#kaientai

Arkha Corvus sat at the end of the table with his hands folded under his chin. Even in the darkness of the room, his white gloves contrasted against his dark skin. He offered Enjin a kind, warm smile. It wasn’t a question though. His captain wanted to know what Enjin thought about his new recruit’s sudden giver powers awakening.

It was normal for a giver’s powers to awaken when faced with deep duress or emotional stress. Usually, when someone is at their lowest, their powers are there to transform them into their fullest potential. That isn’t what happened though, and Enjin knew it—everyone knew it.

“Rudo turned Gris Rubion’s amulet into a vital instrument. If that object held so much personal thought, it should’ve been Gris who became a giver in that moment—since he was on the verge of death—not Rudo. But when Rudo picked it up, that’s when it transformed—from what he told me about the encounter,” Enjin explained.

“Could it be that he cared for Gris that much? Although they had only just met, I doubt Gris had that big of an impact on the boy,” Semiu noted.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with Gris or the amulet at all. I think it served as a carrier for Rudo’s actual power. When I asked Zanka about their training, he told me about the gloves Rudo wears. If those gloves are his actual vital instrument, then anything he touches could turn into an object of power.”

“In other words, he draws out the power of others’ personal objects and can use them to his advantage.”

“That’s what I’m thinking, but we have to test it more to really figure it out. He and Zanka are still recovering a bit from the attack yesterday, so I told Zanka to rest for a couple of standard days before going back to training.”

“There’s still the matter of how you found him too,” the captain noted.

“Yeah, that’s also strange,” Enjin added, looking back up at the ceiling.

“You still never fully explained why you took a cruiser out unscheduled.” Semiu crossed her arms across her chest.

Enjin smirked. “Just a little joyride.”

“You were out trying to pick up women weren’t you.”

“Nah, nothin’ of the sort.”

“Then why—”

“Let’s try to stay on topic,” the captain interjected. “There’s something very interesting about Rudo. I know I don’t usually meet with new recruits, but I’d like to schedule a meeting with him. I’d like to see these gloves for myself too. If your theory is correct, it would be good to test it out.”

“Considering the way Gris’s amulet turned to dust after its power was fully used up, I don’t think it’d be good to use up our precious resources on the ship just for some training tests,” Semiu noted.

“So, then where will we get extra junk to test it on?” Enjin asked.

The captain smiled. “I’ll handle that part. I know the perfect person to call.”

It had been two days since they were attacked by the Raiders. Rudo was starting to feel more accustomed to life on the Akuta. He made sure to be there at the appropriate times for mealtime, and he made sure to use the correct doors. He began to get used to the maze of hallways—only getting lost two more times before he figured it out. He was even sleeping better—although it was definitely rough after the first night, and his grief about Gris brought a constant stabbing pain to his heart. He felt like it was his fault.

Enjin gave him a choker to be able to contact him, and he was told he would even be given an official Cleaners’ uniform. Since he was a giver, he would be getting his own unique design tailored directly to him. Never in his life had he ever had anything made specifically with him in mind, and he couldn’t help but feel undeserving.

Since he and Zanka were feeling better, the latter decided it was time to resume training. Enjin wanted to be there specifically and told the pair to wait at the right-side loading dock. Thankfully for Rudo, Zanka was there to lead the way, as this was a part of the ship he still hadn’t experienced.

“This is where we get deliveries,” Zanka explained. “When Vianders send us a new shipment of snacks, or if we need spare parts to repair cruisers or other mechanics on the ship, or if someone orders personal items like soap or deodorant, it all gets received here.”

“How is this different from the back of the ship where the cruisers are stationed?” Rudo asked.

“The hatch is a bit different. Another ship will dock next to ours and connect so it’s safe to pass between them.”

“Did Enjin mention why we’re meeting here?”

“No. I was hoping you knew.”

The two teens stared at each other, realizing neither knew what was going on or what Enjin’s plan was. Enjin saw them approaching and waved them over.

“So, what’s the meanin’ of all this?” Zanka asked.

