Despite the late hour, the streets of Akkona were teeming with all sorts of creatures. A young girl was making her way through the crowd. A human. She looked about fifteen. Dark hair and eyes, dressed in loose pants and a long-sleeved blouse, she was almost inconspicuous. Almost, because it was impossible to miss the annihilator attached to her belt. The more astute recognized the girl as the daughter of the famous bounty hunter, Ayn Resymta. She kept checking her watch, as if she was in a hurry. No one stopped her.
"Damn it! I'll be late. By the way, I wonder why I have to go to the airport."
"Watch your step!" Ayn's thoughts were interrupted by a powerful Wasaka.
"Sorry... There's an airport. Finally." The girl ran off, leaving Wasaka behind a surprised expression on her face. When she finally pushed her way to the point where the ferry and its passengers could be seen, the doors opened. Bored, she watched the beings disembarking onto Earth. She didn't understand those who willingly came to Earth. Personally, she treated this planet solely as a base of operations. She liked her father more than just his appearance. Suddenly, a man standing in the hatch caught her attention. The boy was blond, about her age. Ayn smiled to herself. A new student was about to join her class. She shook her head, vowing to ask her father where he had obtained such informants as soon as she got home. Meanwhile, the boy approached a short, dark-skinned man wearing a yellow jumpsuit covered in grease. The girl groaned—"Now I know where my father got such precise information"—(the man, Rikkohi, was her father's partner), she thought, and banged her head against something behind her. It was supposed to be a wall. Unfortunately, it was much softer, and what could she hide—it was alive. Ayn turned abruptly and began to apologize to the unfortunate man. She looked at his face and stopped mid-sentence.
"Are you stunned by the Resymty? Or maybe you don't recognize old Dakin?" hissed a creature that looked very much like a lizard. Only much larger and much more dangerous. And hating everyone from the Resymty clan. The girl tried to talk – she didn't want a shooting at the airport. And she didn't want to die.
"Uh, I really didn't!!! I thought there was a wall there.
" "And your father thought my eye was a target?"
"You still have two, er, I mean, I meant to say that if you have any complaints, please report them to him." Ayn's eyes roamed the crowd of creatures at the airport, searching for the distinctive yellow jumpsuit.
"But it landed on you. I'll take revenge on the Resymtychs by killing you too." Dakin burst out in cold laughter. The girl took a step back. The Lizard extended a razor-sharp claw towards the man. Various thoughts flashed through the girl's mind. "If I use the annihilator now, innocents will die too. I don't stand a chance in hand-to-hand combat, and if I start running, he'll catch up to me anyway... Hey, there he comes...
" "RIKKOHI!" she screamed at the top of her lungs and immediately fell to the ground. The Lizard's claw ripped through the air above her head, doing no damage. The man he had called turned and quickly assessed the situation. He drew his blaster and fired a single shot. It hit Dakin's right eye, effectively destroying it. The Lizard fled with a scream, scattering the terrified crowd. Rikkohi ran to the black figure lying on the ground.
"Little one, are you okay?" he asked, fear in his voice. The girl stood up and quickly checked her clothes and hair. After a cursory inspection, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, no, but I asked you not to call me Little!
" "It's just a matter of getting used to it. Oh well, I saved your life again. What would you do without me?
" "I would have called someone else for help. Thanks.
" "You're welcome." Rikkohi grinned in a killer smile. "Meet my godson. This is Toke Jai. From Station 13 on Mars. And this is Ayn Resymty. From Tajkani." The boy was dumbfounded. The girl noticed and smiled at him. Extending her hand, she said,
"Welcome to the planet of our ancestors. Earth..."
The boy smiled back and shook Ayn's hand. Rikkohi rubbed his hands together in satisfaction.
"Well, now that the introductions are over, I guess we can go. "
"Go yourselves. I have something else to take care of.
" "Take care, Ayn. Bye!"
"See you tomorrow!" "The girl replied and hurried away. The others moved slowly towards the exit. Only after a moment did Toke speak up.
"Is she really from Tajkani?
" "Do you know what the Resymty are currently involved in?
" "Yes. They're bounty hunters, they deal in smuggling, and...
" "Okay, enough. And don't forget that I work with them. And what do you know about Tajkani?
" "A planet of smugglers and other outlaws."
Rikkohi sighed.
