1.74 - Asteroids


I’ve been on ships that were shot at while landing or taking off. That’s nothing out of the ordinary for some missions. I can say I’ve never been on a ship that’s flying through space at full speed as it’s pursued under fire. I’m strapped in but my body is being flung in all directions. Everyone else seems to have a role to play in defense but I’m useless. Sicker than the first time I went through a bangbepunkt. I’m just swallowing hard, trying to keep the vomit down. Focusing on the burning sensation of stomach acid on my throat as everyone else shouts information between their battle stations. Hollow booms echo as The Pariah returns fire. The sound of thunder shakes the ship with each blow that it takes. This isn’t a movie. There’s no losing them in warp speed. Even if there were a  Hafengdan near by jumping through in the middle of a dog fight would mean certain death for everyone. It’s kill, or be killed. Maybe we get blasted and survive in an escape pod but I don’t think I’ve seen one on the ship. They’re living on the edge.

There’s shouting at the front. Disagreement about what to do before something large crashes into the ship. It’s not like gunfire. Even if the shields had deteriorated, gunfire wouldn’t shake the ship like this. Another pounding sound and the ship rattles. Silence falls over the crew; some kind of tense situation my mind isn’t reading. Shots are no longer being flung back and forth. A few more ship rattling collisions and we start to slow. In the initial quiet, nobody speaks to each other. Just deep breaths, an occasional glance, and the occasional mutterings of what seems to be a prayer from Nastas.

“What’s going on,” I ask.

“Janet has chosen the best escape for us is through an asteroid belt,” Edan responds with none of his usual excitement or even sarcasm. It’s a voice reserved for serious situations. A voice for when he needs to be the captain of his crew and not their friend. I don’t answer as another asteroid scrapes the side of the ship. The sound of metal crunching and stone dragging across it pains my ears but nobody else flinches.

 I just close my eyes and wait for this to be over. Fleeing through an asteroid belt isn’t unheard of. It’s just stupid, something a military ship would never do. I’m trying to keep a calm exterior to show that I’m not worried. I don’t know if Janet is a good pilot, if she does this all the time, or even if I could trust her skill. Inside, my heart is pounding and I’m gripping my safety harness to prevent my hands from shaking out of control.  

The crew of The Pariah remains in complete silence, not even uttering an affirmation to Janet as she pilots us threw. None of them look too worried, staring at wristcomps or leaning just enough to gaze into the pilot's nest and watch Janet at work. The feelings of adrenaline and mission going south are all too common. It wasn’t long ago when I was on Xioshaa walking hand and hand with death. I’ve got scars and a metal arm to prove it. But this is different. In the military, you just die or you’re held as a prisoner of war and eventually given back or rescued. But with this, I might die, smashed into nothingness like the rest of the junk that litters asteroid belts. Even worse I could end up in prison, an accomplice to whatever charges the crew has gained.

“And we’re clear,” Janet speaks.

I breathe a sigh of relief but everyone else acts as if this is just a daily occurrence. I need to go back. I can’t do the farm life, but this is not the life for me either. Fleeing from threats of death, fine. Even fleeing capture, fine. But everything has been a risk. I’ve been drugged, ambushed, dragged into a warehouse raid and helped fence stolen goods. I can’t do this.

“Need a drink,” Edan asks.

“Yeah,” I answer without hesitation.


1.73 - RUN


Outside the museum people scatter in all directions, causing instant panic in the district. We keep our heads down and I follow Edan as he picks up speed; making his way through alleyways and market stalls as if he knows the place well. We don’t speak just move. I’m reminded of a dozen different missions that went bad. We joke on the way in but when things go bad, there’s no more jokes or planning for afterwards. Hand motions and eye contact are the only forms of communication allowed.  

