Mina of the Stars

Chapter 3: Layered Scars

Mina pushes the large airlock door inward. The smell of burnt capacitors hits her nose, and the glow of Josh's orange work lamp lights the sphere of this main room.  She shuts the large metal door behind her, its hinges silent and well-oiled. She pulls the giant boom behind it shut, then removes her blades from her back and hangs them on the wall next to the door.  

She stares at them, her reflection a little marred by the red rust of blood.  Her cheek is red and inflamed, the pink diamond light and sparkling. Like a spike Kakos has embedded into her.  The surrounding lines of the K are horrifying.  "I want to own that piece of you."  Kakos rises in her memory, setting her heart pounding.  The blood rushes to her cheeks and her fresh wound hurts worse.  

She unfocusses from her face, and looks at the grin of her blades.  They are dirty from their kill, and she needs to clean them.  But not yet.

"Glad you're back." Josh walks in from an adjoining pod, ducking his head as he moves.  He is tall and too slim.  His bones could carry a greater frame, if only she had enough food to fill them.  His collar bone in particular juts out from under his loose shirt.  Is it getting worse? His wasting away? 

She rips her gaze from his skeletal appearance and looks to his bright green eyes.  Their mother's eyes. Mina is the odd one out in their family, with some weird mix of her father's brown broken up by lines of maroon.  

Josh sweeps back his shoulder-length blond hair and gestures with a sheepish smile to his workbench. "There's um a...rust roast over there I was hoping you could take care of."

It is a relief.  For all her worry about Rylin, it is nice to be asked to do some mundane task. "What, the big bad baby crab out to get you?"

Josh runs a hand up the back of his neck, "More like eat my capacitors.  Smell that? The thing is practically farting them out."

Mina's shoulders relax. She wanders over to the Josh's workbench.  His tools are spread across it, many mechanized to work with microscopic parts.  His large glass magnifier displays some current work on his bass-spheres which he trades with other humans for clothing and scavenge.  Mina has several loaded down her suit leggings.  They are excellent distractors in a fight.

There is a clank and a scuttle from one corner.  Mina spots the Armis crab, its two front claws pulling at a large bolt and balancing it on to its back, where it carries a mobile home of metallic parts that offer both protection and food when it needs it.  It's long metallic antennae comb over the desk.  Mina reaches a hand forward, tentatively, and then slowly bumps the crab so that it scuttles onto her palm, while keeping its newest treasure affixed to its metallic-shelled home.  Its heavy for its small size, a good twenty pounds in her one hand.

"Aw Josh come see, it's only a baby." 

Josh crosses his arms and leans his tall frame into the curve of the wall. "I can see just fine from here. Honestly, must we keep it around?"

*hungry* The crab's voice nudges.  Its thoughts lack the complexity of the blind serpents.

Mina gently transfers the crab back into its bucket by the door, slipping it a bolt from the nearby tub of scavenge, which it catches and begins to nibble at with its maxillipeds. "You know this one keeps the rest away.  Or did you want to be visited by a larger version and have half our wall eaten for lunch?"

Josh waves his hands, "Ug. Don't remind me." He heads back in behind his desk, pausing as he passes her. He hesitates then reaches a hand up to her face.  His thumb and fingers are smooth, un-callused, gentle.  He turns her damaged cheek towards his gaze and gives a long sigh. "So. Kakos."