#Ravel Storage

[ravelstorage121]

self storage solutions in Abu Dhabi with Ravel Storage. Whether you need to store household items, business inventory, or seasonal equipment, our state-of-the-art facilities offer secure, clean, and easily accessible storage units. At Ravel Storage, we prioritize your convenience with flexible rental terms, 24/7 security surveillance, and climate-controlled options to protect your belongings. Trust us to provide the perfect space for your storage needs in Abu Dhabi. Visit Ravel Storage today to learn more and reserve your unit!

[beesmygod]

you can get assaying only by going to Albion (london) and buying the equipment from the shipyards there. its an aux slot equipment and your only option at low skill levels. if you have hearts 60 you can go to the blue kingdom's sky barnet (which should just be really close to the transit relay actually) and get a rad hull upgrade that also lets you assay while keeping your aux slots free, which is amazing tbh. costs a few thousand sovereigns though. (theres a timekeeping office device thingy sidequest in london, that gives you an item called a ravelling jack. that just needs to be in your inventory to use it, which i didnt know for a while after starting it. no its not relevant to assaying but w/e)

at the royal society (a port in the Albion/london map, located within a sort of cave system so you rarely can access it easily from the center) you can trade for experimental modifications, which allow you to buy cool hybrid and custom ship equipments, like a cannery that takes up the bridge slot, and crew quarters that also increase storage space. you can trade visions of the heavens and otherworldly artifacts for the modifications (or munitions, which the port sells), and they dont cost cash. also theres a short sidequest you can do where a researcher asks you to copy runes for access to their cool shop of better modifications- you only need to visit one of the locations they give you to complete that. once you have the alt equipment in the bank theyre great for switching out for whatever build you need, even with new captains.

once you get an atani class-outrider (a late to endgame engine which has lots of aux slots and is very fast, which you can only get after going through elutheria (scary) and spending like 10k moneys on it but its basically the best engine in the game imo) you can have over 30 inventory while also having all the gathering actions equipped at once.

also also whenever you die and start a captain on a new legacy, it keeps your map, but also immediately gives all exploration xp and the contents of your bank to your new creature so theyll start above level 1 the majority of the time. however, if youve been to london you start in london, which tbh isnt that bad.

fuck i still need to get a transport pass lol

[shamilriswan]

Self Storage Companies In Abu Dhabi

Introduction Ravel Storage, based in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi, is a premier self-storage company offering secure, affordable, and flexible solutions for personal and business needs. Our modern facilities and customer-focused services make us the top choice for storing household items, furniture, or commercial inventory.

Why Ravel Storage?

Secure Facilities: 24/7 CCTV, biometric access, and climate-controlled units protect your belongings from theft, heat, and humidity.

Affordable Rates: Storage units start at AED 150/month with no hidden fees.

Flexible Options: Short- or long-term rentals with unit sizes from small lockers to large spaces.

Additional Services: Professional packing and moving support for a seamless experience.

Prime Location: Conveniently located in Mussafah with 24/7 access.

Conclusion Ravel Storage in Mussafah provides reliable, budget-friendly self-storage tailored to your needs. With top-tier security and exceptional service, we ensure your items are safe and accessible.Visit Ravel Storage today

[jasna]

Self Storage Unit Services in Abu Dhabi

Ravel Storage – Self-Storage Unit Services in Abu Dhabi

Ravel Storage offers premium self-storage unit services in Abu Dhabi, designed to meet your personal and business storage needs. Whether you need extra space for your belongings, seasonal items, or business inventory, our secure and convenient storage solutions are here to help.

Why Choose Ravel Storage?

Secure Facilities: With 24/7 surveillance, advanced security systems, and controlled access, your belongings are always safe with us.

Variety of Unit Sizes: We offer a range of storage unit sizes to suit your specific needs, whether it’s a small locker or a large space.

Climate-Controlled Units: Protect your valuables from extreme temperatures with our temperature-regulated storage options.

Flexible Rental Plans: Choose from short-term or long-term rental options to fit your schedule and budget.

Easy Accessibility: Our conveniently located storage facility ensures quick and hassle-free access whenever you need your items.

Professional Support: Our friendly and knowledgeable team is always ready to assist you with your storage requirements.

Ideal for Storing:

Household items

Furniture

Business inventory

Documents and files

Electronics and appliances

Seasonal belongings

Ravel Storage is committed to providing a reliable, secure, and flexible solution to all your storage needs. Whether you’re moving, decluttering, or need extra space for your business, we’ve got you covered.

Store with confidence at Ravel Storage – your trusted self-storage partner in Abu Dhabi. Contact us Ravel storage

[varshasreyasblog]

4 reasons to choose Ravel Storage in Abu Dhabi

At Ravel Storage, provide secure, convenient, and affordable self-storage and moving solutions. Our state-of-the-art facilities feature climate-controlled units and top-notch security, ensuring your belongings are safe.

1.Secure and Reliable: Ravel Storage prioritizes the safety of your belongings with top-notch security measures, including 24/7 surveillance and restricted access.

2.Flexible Storage Options: Offering both short-term and long-term storage solutions, Ravel Storage allows you to choose a plan that suits your needs, whether for a few weeks or several months.

3.Convenient Accessibility: With easily accessible facilities in Abu Dhabi, you can retrieve or store items at your convenience, ensuring a hassle-free experience.

4.Affordable Rates: Competitive pricing makes Ravel Storage a cost-effective option for individuals and businesses alike, providing value without compromising on quality.

For more details on our secure and flexible storage solutions, or to explore how Ravel Storage can meet your specific needs, visit our website. Discover our range of unit sizes, pricing plans, and features tailored for Abu Dhabi residents.

Visit us at: www.ravelstorage.com and make storing easy and stress-free

[okamiden-holiday-special]

Draft: "13 Seats In The Anatomy Theater" [Segment: Lara Ravel Character Study/Introduction]

Silence lay steadily upon the Shelter, floorboards untouched but for the swift clicks of shoes on the wooden surfaces, carefully chosen as stepping stones by one who knew which planks creaked and groaned from years of experience pacing in loneliness. Lara Ravel avoided the cracks between boards with every fourth step, caution that had blossomed from a hidden instinct as reliable as the urge to close one's eyes when sneezing. Superstition, one could say. Her shoes shone a modest brown, polished and disused, squeaking a bit when bent by the arch of her feet kicking along her skirt, devoid of dust only by virtue of a thorough wash the day prior, lace dried by candlelight as she wrung her hands while watching the dinner table be set down by Grigory and Stakh, taken out  of storage to fill the undead dining room, like a crude attempt at necromancy on the honor of the Ravel house. 

The dress had been unworn for so long, she'd wondered if it was even hers, perhaps an heirloom, or a forgotten piece of clothing from one of her treasured visitors. It hung heavy on her frame, faded lavender color blending into her pallid skin, but somehow bearing elegantly, adorning the daughter of Captain Ravel with dignity and poise she had once abandoned for the manic dream of somehow honoring her father with use of a pistol. Only heavier than her shoulders was her head, braided hair pinned as a bun, somehow more burdensome than a crown could ever be, the weight of expectation. Expectation to live on after death. Perhaps it was the steppe air bearing down on her mind, manifesting thoughts as stones in her skull. 

Lara shook the somber thought like she'd done countless times before, frowning down at a scuff on the floor caused by Grigory’s carelessness the day prior, no doubt. Her guests wouldn't care to scrutinize her home, but she somehow felt as though that one scratch on the polished wooden facade told more of her inadequacies as a host than any spoken word. Twelve guests, and not a single one would avert their eyes from her as they would from the flaws in the house, be it a mote of dust or a chip of paint. Twelve guests in the spirit of twelve hours, not a single care to spare for the faded cushions on the study couch or the creaking hinge on the parlor door, but keen eyes facing each other with sharpness rivaled only by the cutlery. The equinox was never a real holiday on the Gorkhon, but a spirited part of Lara wished for the event to stand flawless anyway, if only for the sake of a single-minded desire to prove herself a gracious and diligent homeowner. 

Silence persisted like a mantle over the Shelter and its mistress, just as it did over the evening of the town, a blanket over the steppe. Unbroken still, but expectant like her ears, keenly listening to the waver of footsteps on her front yard, the steady knock of knuckles on her door, the intermittent breathing of a guest upon her home. Lara Ravel waited for the curtain of quiet to be either gently folded away or otherwise ripped to shreds by company, knowing well she would never be the one to lay silence to rest herself, allowing her home to remain a shrine to emptiness, occupied only temporarily by travelers and vagabonds. A catacomb, a sepulcher. It was time for a dinner to be held, and she would not sit at the table and break bread, for she was not one to break things, be it silence or bonds. 

