EVERYTHING HAS A PRICE

The sun blazed overhead, humidity thickening the air to the point Milo thought breathing felt more like swallowing warm soup. Red dust whipped around in the stale wind as he trudged along behind Tereine and Albany. Tereine stretched and sighed. Though this planet wasn't her home world, it must have reminded her of the climate back home, for she basked in the sunshine and didn't even break a sweat from the humidity. Albany kept swiping at the same strand of blonde hair that stuck to her sweaty forehead.

"So hot," she huffed. "Hopefully, this doesn't take too long."

"Oi, this is prefect weather! I don't mind staying here a bit. What do you think, Milo?"

Being a chubby guy, Milo's sweat stained his armpits, chest, waist, and several other unpleasant spots. The dust kept getting in his mouth, reminding him of something between sand and chalk. He coughed and spluttered, a bead of sweat running down his face.

"I'm with Albany on this one. Why couldn't we transport straight into the city?"

"That raises suspicion, aye. Especially with a load like this…"

She motioned to the giant robot behind them, floating along on a steel pallet that Tereine pulled with a cable. Despite its face being torn in half, he couldn't help but fear that the bot would suddenly revive itself and attack. One attachment, the stun rod, still hung from the bot's limp wrist. His lower back muscles twitched as he remembered the full-blown shock he'd suffered only a couple of days ago.

"Don't you think having a full-ass robot is going to raise suspicion?"

Tereine waved her hand. "Coalwatch is a pretty 'don't ask, don't tell' kind of place. They just don't appreciate people transporting in and out the city all willy-nilly. Aye, makes some of the shop-keeps nervous."

Albany looked back at Milo. "Are you thirsty? I brought drink capsules. They're not the tastiest, but the hydration is superior!"

Milo took one of the blister-shaped capsules in his palm. "Thank you." He bit into the capsule and a wave of lukewarm fluid moistened his parched tongue and throat. Not much better than filtered tap water that had been sitting out for a bit, but at least it chased away the fledgling headache in his temples.

Tereine pointed ahead. "Aye, we're closing in! Shouldn't be much longer, now!"

An enormous mountain loomed on the horizon, colored the same dusty red as everything else. Milo squinted and could make out the faint outlines of bustling city life. Hundreds of wooden, two-story buildings clustered at the base of the mountain, dozens upon dozens of bodies shuffling around. A wire fence encircled the entire city, the one entrance slowly appearing in the distance.

A pair of guard towers waited for them at the entrance, manned by four guards armed with blades, rifles, and thick leather armor.

"Oi, Milo," Tereine said. "Don't mention you're from Earth. As I understand it, there are some unsavory folk who like to own Earthbound humans as slaves. Or worse."

"W-what could be worse than slavery?!"

"Being someone's snack?" Albany added cheerfully.

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"Aye, just keep it shut on that front. There are enough humans out in the universe that you shouldn't have to worry. Just stick close to us and you should be fine."

They approached the guard post, and the four guards on duty regarded them no differently than any other band of travelers. The biggest one, a lizard woman with yellow-red scales, approached them.

"Greetings, travelers," she said. "What brings you to the merchant city of Coalwatch?"

"Aye, we're here to sell this scrap heap." Tereine jabbed her thumb in the robot's direction.

The woman's tongue flicked out and tasted the air. She prowled around the perimeter of the robot, her tongue flicking out periodically as she inspected the load. After she'd made a full round, she turned and faced Milo. He dropped his gaze, but the lizard woman titled her head, her tongue probing the surrounding air. Tereine and Albany traded a glance.

"Aye, is something wrong?"

The woman approached Milo and took his chin in one of her hands, gently lifting his face up so their eyes met. She blinked slowly, the dual eyelids squelching as they shuttered open and close. Her tongue flicked out and smacked Milo on the cheek, tasting him and his sweat. A faint stench of decay radiated from her mouth.

"How much?" she said.

"Huh?"

The woman's hand fell from his face and trailed down to his chest, a thunderous pulse roaring inside of him. The back of his arms tingled as the lizard woman grinned and traced circles into his pecs.

"I would like to purchase this one. I haven't had a good toy in a while…"

Milo's eyes widened, his jaw dropping.

Tereine waved her hand in front of her face. "He's not for sale. I'm afraid our boss would kill us if he got sold."

The lizard woman skimmed his chest and belly with the tips of her thick, black nails. Without breaking eye-contact, she slowly pulled away.

"What a pity. You smelled like fun." She pivoted on her heel and returned to her post. "You're free to go. Enjoy your stay."

Tereine hooked a hand onto Milo's elbow and pulled him along through the fence gates.

As they passed through, a burning sensation spread along the back of Milo's neck. He dared a glance over his shoulder and met the gaze of the lizard woman. She gave him a little wave, the corners of her mouth ticking upward. Goosebumps ran up and down Milo's calves.

(What kind of city is this?)

***

The wide streets of Coalwatch were lined with merchants of all varieties. Milo lost count of how many stalls they passed, each with their own unique items to sell. Clothes, fresh vegetables, animals, furniture, even scantily clad people…it seemed nothing was off-limits here.

