‘Jupiter.’ Maggie wriggled close to him. The jostling of the cart bumped her head into his.

‘Ow.’ Jupiter hissed.

‘Sorry.’ Maggie held onto him to keep them both steady. ‘I don’t like this. We need to get away.’

‘Yaqas will take us…’

‘No he won’t.’ Maggie shook Jupiter a little. ‘They only helped us because they don’t like Blackbirders. But now it’s Imperial Guards. It was sheer luck they did not search the cart.’

‘Yeah. I figure they were locals enforcing the curfew and not looking for anyone. No need to look in the cart.’

‘But martial law? A curfew? That’s all so they can go door to door looking for us.’

‘Yeah. You’re right. I guess the Air Lord really does take his Hunt seriously.’

‘Why is he so…?’

‘Crazy for it? I really pissed him off by jumping down that scree slope. A human being better at something than a manisaur? He can’t have liked that.’

‘Less talking.’ Maggie moved to a squat. ‘More action. Quietly now. Let’s get away before Yaqas even knows.’

‘Good idea. Manisaurs can’t lie very well.’

‘What?’

‘I’ll tell you later.’

They moved to the end of the cart’s cargo tray and slipped to the ground. The sun had begun to set now and they moved into the shadows.

‘How are we going to get back to The Jupiter now?’

‘Downhill, and follow the stink.’

Even in the dim light Maggie’s grin remained visible. He felt the same. Exhilarated but frightened too. ‘I’m glad I’m with you Maggs.’

‘Sorry. I can’t say the same thing to you. Disaster and mayhem follow you. The last place I want to be is anywhere near you.’ Maggie gave him a playful shove and he knew she was joking. Mostly.

An uneasiness nagged at Jupiter. Maggie’s comment struck too much of a chord with him. The hum of it built, until he almost wanted to shout.

They stood frozen in the shadows. The thump and rattle of the moasaur cart faded until it joined the underlying chatter and rumble of the town.

‘What?’ Maggie said. She bumped his shoulder as if to get him moving.

‘You feel it too. Don’t you?’

‘A mounting fear that we’re in over our heads? That you lead me into danger at every turn? Yes. I feel that.’

‘I just want to run, to get away. But it’s not coming from me. They’re not my feelings. Somehow.’

Maggie fell silent. ‘Yes. It’s a bit like that. I don’t want to get away from you. I don’t know where those words came from.’

‘And why did we get off the cart? Getting down to the docks on a cart driven a local made the best sense.’

‘And now…’

Jupiter began to shake and tremble. He reached out to Maggie just as her hand clutched tight to his arm.

‘Something terrible is about to happen.’

‘Is happening.’

Jupiter focussed on where they were. On the edge of the docks, in the shadow of an overhanging building. The rough wood of the wall snagged at his manisaur-made jacket. And yet a darkness enveloped him too. In his minds-eye an inky darkness rose within him, suffocating.

Maggie’s sharp intake of breath matched the sudden sharp pain that doubled him over. He felt vertigo and a sudden urge to throw up.

Maggie staggered and fell to the ground.

‘What’s happening?’

And then the feeling dropped away. As if he had stepped into the cool light of a brightly lit room. Sterile and cold.

‘Something died in terrible pain,’ Maggie croaked as she rose to her feet.

‘Was that tulanvarqa?’ Jupiter said.

‘Connexion never felt like that.’

‘It has, sort of. With Moby. That feeling of something adding to my mind… like a door to another room opened… or something.’

‘I’ve never…’ Maggie’s voice fell away.

‘No. Me neither.’ Jupiter had no words to describe the mind bending pain and loss and… ‘It’s still there.’

‘Yes I feel it. But not the same. Something did die. Now lost to the world. But…’

‘Someone else is in pain.’

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The two turned to each other then and fell into a hug.

‘Peter. That was awful.’

‘Maggs. Oh my days… I don’t ever…’

They stayed that way for a minute until Maggie pulled apart.

‘What do we do?’ Tears brimmed and threatened to overflow.

