Chapter 3

  Credits

  Lee walked toward the hopper and her gravbike like she’d been expecting her. Tegan followed, no longer shocked, but still confused. Helix rolled his eyes. Carl didn’t even bother to look up.

  “Lumi. Welcome to BR125. I hope your trip was uneventful,” Lee said and reached out to shake the shorter woman’s hand. Lumi pulled off one of her vac-suit gloves and extended a hand, scars running from it onto the exposed part of her forearm.

  After shaking Lee’s hand, she rolled her shoulders under her worn debris jacket and looked thoughtfully between the two mat farmers. She replied as she pulled her hair into a messy knot on top of her head, “Thank you. The trip was fine.” Her voice was light and rich.

  Tegan fell in beside Lee and spoke up, “No offense, Miss Velta, but why exactly did you sling to our mat planet? I’m sure there are more comfortable layovers.” Tegan was searching for a polite way to say that they didn’t host hoppers.

  Lumi looked quizically at Lee, who cleared her throat and replied for her, “I’m renting her the spare room off the kitchen. She wants to take some time from the city.”

  The three stood awkwardly as Tegan stared at Lee. Why hadn’t she brought this up before today? It wasn’t that Tegan would be downright opposed, even with the potential danger. Hoppers were often in trouble with any number of folk. The type of people who would rather send a javelin anti-vessel missile through the jenny shed than bother coming to get Lumi personally. Even still, Tegan knew the farm needed credits.

  Tegan supposed the only reason Lee wouldn’t tell her that she was renting the room to a hopper was that she didn’t care about her opinion on it one way or the other.

  Lumi turned and popped the hatch for the storage compartment under the seat of her gravbike and slung a steel fiber pack over her shoulder. After, she toed the safety clip of her rifle and pulled the long weapon from its holster. Tegan examined the rifle, admiring the intricate carvings on its stock.

  The weapon was worn, but expensive, which was not surprising. It was common for hoppers to invest in their gear. Life as a nomad was dangerous, and many took jobs that made it even more so. Tegan knew more about the bike than the rifle, but it was safe to say that Lumi was well-paid.

  After she had slung the rifle over her other shoulder, Lee gestured toward the house and said, “Let me show you the room. I’m sure you’re tired.”

  With that, the two women strolled down the path to the big white house. Tegan watched them leave, feeling an odd mix of anger and apathy. She doubted she would even bring up the decision with Lee. What did it matter? It was her house and her farm to do with as she pleased.

  Instead, Tegan looked at the woman in the vac-suit pacing smoothly beside her partner. She couldn’t help but notice the pistol and knife that peeked out from under Lumi’s debris jacket as she walked, strapped on the small of her back, or the creature embroidered across the back in vibrant colors. Its yellow eyes seemed to look right at her, and its big white tusks glowed in the green-tinted midday light of the microplanet.

  ***

  As she did every day, Tegan woke early to throw algae blocks into the mud turtle pen and collect whatever eggs they had laid over the night. The little animals were a necessity on a bog mat farm. They had been bred for millennia to lay at least an egg a day, and all they really required was clean water, mud, and a generous amount of plant matter.

  Tegan liked the weird little creatures, with their hard shells and big, soft eyes. They seemed content in their pen, eating their algae blocks and burrowing in their mud. She wondered what that was like, to be happy in a little mud pit, eating the same thing every day, and laying eggs that were not your own. There were many days on BR125 when she felt more like a mud turtle than a mat farmer.

  She had just finished collecting their eggs when she noticed Lumi perched on some crates by the jenny shed, smoking a taza roll. She was in loose traveling pants, her weapons still strapped on the sides of the flat waistband. Her worn grey tank top only covered her chest, and Tegan noticed the scars on her hand were only a fraction of all that she had, and that the art on her jacket and rifle was similar to what she had collected on her skin.

  Tegan wandered up with her sack of eggs. “A little early for taza, isn’t it?” she asked.

  Lumi’s mahogany eyes shone through the smoke. “I’m on vacation,” she said with a small smile.

  Tegan blew out through her nose. “I bet.”