[not-bannisterroadkill-anymore]

HELLO <3

I'm doing Nanowrimo so updates on The Raveling will start up in mid-December

If you haven't already, I'm tryna move this blog to a different account so go follow @bannisterroadkill

Because I haven't updated in forever and I feel bad about leaving y'all hanging... here have an excerpt of questionable quality that really doesn't make up for anything at all but is the best I can do

"I… uh… wow." At the sound of Fishlegs's voice, Hiccup craned his neck to glance back at his shoulder at the slack-jawed, limp-armed library assistant trying to sputter out a decipherable response. "That's… wow."

The smile on Hiccup's face physically ached from potency. "Fishlegs, meet Toothless. Officially, I guess." Toothless's eyes remained closed as he reveled in the bliss of chin scratches.

Fishlegs shuddered before clearing his throat. "Right. How far away is the tunnel?"

"It's in the storage room to the right of the dungeon entrance." Part of him shriveled a little at so casually revealing a secret passageway's location, but Hiccup gritted his teeth in an effort to refocus.

"Right, but how far away is it?"

"If all goes smoothly, just a few minutes." Hiccup retracted his hands from the dark scales, offering his dragon an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Bud, but we've got to get you out of here."

Fishlegs had already begun yanking scrolls out of the cabinet in his cart. Hiccup grabbed a few from Fishlegs's arms and began scattering them about the cage. A few glances at the scrolls revealed what Fishlegs had already informed him: these scrolls were erroneous transcriptions of texts already preserved in the fortress library. Only a trained eye would notice, though.

After dumping the rest of the scrolls into Hiccup's hands, Fishlegs darted back out into the main hallway. Seconds later, he scurried back into the dungeons. "The coast is clear," he hissed.

Pivoting, Hiccup faced Fishlegs.

"Make it count," Fishlegs groaned, scrunching up his face and squeezing his eyes shut.

Hiccup nodded and gulped. "Sorry," he offered. Then he punched Fishlegs in the face.

[ravelstorage121]

Our storage units are available for rent for a period of time or by the month. Moving homes is not just about relocation, it also comes with other uncertainties, like when you will have time to go through your belongings. We believe that as long as there is space at Ravel Storage, moving to another home should not be any more stressful than usual. We take care of loading and unloading, Best Movers in Abu Dhabi at an affordable price. With our self-storage units rented on a commercial purpose basis, the items stored do not need to be related to business alone. Ravel Storage is secure and protects your belongings from damage or theft during move or while in storage www.ravelstorage.com/

[shamilriswan]

Best Self Storage Units in Abu Dhabi

With self-storage, finding the right place to keep your belongings safely and securely in Abu Dhabi is crucial. Be it decluttering your home, moving to a new place, or simply looking for a safe spot for business inventory, Ravel Storage is the name you can trust for all your storage needs. With top-quality self-storage solutions that bring convenience, flexibility, and excellent customer service together, we give you peace of mind.

Why Choose Ravel Storage? At Ravel Storage, we understand that every individual and business has different storage needs. Our goal is to provide personalized storage solutions that fit perfectly with your requirements. Here’s why you should choose us:

1. State-of-the-Art Self Storage Units Our self-storage units come in various sizes, designed to accommodate everything from small household items to large furniture or commercial inventory. Whether you’re storing seasonal items, personal belongings, or business supplies, we have the perfect unit for you. With 24/7 security and climate control options, your items are guaranteed to stay safe and well-maintained.

2. Packing Supplies Packing can be one of the most daunting tasks when it comes to moving or organizing your space. At Ravel Storage, we make it easy by offering a wide range of high-quality packing supplies. From boxes of different sizes, bubble wrap, and tape to specialized packing materials, we have everything you need to pack your belongings securely for storage or moving.

3. Moving Services Moving can be a stressful experience, whether you’re relocating to a new home or shifting office supplies. Our professional moving services are designed to make your transition as smooth as possible. Our team of experts will carefully pack, transport, and unload your items, saving you time and effort. With Ravel Storage, you can count on reliable moving solutions that cater to both residential and business needs.

Ravel Storage understands that in a busy city like Abu Dhabi, one needs a reliable and secure self-storage provider for personal and business needs. We offer the best solutions whether you need packing supplies, expert moving services, or a safe space to store your belongings. With our flexible rental options, advanced security measures, and excellent customer service, you can rest easy knowing your items are in good hands

[serumreneaux]

Reneaux Serum - Improve Your Skin's Health Today!

Reneaux Serum - Improve Your Skin's Health Today!

Reneaux Serum Critiques: - Eventually, each woman encounters bad complexion. But much of the time that it will get far better. In the past. Ultimately, your real age attracts your responsibility. Your skin is dried up together with splitting, your facial lines are added obvious than ever before, and also your soft skin is not any location to be discovered. This is why you require a epidermis cream like Reneaux Serum Lotion to restore your sensitive skin. This new zero-ageing answer assists you to {Buzrush.com}soften skin and in addition have the fresh appear that you want. By improving moisture, this cream aims to reduce your wrinkles and also obtain you looking and feeling young once more. So, keep reviewing our Reneaux Serum Review to find out even more concerning just how this effective beauty serum can restore your skin! Or else, click the link below to attempt the top skin cream for yourself with a FREE TRIAL OFFER before it's far too late!

Reneaux Healthy Skin Care Serum Review

Getting a delicate remedy for your epidermis would be the intention. However you need a complexion{Buzrush.com} product that genuinely performs. Which is the reason this is just about the top contra--aging cream potential customers. According to the Official Reneaux Serum Website, this skin cream can help you:

• Replenish as well as Soften Complexion

• Enhance Hydration

• Limit Wrinkles

• Ravel Epidermis

• Cover Acnes

• Plus more!

Using Reneaux Serum Lotion

You can place in a little effort alongside the Reneaux Serum Skin Like get back at far better results if you are looking for your finest anti-aging results yet. Below are a few anti--ageing ways to try:

• Hydrate - Ensure that you obtain the humidity the skin needs. Among the least complicated methods to make this happen is by using a product similar to this just one. But that will depend upon you regardless of whether you need to give it a try!

• Sunshine prohibit - Put it to use want it conserves your lifetime and stops creases from occurring. Since it does. Sunshine prohibit can be your good friend.

• Health - Receiving the very best vitamins and minerals inside you in addition to being healthier in each feasible strategy will certainly support your epidermis to remain its ideal state.

Which are the Reneaux Serum Materials?

The Reneaux Serum Substances consist of an effective mixture of peptides that may definitely enable you to enhance collagen degrees in addition to restore your epidermis. By using this option to your skin, the ingredients can both secure and also recover. The product web site specifies that it anti--ageing cream has the ability to recover grow older wrinkles, areas and imperfections as well as far more.{Buzrush.com} You can ultimately feel and look youthful once again, by increasing hydration and obtaining the ingredients your skin requires! But the simplest way to see how this effective zero-growing old system operates is to give it a try for your own benefit to improve collagen along with your most younger looking epidermis. So, if you are ready to see if Reneaux Serum Anti-Aging Product is the top alternative, click any kind of photo or switch on this page to begin prior to it's far too late to try it!

Do you know the Reneaux Serum Ratings Declaring?

You want to guarantee that the reviews are positive, before trying the Reneaux Serum Face Serum. If individuals aren't getting the anti-aging results they want, you do not want to attempt the product. But the good thing is for you, this solution is amongst the very best! This effective anti-aging cream offers you everything you need to support it if you are wanting to renew your skin. With a combination of 100 % pure peptides, you can by natural means enhance collagen degrees and recoup your{Buzrush.com} skin layer! To commonly eliminate lines and wrinkles plus continue to be clear of using injections and operative treatments, this really is your finest selection. The best method to see exactly how the formula can restore your skin is to try it, however! So, click any picture or switch on this page to assert the most effective offers as well as claim a FREE TRIAL OFFER of the top marketing lotion prior to it's far too late!

Is there a Reneaux Serum Charge?

The Reneaux Serum Value would depend highly on once you acquire the solution and that you have it from. There can be a test deal readily available if you hurry. You can obtain your very first product for as low as the price of shipping and also handling, as well as if that holds true. You can see just how you like the product before paying the full Reneaux Serum Price, in this way. With this special package, you can be certain that you are currently renewing your epidermis without paying a ton of money for the product that in no way performs. Fairly, this productive cream sincerely dives deep{Buzrush.com} in your pores and skin and careers. However, this offer isn't mosting likely to keep available for very long. So, if you can obtain your hands on this extraordinary Reneaux Serum Expense and also product prior to you miss your possibility, click any kind of link or switch on this web page to see!

Reneaux Serum: - Conclusion

Whenever it gets to the skin attention, you happen to be worth the promising item which can address all of your tensions. We are incredibly thankful to confide you that the exclusive merchandise is among the appealing versions obtainable available. It can definitely give each and every tiny issue your skin layer involves {Buzrush.com}to upgrade themselves better than in the past. After that get now from the A Official Reneaux Serum Shark Storage Tank Website if you are thinking of getting your product. This is basically the most effective place where you may have this obtain in your doorsteps. Don't imagine abnormal in regards to this and even obtain it now.

