Chapter Sixteen: Dissolution — Part 2

“Uh, you look like you need this more than me right now.” The boy bowed deeply, and then ran to the bus stop, pulling open a grate that should have been locked, and disappearing from sight.

Shadow knew better than to be insulted, and loved money too much to try to give it back. Stuffing the coins in her purse, Shadow made a note to look for the boy and take him out for lunch and some light shopping, as time permitted, and on another planet, as time would not permit such comfort here. The kiss alone deserved a meal – another person hadn’t kissed her in years. The Hub would be able to locate him for her; it remembered every material transaction within its borders with perfect clarity. She walked on, heading toward the Junebug. Stepping inside, she was reminded of home. The staff was rude to everybody in an equally charming sort of way, and on a good day she could find somebody to beat up, which made the Hub a little like the bars on Vodia. She looked through the rabble, mildly disheartened. None of the drunken slugs seemed worthy of her attention. It was a quiet day, as days went, the numbers in the bar slightly diminished.

Then she felt a greater prejudice rise up from nearby, and the Shadow felt her own mood turn sour. The sound of the scuffle drew her attention to the persons in the scuffle. A Monk, no older than twenty, lay crouched over a table, his nose bleeding, while a man continued to punch him in the kidneys. Sworn to pacifism, the Monk would not retaliate, and pinned as he was, he could not escape the bar. Shadow didn’t like discrimination of any sort, it made her irritable, and it encouraged her to hurt people. As she walked between them, she grabbed the bigot by the head and shoved it through a hardwood tabletop, then tossed his unconscious body aside. Shadow took the young Monk by the arm, helped him up, and led him to the bar, setting him on a stool before elbowing a sleeping drunk out his stool and seating herself next to him.

The drunk didn’t even look up form the ground he was no laying on. The Monk seemed only a little perturbed by the setting. He radiated calm stoicism, as if he understood that Shadow’s presence, though acting in contradiction to his philosophy, was something sent to his aid by a higher source. Shadow couldn’t sense anything about him personally; his mind control techniques were well developed. Shadow wondered what he sensed about her, though she brought her attention to the bartender, an old friend of hers named Charlie, giving the monk a chance to regain his composure.

Charlie heard her handiwork, even blind he could recognize Shadow’s signature bash and saunter, the near perfect timing that had her sitting at the bar with whomever she had saved as if nothing had ever happened. He smiled where his ears told him Shadow should be, and walked the few steps in that direction that would, ideally, bring him in front of her.

“Shadow, is that you busting up my tables?”

“Who else would redecorate your pub for you?” Shadow said. “On my left is a young friend of mine, a man of the Bamboo Sect of monogamous Confucian Monks. Get the young man a drink, he looks like he can use one before I send him on his way.”

“They told me you were dead.” Charlie pulled a glass from the wall, filled it with a mix of fluids, and set it down in front of her. “Smuggler’s Rose, on the house, for a fine young lady. Your voice sounds charming as usual, Captain Storm.”

“You’re such a flirt, touch my face, so you can remember who you’re talking to.” Shadow said.

Charlie’s fingers tenderly felt every scar, and his eyes widened, tiny wrinkle lines pleating with concern. “Can’t you keep out of trouble, if only to make me happy?”

The com-sphere beeped violently. “Somebody must have called the police because of your little lesson in ethics back there. Reckon the case will be dismissed.”

Shadow looked over her shoulder. Two police were struggling through the crowd, coming straight for her. One of them administered medical treatment to the unconscious man, took statements from the crowd, and then issued him a ticket for inciting a fight. They stopped at her chair. One of them took a sip of her drink. He looked at his partner, his eyes calm, and his mind calculative. Neither of them exchanged a word. They left quietly the way they came, deciding that the woman wasn’t worth the trouble, and doubting she would pay a ticket even if tendered.

Charlie spoke to the Monk as he set another Smuggler’s Rose down in front of the boy. “I’ll have to file a discrimination report with the police. They should have come the second you were attacked.”

“The Hub will not intervene during my spiritual journey.” The Monk said, sipping his drink. “It is part of an agreement between my temple and the city.”

She could feel her new drinking buddy’s emotions as he lowered his guard. She wondered if he was conscious of his abilities. She looked at him. “What’s your name?”

“Tonas.”

“So what inspired you to become a Monk?”

“I have no idea.”

Shadow laughed. “Gotta go. Charlie, let me pay for the drinks, and the table.” She dropped ten shards and a large tip onto the bar top, which drew Charlie back to her. “Oh, and today would be a good time for you to take that vacation. You know, close the bar early, say in the next twenty minutes, and take a trip off planet or something.”

“Sure, I’ll do that Shadow. It’s been slow today anyway.” Charlie said.

Shadow grabbed the Monk by the arm and led him outside, pulling him along like a leaf in the wind.

“Where are we headed?” The Monk asked, unable to resist Shadow’s insistent grip.

“I’m taking you to the bus stop so you can find a ship and get off planet. Go to the Temple on Vodia, the Head Priest there is a friend of mine. Mention my name, and he will accept it as good faith that you have completed your sabbatical. This planet is dead, and if you stay here, you will be too.” Shadow said, stuffing a bag full of shards into his hands.

“What exactly is it you do for a living?” The Monk asked.

“My name, in its entirety, is Shadow of the Storm Clan. Remember it, and get yourself to Vodia.” Shadow said, giving him a few shards to help him on his way.

“Oh, well, thank you then.” With that, the Monk turned and headed straight for the bus, never once looking back.

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