“We’re going to test a theory on Rudo’s giver power,” Enjin explained. 

There was a panel with a screen just to the right of the door. There was a red light as well situated just above the door. Text loaded on the screen indicating that the hatch of the other ship connected. When the doors were ready to open, the light turned green.

“Let’s go.” Enjin put the code into the door and led the teens through.

This part of the ship was vastly different from the rest. While it still seemed just as mechanical and technologically advanced as the rest of the ship, it was long and spacious, filled with boxes and crates, and tools to move them efficiently. People hustled about, quickly moving things around from the other ship to the Akuta.

“That’s a whole 'nother ship,” Zanka told Rudo. 

“The Kaientai,” Enjin said. “They’re a group of merchants that sell all sorts of goods.”

A loud obnoxious laugh echoed through the room, which many of the people didn’t seem to pay any mind to. It came from a man who was talking to a woman near the entry to the other ship. Enjin walked towards him, and they could overhear the tail end of his conversation with the woman he was talking to. As they approached, Rudo noticed how it was in a different language.

The man turned as the group approached. He wore a long red coat and some sort of gray wrapped top underneath. He had on black slacks, and most interestingly were his bare feet and wooden sandals that he wore. His hair was brown and curly, and on the bridge of his nose sat a pair of circular purple glasses. The woman looked vastly different from him. Her hair was bright orange, and she wore a long purple coat like a cloak and had a big woven straw hat on her head. 

“Tatsuma,” Enjin said.

The man beamed. “Enjin, good to see you! I have to say, I was a bit surprised to get a sudden call from Mr. Corvus.”

“Sorry to make you come all the way out here on such short notice.”

“Actually, we just so happen to be passing by, so it wasn’t a hassle at all!” The man laughed.

The woman with the orange hair interjected, “We weren’t really that close, but we had some business on Penta.”

“I see,” Enjin said. “Still, we really appreciate it.”

“I must say though, asking for junk is kind of a strange request,” Sakamoto said with another laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s for Rudo to train his giver powers.” Enjin patted Rudo on the back too roughly.

“Nice to meet you, Rudo.” The man bows slightly before holding out his hand for Rudo to shake. “Tatsuma Sakamoto, owner and founder of the Kaientai.” 

“You’re merchants, right? What kinds of things do you sell?” Rudo asked.

“We sell anything and everything! The name Kaientai means ‘Pleasure Support Group’, so anything a person needs, we sell or trade.” He reached inside of his coat and pulled out a business card, offering it to Rudo with both hands and a sincere bow.

Rudo looked past him, curious about the boxes the people carried from the other ship. He had only ever seen the Akuta from the inside, and he wondered if the other ship was anything like it.

Sakamoto followed Rudo’s curious gaze with a laugh. “Would you like a tour?”

Rudo was about to answer when he looked at Enjin for approval. However, Enjin wasn’t looking at Rudo, he was looking at Sakamoto, sharing some sort of look that adults give each other when they won’t say what’s on their mind in front of kids.

“A quick tour won’t hurt,” Enjin replied.

“Great!” Sakamoto laughed again and turned to the woman next to him. “Mutsu, take the boys on a tour. I’ll treat Enjin to some Kaientai hospitality.”

Sakamoto guided the Cleaners onto his ship. Mutsu took Zanka and Rudo around for a tour so Enjin and Sakamoto could meet privately. Sakamoto opened the door to a small room. The inside was decorated differently from the other parts of the ship. The floor was covered in a woven mat and the walls were covered with paper. It was the first time Enjin had been inside of the Kairinmaru before, and the room felt cozy and intimate.

“Take your shoes off before entering,” Sakamoto instructed.

Enjin felt weird taking off his shoes, but at the same time it felt wrong to keep them on. He staggered a bit as he tried to slip his boots off, then he followed Sakamoto into the room.

In the center sat a square wooden table. The legs of the table were short and as Enjin sat down on a pillow on the floor, he got a good look at the intricate carvings on the wood. The woven mat on the floor seemed to be made of wood as well, instead of straw like he originally assumed. In the corner of the room sat a tiny tree—which looked like it had been shrunk—atop of a taller table used for display. The paper on the wall had minimal, yet beautifully detailed flowers painted on it. The branches of the tree reached out, with little pink petals decorating them.