More Info-

https://www.buzrush.com/reneaux-serum/ 

https://www.giftatonce.com/reneaux-serum/ 

https://netchorus.com/reneaux-serum-review/ 

https://careklub.com/reneaux-serum/ 

https://www.facebook.com/Reneaux-Serum-205053581534476 

https://sites.google.com/view/reneauxserum/home

[jasna]

Storage Services in Abu Dhabi

At Ravel Storage, we provide secure, convenient, and affordable self-storage and moving solutions. Our state-of-the-art facilities feature climate-controlled units and top-notch security, ensuring your belongings are safe.Our godowns for rent provide the ideal answer for businesses needing secure, accessible, and flexible warehousing options. With a focus on convenience and reliability, our facilities cater to a wide range of industries, from retail and logistics to manufacturing and construction.We pride ourselves on offering transparent pricing with no hidden fees, along with exceptional customer support to assist you every step of the way. Experience the convenience and peace of mind that comes with choosing Ravel Storage for your storage needs. Whether you’re running out of space at home, relocating, or looking for a reliable partner to store business assets, we have the solution for you. Our state-of-the-art facilities and customer-first approach make storing your valuables easier, safer, and more affordable than ever.

For more information and expert tips, visit website at www.ravelstorage.com. Simplify your storage needs with Ravel Storage

[rose-honey-lemonade]

My grandma was an expert seamstress. Her mother was a professional seamstress and taught my grandma how to make everything from a victorian evening coat to a doll's dress.

As a child most of my doll clothes were made by her and she taught me how to sew.

One of her most common little projects were these little pocket bags made from left over scraps from bigger projects. My first sewing kit ever was put together by her and included a blue pocket pouch similar in style to the one on the right.

My grandma never wasted ANY fabric so we still have TONS of bits of vintage fabrics and notions.

Anyway, today I was looking through her old storage stool to see if there was a stitch ripper in there (I messed up a whole section on my current cross stitch and idk where the heck my own stitch ripper got to). There was not a stitch ripper in there BUT there was these two old pocket pouches!

The one with the antelope is SO pretty but it's probably about my mom's age so the fabric is starting to fray. But I'm getting into boro and sachiko stitching and my grandma would have LOVED the idea of making mending visible and beautiful (she also taught me how to darn socks!) so I'm going to sachiko stitch the antelope pocket pouch back to usability!

The peach colored pouch is much newer, I think I remember her making it when I was a kid. But that means its 20 something years old and its loose in a few places so I'm gonna reinforce the edges and maybe add some fancy edging.

And that little plastic bag? It's labeled "linen curtain ravelings" in my grandma's handwriting. Like I said, she never ever threw out any usable fiber or fabric. She also labeled EVERYTHING. So the plan is to use that raw linen thread to sachiko stitch the antelope pocket.

I was born on my grandma's birthday and I love her and miss her with my entire heart and soul. Mending these is gonna feel really good. :)

[lupinepublishers-ojnbd]

Lupine Publishers| Sleep is for Life: an Essential Part of Everyday Life

Lupine Publishers| Journal of Neurology and Brain Disorders

Abstract

Sleep is essential for basic survival as well as for optimal physical and cognitive performance in both human beings and animals. Sleep is a normal human function that is detrimental to sustaining life yet; individuals are affected differently by their sleep schedule. However, the community at large often underestimates sleep and its importance, therefore leading people to not be as concerned with a proper night’s sleep, thereby preventing them from performing at peak efficiency. Sleep plays a vital role in learning and when a person fails to obtain enough sleep the night prior, neurons in the brain might not fire properly, the body becomes out of synch, and it can even lead to accidental physical injuries. As many studies have been conducted, the majority have seemed to come to similar conclusions: a lack of sleep can have detrimental side effects on the human mind and body and by regularly obtaining enough sleep each night; a person can function more efficiently.

Introduction

Go to

Sleep is one of the great unsolved mysteries of biology. Actually a large part of the population spends one third of his life asleep, it is therefore not surprising that this phenomenon has always been a great fascination for humanity. It is an important physiological process responsible for the physical, mental and emotional health of a living being. A good sleep is one of the most satisfying human experiences with a role to play in maintaining a good mood and cognitive acuity as well as in promoting physiologic balance and resilience [1]. Sleep is a regular physiological state of natural life and is observed in majority of organisms [2]. Sleep is a naturally persistent reversible state of rest state characterized by reduced or absence of consciousness, suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of voluntary muscles. Sleep is a heightened anabolic state, accentuating the growth and rejuvenation of the immune, nervous, skeletal and muscular systems [3]. It is generated by complex but specific brain neuronal circuitry and heavily influenced by various factors such as biological rhythms, hormonal changes and environmental factors [4,5]. Sleep is an essential element of the human condition, which allows us to perform critical daily functions at peak optimization when obtaining in the correct amount. Sleep is important because it has a determining role in mental and physical health, along with quality of life [6,7]. Sleep, a complex phenomenon, is not merely the result of physical fatigue or decrease in activity; instead it is a complicated behavioural state requiring the integration of several neuronal processes [8].

Sleep Stages

Sleep is a reversible, physiological state with reduced motility. It is subdivided into REM sleep (rapid eye movement sleep, paradoxical sleep, active sleep, D sleep or deep sleep, REMS), and NREM sleep (SWS or slow wave sleep, non-REM sleep, NREMS). REMS is characterized by muscle atonia, activation of several brain areas, including the cortex and physically occurring eye movements, muscle twitches and changes in pulse rate, blood pressure and respiration. NREMS is characterized by body rest [9].

Functions of Sleep

Sleep is a global state, the control mechanisms of which are manifested at every level of biological organization: from genes and intracellular mechanisms to networks of cell populations, and to all central neuronal systems that control movement, arousal, autonomic functions, behaviour and cognition [10]. Sleep boosts up the immune functions has a role in brain maturation and helps in energy conservation. [11,12].Sleep contributes to memory consolidation possibly by enhancing synaptic plasticity [13]. Xie and colleagues reported that during sleep, waste products of brain metabolism are removed from the interstitial space among brain cells where they accumulate this is due to change in the brain’s extracellular space between sleep and waking states [14]. In sleep, metabolic rates decrease and reactive oxygen species generation is reduced allowing restorative processes to take over. It is theorized that sleep helps facilitate the synthesis of molecules that help repair and protect the brain from these harmful elements generated during waking [15].

Though sleep is essential for life, it is difficult to enumerate its functions. Sleep is needed to regenerate certain parts of the body, mainly the brain, so that it may continue to function optimally. One of the important functions of sleep is to promote synaptic plasticity and neuronal recovery for proper brain functioning. Memory consolidation, brain growth and repair are other functions proposed for sleep [16,17]. Various Behavioural and electrophysiological studies have revealed that sleep plays a crucial role in long-term memory storage [18].

It is stated that sleep is essential for restoration and recovery. Energy conservation is one function that is proposed for sleep. It is thought that sleep may help the body conserve energy and other resources that the immune system needs to mount an attack on diseases. Sleep may help to discharge emotions through dreaming [17]. Many experiments have shown that we retain newly acquired knowledge or a newly learned skill more effectively the day after a good night’s sleep and because the hippocampus is known to be heavily involved in encoding memories, REM sleep may thus contribute to learning and memory [19]. The amygdala– hippocampus–medial prefrontal cortex network involved in emotional processing, fear memory and valence consolidation shows strongest activity during REM sleep [20].

Summary

Although sleep occupies approximately a third of the human lifespan, the amount of time humans spend awake has increased over the years. Many neurological diseases from Alzheimer’s to stroke and dementia are associated with sleep disturbances. Lack of sleep could have a causal role, by allowing the byproducts to build up and cause brain damage. Sleep is one of the important needs like oxygen and nutrition for survival. Sleep is a basic drive of nature. Sufficient sleep helps us think more clearly, complete complex tasks better and more consistently and enjoy everyday life more fully. “You probably develop damage if you don’t get your sleep.”

“Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleave of care, The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath, Balm of hurt minds, great Nature’s second course, Chief nourisher in life’s feast.”

For more Lupine Publishers Open Access Journals Please visit our website: https://lupinepublishers.us/

For more Open Access Journal of Neurology & Neurosurgery articles Please Click Here:

https://lupinepublishers.com/neurology-brain-disorders-journal/

[theflyingpimphat]

A to Z Episode 2

Handling illegal goods

It was weird waking up in complete darkness. Arqeez fumbled for the fastening of the safety belts with his smaller pair of hands while a bigger arm was searching for the light switch on the wall. The lamps flickered to life and made finding the fasteners a lot easier. The moment they opened, the belts retracted into the wall, releasing the large exoskeletal from his position on the mattress lying in the corner.

Sleeping while tied up was uncomfortable but necessary, especially considering who steered the ship. Speaking of the pilot...

