by C. R Corbin
"I don't think, I know." I said, just then I heard the bathroom door click open and saw Kagi stick his head out. Osorn looked like he was about to say something but bit his tongue instead.
"Are you two done with your heart to heart? I didn't want to make it awkward but i've been waiting in here for a while!" said Kagi, Osorn lets out a groan and I frowned.
"Come out." said Osorn.
#
Osorn
"What took her so long?" I asked myself before I saw her get out of the vehicle and walk towards the door. Arguments with Helen have gotten more and more heated, especially since i've been impatiently waiting for Tursia for two days after I did my job so my temper was quite short at the time. Her many arms were hidden under that cloak that she wore, I open the door for her, her guards try to enter but she shakes her head and they remained outside.
It was the start of the day so no one was out, the streets were silence which was rather strange to be honest. There would usually be addicts wandering, unable to sleep, screaming for days on end but once she came...they knew to shut their mouths.
"This is the girl?" Tursia asked.
Her bandaged hands reached out and stroked Helen's hand, the wrinkled fingertips dashing against the pale skin. Helen’s curves were outlined in the shadows of her clothing, those long streams of cloth blowing over her shoulders and her face, that colorful red dress that I got her floating and her sleepless eyes glimmering in the morning light.
"I can see why they chose you. Robust, a good supply. I can see why the Jzarian has taken such a liking towards you as well." she said.
"Hurry up hag." I growled.
"Oh fine then. If you would sit dear?" she said.
"What are you going to do with my blood? Are these men really only after that?" she asked.
"I'm going to clone it, we have the tools. All I need is your cooperation for a few moments......that's all. And yes....this is all this city needs, more human blood to make the world go round." she said.
"My blood really is that valuable...." said Helen.
Tursia draws a needled from her pocket and slipped it over Helen's arm, Helen winces before the blood begins pumping into a bag that Tursia was carrying in her pocket. Under those goggles I could see Tursia's hunger, her need to just hold Helen down at the moment and drain her completely but she held herself back. There was a certain restraint when it came to these mob bosses, they didn't let their pleasures and vices take control of them. I knew this woman was not to be trusted, there was something sinister under all of that cloth, I didn't know what her endgame was but I could presume that it was much like everyone else's in this damn town, in this galaxy.
"Power." Tursia muttered to herself.
"Now that you're done....you'll keep our end of the bargain I hope?" I asked her and she nodded, laughing gently. Her laugh sounded like the audial representation of dead wood, thin, chipped, rotten.
"Yes, yes, of course.....that is if you're ready to go now?" she asked.
"Get us off this fucking city." I said.
She stepped out the door and beckoned us along, all three of us follow her in a straight line and get in a car next to her's. She nods at the driver and I keep my hand on my pistol just in case we were being led into a trap. Helen tries to hold my hand but I refuse her, I couldn't get any closer, to do so would mean our end.
"Where are we going?" I asked the driver.
"To the port, she has a shuttle ship ready to take you to Camini, from there you can arrange transport to any hub in the quadrant." the driver said.
"That's it? I'm surprised there's no strings attached. You sure you're not taking us to some warehouse to torture and kill us?" asked Kagi, some of his carefree nature had returned, I was happy for him at least.
The driver only laughs, he had scaled green skin and two sets of gills on his neck, slits for pupils and sharp fangs. He glances over at us with his yellow eyes shining, that cap on his head barely shifting while his brown jumpsuit rubbed the cheap Ruadri leather seats.
"We'll be there soon." he said.
I take a moment to glance over at her, her hands folded on her lap and her lips pursed while she let out a low sigh. She didn't want to speak all that much, it seems like she was tired, tired of running and of my rough exterior. A massive part of me wanted to grab her and tell her that I didn't mean it all, that I would save us both....I had to admit that it was winning out a little bit at least.
"This is it then." she said.
"It is." I said.
"You still have time." she said.
