Chapter Text
Jungwon’s alarm rung through the room. His pointed Velyx ears twitched in annoyance. He stretched out his tail to turn the alarm off.
Jay’s arm circled around his waist. “Babe stop moving.”
“It’s time to get up,” Jungwon said.
“Don’t wanna,” Jay mumbled.
“Too bad,” Jungwon sat on the side of the bed. He rubbed at his eyes.
Jay slid right behind him. His legs braced Jungwon’s on either side. He hugged Jungwon to his chest and mumbled into his shoulder, “Do we have to?”
“Yes,” Jungwon said.
Jay’s hand traced the blue markings on Jungwon’s chest. Jungwon shuddered.
“What if we don’t,” Jay whispered into Jungwon’s pointed ear. He then kissed Jungwon’s cheek, then the sensitive skin behind Jungwon’s ear.
Jungwon’s breath became labored. Jay’s nails scraped Jungwon’s ribs, then traced lower. Jay put pressure down on his hipbone.
“What do you have in mind?” Jungwon asked, breathless.
Jay smirked, “I have a few ideas,” He bit down on Jungwon’s neck. Jungwon gasped. One of his hands squeezed Jay’s thigh.
Jay’s hand drifted lower, until it teased at Jungwon’s waistband. Jungwon’s breath hitched. Jay traced at his happy trail, his hand trailed lower until it reached Jungwon’s member. Jay sucked on Jungwon’s neck as his hand grasped it firmly. Jungwon gasped. Jay chuckled.
Jay licked and bit as he pumped Jungwon’s member. Jungwon’s other hand went to the hair on the back of Jay’s scalp. His whines grew louder as Jay’s hand moved faster. The ministrations were overwhelming. Jungwon rocked into him, desperate for release. He felt Jay’s hardness press against him, turned on by the thought of his lover getting off.
Jungwon screamed as he released over Jay’s hand.
The come down. Jungwon breathed rapidly. He slumped against Jay’s chest, boneless. Jay held him in place with one arm around his waist. He kissed Jungwon’s neck to soothe him.
Jay was still hard. Jungwon felt him against his lower back.
Jungwon breathed, “Is this what you had in mind?”
Jay laughed, “Something like this,” he said against the wet skin of Jungwon’s neck. He pressed another kiss to him. Jungwon melted further. “We won’t reach Catheles for another week. Our ship duties can wait.”
Jungwon licked his lips. “They’re big boys. They can survive without us for one day.”
“Exactly,” Jay said. The hand around Jungwon’s member tugged at Jungwon’s waistband. Jungwon allowed Jay to pull the soiled underwear off him. Then he turned around in Jay’s hold.
He pushed Jay back down on the bed, his eyes dark with want. Jay leaned back on his elbows, looked up at Jungwon with smitten eyes. Jungwon’s sharp nails scraped over Jay through his underwear. Jay took a deep breath. His body tensed with anticipation.
Jungwon licked his lips. “Your turn,” he promised.
Sunoo carefully read the packages before he chose two. He opened the bigger one first then poured it into a bowl. Then, he opened two smaller ones and poured the powder into the same bowl. Finally, he placed the bowl into the rehydrator and started the machine.
Riki sat at the dining table. He held his head up with his hand, but his eyes were closed, his brows were furrowed. The poor boy wasn’t fully awake yet.
Jake happily ate a banana as he read over the engine manual. His dog ears twitched from atop his head.
“Don’t you have that memorized by this point?” Sunghoon asked. He drank a smoothie for breakfast.
“I’m seeing if there’s anything I missed. A pipe is making a ‘kachuggah’ sound. I can’t figure out if it’s a maintenance concern or if I dropped something in there.”
Heeseung took a sip of his coffee. “The SS Helium is running fine. I bet you dropped something.”
The rehydrator dinged. Sunoo pulled his yogurt and berries out and sat down next to Riki at the dining table.
Riki immediately leaned down to use Sunoo’s shoulder as a pillow.
“M’tired,” he whined.
Sunoo patted his head in sympathy.
“You don’t have to be awake,” Sunghoon said, “You just flew the ship for 8 hours. You can go to sleep and no one would mind.”
Riki opened his eyes to glare at Sunghoon. He then buried his face further in Sunoo’s shoulder.
“Leave him be,” Heeseung said with a laugh. “He got us through the hard part. We are now parallel to Bevelin's Comet, we won't get caught in the tail.”
“Shouldn’t you be in the cockpit?” Sunghoon asked.
Heeseung shrugged, “The ship will be fine on autopilot while I drink coffee.”
“Why don’t you drink your coffee there?” Sunoo asked.
“Sunoo, do you choose to live in the salon? I must spend some time away, so that I can fully appreciate her later,” Heeseung said.
Sunooo laughed.
Sunghoon tapped his hand on the table. The metal of his prosthetic fingers made a loud sound as they hit the table’s surface.
“Stop that,” Riki whined.
“Leave him alone, you know how he gets when we’re near this system,” Heeseung said.
Sunoo swallowed a spoonful yogurt. “What’s wrong with this system?”
“We picked Sunghoon up around here,” Jake answered.
“Really? Is this where you grew up?” Sunoo asked.
“We don’t know,” Jake said.
