I don’t have any luggage and I’m still wearing the outfit I put on this morning, thinking I was going to stay all day at work. My heels click on the shiny floors as I stride down the main entrance of the transporter station, worried I’ll be intercepted by a hired gun. But it turns out there are so many celebrities and rich beings circulating around me, I’m being ignored, which is good.
I’m kinda cracking up at how this agency hired me on the spot. I’m obviously on the run. They’re lucky I’m not a thief or a murderer or something. Maybe they’re having trouble signing humans up? I remember hearing rumblings of their shady dealings, but I don’t care, I need out of here.
I look down at the fancy new tablet the agency gave me. There’s info on it about the planet I’m going to, and the specific assignment, but I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet. I’m just focused on getting off planet. Anything that goes wrong with this placement, I can find a work-around for later. The main thing is I need off New Earth. After that, I’ll figure out the next steps.
I pause to use the restroom, wash my face and hands and try to make my hair look presentable again. I carefully clean my dusty shoes and then check myself in the mirror and smile. Yes, I’m heavy, but even after my run across the market square, and lack of ability to reapply any makeup, I think I look pretty darn good. My flower print blouse and dark skirt still look cute. I’m ready.
I head back out. Luckily, once you get inside the station with your ticket, they wave you on through. I’ve been given the correct inoculations and the new language chip I needed is already implanted into my brain.
I finally make it to my terminal and step inside. The place is really nice. The staff greets me and talks me through the process. They offer me a cool drink while I’m listening, which I gladly accept. They don’t blink an eye over how I have no personal items except a tablet. I’m sure they’ve seen every type of situation before, nothing fazes them now. I ask them to mark me as “confidential,” which means they’ll immediately erase all record of my transmission.
I patiently listen to all of their instructions, all of which I’ve heard before. And then I’m standing on the appropriate disk and the transporter lights up and the sequence starts.
Here I go. I’m ready to meet my destiny, on Tarvos—wherever that is.
2
Hannibal
“What species is your new assistant?”
I glance over at Cap, surprised at this question. Cap is my best friend and business partner—we’re co-owners of Molten Lava Security. Everyone else on our home world knows him as Bergelmir Touchstone, but I call him “Cap” because he was my former captain when we both served together in the military.
And he didn’t say a single word to me about our new employee during the entire vehicle ride over to this transporter station, and now that the light disk is about to power up, he’s finally curious?
“They’re sending us a human,” I admit.
“Did you ask for a human?”
“No. Why would I?”
He grunts in response, then asks, “Are they sending a male or female human?”
“I don’t know this human’s gender or sexual orientation,” I respond, “nor do I care. The only reason I’m going through the bother of hiring a human assistant from off planet is because of that coupon the employment agency gave me. The discount is too good to pass up.”
Cap rolls his eyes. “You’re always looking for a deal.”
“Damn right, and proud of it too.”
“Dad.”
My eight-year-old son tugs on my trousers. I glance down at him.
“I’m good at finding deals too,” he says. “Remember how yesterday I saw those flame throwers on sale and showed them to you?”
I grin, pride glowing in my chest. “Yes, you did, son. You are good at finding deals,” I agree. “Just like a true Hellstone.”
He smiles wide, exposing his two missing front fangs and my heart melts. My son is fierce and stubborn, just like me. And like his grandfather Hellstone. And his great-grandfather before him.
The staff in the transporter room start chanting the countdown sequence. I glance around and notice the equipment powering up. My new employee will be here in minutes. I turn toward Cap. “Now that you’ve saved the planet, again, our security company is in great demand,” I remark