"You're generalizing. Charlie – Ayn's father has a small island there, reminiscent of tropical ones. Sure, he's a bounty hunter, but he's not a psychopathic killer. Don't worry. I know most people from Mars are overly sensitive about the Thai, but you shouldn't believe those rumors. I spend some time there too. And I'm a decent person. In theory." They went out into the street and hailed a taxi. Soon they were at Rikkohi's apartment. Toke, already lying in bed, recalled the events of the last few days. The days that forced him to live with a little-known uncle on Earth...
Ayn quickly got out of the airport and found her phone. She dialed the number of her classmate, Vanessa. She answered the teenager.
"Hey, Ayn. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything. The Great Geographical Discoveries are a difficult subject. It happened at least a thousand years ago, and nothing from that era has survived today.
" "Too bad." Thanks for the help. There won't be a report.
"You know the new one's supposed to be here tomorrow?
" "Already?
" "Yeah. I wonder what it'll be like...
" "I wonder. I have to go." Bye." And without waiting for a reply, she hung up. She leaned against the cabin wall. She didn't want to go home, but decided she had to. She sighed and left the cabin. She headed home. She arrived fifteen minutes later. She called out to her father from the doorway. Silence answered. She slowly made her way to her room. As she expected, a note was attached to the door. She struggled to read her father's scribbles. "I'll be back late tonight. Eat something and go to sleep. Just don't stay up until morning. Dad." She dragged herself to the kitchen, ate some fruit, and went to bed. The day had been long and tiring.
***
"Mom, I have to go outside the station to get some mushrooms for class.
" "Okay, just put on your suit, grab your blaster, and be careful. Come back in three hours.
" "Okay! Bye."
"Hi, son..." Mom looked after her quickly retreating son. He quickly checked his suit and headed for the exit.
Toke stopped a kilometer from the station. It looked magnificent, glowing with its many lights. He looked up at the sky and spotted Earth. He smiled. "I'll fly there someday. There and beyond," he decided. And he moved on, toward a group of rocks. Between them was the entrance to an underground cave. Soon he slipped into the dark entrance. He began a long and arduous journey in search of small mushrooms. After a long search, he found them. When he finally emerged from the cave, almost three hours had passed. Nervously, he practically ran toward the base. Suddenly, he stopped dead when he realized there were no lights visible from the station. He ran. As he got closer, he noticed that the shield protecting the station and keeping the air inside was gone. Filled with foreboding, he began to search the ruins. He saw many corpses, but he paid them no attention. He searched for this one. Finally, he found it: his mother's body. He knelt beside it and, taking it in his arms, began to cry. He didn't know how long he sat there. A long time, anyway. Until he ran out of tears. He stood abruptly and looked up at the sky. He knew who was causing this destruction. The Kaasaaw. A race interested only in destruction. Their music was the screams of tortured victims, and their art… He didn't want to think about it, but here were the Kaasaaw. The fact that nothing was missing reinforced his belief. Not here, not anywhere else. He looked around the remains of the apartment. He grabbed some of his belongings, food, and his mother's laptop. He looked at the motionless body. He closed her eyes, then covered it with a pile of rubble. He didn't have time for a better burial. He left the city. From a distance, he surveyed it again. The essence of destruction. He slammed his hand against a nearby rock and swore revenge on all Kaasaaw. He ran toward a nearby hangar, where a small, old-style fighter was hidden. He had found it once and told no one about it. Now, using the instructions on his laptop, he started it up and took off. Not far from the planet, he found a shuttle. Toke promised to give him a fighter jet in exchange for bringing it to Earth. A name was written on the laptop. With an address. "Rikkohi, Akkona, Earth." His godfather. He vaguely remembered him, but he was the only one left…
Now Toke lay on his bed and wondered what would happen at school tomorrow…
***
"Dear children. A new student will be joining us today. I want you to be nice to him." The teacher walked out the door. The classroom began to whisper frantically. The girl at the back yawned widely. She didn't talk because she had no one to talk to. Besides, she didn't feel like it. The door opened. The whispers stopped. The teacher and a blond-haired boy stood in the doorway.
"This is Toke Jai. From today on, he'll be attending this school with us. Toke, sit down in an empty seat and get ready for class. You'll get to know the class during the break." A few people giggled. Toke looked around. "Well, there really are plenty of seats to choose from. There's only one empty. That's what they were laughing at," it dawned on him. He slowly moved toward the last desk. "That girl... That's the one from the airport! Ayn Resymty!" The boy had another flash of insight. He reached the desk and sat down. The girl only just now looked up from the desk.