Jupiter held his hand to her face. ‘It’s better now.’

‘Is it? We have to get away. I don’t want to feel that ever again.’

‘You think we should run from it? Someone is in danger.’

Maggie shook her head. ‘I don’t know. I feel they are somewhere away from the trading docs where The Jupiter lays.’

‘Yeah. That way.’ Jupiter turned and strode along the road.

Maggie caught up. ‘There’s a curfew. We’ll get caught.’

‘Do you see anyone about?’

‘That’s the point. No one is about except us. We’ll…’

‘The guards are lazy. They expect anyone to be out. It would be as easy to get caught going to the trading docks as here.’

‘We should have stayed on the cart,’ Maggie said.

‘But we didn’t.’

‘Why didn’t we?’

‘I don’t know. We just decided to get off. Both of us.’

‘At the same time.’ Maggie pulled at Jupiter’s sleeve. ‘You think connexion…’

‘No. Pretty sure I made the decision myself.’

‘It might just feel that way. But we were heading back to The Jupiter. And now we’re not.’

‘No. We’re not.’ Jupiter paused at the opening to a plaza type space and waited for Maggie to join him. ‘The sea is down there. We can get closer to… whatever… but also be near the docks so we can get back to The Jupiter.’

‘You see any guards.’ Maggie said. ‘It’s getting dark.’

‘Over there.’ Jupiter pointed to a pair of manisaurs who leaned on a high wall.

‘That person… the one still in pain. Do you feel it now? It’s stronger.’

‘Yeah. Behind that wall. But… look.’ Jupiter stared. ‘That’s Japanese writing.’

‘What? Where?’

Jupiter ‘I’m sure of it. I can’t make out the Chinese part…’

‘What do you mean? Chinese?’

‘On those crates.’ Jupiter stared at the stack of wooden boxes next to a trading house.

Other than the writing nothing in the plaza appeared out of the ordinary. The buildings all had the same manisaur style with, the stone base with a ledge about shoulder height. Wooden walls clad three upper levels with windows or hatches in the facade. Step like protrusions ran up the sides of the buildings to the hatches on the walls that overlooked the plaza. Jupiter guessed they allowed cargo to be moved up the building without the need to take it through the building interior. The steps would help manisaurs climb up and around the face of the building when doing deliveries. All a lot like the hatch at the back of the spice house that led to the loft space.

To the right, on one of the buildings fronting the plaza, he noticed a line of cloth hung above the ground floor doorway. The cloth hangings had splits in them that made them appear almost like washing on a line. The fading light made it hard but he thought he saw white painted symbols on the dark cloth. Chinese or Japanese. Just like the entrance to a Japanese shop or temple.

Jupiter took a step back. He pulled Maggie away from the plaza. There are Japanese people here.

‘What?’ Maggie stared at him. The white of her eyes bright even in the dimming light as the day died. ‘Japanese here? Invaders?’

‘No. Probably trapped like us.’

’Let’s get away.’

‘No. Don’t you see? If they still use Japanese writing, they remember Earth. They can help us.’

‘But they’re the enemy. Japanese are…’

‘No they’re not. It’s all over now. Japan is the coolest place, the nicest people…’

‘Jupiter. You don’t know what it’s like,’ Maggie said. ‘I have a really bad feeling about all this. Something bad is over that wall. There are manisaur guards in that square behind us. And now Japanese.’ Maggie stepped away. ‘I’m going.’

‘Shh. What’s that?’

Jupiter turned his head to listen. Maggie pressed close behind him.

‘It’s a flute. Come on.’ Jupiter slipped back to the plaza, and looked around. The manisaur guards had their backs to him as they walked further along next to the wall. Jupiter stepped right, keeping close to the first building in the plaza and staying to the shadows moved towards the sound of the flute.

‘Jupiter! What are you doing?’ Maggie hissed.

Jupiter held his finger to his mouth, and motioned her to join him. She gave him an angry glare and stepped towards him. Jupiter ran quietly along one side of the plaza, then across to the side with the Japanese cloth above the door.

As he got near he could see the writing better.

