Read Alloyed & Answered :: PART ONE – Catch & Release

Chapter 1 Nexus (7/B)

The passenger ship[1] is small and cramped. I get up to stretch and grab my sweater when I notice a pair watching me from a few rows back. They aren’t exactly subtle; although, I give them credit for trying.

I yawn and make a big show of stretching, sneaking a better glance at the pair. One has sepia brown skin and the other tawny beige. Their clothes look a little too expensive for a backwater shuttle. One has a baseball cap and the other a large hood, both of which effectively obscure most of their features. Their coats are large enough to easily conceal weaponry.

They (probably) wouldn’t try anything while we are in Nexus. It’s when we disembark that I’ll have to be careful.

I sit down, open up a book on my holocom, and wait.

Thirty minutes later, the pilot calls that we’ll be arriving in Quor momentarily. A few kids try to move closer to the windows. They exclaim in delight, and I can’t keep my eyes on the book. I’ve seen this hundreds of times but I still feel a little awed at the sight.

Nexus is dark and vast. A blanket of black specked through with small lights and a few large tears. As if the fabric of the world were flapping curtains around an open window, softly shuddering in an unexacting breeze. Through the window—a vast hole: exactly two kilometers tall and one hundred meters wide, my mind supplies—a blue sky is visible. A cloud passes across it and one of the kids giggles.

I close my book, slide my holocom into my pocket, and stand, making my way to the door. Best to get off as soon as possible given the circumstances. This seems to have been the wrong decision though, since within minutes I feel something hard press into my side and a quiet voice whispers, “No sudden moves.” I grimace and stifle a sigh.

I stand there unmoving for ten minutes as the shuttle passes through the dimensional rift[2] and begins the landing process. The shuttle shakes a bit as the gravity shifts, and I send a quick prayer to the Minute[3] that these bounty hunters aren’t trigger jumpy.

The shuttle sets down on

Quor (7/R).

Gratefully unscathed from any accidental plasma blasts, I comply as the one holding the gun directs me out of the shuttle. I let my eyes dart around but keep my head still, trying to find something I could run and get cover behind. I bite down on the side of my tongue. Definitely nothing close enough.

I notice someone new approaching. Worry starts to bubble up: they[4] could get hurt in the crossfire or be used as a hostage. Then the person waves at the bounty hunters and I realize that I need to learn to be less unsuspecting. Of course they’d have backup once we’d landed. This time, I let my sigh roll out.

One of the bounty hunters behind me lets out a low chuckle. “That’s right, friend. You’re absolutely and truly fucked.”

“Thanks for clarifying that,” I deadpan.

The three lead me over to a small alley and my head is spinning with possible, impossible escape routes. Then I feel a sharp prick from where the gun is still resting against my side and I think maybe I’ve been shot but it doesn’t hurt nearly enough and then the world starts blurring and before my brain can form the word ‘tranq,’ I’m falling.

[1] This is specifically a ship that travels in Nexus (7/B) in order to move between other dimensions. To greatly simplify things, Nexus is essentially the space between dimensions and connects to all dimensions. It is composed of a substance that is slightly less dense than water and is breathable. You can imagine the ships that travel in it to be similar to submarines (but comfier and with larger windows). Although, this particular ship is a lot more like a plane or bus, lacking additional living quarters or recreational spaces.

[2] This refers to what we call a ‘portal,’ this one being between Nexus (7/B) and Quor (7/R). DP is being a bit flowery here but usually calls them the word that we translate to ‘portal’ or door.

[3] Jinsang practices Chronotheism, which is the dominant religion on Cona. Each unit of time is considered to be a god of power equivalent to its length of time. The most powerful god is Eon, who is served by Megaannum, who are served by Millennia, who are served by Centuries, and so forth, down to Minutes and Seconds. The number of gods for each time unit is not intuitive based on Earth’s time structures, but I won’t cover it here. The important thing to know is that Chronotheists pray to shorter times for smaller, more plausible miracles and pray to longer times for greater, more world-shaking miracles. No one prays to Eon except for veneration.

[4] There are significantly more pronouns in Tirkadaz than in English. One of these is a neutral courtesy pronoun used for anyone who’s pronouns you don’t know or of which you are unsure. It can also be used in situations where you want to show respect. For simplicity, I’m just translating this as they/them.