Almost as if in slow motion a creature swoops down from the air crashing into Edan and dragging him across the ground through the alleyway and out into to the market. I follow, I reach for a sidearm that I don’t have as I hit the street’s. Through the crowd of people rushing and shoving I almost lose track of Edan but I make it in time as he manages to use his legs to push the creature away and regain his footing. It’s a Strux, I recognize them from the museum. The Revrell claim to have elevated their species for the purpose of law enforcement and fending of Draconian invasions. Many who don’t live under Revrell control work as bounty hunters, and I’m guessing Edan has a bounty. Insect like, hard exoskeleton, some even hide wings on their backs. I move in to join the fight but Edan waves me off confidently tossing his jacket to the side.

The bounty hunter swings first, Edan redirects his hand, landing a solid punch on the throat. If it were a person without an exoskeleton that would have dropped them. But it gets no reaction from The Strux. The two aback away feeling each other out. Edan pushes forward with a flurry of punches that all seem to be dodged or deflected. Another pause as a market stand separates them for a moment. The bounty hunter closes in with a flurry of body blows that Edan blocks with his elbows. It’s clear he’s a better hand fighter than I am but I can’t relax. The two trade a series of jabs and light kicks. Never really landing anything solid. The bounty hunter lands a big body blow to the Edan’s gut which causes him to back away for a moment. For just a brief second the bounty hunter shows signs of arrogance nodding his head and admiring his own work instead of closing in for the finish.

Again, I move forward but Edan waves me off. The bounty hunter rushes in to have Edan swing some wide hook shots and haymakers that seem to have no purpose until two manage to land on the side of the bounty hunter’s head. He’s shaken by the blows. That’s when I notice there’s no shell on the side or back of his head. Edan has a chance, he’s surely fought them more than I have. I just have need to trust in him.

Edan doesn’t allow time for pause, he rushes in with a series of shin kicks towards the knee. The bounty hunter attempts to lift his legs to block or avoid them. Edan launches a high spinning kick that backs the bounty hunter into another stall. He retaliates, grabbing a pot of liquid and flinging it at Edan. Edan covers his face to avoid whatever the liquid is only to have the pot thrown at him when peaking out. He manages to dodge the pot but the bounty hunter lands a big knee to Edan’s head sending him toppling backwards. Edan doesn’t move right away, but he’s still breathing. The bounty hunter produces a set of shock cuffs from his belt and walks forward.

He’s not playing fair, and I’m not going to let my little brother get arrested in front of me. I rush into the chaos, pushing through the circle of onlookers. Before he can turn around, I’ve grabbed the bounty hunter’s wings and placed a foot on his back. He shouts a gargled scream as I pull like I’m trying to rip them right off his back. I go toppling back to the ground as the bounty hunter goes limp. Edan is standing over me, offering a hand with the pot in his other. I roll the bounty hunter’s body off me and take his hand. A gunshot goes off and the crowd screams.

“Shit, he’s got friends,” Edan sighs either from annoyance or exhaustion.

“They’ve got guns too.”

“We should just run.”

“Which way,” is all I can ask before he takes off and I follow.

It feels like I’m back at the market when Edan abducted me, only this time, he’s running slightly ahead of me leading the way. Edan leads us down an alley and further down a set of stairs. We duck through a corridor and climb a fence as the chaos continues. I spot three more Strux chasing after us. Back on the market floor Edan starts to tip a stand of fruit, I catch up and help before we continue to run. Something tells me not to look back, but I take a glance. The bounty hunters aren’t stopping but the strange fruit does slow them just a bit.

“Ship is ready,” someone calls in to Edan but I can’t make out who.

“Coming in hot, be ready for a rough launch,” he shouts back.

We almost make it to the docks, before one of the bounty hunters manages to grab me by the arm. I throw a few punches but can’t manage to get away. The bounty hunter screams in pain as smoke pours out of their side. I spot Nastas pulling a short but red hot knife from their side and kicking them away. He tosses me a black holdall as I give him a nod of gratitude. The bag is heavy but I don’t question him right now. He’s running slightly behind me carrying  a bag of his own as we move through the tunnel towards the docks. The ship is in sight, we’re in the home stretch now.

