"You've got ten seconds to get the fuck out of my sight before I throw you off another one of my ships."
The creature stomped towards Spatch with clenched fists and a bad temper. Upon seeing his anger everyone aside from Spatch took a few steps back as he approached.
With the enormous alien bearing down over the top of them Fischer was able to get a good look at his eyes. They were a strange combination of threatening and pretty. His irises were a golden orange with little flakes of green and aqua sprinkled in. Unlike every creature he'd come across so far, Tonner's pupils were diamonds instead of the usual circles or ellipses. A huge scar ran down his the left side of his face and continued into his eye. His iris was also slightly scarred as well.
"A hello would've been nicer but ok." Spatch shrugged his shoulders.
"No, you don't get a hello from me. You don't get anything. Why the fuck are you here?" The griflock roared.
Spatch's shoulders shrugged and he let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, I'll cut to the chase. We need your help."
"Oh. You need my help do you? That's nice. That's real nice. You need my help. Like how I needed your help during that mission? Like how these three need your help huh? Is that why they're here? Because you're just so kind hearted and nice that you'd just take them to the middle of an Arbight Syndicate station because you want to help them? That why you brought the carcan here? I'll bet you didn't even tell her there were tyreptoids here did you? Probably never even crossed your mind, huh?" Tonner scolded, pointing at Quin.
"No. . . he didn't," she stated as she fixed her agitated gaze on the veranah.
Tonner folded his arms and scowled. "Exactly. Why am I not surprised? You haven't changed a single bit since I last saw you. Always focused on yourself. Get the fuck off my ship."
Spatch sat through his temper with clenched teeth and a drooped brow. Now was not the time for this.
"First of all, as a matter of fact, yes, I am here to help them. Secondly, this isn't about me. It's about her." He pointed to a shivering Ko.
"It's about the zapher is it? Well I'm sorry but you need to find someone else. Because Spatch, you aren't even worth my spit. I'm not doing anything that comes even close to concerning you." he fumed.
"Ok! You hate me, I get that! I think we all do, you've made that abundantly clear! Now will you shut the hell up and let me speak? You can throw me out all you like, this is about her. I'm here for her, not you. Believe me, I don't want to be in this shit hole any longer than you do want me to. But we're desperate ok? I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important."
"I said fuck off. Do I need to make myself even clearer for your dense skull?"
"Tonner! Will you listen to me for once in your life!? Stop thinking about yourself for a change and do something for someone who needs help!? Look at her! She's terrified. What would Beck say if he saw you like this?"
With the speed of a lightning bolt, Tonner whipped around and jabbed a pointed finger in Spatch's face.
"Don't. You. Dare. Say his name in front of me."
"You weren't the only one who lost a friend that day Tonner," he stated, folding his arms. "I cared about him as well. He was like a brother to me the same way you were."
"We are not brothers anymore. Not even close."
"I'm well aware of that fact. But I refuse to sit here and argue with a wall while one of my friends breaks down in front of me. For once in your life will you use your peripheral vision? Stop putting yourself at the centre of the universe and look around you. You are not the most important person to anyone. Stop acting like a brick wall and and have a look at the people who could use your help."
Tonner folded his beefy arms in anger. His eyes were focused directly at Spatch's and he had a wicked snarl on his beak.
"You are a star complaining about the heat Spatch. You should listen to your own advice."
"Are you two done?" Quin interjected. "Because I don't want to be here any longer than I need to. Look, Mr Tonner. We are really desperate right now, we've got nowhere to go and we need help. Can you spare us a few minutes at least? If need-be, I can pay."
Tonner and Spatch both looked over to the frustrated carcan who was standing with one hand on her hip.
Looking over at Ko, Tonner saw just how frightened she really was. She was clinging to the human's arm; who also looked scared out of his mind, and her jaw was trembling. He felt something deep inside him soften when looking at her. She looked so much smaller than everyone else and he almost felt guilty for refusing to help.
