F@nService Diner: Chapter 09 This Suloqa Life
Chapter 09: This Suloqa Life
Casa de Suloqa, Arcadia, Neon Phoenix
It was sunset in the suburban neighborhood that Tevera Suloqa’s parents had made their home. Palm trees rustled and swayed in the desert breeze, silhouetted against wispy pink-orange clouds. It was vistas like this that reminded Lehoka Suloqa, Tevera's Father, of his childhood home, the Minkan homeworld of Kataqura.
Granted, Kataqura was 80 percent ocean and Neon Phoenix had no oceans to speak of, only a few lakes. But on nights like this it was hard not to imagine that the beach would be right around the corner, if you went looking for it.
This had become something of an evening ritual for him. He would sit out here and wait for the sun to finish setting. Then he would watch the Kuiper Gate rise over the horizon. From here the myth-gate looked like a small moon made of reflective polarized glass. The neon pink to yellow gradient was broken up by longitudinal bands of black void that slowly slid down the globe’s circumference if you looked closely enough. It marked the outermost edge of The United Solar Federation, well formerly united, now that the republic was split into two warring factions.
“Those commie, hypocrites!” He heard Tevera’s Mother shout from inside the house.
“Well She"s gone and upset herself again. Time to go calm her down.” Lehoka thought.
It looked like he was going to miss watching the Kuiper Gate rise tonight, but that was okay, it would still be here the same time tomorrow.
Besides it wasn’t all bad. Though something of an acquired taste, he had always found his wife was at her most beautiful when she was angry. Caveat being as long as he wasn’t the thing she was angry at. That was no fun.
The archetypal embodiment of minkan beauty and elegance, Suvara was nearly seven feet tall, with slick sky-blue skin, angular cheekbones, almond-shaped ruby eyes that slanted up in the back, a tight hourglass figure, long powerful legs and a tail the size of a python which she kept coiled into a polite S-curve behind her back, except when she lost her temper.
When that happened her tail flicked and swayed like that of a cat attempting to stalk a laser pointer. Lehoka found it endearing the way she would knock things over with it, get mad at herself for doing so and then forget what it was she was angry about in the first place.
Intense rage was one of the few things that threw off minkan eidetic memory. It was a feature that allowed minkans to hyper-focus in the heat of combat. Although it was something of a liability in domestic life. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why a cool temper was such a highly valued trait in minkan society.
“What’s wrong Sue?” He asked.
“You won’t believe what I just learned today Leho.” Suvara fumed.
“I don’t know. I might.” He replied.
The purple, leaf-shaped gill fronds that took the place of hair in her species pulsed angrily, so much so they threatened to uncoil themselves from the two writing sticks she used to wear them up.
“Thanks to the little drone invasion this morning Prime Minister Ronson is about to sign an emergency order that will give the Alliance authority to nationalize all privately owned starships.” She said, almost out of breath.
“That seems a little out of character. I thought he was a libertarian.” He observed.
“He’s a Solari. They’re all libertarians until you give them power. Then they become progressives who think they know how to micro-manage everyone.”
“Still, that can’t be what’s happening. The Outer Worlds would never stand for that, not to mention Omni.”
“Oh that’s the best part. OmniStellar is exempt.” She replied.
“You sure? That doesn’t sound fair.” He raised an eyebrow.
“You bet they are. They practically run the Outer Alliance anyway.”
At this he paused and considered her words before he asked a question.
“You haven’t been watching Joe Redd again have you?”
The inflammatory OmniNet personality was usually one of the first news outlets to break a story the establishment press would much rather sweep under the rug. Which was a good thing. Keeping the people informed of what the powers-that-be are trying to hide is the whole reason for having a free press. Unfortunately, Joe seldom bothered to verify his sources if the story fit his narrative. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, he tended to extrapolate his own elaborately paranoid theories from the little information he did have.
To his viewers, this made it seem like the second coming of Hastur was a only a week away at any given moment and the government was complicit in trying to bring about a second Crescent War.
“What? — No. — Okay, maybe a little.” Suvara confessed. “But that has nothing to do with this.”
“You know he only upsets you and most of the stuff he says is just hunches and theories. There’s already enough verifiable corruption to worry about. It does you no good getting upset about things that haven’t even been proven.”
“This isn’t a conspiracy theory! I heard about it from Paige!” Suvara snapped.
“Paige? The governor’s wife?”
She continued. “The emergency order is supposed to go into effect tomorrow night.”
“Oh boy.” At this he removed his Neon Phoenix Flag trucker cap and rubbed the skin where his gill fronds met his scalp.
