#PICKS YOU AND NISHA UP AND JUST HOLDS YOU BOTH ;v;

[jackdup]

@idyllicserendipity || surprise starter for nisha! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

“Right—! Yeah, so, like . . . a drink? I probably— I probably owe you a drink, I mean . . . I probably owe a lot of people a drink at this point. If not for my own actions, then, like . . . I dunno— Jack’s? Does that make sense—? Sorry, let’s just . . . walk this way.” And without even giving Nisha a chance to respond, Timothy was pivoting on his heel and marching with convincing certainty—which was more of just “dear god, let’s walk so my mouth will stop moving”—down the littered sidewalk. His arm swung in a gesture to welcome her to his side, maybe even rudely summon her like some lady of the night he’d found in the nearest alley, but—!

Again, he corrected himself. His shoulders hunched in a quick grimace, followed even faster by a mumbled stream of self-directed annoyance. And his hands dove into his pockets before they could continue to sabotage him.

Tim stepped around a literal garbage fire. His attention lingered on the warm light casting darker shadows over a neighboring alcove that basically screamed “I’m a great spot for a murder!” For no reason at all, he picked up his pace. “Um. I guess I just— Thanks. For, uh . . . back there. My guard’s usually, like, way up, through the roof, panic seemingly for no reason, so I’m not entirely sure how those guys got the jump on me, but . . . Man, it’s honestly—? It’s great to see you.”

And he meant it, he realized. Wholly. Genuinely. Enough so that admitting those words was about as easy as breathing. (Maybe not the best comparison, because, y’know, some days . . . Some days—)

“How long have you been here? Lectra’s probably the crappiest place you could be on Promethea, but, uh . . . no surprise you seem to be handling it well.”

[kerra-and-company]

14 from the angst/fluff prompts! -Knight of the Thorn

Heya! Thanks so much for the prompt! :D @knight-of-the-thorn Have this thing that got way longer than I expected! (Fic continues below the cut!)

14: “I can’t do this on my own.”

Warnings: self-deprecation, emotional denial, a semi-unreliable narrator in places, spoilers for HoT

i. 1323 AE, somewhere in Maguuma

“Hey, Nish!” Rel called.

Xe stopped and turned. “Yes?”

“One of my lute strings snapped,” he said, holding up the offending instrument, “and I need to restring it. Could you help me?”

An utterly transparent request. Rel’s fingers were nimble, made to stitch wounds together and weave patterns with his magic. He would have no problem restringing his lute. He wanted xyr presence, not xyr help.

But xe was exhausted. Xyr Mother’s concern pressed in on xyr mind, and the Itzel near Rel looked at xem with too-wide eyes, and it was too much. Xe would break, and that couldn’t happen. Xe had to be strong.

“I need to sleep, Rel. If you are still having trouble in the morning, I’ll help you then.”

Nisha headed towards xyr hut on the village outskirts, pretending xe couldn’t feel xyr brother’s gaze burning into xyr back.

ii. 1325 AE, headquarters of the Durmand Priory

Rel had left, on his way to Caledon. Nisha had let him go because xe had to.

But xe felt like xe was balancing on the lip of a deep well without him. Xe could fall at any moment, and xe might never be able to climb out.

Xe was so distracted by trying not to cry that xe nearly missed the asura just inside the Prior entrance. Xe skirted around her, but xe brushed just a little too close to her fiery hair and leapt back with a quiet “Ow!”

The Archon spun around, dropping her stack of books on the floor. “Oh, by the Alchemy! I’m sorry, Nisha, I didn’t notice you—are you—”

“I am fine, Archon, but thank you,” xe said, unable to keep a tremor from xyr voice and cursing xemself for it.

She was about to bend down to pick up the books, but she paused and narrowed her eyes. “No, you’re not.”

“I am…uninjured,” Nisha rephrased. Xyr voice was steady this time. Xe was thankful for it.

The asura’s eyes narrowed further. It made Nisha feel far too seen, and xe barely resisted the urge to lash out. But she stayed silent for a moment, simply retrieving the novels from the ground and standing up again. Then she snapped her fingers, the sound muffled by her gloves.

“Nisha. Every time I reshelve these books, I have to get on a stepladder. I hate stepladders, and you need something to do. Come help me.”

“You don’t need me, Archon.” Politely dismissive.

“No, I don’t. But I could use your help,” she said. Her eyes were bright. “And I, in fact, want your help.”

Nisha wasn’t sure what to think or say. A small part of xyr mind whispered, Maybe this is okay. Maybe it’s all right to let her help you. She wants to help you. She’s not upset—

“As long as we don’t make small talk,” Nisha blurted out.

The Archon grinned. “Fine with me.”

Shelving was surprisingly straightforward—xe was certainly tall enough to make it easy. At the end of it, the Archon asked Nisha to call her Cio.

Xe agreed.

iii. 1326 AE, a hut in the Wayfarer Hills

Nisha felt like xe’d been through one of the clothes ringers humans used. Xe sat on the bed next to Kerra, who had tear tracks on both cheeks and a bandage on her side. Felix was curled up on the floor to their left, truly calm for the first time since Nisha had arrived.

“I can’t do this on my own, you know,” Kerra whispered, the faintest shadow of a smile curving her lips upward. “Will you stay with me?”

“I just found you,” Nisha said, quiet but firm. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Kerra smiled in earnest, then. “Good. Because you can’t do this alone, either.”

“I beg your pardon?” Nisha said, eyebrows raising as if xe hadn’t just had an emotional outburst capable of leveling a small village.

“Neither of us are okay. And we have other people—other friends, our siblings—but…” Her glow flared for a moment. “I’ll help you, when you need it, and you’ll help me when I need it. That’s the deal.”

“I wasn’t aware we were making a deal.” Nisha was struck with a completely unexpected urge to laugh.

Kerra’s head bobbed, and her eyes met Nisha’s. “We are.” A flicker of amusement. “You know, you really shouldn’t question your Commander—”

“You are aware that I’m not technically part of the Pact, right?” Nisha interrupted.

It was barely even a joke, but Kerra burst into slightly broken (but still genuine) laughter, the calm after the storm. It must have pulled at her stitches, but she didn’t seem to care.

It took Nisha a few seconds to realize xe was absolutely beaming, and it took xem another thirty to even consider stopping.

iv. 1328 AE, the middle of Tangled Depths

It was one moment. One second. But Mordremoth roared, and Nisha stumbled.

OBEY.

NO, xe roared back, silently. MY head, mine, my own, get OUT! I will not submit; I will NOT let you kill me like you killed my mother—

A hand on xyr shoulder, fingers squeezing, and xe’s eyes snapped open to see Canach standing in front of xem. Nisha distantly wondered how he’d even reached xyr shoulder; he was so much shorter than xem.

Then xe realized that xe was on xyr knees in the dirt.

“Nisha?”

He was afraid for xem, and Nisha hated it. But at the same time, he was there. He was there in front of xem, and he was trying to help. It was too close and too far and too much and not enough.

Xe forced xemself to raise xyr head and meet his gaze. Behind him, xe could see Marjory’s outline, fidgeting just slightly in a way that reminded Nisha of her girlfriend, Kasmeer.

“I’m still me. I apologize for scaring you, both of you. I was…caught off guard.”

“You are not the only one who can hear Mordremoth’s voice, you know,” Canach said, voice as dry as the Silverwastes. His face was impassive, but his eyebrows were furrowed.

“I was not trying to lie,” Nisha replied. “I really am okay.” Xe searched his expression, looking for clues. If there were any, xe couldn’t read them. “Are you?”

Some of the cockiness came back, and he smirked, but it was tense. “I assure you that I am also still myself.”

“You’d better be,” xe said, and then hesitated. “And tell me if you’re not. Please.”

He just nodded, and xe noticed his hand was still on xyr shoulder.

And then Kerra came stumbling out of the jungle. A very ruffled Felix followed in her footsteps.

Nisha was on xyr feet in under a second, as was Canach.

“Ran into some trouble,” the Commander said, relief and terror in her voice.