“He’s never said,” Heeseung agreed, “He looks Freesian doesn’t he? Come on, bro, be honest. Did you grow up on the frozen tundra of planet Frey?”
Sunghoon glared. Heeseung smiled.
“I joined your crew so I could leave this system. Jungwon promised I would never return,” Sunghoon said.
“And we’re not. We’re just taking a shortcut through here to get to Catheles,” Heeseung said.
Jake closed the manual. He leaned to speak to Sunoo. “You’re going to love it. We go every year. The capital city holds a huge festival to celebrate their Independence Day from their tyrannical Emperor’s rule. Artisans come from all over their planet AND a few nearby ones. We usually get hired for 3 to 4 deliveries. Then we stay for the festival.”
“It’s set in early summer, right before it gets hot and humid. The weather is perfect,” Heeseung said.
“Hee has a lady friend that he meets with every year,” Jake said.
“Oooh, is she a special friend?” Sunoo asked. He pushed away the empty bowl.
“She’s fun. We’re not exclusive. She has other men that she spends time with. She loves a man in uniform, so I have to pull out my ole’ dress blues for her,” Heeseung said.
“You can help him with his hair,” Jake said.
“I'll make you so handsome that she’ll join us on the ship,” Sunoo said.
Heeseung shook his head, no. “She hate’s flying. She’s a planet kind of girl. Also, my arrest warrant is still active so I’m probably not a good partner for anybody.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Sunoo said.
“He’s a heartbreaker anyway,” Sunghoon said.
“Our Sunghoon is pretty popular too,” Heeseung complimented.
“Yeah, but he’s a scaredy cat. Girls talk to him, but he doesn’t know how to talk back,” Jake teased.
“I’ve seen this man fumble with many a fair maiden,” Heeseung patted Sunghoon on the shoulder.
Sunghoon glared.
“That can’t be true. You’re too handsome. You could just look someone in the eye and they would profess their love for you,” Sunoo said.
Riki’s eyes opened.
“That’s the problem,” Jake laughed, “He can’t even make eye contact.”
“I am the least successful man on the ship. Even Riki is more popular,” Sunghoon said.
“Shut up,” Riki blushed.
“It’s true,” Heeseung agreed with Sunghoon.
“Okay, technically yes. But when girls approach Sunghoon, they’re ready to marry him. When people approach me, they just want a fun night. I don’t feel like a person. I’m more like a thing.”
“They don’t know what they’re missing,” Sunoo said to appease Riki.
Riki gave Sunoo a small smile.
“What about you, Sunoo?” Sunghoon asked, “You’re cute, you probably had a lot of admirers.”
The light left Sunoo’s eyes. “I was not allowed to have suitors, since I was a grown to order bride.”
Sunghoon’s face fell. Heeseung smacked him upside the head.
Jake’s ears drooped in sympathy. He asked, “No one ever liked you?”
Sunoo picked up his discarded spoon, “I had a few admirers, but nothing could be done. The clones would be sold and I had someone waiting for me. I also had stricter guidelines compared to everyone else. The clones were sterile so they could sleep around if they wanted to. There wasn’t a risk of procreation. The hybrids were separated by gender to prevent surprise pups. And then there was me.”
Silence.
Jake spoke gently when he broke it. “Did you like any of them?”
Sunoo smiled to himself. “What would it matter if I did? Nothing could become of it.”
He stood up to wash his dishes.
Riki stood in front of the door to Sunoo’s room. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. His right hand was buried deep in the pocket of his baggy pants, where he spun a jewelry box with his fingers.
The door opened on its own.
Sunoo's eyes changed from the glowing blue back to their hazel color. He said, “I could hear you pacing from here.”
Riki met his gaze through the opened door. Sunoo wasn’t smiling, but he didn’t tell Riki to go away.
Riki pushed the door the rest of the way open. “Can I join you?”
“Sure,” Sunoo said.
Sunoo looked at the screen of the tablet in his hands.
Riki lay down on the bed. He looked around the room. Sunoo had made the space his own. He had a mini fridge for skincare products, a soft beige comforter, and little trinkets on shelves from their adventures.
Sunoo asked, “Shouldn’t you be resting?”
“I couldn’t sleep. I need a new heat lamp,” Riki said.
“I don’t have one,” Sunoo said.
“Yeah, but you’re here. That means your room is warmer than mine,” Riki said.
Sunoo rolled his eyes, but Riki could see the start of a smile.
“I’m sorry about Sunghoon. Sometimes he speaks without thinking,” Riki said.
Sunoo sighed, “It’s fine. He didn’t know.”
“But still-”
Sunoo interrupted, “Riki, I don’t want anyone to be afraid to speak around me. Yeah, my upbringing was not great, but that doesn’t mean you all should interact with me as if I can break.”
Riki sulked. “Everyone can break. Except me, I’m invincible.”
Sunoo laughed lightly, “How could I forget? You and your lizard skin are invincible.”
Riki smiled. He felt warmth under his skin, just waiting to burst out.
“I am sad that I missed out on so much. These are probably making it worse.” Sunoo waved the tablet he held. The romance drama with the fake Psyon played on the screen. He continued, “They just remind me of everything I missed.”
“They are fake,” Riki said.
