Twin Stars 1: Ascension Read Free Page B

them, and Ping An slowed down slightly to let them see her while the other two dashed ahead. Then, when she was sure they were onto her, she ducked into a side alley and away, with them in pursuit.
    "Thanks, Ping An!" Leederman’s link echoed in her head. "You’re a life saver!"
    "Don’t thank me yet, numbnuts." She sent back. "I’m still going to tell Camus about this later!"
    That’s when she saw the buzzing security bots overhead, and suddenly she wasn’t so sure she’d be able to tell Camus about anything after all.
    * * *
    And what do you say?”
    Both men bowed deeply to the shopkeeper and his wife.
    “We’re sorry for the trouble we’ve caused.” They said in unison.
    The aging shopkeeper’s wife looked down at the two men in contempt, pulling back to hit them with the stick she carried, but her husband held her in check. He looked at Tysen, and Tysen nodded.
    “You men will each receive a reprimand in your records, and the cost of the window you have broken will be deducted from your pay. Is this understood?”
    Both agreed that they did, although Tysen could detect that the larger of the two was barely holding his tongue- likely a comment about the idea that there was any pay to deduct.
    Tysen had found the two drunken crewmen from his ship threatening the owner of a local convenience store and arguing with his wife, having already broken a window as an intimidating gesture. Tysen’s appearance had put a quick end to the argument, and brought about the current resolution. Drunk as they were, neither had any illusions that Tysen would spare them the harsh punishments of Imperial military law if they fought back.
    After sending the two crewmen on their way, Tysen apologized again to the shopkeeper, whose wife had already stormed off, and then looked up at the dome far above. The lighting system was showing signs of growing dimmer, a convenience to the many planet born inhabitants of the station to help them adjust to station time. A side effect of this was that it made the space beyond the clear dome easier to see, and if he squinted Tysen could just make out the fuzzy image of the Crystal Leaf among the other ships attached to the docking ring.
    For a moment, Tysen considered returning to the peace of the ship, but he quickly dispelled the thought. He had to keep an eye on the crew here, and also he’d promised Kip to join him later for some “fun”.
    He didn’t like parties- they were pointless affairs, and he was poor at small talk. However, after his recent talk with Kip he recognized that with the growing tensions aboard ship, making himself seem more companionable to the crew might bring some benefits. Besides, he honestly liked Kip, and enjoyed the man’s company. They had served as junior officers aboard the Crystal Leaf for over an Imperial Standard Year now, and Kip was one of the few people aboard who he felt a kinship with, despite the differences in background. They had worked hard together, and formed a bond he didn’t take lightly.
    With this in mind, Tysen pulled his mask back on, turned, and began walking towards the area where he’d last left his fellow lieutenant. He didn’t plan to make his way there directly, but to slowly work his way back, checking in on more crewmen- just in case. He had a little AR window up on the edge of his vision that showed him the locations of all the crew members in the area.
    Making his way down the road, Tysen found himself at the entrance to a park, and he began to follow the winding stone path. Even at this time of day, the park was still filled with children and parents, enjoying the shows of a few buskers and eating the sweets sold at stands scattered throughout the park. A type of sweet rainbow ice seemed to be the treat of choice, and Tysen even briefly considered buying one before pushing such a childish thought away. He was in civilian clothes, but it would still seem too unbecoming to be seen by someone eating such a thing.
    At last the