“Out there, or in here?” Canach asked, gesturing to his head.

“Both,” Kerra replied, eyes shadowed. “And you?”

“We did, too,” Nisha said, strong and clear. “But we’ll be all right.”

Marjory said something about a sylvari code that she didn’t understand, but Nisha was much more focused on a strange feeling in the back of xyr mind, spurred on by Kerra’s half-smile and Canach’s steadfast presence at xyr side.

In this jungle, full of danger and bad memories and an Elder Dragon, xe somehow felt safe.

v. 1328 AE, the Pact base camp in Dragon’s Stand

Nisha stood next to Kerra as the Commander strapped her dagger to her side. “I want to check with you one more time. Are you certain you want me to lead the assault on the Mouth?”

“Nish, you’ve fought for these soldiers since we reached Maguuma,” Kerra said, twisting slightly to fasten the buckle on her belt. “They know you helped defeat Zhaitan and Scarlet, and they know you personally. You’re not from an individual Order, so this isn’t favoritism. You’re the logical choice.” She grinned, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Besides, you’re trusting me to keep your brother safe. I trust you with this.”

“Do you think they’ll be comfortable with having sylvari head both arms of this operation?”

The Commander’s grin stretched just a little wider than it should have, and she slid her bow into its holder on her back. “They’ll have to be.”

Nisha took a deep breath and settled xyr shoulders. “All right, then.”

The two of them left the tent and emerged into the crowd. Kerra went to join her strike team—Rytlock, Braham, Caithe, Canach, and Rel. Nisha met the gazes of xyr friends and xyr brother and thought with all xyr being, If any of you die, I’m going to kill you.

Kerra, who could pick up the emotional gist of that message, let out a snort that she barely managed to turn into a cough and nodded. Canach and Rel nodded too, the first with an odd set to his mouth and the latter with a distant but determined look in his eyes. Braham stared back with a specific type of steadiness xe recognized, Rytlock didn’t stare at all, and Caithe’s eyes slipped away from xyrs.

Xe inhaled and exhaled quietly one more time, and xe climbed atop a stack of crates. Xe’d never been one for speeches, but xe’d thought this one through, rewritten it three times, and practiced it over and over again. Xe knew what to say.

“Defenders of Tyria!” Nisha shouted, and the camp went utterly silent. The soldiers’ focus was entirely on xem, and xe focused on a tree just over their heads. You can do this.

“When the Pact fleet flew over Maguuma, Mordremoth brought it down—brought us down. We lost leaders, allies, and friends.”

“But we are still alive. We are not beaten. We live, we breathe, and we fight!”

The Pact let out a noise somewhere between a cheer and a scream, and Nisha gestured to Kerra, whose eyes were wide.

“Our Commander goes to defeat Mordremoth’s mind. We must defeat its body.” Xe glanced over the crowd now, meeting the eyes of each sylvari amongst them. “The dragon is a dangerous enemy. But I tell you this—we are not afraid! We will never kneel!”

Nisha unsheathed xyr sword and thrust it into the air. “TO VICTORY!”

“TO VICTORY!” the Pact roared in return, waving daggers and rifles and maces above their heads. Nisha jumped off the crates as the soldiers dispersed to their lieutenants and made xyr way to the Commander’s side.

“Time for both of us to go, I think,” xe said.

Kerra shook her head as if to clear it. “Yes, it is. Is everyone ready?”

“Yes, Commander,” came the chorus, and “Yes, Kerra,” said Rel.

“Are you ready, Nisha?” Kerra asked, turning to xem.

“Yes,” Nisha said, slightly surprised to find it to be true. “I know I can’t do this alone.” Xe smiled.

“Luckily, I am anything but.”

[aristarshower]

Star Catcher

Masterpost

Adventure Eighteen- Space Shark

  “Y…Dad?” Alina cleared her throat nervously.

“Al?” She had clearly woken him but he said nothing else waiting for her to talk to him.

“Ams told me you rescued a rebel back in your days. I’m guessing it was when she was on your crew?” His silence told her all she needed to know. “I don’t care about the past but promise me all this won’t hurt my crew.”

“I will make sure of it.”

“Thank you. We are at the location. Tell our clients to get the rendezvous point ready and if possible close to Dimya. The crew wants to celebrate our pay.” It might be too much information to give but V had only come to Alina with a request so serious once before and that was when he asked if he could join her on Star Catcher.

“I’ll send it through.”

“Close the connection.” She instructed Harpie. They never spoke much with comms especially when on jobs. Even calling Yoen dad was a risk but it was a risk she needed to take.

“Stay safe.” Yoen whispered before silence filled the control room once again.

The crew were unusually silent.

The silence was uncomfortable. The ship was usually full of noise and life just before a job. Alina knew she had to do something but the mood had rubbed off on her too.

In the end it was Nisha who spoke and Alina felt a rush of gratitude. “We all know how important this job is and that probably means it will be difficult but there is nothing we can’t do. I believe in you all and I’m PUMPED!” She roared the last word and the rest of them jumped back to life.

I’ll run some scans on the wormhole. Dex go with me. Alina nodded at them both as they left.

“Nisha, V, ready the harvester. You are taking it partially unpacked this time. I don’t want to spend one second more than I absolutely have to in there.”

“Aye, cap.” V winked.

“And V? I’m trying.” She knew understood.

“Amani, keep your weapons ready.”

“Which ones?”

“All of them.”

What do I do? Dig was fending Mel off with a chair.

“What the hell is going on with you and Mel today? You’ve been making a fuss all morning.”

I’m making a fuss? The anger didn’t come through as effectively as Dig hoped in the mechanical voice. Your cat is trying to eat me because I burnt up some of her precious pollen.

“Mel is not a cat. I might regret asking this but why were you burning the pollen?”

Tests. Dig’s nonchalance assured Alina that something had happened but since none of her crew were dying she let it go.

“Go make us a meal. I’ll hold off Mel.” Alina picked Mel and she immediately calmed down.

I’ll make something special.

“Make something to boost us.” Dig waved and left.

Alina sat with her arms wrapped around Mel. The wormhole glowed in the distance. The probes orbiting it were small and inconsequential. They wouldn’t be an obstacle. The warning beacons around the wormhole were set to red. They pulsed slowly in all directions. The wormhole itself was not big, smaller than standard size and emitted the usual radiation. Harpie found a few anomalies but since the science about them was so uncertain there was no way to know what those anomalies meant.

Alina had survived so far among the stars relying on her gut and her team. Her gut was screaming at her to turn away. But she had to keep moving forward for her team…and a shitload of money. She went through their plan for the money and let herself relax. Nisha was right. They have tackled bigger problems. It would all be over soon enough anyway.

***

I already did most of the scans. Dex was still struggling to adjust to the bio suit when Harpie began talking. The room which Harpie preferred to work from was directly below the control room and the loading dock. It faced the gap between the levels of Star Catcher with an impressive view of the space around it. The room was filled with panels and controls far beyond what Dex understood. There was a single gigantic chair in the middle.

“I can’t believe you get your own room and that you have a chair bigger than Alina.” Dex mumbled.

Just because I can survive in the environment you prefer doesn’t mean I’m comfortable and I’m bigger than Alina.

“Yeah, I know. She is the captain tho.” Harpie just shrugged. Dex had no idea what environment Harpie preferred but he knew it was toxic to humans. The bio suit itched.

I have most scan results already. I’ve been scanning that since yesterday. Something’s off.

“What do you mean?”

I’m not comfortable going in.

“Well, what do we do then?”

The readings show that it’s not like most other wormholes, definitely not like the regulated ones. Alina thinks we should risk it. They held up a hand stopping Dex from interrupting. I agree with her but we need some safety.

“What do you propose?”

Your earpiece.

“What?”

That’s a link to this side of the world. It is unique and strong. We can use it to bring ourselves back if we lose our way.

“Why can’t we just keep a pod here or something?” Dex did not want everyone knowing about Jai.

