1 On The Market

"You got the credits, we got the crystals," X says.

"Do you have limestone?" the customer asked.

"Limestone! Such a common earth rock!" X exclaimed. "Of course, here..."

"Hey X, how's the business going?"

"As good as Malex cheese!"

"Wait do you have Malex cheese?"

"Vix no! If I did I wouldn't be selling it I would be eating it!" X spoke loudly.

"Right, well if you get any in you know where to find me!" Vix said softly.

"Vix you have a customer," X said in a robot voice.

Vix ran down to his stall faster than the speed of light. As X was fixing their voice box a customer walked up.

"Hey X how are you doing?"

"What do you need Bias?" X sounded annoyed.

"I came to pay my tab," Bias announced.

"Really? You know you owe me about 12,000 credits right?" X questioned.

"Yeah, here let me transfer now," Bias said looking down at his credit watch. "There!"

"Bias this is 12 credits, not 12,000"

"Oh. So I thought you said my tab was 12 creds?"

"NO, IT'S TWELVE THOUSAND" X yelled.

"Closing up shop. You ready?" Vix called out.

"Yeah, just getting some supplies for my gears?" X said in a rapidly decreasing voice.

"You know you can get that fixed by someone else, like a doctor?" Vix said concerned.

"I...k...know..."

Once X got home they put all the parts down and got to work. You see X is a Robocatric they have a voice box and heart reflector instead of vocal cords and a heart. They have Robocatric doctors but X doesn't let anyone else touch them but X.

"There!" X explained, in their normal voice.

Finally, X had fixed their voice box and wouldn't sound like a dying Robocatric. X was a mechanic who runs a shop called "X marks the spot" It's cheesy but they made a promise to their brother.

"When we are older we need a shop."

"But I want to travel the galaxy and I can't do that with a business at home," X said.

"Listen, what if it's a shop that has things from around the galaxy, space orbs, meteorites, and exemix goo?"

"And I could go around the galaxy and get all the items!"

"Yes!"

"What would it be called?" X asked intrigued.

"X marks the spot!"

Well, X's brother went missing a few years ago. No one has heard or seen from him since. X has always kept their promises so X marks the spot it is.

"Welcome to Galgo's radio station where we give you all the information about Galgo," The radio host said, happily.

X listens to music or the radio while they work, after a while they got good at mechanics so instead of just a shop with things from around the galaxy, X can also fix any machine you bring into the store.

"Done, here you go," X said.

"How much." said the rude customer.

"50 credits," X responded, less interested.

"Fifty! My rent costs less than that."

"Well, it was ha-"

"I don't care, I will give you 10 credits"

"Ma'am this isn't a bargaining deal, 50 or leave it," X said annoyed

"15 creds"

"Ma'am"

"Is everything ok over here?" Vix asked.

"No, she is trying to bargain with me!" X said.

"She is asking me to pay 50 credits for this piece of rubbish."

"First, their pronouns are They/ Them and our marketplace has a strict no bargaining law check the front."

"Fine, I am leaving it," The angry customer said before she stormed out.

"Thank you, you are so much better with people than I am" Thanked X.

"Anything for my best friend," Vix said.

X hasn't smiled much since their brother when missing but meeting Vix and becoming friends always makes them smile.

"You still haven't sold the "piece of rubbish," Vix said mockingly

"No, no one seems to want it"

"That's a shame, I would buy it but my boyfriend said that we have too much of your stuff at home so I can't" Vix sadly said.

"It's ok, I will sell it eventually, or throw it into nowhere," X said sarcastically.

"Hey, can you take over my stall for a few minutes? I need to go grab something at the store?"

"Can you get me a double Yexbred soda?" Vix asked.

"You are still drinking that stuff!" X asked disgustedly.

"Hey, it is really good!" Vix said.

The store has odd hours since it is a family-owned business, but when it is open it smells like home, sweet and warm with a little bit of family drama.

"Hi Daro," X said happily.

"Vix asked for this?" Daro said also disgusted.