“Do you like it?” Sakamoto asked as Enjin took in aspects of the interior design. 

“It’s interesting. I’ve traveled all over, but I haven’t seen anything like this before.”

“It’s traditional design from my home country.”

“Back on Earth, right? The origin of humanity.”

Sakamoto laughed. “I find this room helps clients relax when we’re doing business.”

“I hope you mean work business.”

“I mean all kinds of business.” Sakamoto laughed again.

The door opened again, and a man walked in carrying a tray. He was dressed in similar clothes as Sakamoto, but without the coat. He placed the tray down on the table and bowed before leaving. There were two small ceramic cups and a larger ceramic decanter. Sakamoto poured a clear liquid into one and offered it to Enjin politely before pouring his own. 

“Usually, it’s not polite to pour one’s own drink, but since you’re an honored guest today, I figured it’s best to serve you.” Sakamoto raised his cup to clink the ceramic against Enjin’s.

The liquid steamed slightly, but wasn’t hot as Enjin took a sip. It was slightly sweet, but he still felt the burn of alcohol as he drank.

"Are we really drinking right now?" Enjin asked. "I thought there was business to discuss."

"That's exactly why we're drinking," Sakamoto replied with his characteristic laugh. “I don’t usually personally see deliveries like the one Mr. Corvus requested, but considering it’s not the first request for ‘junk’ that I’ve gotten, I thought it was interesting.”

Sakamoto poured another round.

“What do you mean it’s not the first? It’s not like the Cleaners go around asking for random objects to be delivered. Givers take good care of our things,” Enjin replied.

“Of course! After all, givers are people who care a lot about their ‘junk’. About a couple standard months ago, we got an order along the lines of yours. They wanted various objects: things that were discarded, things no longer used, things that were broken or thrown away. They specifically wanted whatever we had lying around. So, when we got the same request from the Cleaners, it piqued my interest, and I wanted to speak to you personally.”

“Who made the request?”

“It came from a ship called the Vandals, captained by a man named Zodyl Typhon.”

“So they’re givers, then?”

“Probably! I try not to mix business with personal affairs, but since the Cleaners have always been loyal customers, I thought I’d inform you in case this happened to involve you.”

“We don’t have a ship in our fleet with that name.”

Sakamoto took a drink. “That’s definitely interesting!”

“Exactly when did you get that order?” Enjin asked.

“A couple standard months ago,” Sakamoto said. With a laugh, he added under his breath, “I thought I said that already?”

“And you’re positive the request came from a giver?”

“Positive, yeah, but I haven’t confirmed it as a fact.”

Enjin hummed in thought, sipping the warm alcohol. “A few standard days ago, I found Rudo on a planet nicknamed Tartarus. There’s no life or any vegetation, yet there was a pretty nasty trash beast inhabiting it.”

“I thought the trash beasts accumulate around living beings? Now they’re growing on deserted planets? Scary!”

“No, it was definitely abnormal. The request you got as well was pretty strange too, don’t you think?”

Sakamoto hummed in thought as well. “So, you think there’s a chance these two things are connected?”

“A group of our Cleaners were ambushed not long after Rudo joined—he was with them when he realized his giver powers—by a few Raiders. All of this definitely has to be connected to them.”

“Those outlaws are really shady. What could they want with a bunch of ‘junk’? If they’re givers, don’t they already have their vital instruments?”

“They must be using them for something relating to the trash beasts. I’ll have to report all of this back to team Front.” Enjin stood to leave.

Sakamoto stopped him. “Wait! Let’s at least finish a round first! This sake is expensive, you know!”

Enjin hesitated. It wouldn’t be great to get drunk right now, but the glasses were small so was there really any harm in having a few more? It was expensive and tasty, and Enjin didn’t usually get to indulge in such opulent hospitality.