“I know, but it was inspired by something real... Something I’m just starting to experience,” Sunoo sighed. He turned the tablet off and placed it on his nightstand.
Riki picked at Sunoos comforter. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
Sunoo looked down. He stroked Riki’s hair. Riki leaned into the touch.
“It’s kind of nice. Even when its bad,” Sunoo said.
“What do you mean?” Riki asked.
Sunoo leaned back to lay down on his bed. He continued, “Well, like take the jerk from the bar last month, that was the first time anyone’s flirted with me like that.”
“Ever?” Riki asked.
Sunoo nodded, “Yeah. Being wanted out in the open was flattering.”
Riki sneered.
Sunoo laughed, “Don’t worry. I’ll be pickier in the future.”
“So not just anyone?” Riki asked. He sat upright and looked down at Sunoo.
“Nope, maybe just someone,” Sunoo said. He met Riki’s gaze, he did not look away.
Riki psyched himself up. He opened his mouth to speak when the ship shook. He almost crushed Sunoo but caught himself. He hovered over the smaller boy. Sunoo looked up at him. His hands gripped the fabric of Riki’s shirt. Before Riki could say anything, the alarms blared.
Heeseung had been sitting in the cockpit while monitoring Bevalin’s Comet. It was firmly out of range. But it was pretty.
Heeseung sipped at his cup of coffee.
He felt bad about Sunghoon’s question for Sunoo. He should call Sunghoon through the intercom when he’s sleeping, that will show him. Heeseung laughed to himself.
A flash caught caught Heeseung's attention. He turned to watch the glowing tail of the comet.
Heeseung leaned in. He saw a piece of debris fly off from the comet.
The piece of debris crashed into a nearby dwarf planet. The impact shattered the planet entirely. Shockwaves scattered from the collision. The impact shook the ship. Alarms blared.
Sunghoon and Jake arrived at the cockpit first, then Riki and Sunoo shortly after.
“What was that?” Jake asked.
“Riki, take the co-pilot,” Heeseung commanded.
Riki leapt in and grabbed controls.
Jay ran into the cockpit, shirtless but with pants. “What’s going on?”
“Impact on a dwarf planet, we’re caught in the trajectory,” Heeseung said. He pushed on buttons and gripped the gear shift. “The autopilot turned off.”
Jungwon appeared from behind Jay. He commanded, “Jake go to the engine room just in case.”
“Aye, captain,” Jake ran off.
“Jay! You and Sunoo go to the gunner’s station,” Jungwon commanded.
“I can’t shoot,” Sunoo said.
“Use your Psyon abilities to move whatever Jay can’t destroy,” Jungwon said, “Even the small ones do damage. Redirect anything you can.”
Sunoo nodded. He followed Jay out.
“I bet I could do more damage with my torpedo blaster,” Sunghoon said,
The ship shook from another shockwave of the impact event.
“Captain, there is a lot of debris coming this way,” Heeseung said.
Jungwon bit on his lower lip. “You’re putting on a suit and you are locking in, okay! You do not unlock yourself from the outside.”
“Aye captain,” Sunghoon said. He and Jungwon ran to the bay doors.
Heeseung righted the ship as much as he could while Riki watched the censors.
Jungwon helped Sunghoon zip up into his suit. They locked the helmet in place. Jungwon pointed a finger in his face. “Do not unlock yourself or I will kill you when we land!” Jungwon threatened.
Sunghoon saluted him. He replaced his daily arm with his big gauntlet. The hand on this one was massive, he could pick up Jungwon with it if he wanted.
Jungwon opened the door. He stayed inside the ship.
Sunghoon locked his boots into place on the outside of the ship. He could see the incoming debris. He kneeled, he made himself as small as possible to not be hit. He shifted the gauntlet into the torpedo blaster, the one he used for fighting large creatures, the one that he only had 4 projectiles for, and braced himself.
Riki looked at the censors. Heeseung tried to plot a way for them to hide behind a planet, but a moon was in their way. Riki caught the reading, a large piece of debris the size of a cruiser was aiming for them. Riki pressed on the intercom, “Jay 10 o clock!”
Jay directed the guns and fired.
Sunoo covered his ears, the sound was deafening.
The large piece of debris broke up into smaller pieces. Jay fired again and again, breaking them to even smaller pieces. One managed not to get shot and came directly for the ship.
Sunoo’s eyes turned blue. He used his telekinesis to push the piece away from the ship and in a direction where it would not collide with any other piece.
He closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. “That was heavy.”
Riki’s voice buzzed through the intercom, “Jay, more incoming at 2.”
Jay rotated the gun and fired again.
One was hit by a large torpedo and dissolved into ash.
“Thanks, Sunghoon!” Jay said into the intercom.
Jake poured water directly onto the engine. It was overheating from the exertion. He jumped back to avoid the steam.
“Jake, can you direct all of the power to the back engines?” Heeseung buzzed over the intercom.
“I’ve never done that before!” Jake buzzed back.
“Can you do it?” Heeseung asked.
“In theory,” Jake responded.
“Start doing it, I’ll tell you when we’re going!” Heeseung said.
“Heeseung!” Riki shouted.
Heeseung saw the oncoming debris. Heeseung hard pivoted the Helium to the left to avoid it.
Sunoo hit the side of the wall.