"Yep"

"I will put it on his tab"

"Thank you, see you later!" X said as they walked out the door.

X sells a lot of different things, metals, stones, crystals, and gems almost anything you might need to build. They also have little trinkets and welded and wooded animals and planets. When someone buys one they get a paint set 50% off because to be completely honest without color they look like piles of wood and metal.

"Do you like that?" Vix said to a customer.

"...yeah…" the customer said.

"Well it's 50 credits so, oh you don't have a credit watch. Well you can pay a diffe- oh you walked away…" Vix said sadly.

"Vix!" X said running toward the stall. "Who was that?"

"Just some customer, why?" Vix said, confused.

"I think that's my brother, Z" X yelled.

"What!?"

"What do you mean it's your brother?" Vix said in a frantic voice.

"Z went missing but that doesn't mean he is dead!" X said.

"Who are you calling?"

"The police"

"911 what is your emergency"

"My brother has been missing for 6 years, I think I just spotted him," X said scared

"Ok, are you 100% certain?"

"YES" Yelled X.

"Ok I am sending police bots to your location"

Relieved X replied "Thank you"

After the 911 call, X was quite happy, they finally found Z but that feeling didn't last very long. For in a few moments everything X has ever thought about the world around them would be forgotten.

*Bang* *Bang*

"What was that?!" Vix said scared.

Looking around X replied. "I don't know?"

"EVERYONE TAKE COVER" Yelled one of the other stall owners.

Everyone was under tables or behind the drapes of their stalls. Footsteps crept through the market. Every once in a while you would hear the footsteps turn around but no one dared to look up.

"What do you need boss we can he-"

"The cops are coming, grab anything that looks expensive or worth a lot of money." Said a confident deep voice.

Things from every stall were taken. Jewelry, stones, even the tables themselves. Everything happened so fast. No one made a noise. Scared for their life, X looked up to make sure they could see their brother.

"Hey, what are you doing!" Said one of the men.

"I just want to make sure my brother is ok?" X said scared.

"No one is hurt, your brother is fine, sit back down," the deep voice said.

X sat back down and tried to open their credit watch. See the credit watch only can exchange credits and get credits but X tinkered with it and was able to get it on the Interplanet. Where you can make calls, mail, and search things up.

I can't call 911 but maybe I can message them.

New 911 Message Line Connected

X Kaltec:

Hello?

911:

What's the emergency?

X Kaltec:

I called a while ago about my brother.

911:

Oh yes, for some reason the police bots went to the wrong location. They will be there in 10 minutes.

X Kaltec:

There is an armed robbery happening.

911:

How many robbers do you see?

X Kaltec:

A lot, Some are in the back others in the front, and more throughout the whole

911:

All police bots in the area have been notified and are going to your location now. Is anyone hurt?

X Kaltec:

No, but they know you guys are coming, so hurry.

911 Message Line Disconnected

There were a lot of sirens and lights. X turned off their hearing piece once the yelling got started. The police bots took statements and returned all of the stolen jewelry, stones, and drapes.

"Thank you fellow robot for messaging the 911 human to send us over. Search and rescue bots would not have been enough to take down these sons of *bleep*"

"Well, everything is over now so we can go home!" Vix said tiredly

Just as everyone was about to leave someone ran across the market. The police caught them and when X caught a glimpse of his face they realized who it was.

Running up to him "Z is that you?"

"Do you know him?" Said the police bot.

"He is my brother Z!" X said.

Years after years passed and X went to see Z every day but still, he wouldn't talk.

"I am sorry, he is quiet all the time. He never talks to any other prisoners or guards."

"Can I try one more time?" X said knowing this was the last time they were going to see him.

"Of course"

"Hey"

The only thing that came from Z was silence.

"Look I am moving to Linnes in two days, I won't be able to visit you anymore"

"..."

"Can you tell me one thing, where were you? For years you were gone, why did you go to the market and scope out the place? Tell me please! How could you who couldn't hurt a Gaberis, be with the same people who robbed a-my market place!" X said annoyed.

"They made me…"

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