Arqeez walked in the direction of the bridge, grabbing himself several food ration packages from a box nearby on the way. They tasted like sponge soaked in broth, but were surprisingly filling for something so small. One block between his teeth and several more in hand, Arqeez pushed the panel that opened the door.

Loud noise was the first thing that greeted him. Arqeez could recognize it as some kind of Kun Esh folk music, which meant it had a heavy beat and a lot of low frequency notes that made different parts of the ship rattle in resonance. Arqeez walked up to the pilot seat, paying attention not to step on the brown and white patterned tail sticking out of a section sawed out of the seat's backside and coiled up on the ground.

“Morning, Arq,” came from the seat's front side, barely audible in between the loud music.

Arqeez gave his companion a look. “You look like you really need a break yourself now,” he said with the food ration still in his mouth. Zekra all but hung in the safety belts, both arms slung onto the steering module more as support rather than for controlling the ship. Ge had told once that Serkanians had a pretty high tolerance for extended waking periods, but they still had their limits.

“As much as I want to, I can't.” Zekra leant forward to push a button on the console and the music went quiet. “Hear for yourself.”

Arqeez needed a few moments to listen himself through the various humming and rattling noises that made out the soundscape of the Sciara.

“You mean the knocking?”

“Exactly. Some shit is loose in this bucket again and I have no clue which. That's why I have to be present, to keep tabs on it, hear if it changes or if it influences anything about the controls or the life support until I can land it for a repair. Well, at least I don't have to hang here for long.” Ge gestured at the window.

Only then Arqeez paid attention to what was going on outside. The sight was confusing: there was a weird object slowly growing in the view. It looked like a large city had been rolled up into a ravel, parts sticking out at random angles.

Zekra gave ger companion a look like ge caught him trying to drink the water from the alga farm. “It's a space station. Aun 74 Et, to be precise, also known as the garbage heap of the Tolemut quadrant. I wanted to avoid it, but with the ship dicking around, I have no other choice.”

Arqeez kept looking out of the window while opening another food ration package, examining the odd object called a space station. He could see a number of small ships swarming around it, entering and exiting ports or landing on marked platforms. Sometimes even parts of the space station itself detached and moved to different places to dock.

“But if you need to land there, why are you going around it? There are landing marks all over it.”

Zekra took a few seconds to answer. “There is a very specific repair station I'm approaching. Run by Skiamus. As unpleasant as this station is, that is one of its better elements.”

“Greetings, customer! How can I help you and your ship?”

There was a screen in the middle displaying a stylized face of a grinning Tolemo to interact with, yet Zekra couldn't help shifting ger gaze between the three cameras surrounding it. The jovial electronic voice came from a synthetic entity, a three-metre-long streamlined machine floating at eye height. They were inside a spacious hangar, the last airlock gate that let the Sciara into the space station still closing. Several identically-looking synthetic entities were already examining and scanning the aged spaceship's exterior while other ships were being worked on on different platforms.

“A system check, there is a knocking sound when it is running. Aside from that, a sealing of the airlock. The leaks have been taped shut and allow its use in an atmosphere, but not in a vacuum.”

The Skiamu clicked its tools mounted to multiple arms attached at the bottom. “Understood. The estimated time for full restoration of the requested functions will take 17 tertiary Universal Time Units. Please return in an adequate time frame.”

“How much will it cost?”

“The estimated costs for the requested repairs are between 500 and 10000 Gams. Unfortunately, with the current lack of knowledge of the state of components to repair, a narrower frame cannot be given.”

“Well, let's hope it will be in the lower end. Have fun with the repairs.” The Skiamu's antigravity pads that held it in the air turned, made it swerve sideways and away. Zekra turned towards ger larger companion, who was watching the Skiamu floating away. “Arqeez, let's go, we have 17 terts to spend.”

“They are machines,” Arqeez stated while they walked towards one of the smaller gates leading out of the hangar and deeper into the station.

“Yes, so what? Skiamu repair stations have the best cost-performance ratio you will find in the known galaxy, because they only charge for material expenses with an additional charge that goes towards maintaining themselves, their tools and their station. They have no needs for having a living place, entertainment, families and all those other money sinks us organic lifeforms tend to have. Repairing machines is their only desire. That's why I can also leave them alone with the Sciara and not expect anything to be stolen or anyone taking a dump in the ventilation system for fun.”

Arqeez looked back at the ship. “Speaking of leaving the ship, why not going back and sleep there? You are about to fall over.”

“That is one of the things not to do in a Skiamu repair station. As amiable as they are, they have no consideration for anything not connected to their work. It will be loud and if they have to dismantle the wall with the pallet on it, they will screw it off with you still on it.” Ge sighed. “Well, off to find some shitty cheap dosshouse where the mattresses have formed their own ecosystems sourced from half the quadrant's planets.”

The inside of the space station proper corrobated Arqeez' comparison to a rolled-up city. Everything was either metal, plastic or ceramic, seemingly clobbered together with little regards what fitted to which. One moment they walked over solid metal plates clanking and bending under their feet, the next moment it were grids, allowing the view on tubes underneath, one of them leaking steam. Overhead, cables of various thickness and colour were tied to the ceiling in thick bundles. It was dark, noisy, stifling and cramped, stuffed to the brim with people and the wares they wanted to sell and buy.

Small stores and stands lined the narrow alleys, their owners loudly trying to get the attention of passerbys, mostly in Unicomlang, sometimes in one of the many other languages spoken in the quadrant. Similarly, the people present came from all over the place. Where on planets there was usually one or several species being dominant, Aun 74 Et harboured a wild mixture. Im Kpaz scurried between their feet, a Gthuor was praising his wares with inflated horns and a loud honking voice. A Sharkaz pushed herself through the crowd, proudly carrying a tiny male in a cage with one of her head tentacles while her diminutive nonsapient soon-to-be partner was chittering and flapping his wings behind the bars.

“This one looks promising,” Zekra muttered and vanished behind a door wedged between two stands. Arqeez had to duck to be able to follow.

The low, narrow door led into a room that was barely bigger, containing only a counter with a yellow-furred, bored-looking individual of unknown origin behind it. The moment they saw their visitors, the four piercing green eyes narrowed and the upper mouthparts rose straight up.

“Aah, new customers, come in, come in,” the individual said with a heavy accent.

“How much for one room for four to seven tert-UTUs?” Zekra asked, leaning on the counter.

“40 Gams, paid upfront.” The individual ducked under the counter and retrieved a reader, placing it on top. Zekra pulled a currency storage module from a pocket of the bag harness, unlocked it and shoved it into a port on the reader. Satisfied, the receptionist vanished behind the door in the wall behind the counter and came back with a roll of fabric and ropes soon after.

“Room 4 it is,” they said, placing the roll and two disc-shaped electronic keys on the counter.

“But don't be... too loud,” they added with with a slow blink and a quiver in the middle mouthparts which Arqeez figured was an equivalent of a dirty grin. He gave the receptionist a wary look and followed Zekra into the corridor to the rooms, which was as low and narrow as everything else in this establishment; he had to lower his head and even then his antennae brushed over the ceiling.

Calling the room's interior 'bare necessities' was already a stretch. A dim, flickering ceiling light revealed a toilet and a tap in one corner, a small, rickety table against a wall and two pairs of robust hooks on opposite tiled walls.

“Well, at least it is a way from preventing the spread of disease,” Zekra commented while unrolling the bundle. It was a hammock to be hung onto the hooks.

“Okay, Arqeez, this will take some time and will be really boring for you, but try not to move away from this inn too far,” ge said while hooking the hammock up. “Stay in sight of the entrance when you go out. I will leave a module for you. There is barely any money on it left so you can empty it out to get yourself some food and entertainment for the time being. 'Entertainment' excludes beating people up or breaking stuff, for the record. Sure, I will not forbid you self-defense, but for fuck's sake, don't start anything.”

Zekra took off the bag harness and slung it over one of the hammock's ropes, removed the currency module in question and threw it over to Arqeez. Then ge clumsily got onto the hammock and a bit of shifting later, both shoes dropped out.

“But what if there are no places to get food while still staying in sight?” Arqeez wondered, turning the module and the electronic key in one pair of hands each. “I also wonder what sort of entertainment here is. Zekra, what about fighting rings? Are those fine?”

The only answer was silence.

At first, Arqeez wanted to stay in the room and wait, but after about two hours, it pulled him outside. Making sure the door was closed and secured, he walked the low corridor into the entry area. The four eyes of the receptionist were fixating him on his way.

“Time well spent, I presume?”

Arqeez paid him a brief glance. “No, just waiting. Tired of waiting.” He then stopped, facing the yellow individual and their staring eyes. “If you go in there and take Zekra's stuff or do any harm to ger, I will find you and tear your limbs off.”

The individual's eyes narrowed and the upper mouthparts rose. “I wouldn't think of that in my dreams. We value the discretion of our customers here.”