"I know....I know and I hate it." I said.
We get to the port and step out into a crowd of faces. If the parking lot was this packed then I feared what the actual port might be like. Various alien races pool around us, trying to get cram into one of the many cruise ships, trying to fly off into the sky while the massive dome opens overhead. This was a different port than the other wine, this one was much busier than the one we used to escape, it was also much, much larger. The driver guides us along until we reach the entrance of the port, he hands each of us a token and says:
"Go to ship 3bwq." he said.
She grabs my hand tightly as we wade through the crowds. I manage to find my way inside to see the ship in the distance. My senses were overloaded by the sheer amount of people, they all bumped into me, they all shouted, they all hummed and sung to one another and I felt like I was going to collapse at any moment.
"My god the smell." she said.
"We'll be off shortly." I said and tightened my grip on her hand.
"Thank god, I never want to see this place again." said Kagi.
We manage to budge our way through the crowd and I looked around while we did so. It was a large circular structure, almost like a massive amphitheater with a dome that would open up to let people come and go. I hear shopkeepers shouting in the distance, yelping for passersbys to buy their various fried delicacies. The smell of motor oil and grilled meats flows through the air, we make our way closer and closer and only then do I see how packed the ship is.
"Come on, come on!" the driver said.
There were hundreds of ships in this area and this one was one of the most packed which was quite the achievement. We each make our way on and I take the chance to glance her over on this city one more time. I gaze at her and smiled gently but she didn't return it this time, she only frowned. Her red dress flowed over her shoulders and she sighed while we got on and the driver scowled at us when we handed him the tokens.
"Tursia huh? Well i'll take it, I don't want no trouble." he said.
I feel her rubbing against my back, each of the curves on her chest and her thighs dashing against my back as I looked back at her and smiled. I can feel her shifting as her breasts rubbed my back and her cheek pressed against my muscles. She was so tiny to me, so tiny and small, so gentle, a thing to be protected. I look back at her and she slides her hands over my shoulders, the trip should be short I hope, it was only to the first planet away from the sun, it shouldn't be too difficult.
And I thought wrong, it was one of the most dreadful trips I had ever taken and not because of the way she glared at the back of my head. That was just extra.
Some moron really thought that it would have been a good idea to start munching on food all of a sudden. Not only that, it was Unisza peppers! The smelliest food in the entire galaxy and this bozo just decides to pop them out and start eating without any care in the world! Eventually, we do reach the spaceport after what seemed like an eternity but was actually an hour, of sniffing the person in front of me and making awkward eye contact with Kagi.
Finally, fresh air....or manufactured air but comparatively fresh.
I step out onto the loading dock, there were signs pointed all over the place, each one telling us of a different destination. She holds my hand still even thought his place was considerably less crowded and I make my way towards the ship headed to Grebolt
z, Jumo'a planet. It was eternal night on this port, the atmosphere was thin so they had to put up an electromagnetic field to keep us all in and to keep the air breathable. I can see the stars glimmering, the light of the complex shone down onto us and it especially bounced off of her skin in a rather impressive way. I glance at her and see the long strands of blonde hair fluttering over her face. It felt like I was actually looking at her for the first time, actually looking at her and not ignoring her.
She was stunning.
Under the starlight and amongst all of the chatter and the machines on this little outpost I could see the way the moonlight danced onto her blond hair. Her pale skin shines and she gazed at me with those soft green eyes, I feel my knees grow weak, she only stood up to my chest but it really did feel like she could level me with just a word.
Just a word.
She bites her lip and I take the moment to take in my surroundings completely. The grey rock that this outpost was built on seemed a little brighter when she was here. This moon fluttering around a small, ice planet was the brightest place in the universe with her smile. Her red dress fluttered behind her and I see her smile slightly, that innocent smile awakens those protective feelings inside of me once more.
