Chapter 109: Pearl Bay Docks

Chapter 109: Pearl Bay Docks

The docks reminded Jack of a rising waterdrop, like the ones that try to jump up when you throw a rock but dont manage to dislodge themselves from the neck of water that ties them to the sea.

Jack thought it was close-by. It wasnt. The building rose even higher than he had estimated, and its size dwarfed practically everything around. It was like the entire city was built as an afterthought to this behemoth.

On the bright side, he found a pleasant surprise on the way there. Someone had left a bucket of water on the street, under a leaking pipe. Jack had no idea why anyone would do that, but the water smelled okay, and he needed it.

Quickly rising the half-filled bucket over his head, he drenched himself. Despite the cold water and the night chill, it was barely an annoyance to his System-enhanced body. He shook his head to get the water out. Brock yelped as some drops landed on him.

Now, Jack still wasnt clean, but at least the blood all over him was mostly gone. He would no longer seem like a mad murderer on the loose.

He placed the bucket back in its position, silently thanking and apologizing to whomever put it there in the first place. This was a disadvantage to using only credits as currency; he couldnt leave a coin as a token of his gratitude.

Rising his head, Jack kept walking.

When he reached the base of the building, he was already covered in its great shadow. Craning his head back, all he saw was large, interlocking plates of metal rising up and behind him. The waterdrop-shaped curve seemed smooth from a distance, but it really wasnt; it was just a long series of tiny angles.

Idly, he wondered just how they built this thing. Could it stand on its own, or was it just magic? That would surely take away from the wonder of architecture. He also wondered why they would do this. However, when he spoke, all he managed to say was, Wow.

Brock nodded, panting with his tongue out. Theyd run here to save time.

The tower that supported the docksthe neck of water that tied the waterdrop to the seawas a massive gray column erected in the middle of Pearl Bay. It was surrounded by people and riddled with entrances. A dozen different lines of people stretched out in different directions, stumping Jack for a moment.

He then noticed that, of those entrances, most were large, meant for cargo. Only one was the height of humansslightly larger, actually, to accommodate the many species of the galaxyand it also had the shortest line. Presumably, there was another entrance just like it on the other side of the tower, but Jack couldnt see.

He hurriedly made his way there. People gave him odd looks and a wide berth, but nobody spoke up about his bloodstained clothes and body. However, there were at least fifty people standing in line, all waiting patiently, and Jack felt rising urgency. He had to board a starship and get out of here fast. He couldnt wait for this entire line to finish.

Just as he was considering asking people to let him pass, the door at the front of the line slid open. Behind it was a rectangular empty space, much wider and deeper than it was tall. A mirror covered the back wall, reminding Jack of an elevator.

No, scratch that; of course it was an elevator. They had to get up the tower somehow. He didnt know what he expected.

People streamed in, and the line advanced quickly. When forty people had entered, slightly cramped but not much, the last person held out a hand, and the line stopped. A woman inside pressed a button, the doors slid closed, andpresumablythe elevator went up without a sound.

Jack was satisfied. He was now twelfth in line, which meant that he and Brock could easily get into the next elevator. He just had to wait a bit.This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.

More doors slid open to the left and right, revealing large spaces filled with crates of all sizes. The task of carrying them seemed daunting until Jack saw two feshkurs grab a cube-shaped crate ten feet to a side and lift it easily, then move it through a wide empty corridor in the crowd.

He shook his head. Right. The System. Very helpful for menial labor. Those two feshkurs werent even at the E-Grade.

As they waited, Jack took a moment to admire the scenery again, this time with peace of mind. Pearl Bay was a tapestry of species and a hub of buzzing activity. There were similarities to Earth, but also many differences, and Jack found this contrast aesthetically pleasing. He took a deep breath, enjoying the clean breezethere were no factories or cars to pollute it, and the starships moved with the Dao, not fuel.

If the town wasnt entirely painted in shades of gray, it could have been beautiful.

A ruckus from further behind grabbed Jacks attention. He turned to find three rough-looking feshkurs walking next to the line of people, approaching the front of the line like it was nothing. They didnt even give anyone a glance. Jack inspected them.