Nothing I can do in short notice will compare to that. I’ll also leave a pod but I’ll feel safer with both. I promise no one else will know. Harpie sounded so worried, Dex nodded without overthinking it.

Thank you.

“I hope we make it out without having to use any of this.”

Me too.

***

Dig surveyed the table one last time before bringing the rest of the crew in. The chairs were crammed together but they would fit. Even Mel got a place at the table this time. Dig calmed their racing hearts and put a smile on their face.

The door opened and they all poured in.

“Holy shit, Dig!”

“This is great!”

Wonderful.

Alina smiled and gave them a little pat on the back.  Dig felt the tension slowly leave the crew as they talked and laughed.

“Thank you.” Dex held Dig in a loose hug.

You’re welcome, Dex.

“I’m scared.” Dig was surprised at the sudden declaration.

We all are.

V gently pried Dex off. “Don’t strangle Dig just because you are scared.”

“Sorry, Dig.”

The entire table was watching them. Dig could taste the tension building again.

Who wants cake? That distracted everyone sufficiently.

“Dex?” Dig called softly once they all had a piece of cake.

I’ve never told anyone much about my life but I’ve been in many life and death situations and had so many close calls I don’t flinch anymore. Dex’s eyes went wide. But there is no one I trust more with my life than the people here with me.

“Thank you Dig.”

***

“Activating shields and entering wormhole.” Nisha announced.

Dex clutched the earpiece tightly. He wished he had time to talk to Jai one last time. The meters in front of him all showed green. He tensed when the tip of the Star Catcher cleared the threshold. It was always a weird sensation to be wrapped in the time substance and go through. It felt like floating a jelly, free and constricting at the same time and so very sticky.

Holding.

“Push her through.” Alina ordered.

***

“What the hell!” Penn burst through Jai’s room.

“They are coming.”

“What?” Jai rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

“They want to punish me or something.”

“What?”

“Mom’s trying to keep them out but they are pissed off.”

“Penn…Penn…calm down. They might be angry but they will not hurt you. You know these people Penn. You grew up here.”

“Yeah…yeah…you’re right.”

***

The entire crew breathed in relief once the feeling passed. It didn’t take longer than expected. The space on the other side looked same to Dex. The stars were different so they were obviously somewhere but it didn’t look strange. Nothing exploded suddenly. Everything felt a bit anticlimactic.

“Alright. I’m guessing that’s the star we need to get to. Plot a course and give me a time.” Alina clapped her hands bringing them all to the present.

Alina.

“What is it, Harpie?”

“We’ll be there in an hour if we use some dust.” Nisha’s hands flew over her controls.

“Negative, Nisha. I want to save the dust. How long without?”

“Three to four hours depending on how much we push her.”

“Four it is then. No point risking everything.”

Alina.

“What is it, Harpie?”

“Dex, take over this in the second hour. V and I will be heading out and I need some rest.”

“He can take over now.”

“Sure.” Dex agreed easily.

Alina.

What is it, Harpie? Alina hissed.

Look at the space.

What about it?

No, look at it.

What? The ‘what’ became apparent once it moved.

What Dex had assumed to be distant stars were some glowing patches on a body so large it dwarfed the star.

“Is that…?”

“That’s too big to be a space whale.” Dex shook his head trying to wrap his head around the size of the creature in front of him. It passed in front of the star making a shadow so big and stark it was like being plunged headfirst into a blackhole. One detail stood out to Dex. A single fin rose on the creature’s back.

“That’s a shark.”

***

“You had your chance, Penn! You just gave them the harvester without even asking us!” Penn cowered beside Jai.

“It was the right thing to do! We need the dust!” Riala roared.

“We could’ve paid them!”

“With what? We don’t have any fucking money!” Jai had never seen Riala behave like that. Her hands shook from anger.

“Look, they are coming back. I made sure they would bring it back. I’m not an idiot. Jai can tell you. He talks to them…” Penn trailed off realizing their mistake but it was too late. Even Riala turned to Jai.

“I can explain.”

***

“I know sharks are smaller than whales but that fin makes it look like a shark.” Nisha, V and Dex immediately started arguing about sharks the second Dex uttered the word.

“Sharks are nice. This one looks mean.”

“Sharks aren’t nice. They just are. Just because you would pet anything that moves…” V had a point about Nisha but this wasn’t the time for it.

“Shut up!”

Alina.

What now?

We might also have time travelled.

That shut them all up.

“What the fuck, Harpie?” V whispered into the comms.

The stars look different and less somehow. The background radiation, the half formed galaxies…I think we are in the past.

“Wow.”

“Use the dust. Get us to that damn star and out as fast as you can.”

***

They ransacked Jai’s room. Jai stood to the side held down by the guards. Penn apologized over and over again but Jai felt nothing. They were going to destroy the only means of communication with Dex and V and there was nothing Jai could do about it.

“Found it!” One of them held it up triumphantly. Jai did not look at his face. He did not want to remember who it was.

There was a sickening crunch and then they were all gone leaving Jai with a crushed ear piece.

Previous/ First / Next

[aristarshower]

Star Catcher

Masterpost

Adventure Fifteen-Reunion 2.0

Hey Harpie!

Really not a good time, Dex, sorry.

That’s okay. I’m just checking in. There’s a lot going on here.

Are they hurting you? Harpie’s distracted voice suddenly got sharper.

No. NO. We are good. You guys doing okay?

We got Dig out of the tantrum but V is still sulking.

Tell him I’m okay.

I will although I think Alina is going to talk some sense into him.

Thanks Harpie.

I have to go now.

Okay. Bye.

Bye.

Dex ended the call with a smile on his face. V was throwing a tantrum for him. That was prime teasing material.

“You ready to go?” Jai was at the door, wearing orange overalls and looking too good in something so ugly.

“Yup.” Dex had asked them if he could look around and help with the work on the ships. Jai volunteered to show him around.

“The ship is almost done so most of the work is just moving heavy things and loading up.”

“I can try that.” Dex felt optimistic enough to lift anything but after an hour of heavy lifting he gave up and joined Penn for lunch.

The lunch was strangely earth like and delicious. Dex missed Dig’s cooking.

“Hey.” Penn and Jai looked up from their own food.

“You guys should meet the crew when they come back!”

“That’s not a great idea, Dex.” Penn frowned.

“They are great people. I swear.” Dex turned his best pleading eyes to Jai.

“We’ll see. Riala needs to agree first though.” Jai allowed.

“You’ll love V!” Dex dropped his eyes immediately after he spoke. He had no idea what made him say it. It is true. Jai and V seemed different at first with V’s outgoing personality and Jai’s reserved smiles but Dex felt strongly that they would both like each other.

“I’m sure he will.” Penn was smirking. Dex quickly got busy eating.

The rest of the time Dex spent on the exo planet was with Jai and Penn. Penn was enthusiastic and Jai was calm and clever. Together they helped build the ship that would rescue their kind from Earth.

Star Catcher came back nine days after they left according to Earth time. Dex was touched when Penn, Jai and Riala came to the living room to send him off.  Jai had convinced Riala and the others that the SC crew could be trusted enough to show their faces. And after Dex promised them that he wouldn’t talk about their plans anywhere else, they agreed. Dex squeezed Jai’s hand when he came to deliver the news. He didn’t know how else to show his gratitude.

Dex spent a few hours in the spider which was an ingenious steam operated machine. It was so complicated but also completely different from usual tech that it was hell to detect. Penn showed Dex how he had rigged up most of the planet the same way. Pretty much everything there worked with steam produced from the heated underground water of the planet. Dex would’ve stayed looking at it all if Jai didn’t announce that their radar has picked up SC’s approach.

“Why didn’t you show me this before?” Dex whined.

“You can look at it when you come back to us.” Penn replied slyly.

“I will come back with or without the incentive, Penn.” Penn shrugged.

Penn was back in the spider by the time SC landed and gave Dex a many eyed wink and an awkward handshake. Jai surprised him by hugging him tightly and placing a light kiss on his cheek.

“We’ll…I’ll miss you, Dex.” Dex blushed.