Suvara continued. “Ronson’s expecting the planetary governors to help him put a positive spin on it, for the good of the alliance or whatever.”
“That’s going to go over well. It was President Baytor pulling that kind of unconstitutional crap that caused the outer planets to secede in the first place.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“We'll still, they can’t nationalize all the ships. If they took all the ships there would be food and supply shortages, people stranded. You can’t micromanage all that activity in a free society. The economy would grind to a halt. There would be rioting in the streets.” He concluded.
“Agreed. We already know Omni is exempt and it would not make sense to nationalize every ship.” Suvara added.
Tevera’s father thoughtfully stroked his mustache-like face tendrils as he thought out loud.
“Regardless of how good a spin the governors put on it the order is going to upset a lot of people. So they will probably use it sparingly and hope the rest of the Alliance doesn’t notice that some people’s rights a being trampled. Ronson is taking a huge risk here. So why is he taking it? What does he want? — This morning the Alliance was caught with its pants down. What few battle-ready ships they did have were busy guarding the Inner Belt and Jacinto. If it hadn’t been for OmniStellar the sky would still full of Union drones. — Ronson doesn’t want to be too dependent on the good will of Leon Omni. So he wants to build a second fleet for dealing with threats that get passed the inner planet blockade. — Which means the emergency order is probably written to give the government authority to seize ships that will be of use to them in a battle. That would be anything with sufficient maneuverability, acceleration and armor that you could put weapons on.” All three of his eyes widened.
Suvara arched one eyebrow and let the realization sink in.
“Sound like any ship we know?” She asked.
“Oh vreck.”
“See?”
“We need to get the Ackaru out of here.”
“I know.” She agreed.
“Tonight.”
“Well there’s our problem. This couldn’t have come at a worse possible time.”
“The Genkari representative is arriving tomorrow!” He remembered.
“That’s right. We have to be here to welcome her. This is a once in a generation opportunity. The USF is no more, the Union’s power is in decline and word is the Minkan Council of Houses[TERM] is considering renegotiating the treaty with the Outer Alliance. Think of it, after sixty years we will be able to export our tech and weapons. If we make a good impression we could be the Tassarra Genkari representatives here on Neon Phoenix. ”
Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. “We can’t leave, not now, even if it means we might lose the Ackaru.” Her tail swayed angrily. “Stupid Solari and their ridiculous civil war, they really are their own worst enemies. How did they ever beat us anyway?"
"CLANG!" Her tail knocked a hanging frying pan off its hook on the wall.
“Uh! Vengshalah[CURSE]!” She cursed in minkish and bent over to pick up the frying pan, giving him an adrenaline-rush inducing view down her white silk robe in the process. A blank, confused look covered her face as her blue cheeks flushed purple with embarrassment. "Uh, what were we talking about?"
"Stupid Solari and that war we had about sixty years back." He reminded her.
"Oh right. How did they ever beat us!?
"Hell if I know, maybe Solari were different back then." He suggested.
"And now their unworthy descendants are taking the Ackaru from us! It kills me to think of that priceless family heirloom being stolen and possibly destroyed in some petty, human pissing contest.”
“No you’re right. — We need to stay here and make a good impression on the Genkari but, — I don’t think we have to lose the Ackaru.”
“What are you suggesting?” She asked.
“Why not have Tevera take the ship to Kataqura tonight, before the governor can announce the order?”
Suvara groaned and rolled all three of her eyes.
“What? She’s at the proper age.” He persisted.
“But she’s so irresponsible. At her age I was already a ranger, fighting grackler space pirates and rescuing thralled miners from star-siren hives.”
“I remember.”
“She’s, — still a waitress. She’s barely gone to college. She takes no initiative and avoids responsibility like it’s a curse!”
“She’s stagnating because you micro-manage her.”
Suvara groaned again and rubbed her temples as a shudder vibrated through her tail. Mr. Suloqa continued to pitch his idea.
“She doesn’t take initiative because no matter what she does you always point out how it could have been done better.”
Suvara stopped rubbing her head and looked at her husband, her countenance softening slightly as he explained.
“And she avoids taking responsibility because she doesn’t feel like anything she does is her decision. — Those elaborate pranks she plays on customers who rub her the wrong way, — that’s her way of acting out.”
“If she’s so bored here then why doesn’t she just join The Rangers?” She asked.
“Because you keep telling her to. She has to make that decision on her own. —Let her take the Ackaru to Kataqura. It will be her ship someday, if the government doesn’t steal it, and maybe this simple little mission will help her develop a taste for initiative and responsibility.”