Arqeez gave the receptionist a last look before he pushed the panel that opened the door to the outside.

Behind the door of the inn he was met with a cacophony of smells. The dominant one was that of the various metals and plastics the space station was composed of, but it was unable to hide the smells of the various nuances of unwashed bodies from a multitude of planets, the distinctive acridity of rust and fuel, the faint notes of decay. And of course, the alluring scent of food.

Following the strongest note of the more interesting food smells, Arqeez' feet carried him to a stand not far away from the inn. Looking back, he could see the door, so he was doing everything right. The stand in question was hissing with the sizzling of hot oil where a spindly exoskeletal was using all their four arms to dump, remove and turn around small orb-shaped things in several pans.

The exoskeletal turned one of his two iridescent stilted eyes into Arqeez' direction, the other one still jerking from pan to pan.

“Oh, hello, dear customer. Here to have some kunus, I presume?” Despite the cook being a completely different species than the receptionist, their voice was dripping with the same greedy sliminess.

“You mean those balls?”

“Of course I mean those balls.” The exoskeletal emitted an amused raspy chitter. “Judging by your size, you will likely want to have an extra large portion. That would be 12 Gams.”

Arqeez showed the cook the currency storage module to have him evaluate the red line that indicated how much was left. “Will this be enough?”

“More than enough.” One of the hands briefly interrupted its work to pull up a reader and tap some buttons while two others were shovelling finished kunus into a large one-use bucket. Arqeez did what he has seen his companion do many times and put the module into the reader's port after opening its protective cap, watching the red line on the module's screen shrink a bit, then removed it when the line started to blink.

With the module back in the pocket strapped around the base of his postabdomen and the bucket in a hand, Arqeez decided to spend his time eating the kunus while checking out the other stands in the vicinity of the inn. A lot of them didn't interest him, like the ones selling machine parts, souvenirs or cloth pieces. There was another food stand in the vicinity, but whatever was being cooked there smelled so unappealing Arqeez assumed it would be inedible to him. Zekra had told him to check if the food he ate was compatible with his biochemical profile or whatever ge had called it. But it was a complex array of letters and numbers he usually forgot right after hearing it, hence he preferred trusting his sense of smell, which hadn't failed him so far.

Speaking of smell, there was one entering between the metal and the weird stuff being cooked that grabbed his interest. It reminded him of the plants he had smelled several planets ago, mixed with cleaning powder and the wall paint used in the last planet's space terminal, yet it was different. It piqued his curiosity and made him follow the scent rail.

The scent carried him to a stand set in a niche in the wall, in a place of the space station that was not frequented much and poorly lit. The stand itself was partially overhung with dark, heavy cloth and manned by a rotund being with tiny eyes, head fans with complex folds and two movable tubes poking out of the tip of the upper jaw, apparently holding nostrils at their tips. On the table in front of the trader there were a number of round flat jars, which looked identical save for the differently-coloured stickers on their lids. The smells seemed to come from said jars.

“What are those supposed to be?” Arqeez asked the trader, pointing at the jars. “They smell strange.”

“Ooh, a connoisseur of arts I hear, welcome to my stand,” the trader piped. Unlike the receptionist and the food seller, this one's feelings seemed to actually match his words. “These are umi'qui boxes, an art form practised by us Varufoi. I will show you.”

The Varufoi took one of the jars and opened it, then put their tubes over the substance inside and took a slow, deep breath. “Ooun wood and Damelian algae with a hint of holom. The wood’s natural balsamic smell gets a note of spice from the algae and the holom rounds it off into a symphony of scent, I tell you. Try for yourself,” they said and handed the jar to Arqeez. Since his olfactory organs were not connected to his spiracles, he brought the jar up to his forehead and waved his feathered antennae above it. It was indeed an interesting smell. Usually, scents were separate elements for him, easy to pick apart and follow to their source. But this mixture made them... fit together surprisingly well? As if they were parts of one single olfactory construct, meant to be together.

The Varufoi seemed to notice Arqeez' confused expression. “You probably have seen drawings or paintings to be enjoyed by those with good vision or music and ranthouls for those with good hearing. Umi'qui boxes are like that, but for those with good sense of smell. It takes skill and talent to find smells that accentuate each other well and then to mix them together in their best amounts. Some other cultures use a primitive form of that to spray or smear the smells onto their bodies to cover their own odour, what a waste! Like burning a painting to warm yourself at the fire!” The Varufoi shook his head, folded and unfolded the head fans. “But I trail off. Here is one which I enjoy in particular. Hmm, can you guess what scent was used as the base?”

Arqeez put down the jar he had been given first and took the new one. The smell that came from it was surprisingly familiar.

“Machine oil?”

“Indeed!” the Varufoi clasped their chubby hands together with elation. “Such a simple everyday substance, yet I could turn it into a piece of art with Limarian herbs and Garmatian brine midge secretions! Now, let me smell you this one, my most recent creation!”

After a time that felt like several terts, Arqeez had smelled himself through the whole collection of the Varufoi's stand. He wanted to go back to the inn to check on Zekra, but as he turned around, there was no door of the inn in sight. Not a single part of the sight had any resemblance to the part where it was located, in fact.

Crap.

Arqeez took the branch-off that smelled most like the area with the inn, crumpling up and dropping the long-empty kunu bucket into a trash disposal. There were more people in the alley he had taken, walking in both directions without stopping. Arqeez followed the flow, checking the smell of the side alleys if it was more or less similar from what he remembered being close to the inn.

Where was it?

Zekra awoke to the sound of the flickering ceiling light.

Uncurling, ge looked around. As expected, Arqeez was not present, so ge didn't bother staying in the room longer than needed.

“Six terts,” ge muttered while taking a look at the wrist computer. “Well, let's hope the big lug didn't get himself into trouble during that time.”

After ger stretching routine, Zekra put ger shoes and bag harness back on and rolled up the hammock, which ge put onto the receptionist's counter while leaving.

“Your friend has left about four and a half tert-UTUs ago, I presume,” the green-eyed individual said after being asked about Arqeez' whereabouts. I haven't seen them after that.”

“Well, thanks. I'm off, then.”

“Grace this establishment with your presence again soon,” the receptionist said with narrowed eyes and raised upper mouthparts.

Outside, the alleys of Aun 74 Et were as busy as usual. Some stands were erected, others dismantled, people walked from place to place, stopped at the stands, vanished and emerged from barely-visible doors. There was probably a member from every intelligent species of the entire quadrant present and there was rarely more than one of each species being visible, but none of those were an Idrath.

Zekra stood at the entrance for a few moments, checking the passerbys and the stands, but it seems Arqeez had indeed wandered out of the dosshouse's proximity.

“You fucking idiot,” the Serkanian groaned. Finding Arqeez in a regular city when he got lost was bad enough, but space stations were worse in every aspect. Zekra sought out the next food stand and asked the trader if he had seen the large, dark grey exoskeletal with orange marks and feathered antennae.

“Nnnot that I know, no,” the trader answered with a nasal, high-pitched voice. “I have opened the stand two terts ago, maybe he had left before I arrived?”

“Must have been that way, thanks.”

Two food stands later, Zekra had found a witness, a Zambularian who was selling kunus which he prepared right at the stand. “Yes, I saw an individual who would match the description. Bought a large bucket of kunus here. Do you want to buy a bucket yourself?”

“Not before I find him,” Zekra replied. “Did you see where he went afterwards?”

“This direction,” the Zambularian pointed with a tong. “Can't tell more, there were kunus to fry. I'm willing to give you a discount, considering a friend has brought you here, even if it wasn't by recommendation.”

“Not before I find him, as said.”

Zekra turned into the direction the Zambularian had pointed, but didn't get far. There was a six-legged machine standing in ger way, two additional manipulative limbs clicking. The top of it was mostly taken up by a glass dome that allowed a view inside, which was filled with water and contained either a Doburen or Xunnm; a skeleton-less, flattened aquatic with two large, mobile eyes and twelve tentacles, each on a separate lever in their mobile aquarium. The broad flat back, starting out with a greenish-brown colour, rapidly began to flash in a variety of colours and patterns.

“Hello, I have seen the individual you are searching,” a monotonous, robotic voice translated the flashes into Unicomlang. “They were walking around seaweed shortjaw-” the aquatic's flashes briefly stopped, then repeated at a slower pace. “They were walking around Hor 39 Alley, which you can reach by going left to the Jounur stand that mutilates... commonplace... sells the stitched kerchiefs. Excuse me, this new visual to auditory communication translator model is recently-installed and ellipsoid... cathode screen... concrete... rape and desiccate this fucking useless piece of electronic trash!” The individual's tentacles curled up in frustration and their flashes became red-tinted. “May the company that stuck it together get infested with worms and shit their own bowels out!”

