Mana Pool Snippets - The Job

Part 1

"Five seconds?" I screamed. The teleporter gained power and light below my shoes.

"Tigap, keep your weapon close. Head up and awareness high. This is your first primitive culture and I don't want any shaky trigger fingers on my watch. Any sign of threat, just inform manager to beam you off. Sound off," Ketho said.

"Aye," Tigap said with a hint of fear, yet she favors him than me? Does this Dunac know who my father was?

The two activated their DNA masks, I closed my eyes as they finished; I was too scared. The machine whirred and shuttered under my feet and a white glow bled through my eyelids.

Would the humans accept me? Reject me? Is this the end of my father's legacy?

Ketho heard me whimper. "Always a wimp," she muttered.

I am not a wimp. "Shut,..."

My words were cut off.

I hate traveling in general. I'm happy with a robotic clone doing the traveling while I stay home, drink tea, and remote cast to my interviewee. Normally I only travel to Creos by commuter vessel, and even then a delay puts me in a panic.

Denverbay forbid me from using a robot for this job. Did he realize the pressure I was under?

The air in my lungs disappeared and my body felt like nothing. I hate the break-up feeling of teleportation. I sucked in air, but kept my eyes shut.

Wait. This is not air I knew. It was alien air. The smells were wholly different; a sweet note with earthy tones. I live with giant mushrooms and spent time smelling Creos' trees and flowers and foods, but this sure was different. The wind died and sounds of chirps, engines, and wind blowing leaves like nature's applause, welcomed me, I hoped.

"Clear," said Ketho.

"Clear," said Tigap.

"Scope for long-range enemy surveillance. I'll stay with the wimp."

"On it. Um, sir? Who are they?"

"Hey! You two, or four, you the contacts Denverbay said?"

"Y-Yes, we are. Glad you could come," a woman spoke. I imagined it was a human woman.

Oh Javo, those were human voices!

"Say your names!" Ketho demanded.

"Shit uh...Katie. Katie Walsh."

"Scott Dunne and put that gun down!"

Ketho's gun clicked off. "Good. Hey, writer. Open your damn eyes, its safe."

Seriously, that woman...

But I did open them, and I was captivated.

The sunset was in the west and clouds of orange brushed the sky and horizon. It was a nice sight, I dare say, to see before I got killed.

Around me were rows upon rows of leafless vine plants tied to wire held by steel posts. Each pole had a lightbulb on top in a glass jar, and by some form of magic, they lit up all at once. There were more rows with similar lights, but the farther rows did not have them. I can recount that the winery used those lights as their marker. In the distance I could see human houses across the valley, some lit.

I blinked as I tried to recall Denverbay's explanations, but I was among those who detested how cryptic he is when he talks. I did remember now thing he mentioned; the planet had been attacked by crystals, and I could see them littering the land. Amethyst crystals, ranging in size with some small as balls and others tall as personal ships. A much taller one was near a mountain, making that I had been told had been the city's only casino at one point.