Alzigo shook his head. “Most of what I have requires a specialized Path to use, or has severe level requirements, however …” He contemplated for a moment then held up his arm, showing her a small plate. “This is a tactical dart launcher. It’s been a while since I had to use it and there’s little point of having one inside of a space station, so I’d be willing to sell it for a thousand.”

“What does it do?” Nori asked, frowning as she scrutinized the unassuming metal plate.

“Observe.” The Exhar produced a piece of metal, seemingly from the air. He threw it high and pointed his arm at it. A small dart shimmered into existence above the launcher’s pad and shot into the air. It curved in its flight and hit the target before it started to fall. There was a loud detonation and the target disintegrated into dust.

“Alright, that’s pretty cool,” Nori admitted. “How many darts can it carry?”

“It doesn’t,” the alien answered. “It generates a dart every hour and can hold up to four. Not as dependable as a proper disruptor, but quite effective. The best thing about it is that it scales with the wielder’s level.”

“I’ll take it,” Nori said and handed him another thousand piTec.

The alien peeled the plate off his arm and slapped it on the woman’s outstretched one. Nori felt a slight pressure as the plate curved to fit her slender arm and her vision blurred for a moment. Once it cleared, she saw she had a small crosshair in the center of her vision.

“You can make the crosshair appear or disappear at will,” Alzigo said. “All you need to do is to lock onto your target and command the device to shoot. Quite easy.”

“Thanks,” Nori said.

“You’re quite welcome. Now that our dealings are concluded, please allow me to deliver the crate to your shuttle. If you will follow me …”

They followed the alien back through the main docking tube and entered the docking hangar. Alzigo was too tall to comfortably enter their shuttle, so he passed the crate to Bulco who held it without apparent difficulty.

“It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I look forward to your return.”

“Err … thanks.” Nori said lamely. She was definitely not the Expert.

Everyone strapped back into their places, and Nori started the launch sequence. The shuttle lifted off gently and exited the station through the giant space door.

The blue and brown orb looked peaceful through the monitors, unperturbed by the events that took such a high toll on the creatures that call it home.

The Navigator’s fingers blurred across her console. “Next stop - Earth.”

8 - Sheltered Existence

The streets of the city appeared below as the small shuttle broke through the clouds.

“So what’s our game plan?” Bulco asked.