Auggie, and if you're needing a room, we can discuss terms over a nice cuppa. Do you prefer coffee or tea?”

“Hello, Auggie, I'm pleased to meet you. Tea sounds lovely after the long flight, and amazing welcome, I just had.”

“Alright dear. Just set yourself down there, I'll be off to grab the tea service, and return momentarily.”

True to her word, she took only a few moments before returning with a partial tea service for two, complete with sugar and creamer containers, and a steaming pot of water. After pouring the tea, she handed me my cup, and we settled down to business.

"Now, tell me Tevra, where was this long flight you mentioned from?"

"I've just come from Eshan. It's my first time off-planet, and I had heard wonderful things about Carratos, so I thought I'd start my journey here. The people are certainly chummy."

"I have only the one room to let, so I hope you haven't brought any friends or relations with you. Overnight guests are not allowed, and I expect every guest to assist with maintaining clean common areas, as well as keeping their own room neat. Only water in the rooms, no food. Any issues between guests should be brought directly to me for mediation. If we can't resolve it, or if it isn't brought to my attention at all, all parties will be put out immediately without notice. Payment is due at the top of every week; I don't reserve rooms, no payment means no room. These are my standard rules, and I hope that you'll find them easy to follow."

I did, indeed, find them easy to follow. I had no visitors, much less any who would require an overnight, and I was naturally inclined toward neatness and solitude. She wasn't digging for personal information from me, either, which fit well within my comfort zone. As far as payment, I hadn't a huge sum of money, but most of my parents assets had been liquidated and the profits added to my account. I had enough credits to not worry for a bit. Also, I still had the house and many of the furnishings, on Eshan. My uncle was letting it out for me, sending me the majority of the credits every month, keeping just a fee for maintenance and his time and efforts.

Auggie offered me a reasonable fare, though it was a smidge more than I had anticipated; I knew I could afford it, despite my proposed budget. I agreed to the budget, stipulating that it would need to include 2 meals per day for that rate, and wound up finessing my budget back to par. She showed me to my room, and I settled in, locking the door behind me. Thankfully, she had individual keys for each room she managed, so my room would be safe enough from any nosy neighbors. It was time to go explore my temporary home. I walked back down the stairs and out the front door, turning left, back toward the market place.