Chapter Eight
***Kyllian***
Kyllian was tired of talking in circles with his father. He was learning absolutely nothing that cleared up his confusion over what he'd overheard between Thomas and Savanah. His only recourse was to find her and get the entire story from beginning to end. But finding her wouldn't be easy. He hadn't a clue as to where to look.
He had heard Savanah speak of the main casino as being the place she was held captive, so he knew better than to ask questions there. It was causing more trouble than it was worth and remind whoever was behind the issue that she was out there somewhere trying to bring down their organization. It could prove deadly for all those involved.
Kyllian was excellent with electronics, so computers were easy for him to hack. He would try those in his father's home first and see if there was a mention of anything that could guide him to where Savanah was hiding. If what she said was the truth, she was definitely hiding.
Thomas spent most of his waking hours holed up in his office. The main computer system was there as well. However, there was an obsolete model in the same place Kyllian had found the COM link. He made another trip into the dusty mess and retrieved the small computer. This time he was smart enough to take it from its resting place and up to his room. That way, if Thomas came looking for him again, he wouldn't be found where he didn't belong.
With meticulous care, Kyllian took the old computer apart, cleaned each piece, and using his expertise, updated it to a point that it was faster, stronger, and better than the one Thomas had. He added coding that would allow him to hack all the stored data in anything computer controlled in the house, including the droids.
He started by watching old news feeds that had been stored. There he found stories on the break-in at the casino and the reference to pirates being involved. There was a mention of weredragons as well, though those were explained as fantasy or rumors. Now, at least, he had a starting place. He dug into his father's files and discovered notes on a particularly vexing pirate crew, the one the big boss couldn’t catch. Their leader, Torbin, had disappeared with a huge load of government gold and yet his crew was still at large. Here, Thomas had added his own speculations. He believed these pirates were acting against the big boss.
Another file spoke of the derelict community. It was made up of rogue pirates who were wanted by the law or had no alliance with a crew. They were said to be camping in the outreaches of Delti Utopia 6, but no one knew exactly where. Kyllian dug deeper and found information on shipments coming in at times when the space docks were closed. He read that Thomas imagined the ships had landed in the same area as the derelicts’ camp.
At the time these files were written, Thomas was obviously saner than he was now. What had changed him so drastically? The newer data was garbled, much like Thomas's way of speaking now. He'd changed subjects in mid-sentence, often arguing in favor of something, then arguing against it.
Kyllian decided to check the droids’ memories. That might show how and when Thomas had become the odd recluse he was at this time. What he discovered was disturbing. The droids’ memories were erased daily, but not by his father. Only the basic knowledge was left behind. The droids saw Thomas as a younger man, not much older than he'd been when he left Kyllian and his mother on Earth. That explained the way they spoke to him and the way they protected Thomas.
Kyllian had to go elsewhere for more information. To learn about pirates, you had to go where they spent most of their time, and you had to appear as less affluent. He dug among his clothes and pulled out faded jeans that he ripped in several places. In one of the spare bedrooms, he found some old clothes that the droids must have placed there when Thomas discarded them. A t-shirt with a picture of the original casino on the way station was stained, but serviceable. Beside it was a brown leather jacket, aged and soft. It was vintage and must have cost almost as much as a land skimmer. The pirates either wouldn't know that, or they would figure Kyllian had stolen it. Either worked in his favor.
It was easy enough to find the part of the city where pirates hung out. Parts of it were still blocked off from explosions that had occurred during a fight no one would speak of. He could see the rubble left from where one bar had burned to the ground. There were flowers and hand-painted signs all around the ashes. According to the signs, someone named Jimbo had died there, and he had been beloved by many in the area.
Kyllian chose the dirtiest bar he could find. Its customers would be the drunkest and therefore spill more secrets without remembering a thing about it later. Sure enough, he had been there less than an hour when a loud-mouthed, old man began spouting off to him.
"Bet ya was with ole man Torbin, wasn't ya kid? Ya got that jacket off of him. Ain't no one else that could of stole something like that. He was the best. I hear your crew be camping out in the badlands. Ya fall in any of them craters yet?"
Kyllian played along. "I'm doing alright. I spend most of my days drinking not falling in holes."
"I still can't believe he done got away. I wouldn't mind joining up with them derelicts out there. They got themselves a town and don't pay the big boss no never mind."
"There's no need to, since the camp is so hard to find," Kyllian replied.
"It ain't that hard, boy. Ya just gotta know where to look. I found em once, but the guards turned me away: said I better keep my trap shut about the location and I done that. Never told a soul to follow the buried pipes to the craters. That section was supposed to look just like this city. They done set up the sewer, but never built nothing. I ain't telling you no secrets, cause you done already know where you live," the old man laughed before he fell off his stool and passed out.
Kyllian dropped some coins on the counter to cover the old man's tab, then he rushed out of the bar with a smile on his face. Bingo! He had a place to begin his search and felt deep in his gut that Savanah would be there.
He followed the pipes back to the mansions, then through the smaller cottages. They were far less noticeable after that. Wind had blown dirt and trash over them, and it was hard to distinguish what piles were the correct ones. He had to backtrack several times, but eventually, he could smell the cooking fires of the encampment. He had used a land skimmer instead of changing into his weredragon form. The dragon might have been faster, but he would have been seen and followed.
Kyllian was challenged almost a mile out from the encampment by a dozen men with lasers, knives, and pistols. He knew better than to try to force his way past them. They meant business, and he would die before he got anywhere near Savanah. He held his hands in the air to show he didn't carry a weapon.
"Who are you and what are you doing all the way out here?" one of the men asked.
Kyllian raised an eyebrow. He was rather surprised to hear the man speak so well. After listening to the terrible grammar of the pirate in the bar, he had expected them all to sound that way. "I don't mean anyone harm," he stated. "I swear no one followed me. I found this place on my own, and I won't tell a soul about it. I've been searching for a woman..."
"Haven't we all," another man interrupted. "If it's women you want, then go back to town. You'll have your choice there. We don't do that sort of thing here, no matter what you heard."
"Actually, I already knew that," Kyllian answered. "I really would like to speak to a blonde woman named Savanah. Is she here?"
"We don't give out the names of our citizens to strangers. If this woman wants to speak to you, then she'll find you."
"She did come and speak to my father, the mayor. He refused to help her. I don't agree with him. I wanted to hear her story for myself. I think she was telling the truth and my father was too afraid to admit it. He's not completely in his right mind, so maybe I can help her. Tell her I'm here, and she can choose whether to speak to me. Turning me away without conferring with her might upset her needlessly, and she would risk coming to the mayor's again. Do you really want that?"
A runner was sent to the encampment to ask Tann and Aisaak about the visitor. While Kyllian waited, he watched what was happening in the encampment. It truly was a tiny city, though it was put together from spare parts of ships and broken crates. The motley bunch surrounding the cook fires were singing and laughing. He preferred it over the sterile mansion that held only droids for company.
To his surprise, two Naga took to the air and flew toward him. At the same time, a pair of land skimmers left the camp. He was unable to tell whether the riders were men or women due to their clothing, which hid their hair and faces.
