Star Dust (closed for DarkEmpress)

[kircanos]

Kircanos leaned back in his chair, he looked down at the brown boots with silver buckles that rested on the ships console. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly feeling the perspiration starting to cool on his skin. They exit off of RA237 had been a particular rushed and dangerous one. They planet had been going through some civil unrest and differing factions were trying to control the ore export. They had rushed to get the ore loaded and secured and getting off of the landing pad had been fun as a group of rebels started to take shots at them. Luckily they only had small arms and couldn't really do any damage to the space freighter. He ran his hand down the side of his chair feeling the cool metal against his finger tips. She wasn't the biggest or fastest ship but she had been through alot and he knew what he could get out of her.



He leaned back and closed his eyes for a few seconds before a familiar beep filled the cabin. The computer had finished plotting their jump path and was ready to engage. He leaned forwarded and pressed a red button for the ships intercom system "Hold on, starting the jump sequence" he said. He straightened up and entered the commands for the computer to take them into hyperspace. The ship lurched and then everything became very still, he took a deep breath of the coppery tasting recycled air. His dark brown eyes focused on the forward view screen as the star field flew past him.



His ship the Star Fire was comprised of a small crew Ajax was his copilot, Karena was the mechanic and Gareth was the everything else guy, he did some cooking, if you could call hydrating the prepackaged meals cooking.



Kircanos eyes flicked back to a blue screen that gave him some readouts of the ships progress. They were on schedule to make their delivery and all of the other readouts look good. "Hmmm" Kircanos let out a low sigh, their oxygen reading seemed to be a little lower than expected. Keying up the com system again "Gareth, did you fill the O2 tanks full" he asked and listened to the static as he waited for the reply.



"Yes" came a somewhat snippy reply "I'm not sure how good their gear was down there are compressing it but they were full by the time we left".



"Well, it looks like we might have a scrubber on the fritz" Kircanos said “Karena, can you check on that and see which one isn't functioning at full capacity” he said as he let go of the mic and sat back in his chair. He shook his head, every flight was an adventure in itself.

[DarkEmpress]

Aria was huddled behind a bunch of crates desperately looking for a way out. She was willing to do anything ... go anywhere, as long as it was away from this godforsaken planet. Her violet blue eyes looked gaunt in her pale face and her raven black hair was a dishevelled mess around her shoulders. She was half starved and in desperate need of some sleep.

Everything and everyone that she once loved in this world had been systematically ripped from her life over the past two years ... she was utterly alone in this world. Three nights ago the rebels started sweeping her neighbourhood trying to capture any remaining members of the resistance. She was hiding in her parents’ house, the place she had grown up in ... there were so many beautiful memories haunting the empty rooms. When she heard the approaching rebels, she took what she needed and hastily shoved it in a backpack. For a moment she let her eyes wander across the house, tears glistening in her eyes. “Goodbye,” she whispered brokenly to the ghosts that haunted her nightmares.

She ran ... she ran for as long and as far as her legs could carry her.

She could hear the rebels making their way onto the launch pad where she was huddled ... her heart started racing. She saw a ship that was about to take off, and seeing no-one standing around, Aria made a run for it and thankfully managed to hurtle herself into the cargo hole before the doors hissed shut behind her.

For a moment she just sat there staring at the massive door, before she turned around and surveyed her surroundings. The chamber had gone dark, the only light coming from yellow emergency lights that were flashing from the ceiling. It looked like massive crates of ore that had been covered in ground mats and securely strapped to the hull of the ship.

She finally caught her breath and wearily made it to her feet as she stumbled around, familiarising herself with her surroundings. She found a crate that stood ajar, and from the mats and ropes that were in it she assumed it was a storage crate for equipment.

"Hold on, starting the jump sequence" a voice said over the intercom system. Aria frantically jumped into the crate, covering herself with one of the mats and held on for dear life. The ship shook and groaned violently and then smoothed out. She sighed with relief.

She needed sleep ... her body was aching and tired. She stared at the yellow lights for the longest moment as her eyes slowly drifted shut.