He looked back at Spatch who was now staring at him with a pleading look in his eyes. One that just made him want to punch the stupid veranah in the face even more. But something was holding him back. The name Beck just kept playing on his head on repeat and he couldn't help but feel bad for the young girl, despite him not knowing what was wrong with her in the first place.
"Please. Five minutes?" Fischer asked as he held Ko's arm.
He let out a deep sigh. Five minutes wasn't that long. And besides, he was getting paid.
"Fine. Five minutes. On one condition," He shifted his eyes to meet Spatch's. "I don't ever wanna see your face again. Got it?"
The veranah replied with a slow nod. It was good enough for him.
"What do you want?"
Spatch glanced over at Ko and Fischer. He racked his brains and tried to come up with a way to explain everything that had happened without sounding like a complete lunatic.
"Well, our friend here. . . actually do you want to explain it? You know more than I do."
"Why don't we introduce ourselves first?" Quin asked.
"Oh right, yea. That would help. Tonner this is Quin, Fischer and Ko. I met them a few weeks ago."
An unmoving Tonner continued to stare at Spatch with squinted eyes.
"Well Ko here has been suffering from some rather odd. . . symptoms, I guess would be the best way to put it. Nightmares, voices in her head, horrible feelings. Is that right?" Quin asked.
Ko sheepishly nodded.
"I'm not a doctor. Why would you come to me with this?" Tonner asked.
"Because we didn't have much of a choice. You see when I found them, they were in the middle of dead space on a deserted planet. Told me they were looking for something called the 'lantern.' That Ko here kept having these voices in her head that told her to go find it-" Spatch was cut off by an increasingly aggravated Tonner.
"Spatch I swear to the angels if you came here to discuss fairly tales, so help me I will throw you in a black hole."
"I thought is was bullshit too ok. Just listen. It sounded like fantasy to me as well. But eventually. . . we found it." He looked over at Ko and nodded his head. She held out the lantern in front of her for Tonner to inspect. His expression was like concrete, not moving at all.
"You expect me to believe this little trinket here means something? Spatch get the fuck out of this room right now-"
Without hesitation Ko activated the lantern and just like before, a whole galaxy of holographic particles lit up the air around them. Tonner blinked in surprise and took a step back to regain his composure. His eyes were suddenly filled with confusion, the ocean of light surrounding them unlike anything he had ever seen before.
"What. . . what is this?" He stuttered.
"Your guess is as good as mine. Our current theory is a map. However, that's not the reason we came here. This is," Spatch reached into the galaxy and waved his hand around. The pattern of repeating symbols appeared in front of them and with precise timing, Ko paused it on the symbol that had caught Spatch's eye the first time he saw it. He stepped aside to let Tonner have a better look.
A look of shock overcame the griflock's face as he realised what symbol the lantern was showing was. He glared at it for a few seconds, almost like he was trying to peer through it. But with a nervous gaze he lifted his arm and compared the mark on his shoulder.
They were the same.
"That's. . ." he began, unable to formulate the words in his head.
"My thoughts exactly. It doesn't make sense. There is no way that mark should be in there. We were hoping there might be something you could tell us." Spatch said.
Tonner continued to stare at the symbol for a few seconds. It didn't make sense. The mark on his shoulder was a custom symbol he gave himself when he joined the syndicate. There was no way it could be replicated unless it was a sheer coincidence.
"This shouldn't be possible. . . this symbol is my design. I've never shared it with anyone. I've never seen it anywhere else before. I've never even heard of a 'lantern' before. Was there anything else besides this that you found?"
"There was one other thing. . . a riddle. When we first activated the lantern these symbols appeared all around us and formed words only she could read," Fischer said, motioning towards Ko. "Can you remember what it said?"
"Y-yea. It said. . . 'I beckoned, you came. You walk the path of the phoenix's flame. With one task fulfilled, a great legend you will build. Agaron's prize lays at the end of the night, his fight begins at the first of new days. A darkness that cuts through the blinding light, two knots down point the way. A trek that has led you across time and stars, hopping from mind to mind and feeling trapped behind bars. In time your questions will find their end, but until the divide is ours, on your quest he depends," she recited.