Mr. and Mrs. Suloqa stared at each other in silence just as Tevera walked in and instantly regretted it.
"Tevy! There she is.” Her Mother exclaimed.
Tevera lowered her pointy ears like a scared cat.
"I didn't do it!"
“I know you didn’t, that’s the problem. Why didn’t you come in to work today?”
“Well the Union attacked. The phones were out cause they were bombing and stuff. ”
“That's no excuse. You’re a minkan. Have some discipline. Besides, did you really think you’d be safer under a stucco roof than under five feet of ferranil and chryslin armor plates?”
“Uh.”
“Think Tevy. The humans sure did. The diner was packed with people looking for a safe place to eat lunch. We really could have used your help.”
“I’m sorry.”
"I’m not mad just disappointed. — Now Tevy, didn't you want to go visit Vingoi and Salvu on Kataqura?"
"Uh yeah, it’s been a while. What are we going on a family trip?"
"Oh no, Dad and I going to stay here. I was just thinking you might want to take the ship there for a while."
"What — You, you'd trust me with the F@nService?"
"Tevera it's only called the F@nService when it's being used as a diner. When it's being used as a ship you call it by it's proper name."
"Oh right, The Ackaru vahn Suloqa, named after and powered by the Oya of fire and new beginnings, guardian of our family." Tevera recited.
"That's right. It may be a diner now but never forget that Oya’s spirit is still in there.” Tevy’s mother thoughtfully stroked her chin. “You know, why don't you take your friend Astrid with you?”
“Astrid?”
“Yes, she’d probably enjoy a trip to the beach. Plus she's very responsible and she can manage the diner while you two are away."
“Wait, you want us to open the diner while we're away?”
“Possibly.”
“By ourselves? How long is this trip supposed to take?”
“Well that depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“On...wait, do you hear something?" Mother made a show of perking her ears up. Tevera mimicked her and listened before replying.
"What? I don't hea..."
Mother pinched Tevy's left boob and twisted.
"Ahhh! Mother of why!” Tevy screamed.
"I thought I heard a whistling sound. Are you sure you can't hear it?" Mother hinted through a cruel smirk.
Tevy blew a raspberry, trying to whistle through the pain. Eventually she managed to whistle and her mom let go.
“Gah! That hurts! Why do you have to play that horrible game?” Tevera said after jumping back five feet.
“I don’t know. Why do you have to provoke me with all that cleavage?” Mother pointed causing Tevera to look down and blush. “What? Are you trying to attract a husband already?”
“I learned it from watching you!” Tevera pointed back.
Mother shrugged and Father pretended not to be paying attention.
“Well you might want to wait until you get to Kataqura before you try to catch one. Sure human men are easier to please but they don’t live as long.”
Tevera gasped.
“That’s racist.”
“Racist schmacist. It’s a fact. Do you want your future husband, the love of your life to drop dead when you’re 90?”
“— No.” Tevera lowered her ears.[BOOKMARK]
“Well then, it’s all settled.” Mother slipped her hand into an oven mitt that doubled as a googly-eyed shark puppet. “Here’s whatcha gonna do.”
“Mom you don’t have to do the voice. I’m not a kid anymore.”
"Wah, wah, wah. — You know my other son was less of a whiner.”
"Mom! I'm a girl!" Tevy whined.
“Why are you yelling at me? I can’t control what Benchley says. He’s a wild animal.”
"Yeah!” The shark puppet said. “You wanna prove you’re a girl then act like it. Less whining, more packing."
Tevera grumbled under her breath.
“Then go grab your friend Astrid and fly the Ackaru to Kataqura, preferably before sunrise. — That last part is really important.”
“Why do I need to leave before sunrise?”
“Do you hear a whistling sound?” The shark puppet left its mouth agape as if waiting for laughter after delivering a bad joke.
Tevera rolled her eyes and whistled.
“I knew I heard something. — Just leave before sunrise. I have my reasons.”
Tevera turned to go to her room.
“Oh wait! One last thing. — While you’re there see if you can use that epic cleavage of yours to seduce yourself a husband.”
“Mom!”
“I hear the Velura’s boy’s been asking about you. He just turned seventeen.”
“Mom stop!”
“Don’t blame me. Blame the shark.”
“I can’t blame him! He’s a wild animal!”
Mother feigned seriousness, reverting to her normal voice. “He’s an oven mitt Tevy. Honestly, you’re acting like a child.”
Tevera screamed at the sky and stormed out of the kitchen. Mother chased her with the shark puppet, still doing the voice.
