26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Damascus

Damascus was so lost in thought, he didn't realize the shuttle had landed on Balforge until the pilot called out from the front.

"Prepare yourself, the heat index on this planet is barely within our tolerable range," Kalorum said as she sounded a worried rattle. "Are you sure you wish to depart? I have immediate permission to launch if you simply wish to return to Progress. You can avoid this unwelcoming place."

It was kind of her to offer and even encourage him to leave. At this point, everyone on the ship had learned about the incident on Lotrom. Someone, probably Utharium, requested a data packet on him. Progress had received it a few rotations ago. It hadn't taken much deductive reasoning for everyone to figure out why he was so desperate to travel to this remote, inhospitable planet.

The crew had been warming to him since the fight on Dandilow II. The information in the data packet turned the entire crew to his side without him saying anything. He was greeted when passing others in the hall. He was asked questions and invited to participate in things. It felt odd to suddenly have compatriots again, but it also felt good. It was a pity this happened right before this moment. He could've used the comradery solars ago.

He sounded a soothing rumble as he stood and took a spot near the hatch. "Thank you for your concern, Pilot Kalorum. But I'll debark here. Please don't wait for me, I won't be returning to Progress. Thank you for your gift of time and skill."

Kalorum turned in her seat and smacked her chest with her fist. "May the ancestors grace you with wisdom and loyalty."

"And lead you to honorable actions," Damascus responded by rote with a smack to his chest. It'd been a long time since he'd performed the gesture, and it woke something long buried in him. A sense of purpose and belonging.

Ignoring the urge to return to his seat, he took a deep breath and waited for Kalorum to open the hatch. Hot air hit him with enough force to make him rattle with surprise. Forcing himself out into the blistering sun, he had to lift all his back plates to help with cooling. Not that his body's automatic response helped at all due to the planet's high humidity.

Now he was doubly thankful that Kalorum insisted he wear boots. Talins almost never wore coverings on their feet, but this planet warranted it. He could feel the heat of the ground even through the expensive footwear.

The hatch closed the moment he was clear. Without looking back, he headed to the nearest building. A large, language-scrolling sign declared it the port authority office. He needed to check in there before he'd be allowed to find Yawnom.

Behind him the shuttle powered up, getting ready to launch. He kept his eyes focused on the building and broke into a jog, despite his body's warning signals that the exertion would be too strenuous in this heat. He needed to be clear of the area and the temptation to return with Kalorum.

By the time he entered the port authority building he was panting but shocked to find it was barely cooler inside than outside. Pausing inside, he leaned against a support column and waited for his body to recover.

"Are you unwell?" a voice asked.

A Rekin was approaching him with a concerned tilt to their square head. The Rekin flared the scales on their neck a few times to indicate they were approaching with no malice.

"I wasn't prepared for the heat," Damascus admitted.

The Rekin bobbed their head several times in understanding. "Yes, yes, many find it hard to tolerate. Do you need a cooling vest?"

As much as he wanted to ask for one, pride made him straighten away from the support column with a negative rattle. "I'll adapt. What do you need from me so that I can be allowed to leave the port?"

"You only need to fill out a questionnaire and provide a small fee," they said and gestured to a nearby kiosk with a dip of their head. "We don't have many foreign species visitors here. Were you drawn here by the dordashem ?"

The dordashem was a massive, active volcano that was a sacred place for Rekin. This planet was visible by telescope from their home planet. The active volcano provided an occasional red dot large enough to be seen even by their ancient, rudimentary technology. They came to associate the "red dot" with good fortune and believed it was where their god resided.

The dordashem was on the other side of the planet and could only be safely viewed from a special floating capsule high in the stratosphere. He'd read it was a stunning sight; a large mountain jutting out of a boiling turquoise sea.

For a moment he thought about arranging a trip so Iris could see it. She had an infectious fascination with the universe that made him want to experience everything with her. Then he remembered he would never see her again.

He stifled the mourning rumble that wanted to push out of his chestbox.

"I'm here to find another Talin," he explained. "He's–"

"Oh yes!" they said excitedly. "He lives in the honored houses, that's where all the diplomats live. He participated in the Throwing Ceremony this season. We were all very impressed with his endurance."

The Rekin's words didn't surprise Damascus. Rekin controlled the only planets that produced a rare spice. So far, they exported very small amounts of it. If Yawnom was here as a diplomat to develop trade, then he'd do anything to ingratiate himself. A trade deal for more spice would win a diplomat a high rank and many accolades.

"How would I find his honored house?" Damascus asked.

"I can give you directions once you're done at the kiosk. Not many are allowed to live here so there are no crowds or massive housing structures to confuse you."

Damascus thanked them and moved to the kiosk. It didn't take much time to answer the questions there and the planet entrance tax was shockingly low.

