Chapter 01
Idris had not expected the streets to be so busy so late in the rotational cycle. Last time he'd been on Adrondonas, the street had been virtually empty at the same hour. He didn't have any trouble, despite the crowd, making his way back to the port. He was anxious to return. He did not favor crowds, and the unknown they potentially held. As well, the rendezvous had a time-limited window involved with it, but he was confident Atalanta would be more than capable to make the deadline. He hardly took any notice of the individuals of the crowd or anything that they were dressed in.
His dark green and black pants didn't stand out in anyway, nor did the cloak he wore. As long as Drexel Rynn and his thugs didn't spot him, he was certain to be safe. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw the marker. He remembered the sign was only a kilometer away from the port entrance. He patted his side, feeling safer as he reassured himself again that his weapon was still in his shoulder holster. He looked over the busy sky lanes and watched as the Adrondonas' second sun descended beyond the horizon of the busy metropolis of Kandis Spaceport.
Brynn Phytrelia, who was also traveling within the spaceport, didn't think she'd get into trouble this soon after settling in Adrondonas. And yet here she was, plowing through the crowds of people, pushing them aside, trying to get away from the three large men behind her. Three very unhappy, angry men who wanted to grab her, beat her, and possibly a few other things that were much too unpleasant for her to think about. Well, what was she expected to do when a customer cupped her buttocks in a crowded restaurant? Just sit back and let him have at? She had promptly stepped back, said something mean to him, and then set his right sleeve on fire. That hadn't gone over well with several people around her. Then the screaming started, the panicking, the accusations, and now the chase. She had to get off this planet and soon. So she was headed where she knew she could get a ride - the docks. As unique as she was, Brynn Phytrelia didn't look any different than most people. Long brown hair, currently loose around her face, and simple clothing - black pants, and a grey button up shirt, soft slip on shoes on her feet. Panting, a sharp pain acting up on her right side, she picked up speed as well as she could. She could hear the men behind her, yelling for her to stop and let them catch her, but for some reason, she didn't feel compelled to acquiesce.
She'd hoped to find an open ship, sneak on as she had done on so many ships before, and be gone, just like that. Unfortunately, that was not in the cards today. These men were much faster than she planned, and the crowd was thinning as she neared the ships. She decided to abandon her plan of finding a ship and stowing aboard, and settle for simply finding something to help her. Seeing a man walking idly along, she made her selection and ran up to him quickly.
"I need your help," she said, but not in a begging or pleading manner, more in a confident tone that left her prey with little choice. Turning the man to face her, she hesitated as she recognized the face, recognized his eyes. How long had it been since she'd seen this face? Eyes widened, and she quickly turned to see if she caught sight of the men chasing her. "Well? Are you going to help me," she demanded, grabbing his arm, and pulling it gently.
Idris was caught off guard, and even jumped a little when she snuck up on him. His hood fell away, revealing those green eyes and chiseled face. His hair was still the short brown mess it'd been before, but that expression of panic had been unmatched up to this point. And he still wasn't very tall, short of two meters. He went to say her name, but in the moment, his brain came back with a blank. Despite this, His mouth kept moving as he tried to say or even remember her name. After a moment, seeing the look of urgency in her eyes, he realized that he didn't have very much of a choice. It was still at least five hundred meters to the port, and maybe a minute after that to his ship. It took him a moment, but once realization kicked in, he took her hand and ran. His energy surpassed her own, as he'd only been walking, and as his pace accelerated into a run. "This way!"
When he pulled his ignition pistol out of his cloak, the crowd seemed more compelled to obey. "Move! Out of the way!" More and more bystanders fled out of his path as he almost dragged her tired form to the dock entrance. He saw a small niche and pulled her into it. It was small enough not to be noticed, but large enough to accommodate both of them as he pulled her lithe form up against his body and held her tight. Her back pressed against his chest as he prevented her from moving into view. He peered out from the hiding place to see that the men would actually catch up with them long before they made it to the ship. Thankful he had found this spot, he took care to make sure he saw the men disappear back into the crowd before she and him continued on down the street.
"Idris..." She touched his arm, turning him gently. She barely remembered his name, but at least she remembered it. "Thank you, for helping me...again." She opened her mouth to add something, and then stopped. She was suddenly realizing that she still had to get on a ship. Staying here was not an option for her.
He felt terrible when she said his name, his mind still failing to supply him with one for her. His speech seemed unnerved as he went to speak, clearing his throat some way through and regaining the ability to speak more clearly. "I-It-I-of-of *ahem* no...problem, of course. Why wouldn't I help you?"
"Why wouldn't you help me? Maybe because last time you did, I vanished on you without so much as a 'see ya.'" Brynn continued walking alongside him, running her fingers through her loose hair.
