A new kind of battle was being fought by Kieran Ravy. He was battling even though he wasn't wearing his favorite combat gear, which includes armor, a sword draped across his back, and a shotgun ready in his hands. He belonged to the long-standing spaceship, armor, and weaponry vendors House Ravy. Despite having access to the newest gear available, he preferred conventional designs and fighting strategies. But now he was fighting a lawyer for a company that had been trying to acquire House Ravy for decades.
"Listen to me!" At last, in a dangerously low voice, Kieran snapped. "My response is the same as the one my family has provided for four generations to your persistent ilk! No! This time, do you understand me?
A shrunken representation of a common gray alien species, the lawyer virtually moaned in his chair. He was short, had a bulbous skull, and huge, black, liquid eyes. He had waited through Kieran's abrasive 'negotiations,' keeping his cool for almost an hour, but Kieran had finally lost his infamously well-controlled anger.
"M-Mr. Ravy, my c-company is offering a very generous—"
Kieran interrupted him abruptly. "Even if you offer me half of the Milky Way, I won't care! This house was constructed over almost a millennium by my family! For parsecs, we have continuously demonstrated the highest profits of any rival! We will continue to run our firm and maintain our honor, two things we have far more of than you could ever understand, much less acquire, in your whole wretched life!"
"Please, Mr. Ravy, try to control your—"
Kieran abruptly interrupted the lawyer's plea as he sprang to his full six-three height, bent across the polished table, and grabbed the tiny alien body by the collar of his tunic and pulled it out of his chair.
Kieran growled, "Get. Out. Of. My. Ship," with a low growl in each word.
"But Mr. Ra—"
With no fanfare, Kieran threw the alien to the deck plating and returned to his chair, glaring back at his console. The little alien, his pride far more wounded than his body, whimpered softly as he clambered to his feet. Thinking he had earned his day's hazard pay, he scampered out in silence. Three minutes later, he was dockside, aboard his own vessel to give his bosses yet another unfavorable report.
Kieran, on the other hand, felt much better. Getting rid of the obstinate lawyer had been surprisingly healing. In fact, he was quite taken aback by his reaction. Few people had ever really experienced the intensity of his anger; he usually kept it well under control. Not even he knew exactly what he was like when he was truly angry. After that encounter, he needed to properly relax.
He got up from his workstation and walked confidently through the Kyara's corridors till he arrived at the simulator room. The simulator, or simply "sim," was a huge room that measured about fifty feet by fifty feet and had a ceiling that was equally high.
With the use of precise force fields, it was able to accurately recreate people, events, landscapes, and equipment, giving each simulated thing its own unique physical texture. House Ravy also invented these tactile force fields. The inventors believed that the fundamental physics were quite straightforward. Kieran was content with the fact that it operated perfectly and had never attempted to completely comprehend the fundamentals. Its advanced motion correction was a more recent innovation; it responded to the user's motions by adjusting the tactile floor and projected pictures. The force-field ground beneath Kieran's feet changed somewhat as he progressed, giving the impression that he was moving farther even though he was just moving a few feet inside the room.
One of his favorite programs—kayaking down rushing whitewater rapids—was triggered. In addition to being purely entertaining, the sim offered a thrilling workout that was much more interesting than the regular weight training he also did. He was ready to sleep after 90 minutes, feeling delightfully exhausted.
Shopping was the one thing Nora Rahmyn detested the most. In particular, the type of shopping that many women appeared to like, whether it was for clothing, makeup, or whatever their "prissy needs" were, as she called it in her mind. Nora was anything but delicate. At the moment, she was standing in a store where a variety of distinctly disagreeable gadgets were suspended from the walls. Weaponry was the one area in which Dorran 6 excelled. Every possible design, composition, and origin of blade, gun, and grenade might be found in its shops. The armor stores had just as much inventory.
Although the blade of Nora's present sword was too worn and nicked to be effectively repaired, it was still usable. She looked at a collection of swords that were replicas of old Terran designs, namely from a country that was formerly known as... Japan. "Funny name," she thought. Because the blades were forged from a cermet composite, they were remarkably lightweight and robust. Light weight was always a top priority for Nora while selecting equipment.
Although Luna didn't really need a new weapon, she was examining a rack of particularly ferocious-looking swords with great interest, obviously imagining the evil uses for their many nasty enhancements. Uncovering the smile that Luna's unabashed weapon lust usually evoked, Nora turned to face the merchant. But Luna's hair was maybe her most remarkable trait. It was jet-black and dropped about a foot below her lower back, poker-straight. It appeared like only Luna herself could ever muss it, under any conditions. After completing her purchase—the lightweight Terran replica—Nora went to join Luna, who had chosen and was intently inspecting one of the terrible swords.
First to speak, Luna raised the sword. "What do you think?"
With a humorous smile, Nora tilted her head. "Well, if it's half as dangerous as it looks, I probably shouldn't stand within ten feet of it when you're holding it."
Luna's lips formed a rare half-smile. She proceeded to the counter after gracefully sheathing the sword. The shopkeeper was a little pale when he saw his intimidating customer, but he wrapped the sword quickly and took the money silently. He knew better than to look her in the eye.
The two went to a nearby training yard to test their blades after leaving the store with their new purchases. Luna made a number of deadly slashes across the air, clearly enjoying the feel and balance of her new blade. Hers impressed Nora just as much. She discovered that even difficult moves came naturally to her and valued the better balance compared to her previous weapon.
A huge holoboard outside the Ash Arena exit, promoting the impending Sylis Cup, a prestigious week-long competition held on the planet Celyra Prime, caught the pair's attention as they were leaving the training yard. Over ten acres made up its primary arena, which included a lush wooded setting that provided enough of shelter while still permitting rather easy movement.
A subtle accord passed between the two women as they looked at one other. Their destination was Celyra Prime.