Jay buzzed in the intercom, “A warning would be nice.”
Sunoo redirected another large piece of debris. His eyes changed from their glowing to their original hazel color. Blood began to drip from his nose.
“You’re doing great, Sunoo” Jay said. He shot at another incoming piece of debris.
“Thanks,” Sunoo said. His breathing was becoming labored.
Jake buzzed through, “I’m ready!”
Another large piece of debris dissolved into ash.
“That was my last one,” Sunghoon buzzed through the intercoms.
“Get back inside, now!” Jungwon commanded.
A piece of debris the size of their ship flew toward the Helium. Jay fired, but his bullets would only break off parts of it.
“That thing must be dense,” Jay said in a panic.
Sunoo looked past the rock, where he saw empty space, away from the collision and away from the ship. Sunoo wiped at his bloody nose. He took a deep breath to center himself. His eyes glowed blue. He pushed with all of his strength. With a final shove from Sunoo the rock fully changed courses.
Jay frowned. The large piece of debris floated away from the ship.
“Holy shit, that was awesome!” Jay spun toward Sunoo, only to catch him as he fell.
Jay pulled Sunoo onto his lap. Blood poured down Sunoo’s nose and he had tear tracks of blood.
“Oh no,” Jay said.
“Heeseung! Sunghoon is inside the ship,” Jungwon buzzed through the intercoms.
“Good! Jake, redirect all power to the back engines!” Heeseung said.
Jake turned the dials all the way. He pressed on the intercoms, “We're good to go!”
Heeseung announced over the intercoms, “Brace yourselves! 3! 2! 1!”
Heeseung shoved the gears all the way forward. The ship took off as fast as it could.
Heeseung regulated the speed when they were safely covered by a large planet. He and Riki breathed rapidly. They exchanged looks. They burst into laughter, both high off adrenaline.
“That was awesome!” Riki said. Riki held out a fist across the center console.
Heeseung fist bumped him. “It’s great that we survived.”
Jungwon buzzed through the intercom. “This is the captain! Sound off! How is everyone? Sunghoon and I are alright.”
Riki pressed on the intercom, “Heeseung and Riki reporting in. All good here.”
“Jake in the engine room! I have so many bruises,” Jake buzzed through.
Riki and Heeseung laughed.
They waited.
They exchanged looks.
Jungwon buzzed through, “Jay? Sunoo? Do you copy?”
No response.
“Jay!” Jungwon buzzed again, his desperation came through.
More silence.
Finally, a response.
“This is Jay in sick bay. How soon can we land?” Jay buzzed through.
“Are you hurt?” Jungwon asked.
“No,” Jay said.
Riki got up from his seat and ran to sick bay.
Jungwon met him outside of the door.
Jay tapped at the keyboard of the scanner. The screen blinked in bright red text, over and over. The text said: URGENT MEDICAL CARE NEEDED.
Jungwon leaned over Sunoo. He pressed two fingers on Sunoo's wrist. “His pulse is weak.”
Riki ran to the intercom, “Heeseung! Land on the nearest inhabited planet.”
“It will have to be Azure,” Heeseung said.
“No!” Sunghoon came through the intercoms. “Pick a different planet.”
“Sunghoon, it has to be Azure, Baemin, or Frey. Which do you want?” Heeseung said.
After too long of a moment, Sunghoon’s voice came through, “Baemin is the warmest.”
“Copy. We’ll be landing on Baemin in 1 hour,” Heeseung said.
Jungwon turned to Sunoo. “Can we at least try a medi-pack? It won’t fix him, but it may help.”
“I’ll load the pod,” Jay said.
“What happened?” Riki asked.
“He overexerted himself when he helped with the debris. He redirected that last piece away from us.”
Jungwon shuddered. “That was as big as our ship.”
“It may have been bigger. Our guns barely damaged it,” Jay said.
Jay loaded a medi-pack. Jungwon cleaned Sunoo's face with a towel, then stepped away. Riki closed the door on the pod.
The med pod did what it could, but medi-packs were meant for light fixes like bruises or asthma attacks, they were not meant for extensive body trauma.
Sunoo’s pulse was still weak, but it was stronger than before.
Heeseung’s voice went through the intercoms, “Sunghoon, get to the cockpit. Now.”
Sunghoon dropped his full weight on the copilot’s chair. His face was devoid of all emotion as he turned to Heeseung.
Heeseung returned his look with a hard gaze. Heeseung spoke, “In flight school we were given a catalog of inhabited planets to memorize. Baemin was listed as a last resort planet, even Azure ranked above it.”
Sunghoon did not respond.
“Is there a hospital?” Heeseung asked.
“Yes,” Sunghoon answered.
“There are no maps anywhere for the surface of Baemin. Find a location for me to land,” Heeseung said.
He pulled up the planet’s metrics for Sunghoon. Sunghoon wordlessly rotated the visuals. He settled for a quadrant on the Western and Southern hemisphere.
“Aim for this,” he said, “I don’t know how to read maps, but I can direct you once we pass through the atmosphere.”
Heeseung nodded.
“How’s our patient?” Jungwon asked.
“His pulse is weak. I can’t wake him up,” Jay answered honestly.
