It wasn't even the third period and Alashie couldn't stop thinking about cutting class. "Damn it why did robotics lab have to be fifth period." She thinks to herself. She gazed lazily at the clock while the teacher droned on about the first Central bank in Africa. The teacher is making it sound important. "Oh Lord. She's gonna ask me a question"
"Ms. Laurette, can the clock tell you the significance of this?'
"Hope so. Oh, I'm sorry. You really wanted an answer. " Alashie stares intently at the clock. " Something about using different natural resources to back up the currency. When they started mining on other planets it created a surge in the market that led to the colony wars."
"Well, it's good to know someone listens." Mrs. Jenkins says sounding impressed.
"I really don't" Alashie interjects just as the bell starts to ring. Grabbing her bookbag she makes a path straight out the door and into the massive flow of students. Looking before crossing the traffic pattern she jumps to her storage only to find Xalissa already inside.
"Stop picking my lock ji nu"
"You wanna hit the mall?" Xalissa says not bringing her head out of the locker.
"You ever get tired of the mall Xa?"
Xalissa looks at Alashie over her shoulder. "Was that a real question? You know my ritual. Especially after a smash like we took last night."
Alashie pushes her close to the locker " Don't be mentioning that shit around all these people."
"Ta' ma de. Mami you too fucking paranoid. Ju gonna get grey hair or something. We get something to eat and we'll see."
The pair skips out of school and stops off at the Koney Island restaurant around the corner. While they wait for their food Xalissa pulls a hot pink communicator. After a few seconds of trance music, a video feed of a young Puerto Rican with short dreadlocks appears on the screen. "What up doe" he says.
"What up little bro. What you smashing?" Xalissa answers
"No smashing. I'm offloading. Where you at? And stop calling me little bro."
"I'm older"
"By three fucking minutes!"
"3 minutes 14 seconds. Get it right mericon. We at the Olympia Koney by Cass. Hey, wait. Lash wants to spit something!"
"What up doe" Alashie says grabbing the communicator. "You got that for me?"
"What up doe. Those stupid sounding microprocessors? I could only find 2."
"Xavier don't talk over the coms. I told you."
"Ta' ma de woman. You too damn paranoid Plus you just said my name OVER THE COM. Oh no. Nirvana forbid!" Xavier said as he hung up.
15 minutes later Xavier walks in in the middle of Xalissa telling one of her many signature stories. "Ok. I'm here now. You can cut that shit. Lash here's those micro-ps."
Alashie grabs the parts like a kid in a candy store. "Now I can make our coms holographic!"
"Girl you always getting excited over some scrap metal. Hmm but I guess it does have potential. Recording 3D porn on my com. Hey!"
"Xa dammit! I told you!" Xavier yells. The two start arguing loudly in Mandarin. Alashie tinkers with the micro processor and looks at her friends hurling insults.
"Hey you two. Hey! You know I hate when ya'll do that."
"Well that's what you get for not listening in 6th grade language class." Xalissa retorts
"Why do I have to learn Chinese?"
"Idunno. Maybe because like 90% of the whole solar system speaks it."
"They speak English too so what's ya point."
"Not this argument again." Xavier interrupts. "So...... I'm offloading last night's smash and I realize we gotta step our game up." Everyone looks at him attentively. "We make good dough off auto parts but all everyone been talking about is weapon mods."
"Weapons?" Alashie said. It sounded like she was pronouncing a foreign word for the first time.
"Um yeah. I've been picking up popular specs from the Tor band all day." He hands Alashie his communicator. "The smashes we been pulling is nothing compared to this. This shit is worth thousands."
"We already make thousands after I customize" Alashie argues not looking away from the specs
"Ok. One or two. I'm talking at least 20 per job. We can get everything we need for 5 or 6 jobs from one smash."
"That's what I'm talking about! Ah, si I can feel Chinchilla already." Xalissa exclaimed."
"Whoa. We need to talk about this. What the fuck we smashing to get shield and weapons systems like this? I know you. You thinking Federation places. That's a bit different than smashing a factory or dealership.
"I get it. Yuzhao. But cmon mami you got to quit being so scary. You can break down all that mechy shit and we move it out. What's different?" Xavier fires back.
"It's not mechanics I'm worried about it's the flesh and blood guarding them."
"You act like we've never smashed a spot with guards before Lash. You do your thing we got your back. Like always." Xalissa says soothingly
"Aries on board with this?" Alashie asked still never looking away from the specs.
"Well, you wanted micro-ps. He had a special request too. Blueprints."