"Well, here we are, Greboltz station. Hey next ship is leaving right now, we better get on." said Kagi, I stared at her and shook my head, her mouth widens slightly in shock.
"What do you mean?" Kagi asked.
"Go ahead Kagi, go home, here." I said to him and placed a wad of bills in his hand.
"....you're not completing the job are you?" he asked.
"You could tell." I said.
"Of course I could, it's not that hard to notice when a Jzarian has fallen for a mate." he said softly.
"You should take another ship, get away from this mess. He doesn't know you're involved, he'll be coming after me." I said to him.
"I don't want to go. I want to help you." he said and I shook my head.
"This is my fight, not yours or anybody else's." I said, shaking his hand before he hangs his head and lets out a sigh.
"Alright, brother...I suppose this is it. If I don't see you after this then maybe i'll find you in Elhar." he said and I nodded.
"You will....now go." I said.
He turns to Helen for a brief moment and nods at her, she smiles and he waves. He laughed as he walked away if only to hide the tears. His feet slide against the asphalt as he stepped towards a station headed to a planet on the outer rim of the milky way, a far cry from where we were supposed to be. Helen and I stand there for what seemed like an eternity, watching him disappear into the lights of the station and the crowds. He shot a look back at me as if he was asking me if this was really the move I wanted to make. I nodded and he continued, he was safe, we, on the other hand, were not.
"So you did...." she begin but I turned to her and wrapped my arms around her back, I pull her in and place my lips against her's.
"I'm not entirely certain that we're even mates but it's a risk i'm willing to take. Damn this life of loneliness, I want a way out and when I gaze into your eyes I can see that." I said and she smiled at me, her brows furrowing.
"You do feel the same." she said.
"I don't know what has happened over the last couple of days but....i'm willing to try." I said and she stroked my cheek.
"Where to then? Where shall we head?" she asked me, gripping my hand and staring out onto the airfields. The stars shine down onto us and I feel the hum of all the spaceships rocketing away. I wasn't sure where we could head honestly, I looked at her and felt an immense need for her to be happy, for her to be safe.
"We shall head to Jzar then, I have friends there, they can care for us and drive off any threat that may befall us should Jumo decide to come after you." I said.
"You sure they can protect us?" she asked.
"It's better than drifting in space, a much better fate." I said.
I wander the airfield with her for a while, we stand on the asphalt and watch the ships rocket away into the night sky. The streaks of plasma running against the void while she smiled and enjoyed the breeze of space. I could tell that she wanted to go back, that she wanted to return to her familiar Earth, a path through there was likely framed by a multitude of Jumo and Kaiso's cruisers, better to return to Jzar first before I could formulate a plan. My friends at home would not be the most receptive but when I told them that I had a mate they would surely house me and protect us.
Right?
"Look at that one." she hollered and pointed into the sky, there was a long streak of green plasma running through the blackness and I smiled, it was nice to see someone so....happy.
"I'm not entirely sure what to say but.....I want to protect you. I want to make you happy, i've never had this feeling before so pardon if I stumble." I said.
"Is it love?" she asked.
"The way you describe....not quite. But almost there." I said.
We spend the next couple of moments standing there, looking into the darkness and wondering when they would start sending hunter's our way. Eventually, she grows tired and I decide to catch a ship back home. I checked my pocket and frowned when I found out that I didn't have enough to pay the fare to Jzar which was lightyears away. It would be at least a couple thousand credits, something I gave to Kagi instead. We stood in the middle of a massive field of asphalt with spaceships all around us taking flight, there was only one building there, it was behind me, a small set of kiosks with attendants absentmindedly handing out tickets and stamping forms. I look around and I see my target in the distance, it sat there in all of its white and grey luster, Helen raises an eyebrow when I begin smiling, my kleptomaniac side was showing.
"What are you thinking of doing?" she asked.
"Just watch. Don't move understand?" I asked her, years of merc experience telling me that she might suddenly scream or flake, she wasn't that type of woman, I knew I could depend on her.