“Dex!” Dig jumped into the room followed closely by the rest of the crew. V was at the entrance staring daggers at Jai.

Dex finished the round of hugs while Nisha said something about oatmeal. V was the last to hug him and when he did, V held on tight and whispered, “I missed you.” Dex held him tighter and wished he didn’t have to let go.

“I’m guessing this is V.” Jai said from behind.

“Yes, I am.” V answered coldly.

“I’ve heard a lot about you.” Jai’s voice was so warm even V had to thaw.  “All nice things.”

“I am nice.” Jai laughed.

“Jai was on earth with me.” Dex said carefully. Jai nodded.

“I’m glad you were here to keep him company, then.” V said sheepishly. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad too.” Jai said simply and they shook hands.

“Very dramatic. Can we go now? We are on a tight schedule here.” Alina said but Dex knew she didn’t mean it.

“How about some dinner first?” Penn pushed in the surprise dinner they had made for the crew. They all cheered. Dex was taken aback by the intensity of Nisha and Amani’s cheering. 

Dex finished a quick round of introductions while the food was served. He held back from revealing anyone’s real names and did not share his offer to come back and join them.

“They are cyborg rebels and they have plans to save all of our kind.” He ended. The SC crew were stunned. Everyone except Amani and Alina was looking at the others with more respect. Dex didn’t say much about the SC crew’s profession either. It was a dance but he finished talking as fast as he could because he could see how impatient Dig and Nisha were.

Dex was seated between V and Jai who had developed a friendship really quick once they discovered their mutual love of some show Dex did not know about.

“You don’t know The Adventures of Waituri?” V shouted.

“How can you not know?” Even Jai raised his voice.

“We need to get you to watch it!” V declared and Jai nodded.

“You can’t just not watch our favorite show.”

“What’s it about anyway?” Dex asked in between mouthfuls of food.

“It’s so…” V shook the spoon around and almost ruined Jai’s shirt.

“It’s so much!” Jai agreed completely ignoring the spoonful of food all over his hands.

“We’ll take you.” V promised.

“Boys, eat your food.” Riala said from her seat at the head of the table. Alina was too busy feeding Nisha small spoonfulls of food while giggling to say anything.

Penn stood guard at the door in the spider. They had refused to eat with the others and opted to stay and unload the dust SC brought. They were eager to get the ships going and to test the new dust SC had brought.

The conversation moved on from the show. Dex was surprised at how easily the crew mingled.

***

Alina watched the spider in the corner. She had her reservations about eating with strangers but they were all hungry, including Dig and when the others offered the food, Amani nodded slightly letting her know it was okay. If someone had Amani’s approval so easily, then Alina trusted them. Alina was skeptic about the whole rebel thing. Revolutions did not work out well in the vast universe. Life had to stick together against the uncaring lifeless void. Fighting among each other could lead to the end of everything.

Alina did not miss the way the rebel head, Ri, Dex called her, started at the sight of Amani. There was a story there and Alina would need it sooner or later. There was something Dex was hiding too. She couldn’t put her finger on it but she knew. Alina decided that in that moment nothing else mattered other than having a nice dinner. She could have a long chat with Nisha and Amani later.

“The dinner is delicious, Ri, thank you.” Ri smiled. Alina wanted to believe that it was a real smile.

“Thank you. Dex helped us make it.” Dex blushed again. He looked quite comfortable with both V and Jai hanging onto him. Alina smiled.

“Thank you, Dex.”

“If you can cook this well, you can start helping me in the kitchen.” Dig waved a spoon at Dex who began sputtering immediately.

***

The dinner ended happily. By then, Jai and V had bonded enough that Dex started teasing V about pining after him in front of Jai. It was new and strangely exhilarating to watch V duck his head.

“I wasn’t pining.” He moaned dramatically.

“I’m sure you were just wilting away without me around.” V pushed him and Jai caught him.

“Look who’s talking! Like you weren’t making eyes every time someone said anything with the letter V.”

“HA!” V made the whole table jump. “You missed me! You love me!” It was Dex’s turn to duck away from V’s grasping arms. He shoved his face into Jai’s chest and refused to look at V, despite his tickling.

“No…get off me…V…” Dex squirmed and Jai was laughing while the others watched in different shades of amusement and embarrassment.

V finally gave up and threw his arms around Dex. Jai pulled them both into a hug, startling Dex. V did not seem to mind so Dex snuggled closer, pulling V in.

“If you are done, we need to go.” Dex’s heart fell.

“Already?”

“Come on, Dex, we have a job.” Alina was serious this time. Dex wondered when he had started to recognize Alina’s tones.

“Alright.” To Dex’s delight, V was just as reluctant to leave Jai as he was. Jai pulled V into a crushing hug.

“Take care of yourself and Dex.”

“I will. And next time you see us, Dex will know everything about The Adventures of Waituri, I promise.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Jai warned.

Dex slipped the ear piece into Jai’s pocket when Jai hugged him again.

“In case you need to talk.” It was a last second decision but Jai just gave him a small nod.

Star Catcher left the planet after a slightly awkward goodbye.

“Don’t forget about the detonation device in the harvester. You have three months to get back.” Penn warned them.

Dex was home again when he breathed in the highly recycled air of Star Catcher. The rest of the crew slapped his back once and got on with their jobs.

“Rest for a bit, Dex, you are taking over when Nisha and I sleep.” Alina ordered and took her chair.

Dex breathed in relief when he finally got to his bed in his room on his ship among his family.

   Previous/ First / Next

[aristarshower]

Star Catcher

Masterpost

Adventure Thirteen-The Runaway Star

The entire crew was silent as Star Catcher plodded along. They had time for a dust run in their schedule especially if the spider would let them have the harvester. They would try to steal it from them at some point but for the job at hand, three months of keeping the harvester was plenty. The immediate concern for Alina wasn’t any of this. It was V sulking in his room and Dig threatening to cook only oatmeal for all the meals ever and locking themselves in their room that gave Alina a headache.

“Nisha, please go handle Dig.”

“Who’s gonna handle V?” Alina looked at Amani. Amani shrugged.

“I’ll handle him.” Alina sighed. Nisha kissed Alina’s temple and ruffled her hair. Alina felt a lot lighter as Nisha left the room.

***

“Dig, let me in.” The door did not budge.

“I’m putting us on private channel.” The comm clicked to private. Nisha saw the other side was still on so at least she knew Dig was listening.

“Dig, I know you like Dex but this job will do a lot of good for him too. We didn’t want to leave him either. I know you are hurting but it’s only for a week. Come on.” The door clicked open.

***

Alina forced open the door to V’s room. V shrieked.

“You are supposed to use that only in emergencies.” A long time ago Alina had Harpie install a system that would let her access any room on the ship including the private living spaces. Her intention was to use it only for emergencies but she knew how stubborn V could get when he was sulking.

“V, I like to think I know you pretty well. So don’t bullshit me. I knew you wouldn’t open the door so I did what I could.”

“Rude.” V swam deeper into the pool but Alina could still see the light from his body so she knew he was listening.

“V, I know you and Dex are friends but you need to think about the job too. You are a part of this crew.”

“Dex is a part of this crew.” V mumbled.

“He is. So he is doing what he can to contribute.” That was the wrong thing to say. V’s body flashed an electric blue and he went in deeper.

“Talk to me, V. Why are you so upset about him? He just joined us.”

***

He was a good friend. Dig’s voice was somber. The orb of purple pollen hung beside their bed out of reach of Mel who lounged below. Nisha knew she could reach the orb if she wanted to but Mel seemed content to just stay near it.

“I know, buddy.”

But that is not why I’m angry.

“I know it’s more than friendship, buddy.” Nisha was using what her mother called the soothing toddlers voice. “You might like him, Dig but I don’t he likes you, romantically, I mean. I’m pretty sure he is really into V.”

What?

“I have noticed how close you are with him. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell anyone.” Dig began laughing.

Oh Nisha Nisha, you thought I am romantically interested in a human.

“You aren’t?”