A heavy shot rings out and echoes through the docks as we near the ship. A pile of crates detonates before us, finally bringing us to a stop. My body sucks in wind air stinging my chest. Suddenly my legs ache after running, hiding and fighting for what seems like an hour. Edan and Nastas are equally as tired. Edan running with me the entire time, and Nastas clearly on his own chase, brining a new bounty hunter with him. The number has risen to five. There’s three of us, and they’re well-armed.

“We have you outnumbered,” one of The Bounty hunters says.

“Yes, but we have a Velphi,” Edan smiles.

“I hardly think now is the best time to be making jokes,” Nastas takes a deep breath. “We are in a life or death or prison situation. I don’t know about you humans but Meteorians believe prison is just as bad as bowing before another species. Live free or die, that is what my uncle always said.”

“I think now is a great time for jokes,” Edan tries to shrug while breathing heavily. “Besides when is the last time either of us went to jail?”

“What is a Velphi,” one of the bounty hunters asks.

“Are you two stalling for time,” I ask.

“I just think they should know what a Velphi is,” Edan responds.

“I hardly think that is any of their business. A Velphi is a trade secret, no, a company secret that we guard most dearly,” Nastas argues.

“I just feel like we should tell them and get it over with,” I join the fun.

“What is a Velphi,” another guard asks aggressively before Velphi’s massive body appears in the sky casting a shadow from so high above.

“That’s a Velphi,” Edan points up.

Their guns take aim at Velphi, the mythical Alpha Draconian their species was elevated to kill. Based on their reactions, they have never seen one before, a real one. There are plenty of species refered to as Draconians because they’re subjects of the empire, but Velphi is the real deal. The original species that conqured so many others. I understand their shock, I had the same reaction, actually, I think I was less afraid. Velphi is the culmination of centuries worth of nightmares. Not just for the five in front of us, but for their entire species. They raise their guns slowly to fire, too afraid to say anything. Velphi lets out a massive roar, that sends chills down my spine. A sound made of pure killing intent from the gentle soul I know just seems unthinkable. From here he does look like a dragon and commands the same respect as one. Will The Strux rise to be the knights they were trained to be by The Revrell in order to slay the dragon that had only been myth to them before, or will they cower? One of the bounty hunters fires their weapon. From this angle I can’t tell if Velphi was hit, but he doesn’t budge until the next round leaves the gun. With no warning he opens his mouth and begins to blow out flames that warp and shift until a massive fireball is heading towards the bounty hunters with speed.  

The three of us rush onto the ship followed by Velphi. He’s embraced with hugs and cheers as the door closes. He saved our asses and should be treated as a hero.

1.72 - Exit Wounds


I probably won’t be coming back to Revrell territory again for a long time, if I ever do. I especially won’t be going as far as Tortuga. Edan thought it would be a good idea to visit the station’s museum and do some light shopping. Edan has never suggested going to a museum in his life, and I’m not much of a shopper. I think he just wanted us to have one last day together. He’s also been completely sober since the meeting with The Meteorins. I wouldn’t say it made him clingy, but it has him wanting to go down memory lane a lot. I’m the one who likes history and old stuff, but he seems to be the historian of our family. Sometimes it seems like he’s got every picture and photograph from our family’s entire history. For the longest time, I didn’t have any of our family. I guess I just wanted a clean break, but as I spent more time away, I thought about them more often. Edan made sure to give me access to his server so I could see the photos and leave comments.

Shopping was, interesting. Edan views himself as someone with great fashion sense so he picked out most of the clothing. I had to veto a lot of things he thought I should wear. But, it was still fun. I asked if we hould be getting the client’s kid back, but he assured me Velphi was taking care of that in his own personal way. I’m sure that involves a lot of Draconian styled beatings.

