The hacked security droid dragged Hanga to an almost derelict ship. Covering his nostrils in an attempt to protect his extra-sensitive smell receptors from the mold reeking inside the vessel, the Valerian got into a room with multiple tables and chairs. It looked like an empty mess hall. Almost empty, since a young man sat at one of the tables, the same man who was Tejeda now.
“Come. Sit here.” The Nubilae tapped the edge of the table with his fingers while his palm sat flat.
Hanga moved in closer, his feet hesitantly approaching the table, and he took a seat in front of Tejeda. The latter picked up the case from the floor and tossed it onto the table, the same case Hanga had left at the bar. In a flash, the Valerian grabbed the case and examined its contents.
When Hanga saw his baby, his eyes widened. He sighed as he drew it out slowly. He flipped over the metallic construct. Scorch marks plagued its bottom, which bent in a twist of perforated metal. The hole was about the size of his fist.
“What have you done to it?” Hanga sobbed between each word.
Tejeda shrugged, unconcerned. "Some security droids followed us as well, most likely looking for your 'baby.' I might or might have not used the case as a shield. One would expect that an engineer would build a laser-resistant container for his self-sufficient repair droid. Isn't that what it is? You've finally done it."
"It used to be a self-sufficient repair droid before a laser burned through its cortical insertion," Hanga said, his neck and forehead veins bursting. "Because of you, it is now useless garbage. This was the last thing I had. And you've ruined it."
“Thank you so much for yelling and blaming me for your problems. It makes me even more eager to assist you in fixing your issues. Oh, I already did that by rescuing you from the droids, shit head!”
"I'm sorry," Hanga said, puzzled. "I guess I can repair this. Only when I was hungry, back on Valeria, I lashed out like this. Is your air feeding system working?"
“Oh, no, we deactivated it.” Tejeda winked. “Nothing compares with actual food. Well, after the girls have their breakthrough into the mysteries of cooking. Let me get you their latest experiment.”
The Nubilae went to the counter near the bar and brought a spoon and a plate with something mushy. "Vegetable puree. Don’t worry. This is actually edible. Take a bite!" He paused and chuckled. "Better said, take a sip since you don’t have anything to bite."
Hanga looked at the spoon, his gaze sinking into the utensil's silver depths.
"That's a regular spoon. Carmen's hiding in here," Tejeda stated while stroking the chain around his neck. The shirt covered the spoon.
The Valerian ate his fill. He was again able to feel an old familiar warmth, despite the stomachache, as food passed through his belly.
“If your tummy hurts, you can go lay down in your room,” Tejeda said, resting on the chair’s backrest. “This happens after you ingest food after a long time. It will pass.”
“My room?" Hanga raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to stay on this ship?”
“Sure. That’s why I came after you on Erchpri. We need an engineer to get this ship to normal standards and further modifications after that.”
“What do I get for this?” Hanga asked the same question as he did all those years ago.
"I can absolutely do anything! Except for the things I'm unable to do." Tejeda poured two cups of coffee. "What do you desire? Oh, and give this a go." He put a sugar container in front of the Valerian.
Hanga reached for it and prepared to pour it all in his cup.
Tejeda grabbed his wrist, stopping him from dolloping sugar into his coffee. “A small amount is enough. Believe me.” After he watched Hanga tasting the black liquid and nodding, the Nubilae continued. “So, you will have a fixed salary coming straight from the Interplanetary Police’s pockets. How does that sound?”
"Credits are unimportant. They will not be there for me when I die. They won't be able to snuggle with me when I sleep. Credits are frigid and cruel, and I can only use them to buy items that I can make myself." Hanga took a big breath before continuing. "I just want to forget I ever met Maya."
“If I may offer my services,” E00’s voice started.
"No, you may not," Tejeda cut him off. "All you have to do is keep quiet." The Nubilae continued since E00 did not follow up. "Throughout my long life, I have had my fair share of unpleasant memories and heartbreaking losses. A memory saved is better than a memory lost, no matter how painful it might be. Memories are echoes of your life and a testimony of your passage through time." He clenched his hand around Carmen, his shirt wrinkling between his skin and the spoon. "Let's change the topic. How did you finally create a self-sufficient repair droid?"
“Why do you want to know? Do you want to give all my research to the Interplanetary Police?”
“No,” Tejeda answered. “That’s not my mission anymore. I am just curious.”
“If I tell you, you’d get mad.”
“I promise I will behave and keep my madness in check.” Tejeda pledged with a hand over the left part of his chest. “Cross my heart.”
"That's most likely not where your heart is."
“Definitely not.” Tejeda smiled. “Now tell me.”
"A young human stopped by my place a few days after you departed. He was well-versed in my studies. Apparently, the equation on which I'd based all of my work was incorrect. He fixed it and handed me an exotic metallic alloy for my droids. It aids in the replication process and makes 3D printing more dependable."
"Who was he, and what did this mysterious man want in exchange for his assistance?"
“He didn’t tell me his name,” Hanga responded. “He asked just for the nano-filling I’d scraped from your spoon.”
Tejeda’s eyes sparkled purple, but he managed to keep it in check. If looks could kill, the Valerian would have died in that instant.
A/N:
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