"Hi, Ayn!
" Toke... Welcome to your worst nightmare...
" "That bad?
" "Worse than bad... I want to go home!!!
" "Last desk! No talking! Okay, now let's talk about the Hataru arrangement. Who can remind us of the news from last lesson? Maybe Miss Resymty?" The questioning lasted about fifteen minutes. Ayn answered all the questions. The teacher, reluctantly, gave her the highest grade. The girl sat down with a sigh of relief.
"How do you know so much?
" "My father made my pocket money dependent on knowledge of cosmography and other such things..."
The day went on as usual. Almost. Instead of standing alone during breaks, Ayn talked to Toke. After classes, they went to her house. Just as the girl had said, Rikkohi was staying with them.
"Hi, Uncle. You didn't give me the keys.
" "Oh, yes. I forgot. Toke, this is Ayn's father, Charlie Resymty. This is my godson, Toke Jai. " "
Nice to meet you, Toke.
" "Me too, sir.
" "Call me Charlie. No objections, understood?"
Toke nodded. Then Ayn entered the room. Before she could open her mouth, her father announced,
"I'm not transferring you to another school. We won't be returning to Tajkania either. Not anytime soon.
" "Dad...
" "No."
"Maybe you'll think about it some more?
" "I said no, and I won't repeat myself.
" "But..."
Rikkohi interrupted the argument.
"We have great news for you!
" "You?" Ayn was a bit skeptical.
"Yes, for YOU," Rikkohi continued happily. Or rather, he wanted to, because Charlie interrupted him.
"We've signed you up for a fighter pilot course!
" "Really?! Great!!! Since when?" Toke was very enthusiastic.
"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!! For what?!?! Dad, not that!!! I'll be good and not mention home. Just don't do this to me!!!!! Dad! Please!!!!!!!!!!!" Ayn was quite the opposite.
"Starting today. And as for you, Ayn, you have no choice. You might have to escape from some planet someday... You just have to have some understanding of piloting." If you make a scene or deliberately fail exercises, you'll lose your allowance.
"Dad..." Ayn whispered, despair in her voice.
"Don't worry, you'll manage. You're capable.
" "Eh. I remind you that the first class is about to start. So, shall we go now?" Rikkohi called from the door. Everyone headed for the course. The older men acted as spectators, Toke all gleeful, and Ayn with a condemned expression…
***
The days passed similarly. From September to November. Nothing had changed at school: Ayn and Toke were outsiders. Ayn because she didn't like her class, and Toke because he had his own secrets. They finished the pilot course – Toke with the highest score, Ayn a little less so. On November 14th, these two demonstrated incredible intelligence…
*** "
It's my birthday tomorrow! I wonder what Dad will buy me!
" "Wait a minute… It's my birthday tomorrow!
" "You're rocking! " "No!" "
Yes! " "No! " "Let's compromise! We have the same birthday! " "Agreed! Uh, uncle, why are you lying on the floor?" "I can admire your intelligence better from here," Rikkohi replied, choking on laughter. "I told you Earth's air is harmful." Ayn looked worriedly at the man lying on the ground. "For whom!" He replied cheerfully, rising from the ground. "Kid, come home. Tomorrow's your big day! " "Why don't I like it when you say 'yours'? " "Because I know... See you tomorrow! " "Bye! " The girl quickly blended into the multiracial crowd of the largest spaceport on Earth. Her former companions went to their apartment, ate something, and, exhausted , immediately fell asleep. Ayn, upon reaching home, did the same. *** "Ayn get upa ... Rikkohi and Toke will be at breakfast at seven! If you don't get up, you won't get your present!!! *WHACK* Terrified, Charlie ran upstairs. In the doorway to his daughter's room, he staggered, hit by a pillow. "Nasty blackmail!" The girl was just getting up from the floor. She brazenly closed the door in her father's face. "And the pillow? " Ayn opened the door, grabbed the pillow, and closed it again. The man sighed and headed for the kitchen. When the girl finally came downstairs, the guests were already there. "Hi everyone! Dad! Your present! " "You'll get it later." After breakfast, everyone headed to the airport. Although the youngsters were consumed with curiosity, none of them said a word. They didn't want to be reminded that they should be going to class. At the airport, they approached a small, silver shuttle with perfectly streamlined shapes. Toke stared at it like a calf at a painted gate. Ayn, though she didn't know as much about ships as her friend, was also delighted. Rikkohi leaned casually against the gleaming hull.
so," he began, "Charlie and I have received a great offer. However, it will take us about a month to fulfill it. You will spend that month in a safe place, in case someone goes crazy again and tries to kill you. So we decided..."