[kircanos]

Kircanos huffed as he looked down at the diagnostics on his screen, he heard the radio crackle and then a female voice “Captain can you come down to the cargo hold, Im going to need some help with the scrubber”. Kircanos leaned forward and pressed the mic button “Yeah I'm on my way” he said and then stood up. He ran a hand through his dark hair and wiped his hands off on his blue trousers before heading to the door. He pressed the button on the door, it slide open with a squeak. He walked out into the cold gray hallway, there wasn't only the metal of the hull insulating them from the vacuum of space and it didn't do much to help out with the temperature.

He sighed as he made his way down one of the access tubes to the cargo hold, the ship wasn't that old but they seemed to have more than their share of problems on it. They were always having to make repairs during space jumps. He shrugged his shoulders trying to get his jacket a little closer to his neck as he tried to keep out some of the cold. His boots clicked on the rungs of the ladder as he made his way down.

Stepping down on to the floor of the cargo hold he looked around at the expansive area, the dim yellow lights bathed the area in shadows. He saw Karena balanced on a ladder holding a light in her mouth and an torque spanner in her hand as the other one was reaching into the scrubber for something. He quickly made his way over to where she was “So what did you find” he asked as he looked up at her.

She looked back down at him “Looks like these condenser coils are starting to go bad” she said as she looked back down at him,

“Condenser coils” he asked as he looked up puzzled at her “that wouldn't account for the lack of oxegen output would it”.

She shook her head “No, but if thats going bad something else might be as well” she said as she spoke around the flashlight in her mouth.

Kircanos nodded his head “Yeah you think you can rip that out and rebuild it” he asked.

Karena shook her head “No, were better off leaving it online even it its not functioning at 100%. Once we dock up I can tear it apart then and see whats going on”

Kircanos nodded, It didn't seem wise to take a scrubber off line, this was going to be one of their longer jumps so they didn't need to risk the O2 levels getting two low. He let out a low sigh as he started to walk back to the ladder. Looking around at the cargo they had stowed he noticed one of the crates wasn't sealed properly.

“Damnit” he swore under his breath as he walked over to the crate, he pulled the cover down so he he readjust it. He was shocked to see a figure curled up in the middle of the crate “Hey, what the hell are you doing in there” he asked angrily.

[DarkEmpress]

Aria was in a restless sleep, her demons haunting her once again. She could see the faces of the people she loved hiding in a maze of mirrors. Every time she found one it would shift to another location, until she was frantically running around trying to find them.

Aria heard an angry voice echoing somewhere in the distance of her dream. Her eyes shot open, her breathing coming fast as she looked around her wildly, disorientated for a moment. Reality sank in as her eyes focused on a man towering over her with a shocked expression on his face.

Aria’s eyes widened as her heart started racing again. I’ve been found, she thought fearfully as she slowly sat up in the crate holding on to the sides of it, poised to jump in case she needed to. She kept her eyes riveted on him as she half moved away from him until she pressed her back to the side of the crate.

He had spoken a language she doesn’t understand. Trying to explain what exactly she was doing there would be futile … not that it would help any either. Aria slowly got up onto her haunches and lifted herself off the crate, her feet softly touching the floor on the other side. Her violet, blue eyes watching him intently. She had a little pocket knife tucked away in her sock, and she was prepared to use it if she had to.

She half lifted her one hand and held it in the air as if she was trying to gesture to him that she meant no harm. She nervously looked around her as her eyes suddenly locked on the female that was standing to her right. Aria gasped as her body went rigid with fright, she wasn’t aware that there was another person.

She took a few steps back as she tried to move away from the female. Her back touched a cold metal surface behind her and Aria shuddered, realising for the first time that it was freezing in here.

Aria stood dead-still, looking from one face to the next … anxiously.

[kircanos]

Kicanos was taken back by the figure that crawled out of the crate, she was thin and looked a little on the unhealthy side. Her violet blue eyes showed fright and anxiety as she moved from between him and Karena who had come around to the side. He let out a soft breath that he had been holding in when he saw Karena near enough to help him out if there was trouble. He saw her gesture indicating that she wasn't threating him. She wasn't the same race that he was, she was one of the inhabitants of RA237, her dark hair was matted around her shoulders and moved a little as she continued to shift her gaze between him and Karena.