"Here you are," they said, handing him a shiny pilgrim's plaque of the planet. It had a stylized map of the city with all the significant landmarks labeled. One spot had been circled with a stylus. "That is Yawnom's honored house. As you can see, it isn't far and won't be difficult to get to. Still, you should accept a cooling vest for your visit."

It was only then that Damascus realized he was going to have to walk. Now he understood why the information he'd read on the planet stated several times that there was no transportation available within the city limits. Banning private vehicles within cities was common in the universe, but there wasn't public transportation either, and with the heat, walking would become unbearable quickly.

"I'll accept a cooling vest with gratitude," Damascus agreed, letting go of his pride for practicality. He held up his Ident to pay, but the Rekin flapped their neck scales a few times in refusal.

"We keep cooling vests for visitors," they explained as they went to a storage locker and pulled several out before handing Damascus one. "Simply return it when you leave. If you're here for more than two day-night cycles, then you'll need to come back here and exchange it for a charged one."

"Thank you," was all Damascus said as he donned the garment. The moment the front was closed, it made a slight humming noise and then he felt coolness envelop his torso and shoulders. It was such a relief, he let out an unintentional soothing rumble.

"Oh, another ship wishes to land, I must attend to it," they said when a display near the locker dinged. "What a delightfully busy day. Enjoy your visit, and may the Red Eyed God fill your vision with crimson purpose."

Damascus considered that a fitting blessing for his reason to be here.

The cooling vest allowed him to walk with his normal long stride through the city. He could still feel the oppressive heat and humidity, but it wasn't as overwhelming as before.

There were few native plants on the planet and nothing that grew to any height. The architecture was all single story and domed, creating few shadows. There was no respite from the harsh sun. The stylized map of the city was easy to follow, but he'd only gone a short distance from the port when heard a familiar voice.

Turning left, he followed the voice into an open air building. Inside were rows of displays, their screens seeming to waver in the heat, and a few Rekin moved between them. One Rekin stood in the center of the room talking to Yawnom.

Damascus froze. He'd been prepared to strike the moment Yawnom opened his domicile door. He hadn't been prepared to find the male outside his home conversing with someone in a public place. It didn't change his actions. He didn't care if he was caught, only that he was able to carry out his mission. He could still stride right up to Yawnom and snap his neck before the former municipal commander even realized he was there.

His feet stayed rooted to the spot.

Why couldn't he make himself move? Yawnom was right there!

An image of Iris and Mia floated through his mind. If he did this, he'd truly never see them again. Up until this moment, he'd thought maybe Iris would be able to talk him out of it. Give him a reason not to murder Yawnom, but all her arguments had centered on his life and happiness. Until now, those didn't seem like good enough reasons.

Faced with the male he'd wanted to kill for solars, he suddenly considered the worthiness of his own life. Before Iris and Mia, there'd been no point to his existence. Then those two had wormed their way into his heart.

Were they enough to give up his goal?

"Damascus!" Yawnom boomed with an excited rattle, startling Damascus out of his thoughts. The former municipal commander pushed past the Rekin he was talking to and strode up to Damascus. "It's good to see another Talin! Tell me you're here to take my place. I've been putting in requests, but no one–"

The Rekin who was talking with Yawnom interrupted. "Are we finished with our discussion?" they asked with clear agitation.

"For now," Yawnom answered with an irritated rattle. He took hold of Damascus's arm and guided him outside. Damascus pulled his arm out of Yawnom's grip and opened his mouth to denounce the male, but Yawnom started talking.

"You don't know how wonderful it is to see you here!" he gushed. "Let me take you to my home. I have food from Talarian I can share. When was the last time you had dimas? I have some preserved. I'll put it in the reconsituter for you. We can have a feast and talk of the glory of the Orlok war!"

"I don't—" Damascus was about to refuse when he realized it would be easier to kill Yawnom in his home. Maybe his hesitation was due to all the eyes watching him. Yes, that had to be it. "That would be a pleasant way to spend time on this uncomfortable planet."

Yawnom sounded another loud, excited rattle. "Excellent! I have sopa also and a few other items I import. It's expensive, but worth it for some comforts from home."

"You sounded like you were arguing with the Rekin," Damascus commented, fighting the urge to make more room between the two of them as they walked shoulder to shoulder.

"I was denied my request for a heat reduction unit in my domicile—again," Yawnom said with a harsh, angry rattle. "This is a horrible, horrible place. I've been here a solar and a half, and they won't allow me even the most basic of comforts. I'm not allowed to own my own cooling vest, I have to return to the port every two days to exchange for a charged one. I tell you, this species is positively barbaric. They don't believe in personal wealth, and it's taboo to own anything individually."

