The Streamer's Edge

Chapter 7 - The Rigger's Folly

Finn pushed open the door and entered the Rigger's Folly, Jake following at his heels. The office was a dingy affair, though larger than Finn expected. Aside from a few battered chairs lined up against the wall for customers and a few dusty starship parts on display, there was little else in the room other than the desk. The sign behind the counter listing services provided made it clear that the Rigger's Folly was a mechanic shop, specializing in repairing vehicles, appliances, and weaponry. The openness of the latter would've surprised Finn had it been anywhere else but Shangri-La.

There was a woman with long white hair and lavender skin sat behind the counter, wearing a very smudged tanktop and a baggy pair of also-smudged jeans. The color of her hair and skin aside, she would've almost appeared human if not for the three-fingered hands she used to hold the worn paperback book she was reading and the third hand that rose to turn the page moments later even as her fourth hand picked up a nearby glass of water and brought it to her mouth. She had pale blue eyes that seemed to let off a slight glow, as well as another set of thin black eyes Finn mistook for her eyebrows until they blinked. 

She was Rilayan. Finn knew little of her people other than they were once a slave race of the krag who won their freedom after a long and bloody war. It was a small surprise that they now chose to live near the outer rim of the known galaxies, far away from the other Assembly races. A shame, Finn couldn't help but think as he looked at her.

Finn waited patiently for her to realize he was there, but the Rilayan was was completely absorbed in her reading. He couldn't help but grin when he noticed she was reading "The Crusade of Sir Tirager Vespere, Knight of Justice". She kept much better care of her copy than he had his, though it still showed signs of much use.

Realizing that any conversation would have to start with him, Finn said, "Pardon me, Miss-"

"Gaah!"

She jerked back, accidentally shoving her book off the counter in the process, where Finn quickly caught it. Her cheeks now deep purple, the Rilayan said, "Oh! Sorry, mister. I was-"

"Reading, I know." Finn handed her the book. "I'm on chapter twelve myself."

"You ... oh!" Her face brightened as she took back the book. "You're a Veegir fan too, huh? Not many people bother with him these days because of the whole paperback thing."

"They're missing out," Finn agreed. "The man's a genius. 'Last Call on Albrire' was a masterpiece."

"I know!" she said, beaming at him, "I still get goose bumps when I imagine Mirea rushing that Fell-thresher while the world crumbled around her, convincing the Schrade to shatter itself so she could activate the worldstone, then breaking her indoctrination by destroying the ancestral guardian?" She let out a sigh. "And that epilogue ... when I first read that scene where Jianus was grieving at the ruins, only for Mirea to appear in the wreckage like nothing had happened, I was in tears!"

"Tell me about it. I was worried when he wrote in the ancestral guardian; it seemed out of place, what with it being a machine in a universe of magic."

"Yeah, I was a bit worried myself. Thought he might do the ol' 'selfless sacrifice' cliché. I heard he considered it, but decided it was just silly to ruin such an action-packed climax with such a cheap and overdone ending." Shaking her head, she said, "Er, sorry; I get a little carried away when I'm talking about books. How can I help you today?"

"Huh? Oh, right," said Finn, snapping his fingers. "Well, a friend of mine told me to ask for Kyra."

Her smile fell immediately. "Ah. I see."

"I'm not sure what he told you," Finn continued, "but I'd like to help out if I can."

"I'm sorry, Mister ..."