The museum is somewhat depressing. Being surrounded by history and unique trinkets is always a good time for me. The thing that brings down the atmosphere isn’t the history dedicated to Tortuga Station but the races that populate it. The Meteorians had a civilization that I can only compare to ancient Vikings of Earth, or North American Indiginous People, a hot planet with plentiful wildlife and vegetation. When The Draconian Empire couldn’t conquer them after years of trying, they triggered the explosion of a nearby star which caused damage that has yet to be undone.

The Staiv’al aren’t as bad as I thought. Their entire planet’s water supply was tainted with waste from Revrell experiments. It’s not that the Revrell did this on accident; they had the technology to purify it, they’re that smart. Instead, they wanted to see what would happen. They used to be completely covered in feathers but the waste robbed them of those. Generations later and they still haven’t fully returned. I thought they had massive beaks or shells, and they do have beaks, but the hard mask is religious and only worn by adults. Most aren’t like the criminals we’ve met but they were last to find a home on Tortuga so they are the most are impoverished. They turn to crime for the same reason any species does; it’s a way to survive.

There’s a few Revrell who fled The Revrell Republic because they didn’t like what was going on. They keep the station running, and have a minimum say in the politics. A few humans who have made their way here, like my brother; even fewer have called it home. Civilizations rise and fall, but the way the Revrell Republic and Draconian Empire have treated these people is downright disgusting. There‘s a species called The Acroit, or Acroits. I’ve seen several of them, I even saw one as I checked into the museum. I thought they were robots every time I saw them. The Revrell replaced most of their parts with technology, the way the Revrell treat their own bodies. They were looking to make The Acroits immortal servants. There are thousands of members of the species remaining, but there were once millions. They don’t have the ability to reproduce anymore and have accepted that when they die, the species will come to an end. They wear plain white masks that only have openings for the eyes. They don’t eat, they don’t sleep, and are said to live in constant pain. It’s a miserable existence. There are some hoping to bring back the species through DNA cloning or trying to find old samples of eggs and sperm or find ways to use the remaining portions of the reproductive systems they currently have left.

Glass shatters and people scream before the sound of a gunshot is heard. Instinctively, I rush behind the nearest display case and get down waiting for another shot to come; people shout, objects break and chaos surrounds us. I easily tune it out, and search for Edan. I spot him lying face up, mouth agape and unmoving beyond large shaky breaths. I don’t have a gun, but I don’t hesitate. I’m not losing another brother, espeically one I can save. It's a risky maneuver, and I don’t know if he has any spinal damage but I just need to get him somewhere safe. Sprinting at him full speed, I tuck my head and roll over him, lifting Edan onto my shoulders with a fireman’s carry in one swift movement. I keep running until we’re behind another wall.  

“My hero,” Edan struggles to speak as I check him for wounds. “Concussive shot,” he struggles. “No wound,” another deep breath. “Just lost air, maybe broken rib.”

I peak around the wall; no more shots have come and people are finally starting to exit from all different levels of the museum. We can make an escape through the crowd. Edan is clearly the target but if we cover him up, we can go unnoticed. There seems to be one shooter and they’re not coming down.

“Janet, get the ship ready,” Edan speaks over his wrist comp. “Bounty hunters, get everyone on the ship.”

Edan takes my hand and braces himself against the wall to get to his feet. “I thought this place was a safe haven,” I ask.

“First time for everything I guess.”

I snatch a discarded jacket from the floor and toss it over Edan’s shoulder as we make it down the stairs towards the first floor. I’ve felt like an adrenaline junky lately, but my therapist once told me that a lot of anxiety symptoms can be caused by adrenaline. Sweaty palms, increased breathing rate, increased temperature. These are things I notice when I’m coming down after and adrenaline rush; this time they come with an uneasy stomach and sense of danger. Usually in a fight or flight situation, I want to fight. Right now, I just want to protect Edan and that means fighting but I have to flee. It goes against every tendency I have honed for the last two decades. If I find a gun to play with, I can end this. But I just need to keep walking forward right now.  

Note: I made some videos about The Olympics on YouTube. They're cool.