Jungwon could see the slow rise of Sunoo’s chest, his face twisted in frustration. The med pod was closed over him. The screen was constantly updating his metrics. Jay had to mute the alarm for medical care.
“Where’s Riki?” Jungwon asked.
“I sent him to the workout room to burn energy. He was stressing me out,” Jay said.
From his spot in med bay, Jungwon could feel when they passed through the atmosphere. It was as if the Helium passed through a thick wall, or was swimming through pudding.
“Has it ever felt like that?” Jungwon asked.
“No,” Jay answered.
Jungwon went to the cockpit. Outside the windows, he could see the black clouds that they drove through.
“Is there a storm?” Jungwon asked.
Heeseung looked at the screen for the atmospheric analysis. He answered, “No signs of abnormal weather. The atmospheric make up is unusual, but not concerning. We should be able to walk on the surface without oxygen tanks.”
Sunghoon leaned back in his chair.
Jungwon tensed.
Heeseung spoke, “I can’t find the port.”
He reached to the center console to attune to a local communicator channel.
Sunghoon grabbed his wrist to stop him. “Baemin does not have a dock. We’re going to land in the wasteland outside of town and walk into the city. This ship can never be unattended.”
Jungwon and Heeseung exchanged concerned looks.
The SS Helium landed on a clearing a mile out from the city.
As soon as the door to the cargo bay opened, Jake gagged, “What is that?”
“An active volcano on the other side of the planet,” Sunghoon answered.
Jungwon pinched his nostrils, “It smells like rotten eggs.”
“That’s sulfur. You get used to it,” Sunghoon said.
Jay looked up at the sky. The sun was not visible. It was blocked by a thick smog of black clouds.
Sunghoon spoke again, “You should take Riki’s bike and get Sunoo to the hospital. We’ll meet you there.”
“How will I find it?” Jay asked.
“Building with a big red cross. Hard to miss,” Sunghoon explained.
Jay got on the bike first, then Riki carefully placed Sunoo between Jay and the handlebars. Riki advised, “Hold him tight. Drive slowly.”
Jay agreed. He took off.
Jungwon commanded Jake, “Run a full diagnostic on the ship. We are not leaving until we know she can handle the journey to Catheles.”
Jake back pedaled far enough so that he had a full view of the ship. “Just from looks alone, I can’t advise it. The debris left some big holes on the frame.”
Jungwon got to Jake’s level, so he could see what the dog hybrid saw.
One of the wings was clipped, metal panels were peeled back, and there were dents and holes over the ship’s body. Jungwon’s tail dropped to the ground.
“See that panel that has a lifted corner,” Jake pointed near the cockpit, “If some space debris hits at the right velocity, the whole thing will peel off.”
“Okay,” Jungwon took a deep breath, “We’ll buy enough scrap metal from a junkyard or a mechanic to cover the holes.”
Sunghoon said, “They don’t take galactic credits on Baemin.”
“Right… that’s… that’s not good,” Jungwon said. He ran his fingers through his hair. It stuck out in every direction. “Give me a minute.” He walked into the wasteland.
“Is there any dangerous wildlife out there?” Heeseung asked.
Sunghoon snorted, “Creatures are smart enough to choose not to live in that.” Sunghoon gestured at the whole wasteland. It was dry and cracked. The overcast sky did not let sunlight through.
Jungwon screamed into the void.
He returned. “Okay. Here’s what we willl do. You two,” Jungwon pointed at Sunghoon and Riki, “Go in to town and find us a junkyard or impound station or just whatever. Heeseung, go see if anyone needs a pilot so we can earn whatever the local currency is. I will stay here to help Jake fix what we can on the ship.”
The receptionist had rushed Jay into one of the rooms. She quickly hooked Sunoo up to a monitor. It sprung to life. Whatever the nurse saw had her scrambling into the hallway, “Doctor to room 4. Now!”
A four-legged doctor ran in. He looked over the monitor, then put on a pair of gloves. He asked, “What’s his blood type?”
“I don’t know,” Jay answered, “He’s new to our crew.”
“We’ll have to use artificial blood. We don’t have time for testing,” the doctor motioned for the nurse as he spoke, “It won’t be as effective but he needs it now.”
The nurse brought over a line and a bag of artificial blood. The doctor placed a needle in Sunoo’s arm. The blood moved down the tube into his system.
“The vitals read as trauma, but I don’t see any physical evidence of it,” the doctor tapped on the screen of the monitor. “What happened to him?”
Jay took a deep breath, “We were flying past this system when a piece of Bevelin’s comet broke off. It hit a dwarf planet near us and the force shook our ship. It was also heavily damaged.”
“This force really did a number on him,” the doctor said. He read over the scanners.
“He hasn’t been flying for long,” Jay offered as explanation.
“We will do what we can. How will you pay?” the doctor asked.
“I have credits,” Jay said.
“We don’t take credits here,” the doctor said.
Jay suspected this was a possibility. He handed the doctor one of the pearls they received on Aubach. He asked, “Will this suffice?”
The doctor rolled the pearl in his hand. His eyes sparkled, “This works, for now. We will discuss it more once we know the details of his condition.”
“Thank you,” Jay said.
The nurse advised, “He may need an oxygen tank.”
“Please prepare one, just in case,” the doctor agreed.