Kircanos mind bounced a around, she must have snuck on just before they took off, he couldn't blame her with the crap that was going on down there. “How did you get on here” he asked as he relaxed his shoulders taking on a less aggressive stance. He waited for her to responded, and watched as she cocked her head, she obviously didn't understand what he was saying.

His gaze shifted to Karena “Go and get a translator” he said as he took a step back from the intruder. He watched as Karna frowned, he knew she didn't want to leave him alone here with her. He nodded softly and smiled softly, he knew he could take care of himself if things got messy. Her boots clicked on the metal grating of the ship as she walked to the access tube.

Kircanos kept his eyes trained on the intruder as he leaned against one of the crates, he was the goose bumps rising on her arms. He shifted his weight as he pulled his jacket off and extended it to her. “Here, this will keep you warm till we can get you sorted out” he said as he nodded and waited for her to take it. He felt sorry for her more than anything at the moment, he knew he would have time latter to be pissed that someone was able to sneak on board his ship.

He would have to have a talk with Ajax and figure out where the slip in security was, things were to dangerous to not know what was getting on board your ship these days. A zeno or something worse might sneak on board and really cause problems. Seeing her thin frame, he knew she must be hungry. He tried to remember what sort of food they had down there, letting out a low laugh, it wouldn't matter any ways, all they had was dehydrated rations any way. “Are you hungry” he asked motioning with his hand to his mouth. “Once we find out what your deal is we will get you cleaned up, some clothes and some food” he said as he ran a hand down his black sleeves of his shirt trying to warm himself.

[DarkEmpress]

His dark eyes were watching her intently as he let them roam across her body doing a quick inspection. He then shifted his weight and looked a little less daunting to her. She absently straightened her shoulders a little to try and echo his body language. He spoke again and Aria half tilted her head to the side as she tried to concentrate on his words, none made any sense though.

He looked at the woman and said something to her. She had looked at him wearily as a host of conflicting emotions flashed across her face, before turning and walking to a door that hissed as it opened. He must have asked her to go and do something. Aria’s eyes widened as she looked back at him, she had visions of the woman coming back with guards or weapons.

She pressed herself closer against the wall looking at him apprehensively, they were alone now. He was much taller than her and she was trying to decide whether she would be able to fight him off if he grabbed her ... her mind already knew the answer.

He suddenly took his jacket off and held it out to her. Aria frowned, completely disarmed by his gesture. It was freezing cold in here and he must have noticed the little shivers that passed through her body. She very tentatively lifted her hand and took a small step forward, her eyes never leaving his. He didn’t move. She took another step and slowly put her hand on the jacket, her eyes flitting between the jacket and his eyes to try and gauge whether this was okay. He just watched her.

She slowly took the jacket and hastily stepped back. Aria nodded to him with a little smile, her eyes trying to thank him as she put the jacket on. She was drowning in it, but it was nice and warm. She wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered as her body soaked up the heat.

He laughed suddenly and Aria jumped in response. He then asked something and motioned with his hands as if he was eating and waited expectantly for a response. It looked as if he was asking her if she was hungry. Aria nodded her head, wondering if it was safe to eat anything here, even though she was hungry enough to eat an entire house.

He rattled off an entire sentence as if he was talking to himself and then he ran his hands down his arms across his black shirt, trying to stay warm. Aria’s eyes instantly filled with guilt, he had given her his jacket and now he was cold. She was hiding away on this ship and had no right to even accept such an offer. She quickly shrugged out of the jacket and held it back out to him. She half shook the jacket in the air trying to urge him to take it as her eyes flitted between his hands and his eyes, trying to tell him that she knew he was cold.

[kircanos]

Kircanos watched as she took off the jacket, he smiled and waved his hand indicating that she should keep it. “You don't have a whole lot of meat on your frame” he said with a laugh, “I think you need it more than I do” he said as he looked around at the door waiting for Karena to come back. The long moments of awkward silence hung thick in the air, he didn't know what else he could say to her. He looked down at his boots, the communication barrier with her was very tough, in the days of universal translators this usually wasn't a problem.

He sighed a little bit of relief as he heard the doors whoosh open, and looking over he saw Karena coming towards him holding a small box. She walked the distance over to them, her eyes flicking back and forth between the girl and Kircanos, she didn't look to pleased that he had given his jacket to her.