"Fine, fine." she said.
I watched as the ship's pilot when over to the kiosk and waited for the perfect opportunity. He goes inside of the bathroom to take a leak and I beckon her over, I walked over to the ship and ripped a panel off its exterior and wired some ends together. The electricity sparks the life and the doors open as he gets the idea and runs inside through the back hatch before I even tell her.
"Clever girl." I smirked, good to know that my mate was a quick learner.
I follow her and watch the bathroom doors, no one yet, that was nice. I step inside and man the control room, she sat there in the co-pilot seat, staring on in awe as I flipped the switches and lifted the ship into the night. I feel the hum on my fingertips and grin, it's only been a week but to me, it's been so much longer since i've flown a ship like this.
"Oh my god." she remarked as we beamed off.
"Not as good as Kagi but I don't think i'm a slouch. Don't think the traffic controllers notice..." I remarked before I heard the radio.
"Ship 24fr do you copy? Do not depart, we repeat do not depart." they spoke.
"What are you going to do?" Helen asked.
"What I was born to do." I remarked and kicked the ship into overdrive.
Controllers usually had these nets that they shot out, magnetic fields that could contain a ship in one spot for apprehension. I quickly learned early on that the key to avoiding this was to constantly let out electrical energy from your ship's hull to avoid getting caught in the fields. I spin around and turn on the ships fields to protect us before pressing my hand into the throttle. The ship begins to rocket off and I whistled while their own pilots chased after us.
"Oh god why couldn't you have just saved some of that money you took from Kagi and used it to buy us a ticket?" she asked.
"I guess I didn't think ahead....oh well. This is so much more fun." I remarked.
"Fun?! They're going to catch us! Did you see how many of them were after us?" she asked.
"I s
aw them, don't worry I have a way out." I remarked. This ship was a UB9 Jet, this model had a special feature made for getting out of scenarios like this. Other models had protections on them to prevent you from overloading the fusion reactor repellers with energy in order to rocket off.
This ship had no such protections.
I flip the switch and direct the propulsion system to work in overtime, it begins to shake and spurt as the beams of energy blast off and we are soon far out of reach of their ships. She holds her seat as we did this, cowering and shaking while her hands quiver against the soft velvet seats. I can feel my own heart beating quickly, despite the fact that i've done this more than once and it's worked most of the time, it was still quite the rush when you did it, there was always a tiny chance that it might malfunction and leave you with a dead ship.
"What did you just do?" she asked.
"A little trick I learned. I overloaded the engine, helps to give us a little boost of speed of the ship can contain it." I said.
"And if it can't?" she asked.
"Well then the ship dies and we would have been caught. But the success rate is usually pretty high." I said.
"So you almost got us captured. After all that you almost got us captured." she remarked, I shrugged.
"Almost being the operative word here." I remarked and she giggled, smacking my arm and sighing.
"Well we're free now, no reason to dwell on it." she said and got to her feet, ready to explore the rather tiny ship. There were two rooms on either wing and a shower to accompany each. The common area, which was behind us, had a kitchen with a full suite of ingredients that were stored in the ship's freezer. The man was running low but we still had enough to last us until we reached Jzar. That was why I picked this cruiser in the first place, it was dependable and the perfect escape vehicle, the first ship I ever stole and the easiest to steal.
I sit there and stare off into the darkness, wondering what terrible fate was about to befall us. I wanted to let her go, I really did, when we were on that airways and I looked at her I wanted nothing more than to tell her that she had to leave and I didn't want to protect her but...she was my mate. I had to rescue her from Jumo, from Tursia, from Kaiso, from all of these crime lords that would seek to destroy and defile what I had. I knew she was my mate at that moment when I looked at her in that car and didn't want her to go. When I looked at her while we were leaving Setopolis and she only frowned, it broke my heart in half. Then I knew that I had to protect her with my life.