Jay sat down on the chair next to Sunoo’s bed. He knew Sunoo could never be left alone, and that no one can know Sunoo’s race.
Heeseung borrowed Riki’s bike from Jay. He had found a delivery job for a nearby storefront.
Riki and Sunghoon waited outside of the hospital. Riki paced back and forth while Sunghoon read a nearby bulletin board. He did not see any listings for a scrapyard.
“Your pacing isn’t going to help,” Sunghoon said.
Riki growled.
“Come on, let’s see if we can find a map,” Sunghoon said.
Sunghoon walked around town wearing large, oversized sunglasses and a facemask. He offered an explanation, “The atmosphere is bad here.”
“Weak,” Riki teased.
They only saw the occasional vehicle. It was evident that the main means of transportation was walking. Most buildings had shattered windows or cracked exteriors.
Riki felt a knife pressed to his back. It was enough pressure to touch, but not enough to breach skin. Riki hardened the skin of his lower back, then held his arms up.
“Give me your wallet,” his perpetrator demanded.
Riki scoffed, “You’re dumb as shit.”
The perpetrator stabbed Riki’s lower back. The blade broke on Riki’s hardened scale skin.
The perpetrator tried to run away. Sunghoon grabbed him in a chokehold. “We need a way to repair our ship. Where’s a shipyard?”
“I don’t know,” the man trembled in Sunghoon’s arms.
Riki got in his face, he smiled to reveal his sharp Keplian teeth. The guy screamed.
“Pity,” Sunghoon scoffed. He released the man and pushed him. The man took off running to a nearby alley.
“Coward,” Riki said.
“A broke coward,” Sunghoon said. He rifled through the wallet he had removed from the man. “There’s a calling card with an address.”
“Do you think that’s where he lives?” Riki asked.
Sunghoon looked at the emblem on the card. A skull, with a snake wrapped around it. “Let’s check it out.”
Jay flipped through a residential book the nurse had given him. She did warn him that it was two years out of date. That was enough to make it essentially useless. Jay sighed.
Sunoo quickly sat upright. He tried to rip off the oxygen mask.
Jay placed a hand on each shoulder to lay him down. He spoke in a gentle tone, “Sunoo, calm down. You’re safe.”
Sunoo breathed rapidly. He blinked up at Jay. “The Helium?”
“You did great. You saved us,” Jay told Sunoo.
Sunoo smiled, briefly, the pain overtook him a moment later. The monitors beeped loudly. A nurse and the doctor ran into the room. The doctor gave Sunoo a shot of something in the arm. The monitors stopped beeping. The nurse sighed in relief.
“How is he doc?” Jay asked.
“His vital signs are erratic. We’ll run tests now that he’s awake,” the doctor said, “After we finish, I’ll give you something for the pain. I know it hurts but we have to do this while you’re conscious. Do you understand?”
Sunoo nodded. Jay stroked his hand. Sunoo grabbed it and squeezed. Jay bit down on his lip to stop from crying out in pain. Sunoo was stronger than he looked.
Heeseung knocked on the door of the merchant’s shop. “Here’s the signed delivery slip.”
The shop owner took it. His long green ear twitched. His moustache drooped down to his chest.
“Sorry for the delay, the client made a call in the middle,” Heeseung said.
“He called me,” the shopkeeper said, “It was your first delivery, I was not sure if you could be trusted.”
Heeseung was affronted but understood. He asked, “How did I do on your little test?”
“You passed. I have five more deliveries for you. You’ll want to leave right now to finish today.”
“Is that your cruiser in front of the shop?” Heeseung pointed at the parked vehicle outside the storefront, “If I drove that I could take more deliveries at once.”
“The cruiser is broken. If it was fixed, I wouldn’t need your services because my son would be doing the deliveries,” the merchant said.
“Is there a mechanic in town?” Heeseung asked.
“There is. I refuse to hire him. He hasn’t paid his tab in five years. He thinks that he can get favors just because he is the only mechanic in town, Well, I can’t stand it anymore!” the shopkeeper shouted. His skin shifted from green to a dark blue in rage.
Heeseung stepped back in alarm.
The shopkeeper noticed. He took a deep breath, his skin returned to its regular green shade. “Unfortunately, I have no one to repair my vehicle.”
Heeseung nodded. Then spoke, “So, five more deliveries?”
Sunghoon and Riki walked to the address on the card. They had to cross a bridge over a river of toxic yellow water. Riki kicked a metal can off the bridge. It disintegrated in the river. Riki sprinted away.
The address was for a large industrial warehouse on the South side of town. A banner with the skull and snake logo in the card hung from the rooftop. Sunghoon stopped at the entrance.
“Is this the right place?” Riki asked.
“It is, but it isn’t,” Sunghoon said.
“What does that mean?” Riki asked. He pushed open the heavy door.
“Did Braggs rebrand?” Sunghoon asked the woman at the front desk.
Her antennae curled in front of her. She snickered, “You’re running with old information. Braggs lost the place in a bet last year. Cicero runs this dump now.”
Riki looked at the wide room. The place was empty except for a large, caged fighting ring in the middle. A hunched employee swept up yesterday’s trash.
“He kept the girls. It didn’t seem fair to cut them loose. Do you have a preference? It’s early but she might be awake,” the women explained.