No. My biology does not work like that. I don’t know how to explain it to humans. You seem to be ok mating with any species.

“Hey! We are not …space sluts.”

What’s a slut?

“You know what? This conversation is about you and Dex. Let’s go back to that.” Dig sighed.

I was angry because Dex had some insecurity about us leaving him behind once we realize we don’t need him.

“But we need him, always.”

Well that’s not how he saw it. He didn’t say all this directly but I understood most of it.

“Shit.”

Yeah. The main reason I was angry was that we didn’t even stay to explain. I know the circumstances were bad but still it must not have felt good for him.

“We’ll make it up to him. I promise.”

Thank you.

“So you really weren’t interested in him?”

No.

***

“You are what?!” Alina almost jumped into the water herself.

“Well, I’m not in love with him but I like him a lot and I feel like we were getting closer.”

“So you are angry I cockblocked you.”

“Alina!” He sounded outraged but he swam up to the surface so Alina counted that as a win.

“That’s not even close.” The sudden drop in V’s voice made Alina wince. He was always quick to get attached to everyone. That was one of the biggest reasons he couldn’t live on Retmar for long.

“I’m sorry, V.”

“It’s okay. We are going back. But leaving him like that was hard. He must be miserable there with just a stranger for company. A stranger he can’t trust. He must be feeling so alone.” Alina’s heart clenched.

“I know.” She rubbed circles on V’s neck. “That’s why we need to finish this and get back as soon as we can.” V sniffed but nodded.

“Fine. But next time…”

“There won’t be a next time.” Alina promised and V smiled a slow watery smile.

***

“Alright! We are running on full minus one capacity and we have a star to loot! Let’s get planning!” There was a resounding silence after Alina’s statement.

“Are you all dead?”

Did you see what the target is, captain? Harpie calling her captain evaporated the light feeling in Alina’s gut.

“Not really.”

“Harpie and I just looked it up. Dig’s fine but we have to eat only oatmeal until we get Dex back.” Alina winced.

“Sounds fair.” V agreed easily and accepted the tab Harpie handed him. His eyes ran over the text. “Shit.”

“What is it?” Alina read it over his shoulder. The more she read, the more her heart sank. “That’s fucking impossible.”

“The star moves? That’s not fair.”

Technically all stars move. Harpie interjected. Alina would’ve been irritated if it were anyone else but she knew this was Harpie’s way of expressing their fear.  This one seems to be in a lot of hurry.

“But we can’t keep up with that!” Nisha’s hands were flying on her screen, calculating how to match the speed.

“We might just be able to keep up but that’s not the point. We need time to install the harvester first.”

We might just make it if we use the dust we have.

They all looked at Alina. This was one of the decisions that could make or break the whole job. If they used up all the dust they might not be able to finish on time. On the other hand, the harvester was more important.

“We need the harvester. Use the dust.”

***

It took them more than three days to get to the target. They were a little over the schedule and everyone was getting antsy. Alina was glad when the star finally came close.

“V and I will be the ones out there today. Nisha has the command when I’m gone.” Nisha acknowledged Alina’s words with a slight nod. “Harpie hold the relative position. We need all the stability we can get.”

I’ll do my best, captain.

“Amani, help Nisha and monitor the surroundings for any activity. This is a unregulated star but it’s too unusual so we might have some crazy hitchhikers or tourists.”

“Or worshippers…what? I’ve seen it happen before. People worship anything weird.” Amani nodded sagely.

“Alright!”

Can you tell your cat to fuck off from the pollen, Captain? Dig’s angry voice came over the comms.

“Sorry, Dig. Mel! Leave!” She shouted as firmly as she could. As the acquiring dust part of the jobs don’t usually require Dig’s assistance and they were not cooking, Alina had asked them to perform some tests on the pollen carefully to see if they could use it someway. Listening to the noises Mel was making, that might have been a bad call.

***

The harvester was a heavy block roughly the size of Mel. Alina hoisted it and floated off into the darkness of space. The star raced ahead, already pulling ahead. The Spider called the star Chaway but it had no official name. Most unregulated stars were left nameless so they won’t be confused with the regulated stars.

Chaway was unusual in many ways. It’s readings were weird and showed some unusual properties and temperatures but what was truly weird was that it kept moving constantly at a super high velocity. All stars move but for the most part they seem stationary if we are close enough. This one just seems to speed up as Star Catcher tried to match its speed.

“It’s like the star is running away from us.” V laughed.

“Nooooooo please don’t hack me up and eat me.” Alina added in a high pitched voice and V laughed louder.

We are in position, captain.

To use the harvester, they had to install it first. The harvester was useless when it’s dormant. It needed an external power source to sustain until the first dust is harvested and then it could sustain itself for as long as the star lived or was completely harvested whatever came first.

So a ridiculous looking power cord, Alina was sure Amani picked the bright orange pattern, stretched from Star Catcher to the block Alina carried. It was weightless now that it was in space but Alina held it tight anyway.

“Which place of entry seems optimal to you?” Alina asked, as the star loomed ahead in a terrifying spectacle. They were close enough to be cooked alive if it weren’t for the dust fueled fields SC held around them. They would have to get out soon and set the harvester up under a temporary shield.

“Let’s get closer first.” V pulled ahead, swimming like he would in her pool. Alina was happy to be out again with V. They were always a team, even back when Yoen ran the ship and they had only toys to conquer. V was the one who introduced Alina to Nisha and Alina felt a pang when she remembered Dex. Dex might not be the one for V but they both had the right to find out. Alina swallowed the apologies that rose. V was not the person she needed to apologize to. She had noticed Dex’s uncertainty on her ship. Maybe if she had done something more, he wouldn’t have felt so …Alina shook herself out of the spiral.

“You are about to leave the field, brace yourselves.” Nisha was cold and detached over the comms. Alina smiled. Nisha always took the responsibility of command to heart.

“Okay, captain.” Alina smiled knowing Nisha would be smiling too.

The transition from a full dust driven field to a temporary field was jarring. The temporary field was only a failsafe meant to keep them alive but not comfortable. The star came ever closer and V stuck a hand out to stop Alina.

“This seems like a good enough spot. The star will get closer soon anyway.” Alina hurried to help V unlock and set up the controls on the harvester. V attached one of the canisters he carried to the harvester.

Good to go. Let’s see if this works. Harpie said just as the harvester binged with the first input of dust.

Nisha had plotted a great course. Star Catcher stood behind them powering the harvester which was beeping longer and higher by the second. It reminded Alina of Mel. The star was going to cross them sideways grazing the harvester for a few seconds. That would give enough energy to have it running full capacity.

The star passed by with a roar and flurry of dust. Nothing else penetrated the temporary field.

“We have ten minutes left on the fields, captain.” V saluted with one of the free canisters.

We need at least two more runs.

“Fire up the engines then.”

This was the worst part. Alina and V dragged the harvester back into SC’s field. Harpie did as they were told and SC zoomed towards the next point they could intercept the star at. Stuck outside the ship but within the field, V, Alina and the harvester were dragged along for a merry ride. Loading and unloading the harvester would’ve taken too long and cooled it down. They needed a perfect run and it wasn’t anything. V and Alina had done the same thing constantly when they first got Star Catcher. Space surfing as Amani called it, except V loved surfing and it was nothing like the stretching feeling “space surfing” gave him.

“We are getting closer to the next point.” Nisha was close to shouting, Alina could tell.

The ship slowed down suddenly to match the star’s speed. V and Alina continued to propel forward only to slam to a stop when their temporary fields activated suddenly. V made a gagging motion but thankfully did not throw up. Alina laughed.

You are in optimal position for run two, captain. V gave Alina a thumbs up and fit another canister into the harvester. Alina had a sudden crazy idea.

“V, how many canisters did the spider ask for?”

“Three.”

“How many do you have with you right now?”

“One filled. Four empty. Don’t worry I don’t think we’ll lose any canisters. This seems mostly okay.”

Alina barely noticed the star passing by or the crazy space surf to the next point in her excitement.

“Nisha, we are going for two more runs. Draw me a trajectory. Find me points.”