“The boys are still on their tour after all, so let’s relax a little. Things are about to get really serious for you.” Sakamoto laughed.

“Alright, what’s a few more shots?” he said.

Sakamoto’s ship was very different from the Akuta. Rudo observed the people bustling about as the woman gave him and Zanka a tour. Even Zanka seemed interested in the differences. The ship seemed about just as big as the Akuta—maybe even bigger. The people on the ship didn’t pay any mind to Rudo and Zanka, too preoccupied with their work to care about the strangers. 

“How did you get involved in doing merchant business?” Zanka asked.

“I used to work for the Chidori, actually,” Mustu said.

“What’s that?” Rudo asked.

“They’re a group of pirates that sell slaves from all over. Sakamoto was on the same ship, and he managed to take it over. All of us that were on it became loyal to him, and that’s how he started the Kaientai,” Mustu explained. “Working for that idiot is stress inducing.” 

“Seems like you’re the real one runin’ the show ‘round here,” Zanka lamented out loud.

“Wait, you sold slaves?!” Rudo said, shocked at her admittance. 

Mutsu ignored him, replying to Zanka instead, “I absolutely am. The idiot is always running off to get drunk and meet women. I’m surprised his balls haven’t fallen off yet.”

“Your balls can fall off just from meeting women?!” Rudo exclaimed.

Zanka shot him an incredulous look. “That is not what that means.”

“Then what the hell—”

Mutsu kept her face stoic as she interrupted, “That’s a question you should ask someone else.”

Rudo got a little frustrated and grumbled, “I knew girls were scary, but I didn’t think they were that scary.”

“You’re really innocent, huh?” Zanka said. “Anyway, what’s all this artillery for?”

Zanka poked his head into a room they were passing by. Inside was filled with different kinds of weapons. Many lined the walls and were organized based on types that neither Rudo nor Zanka had ever seen before.

Rudo’s jaw dropped. “The Cleaners definitely don’t have weapons like this.”

“You don’t need them because you’re givers. Your weapons are your vital instruments. For those of us who don’t have that kind of power, we have to supplement with machinery. Since we’re a merchant ship, we’re prone to pirate attacks.”

“Pirates?! In space?!” Rudo exclaimed.

“A pirate attack is more likely than you think,” Zanka said. “There haven’t been any against the Cleaners—as far as I know. So far, we’ve only been attacked by the Raiders, and that was still a weird thing to have happened.” 

“You were attacked by the Raiders? When?” Mutsu asked.

“Just a couple standard days ago. They lured us to a planet with a fake call ‘bout some trash beasts. Then, they ambushed us,” Zanka explained.

Mutsu hummed in thought. “How strange.”

“Those bastards got away, but next time they won’t be so lucky,” Rudo said, more to himself than anyone.

Mutsu heard and responded, “Don’t think you can go chasing after them. These days, they’ve become more dangerous than pirates.”

“They’re definitely plotting something against us, so we need to be prepared,” Zanka said.

“Is that why you’ve requested ‘junk’?” Mutsu asked.

“We’re training Rudo’s new giver powers.”

“How does it work?” She turned to Rudo.

“I’m not really sure,” Rudo said. “Something happened when I touched Gris’s amulet, and it turned into a vital instrument. But when it was done being used, it broke and turned to dust.”

Mutsu added, “So that couldn’t have been your vital instrument. Givers only have one, right? It’s an object that’s cared for greatly, so if it was your vital instrument, then it wouldn’t have broken the way it did.”

“I bet it’s your gloves,” Zanka said. “And I bet that’s what Enjin thinks too. When you touched Gris’s amulet, you drew out the object’s potential. When that potential was no longer needed, neither was the object.”

“So then, Enjin wants to test out this theory on some ‘junk’ to see if you can draw out its potential. That’s clever,” Mutsu said.

“Where is Enjin?” Rudo asked.

“Sakamoto took him to the hospitality room to discuss some things. We can finish the tour and go meet them.”

“I want to get started on training.”

“You’re pretty eager today,” Zanka noted.

