Calan - The Immortality Paradox

Chapter Five: The Hollow Asteroid, Part One

Date: 173, OA19,654

Location: Cunniculum Asteroid, Border of Canol System, Hanner Cylch and Kingdom

Night of Your Life was either a euphemistic reference to the dangerous ingredients of the hostelry's beverage selection or one of the worst cliches in the Universe. Needless to say, Harpain was not impressed as she stood outside the entrance to the most famous nightclub in the Cunniculum Asteroid. The xenon-packed lettering above the door was the brightest object in the cylindrical space. She gave her mechanical companion a sideways glance that she hoped conveyed chagrin at his choice of a hideout. Sometimes, she questioned the artificial neurology that probabilistically decided the robot's actions, whether it genuinely amounted to a statistically sound judgement or if the robot had an alternate motive for bringing her to this garish place. PT-30 had been her compatriot for the last six months of her life as a fugitive. Still, even at this stage in their uncanny relationship, she would prefer a starved alligator to his expressionless, metal facade. Even wrapped in a thick, mud-coloured coat, the depth of his lean body was prominent. She wondered how the local population would approach a visitor of his nature. Or non-nature.

'Let's get inside. This artificial gravity is giving me a migraine.' In truth, Harpain wanted to get off the busy conduit between the Skyshield Stadium and the long row of entertainment venues that attracted so many interplanetary visitors. The fewer people in her vicinity, the less paranoid she felt. An inevitable consequence of being a bounty hunter. The asteroid was crowded with an amalgamation of Human chapters and the odd Rriissaapp traders from outside the local systems, and there was no shortage of law enforcers amongst them. Anyone could be watching.

The interior of the nightclub was a disorientating environment. Smoke, music and strobe lights battered her senses when she stepped inside. The music was loud enough to cause unpleasant vibrations in her ear drums. On the bright side, it was the perfect place for someone to hide. Through the mirky clouds, Harpain spotted an empty cubicle on the far side of the building. She casually nodded in its direction for PT's benefit, and they started wading through the crowd. It was an absurd medley of dancing, kissing, mouthing, drinking, wrestling and punching. In the multi-coloured strobe lighting, Harpain caught flashes of animalistic emotion on people's faces. As they were lost in euphoria, they succumbed to basic human instinct. The sea of bodies writhed and spun like reanimated corpses. When they finally reached the cubicle, she had broken the hands of two over-exuberant men and elbowed a woman in the cheek for attempting a kiss.

The cubicle was a transparent bubble with a noise-cancelling perk, perfect for isolating oneself from the nightclub environment. The inner transparent bubble also had a high refractive index setting, making it almost impossible for revellers to see anything inside. Ideal for Harpain's much-needed privacy. As PT adjusted the bubble's visual parameters, she removed her heavy-duty footwear and allowed her red, swollen feet to rest comfortably on the synthetic microfibre lounger. Out of habit, she scratched at a scar on her right wrist; the last traces of a nanometer tracking device she had dislodged from her bloodstream.

'Well, this was a bloody great idea.' PT replied with his usual expressionless gaze, though Harpain confessed that he couldn't help. 'This is Calan space, you realise? You know, the big, tall, purple people with superior technology and heightened mental ability? Even we bounty hunters are no match for them.'

'The Calan are irrelevant.' PT droned like an engine. 'The Shadow Employers have requested our presence.'

'I'm sorry? Did I just hear you right? The Calan are irrelevant?' She posed as someone in deep thought. 'Hmm...I had the slightest impression that the Calan controlled the Universe...whether we believe it or not.' PT didn't react. Harpain pushed her fingers through the strands of her red hair, attempting to tame them somehow.