“Thanks for the information, I think that is enough to find him but I need to hurry,” Zekra told the still swearing aquatic and sped off into the mentioned direction while trying to hide ger amusement at how the translator was able to give out the stream of profanities without a single fault.

The given directions led ger to a narrow alley, past several intersections and then up a metal ramp that connected with the space station layer above. This part was where the proper stores were located. Instead of small stands, inns and pubs that were focused on serving the newly-arrived, these were the parts where those staying for extended time spans or permanent residents of Aun 74 Et would find what they needed. It was not nearly as crammed as the exterior parts, not as stifling and cleaner. But while it was easier to scan the place for the lost companion, he was still nowhere to be seen. Not that he was easy to confuse with a different individual; as far as Zekra knew, he was the only Idrath native who was off-planet and hardly any other type of exoskeletal reached his size and mass.

After wandering the alleys for some time and asking various store owners if they had seen the Idrath with no results, Zekra decided it was time to take matters into ger own hands. Finding gerself a remote dead end where a few crates were stored and no one would disturb ger, ge crouched down, put both ger hands on the ground and closed ger eyes. A few slow breaths to calm ger hearts and clear ger mind, ge extended the antennae forwards.

Telekinesis was a skill that was understood as a means to move objects in space relative to the user. For this, the moved object had to be felt, otherwise it was impossible to give it directions or to even hold it in place. What many were not aware of was the possibility to use this telekinetic sensing as a way of perceiving the environment. Rather than focusing all energy on a single object to move around, it was spread out, used for nothing more than to touch the objects, to perceive where they were and how they moved relative to the user on their own. Focusing on moving objects was easier than on stationary ones, which allowed Zekra to check through a multitude of walking, gesturing people all around ger.

Yet, out of the schemes ge was perceiving not a single one had the shape of a four-armed, large exoskeletal.

Ge spread the perception further apart, stretched it so thin only the schemes of moving objects were visible. It was crucial to remain motionless while doing this, since every motion of gerself would mean the entire space station moving relative to ger, breaking ger concentration completely. Checking the new schemes that entered ger telekinetic perception, Zekra sensed a thin form that could only be a Bolourn run in and out just at the edge, a fight between a Gthuor and an equally large, unidentifiable species and... there he was!

Ger eyes shot open and the antennae flicked back into their usual position. Arqeez was deeper inside and two layers below. Having pinpointed his position and actually finding him were two different things, though – now it was to take the right alleys, find the right ramps or staircases and maybe even climb the right ventilation shafts.

“...And this is how we ended up here.” Arqeez nodded to his conversational partner. She just wanted to open her mouth again and continue when a familiar voice cut in.

“You brain-amputated imbecile! How the fuck did you manage to get so far away from the inn when I have clearly told you to stay in visible range to its door?”

“Hello, Zekra!” Arqeez' face lit up at seeing his companion run over, who looked rather displeased in return.

“You moron could have gone lost here completely! Maybe even wound up dead by bumbling into an area with an environment lethal for you or because someone decided to harvest your organs and dry them to sell as some quackery that enhances performance in the marital arts and other such shit!”

Arqeez shrugged. “But I'm alive and my organs are where they should be.” A brief look down. “Or at least I think so.”

“Arqeez, don't you want to introduce me to your friend?”

The two interplanetary travellers looked at the third person present. It was a female Tolemo standing at the display of a small store that sold various gadgets, both complete as well as in parts. Arqeez had outdone himself in winding up at the strangest places whenever he was unsupervised, as female Tolemos were a rarity outside Tolemut or its exclaves. Society expected them to stay home and they were travel-lazy by nature, preferring to run everything on their home planets and major settlements ranging from politics to home construction, while the males were those travelling around and seeking work off-planet, sending their earnings home to support their families from afar. Appropriately, the individual was shorter than a male but much bulkier, her advanced age and cushy life having only added to her mass, which her robes had a hard time hiding.

“This is Zekra, the one I'm travelling with. We share a spaceship together, breathe the same air, eat the same food, use the same-” Zekra reached up and put a hand over the Idrath's left spiracle to make him stop before he could share more irrelevant and probably more embarrassing details of how they mostly lived inside a glorified vacuum container.

“And we work together,” ge finished for him.

“That much has been told by Arqeez, yes,” the Tolemo snickered with her colouration turning yellow, then looked around. “In fact, we have been talking to each other about a little transport job I'm willing to pay for well. It is your personal possession, that spaceship you travel in, am I right?”

Zekra passed an annoyed side glance to ger partner. Just how much had he been prattling on to the trader? “Yes. It's in a repair station at the moment and still needs a few tert-UTUs before I can go and check on it. It's also nothing big and the storage room is half-filled already.”

Ooh, good, good,” the Tolemo beamed. “What I'm asking for isn't big, and the smaller the ship carrying it, the better. Your friend did tell me you are willing to turn a blind eye on transporting not quite legal goods when the price is right. Let's come inside, where we can talk about the details.”

“Bloody. Fucking. Shit.”

Zekra was looking at the wares to transport in utter disbelief. There were electric stunners as used by security forces on many planets, small projectile arms, hand-mounted plasma generators and many more weapons filling the crate. Ge faced the Tolemo without changing ger expression in the slightest.

“Excuse me, Elem, but I'm not crazy. This crate is more illegal than me taking a crap in this station's water reserves and even if it weren't, I certainly don't want to contribute to the trade of weapons, even if I could buy half the space station from the payment.”

“Do not worry, these aren’t real, just elaborate decoys,” the Tolemo said, still jolly. “Arqeez, if you may pull the trigger?”

The Idrath, who had taken out a pistol to examine it closer, did as he was told. But rather than discharging a projectile, the weapon opened up along its length. It was hollow inside, stuffed to the brim with transparent packages containing a yellow powder.

“Drug smuggling,” Zekra stated, taking the pistol-shaped container from ger companion to examine the contents closer. “But why disguised as weapons? Why not as something less suspicious?”

“Well, we have used less suspicious containers before, but our couriers tended to be sloppy when they thought the container shape alone was good enough to hide the contents. Hence we switched to weapon-shaped containers to maintain safety measures by the smugglers and since then, interceptions of the transports have gone down significantly. Drugs or weapons, the payment for the transport still stands and I'm willing to put something extra on top. As I said, this is important.”

“Fine.”

Elem's skin changed to a purplish pink and her brow tendrils went up. “Refusing to transport weapons but no discussion on drugs?”

“If someone wants to kill themselves, that's their choice and responsibility,” Zekra shrugged. “But I do take issue if someone wants to kill someone else. Where should the packages go, anyway?”

Elem handed over a piece of paper, having a planet name and address noted on it with a clean, small-lettered Unicomlang handwriting. Lyorimut-3. Being unfamiliar with the planet, Zekra looked it up on the wrist computer while continuing to listen to the Tolemo.

“It is a mining colony that focuses mostly on gemstones, to a lesser degree on ores and minerals. It's not densely populated and not close to any major flight routes or colonized planets. Accordingly, the security measures are lousy, but they are still present, so don't be lax. Aside from the payment, I'm also willing in aiding you with tools to help you getting past, if you don't already have them. Is there anything you need?”

“Yes, a part of the payment being up-front to cover ship maintenance expenses, several supply crates like that one containing food rations and a protective breathing mask fitted for Arqeez,” Zekra told while ger eyes were still on the wrist computer screen. “I see the planet's atmosphere has a pretty high carbon dioxide content. Still liveable by a variety of species, but I prefer not to take any risks and having one made for him is overdue.”

“Well, if that's all...” Elem clasped her hands together.

Fitting the mask took about one and a half hours, in which Elem made casts of Arqeez' spiracle surroundings and parts of his head, had them translated into soft, form-fitting rubber through a matter printer, then put them together with a glass screen, filter ports, straps and everything else needed for a mask that would allow both to control air intake as well as cover any exposed mucous membranes like on the eyes. She spent the time talking about her husband working on the planet the delivery was meant to go and how an infectious disease had him sick more often than working.

Arqeez was getting antsy from having to sit still during the process, but in the end, he had a mask in his possession that allowed him to leave the ship on a planet with an unbreathable atmosphere.

He was dangling the bag containing the mask in his bigger arm while the two were taking the way to the Sciara.

“How will the box get to the ship?” Arqeez wondered. “It’s big and if I understood it right, it should not be seen outside.”

“The contents shouldn’t,” Zekra corrected him. “The exterior is fine, there are hundreds of said crates being transported through this station every sec.” Ge pointed at a worker robot rolling by, carrying two such crates.

“That's what the other supply crates are for. That and a longer flight to our destination. Well, let's hope the Skiamus are finished.”

Some time later, they had arrived at the gate to the repair station. The Sciara was neither dismantled nor being worked on, so Zekra assumed the repairs on it were finished. The crates from Elem had arrived before them and were stacked neatly next to the ship's right hind leg. Ger presence in the proximity of the ship attracted one of the Skiamus that were flying around in the repair station.

