words.
"You spent a lot of time talking to that boy down there. What did you talk about?"
"You... re... going.... to... let.... me die."
"Nonsense. Look this is important. I'm sorry I have to ask you..."
"No." Ricio tires to yell, but then freezes, his teeth gritting with pain. A moment later his eyes gently close and his face relaxes as he slowly starts passing out.
"Son! You're a Bret. Be strong! Awake..." But the Governor is interrupted as the lady doctor rushes into the room.
"Governor! I can't allow this. His blood pressure is spiking. What are you trying to do, kill your son?"
"Doctor! Don't make me remove you from the room by force. Your orders were to say out."
"Unless his vitals went off the charts, which they did!"
"Do you not understand who I am? I am ordering you to leave the room now!"
"I know exactly who you are, but you seem to have forgotten." Turning to the closed door. "Security, open doors, initiate recorders!" The doctor yells and the doors open and stay open.
"You have no authority..." The Governor counters ostentatiously but gets cut off.
"In my hospital, I have all the authority! Ask your board of governors."
Brandberd Bret backs off a bit, his disdain painted on his face and clear even under his beard.
"You don't understand what's at stake here..."
"No." She cuts him off again. "You're the one who doesn't understand. I told you, your son has a ripped artery. He can't speak or move without causing it harm. You forced me to wake him against my better judgment, and now you agitated him making things worse. I had to put him back under, and he will stay that way until it is safe for him to awaken. If you have a problem with that, take it up with the board."
Brandberd puffs up like a toad and rushes out of the room. The lady doctor releases a sigh of relief and looks over Ricio, now back asleep. She takes a deep breath and clears it slowly, gently exhaling her agitation and frustration.
Mirceu and Mykee walk into the junkyard followed by Andee a few steps behind. On the right, the tall wall of the large farming supply comes to an end opening up the view to the west, with the huge mountain mesas and Crags in the distance, past the edge of the natural stone terrace. On the left, the side wall of the other shop ends. Its back wall extends all the way into the ten meter stone cliff which is again exposed. Shoved lengthwise into the stone cliff is a large tubular shed made of corrugated metal and large clear plastic panels up on top. On its long rounded side there is a giant curved sliding door. At the front end of the tubular structure there is a normal sized entrance with a courtyard in front.
The three head through the courtyard. It's crossed by paths lined with neatly arranged stones, and a few large boulders, at even intervals. Within the enclosed stone gardens there is a variety of shrubbery and some berryfruit trees, among a few others. There are a couple of benches and a few chairs, all tidily lined up like someone trying to make a little garden in the front corner of all that messy mayhem. The rest of the yard is full of all kinds of junk, from lightship parts, furniture, and just about anything else imaginable. At first glance it all looks like a mess, but on closer inspection there is a clear structure and organization to the place. There are walkways between piles of junk, and the junk itself is separated by type. Metals, plastics and polymers, wood, parts, construction supplies, adobe bricks, boulders, etc.
The Junkyard is long, and curves gently following the ten meter stone edge of the upper terrace. It's a long property with the back end not visible from the front, extending all way back to the very edge of the Township's west end.
The three enter the tubular shed. The interior is larger than it appears from outside. Half of it extends into the rock. The corrugated tubular half is bright from light streaming in through the large transparent sections, but the side carved into the rock is much darker. The dark side is mostly filled with industrial sized shelving units loaded with junk, while the lighter side is open space. Overall, the interior decor looks about the same as the exterior. A hodgepodge of parts that at first look all over the place, but with a clear order to them.
Sitting at a worktable, between the entrance and large and closed sliding door, is Old Man Tom. In his seventies, he is thin, and has a long pointy white Fu Manchu beard all the way down to his chest. His long white hair is braided into a ponytail in the back. He's got a broad rimed hat and is wearing dirty, faded brown mechanic's overalls. He turns to look at the group entering his shop.
Old Tom gets up with respectable agility for a man his age. He approaches the trio.
"Look what I found stirring the dust out in the plaza." Mirceu jokes.
"Having fun again Andee?" Old Man Tom greets him with a subtle disapproving look.