  Lumi’s grin got a little wider, tilting sideways with one of her cheeks wrinkling. She paused, thinking, and then replied, “Your… partner didn’t tell you she was renting the room?”

  Tegan shrugged, “It’s her house.”

  “Mmm.” Lumi took another drag from her handroll and leaned against the shed. “I like your turtles.”

  Tegan ignored her. “What are you doing here?”

  Lumi’s mischievous grin was back. She collected her legs underneath her and leaned towards Tegan, bringing the lit taza roll up between them. The smoke burned Tegan’s eyes. “You really think I would tell you? Just like that?” The hopper paused and then lowered her voice even further. “Do you really want to know?”

  Now it was Tegan’s turn to pause. She brushed an auburn lock out of her eyes and tied it back, acting unfazed by the woman. “I’m making breakfast. Do you eat eggs?”

  The lopsided smirk hadn’t left Lumi’s face, and she looked down at Tegan’s satchel. “I guess I'd better,” she said.

  ***

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The days passed as Helix, Lee, and Tegan struggled to process as many mat blocks as they could before the traders returned. Lumi lounged like a cat, often watching them work. Tegan wondered what that must be like.

  The hopper was friendly enough at meal times, but generally kept to herself otherwise, though Tegan had the feeling she was paying more attention than she was letting on. She seemed especially interested in how often Tegan had to clean the generator fuses.

  No matter what she tried, she couldn’t get all of the mysterious substance removed. She would clean them completely, and then, after a day or two, notice it growing again. Lumi was full of questions about the substance, but to Tegan, it was just one more never-ending task to add to her week.

  She was curious how long the hopper would stay. They were out of radio range of the nearest trading post, so she assumed she would be with them at least until the Osh’tal returned. The barge sometimes brought messages for Lee and Helix. Surely whatever Lumi was up to might require some communication, and that would be the only time she could receive it.

  But, the Osh’tal came, the mat farm barely scraped by with what they made, and Lumi remained.

  Tegan began to look forward to seeing her in the mornings, perched on her crates and watching the mud turtles. She was normally quiet as the taza smoke curled and twisted above her, but some mornings they talked about the farm.

  Neither offered to talk about themselves, and at this point, it seemed like an unspoken agreement to leave the topic off the table.

  The hopper was also always around whenever Tegan worked Carl and the machine plow, and Tegan had even shown her how to remove his harness and curry him. Carl was frustrating, but Tegan loved him, and it pleased her to have someone who was interested in getting to know him. She caught Lumi feeding him algae cubes and chatting with him more than once.

  Another month passed, and the Osh’tal arrived, and Tegan wondered again if Lumi’s stay was over. This time, though, the thought upset her. She started the day in a foul mood.

  Instead of a message for Lumi, though, one came for Lee. It loaded onto her jumpsuit’s control panel as soon as the turlock trader forwarded it. When she opened it, her blue eyes were wide, and then they were – just briefly – wild. She looked up and regained her composure, and Tegan was curious what any of her friends would send that would cause that kind of reaction.

  Lumi had a look on her face that Tegan didn’t recognize. For some reason, it mattered to her what it was.

  There was still half a day of loading mats onto the barge skiff with the farm’s lift, so Tegan got back to work. They had managed a sizable harvest this month, and with Lumi’s rent, things were almost looking good for the mat farm.

  Helix and Lee disappeared, and Tegan assumed the message must concern him. It didn’t matter, she had work to do. After she was done loading, she said goodbye to the Osh’tal, fired up the ORVquad, and headed for the far side of the micro-planet.

  She wouldn’t be able to see the house or the landing pad over the curve of the planet, but if Lee or Helix needed her, they could send a local message through her control pad. She was extremely curious about whatever correspondence the Osh’tal turlock had forwarded Lee, but if she didn’t shut the pumps off on field 6, they would transfer too much water to field 5, which would just cause her more problems.

  Something as simple as shutting down a pump should have been able to be done remotely, but the antenna had broken a long time ago.

  Tegan returned to the barn to feed Carl, but the hulking, pale beast wasn’t in his stall. Tegan couldn’t think of a reason that he wouldn’t be. She immediately assumed he had gotten out and rushed to Lee’s garden to pull him off the irises.