Damascus was curious despite himself. "What do you mean you're not supposed to own anything?"

Yawnom sounded another angry rattle. "Exactly what I say. They are all expected to live in the same type of house, eat the same food, consume the same media, and use the same facilities. There is no ability to garner wealth or prestige. The idea is that honor and notice comes from blending in and everyone having equal status. If they didn't control those spice planets, no one would bother contacting this species. It's maddening."

It didn't sound that bad to Damascus. As long as everyone was provided for, it only sounded boring, not horrific.

"This one is mine," Yawnom said, guiding Damascus to one of the many domed units that all looked alike. He was surprised to find the inside was as small as the outside. He'd expected to find that most of the domicile was buried underground to provide better insulation from the heat, but it wasn't. The entire domicile was made up of only one room with a food preparation area, a full-sized Talin bed, a table, and only one chair. There was so little space that those few pieces of furniture made it feel crowded.

Damascus was shocked. It was almost as small as his cabin on Progress.

"This is where you live?" he asked, stepping into the dim interior. All the shutters were closed, and the place was lit by only one glow lamp hanging from the center of the ceiling.

"It's disgraceful, I know," Yawnom said with a mournful rumble. "They allowed me the furniture because my body shape is different from theirs, but they won't even let me bring any of my art pieces. Can you believe they all live like this? It's deplorable. You only receive a larger domicile if you decide to reproduce and don't want to live in a communal parenting unit."

As with the port authority building, it was only slightly cooler inside Yawnom's domicile than outside. Damascus almost rattled with surprise when he realized that Yawnom had to spend his entire rotation, every rotation, wearing the cooling vest. There was no respite from the heat for him.

"This planet doesn't cool down much at night, does it?" Damascus asked to make sure his conclusions were correct.

"Only a few degrees, nothing significant enough to allow me to take off the vest," Yawnom said as he moved to the food preparation area and pulled out several canisters from a food storage and preservation cabinet. "I'm also allowed to import all the food I want because it's needed for my health."

Damascus remained by the door as Yawnom gathered food and drink and took it to the table. Then he pushed the table closer to the bed and pulled out the single chair. "Here, please sit."

Once Damascus accepted the chair, Yawnom hurried around the table to sit on the bed. He gestured to one of the canisters on the table. "Take some sopa. It's not cold, but it's as cool as I can make it with the preservation cabinets they install in these places."

He wasn't hungry or thirsty, but he also wasn't ready to reveal his intentions. Picking up the closer canister, Damascus took a sip. Spitting the liquid back into the container, he sounded a rumble of disgust.

"Has it gone bad?" Yawnom asked, reaching for his. After a quick sip he grunted and put it back down. "They aren't gentle with the items I import. They crack seals all the time, and half the food and drink I buy are wasted. There is nothing good about this assignment. I thought I would be living a lavish life when I entered the diplomatic realm, but instead I live a life of squalor."

Damascus wouldn't call this place squalor, but it was certainly uncomfortable. With how unhappy he was, killing Yawnom might be a mercy. "Why don't you ask for a reassignment?"

"I have, but my requests are denied," Yawnom explained.

"How long is this posting?" Damascus asked. Maybe he'd come back and kill Yawnom after he'd finished working on this planet.

Yawnom let out another mournful rumble, but this time he didn't stop. "It's a lifetime posting. I gave most of my wealth to Servant Citizen Omarious to get this position, and now I can't leave!"

It wasn't unheard of to have a diplomatic position that was for life. There were quite a few species that insisted on dealing with the same person for an entire generation instead of a few solars. But he'd never heard of a position where you couldn't leave outside of an active war zone.

"You can't leave, ever?"

"Only if I find someone to take my place," Yawnom said, his mournful rumble becoming louder. "If I try to leave without a replacement, I'll be in breach of my diplomatic contract. I could end up an outcast, forbidden to return to the empire. How could Omarious do this to me?"

It finally dawned on Damascus that Yawnom had used the significant wealth he'd gained during the Orlok war to bribe his way into this position.

He'd done this to himself! It almost made Damascus sound an amused rumble.

"Even worse, when I contacted Omarious, begging him to find someone else, he demanded more wealth from me! I couldn't meet his price, so he refused to help me. I've been forsaken!"

It was a relief to realize that Yawnom didn't need to die. This level of suffering was a perfect punishment.

Standing up, he said the only thing that came to mind. "I see my reason for being here isn't necessary. I'll leave now."

"No!" Yawnom roared. Sounding an enraged rattle he launched himself at Damascus. "You will stay!"

For only the second time in his life, Damascus was taken by surprise and didn't react fast enough. They crashed to the floor with Yawnom on top, teeth bared and eyes too wide open to be sane.

Damascus had miscalculated.