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    Traveler: Devaleran
    Traveler: Devaleran
    Traveler: Devaleran
    Ebook101 pages1 hour

    Traveler: Devaleran

    By R. Richard

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    I try to appear casual and I ask, “Okay, what am I?”
    Chudu looks at me for a bit and says, “I don’t know. You’re different. I can read most people when I first meet them. I can’t read you.”
    I reply, as calmly as I can, “I’m from off planet. I worked my way here as a freighter deck hand. Back home, there was this girl. There was another mog. He wanted trouble. He got trouble. After the trouble, I left for elsewhere. Anywhere else. I don’t need any more trouble.”
    Chudu continues to examine me. She then says, “You’re going to interview at General Freight tomorrow. That means you need to earn money. I may have an opportunity for you to earn quite a bit of money.”
    I, continuing to play my role, say, “I don’t need trouble.”
    Chudu says, “A clever man might be able to earn quite a bit of money, without trouble.”
    “The last clever man I dealt with figured out a way to get the girl I wanted. However, he wasn’t quite clever enough.”
    Chudu laughs, a sort of pretty girl, silvery little laugh that’s completely out of line with her appearance. She says, “There are a lot of clever mogs like that, here in Space Port City. You might find trouble, even if you don’t want it.”
    I, continuing to play my role, say, “I’m a second degree Loro black belt. The average street mog doesn’t stand a chance against me. On the other hand, Mr. Orgnor the elder, who runs the gola, is a fourth degree black belt. I don’t need trouble.”
    Chudu again laughs and says, “Mr. Orgnor the elder can fight, but he can’t think to the level I need. I suspect that a computer mog, such as yourself, can. We’ll see.” With that, Chudu gets up and leaves.
    I take another nibble of my a high protein biscuit and another hit of my NuPro fortified tea. I look up to find that another girl is standing there.
    The girl is wearing a sort of uniform with the name of the place on it. She says, “I haven’t seen you before. That probably means that you’re new here. You don’t want to mess with that Chudu, she’s a real witch.”
    I tell the girl, “I’m new here. I came in here to grab a bite to eat. I then look up to find Chudu sitting opposite me. First time I ever saw her.”
    The girl says, “I’m Frannie. We run a simple little cafeteria operation here. I saw you mix that NuPro stuff in your tea. They say that there’s a Loro mog, new in the area. What with the NuPro, you’re probably the Loro mog.”
    “Guilty, as charged. Is the rumor mill here so good that everyone in Space Port City knows everything that happens here, same day?”
    Frannie laughs and says, “Usually it doesn’t take a whole day. They say that you’re going to interview with General Freight.”
    “Again, guilty, as charged. I’m a computer mog, when I’m not playing Loro. I need a job, to pay for rent, food, luxuries like that.”
    Frannie says, “You’ll probably talk with Jorry at General Freight. Keep it straight and short. Jorry has no sense of humor at all. They do need help at general Freight.”
    I tell Frannie, “I’ll do that. I need a job and I appreciate the info.”
    Frannie says, “Deal right with Jorry and avoid Chudu and you’ll do all right.” With that parting advice, Frannie is gone.
    I think on things for a bit. Too many people in Space Port City know about me and that’s bad for me. On the other hand, I can get out of Space Port City as a space freighter deck hand on short notice. They have too many pimps and criminals in Space Port City and I’m a working mog. Apparently General Freight needs help and I can fit in. Chudu presents an unknown risk. I’ll have to very quietly find out as much as I can about Chudu.
    I finish my lunch and find myself with time on my hands before my scheduled meeting with Mr. Orgnor the elder. I decide to roam about the town and find out where things are.
    I wander down the main street, carefully noting the names of the streets that I pass. Many of the businesses that I pass are bars, arcades, tourist junk shops, that kind of thing. I do

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherR. Richard
    Release dateFeb 16, 2019
    ISBN9780463498101
    Traveler: Devaleran
    Author

