"But how it influences your future is the important part," Marcin said. "As bad as it could be, we have found the girls."
Kolvin nodded.
And he glanced at Solkan. "Have they found you a connection, yet?"
"Supposedly," Solkan said.
Kolvin smiled at him. "Who is she? Where is she?" He had not seen Solkan talking to or in any other way engaging with any female but Officer Vinka. Those interactions were never anything pleasant. They were always fighting about something.
"Are you hiding her?" Marcin asked.
"She is unsure of the future," Solkan said.
"As we all are," Kolvin said.
They reached the level where the Rhimodians were supposed to be arriving in order to bring their wares. What they were selling was a mystery, but it was a usual stop for them at the location.
Kolvin studied the level. He'd not been here before. Not now, during his explorations with Tina, or before, when he had come to Disguised Serenity in the past. Possibly it was a new segment that had been added. Though from the condition, if it was, it came from an older ship that had been damaged quite a bit prior.
Anticipation mixed with the anxiety. While he believed it was unlikely that the other Rhimodians would reject him, that was always a possibility, and that he would never be welcomed back into the folds of the Rhimodians.
Then he truly would be lost.
All he would have would be Tina.
Until the thirty days was up.
While he wanted to be around Tina, he also wanted to reconnect with Master System. Perhaps it would help with the battling of the Craving he felt whenever he thought about Tina.
While he adored her presence, and he did want to make her joyful, he also knew that he was a cyborg, and what kind of cyborg would he be if he could not connect to his net with his other cyborgs?
He scanned the crowds, looking for other Rhimodians.
They would be taller than most, so they should be easy to spot in the crowds offloading from different ship ports.
"Come on, I see them coming out of that docking port," Marcin said, and started leading them through the crowds. He moved quickly as they weaved through, careful not to disrupt any of the other vendor stands or negotiations.
Others though did not appreciate the three of them charging through the crowds to get through. There were plenty of disgruntled vendors and buyers in their wake.
His display overlaid his vision, and he could see who they were, though it seemed to not want to connect and tell him exactly who he saw at first.
Behind the largest Rhimodian, he saw a young boy, maybe late teens or early twenties, following the cart the cyborg was pushing. A container fell off the cart and the Rhimodian didn't seem to notice it.
The younger boy took off and scooped it up. Kolvin could tell it the kid had stolen blue grass. He charged after the boy to get the container back.
For a thief, the boy was moving slowly. Like he didn't care that he'd stolen a chunk of the Rhimodian's supply. He weaved his way through the crowds like he did this every day and dared anyone to catch him.
Well, Kolvin was going to catch him. He ran after him, and the boy didn't duck or disappear nearly fast enough. It was almost too easy to reach him. He caught the young man by the back of his neck.
The boy cried out. "What in the-- Let go of me!"
"You need to return what you stole," Kolvin said.
"I didn't steal it! I was given it!" The boy struggled against Kolvin.
"I watched you scoop it off the ground right under that Rhimodian's nose." He yanked the boy forward and started moving toward the Rhimodians.
The boy cried out. He claimed he was being hurt, but he wasn't. He barely had him by his clothing.