“Alina? What?”

“Two more points! Now!” Alina said as the third run passed by. V gave her a strange look.

“What are you cooking, Alina?”

“We need some dust. We’ll not have enough grade A even if we do only three runs. But this way we have two canisters of some dust.”

“Not some dust! Unregulated dust!” Nisha shouted.

“Do you have the points?” Alina asked as calmly as she could.

“Yes. But consider what you are doing! We don’t need this risk!”

We are ready captain. Harpie said quietly. Alina loved them for that. They never panicked if there were sudden changes but that same panic and caution were one her favorite traits in Nisha.

“You can talk poetry about Nisha later. Let’s go.”

“Did I say that out loud?” The ship tugged them along to another surf just in time to rescue Alina from ever hearing the answer.

***

“We have the dust. We have the harvester. Good job on a successful job, everyone!” There were smiles but it felt a little unbalanced without Dex loudly exclaiming about every detail.

“I don’t want to be the villain here but have you considered leaving, captain.” Amani said quietly as everyone else were eating. Dig broke their oatmeal rule and brought out some candy. Alina saw that everyone was saving some of the candy for Dex. Even Alina had a couple saved in her pocket.

“Leaving Dex?”

“Not permanently. But we can do without the ticking bomb to add to the pressure of this job. And Dex will be safe. We can tell Yoen to take care of that.” Alina knew her father would find a way to save Dex and a long time ago she would’ve thought of the same plan.

“We need the whole crew, Ams.” She said softly.

“He can still have his share.” Alina was already shaking her head.

“It’s not about the money.”

“At least tell me you considered it impartially before rejecting it.”

“I can’t tell you that, Ams.” Alina watched V sadly as he picked at the candy wrapper in his hand. He had kept aside all the candy except for one in his hand. “But I know going back is the right decision.”

Star Catcher headed back to get lost and find her missing piece.

  Previous/ First / Next

[aristarshower]

Star Catcher

Masterpost

Adventure Eleven-Bee Bots To The Rescue

Amani noticed Alina’s quickly signed message. It was something only Yoen’s crew knew back in the days when he still went out for jobs. Amani wondered what other secrets Yoen had told Alina.

Find.Hungry.Sand. Alina’s movements were a little jerky but Amani understood the need to keep Rew and her crew out of the loop.

“Hey kiddo?” She turned to the person calibrating the system beside her.

“Yes? Ams?”

“Ams, yes. I am an old woman and I don’t know much about this part of the universe.”

“Mhmmm…”

“Can you tell me what the hungry sand is and why Rew is so worked up about it?”

“Can’t you ask your crew? I am kinda busy here.” They did look busy but Amani couldn’t just tell him that none of them had a clue.

“None of them are here and we can just chat while we work, can’t we…?” Amani flashed them her best smile. They sighed.

“Jeev.”

“Come on, Jeev, a little chat never hurt anyone.”

“Fine but hand me that laser first.” Once the work was done, Jeev moved onto something smaller. Amani followed patiently.

“Alright, the hungry sand isn’t really sand. Well there is some sand for it to grow but that’s not what it is.”

“Sure, of course.”

“It’s a plant. Hand me the macromnic blaster.” Amani handed him the first thing she could reach.

“No…that red tube one there. Thank you.”

“Well if it’s just a plant…” Jeev let out a harried laugh.

“Just a plant. The whole planet is a plant, Ams.”

“Wait…the entire planet is one plant.”

“Yup.”

“Woah.”

“Yup.”

“I still don’t get why you are so scared.” Jeev sighed.

“Think Ams, if the whole planet is one being what does it eat? How does it live?” Ams’ heart beat a little faster.

“Oh…then why did you pick this place to be? If it eats you…?” Jeev shook his head.

“Oh for some reason it doesn’t eat other living matter, mostly.” A slow sick feeling was spreading in Amani’s gut.

“What does it eat then?”

“Tech mostly. Well, powered up tech kind of attracts it. That’s why we travel above the storm. The warehouse on the surface is just storage. It’s the ideal place for us. No one wants to fuck with us here, you know? It’s usually dormant too but the storm around us is the indication that it is active. The purple stuff is like spores. That’s how the plants spread…..Ams?” Ams turned his voice off the second she heard about the tech. She was desperately waiting for Alina to look at her. There was still time before Nisha and Dex touched down. Unfortunately, Jeev turned out to be too happy to talk once he started properly.

“Are you okay, Ams? There’s no need to worry. We have all this under control. If your friends follow all the rules we told them, they’ll get out easy. It doesn’t go for them anyway and the pod isn’t gonna stay near the surface long enough to alert it. And they know all this, right?” For the first time a little doubt crept into Jeev’s voice.

“I gotta go, Jeev. Thanks for the talk, kiddo.”  Amani couldn’t sit there any longer.

“Alina!” She hissed. Rew was with Alina. They were looking at the status of Nisha and Dex who were just leaving the pod to get down. “Stop them, Alina! Now!”

“Get out of there now! D! N! Abort!” It was useless. They were both headed to the surface and the pod drifted back to the storm on autopilot.

***

“Is there a way to contact them?” Alina yelled at Rew. Rew was lost at the sudden burst of anger from the captain.

“They have the ear pieces in their helmets but they are not turned on.”

Harpie, get in here! Alina turned to Amani with fire in her eyes. Times like these reminded Amani why Alina was such a good captain.

“Explain.”

“It’s a plant that eats powered tech.”

“Shit.” Harpie.

Coming, captain. Harpie appeared a second later.

Turn on the comms in their helmets.

Rew finally recovered from the surprise. “You didn’t know what vriksheek was?”

“No. We didn’t.” Alina held up a hand stopping Rew’s angry retort. “I know we messed up but our crew could get eaten by a plant any second so I need you to back off.”

“Jeev!” Rew yelled at the comms. “Ready the fucking bees.”

“Are you kidding me, Rew? We don’t have the tim…”

“Now!”

“What bees?” Alina asked as Harpie typed furiously onto the system.

***

“This doesn’t seem so scary.” Nisha dropped lightly onto the sand. It was slightly less purple than the storm above.

“Weird storm though.” Dex said, looking up at their pod disappearing into it.

“Yeah.”

“Ever seen anything like it?”

“No. I’ve seen bigger storms but none so contained.” The storm just stopped like it hit some kind of a wall. From below the swirling mass of sand looked like the sleep inducing display Alina sometimes used.

“Well let’s get going.”

The surface of the planet wasn’t easy to walk through. It was soft and cushiony and their feet sank a few feet before being gently pushed up. The collapsed ship was drowning in the sand as they watched.

“We need to hurry.” Dex jogged to one side of the ship. There was no trace of delivery bots that were supposed to be inside. Nisha shrugged it off. Rew probably ordered them to go back to the warehouse.

“Let’s split up and get everything.” There were only six packets to carry but one them was heavier than others and had to be kept under special conditions, whatever those were. Nisha didn’t understand why they needed the new experimental weapons when they could do so much damage with the old ones.

“I’ll get the special one.” Dex bumped her shoulder with his and headed down. Nisha smiled at his back. He was so nervous when he first got to SC. She understood why but the way he seemed to be trusting them all just a bit more every day warmed her heart. She could see how close he was getting with V and how easy it was for V to trust him. Before Alina recruited Dex she was worried V was going to protest which he did but all that shut off a few days after. She just hoped Dex didn’t break Dig’s heart too much.

The earpiece crackled in Nisha’s ears. “Ugh.” She turned them off before they could deafen her and headed to the cargo bay.

***

I got in but was manually overridden, captain.

Keep trying. Alina was throwing on a suit hurriedly despite Rew’s protests.

“Look, the bees will help. There’s no point in going down now.” The whole commotion had attracted everyone else. Dig and Amani watched helplessly from their seats while the others worked on what they called the bees. Harpie couldn’t really see what they were doing. Whatever it was, had too many parts and went all over the place.

How long before they are ready? Harpie didn’t mean to sound so rude but Nisha and Dex were trapped on a planet that literally wanted to eat Dex.