    R. Richard

    I'm the co-author, with Sunset Thomas, of Anatomy of An Adult Film.I have 48 novels and over 299 short stories currently published.I spent my early years in the part of Los Angeles known as the South Central. I was known as Whi' Boy, which was sufficient to identify me in that place. I'm a skilled Kung Fu player, using a system that I learned from a Korean I knew only as 'Pak.' It would be easier to tell you the places that Pak wasn't wanted by the police, rather than the places where he was wanted by the police. Pak's Kung Fu system, augmented by some bits and pieces from some Chinese practitioners is quick and effective, or I wouldn't be alive today.My early education was mostly obtained by stealing books from the public library (I always returned them and the Librarian even began to provide me with reading lists.) I did go to high schools, but I never really learned anything there. I eventually graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles, UCLA, with a degree in mathematics.I work as a Systems Analyst and also make a part of my living as a professional gambler (legal in Nevada.) I write science fiction and erotica. My published novels are:Anatomy of An Adult Film (With Sunset Thomas)1. Second Chance: God Killer2. Second Chance: Sky Pirate3. Second Chance: Scroll Seeker4. Second Chance: King of The Islands5. Second Chance: King of Zaya6. Second Chance: Duke of Averon7. Second Chance: King of Golomon8. Second Chance: King Of The Sky9. Second Chance: Warlord of Ifrequeh10. Second Chance: King of Ariby11. Second Chance: King of Mesodania12. Second Chance: King of Avuls13. Second Chance: King of Kemet14. Second Chance: King of Zorran15. Second Chance: King of Two Worlds16. Second Chance: King of Averon17. Second Chance: King's Duties18. Second Chance: King of The New WorldAdventurer: Simulation ProblemAdventurer: Pannar ProblemA Programmer's GambitAmateur StripperBeach MurdersBondage HouseCorporate Sex SlavesFriday NightGo Naked In The SoftwareGrasshopper WinterInvoluntary NudeLayoffNot A HeroPirates of The KeysSummer of SexThe LakeThe Last Moon DanceThe Nude Adventures of Plain JaneThe Secret Life of Wanda WilsonTails of the Pussycat LoungeTo Keep A JobTopless RestaurantToy WhoresVix: The MarineWayward BoyShort Stories:A Christmas Visit

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      Book preview

      Traveler - R. Richard

      Traveler: Devaleran

      By R. Richard ©

      Published by R. Richard at Smashwords

      Copyright 2019 R. Richard

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Traveler: Devaleran

      By R. Richard © 2019

      Chapter 1: Journey To Devaleran

      I traveled to the planet Devaleran by working as a deck hand aboard a space freighter. When we got to the orbital station circling Devaleran, I moved quite a bit of mass from the freighter into the storage areas of the orbital station and then quite a bit of mass out of the storage areas to refill the holds of the space freighter. The work was hard, but not all that hard for such as me.

      Once I had all of the freight moved, I quit my space freighter deck hand job and hired on with the shuttle that would move the stuff that had been just delivered to the orbital station, down to the surface of Devaleran. I again moved quite a bit of mass out of the orbital station storage areas to fill the holds of the Devaleran shuttle. I then rode the shuttle down to the surface of Devaleran.

      When we got to the surface of Devaleran, I moved quite a bit of mass from the shuttle to the storage areas of the space port. The work was even harder than before, due to the gravity field of Devaleran, but again, not all that hard for such as me.

      There are few advantages to being a deck hand. The work is physically hard, the pay is low and a deck hand has no status whatsoever among those who work in a space freighter or a space port. However, the much despised deck hand is almost anonymous. Yeah, there was a new deck hand came down with the last shuttle from the orbital station. Did okay work. What did he look like? I dunno, average sort of lookin’ mog. Whazzat? Well, he was average height, maybe an inch or so taller. Average weight. Average face. Sumbitch quit after he got the stuff unloaded and then he wandered off. Just another space port bum.

      I got finished with the unloading of cargo to the space port storage areas, quit, got my pay and went to customs.