Feshkur, Level 102

Im just passing through, she replied. My ship made a short stop, so I came down to see the sights. It was She looked around, at all the natives listening to her every word. Though they were almost whispering, nobody else was speaking. ...intriguing.

Tell me about it, Jack replied, nodding. Now, he knew why this girl seemed so excited to chat. She had tourist syndrome. And what made you approach a blood-stained stranger?

She shrugged. Curiosity. I enjoy meeting interesting people!

Of course. Jack nodded again.

The rest of the ride went by in silence. The elevator stopped, the doors slid open, and Jack found himself in an eight-year-olds fondest dreams. Starships hovered everywhere, ranging from the size of a gondola to a large yachts. The largest ones remained outside, though they could fit through the large openings in the wall. The smallest ones hovered anywhere they wanted, crowding the empty wooden floor that stretched for hundreds of feet in every direction.

Aliensmostly feshkursmoved cargo, while others streamed in and out of ships on wooden ramps. There were a million different clothing styles. Hundreds of voices shouted at each other, struggling to be heard over the chaos. The passengers of Jacks elevator dissipated among the starships, leaving him and Brock gaping just outside the doors.

The starships were fascinating themselves. They were shaped as elongated pyramids and painted in various colorsmostly dark ones, though Jack did spot a small pink starship. They had round windows on their sides and one or two doors at the back, where the base of the pyramid would be if they werent hovering sideways. The first door of each ship was roughly human-sized, and through an open one, Jack caught sight of a sleek interior. The largest ships had a second one as well, which was large enough to accommodate the transportation of cargo.

If teleporting a person cost ten thousand credits, Jack could only imagine how much large crates would cost. The Animal Kingdomwho probably ran the teleporterswas fleecing people for all they were worth.

Gape all you want, just move away from the door before the next elevator arrives, Vlossana said from the side, laughing merrily. She waved at them. It was nice meeting you, Jack and Brock. I wish you the best of luck in any endeavor you pursue!

Jack refocused. Thank you, Vlossana. Best of luck to you, too.

She waved, then disappeared into the crowd.

Right. We must move, Jack thought, tearing his sight from the starships and aliens to inspect the docks themselves.

The floor was wooden, wide, and empty of furniture or buildings. The tower in the middle continued behind Jacks back, stretching another fifty feet up to support the ceiling, a dome-shaped construction of wood filled with little arcs. It spread from the highest point in the very center, where the tower met it, to end in wooden walls that reached the floor between the openings for the starships.

Everything looked wooden, but Jack suspected that was only for decor. There had to be metal underneathat the very least, the exterior was metallic.

Though it was currently night, the docks were filled with light. Squat chandeliers hung from the ceiling, emitting what felt like sunlight to Jacks skin. Outside the openings, dots of light shone from the city below.

Brock grabbed Jacks forearm and pulled him towards an opening. Unable to resist the temptation, Jack followed, quickly reaching the edge, just before a two-foot-tall protective fence. The opening was a half-circle rising from the floor, with a radius of around fifteen feet. There was no starship on this particular opening, which gave Jack and Brock an unobstructed view.

And it was beautiful.

They were hundreds of feet into the air. From this height, they could see Pearl Bay stretching before their eyes, illuminated by discreet lightingless than an Earthen city would have. The buildings reached halfway to the horizon, whereupon they were replaced by rolling green hills filled with purple trees. Water glimmered at the very ends of their vision, somehow radiating faint light, while two moonsone whole and one halffilled the dark night sky. At least night was the same color as it was on Earth. Without any pollution to hide them, stars shone in the thousands, and Jack could only recognize a few of the constellations he was familiar with.

He was captivated by wonder. A moment later, he shook himself awake.

Come on, Brock. We must find a ship to get us out of here.

Looking around, one side of the dock area was occupied by what seemed like an open bar between two openings. People of all kinds sat on stools around tall tables, discussing animatedly or in hushed tones. Most drank what looked like beer. A counter was at the very back, and a metal sign above it spelled, Morning Star.

A bar at the docks Jack chuckled. I guess some things never change, right, Brock?

Brock gave an excited cry, and together, they headed for the bar.