"Does that mean anything to you?" Spatch asked.
Tonner though for a few seconds.
"You know the name Agaron?" He asked.
"Yup. That's where I found them. The temple of Agaron. Turns out it's not as mythical as we might have thought."
"A darkness that cuts through the blinding light. . . could be referring to the dark house. That's all I can pick from that. The rest sounds like made up fantasy talk."
"Of course! The dark house! why didn't I think of that. Don't answer that. . ." Spatch blurted as he joking pointed at an unamused Tonner.
Quin raised her brow and Ko and Fischer gave each other worried looks. That sounded menacing.
"The dark house? What's that? Sounds like something from a crappy novel or movie." Quin asked.
"Well, short answer is. . . we don't know. We don't know where it came from. Or who built it. The current theory is it was left behind by the angels. As for why, we don't know." Spatch stated.
"Ok but what is it?" Quin repeated.
"You know light houses? You're a carcan, you should. Well the dark house is the opposite. It's a big building in the middle of the Acid Nebula. The gasses there are so dense and bright it's like trying to fly through a wall of smoke. You can't see a thing. Jams RADAR and LIDAR. Sonar can't punch through. You're basically flying blind out there. The dark house basically sends out a beam of. . . something. . . and it's able to cut through the nebula. Helps clear up RADAR as well. Don't ask me how. I got no clue. Without it though the Acid Nebula would be completely uncharted," Tonner explained.
"Great. Another ancient temple that could kill us all." Quin lamented.
"Well now we know where the next piece of the puzzle might be. I guess our next stop is the Acid Nebula then." Spatch exclaimed.
"Yea, if you have a death wish maybe. You want to lead your buddies here to an early grave? Be my guest. The fact you brought a carcan here doesn't convince me otherwise."
"W-why? Why would going there be so bad?" Ko asked, clutching the lantern like it was a teddy bear.
Tonner looked over to her for a few seconds. "It's a death trap. The dark house helps with navigation but not even the best AI in galaxy can find a path through all the fog. Almost a full light year of dense gas in every direction, the only way to fly through there is manually. And you'd need a dam good pilot to get through it. Certainly a better one than him," he sneered, looking back to Spatch.
Silence followed his statement and the four of them stood there with their eyes locked on him.
"What?"
"You're a pretty good pilot," Spatch said.
"Yea? And? What's that got to do with- oh no. No. No. No."
"C'mon Tonner. There and back. Not even two days," Spatch began.
"There is no way in hell you are getting into the same jump ship as me, let alone one in the Acid Nebula. Our deal was five minutes. And by my count, it's been seven. You lot need to go. Now," the griflock grumbled.
"Tonner. This is all we have to go off of. You're our only chance right now. Look, I'll triple whatever you're getting paid now. This is the last time you'll ever hear from me."
"It'll be the last time I ever hear from any of you if you go there. And listen here, I couldn't give a flying fuck about how much money you pay me. It's no good if I'm a frozen corpse floating in the middle of space now is it?" He turned around and stomped back over to his desk. "Get out, all of you. This is the last time. "
"You're the best pilot I know! You've done hundreds of runs just as dangerous than this, if not more! Why is it all of a sudden such a chore to do this one?"
"Because this one is the equivalent of strapping a blindfold on and walking through a minefield with both your hands and feet cut off! I already told you, No!"
"Listen here you stubborn boker. One of our friends died for this ok? We watched him die. Crushed under a falling boulder. He gave his life for this. That is not going to be in vain. I refuse to sit here while she can't even get a good night's rest because some fucking voice is tearing her apart!" Spatch yelled. His sudden outburst took everyone by surprise, even Tonner who stood back up.
He looked over the four of them, Spatch's words echoing through his head. His eyes narrowed on Quin.
"Is that true?"