"Always, but it seems I've upset little Mykee here."
"What did he do this time?" Old Tom asks turning to Mykee.
"Picking fights for no reason." Mykee responds nearly pouting.
"Whoa little man stop right there. I picked the fight? Even though that Pious guy got in our way and would not let us pass?"
"But when he did you grabbed him by the throat."
"That was different, you don't..."
"What? Understand?"
"Andee my friend, you never start the fights, but somehow you always find one to finish." Old Tom cuts in and finishes his remark with a smirk and a wink at Andee.
Andee shrugs his shoulders than looks away caught without a comeback.
"He was telling us about the sacred warriors. Interesting things I wanted to hear." Mykee continues.
"Ah yes, the sacred warriors." The old man muses.
"The things he said about the sacred warriors, did you know those things?" Mykee directs his questions to Andee still irate. "I didn't. Doesn't mean I believe him, but he said things I never heard before. They were light benders. Did you ever hear of that before?"
"They're all fantasy. You saw what I did to those... sacred warriors." Andee responds mockingly. "They're frauds."
"What do you think Old Tom?" Mykee turns to the old man.
"I think you are a smart young man. You already know all you need about sacred warriors, and their stories. Let's forget about them today because I've got something better than old tales for you. Look at Mirceu. See how excited he is. Why don't I let him tell it." Old Tom nudges his chin to Mirceu who is beaming with glee. Both Andee and Mykee turn to him.
"OK, look what I got." And he points to a tarp covering a wooden wagon. It is just barely visible in a dark corner of the large room. "The day of the race, I was out there at the back end of the yard, feeding the Alcama when I heard a distant thunder up the mountain. By the time I looked up all I could see was dust, but I knew what happened. A crash! Normally, if I'm a go collecting for parts, I'd leave in the morning to get to the Crags before the race, and find some place to hide, and then hope I can get to a crash before anyone else. But that day I didn't go, so I didn't even think about it. We haven't had a crash at Tombstone in a long wile."
"Most pilots learned to be real careful there." Mykee interjects.
"Right. So I barely had enough time to get the cart ready by last horizon, and then headed out there in the dark. I couldn't believe no one else was there. It was just me and there was parts everywhere, all around me. I loaded all I could and headed back before I got caught. Look how much I got."
Mirceu pulls the tarp off the wooden wagon and shows the boys the loot. All kinds of chunks, exterior pieces, and parts of various lightships all meshed together in that large wooden cart. Both bothers perk up and start investigating the stuff, visually at first, slowly circling the cart.
"Man look at all these parts." Mykee muses with a spark of excitement. All bad feelings seem to have melted. They continue circling the wagon several times, looking, touching, moving different parts around.
"Old Tom, what are the chances we got a working light generator?" Mykee muses as he looks towards the old man
.
"Ha, not very good. You've seen the ships. Those engines are bigger than that cart. All we got there is broken chunks."
"But if we can get enough of them, and put them together, maybe we can build our own ship."
"Ha-ha." Andee laughs out lout.
"Punk off!" Mykee snaps at him angry again.
"Hey there now. I'll have no such language in my home. Certainly not from a decent young man like you." Old Tom cautions Mykee.
"Sorry. But Andee is dumb. I know it's possible. They're just machines. Put them together right and they will work. If the Bitani can build a ship, then so can I, even from broken parts."
"I wasn't laughing at you little man. I was laughing because I had the same thought when I was your age, when I started working here with Old Man Tom. Remember that?" Andee looks over to Tom.
"Of course. For me it was like yesterday. But lets be honest, you may have thought that once or twice, but you were more interested in chasing Nayaa up the cliffs than learning how this tech works."
"He's a meathead. I'm the brains in the family." Mykee retorts still angry.
"You're right little brother. I never had any interest in how the tech works. I just wanted to be a pilot, I still do. If you can figure out how these things work, and build a lightship someday, I'll win every race and give you all the glory."
Both brothers stand silent for a moment. Neither know what to say.
"I found the parts. Where's my glory." Mirceu intercedes with a big smile.
"You'll be the chief engineer."