He shook his head and then asked, "Well...are you alright? What happened?" He indicated her pursuers, who were now a great distance ahead of them.
Well, she wasn't going to tell him that she had lit some guy on fire, and now she was a criminal. "...Let's just say, they don't care for me much, and if I stick around here, I'm dead. So maybe you could...give me a lift? I promise to be a better guest this time." She grinned at him, hoping he bought into it. Granted, she wouldn't blame him if he turned on her. She had vanished on him years ago, never thanked him, and now was popping up again asking for more help.
He nodding slowly, not believing her about her attackers, but not pressing the issue. "We'll see." He continued walking with her, back in the direction of his ship. He'd momentarily forgotten his time constraints, in light of their fleeing, but as things began to calm down, he remembered it again in the back of his mind. His pace was evenly sped, but as they continued walking, a subtle acceleration went into his stride as he tried desperately to stay and talk with her and get back to his ship, both endeavors currently quite contradictory of each other. He wanted to stay, yes, but...he simultaneously needed to go.
"Look, it's fine if you-" she sighed, cutting herself off. "I'm Brynn, in case you'd forgotten. I was that idiot who decided to secretly hide on your ship to bum a ride, and you were the nice guy who helped me out. And now..." She immediately noticed his acceleration of speed, but she kept up with him. "...I'd love it if you could help me out a little more."
The fact that he didn't stop dead in his tracks, laugh in her face, and push her aside was a good sign he was going to agree to her coming along. Still, she kept smiling at him, just to be safe, walking quickly at his side. "I am headed anywhere that isn't here. I'm going where you're going, and at the first stop, I'll get off, and you don't have to worry about me anymore." Her head turned for a moment, eyes searching around just in case those guys were coming for her again. Focusing back on Idris, she bit down on her lower lip, studying him for a second. "Please?"
This was as close to begging as Brynn would get. Her smile grew a little, and she realized suddenly that if he didn't say yes to her, she was going to be more disappointed than she should have been. Very rarely did Brynn ever see a familiar face, and even though they hadn't known each other well, he was part of her past, and now part of her present. That didn't happen very often. People came into Brynn's life and then they went out, and never came back.
Idris nodded a little, as she spoke, but his countenance noticeably changed. Not in a way he realized, but in a way that was quite obvious to her. He wasn't sure how eager he was to have her come aboard for all of one stop and then disappear out of his life just as suddenly, though pleasantly unexpectedly, as she had re entered. "You can come along, if you like."
"I promise I'll be a good guest. I'll even do some chores for you on the ship, alright? But we have to hurry and leave now. We don't have time to just stand around."
"Time? TIME!" He groaned audibly, realizing he'd completely forgotten about the time. In the spirit of impetuousness, he said nothing, just grabbed her hand, and started running again. He'd completely neglected his deadline. He didn't like to be pressed for time or feel rushed, but the longer he was with her in the corridors of the spaceport, the less time he'd have to make the jump. He lead her along, down the passage they'd found themselves in, and made a quick turn down a different path. The first door on his left, he pushed open, and was nearly dragging her like a rag doll to the foot of his ship.
Despite being dragged, and feeling a twinge of annoyance at being dragged, Brynn went along just glad she was actually being taken. Idris called out a name, a name she might have recognized, but with so much time having passed, it was possible it would be as unfamiliar as any other name Idris might speak. "Ophelia! Start the engines and warm up the ship! And OPEN THE DOOR!"
The landing ramp slowly descended from the roof of the ship. He dragged her aboard, and she would already be able to hear the various engines and generators gearing on and switching to life. The lights in the ring corridor were dim for a moment, and then sprung to life, bathing them both in an ambient, but gentle, lighting. Once the ramp was back up again, he turned to look at her. "Ok, if you're going to come along, we're going to have to have a few grounds rules.
She nodded slowly. "Okay..."
"Alright, for now, I need to get off this rock. So, I want you to either sit in the copilot's seat, or buckle up in the galley." He pointed, indicating their locations. "Once we've left the system, and I've made the jump, we'll figure out where who is going to sleep where and find you something to change into. I don't usually have passengers on my ship, but, no offense, if you're going to be with me for three days, you get to use the refresher at least twice between now and then. That's...not negotiable."
"Rules, rules, rules, got it, check, understood. Copilot's seat it is."
He started walking, down the corridor and around to the corridor that came off the ring and into the cockpit. He sat down and strapped in, reaching up overhead and flipped a few switches, looking up at the night sky and the air traffic lanes. He looked over at the copilot's chair, and waited a moment, giving her some time to buckle in, but then lifted off, regardless of how secured she'd managed to get beforehand. He heard the roar of the sublight engines as his little cruiser analog took to the sky and broke free of orbit. "Ophelia, bring up the navicomputer, and get me Baramasta jump coordinates."