“The Velura family owns the ship foundries Tevy. It would be a good match! Your children would be gorgeous!”
Tevera slammed her bedroom door. Soon after the sound of Orgy’s “Opticon” came blasting from the room’s music player.
Suvara turned, a self-satisfied smirk on her face.
“Think she wants to join the rangers now Leho?” Suvara said, confident Tevera couldn’t hear her over the industrial metal.
"You're a mean lady Sex Muffin." Lehoka said.
"I know, but that's why you love me. Now meet me upstairs you little scamp. Some people done wrong and you're going to pay for it.”
She gave him bedroom eyes and an intentional flash of thigh as she lead him up the stairs.
“Sigh, it’s a living.” He said.
The Terranova’s Apartment, Arcadia, Neon Phoenix.
Astrid Terranova opened the front door of her darkened apartment, her OmniPhone pressed to her head.
“Don’t worry Mom we’re fine. — No the drones just hit some cell towers and radar stations. — Well Adam’s in the fire department. He probably isn’t answering his phone because he’s busy. — Well don’t worry, if something had happened to them I would have heard about it on my radio. Yes, EMS and fired department use the same channel. Okay, I’ll tell him to call as soon as I hear from him. — Goodnight, I love you too. — Awww, tell Dad I love him too. Goodnight.”
Astrid hung up and was plunged into darkness as her eyes adjusted to the lack of phone-light.
“Ugh, what a day.” She vented to herself. “We get attacked by drones and suddenly everybody forgets how to drive. — Well it’s all over now. Time to eat crepes and watch Sex / Murder.”
She flipped on the light switch behind the front door to reveal that the coat rack that had been hidden in shadow was actually a six foot plus blue alien.
“Hey Baby.” The alien greeted her.
“Wah!” Astrid screamed and threw her water bottle, hitting Tevera in her still sore left boob.
“Agh! Mother of why!”
“Oh, It’s just you.”
“You hit me in the boob!”
“Sorry Tevy, but in my defense it is a big target. — Why were you lurking in the dark like a creeper?”
“I wasn’t lurking.” Tevera insisted as she removed her distinctly minkan 3-lensed sunglasses from the glowing, ruby-colored eyes that would have announced her presence the instant Astrid walked in.
“You’re wearing sunglasses, at night. Why are you wearing sunglasses at night?” Astrid asked.
“So I can, so I can.” Tevera quoted Corey Hart song lyrics.
“Ohhh, good one.”
“Well I try.”
“Seems like a lot of work for an 80’s song reference.”
“Not really. I see just fine in the dark.”
“Right, minkan night-vision.” Astrid remembered.
“ Also I found them when I was packing for the beach.” Tevera shook the white-framed sunglasses.
“Oh, family flying to Paxica for another business trip?” Astrid asked.
“Nope, better. We, are going to Kataqura.”
“We are? — I love Kataqura!” Astrid’solive green eyes lit up.
“How soon can you have your bags packed?”
“Wait, I can’t go.” Her shoulders slumped. “My paramedic final is in two weeks.”
“You can always study there.” Tevera suggested.
“I… I could.” Astrid mused. “When are we coming back?”
“In less than — two weeks.” Tevera lowered her ears in a subtle gesture of uncertainty which Astrid did not pick up on. Astrid ran the trip through her head, searching for any potential hiccups.
“Wait, are your parents going to be okay without us helping out at the diner?”
“That’s just it. We’re taking the diner.” Tevera stuck out her chest proudly.
Astrid squinted, scared she might get hit in the eye by an ejected button.
“What?”
“It was their idea.”
“So, are your parents coming?”
“Nope, just us. — I think Mom’s starting to trust me.”
“That’s great Tevy. I’ll hop online and reserve us hotel in…”
“No need, we’ll be staying at my brother’s place.”
“Oh cool, that should save us some money.”
“I know right? So how soon can you be packed? If we hurry we can get to the diner before they close the kitchen. We can get some crepes and put Sex / Murder on the tv since my parents will be at home.” Tevera suggested.
“Tevy, you had me at crepes and Sex / Murder.”
“Woohoo!”
“Just one more thing I’d like to know.” Astrid lowered her voice and Tevera lowered her ears. “Can I ride on your back?” Astrid made puppy-dog eyes at her six foot seven friend.
“Again?”
“Just from the parking lot to the diner.”
Tevera groaned.
“What — I wanna be tall.”
“You’re killing me Smalls.” Tevera dropped a Sandlot quote.
“Woohoo!” Astrid threw up her arms in celebration.