She solemnly nodded her head.
"What was his name?"
"Kori. He was my best friend. I loved him. He loved me. I watched him die," she muttered, choking up slightly on the last few words.
Tonner pondered for a bit.
"Please Mr Tonner," Ko whimpered.
Her soft words seemed to unlock something inside him. He felt guilty for kicking them out when it was clear they were in dire need of assistance. But what Spatch was proposing was nothing short of suicide. There was a reason there was no life in or around the Acid Nebula. Even still, when he looked at Ko he couldn't help but remember Beck.
A few more seconds passed before-
"Fine. There and back. That's it. No more. And once we're back, I don't ever want to hear from any of you ever again. Got it?"
Everyone nodded their heads.
"Thank you sir," Ko softly replied.
"Don't call me that. We leave in ten hours. You can stay the night in my dorm. The crew should leave you alone there. Follow me."
He lead them out from the office and sealed the doors behind them. They began walking down the same hallways they had come from.
Eventually they came to what looked like a storage room. It was Filled with all kinds of crates and machinery. Dozens of different species were at work, welding ship hulls together and shifting crates. It looked like an ants' nest.
As they walked across a small catwalk around a metre above the floor, two tyreptoids spotted the group. One of them snarled with glee and shook the other's shoulder. Quin looked down and her heart skipped a beat.
"'Ello there delicious! Oi boss! You bring us dinner ey?" They cackled wildly and began shaking their hands in Quin's direction.
"You have her for tonight's dinner, you'll be tomorrow's." Tonner blandly stated, his focus unmoving and his eyes locked forwards.
The tyreptoids promptly scoffed and went back to shifting items from the crates.
With a bit more haste they crossed the catwalk and exited the storage room.
After a few more hallways they came to a large opening with Tonner's name etched into a sign just above the door. He held his hand up to the pad on the wall and the doors promptly opened.
Inside was a living room with a few couches and a TV along the wall. Across from them was another hallway with a few doors on each side.
"Right, down there is the toilet, shower and bedroom. Only one bed so you'll have to sort it out between you." He pointed over to the left side of the room. "Kitchen's over there. Feel free to take anything from the fridge but if you touch the bottles I'll feed you to the tyreptoids. And they aren't picky. Don't make too much of a mess."
"Thank you, we really do appreciate it," Fischer stated.
Spatch and Quin headed down to check out the hallway, but before they could, "Not you Spatch. You're sleeping on the couch."
The veranah looked down at the rather decrepit couch. It had stains all over it and scratches down both sides of the arm rests. He shrugged gleefully and sat down on it, making himself comfy.
Tonner gave him one last glare before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.
"Well, you heard him. The bedroom's all yours so have fun. And try not to have any threesomes alright?" Spatch jested.
Quin and Fischer both shot him dirty looks while Ko stood there, rather confused.
After they had finished bickering the three of them headed down to check out the room.
As they opened the door the first thing that they noticed was the heat. For some reason the room was boiling hot, much hotter than the rest of the station.
"Ugh, why does it have to be so hot?" Fischer complained.
"Griflocks like the heat. Apparently they sleep better when it's hot." Quin said.
Ko huffed slightly before placing the lantern on a wooden table in the corner of the room.
"Well, you two can take the bed. There's a mattress in here I can sleep on," Quin said.
Fischer and Ko both gave each other rather nervous looks.
"Uh. . . no I'll take the mattress actually, it's all good. You can have the bed if you like," he fretted as he jumped over to the mattress. Quin shrugged and took a step back.
"Suit yourself. I guess you're with me then Ko. Anyway we probably should settle in for the night. Not long until we leave. Best to get some sleep."
The three of them each got into their respective beds and Quin flicked the lights out. Ko let out a big yawn and Quin chuckled slightly. Fischer lay his head down on the pillow and slowly let his eyes shut, feeling a wave of tiredness wash over him.
"Night guys. See you in the morning," Quin yawned.
"Nunight."
"Night."