“Greetings, customer! We are happy to inform you that the requested functions of your ship have been restored.” The grinning face on the display between the three cameras turned from happy to sad. “Unfortunately, we also discovered several more compromised or failed functions we could not leave unfixed.”

“Well, thanks for the additional efforts,” Zekra replied flatly. “How much does the repair cost?”

“The expenses for the requested functions and the additional repairs are 12053 Gams.”

“Slightly overshot the estimation, it seems. Well, I hope it will be worth it and the bucket is going to fly for a long time before something breaks again,” ge commented while taking out two currency modules and handed them over to the Skiamu. As the synthetic entity floated away to the next reader, Zekra faced ger companion.

“I hate to say it, but your little wandering trip came at the right time and brought you to the right place. The upfront payment for our special delivery brought in enough money to afford all those extra repairs, I think a thank you is appropriate,” ge said with a genuine smile that had the tooth plates hidden.

“Hmm, I do have one or two ideas once we're inside the ship,” Arqeez snickered, his antennae standing straight up and quivering.

Zekra rolled ger eyes, ger tail raised in threat. “I could have expected you to bring up that shit again. Seriously, do you have to be so damn horny the whole fucking time?”

“Can I wish you were more horny instead?”

“Arq, I will test the airlock by dumping you on the next asteroid if you don't shut up about it.”

“The transaction has been completed and your expenses have been paid in full. We thank you for using our services and wish you to return soon,” the Skiamu announced as it returned. The two modules were hanging off one of its grasping limbs.

“Highly unlikely, but thanks.” Zekra took the modules. One was empty and the other half down. Ge put them away and replaced them with the remote control for the Sciara's door. “Arqeez, time to get our freight inside.”

Once the crates had been brought in and secured in the storage room department, ge signalled the repair station’s operators to get the ship out. The platform set itself into motion slowly while the inner gate opened. About fifteen minutes later, the Sciara was standing outside the station, more than enough time for the two to have taken their seats. As the turbines sprung to life for the little push that was required for the ship to take off, Zekra listened to its sounds – not only was the knocking gone, but it flew quieter than even at the day ge had it acquired. If everything went right, the Sciara wouldn't have to see a repair station from the inside again for quite some time.

The flight to the planet their freight was destined to go took them about four weeks. Zekra was dozing in the pilot seat, legs resting on the console and chewing on a stonewood stick when a beeping notified ger of the planet's proximity.

Ge slowed the ship down and left the cockpit. The ship would require ger attention in about half an hour again, enough time to prepare for leaving.

Arqeez was playing around with a small rubber ball in the living area. His antennae went up the moment he heard the door open.

“Are we there yet?”

“Yes, time to gear up,” Zekra replied while walking past him, to the wardrobe in the ship's right wall. Ge quickly put a tunic over the dark grey one-parter, then took out two breathing masks together with several belts, tubes and three air tanks. “You won't be prancing around naked this time.”

The Idrath set his antennae askew. “How do you put those things on?”

“I will show you. Sit down.”

Arqeez did as he was told while Zekra put the mask from the space station over his head and attached the lower portion to his spiracles. The thing felt weird, his eyes were looking through a wide visor that obstructed parts of his view and breathing through it created an odd hissing sound.

“Now spread your arms.” After the mask was attached, Zekra wrapped some of the belts around his upper body and he felt first one, then another of the tanks being attached to his back. “I figured you would need two, considering your oxygen uptake.” There was some more fumbling behind him; as Arqeez wanted to turn his head to take a look, one of the tubes was attached to the right side of his mask, then another to the left.

“Done, you can get up now. Try to get used to the gear for the time being, I will go land the ship.”

Curious on what sort of planet they were heading to that he had to wear this odd, uncomfortable contraption, Arqeez followed his companion to the cockpit. The tanks pushed against his back when he sat down.

The planet seemed to consist of a single, yellowish-brown landmass in a blue ocean. It didn’t appear extraordinary, not even close to the odd appearance of the space station and there he hadn’t needed the mask.

“What is wrong with it? Why the mask?”

“It has an atmosphere not everyone can breathe,” came the reply. “I for example definitely can’t. There is a gas in it at such a high concentration that it can make one faint in a few sec-UTUs if inhaled by a species not adapted to it. But before that happens, you will feel like you are breathing acid. But outside of that, you will probably like it. It’s a young planet, just one supercontinent with most of it being dry like a corpse in a boiler room. There is some simple multicellular life in the ocean, but the landmass is barren save for a few microorganisms. Beside the mines, there is little infrastructure, so it’s probably just land, deliver, leave.”

“Hmm.” After spending so much time in the ship, Arqeez would have liked to be a bit longer outside.

“Makes me wonder,” Zekra continued, “if intelligent life evolves there in hundreds of millions of revs, what will they say when discovering the fossilized remains of some mine worker's discarded junk in rock from a time their ancestors were just learning to swim?”

“Ship with the identification tag SC1-26B-AI25, please respond,” came from the speakers.

“Oh, fuck me sideways”, Zekra leaned back and sighed.

“This was a figure of speech, Arq,” ge quickly added when ge noticed the Idrath's bewildered posture. Leaning forward again, ge activated the intercom.

“Ship with the identification tag SC1-26B-AI25 responding.”

“You seem to be new here. Please land on the Temple Arch station for a security check. Coordinates of the station are being sent.”

“On my way.” The connection was broken off. “Great. Bad security that isn't bad enough for us. Chances are, we are screwed.”

The box containing their special freight was in between identical-looking crates containing food rations as well as dried consumables for variety, where it had been put when it was loaded on the ship. There was not enough time to find a better hiding spot – Zekra had to steer the ship, Arqeez would likely mess it up and if they were to search for a better hiding spot after landing, it would just make them more suspicious. Their best chance was to pretend the load had been slipped into their supplies by accident, which in turn might result in a bigger investigation and would still have them detained for the time being. What was left was to expect the worst but hope for the best.

Temple Arch Station was ridiculously small. Aside from the Sciara, there were just a few even smaller intra-atmospheric ships standing next to nearby buildings, and with that the station was at full capacity. The ship's door opened with a hiss and extended its ramp to the concrete ground.

“Just act like you do on other stations, be quiet and let me do the talking” Zekra said, ger voice distorted by the breathing mask covering ger face. “And if you feel dizzy or short of breath, tell me immediately. I'm not joking about that.”

At the bottom of the ramp there were three security workers already waiting for them. A Hrrau stood in the middle, the only one of the three not equipped with a breathing mask, flanked by a Tolemo with a heavy-looking bag slung around the shoulders and a Ronoumun holding a pen and pad.

“Welcome to Lyorimut-3. What is the reason for the visit?” the Hrrau asked. The Ronoumun remained behind her, tapping the pad with his pen while the Tolemo walked up to the ship, examining the exterior.

“We are visiting a friend in Hatorix Quarry 14.”

“Anyone could say that. Any friend in particular?”

“Yes, his name is Louno,” Zekra told, trying to remember as much about Elem's husband as ge could. “He's a mine worker, but doesn't handle the work very well. He was in the adjacent hospital last time I heard from him.”

The Hrrau's eyes passed over the Sciara. “And what sort of freight do you transport?”

“Aside from the necessities, not much. Some minor mechanical parts and dried herbs for the most part.”

“What a piece of junk.”

As Ledvejet was questioning the two-person crew outside, Hisnar was tasked to examine the ship itself. It had already looked like an exhibit in a run-down museum from the exterior. The inside wasn't any better, the smell alone made him wonder if the ship had been used as an interstellar hearse. He was surprised the chemtracer wasn't getting a short circuit from the smell, but the device meant to detect traces of a wide selection of drugs and explosives functioned normally, showing nothing of concern.

After Hisnar had walked the entire ship with the chemtracer in his hands remaining silent, it was time to check the freight. It was in the hindmost room, behind two compartments that contained respectively a toilet and an apparently nonfunctional shower that was abused as an additional storage room mostly occupied by an EVA suit. There were several compartments behind wire doors, stacked with tied-down crates.

Hisnar went to work, pushing up the door of the leftmost compartment, taking out a crate and opening it. What he saw were optical lenses, thrown into the crate without any care and seemingly taken out of discarded devices. The second crate contained copper scraps, The third one was something else: packages of dried plant material. Hisnar held the chemtracer over them, but it showed no reaction. Apparently those were just spices. The fourth crate was full of mostly unidentifiable mechanic parts, with a damaged cybernetic arm on top.

