My earlier joke about just sneaking out to wander around the city had not been a bluff. I had already planned to quietly head down to the city and enjoy the sights as part of my evening ship-leave.
'Did you tell him that I was leaving?'
"No. He has been given all of the gadgets, tools, and technology that I deemed necessary for his position. I decided to count this as a surprise test and learning experience since I do not expect any trouble in this port. It will give him a chance to try out what I gave him."
Starsong made it seem as if there was quite a list of things available to Ronan... 'What kind of stuff did you give him?'
"He has a shield similar to yours, as well as well-disguised weapons that no human scanner will detect as such. He will need some training with most of the weapons before carrying them. He has a very small earpiece to allow me to communicate with him if needed. His Guide is smaller, but it is also capable of tracking your communication device."
I snorted faintly in disgust at how hard it had become to slip out for a quiet – normal! – evening. The tracking capability did not surprise me since the Medical Bay and Officers' consoles had access to the tracking program if they chose to use it.
Ronan had probably checked out that feature as soon as he had a chance. I also bet that one of the first things he had done included setting up an alert to let him know if I entered a corridor leading to a main access door whenever we were docked.
I hadn't spotted him yet, but I knew he wasn't that far away. This part of the market was fairly busy, and I had been looking at the small market stalls with their wares as opposed to glancing around surreptitiously. I was here to enjoy myself, not grumble about my unseen shadow. After our long chat, I didn't really mind his inconspicuous presence.
In my civilian clothing, I blended into the crowd of people as I played the part of a tourist. A faint disturbance in the crowd caused me to glance over with sharp eyes.
"Thief!"
A man dodged through the crowd with a pouch in his hand as a rather large and upset man tried to catch up. I turned my head back towards the table of merchandise, pretending I didn't see him. Right as he bolted past me, I swung out my foot at shin height to trip him.
I braced myself for the impact, but to my surprise, a very faint blue light shimmered right in front of my leg just before his legs should have connected with mine. My leg didn't feel any resistance or slow down when it should have collided.
I heard a quiet snap as he went sprawling into the dust – his leg had actually not touched mine, but his one leg was broken from the impact with that blue light, and he had clearly been tripped.
I side-stepped away, pretending to be innocent and merely surprised by his sudden appearance, before slipping away unnoticed through the crowd that was now focused on the owner of the belt pouch as he appeared on the scene, bent on revenge.
I put some distance between me and where I had been. I kept an eye on the people, but no one was following me. My careful surveillance did spot Ronan. 'Can you tell if anyone else is following me?'
"Other than Ronan, none of those around you were at the location of the incident. Most were watching the thief or the one chasing him. I doubt that more than one or two actually saw you trip him. Those that did probably didn't think anything of it since he was going so fast, not to mention that his previous victim is currently thrashing him. They will attribute any injury to him."
'What was that light? I never actually touched him even though it looked like I did.'
"That was your shield. It only partially activated, but that was all that was needed."
I resisted the urge to shake my head, 'It moved with my leg, and I didn't feel any resistance whatsoever when I tripped him. Are you sure that was the shield?'
"Yes, and I am sure because I was controlling it. Your shield is very flexible and can form more than just a plain dome. Part of the shield anchored itself in the ground by your other foot, while the other part of the shield kept a small distance between itself and your leg. It didn't use your strength to trip the thief; the shield relied on its own power while matching your speed."
If I hadn't been in a public marketplace, I would have winced at the thought of how much that would have hurt the guy. My original plan would have tripped him and given both of us a nice bruise as a souvenir, but I had not counted on the shield taking things to a whole new level.
So much for my quiet evening... I continued through the marketplace as I examined what this planet had to offer, although I doubted that I would buy anything. I preferred to sightsee rather than spend money.
An hour later, I was tired of the bustle and busyness of the city. I headed towards a larger street where the taxi shuttles could land. There were always some waiting just outside of the market areas, knowing that tourists would likely be willing to pay for a lift.
'Feel like checking if Ronan wants a ride back?'
"The message has been relayed. He is closing the distance between you two, so I assume he accepts the offer."
I neared the street before pausing and leaning against a wall while I waited for Ronan. It didn't take him long to appear, although it did not look like he was rushing as he moved smoothly through the crowd.
As he got within speaking distance, I commented, "I don't see any point in both of us paying for a taxi if you don't mind carpooling."
He responded, "Thanks. That also makes my job much easier since there is no guarantee that the driver is a normal driver and not someone hired for a kidnapping."
I rolled my eyes slightly. "What a way to put a damper on a relaxing evening."
I resumed my pace, and he walked beside me companionably. He commented, "It is true, and I am sure you know it. I never pegged you for a vigilante though. I am surprised you don't have a limp after an interception like that."
I murmured quietly, "I did not expect my shield to activate. Technically, I didn't even touch him."
'Starsong, out of curiosity, did you mention anything to him?'
"Negative. Other than to let him know he could catch a ride with you in the taxi, I have not spoken to him tonight. I have simply been observing."
I was pretty sure that Ronan's hidden communication device and earpiece both had some high-tech technology in them. I was also pretty sure that Starsong had hacked into every security or surveillance camera in my immediate area as he 'observed' us.
Ronan seemed a bit surprised by my words. He said, "I didn't see the shield, although I did see you trip him. I do hope that you won't try anything too dangerous though."
Perhaps it was a good thing he had no knowledge about some of my past stunts...
"I looked into a few of those. If it helps, no one ever made the connection to you in any case that I can find. With regards to the men who had run the child brothel, the group you sent the tip to did a very good job at hiding the bodies. The authorities never filed a missing person's report, nor did they ever find the bodies. Although, as much as I approve of restoring balance, I will ask that you refrain from using such methods, especially since you have different avenues at your disposal now."
I knew he was referring to some of my more extreme ploys, and not the fact that I had just tripped a thief. If Starsong hadn't been able to listen to my thoughts, chances were that no one would ever know about those handful of events. I sighed and rubbed my temple, wondering when life had gotten so complicated. Ronan raised an eyebrow inquiringly at the action.
I explained, "Starsong may not talk much to you yet, but I tend to get a fairly constant running commentary. He is apparently aware of a few of the... more interesting things I have done in the past and has added his own request for me to keep my personal actions restricted to minor things."
"Hmmm..." He let the conversation drop as the area around us got busier. As I had expected, several taxis were nearby with their drivers eagerly watching for a potential patron.
I waved idly at the closest one, and the driver opened up the doors for us to get in.
"Docking station, please."
"Certainly."