“Girls?” Riki frowned.
Sunghoon pushed him back. “No thank you.”
A tall, lanky man in a gaudy red suit entered from a closed office, “We’ve added some new ones since acquiring the place. Maybe there is one to your liking.”
Sunghoon declined, “We’re leaving, now.”
The man crossed from behind the desk. His eyes passed over Sunghoon and looked at Riki. He reached for his face. Riki snapped, he bore his sharp teeth.
The man smiled. “Fine, no ladies. But can I interest you in working tonight?”
Sunghoon said, “Not a chance.”
At the same time, Riki asked, “What kind of job?”
“Your friend said you’re not interested,” the man tsked.
“We need access to a junkyard to repair our ship,” Riki said.
“You must be the little outlanders. I can introduce you to the right people if you impress me,” the man said.
“What’s the job?” Riki asked.
The man smiled.
“You’re a terrible assistant,” Jake pouted.
“You never complained before,” Jungwon said.
“That was before I had Sunoo. I know better now,” Jake said.
Jungwon rolled his eyes. He held the metal plate in place so that Jake could weld it to the ship’s main body.
“This will work as a temporary fix. After Catheles we should go to Machtzen and have new pieces forged,” Jake said.
The silver piece contrasted with the red exterior of the Helium. She was never pretty, but now one might call her hideous. She still had heavy damage on the outside.
“At what point does she stop being the Helium? We’ve turned her into the ship of Theseus,” Jungwon said.
“What’s that?” Jake asked.
“Nothing,” Jungwon said, “Let’s take care of the next hole.”
At that moment, Heeseung arrived with Riki’s hover bike, and a cruiser chained to the back. The back of the cruiser dragged on the surface of the wasteland.
Heeseung stepped off Riki’s bike. He removed the helmet and shook out his bright red hair. “I found us a way to make money,” Heeseung said, “Jake, can you get this up and running?”
Jake gave Heeseung a thumbs up. His dog tail wagged in excitement.
“This is a bad idea,” Sunghoon muttered under his breath.
Riki jumped in place. He jabbed his fists for a warmup.
A crowd was starting to gather around the caged fighting ring. They were shouting obscenities.
Sunghoon heard someone speak behind him. “Cicero must be desperate to throw a kid in the ring.”
Riki growled in their direction. He flashed his sharp teeth. The audience gasped in awe. Sunghoon heard a few spectators place bets on Riki. He heard another wager their vehicle on the opposing fighter.
A small mousy man in oversized glasses stood on the speakers. He spoke into a microphone, his deep baritone voice boomed through the warehouse, “Attention everyone! Last call for bets!”
A yellow skinned fighter with an oblong head walked up to the other side of the ring.
Sunghoon beckoned Riki to him. Riki leaned down.
“Don’t hit him on the head,” Sunghoon said.
“Why not?” Riki asked.
“He’s Belgwar. Their skulls are so dense that they can shatter a human hand.”
“I’m not human.”
“Not worth the risk. Aim for the lower spine, that’s their weak spot.”
The Belgwar wore a thick band around his torso.
The announcer’s voice reverberated through the warehouse, “In this corner we have Tharg, the crusher!”
The audience cheered. The Belgwar lifted his arms to encourage the crowds.
“And in this corner, please give a loud welcome to a first-time fighter. NI-KI!”
The crowd booed. This seemed to delight Riki. He smiled at the crowd and showed off his muscular arms. Sunghoon rolled his eyes at the theatrics.
“Who’s NI-KI?” Sunghoon asked.
Riki cracked his knuckles. “Every fighter has a stage name.”
The anouncer held up his a tiny fist. “Let’s get ready to rumble!”
The audience’s screams were deafening. Sunghoon placed his hands over his ears.
The Belgwar made the first move. He ran up to Riki and swung a punch. Riki ducked out of the way. He threw a punch of his own, but his opponent dodged. Riki followed up with a second punch that connected with the Belgwar’s jaw. To Riki’s surprise, the Belgwar was unaffected.
Riki ran to the other end of the ring, his back hit the wall of the cage. The Belgwar charged at Riki. Riki sidestepped him. His opponent pivoted and put Riki in a grapple. The guy had his arms around Riki’s waist. Riki grabbed him by the shoulders, his other hand gripped the band around the Belgwar's waist.
Riki’s felt a sharp pain in his torso. The Belgwar had embedded a thick knife into his flesh. Riki hadn’t thought to harden his skin. This was made of stronger metal than the mugger’s knife.
“Is that the kind of game you play?” Riki asked.
The Belgwar smirked, “There are no rules in the ring.”
Riki smirked. He opened his mouth and bit down on the Belgwar’s shoulder. The Belgwar screamed.
He ran back when Riki let go. Riki ripped the band that had been around the Belgwar’s waist and threw it aside. The Belgwar tried to lunge. Riki side stepped his opponent, then he punched the Belgwar at the lower base of his spine. The Belgwar collapsed on the floor.
A referee jumped into the ring. He checked for a pulse. “The Crusher is out. The Keplian wins.”
Riki held up his arms up in triumph. Blood covered the lower half of his face and dripped onto his shirt.
The crowd chanted NI-KI over and over again. Riki pumped his fists to their chants.