“The Raiders are definitely going to plan another attack. Every minute I waste not training or getting stronger just makes me weaker. I can’t ever forgive them for what they did to Gris.”

“I’m assuming Gris is one of your Cleaners. What happened to him?” Mutsu asked.

“Jabber killed him,” Rudo said, “so I’m going to get revenge.”

“Revenge is a dangerous ideology—”

“Wait, did you say Jabber killed Gris?” Zanka interrupted. “Gris isn’t dead.”

Rudo froze. “What do you mean? I saw Jabber stab him.”

“Yeah, but Tomme and Follo got him back to the Beast quick enough for Tomme to do some first aid while Follo called for help. He’s recovering in the hospital room—”

“He’s not dead?! How?”

“The same reason you’re not dead from the poisonous gas you inhaled on that planet Enjin found you on. Eisha, the girl who took care of you after he brought you back, is a giver too. She uses her power to heal people.”

Rudo’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?!”

“I’m sure when he’s feelin’ a bit better, you can go visit him. Doin’ somethin’ like that means a lot to guys like ‘im.”

As the shock slowly started to subside in Rudo, he felt relief wash over him. Yet, it did nothing to quell the hatred he built inside of himself towards the Raiders. Just because Gris was alive didn’t mean that Rudo could forgive Jabber—he could never forgive any of the Raiders for what they did. Knowing they were most likely planning another attack just fueled his anger further.

Suddenly he felt the weight of someone slumped on his shoulder.

“Rudo!” Enjin said a bit too loudly. 

Sakamoto threw his arm around Enjin’s shoulders and the weight of the both of them sent all three tumbling to the ground.

“What the fuck,” Rudo cursed.

“Woops, sorry,” Enjin slurred.

“Are you drunk?” Zanka asked.

“Not at all—jus’ a li’l tipsy,” Enjin said. “Tatsuma has some really good booze here!”

“It’s not jus’ any booze, it’s traditional!” Sakamoto said, laughing as if Enjin said the funniest thing ever.

“I can’t believe you got drunk. We have work to do, and so do they,” Mutsu chastised Sakamoto.

The latter merely laughed and responded casually in his native language, causing Mutsu to shake her head. The exchange left the others feeling confused.

“Sorry,” Mutsu apologized. “He’s so careless about these things. I’ll leave you two to your training.”

“I think I should lie down. Do we have any tomato juice?” Sakamoto asked, trying to get back on his feet.

“No,” Mutsu replied curtly. 

“We should stop on Earth and get some! It’d be great to visit Kintoki as well!”

“We’re not making any more pit stops. It was enough to come to the Cleaners’ directly. I just hope you managed to do what you set out to do before you got inebriated.”

“Oh, yeah, we had a really good chat,” Enjin said, also trying to stand. “Learned so much about so many things. We’re gonna kick some Raider ass!”

“Me too! Mutsu, let’s kick some Raider ass!” Sakamoto laughed.

“No, we’re not getting more involved than we already are,” Mutsu said. She grabbed Sakamoto by the collar of his red coat and dragged him off with the man protesting in response. She turned back to the boys. “You can follow the corridor back to the hatch. And good luck with handling the Raiders.”

“Enjin! Next time, let’s go to Edo! I know a great place with beautiful women!”

As Mutsu dragged Sakamoto away, he waved haphazardly to the group of Cleaners, his laughter only fading when Mutsu turned the corner and the pair was out of earshot. Zanka turned to Enjin who found solace leaning against the wall. 

“You’re not usually this careless,” Zanka noted.

“‘M not careless… I said I learned so many things,” Enjin slurred. “We gotta go train Rudo.”

“What did you learn?” Rudo asked

“Tatsuma really likes Earth women. I wanna go to Earth.”

“Are the Earth women going to help us fight the Raiders?”

“No, I wanna meet them.” Enjin smiled dreamily in his drunken state.

“If we meet them, will they give us information about the Raiders?”

Zanka interjected, “There’s a limit to your innocence, you know. Anyway, let’s get back to the training facility so we can test out this ‘junk theory’.”

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