      The bored woman behind the counter makes me put my duffel through the scanner. She asks, What’s with the bag of rocks?

      I tell her, Diamonds. Industrial diamonds. Valuable, but not all that valuable.

      The woman says, No tariff for industrial diamonds, but you gotta go through inspection.

      I sigh and tell her, What will be, will be. Where do I go?

      The woman says, I’ll talk with the industrial people. They’ll get a guy over here pretty soon. You can wait in the inspection lounge. She points me to a door in the wall behind her.

      I go into the inspection lounge. I find a few chairs in a room and a few doors off the main room. There’s a TriV up on the wall. There’s just the one show on the TriV and no way to switch channels. The show would insult the intelligence of a cow. I wait and try to ignore the show.

      A mog comes into the room and asks, You the mog with the industrial diamonds?

      I smile and tell the mog, That’s me.

      He leads me over to one of the doors and we go into a small room with just two chairs, one on each side of a table. He says, Let’s see the merchandise.

      I extract the bag of industrial diamonds from my duffel and pour the contents out on the table.

      The inspection mog has a lighted loupe and he scans the diamonds quickly. He then looks at me and asks, How much?

      I tell him, Good stuff, 4100U.

      The mog snorts and says, Not quite that good. On Devaleran the stuff is worth 3,600U.

      I try to bargain with the mog, but it’s take it or leave it. I tell the mog, Okay, but I don’t need to get mugged, walking around with 3,600U. Can we get the 3,600U paid in a bank?

      The mog says, Yeah. I can set you up an account right from here, if you got ID.

      I tell the mog, I got ID. I do have ID, but it’s off planet ID and good enough fake that the inspection mog doesn’t notice, especially since that’s not what he’s trained to do. (I had planned for an easy pass through customs, with my industrial diamonds. There are people looking for me and I need to remain hidden.)

      The mog produces a vid phone and plugs it into a receptacle in the wall.

      I then talk with a teller in the Merchant’s Bank. I get an account set up and my 3,600U credited. I sign the screen and get a receipt, printed out via the vid phone.

      The bank teller says, You’re all set. You’re in the local registry and all of the paperwork is done. Drop by anytime we’re open and pick up a bank book.

      I tell the teller, Will do. I gotta go to the Labor Exchange and sign up for a job. Apparently, the Labor Exchange isn’t very far from your Space Port Branch.

      The teller says, A couple of blocks down the street. We’ll have your bank book ready, Mr. Krev.

      Okay, I thank the teller, then wrap up with the inspection mog and I leave the space port. I walk out the main gate and down what the inspection mog tells me is the main street.

      The area around a space port isn’t a real prime living area. The noise factor is a problem and the flow of goods in and out of the space port creates quite a bit of truck traffic.

      I walk past bars, fast food joints, cheap shops and quite a few working hookers. I’m six feet tall and I mass about 220 standard pounds. I’m Loro trained and I walk with balance and power. The mogs lounging against the buildings just watch and let me walk on past with no hassle. It’s just as well.

      I get to the Merchant’s Bank branch and I see the Labor Exchange sign, just down the street. I need to establish myself on Devaleran, so I go into the bank and pick up my bank book. I also get a check card, so that I can pay for things. Jorn Krev now has a couple of identity building items and he’s ready to operate in the local economy.

      I walk down to the Labor Exchange building and I talk with a woman there. I have some fake documents that indicate that I’m trained as a computer programmer and I tell the woman that I want to find work in that area.

      The woman tells me, There are a few places that currently need help. With only off planet documents, the best you’re going to be able to do is temp work.

      I tell the woman, Temp work is okay, at least for a start. When they see how good I am, I’ll be able to get steady employment.

      The woman eyes me for a bit, then says, I can get you an interview at General Freight tomorrow morning. They need a database mog and you have that in your resume. The pay will be 80U a day. By the way, the local income tax rate is 30%

      Tell me when and I’ll be at General Freight then.

      The woman tells me where and when. She then asks, You got a place to stay?

      "No, I just got off a space freighter. I’m new in town and

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