The Memory Bandits - Chapter 1

Two figures sat inside a 40-meter civilian transport ship. It was about to enter the orbit of Tradsor, no one really paying any attention to the greasy looking ship when it took a lane.

"You don't have to agree", the woman said while turning her eyes to him. Her silver hair glowed brilliant with the dim lights of the cockpit.

The gray scaled Zarvian stared back, “There is no room for any mistakes. We will get captured while discovering nothing. We cannot trust the information brokers there” His brows furrowed as he watched the Human adjust the claws extending from her wrists.

“If there is even a one percent chance they know, I will take it”, she said. "There is a whole universe to explore and the brains of Vertites are part of it. Their fast reaction times are too mysterious and I will not get tied down by anyone. Human or otherwise." Her claws started to retract, making a soft hissing sound.

"You say that as if you weren't playing with life", he wrinkled his nose. "We will be a burden to the next team sent to rescue us, that is if we are still alive by the time they get to us. We will lose the capsules."

She smiled, staring deeper into his eyes. "To live for the discovery of all corners of the universe is virtue. And death for the sake of knowledge is exaltation. I can’t touch those chips so they don’t count as knowledge. In any case, at least I am not afraid of death."

The corner of his mouth twitched but he showed nothing on his face. Yet the woman grinned, as her eyes caught that.  "Remember, I don't have pain receptors like you nor do I have a dimming wife waiting for me-"

“Leave her out of this, this is between you an-“

“You and me had an agreement where you do whatever I say. Am I wrong?”, she said as she raised a brow. “I thought all Zarvians had that honor claw ceremony thingy when they come of age. Cold blooded is no excuse for cold feet."

"You don't own my life", his eyes narrowing.

"But don’t you want to earn the cure for your- forget it. I can do it alone.” It was no fun whenever he started staring daggers into her. Especially when that claw was scratching the faded insignia on his gun, the manufacturer ubiquitous within the Confederation of Sentients.

The ship landed on the continent-sized landing bay orbiting Tradsor. It had a large pillar underneath the disc-shaped bay, it looked like a steel table on top of the planet. Inside the pillar, hundreds of elevators shuttled back and forth between the planet’s surface and the bay. All ships could only travel until here, local and foreign. If they didn’t, they would crash into each other all the time and it would slow down everyone. There’s also the matter of preventing debris.

She stepped off and pressed her passport against the scanner presented to her just as she exited. The brown furred Tradsorian officer nodded as it returned the mark of the Union of Blue Sky with only a few minor spacecraft violations here and there that were already settled. The Zarvian towering behind her looked at the spacecrafts lining the bay, all of them held by a crane. Drones were dotting each ship with beams. Some were glowing brighter and taking longer to scan than others, most of them bearing the yellow of the Confederation of Sentients.  It was his turn to press his passport. It showed the same mark with fewer spacecraft violations. He opened his mouth, about to say something to his radio when another Confederation ship approached their lane.

His eyes still fixed on the yellow ship, “Smuggling is punishable by blacklisting. Keep out of trouble, merchant.”  The officer waved a paddle using his tail, signaling for them to go forward.

The second screening was less strict, only verifying the contents of their passports. Yet, heavily armed Tradsorians could be seen here and there. They remained silent even after walking a distance away from the shuttle. As they continued kilometers away, more colored signs and people appeared in view and they stopped in front of an office building bathed in the glow. Anyone following them should be just as lost with countless side alleys and thick crowds. It was the district for pleasure. There were casinos, brothels, and tax offices.

She started laughing, "I'm surprised that they were more suspicious of you than me-"

"I'll stay outside. Don't dissect the broker."

"Alright, meat shield."

He stood outside, staring at the back of her dark coat. He thought, "It would be great if somehow half her body gets crushed. She'll be alive and well-behaved. That's certainly possible judging from her arms. She swapped them out earlier and she probably has another extra pair. Hell, he can definitely see her equipping 6 arms at once. The first time I met her, she spun her head a complete 180 without moving her body just to look at me… Wait, I don’t think she’ll sit still even if entire body is crushed", he shuddered.

He looked ahead to distract from his thoughts. On the opposite sidewalk, a dark figure was shivering on the ground, her clothes tattered and out of place in the busy district. Her direct surroundings were darker as she literally pulled in the light. She was begging, her eyes fixed on the cold sidewalk. Everyone walked by and her weak hands were empty. Some crossed the street to avoid her, to avoid the light-sucking aura she had. A rich cat-like man approached her and held a bill in his hands. She held out a hand to receive it but, he pulled back the bill and said something. The woman froze and stared at the man for a minute. As if a snake wrapped on her neck, she pressed the side of her head. A chip slowly slid out. She held on to it for longer still until the man yanked it from her hands and shoved the bill at her. Her eyes grew clear as though she never suffered.

That Zarvian’s claw itched but the gun and what it signified anchored him to the spot. He just said there is no room for any mistakes, it was his one chance.

Then, an armed crowd of Tradsorians began pushing through the pedastrians, knocking over the man as well. Thumping can be heard inside. He rushed into the building, desperate, with his gun now in front of him. He would be glad to shoot that freak if he had to.

Before he could fire off a shot, he saw bodies surrounding that woman. Chairs were split, glass shards littered the floor, and all the lights were shattered.

“They’ve sold us out and they don’t know about the Vertites. There should be a sewer line underneath this building”, her eyes trying to burn a hole through her “dissection project” on the table. He was about to consider punching the ground for any chance of escape but then the organs actually started burning.

“It works!”, she raised a fist.

“Idiot, help me make a damned hole!”, he growled. Windows and doors are no good, they would be captured immediately. Before he could try finding anything to smash the floor, the Tradsorians broke through the entrance and started to fire at them. He pushed over a table and slapped a triangle shaped device on it. The table started deflecting bullets but it won’t hold for long. She flung the flaming organs to the entrance and ducked into cover with him.

“Take the counter, you have your solidifier!”, he returned fire.

“I used it on the broker when he tried grabbing me”

“Then use him!”, he kicked a grenade thrown at them, allowing it to explode in the room behind them.

“Good point!”, she darted towards the petrified body and pulled out the device while slitting his throat. He gurgled, face in agony while she looked at the troops pushing through the blazing entrance. She was about to throw it at them but stopped when she realized something. Bullets bounced off her cracked magnetic shield as she jumped to the counter. She hunched while a third arm extended from her back, aimed over the counter and started automatic fire. When he felt the floor vibrate, the Zarvian lifted the table forward, putting it next to another table.

“Get ready!”, her arm-drills were about to break through

“No more fucking detours!”, he threw a grenade at the entrance.

After the explosion, it was silent. At last, they breached the burnt entrance seeing only the remains of the local gang littering the floor. They searched behind that counter, revealing a hole to the sewers and a few meters away, a Zarvian with a stab wound on his chest and a gap on his head where his chip should be.