Heeseung was draped across the loveseat in the cargo bay. He played a game on his portable console.
The merchant’s cruiser rumbled to life, before puttering out. A cloud of smoke blew from the exhaust pipe.
“How does she look doc?” Heeseung asked.
“Bad,” Jake said. Jake lifted his goggles from his eyes and pushed them back into his hair and ears. The part where the goggles covered were the only clean part of his face, the rest had a thin layer of ash. “She needs a new battery.”
Jungwon hung from the upper rafters of the cargo bay. His tail waved idly. “Do we have any left over from when we robbed the passenger ship?”
“We sold it all on Del Mar,” Jake said.
Jungwon sighed, “Next time we save some parts for us.”
“What can you do?” Heeseung asked.
“Tell him to buy one?” Jake said with a shrug of his shoulders.
A loud honk could be heard outside the ship. The three went to investigate.
A brand-new hover bike and a cobalt blue cruiser pulled up to the Helium. Riki dismounted from the hover bike, “I come bearing gifts.” Riki held out his arms in triumph.
“Why are you covered in blood?” Jungwon asked.
“Relax, only some of it is mine,” Riki said.
Jungwon rubbed at his temples in exhaustion.
Jake opened the hood of the new cruiser. “This one should work,” he said.
“Perfect! We’ll put in the merchant’s cruiser,” Heeseung said.
“What if I wanted to keep that?” Riki asked.
“What if we want to leave this planet?” Heeseung fired back.
“Disassemble it. Sell it for parts. We don’t care,” Sunghoon said as he got out of the driver’s side of the cruiser.
“I care a little,” Riki sulked.
“I cannot believe you two,” Jungwon groaned, “How did you get these?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Riki said. He handed Jungwon a bag of coins, “Here you go.”
The bag was heavy in Jungwon's hands. He narrowed his eyes at Riki.
“Sunghoon, kill the engine and come help me,” Jake said.
“Yes sir,” Sunghoon agreed.
Jay heard a commotion in the hallway.
“Sir, you can’t come in here,” a nurse said in panic
“I’m here to see Sunoo.”
“There is no one here by that name!”
Jay stepped outside. A nurse blocked Riki from entering the hallway. Jay called out, “Riki!”
Riki looked over the nurse’s shoulder. The nurse seemed surprised by the greeting.
“He’s with us,” Jay said. He beckoned Riki to follow him. Riki glared at the nurse. The nurse shivered.
“He woke up earlier. He was coherent but in pain.” Jay said.
Sunoo slept. The only sound in the room was the steady beep of the monitor. Riki’s eyebrows furrowed in concern.
Jay clapped Riki on the shoulder. “Take good care of him.”
“Jay!”
Jay turned to Riki.
Riki tossed a keychain to Jay, “That new hover bike outside is mine. Take it back to the Helium.”
Jay caught the key. He twisted it in his hands. He said, “We’ll talk later.” Then he left.
Riki sat down next to Sunoo. His skin was ghostly pale, and there was sweat on his forehead. There were two needles in his arm, one to give blood and another for an IV drip. Riki used a towel to wipe the sweat off Sunoo’s forehead.
Sunoo gasped.
“Stay calm, it’s just me,” Riki said.
“Riki?” Sunoo said.
“Yeah, Riki.”
“S’everyone okay?”
“Of course we are. You saved us,” Riki said.
Sunoo tried to smile, he quickly grimaced. “It hurts.”
Riki called for a nurse.
An older Tuskan nurse entered. Her thick horns curved around her skull. Riki continued to wipe the sweat from Sunoo’s brow. The nurse brought a painkiller for Sunoo. She and Riki helped him sit up so that he could swallow it. And then gently lay him back down. He was asleep within minutes.
“Lift up your shirt,” the nurse commanded.
Riki frowned, “I don’t have any weapons ma’am.”
“Don’t be silly young man. News travels fast here," she crossed her arms as she spoke, "I know a Keplian was stabbed by a knife in the fighting ring. Torque moved away years ago. Now lift up your shirt and let me see it.”
Riki took off his shirt. The nurse removed Sunghoon’s wrap. She examined the wound.
“We can’t stitch you. Your skin breaks our needles,” she said. She rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a cream. “But I can clean you up.”
Riki allowed her to massage the cream into his wound. He hissed in pain.
“It’s healing nicely. You should be fine by tomorrow,” the nurse reassured him.
“Thank you,” Riki said.
She placed a new wrap over the wound. When she finished, Riki put his shirt on and sat down next to Sunoo.
The nurse checked the levels on Sunoo’s monitor. She asked, “Do you work together?”
“Yes. He’s new to our crew,” Riki said.
“You may want to encourage him to a new profession. He may not have the build for it,” the nurse said.
Riki’s face fell. “I don’t want him to leave. The ship is livelier since he joined us.”
The nurse paused. She took notes on Sunoo’s chart.
Riki stroked Sunoo’s hand. There was movement under his touch. Sunoo blinked awake. He caught Riki’s gaze. Riki froze.
Sunoo turned to face Riki, interlocked their hands, and fell asleep again.
The nurse tsked, “You’re an odd bunch.”
Riki ignored her. He stroked Sunoo’s hair with his free hand. He stayed with Sunoo all night.