“They need to heat up.”

“I’m going.”

Al…captain, wait, please. We made the mistake of being too hasty once, let’s not repeat that. Alina sighed.

The comms crackled again. Everyone’s attention snapped to Nisha’s voice.

“What the hell was that guys?”

***

Dex was wrestling with the sticky box when the whole ship shifted under him. The sand outside was blocking some of the lower windows. He was at a lower level of the ship and they still have plenty of time to get out but his head whirred with anxiety at the thought of being buried. He breathed deeply and his head actually whirred.

“What….?” His comm came to life and Nisha spoke to the others. Her voice grounded him a little.

“Dex!” V’s voice startled Dex. “Dex! Are you alright? They just told me!”

“V, we didn’t tell them yet!” There were some furious whispers.

“Get out of there. Call the pod back.” V said. His voice sent Dex’s head whirring again.

“Alright, alright, we’re out.” Dex heard Nisha say distantly. Then she was there holding him up, pulling him out of the ship.

“What’s happening?”

“The planet is going to kill us.” She answered calmly.

***

“Why didn’t you call me?” V demanded furiously.

“There is nothing you can do, V!” V had to be held down by Dig and it took both Amani and Harpie to hold onto Alina.

“Nisha is there! Let me go!”

“Let us go! We can get there!”

“Calm down!” Rew screamed. “The bees are ready.”

***

Nisha pulled a reeling Dex out of the sinking ship. The ship went under with an odd gurgling sound. It was too fast. They were inside for few minutes and the ship was just sinking. Something moved under her feet and she recoiled.

“Dex come on!”

“Sorry. Something is interfering with me.” He pointed at the mechanical side of his brain.

“Can’t you turn it off?”

“No. I’ll be partially paralyzed.” He sounded like he was drunk. Nisha decided slapping him might do more harm than good.

“The pod will be here soon. We just gotta get to the pick up.”

“Keep going. I’ll…..follow.” The low whisper was interrupted by another gurgle as the ground under their feet suddenly shifted.

***

“What the fuck do the bees do?” Alina and V had calmed down once Rew assured them that they were doing what they could.

“Guys! Help!” Alina choked down her fear to assure Nisha.

“Help is on the way, love. Get to the pod if you can.”

“I don’t think we can.” Alina punched the walls of the ship in frustration. V buried his head in his hands.

“How long before they get there?”

“Any second now.”

***

Dex was sure something in his head was malfunctioning because it looked like a small part of the storm was coming down towards them. The sand was swallowing them both slowly but Dex knew it wanted him alone. He could feel something warm beneath the soles of his feet. Dex was deeper in than Nisha. The sand was trying to push them apart but Nisha kept following him.

“Nisha! Go! Don’t…”

“Fuck off Dex I’m not leaving.” Wherever she went the soil gurgled again and loosened enough to let him rise a little higher.

The small piece of storm finally reached them and they turned out to be small bots about half the size of Dex’s thumb. They were flying with little wings that buzzed as they flew.

“What are they doing?” Nisha cringed low to avoid the bots but they didn’t care about her. They were diving in and out of the sand and wherever they went in, the sand solidified behind them. The sand was rising and falling behind them, almost like a hand trying to swat flies.

Nisha waded into the sand beside him when the planet was distracted. Dex could wiggle out once she was close enough. The bots converged beside them and soon the sand couldn’t close in again. Nisha and Dex ran on the small path the bots made in front of them straight to the pod.

The sand rose in one giant wave to engulf the entire pod just as Dex and Nisha jumped into the hatch landing painfully on top of each other. Dex could hear the others on the comm but he had no breath left to answer. The tiny bots congregated against the wall of sand. Nisha adjusted the commands to get them as far away from the ground as possible and they shot up. The bots shielded them ship from one last grab from the planet. They threw themselves at the sand and the whole wave solidified into a huge arc of purple.

***

So when you said glue them together…

“The bots have this glue in their stingers that holds the sand closed for a few hours. It’s not the most elegant or effective solution but the number and size of the bots keeps the plant confused and gives us time.” Rew shrugged like the tech wasn’t absolutely amazing. Rich humans surprised Harpie a lot.

***

The whole SC crew were waiting for them at the hatch. Rew and her crew went back to work the second the excitement was over. Alina hugged Nisha hard, lifting her a couple of feet into the air so their faces aligned. Dig grabbed Dex as soon as he stepped in. Dex let himself be engulfed in the soft chemical smell of their suit. V was standing right behind Dig. Dex’s world narrowed to the tears lining V’s eyes.

“Dex.” He whispered and Dex found himself being crushed into V’s chest. He didn’t mind at all. V felt warm and soft. Dex was surprised to find his own voice shaking.

“Hey V.”

“You idiot.” V rubbed the back of Dex’s neck in slow circles.

“Alright, kiddos, I hate to be the one to break you happy couples up but we need to get on the repairs now.” Dex blushed when Amani said couples and V’s skin flashed a faint red once. But V didn’t let go of Dex. He held Dex’s hand until they got to the main control room.

“V, you should go now. Take Dex with you.”

“No, I can help.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Dex needed something to do with his hands and he needed to feel SC around him.

V squeezed his hand one last time before he had to leave to his room. The temperature was already draining the luster out of his skin.

Dex smiled at him and went to work.

  Previous/ First / Next

[aristarshower]

Star Catcher

Masterpost

Adventure Six-Star Dust

“Alright losers! Time for class!” Everyone groaned at once. Dex looked up from his station in surprise. They had been travelling for a couple of days, jumping wormholes using different identities and taking a circuitous route to their target star.

“We are close enough for commence. You guys know the rules.”

“Yes we do. So why do we need this meeting again?” V whined.

“Funny if you know the rules so well all of our missions should go without a single issue. Do they, V? Do they!?” V sulked while Nisha dragged out an old fashioned board and a marker.

“Wow those are …”

“I know! I feel so much better explaining with these than the usual display units. Oi! Pay attention!” Nisha yelled and everyone sat upright. Even Amani put down her needles.

“Dex is new here so we’ll start from the basics. First what is star dust?”

“Ooh ooh me pick me!” V put his hand up in mock enthusiasm. Nisha rolled her eyes. “My wife will answer this.” Alina blushed.

“Star dust is a fuel source obtained from the stars.”

“Uhhh Nisha I know all this.” Dex said timidly.

We all do. Dig fake whispered from his side. In honor of the new mission, their voice was now super squeaky.

“Silence you two! Okay so star dust is fuel but it is so much more! It is what runs our civilizations, provides enough energy to hold and travel through wormholes but most importantly it’s what we smuggle. Now what kind of a star do we have this time?”

“Category three.”

“What’s a category three?” Everyone started at Dex.

“See I told you we need this class!” Nisha crowed and pulled out some charts.

“Where did you get those from?”

“I have been waiting for this day.” She whispered. The first chart was a pie chart. “You know we need suppressors and harvesters to obtain star dust from any star. These materials have grades based on how expensive and rare they are. The stars with highest grade suppressors are  category ones. They also have a shitton of patrol bots and security ships around them. But we don’t need to worry for three. They have a few bots and at most one security ship.” Nisha switched between charts and diagrams showing different types and makes of stars and harvesters.

“Okay? Why can’t we just steal the suppressors then?” Another stunned silence followed Dex’s question. Amani cackled.

“I told you he’d make a fine thief. I am so proud of you kiddo.” She patted Dex’s hand.

“Uhhh thanks?”

“We can’t steal them cause they are big and difficult to hide and stupid easy to track.”

“My father’s men stole one a long time ago but they got caught so fast. Turns out the dust protocol enforcers have the machinery highly rigged with small trackers…”

Which are made by my people.  Harpie hissed angrily. They haven’t said a word since they entered the galaxy. Dig told Dex that silence was Harpie’s way of preparing for a job.

“Harpies are used for the tech manufacture by the DPE and are paid very little for their efforts.” Alina added. Dex felt a spark of anger. He understood the feeling of being used all too well.