They winded through several streets, Tereine and Albany combing through each shop, trying to find a blacksmith or someone else who would be interested in a giant, defunct robot.

"We've come here before," Tereine said. "But it's usually the captain who goes out and sells. That was before, though."

"Before?"

"You know," and Tereine made a chopping motion on her arms. "No one messed with her back then. It's hard to mess with someone as powerful as her."

"Is she really that powerful?"

"Aye. Her people are some of the most feared in the universe. They answer to no one, not even the Federation. Most folk tremble in their boots at the mention of the Federation, but the captain sees them as a nuisance."

Albany shrugged. "If it wasn't for the Federation, my people would've gone extinct a while ago. They're not angels, that's for sure. But you don't want to cross anyone from Lucianna's people. They're a whole other level. Same with Scrapsters. Rivra can be terrifying, but there are men from her race who'd make her look like a saint."

"Aye, I'd agree with that."

Milo hoped and prayed he never had to meet any other Scrapsters. Getting to know Rivra was stressful enough, and he didn't know if he wanted to meet any others, especially if they were prone to cannibalism. Milo's hand unconsciously slid to his throat.

Albany placed a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, but there aren't any here! Scrapsters stick around their own. Up to the last few centuries, they were a barbarian race that kept to themselves. All the bots are bought directly from the planet Scrapstar. No way we'd run into one here!"

His shoulders dropped. "Well, that's good, at least."

Tereine pointed at a trail of black smoke in the sky, and they navigated the near-identical streets of Coalwatch until they ended up in the heart of town. There were fewer stalls here, but the quality of the wares jumped drastically; shiny armor, high-grade weapons, raw ores, and several food stands formed a giant circle in the town square. Travelers and residents alike gathered in the very center, where live music mingled with the rhythm of the bustling town. A myriad of savory scents tickled Milo's nose, making his mouth water.

"Come on, this way," Tereine said.

They trudged along to the opposite side of the town square, and, tucked behind two stalls, a small building stood all by itself. Though it looked like all the other buildings: wood and steel architecture, two stories high, except this house had a chimney that pumped out black smoke. Soot and char danced in the air, and as they drew closer, the clanging of metal rang out in a steady, percussive rhythm.

They stopped at the threshold, and Tereine walked toward the front door. A bell dinged as she entered the shop, and after a few moments, she returned with the blacksmith in tow. A stocky man nearly half of Milo's height, he grunted as he waddled toward the floating pallet. Covered in soot and sweat, he removed his goggles, a clear outline having formed around his eyes.

"Hmph. This looks like Scrapster work."

"Aye, it is."

The blacksmith turned to Tereine. "Afraid I can't give you anything for it."

Tereine's brow knitted together. "Oh? And why not?"

"It's not that I don't want it. The Scrapsters use some fine material. I could get some outstanding pieces out of this bot. The problem is, there's another shop in town. Newer. They came through and told everyone that deals with metals that people who bring in Scrapster material need to go to them. They pay a fair price, from what I understand, and they give me a discount on stuff they don't want. Otherwise, I'm afraid I can't help you." He pointed off into a far corner of town. "They're over yonder, if you'd like to take a gander. Good day."

The little blacksmith waddled back into his shop, and within moments, the rhythmic clanging of metal resumed.

Tereine sighed. "I really don't like the sound of this."

Milo crossed his arms. "Why not?"

"Coalwatch is supposed to be a free market. Anyone can sell anything. Anyone can buy anything, if they have the money and have a use for it. So there being a new shop that's telling others what to do…"

"I guess. But we need to sell the bot, right? What other choice do we have?"

"Aye, you're right."

Albany fiddled with the horn on her head. "I have a bad feeling about this."

***

They followed the directions from the blacksmith, and the further they drew from the center of town, the narrower the streets became. Serpents slithered along the foundations of houses, and large bugs buzzed through the air. A sickly sweet decay hung in the air like a separate layer of humidity pressing down on them.

(There were some neighborhoods back in Sheriffsburg like this…)

Eventually, they reached a small clearing, where a ramshackle hut stood at the edge of the fence encircling Coalwatch. Despite the thrown-together look of the place, there was a striking similarity in the patchwork design between the hut and the robot. Milo gulped.

(I'm thinking Albany's feeling was right…)

As they approached, the front door opened, and out of the large hut emerged a hulking man, though Milo thought a walking, talking muscle was more appropriate. His dark green skin glistened with sweat, his muscles popping with each step. He ran a meat hook of a hand through his great black beard. His beady black eyes settled on the travelers before him, and he smiled.

"Welcome, friends!" He clapped his hands together, sounding like a shotgun blast. "Welcome to Krol's shop! How may I help—"

His eyes fell on the robot scraps behind them. He drew himself to his full height, his smile shrinking into a polite grin.

"Ah, I see you have one of our…newer models."

He crossed his great, muscular arms, the veins in his biceps bulging like snakes.

"Might I ask where you got this from? Or shall I beat it out of you?"