Targs and Talkers and Mermaids, Oh Wow

Posted on Wed 26th Jun, 2013 @ 3:15am by

1,327 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: http://sb109.sim-station.net/index.php/sim/missions/id/4
Location: Cargo Bay 350, Deck 1300
Timeline: MD 03, 1415

The more things change, the more they remain the same. It was a saying Tieran had heard on a visit to earth. He understood what it meant, and he wondered if it were true about a circus. As a child, he'd gone to the circus on Earth Colony Ausora with his mother. His father had been there for a medical conference, and for once, he had taken his family with him. The visit to the circus was one of the bright, shining memories of his childhood, and he was almost afraid to go again, in case it was nowhere near as wonderful as his memory told him it was.

For a time, he wandered through the carnival sideshows that accompanied this particular circus. He listened as various men and women stood outside tents which covered exhibits, extolling the wonders to be seen within. He stopped for a moment to hear the "talker" outside a bright purple tent.

"Step right this way, folks. See an actual old Earth fairy right inside this tent. Yes, that's what I said, a fairy! Her wings are gossamer, her flight a thing of beauty. Nowhere else in the galaxy can you see another little lady like this one. Only a bit more than half a meter tall, perfectly formed in every way. She smiles, she flies, she may even grant your fondest wish, who knows? It's happened before, it could happen today. Right here. Right now. To you! How about you, sir? You look like a man of discerning taste. Come inside and see the Blue Fairy of Earth, one of the last remaining members of her species."

Tieran shook his head and moved on. The man was good, but he had no interest in fairies, blue or otherwise. He continued down the midway, stopping for a moment to throw darts at balloons. He could never resist trying, though he rarely popped one. He'd studied the balloons and knew that the angle at which they hung encouraged the darts to slide off rather than penetrate. He knew it was a fool's game, but he still couldn't resist, and he could afford the half credit it cost to throw three darts. As usual, he didn't pop a balloon, but after he walked away, he heard one pop, so it was possible. That was the beauty of such a game. There was always hope.

He moved through a good-sized crowd, not feeling cramped for space, or having to push his way through, but mingling with many species. The carnival and sideshows were doing a brisk business, and he expected the circus would leave Protector with a nice profit in hand. He passed booths for disk tossing and a tent claiming to have a two-headed targ. He didn't care for targs with one head, and didn't wish to see one with two.

th'Elex drew to a stop next to a dunking tank. It was a transparent material, providing a view of clear blue water. Seated above the water, on a small swing entwined with vines of white flowers, was a beautiful woman. Her eyes met Tieran's, and though her mouth smiled, her eyes held worlds of sadness ... or so he imagined. He couldn't pull his eyes away from hers, but he heard the talker's patter. "Step right up for yer chance to dunk the mermaid! Part fish, part human, she can breathe air or water and swim gracefully through the deeps. Half a credit buys three chances at dunking the galaxy's most beautiful creature, Sonira, the Mermaid. Don't hurt her a bit, Folks. She needs the water on her fish scales. You'll be doing her a favor. Come one and all, large and small. Try your luck, Sir?"

Tieran pulled his eyes away from the woman's and looked at the Tirellian. "If she really needs the water, isn't it cruel to keep her from it?" he asked.

The fellow rolled his eyes. "You Federation types are such do-gooders. Nah, it don't hurt her none. You wanna play or not?"

th'Elex looked back at the mermaid, trying to decide if she wanted him to dunk her, or she didn't. He sensed a plea from her, but whether it was for the water, or for something else, he didn't know. "Sure, I'll play," he said at last. He thumbed the half-credit and took the large balls the man handed him, hefting them to get a feeling for their weight. "What do I have to hit?"

"See that paddle under her swing? Hit that and down she plops!" the man told him, but something in his voice made Tieran fear it was practically an impossible feat. He wondered how many people hit the woman instead of the paddle.

Swinging back his arm, he shot the ball straight toward the paddle, but it curved to one side and hit the back wall. So that's the gimmick, he thought. He threw the second ball just as hard, adding a little spin to it, and came closer, grazing the paddle. He looked up at the woman again, seeing despair in her eyes. He felt a wave of something come from her, and compassion for her flooded his determination. He was going to do this, no matter how many tries it took, or how many credits it cost. He was sure now that she was in pain because her skin was drying out.

Pulling his arm back, he concentrated with all his power and flung the ball at the paddle, spinning it heavily. It smashed into the paddle with a resounding thud, and the swing dropped open, letting the woman fall into the deep tank of water. Again, Tieran felt a wave of emotion from the woman, but this time it was relief.

Hoping to give her extra seconds in the water, he turned to the Tirellian. "Doesn't this violate some kind of Federation law? If no one hits the paddle, couldn't she become ill? It seems to me that this is cruel and could even cause her death."

The man bristled. "It ain't cruel and the Federation don't have nothing to say about it. She earns her keep with this game. It ain't easy to take care of a creature like that, and it ain't cheap."

"All the more reason to give her breaks," the Andorian insisted. "Your meal ticket is gone if she gets sick or dies. Why does she have to sit in the swing while she's waiting? She would be even more arresting and beautiful if people could see her swimming in the tank. Look at that," he said, pointing to the mermaid. "How many people ever get to see a Mermaid swim? More people would stop, and far from costing you anything, you'd have more credits than ever."

The Tirellian rubbed his chin and watched several people stop to observe the mermaid's water antics. Children pressed their noses to the clear tank and watched as the woman performed sinuous acrobatics for their enjoyment. She flipped her tail lightly against the surface of the water, causing a small sprinkle to fall on upturned faces, and the children giggled.

"In fact, if you put her in a tent and advertised her as an exotic of the galaxy, I'll bet you'd make a lot more credits. I'm guessing she can do some amazing water tricks if you give her a chance." Tieran felt as if he were outside himself, listening to the words that came from his mouth, but not from him. Startled, he glanced at the woman and met her eyes again. This time, there was faint amusement in them.

"I'll do it!" the talker exclaimed. "Thanks. You're a pal." He pulled out a communicator and called someone, the Andorian supposed someone higher up the ladder in the sideshow's management. With a final glance at the Mermaid, Tieran walked away. He heard a whisper of sound in his mind. "Thank you."

 

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