Gabatrix: The Pirates of Palora

Chapter 8: Scum and Villainy

"Are they sure the Lifen sensors are unable to reach this floor?" Stone asked.

"Quite," Shira calmly explained as she closed out the side-mounted wall display. "The space station's UWAN network is inadequate. I'm unable to establish connections with the upper floors." She turned to look at English. "No matter.....Doctor, you take the lead."

The four continued their walk down the long street into the deeper reaches of Valradena. The brothel was left behind. Ahead were a few more shops. Various individuals would gaze upon the four like they were mercenaries. The only path was forward or back.

"Excellent work, Doctor," Shira commended him.

"Yes," English replied in a similar manner.

"Sometime in the future, I would like to learn more about your history. I find it.....intriguing."

"Hmph....," Stone scuffed.

Ioren looked at Stone. The scene was never changing. Ahead were apartments in various shapes and conditions. As they passed by one set of doors, she could see what looked like a gang. They were a mix of different people, skinny and vulgar in looks. Some had greased their hair to stick out in a particular direction, swinging knives and makeshift clubs in their hands. The toughest of the group gave a mean look to Ioren before she quickly looked forward. Seeing the fact that they were armed with guns most likely discouraged them from coming closer.

Ioren began using her sign language. Stone caught on and relayed the information.

"She's asking why Galanthis was naked," the master sergeant said.

"You're asking me?" English asked. "She's always done it."

"It's her method of demonstrating strength," Shira explained. "To her, the very concept of clothing is an annoyance, a lie of what one truly aspires to be, and a demonstration that she is genuine with her words. It reminds me of a Shal'rein cult known as the Xor'doreka that live on Shal'tar. They are ancient traditionalists that practice nudism and naked combat, believing that clothing is a restriction of their true battle potential."

"Sounds idiotic," Stone countered. "No body armor?"

"I admit, it isn't a practical form of combat. Many of the common Shal'rein see it as a foolish endeavor. However, the Xor'doreka are known to be quite fearless and competent in hand-to-hand combat. Some Shal'rein commanders even give them the honor to ride into battle based on their beliefs. I myself had a companion who was one of these members. Otherwise, they will serve in traditional rear-guard duties, using their laser tridents when needed."

"You are correct, Captain," English said. "Galanthis is as she always is, indefatigable and without mercy with her profession. To her, she simply doesn't need clothes."

Was it so wise to lose focus during the walk? It was unknown what the actual answer was anymore. However, it proved that the scene was less likely to end in the four getting sniped. The recent event with Galanthis still left a wake in its interaction. Was the information she provided really going to make a difference? Ioren was left to ponder this as they made a left turn at the nearby crosswalk.

"Looks like we have found our address," English said as he looked at the nearby set of apartments. This portion of the space station looked a little bit better when compared to the others. There was less graffiti and damage. Even the local populace almost seemed healthier. Perhaps this portion of the lower level was richer or at least had people who cared more about their overall physical appearance.