I’m so sorry Harpie. Dex speaking in Varbunglam was a shock to the rest of the crew the first time but by then they were all used to it.

Harpie just nodded and went back to contemplating nothing. Nisha cleared her throat loudly.

“So, we go in, put up some primary interference field to confuse the bots a little, find a little window and get our dust. Pretty straight forward job really.”

“You could’ve finished the entire meeting in one sentence and you made us sit for a whole hour. I really hate you Nisha.” V grumbled.

“Love you too, V” Nisha patted the top of V’s head.

***

The actual prep was even weirder. Dex had never seen an actual harvest plant before so he was out from the beginning. Dig requested off because they were still recovering from the near death experience. The rest of them picked straws to decide who was going in. V got the short straw. He whooped and punched a wall.

“It’s been so long!” V was off to get suited up to go out.

“Alright, Dex I need you to look out for the ship. We already calculated the regular route so it should not be an issue but watch it all the same.” The captain ordered and Dex had an urge to salute. Alina was all business once the meeting was done.

“Harpie, I need you monitoring the interference and the bots. Inform me of any issues immediately.” Harpie nodded and went off to their cabin.

“Dig, stay in the sick bay. Also make us some light dinner for later.” Dig waved a few tentacles and left.

“Amani, on weapons, just in case.”

“Suited and ready to go on your say captain!” V called through the comms.

“Ship out of range, captain.” Dex informed Alina.

“Alright, V, go!” And V was off.

*** V felt like doing a few loops. Star Catcher was home and the ship’s gravity did keep him and the crew alive but V always craved the almost weightless feel of home. And there was nothing in the universe that felt more like home than the weightless void of space. He drifted a little and arranged his hold on the collection canisters. All he had to do was attach them to the canisters and they did the rest of the work. In the earlier days of SC, they had to manually hack into the harvesters and collect the dust. Having Harpie on the team had truly improved the speed of their operations.

“Alright, looks clear. I am going in.” The harvester was a fairly old one. The star was one of the simpler types. The suit kept most of the light and heat away from V. The field around the dust harvest station kept him safe once he got closer to the star. It was a tiny star with no planets, just some debris and gases floating around it. There were a few bots scattered around the station but they held still trying to figure out the interference. As long as they kept the visit short, the interference would be written off as a flare or background radiation.

“Canisters attached.”

Filling. Harpie’s voice came over from the ship.

“That’s half the work done, V.”

“Yes, cap.”

“Stay hidden.”

V set out to explore the station. Alina and Amani always picked the target star. Their clients usually specified only the category of the dust needed. The quality of dust improved with the quality of the harvester so category three dust wasn’t the best. It would bring them some income but they had to go for a big job soon. The wedding did put a little dent in their funds.

All thoughts of finances flew out of V’s mind when he saw the spinning bot.

“Uhhh Harpie? There’s a bot going nuts over here.”

“Where are you? Why did you even go there?” Alina replied angrily.

“I specifically called for Harpie.”

Looking into it. There isn’t any bot around you, V.

“That’s not possible. I am looking at it.” There was silence on the other end. The bot stopped its bouncing and turned towards V slowly.

*** “And now it’s looking at me.” Dex’s heart stopped when he heard V’s words. This is was supposed to be a small scale mission. They weren’t supposed to get caught. He checked the ship again. It was still safely on the other side of the star, probably checking on the second harvester.

“You know the drill, V. Can you incapacitate it?”

“I…..am….tryi….” And the channel went dead.

“Fuck. Harpie! What happened?”

Something. Came the helpful reply. They all heard the tapping of Harpie working on their side.

“Dex, can you do anything?” Dex was already at his station trying to establish any sort of contact.

“His vitals are still recording, captain.” V’s suit was still transmitting even if the comms went down.

“Good.” Alina relaxed. “Nisha take us closer.” Nisha didn’t argue even though Dex knew it could jeopardise the entire crew to go any closer. Dex checked the ship. Still in its old position.

Can’t tell what’s wrong, captain. The comm should be working.

“The suit is moving.” Dex saw the change immediately.

The canisters are done and are moving too. Harpie informed sounding as confused as Dex felt.

They all watched the little dots moving erratically all over the field and stop right at the edge.

“Get us closer Nisha.”

“They might detect us if we get closer.”

“We don’t have a choice.”

“One of us could go out and check.” Nisha offered, getting out of her chair.

“Wait!” The dots on the edge of the field jerked violently.

“We don’t have time! We have to get closer.” Alina was out of her chair too.

“We can go close enough for a visual, at least?” Dex suggested. Alina nodded after a second. Nisha grudgingly approved.

SC moved but Dex felt like they weren’t moving at all. It was too slow. They would be too late. The dots were still moving zigzag all over the place but never crossed the edge of the field. Nisha guided them closer to the harvester field.

It’s a pattern, captain. He is writing something. Harpie announced suddenly.

“What does it say?” Dex was almost shouting.

L-I-F-T Harpie read off slowly.

Now that Dex was observing he could see the letters forming on the screen. They were a little messy but the message was clear. Nisha let SC shoot forward. Soon they had a visual on V who was zooming away holding onto both the canisters and something that looked like an overexcited dog on a leash. He was spinning it around to make it spell the letters.

“What the fuck?” Alina mirrored Dex’s thoughts.

The small spinning ensemble zoomed towards SC and a few moments later they heard a huge crash from the loading bay below.

“Go go go!” V shouted through the comms. Nisha and Dex didn’t need anymore directions. They sped SC to the maximum and were out of danger soon.

Disengaging interference. Harpie said.

“Patrol ship is not following us.”

Dig was the closest to the loading bay and got there first.

V is fine, captain but we have a problem.

“Dig, can you bring V up?”

Yes and I guess we have to bring his guest too.

“It’s not my guest.” V protested from behind and there were a few more crashes.

Finally, to Dex’s relief V and Dig emerged through the doors, holding something tight between them. Harpie followed them.

It’s the bot. Harpie laid a hand on the bot which shook them off violently.

“And it’s malfunctioning.”

“Disable it then.”

“What do you think I was trying to do?” V countered. “This thing won’t stay still. It knocked my helmet right off my head. Pretty sure it was trying to decapitate me.”

The bot hissed and spat.

“Is it alive?” Dex asked and Harpie snorted.

It’s just trying to raise an alarm but I don’t think it works.

“What do we do now? AMANI!” Without any of them noticing Amani had gone to her room and retrieved an axe.

“What? It’s gotta go. Now stand back!” V and Dig hurried to get out of the way without letting go of the bot. There was a loud thunk as the axe hit the bot. And then it began to screech.

Uhhh I think you fixed it, Amani. It was a really serious situation but Dex could hear the amusement in Harpie’s voice.

Among the screeching, there was a hauntingly familiar noise like a kettle just started boiling.

“Oh no…” Dex’s whisper was lost among the noise as Amani tried to hit the bot again. The whistling finally grew loud enough to drown out the bot. V and Dig let the bot fly in surprise. The bot was free for one second and then there was a crunch.

Jaws flexing, tail rippling, eyes blazing, Mel stood in front of them in all her glory. Dex wanted to bash his head into the wall. When she didn’t show up and no one commented on her absence Dex thought they finally got rid of her but apparently Mel was always there, lurking.

“Oh hey girl!” Nisha cooed and scratched Mel under her third jaw.

“Alright. That problem’s solved! Get us out of here, Dex.”

*** They dropped off the dust after saving some for themselves even though Harpie did not like the idea of using grade three dust for their new and improved engine. Alina and Amani were on the prowl looking for new clients. The rest relaxed. Dex was still stunned after receiving his share of the pay. He was never actually paid before. Cyborgs were not paid on earth and he was working to pay off his debt to Alina’s father but Alina didn’t care. She wanted every member to have their fair share. Dex hugged her to everyone’s surprise. He was still trying to wrap his head around owning something for the first time in his life when the long distance comms lighted up with a message.

It was from Alina’s father.

Come home. New job. Was all it read.

“Alina!”

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