Ayn's father couldn't take it anymore. He put his hand over his friend's mouth and said,
"You'll spend the next month on Tajkani. If you get there in your shared ship.
" "Dad!!! You're wonderful!!! Great!!! Thank you!!! A month on Tajkani!!!" the girl screamed and ran to the ship. Toke was already there.
Rikkohi smiled and said,
"She's more excited about a month on Tajkani than about the ship."
Charlie didn't answer. He stuck his head into the ship's hatch and shouted to the young people,
"Go pack your bags! Meeting point in an hour!
" ***
"Toke, you're the pilot.
" "Of course. Do you think I'd let you in?
" "Let's just leave it at that."
They were both sitting in the shuttle's control room. After saying goodbye to their family, they were ready for takeoff. Having completed all the procedures, they took off. Leaving Earth's atmosphere, they began to examine the ship's interior more closely. It was just as impressive as the exterior. Suddenly, the girl cursed. Toke, surprised, turned to her .
"What's going on?
" "Daddy put a password on the laser cannons. I won't shoot at the asteroids!" Ayn looked as if she were about to cry. The boy laughed.
"What are you talking about?!
"Nothing.
" "Well! That's good!"
With conversations like these, the flight passed quickly. They were almost at their destination when they crashed into the asteroid belt.
"Now I understand what you were talking about with those cannons.
" "So don't reason, just watch where the hell you're going!
" "Huh? It's over?
" "Shouldn't... What is it?
" "It's... a Kaasaaw ship.
" "WHAT?!?!?!?!!
" "Take a good look at it...
" "Indeed..."
Ayn, as if scalded, jumped toward the communicator. She quickly punched in the appropriate code and connected with the Tajkani control tower.
"This is Ayn Resymty. We have a problem.
" "What?" the operator replied.
"A Kaasaaw ship in the middle of the asteroid belt.
" "*beep* Where are you?"
The girl glanced at the indicators. She found the information she needed.
"In Sector 12. The moon is blocking us from the planet...
" "Go to the planet! We'll surprise those bastards !
" "But...
" "No buts. You're not in the battle! Over the line. "
Ayn sighed, turning to her companion.
"Toke, we're leaving.
" "No.
" "Why?
" "Do you know why I had to live on Earth?"
"No."
"So listen," Toke recounted the events of the previous few months. When he finished, Ayn wordlessly turned to the turret control console. She typed something on the keyboard. She snorted and uncovered the monitor. A message flashed on it: "Ayn, that's the correct password. Turrets ready to fire."
"My father is so predictable... Hey, look!"
A fleet of Taikan soldiers was approaching the Kaasaaw ships. A fierce battle began. Blasts of blinding light made it impossible to see. As the tide of victory began to turn in their favor, the two friends joined the fight. Toke at the controls, Ayn at the turrets. The small ship slipped by unnoticed. Until it was too late. They struck the mothership. At its most vulnerable point. The turrets were more powerful than they expected. The enormous ship shattered into flaming pieces.
"Revenge is complete... No wonder Dad created that slogan. What power!
" "Resymty? This is the control tower. Thanks for the help! And be glad, lucky charmer, I won't mention anything to your father.
" "About what?" the girl asked innocently.
"About disobeying orders..." and anyway, never mind.
"I'm going to the island.
" "No problem.
" ***
This battle echoed throughout the galaxy. And everyone knew about Ayn and Toke's feat. A month of vacation turned into two. Just in case. After returning to Earth, Ayn went back to the school she hated.
She heard surprised and terrified voices in the hallway, but she didn't care. Her planet had survived. And that was all that mattered. During her first lesson, she handed in Toke's sick note (he'd been poisoned by something). As she walked to her desk, a frightened Vanessa whispered,
"Who are you anyway?"
Ayn replied just as quietly,
"Meh? I'm the daughter of a bounty hunter!
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