Every new crate made Hisnar doubt the chance the two were smuggling anything illegal more and more. He had been working at security stations for a good part of his life and had checked countless ships in that time, even before he had been demoted to work on this forsaken, barely-habitable dump. From what he had seen on this particular ship, everything pointed towards it being owned by small-scale scrap dealers. Drug smugglers using such a small and old ship were usually addicts themselves, but the two talking with Ledvejet outside seemed to be normal and the chemtracer would have gone haywire once Hisnar would have left the airlock. And weapon smugglers were usually parts of crime organisations that would for sure not use anything that wasn't pristine and screaming 'law-abiding citizen'. Of course, there were always new types of explosives being developed the chemtracer wouldn't react to. Some type of exotic drug meant for a species with an uncommon biochemical profile and an active group that wasn't part of the chemtracer's detection range. But these sorts of illegal goods were smuggled either by bigger, newer ships or in public shuttles, as no one developing those would give their expensive creations over to a flying scrap heap.

Having worked himself through crate after crate of junk and herb packages, Hisnar opened the last door. It was stacked with crates which, according to the tag stickers, were packed with food rations and purchased on Deurem. One of them was already open, showing the typical packages. He leaned further in, to see if there was something else besides those crates, as an infernal screech and a blue-green flash lunging at his face with wide-open jaws full of black teeth made him jump back with a surprised yelp and slam the wire door shut.

The beast continued to screech and sputter, digging its black teeth into the wire as Hisnar ran for the airlock.

“That... is the weirdest story I have ever heard about anyone coming into the possession of a ship,” the Hrrau said with tilted nose flags, “but let's assume it's true.”

“I have the papers to back it up,” Zekra said with a shrug. The Hrrau wasn't really paying attention, as she saw the Tolemo emerge from the ship and hurriedly run down the ramp.

“Have you found anything suspicious, Hisnar?”

“No, but there is an infestation in there! No clearance!”

“Was the 'infestation' of a blue-green colour, had pink jaws and six legs?” Zekra asked. “Because that would be Mourin, our karucat. She's there to prevent infestations from happening. Is she okay?”

“By the spirits, why would anyone want to keep such a beast?” the Tolemo addressed as Hisnar said, the fear still evident in his voice and colouration. “But yes, she is okay and tearing apart the storage room right now probably.”

Mourin had been in an exceptionally foul mood in the latest time and must have given the security worker quite some shock when he had intruded her territory, Zekra noted with some degree of satisfaction.

“Aside from the karucat, what have you found in there?”

“Dried plants and mechanical junk. Chemtracer remained silent everywhere. I think you can clear them, these are scrap dealers.”

“That's what they have told me, too,” the Hrrau said to her Tolemo colleague, then faced Zekra. “Well, I guess we are done. Enjoy your stay on Lyorimut-3.”

The Sciara was gliding over a span of rocky desert with no sign of civilisation in sight. “Fucking waste of fuel,” Zekra grumbled, ger voice nearly drowned out by the howling of the ship's turbines.

“Hopefully there will be an opportunity to get fuel nearby, otherwise the tank is spent after the next landing. Some extra food for Mourin, too, the little bastard made us get through the security check unscathed. Still, makes me wonder what stuff we have loaded, if the chemtracer didn't detect it.”

Arqeez was in the copilot seat again, having taken the mask off and hung it around his neck. The view from the window was oddly familiar, so similar to his home planet he almost expected one of its enormous predators to saunter out from behind a rock formation.

The flight continued in silence, until buildings appeared on the horizon. There were not many, just the necessities of the mining operation itself and its workers. Zekra steered the ship to land in front of the building that was noted on Elem's instructions, but ge couldn't quite believe what sort of building it was. “A fucking hospital?”

As the two stepped out of the ship, one of the hospital workers was already running up to them. Zekra expected him to chew them out for landing on what ge assumed to be the landing strip for intra-atmospheric vessels.

Instead, the worker said: “The sky has a beautiful shade of blue today.”

Zekra's left antenna twitched. This was the code phrase for the delivery. “It will be prettier tomorrow,” ge replied in a bewildered tone.

The worker's posture changed with relief and his elation could be clearly heard through the breathing mask. “Finally! Fuck, I had thought Elem would never find someone for the bloody transport!”

“Excuse me, but seriously? Drug smuggling for a hospital?” The Serkanian was still baffled by this turn of events.

“Well, not quite,” the hospital worker said, stepping from one leg to another. “The delivery didn't contain drugs in the 'substances that get you high and possibly addicted' sense, but a type of experimental Torouvian flu medication that hasn't been approved yet. It was considered a failure in the beginning, but recently, new tests performed in a high-carbon dioxide atmosphere showed it to be effective against those damn spironates that thrive in this planet’s atmosphere and have become pathogenic. We can't wait the revs for the tests to be wrapped up, because the mine workers are bloody suffering now.”

“But... why? Why let it be delivered through drug smugglers if you could have flown it in through a regular medicine transport? It would have been quicker, too!”

“Maybe it would, but this hospital is not approved for research functions. If we were to transport substances unapproved as medicine, everyone involved in the transport would face punishment and the hospital would risk closing down. Detainment for the contribution in the administration of unapproved substances to patients is up to five quints, but smuggling drugs onto Tolemut-controlled planets and bases? Fucking three quints at most, and the security checks are a joke compared to official medical traffic. Hence we had to rely on illegal ways to have this medication brought here. It’s not always easy, because hardly anyone would bother with the long flight to Lyorimut-3, but it’s the best we could do.”

“That’s quite the revelation,” Zekra commented. Hospitals having to cooperate with drug smugglers... Ge wondered what killed more, the diseases or bureaucracy. “Arq, time to get the crate out.”

A few minutes later, they returned with the crate, while the hospital worker called for a few colleagues that brought a barrow with them. The crate was exchanged for several full red lines on their currency modules, but unfortunately, there was no possibility to refuel. The hospital's fuel stations were only suitable for intra-atmospheric vessels and the next station for spaceships would require another flight that would empty the Sciara's tanks, which still left the question of the type of fuel being used for the shuttles being compatible with the Sciara unanswered. Hence, the ship left the atmosphere, where it could switch to the antigravity drive that didn't use turbine fuel.

“Finally, the mask is off.” Despite the ship having left Lyorimut-3 behind and it being highly unlikely any of Zekra's mad flying was to happen in the near future, Arqeez remained in the copilot seat.

“I will see if the next planet has a breathable atmosphere.”

“What planet do you aim for?”

“Haven't looked for one yet. The flight to the next one will take some time, especially now we are low on fuel and have to skimp on the maneuvering.” Zekra undid the safety belts and got out of the pilot seat. “Since you are so comfortable here, will you stay here for a few secs and alert me if something happens? There are a few favours I have to return.”

Ge went straight from the cockpit to the storage room in the back. “Hello, Mourin.”

There was a special crate among the scrap department that contained meat conserves made from Fenaharian cell cultures specifically for such occasions. Ge took one out and opened it, spreading the foul smell of its contents in the small room. A quiet hissing and chittering told of the other living being in the room noticing the smell as well.

The karucat stood on the highest crate in the food department but wound itself out of the first gap when the door was raised. Mourin scuttled from side to side, looking up expectantly. As she was handed the opened conserve, she started to gobble down its contents, dropping half of it on the floor.

Zekra crouched down to watch the karucat eat with mild amusement. The mess she left was no issue – she would lick it up to the last bit when the conserve was cleaned out and even is she didn't, it was a fair price for her to allow the Sciara to pass through the security check despite their rotten luck.

[ravelstorage121]

A self-storage space is a great way to keep your valuables safe and secure. You can rent self-storage space in Abu Dhabi from the leading self-storage company The Ravel Storage. Choose from a wide variety of storage options, including climate-controlled spaces. Our self-storage units are available in multiple sizes and our services are highly affordable and reliable. Storage Organization Abu Dhabi So whether you are looking to store your belongings for short or long periods of time, we have storage solutions for you.

[ravelstorage-uae]

Shared warehouse space for rent in Abu Dhabi

Ravel Storage offers shared warehouse space for rent in Abu Dhabi, providing a cost-effective and flexible solution for businesses in need of storage facilities. Whether you are a small startup or an established company, Ravel Storage offers a convenient and secure space to store your goods and inventory.

With shared warehouse space, businesses can benefit from reduced costs as they only pay for the space they actually need. Ravel Storage provides various options, allowing businesses to choose the size and configuration that best suits their requirements. Whether you need a small area or a larger space, Ravel Storage can accommodate your needs.

The warehouse facilities at Ravel Storage are equipped with advanced security measures, including surveillance cameras and access control systems, ensuring the safety and protection of your stored items. The premises are well-maintained and provide a clean and organized environment.

Additionally, Ravel Storage offers added amenities and services to support your storage needs. This includes loading and unloading assistance, pallet handling equipment, and access to office facilities for administrative tasks.

Located in Abu Dhabi, Ravel Storage is easily accessible and strategically positioned to serve businesses across various industries. The flexible rental terms and competitive pricing make it an attractive choice for businesses looking for efficient and affordable storage solutions.

Whether you need short-term or long-term storage, Ravel Storage in Abu Dhabi provides shared warehouse space that meets your needs, ensuring the safety and security of your goods while offering flexibility and convenience.