  She didn’t see him and panicked, fully running into the house. Lee, Helix, and Lumi had started dinner. They all looked stiff.

  “Have you seen Carl? He’s not in his stall.” Tegan said, out of breath.

  Lee glanced at Lumi before replying, “Can we talk after dinner?”

  Tegan replied, “No. Talk about what? Where’s Carl?”

  Tegan looked between the three. Lumi was the only person who didn’t look away, and there was a muted grief behind her eyes.

  “Fine.” Lee sighed. “I sold him to the traders. We need the credits.”

  Tegan’s world slowed. She felt like she had been punched in the gut. “What? I need him for the plow. Pulling mat is twice as fast with a swamp ox.” She could only think to comment on his efficiency, but that wasn’t why she was upset. Her feelings continued to catch her, and her vision started to tunnel.

  Lee replied, “That’s not important anymore.”

  “What do you mean it’s not fucking important? We’ll have half the blocks to sell next month.” Tegan tried to breathe before she continued, but all she could think of was Carl strapped to the barge skiff, scared and confused. “How could you get rid of him without talking to me?” Tegan choked on her last few words, and Lee finally looked up from the table.

  Lee glanced at Lumi and shifted awkwardly before she spoke. “Look, I think we should talk about this later.”

  Lumi spoke, “You keep looking at me. Why should it matter that I’m here?” There was a light layer of disgust on her features, and she stared at Lee. “You can at least meet her eyes after you sold her ox.”

  Helix snapped, “This isn’t your business, hopper.”

  Tegan was tired of being ignored, but was at a loss for words. A new feeling was flooding her system. She didn’t want Lumi to pity her, but she must. How could she live a life like hers and not pity Tegan? Had she pitied her this whole time?

  Lee looked back at her, intentionally meeting her eyes, and spoke, “I received a message earlier today. My father… he’s left an additional inheritance. I have to travel to the holdings office so that they can scan the credits in. I have to be there in person, and I need money to get there…” She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “It’s in Cela Vega. It’s a long trip.”

  Tegan processed her words, but still thought about the ox. It hadn’t occurred to her before that Carl was all that she had. He was the only thing that really felt like hers, and yet, he very much wasn’t. Most everything on this farm was Lee’s, and the rest was Helix’s.

  Lee continued, “It’s a life-changing amount of credits, Tegan. I could change the biome of this farm. Raise a hundred swamp ox. We could finally be comfortable.”

  As Tegan’s brain caught up with her feelings, she knew it made sense. One ox for a real mat farm, one that made a comfortable living. So, even after a few breaths, why did her chest still feel so tight?

  Lee spoke again after the pause. “Helix and I will leave in the morning, and I need you to watch the farm. Obviously, you won't be able to harvest but a fraction of what we would normally do this month, but that shouldn’t matter once I get the credits.”

  This jarred Tegan enough for her to speak again. “Wait. What? Why is Helix going with you? He’s your half-brother. Surely he isn’t needed at the holdings office. Ray wasn’t his father.”

  Helix was the one to reply, “How often do we get off this micro planet? I’ve got friends I haven’t seen in years on Cela Vega. No offense, Tegan, but you don’t know anyone there. It makes sense for you to stay.” He sniffed and moved around the silverware next to his plate. Tegan thought he must know that he sounded like an asshole.

  So, Tegan would be here alone. She would feed the mud turtles and clean the jenny and run the machine plow without an ox. She’d do it all without her partner and without Carl. Her vision tunneled again, and she still didn’t know why. Her life wasn’t changing all that much, and when Lee returned, it would only change for the better.

  She sagged against the chair in front of her, her knuckles white on its back. She wanted to throw it against the wall. She wanted to break it and everything in this room.

  Lumi was watching her. The chair left the ground in her hands, ready to be launched.

  Tegan sucked in air. Something dark in her brain screamed to wreck this place. But before she could hurl it, Lumi spoke, “Let’s go for a walk, Tegan.”

  Tegan paused and looked at the hopper. She slammed the chair back on its four dirty plastic feet and stormed out of the dining room. She barely heard Lumi following behind her.