ラーメン

‘Ramen. It’s a ramen shop,’ Jupiter said as Maggie came close.

‘A what?’

‘Noodles. Someone is selling Japanese noodles.’

‘You’re crazy. What do you think…’

‘Yeah. And crazy is good yes?’

‘If you dare start singing that song…’

The flute playing stopped just then.

‘It’s sort of my turn to sing. Eh?’ Maggie clutched at him as if to hold him in place. Jupiter checked to see where the guards were, but they had continued along the wall and left the plaza. All had fallen quiet now. Jupiter shook off Maggie’s hand, slipped to the doorway, and put his ear to the wood. The scent warm resin from the cool wood surrounded him. He heard someone move in the room beyond. Maggie joined him, but she bumped Jupiter and his head banged against the wood. Jupiter held his breath as he heard footsteps. He stepped back.

‘Dareda?’

Jupiter leaned on Maggie as he prepared to run for it, she staggered into the shadows as the door pulled open. Jupiter looked up in surprise.

A flood of yellow light from a glowglobe backlit a small man. His shock of grey hair haloed by the golden light. The man took an inrush of breath, grabbed Jupiter by the arm, and pulled him inside. Just as he pushed the door to close it Maggie jammed the door open, her fists raised as if for a fight.

A small old Japanese man stared at them, looking from one to the other. Then took a step back and gave a small bow.

‘Konbanwa… Irashai… dozo…’ the old man said in a rush of words.

Jupiter did not catch all the old human said. But words of Japanese welcome for sure. Maggie pressed herself against the door frame as if about to run for it.

‘Um. Hi. Jupitah desu. Kochira ga Maggie desu. Hajimemashite.’ Jupiter gave a short bow as he introduced himself and Maggie.

‘Wah.’ The Japanese man held his hand to his heart and staggered backwards. ’Nihon’aqsha?’ The mix of Japanese and Thaluk confused Jupiter a moment.

‘Yes. I am a speaker of Japanese,’ Jupiter said. And as he spoke he used words in Thaluk. ‘You speak Thaluk?’

‘Hai, hai. Ajiro Isamu desu. I am Ajiro.’

‘Ajiro-san. I am Jupiter. This is Maggie.’ Jupiter moved Maggie inside.

‘We can’t stand in the light of the doorway,’ Jupiter said. ‘The guards might see us.’

The Japanese man stared a moment, then closed the door. His eyes on the two the entire time.

‘We shouldn’t be here.’ Maggie stared at the Japanese man.

Jupiter squeezed her shoulder. ‘Don’t stare. Be polite.’

‘Why should?…’

“Maggie. Cool it.’

‘But the others, Pariqamtu will worry. Breeze…’

‘Let them worry, as long as we’re safe.’

‘You call this safe?’

‘Yeah. This guy is from Earth. Do you know what that means?’

‘How do you know he’s from Earth.’

‘He’s nuvra. Can’t you tell? The connexion is all wrong. He speaks Thaluk… but it’s hard to understand. We’ve been relying mostly on connexion, tulanvarqa. But don’t you feel it? There is none with him.’

Maggie turned and stared at the Japanese. Jupiter smiled and got a broad grin in return.’

‘Dozo.’ Ajiro waved his arm towards the interior of the building.

‘This is crazy,’ Jupiter said. ‘A Japanese ramen shop in the middle of a manisaur town.’

‘You’re the crazy one.’

‘Yeah. Just a little. But I could do with a bowl of ramen just about now.’

They sat at a table while Ajiro poured them each a cup of… something like tea. Not zhavaqiko. But similar.

‘Nuvra desu-ka?’

‘Hai. Nuvra desu.’ Jupiter said. ‘We’re nuvra. Just like you.’

The old man laughed then, and Jupiter forgot the nagging sense of dread or fear that pulsed to him from over the wall. In a very strange way, he felt more at home here than he ever had since he had fallen into to Eoth. He sipped the tea and grinned over the cup at Ajiro.

‘How did you get here Ajiro? How did you get stranded on Eoth?