He nodded as Karena came closer to them, she opened the lid on the box revealing two small silver objects. “Have they been tuned to the right language” he asked as he looked over at Karena.

She pursed her lips into a thin line and nodded her head “As close as I could get, we didn't have an exact match but it should be pretty close” she said as she looked over at the girl.

Kircanos nodded and picked up one of the silver pieces and started to wedge it into his ear. He nodded for the girl to do the same. He squeezed the silver thing and felt the cold soft metal bend around his fingertips and the cold in his ear as it slid in. He heard a little static and then a strange echo in his head as the ear piece adjusted itself.

He looked over at the girl to see if she would follow his lead. “Go ahead” he said as he picked up the piece and offered it to her.

[DarkEmpress]

The man with the dark eyes refused to take the jacket back. She held it out a few moments longer in case he changed his mind and then she brought her arm back, hugging the jacket close to herself before slipping it back on. She gave him an appreciative smile.

Aria studied the corner of a crate intently, trying to keep her mind occupied … while stealing glances at the dark haired man who seemed to be inspecting his boots intently.

The woman suddenly appeared again, and Aria stiffened a little with apprehension. The woman gave Aria a death-stare while eyeing the jacket that she was wearing. Aria looked at the dark-haired man … comprehension dawned. He must be your man, she thought as she looked back at the woman. The woman was probably not too thrilled at the notion that he was sharing his jacket with her. Aria instantly felt like a criminal … someone who was causing friction between two lovers.

The woman gave the dark-haired man a small box. He took a small object out of the box, placed it in his ear, and then offered Aria the second little metal object. Aria eyed it sceptically, before taking it from him. She followed his lead and shuddered when the little device moulded itself to her ear of its own accord. She shook her head lightly, her hair brushing against her back and the wall behind her as she tried to adjust to the feeling.

It made a little static in her ear and then she could hear a strange hollow sound. Her hand was hovering near her ear, as if she was ready to pluck the device out at any second. It was probably a type of hearing device that could transcend the language barrier.

Aria looked at him intently as she said in a very soft voice, “Hello?” One part of her was relieved that they would understand each other … another part of her was petrified of what he would do if she could understand him. “Thank you for the jacket,” she said in the same small voice, watching his face intently for any reaction.

[kircanos]

Kircanos watched as she slowly inserted the ear piece into her ear, her movements were so graceful and soft. He saw her look back up at him as she heard his voice translated to her native language, he was surprised at the look she gave him when hearing her voice. He wasn't able to judge quite what her reaction was, the look she gave him was not one of relief which he had expect to see when they were able to communicate with each other.

He nodded softly at her thanks “Your welcome he said” as he looked over at Karena “you don't look dressed for space travel” he said as his gaze drifted back over to the stow away. “My name is Kircanos, and this is Karena” he said making the appropriate gestures. “Now who are you and how did you get on board my ship” he asked in a some what sterner voice. His eyes now locked on her waiting for an answer to his questions.

His dark brown eyes locked on her violet blue ones for a long moment as he listened to her begin to answer his questions. He looked over at Karena to see what she was thinking about the girls reaction, he grinned as he noticed another ear piece stuck in her ear. He gave her a knowing smile and then let if fade from his face as he returned his look to the girl before him.

[DarkEmpress]

Aria nodded in a greeting as Kircanos introduced himself and Karena. She cleared her throat before saying in a small voice, “I am Aria.” She was not used to speaking. Her people were telepaths and they rarely if ever spoke a word. The similarities between Aria’s kind and humans were remarkable. Except for the fact that she was a little shorter and her skin shimmered a little in the light ... it was however linked to her frame of mind. At the moment her skin looked dull and pale with no light reflecting off it.

“How did you get on board my ship,” he asked sternly as he locked his dark eyes on her. Aria instinctively took a step back trying to make herself small against the wall. Aria was even more apprehensive at the realisation that this was actually his ship. Kircanos’ eyes wandered to the woman next to him and he gave her a little smile. As he looked back towards Aria the smile disappeared from his lips. It was not very encouraging.

Summoning all her courage, Aria tentatively took a step forward. She lifted her hands to him and Kircanos took a step back mirroring her actions. She froze in her steps keeping absolutely still. “I will not hurt you,” she said softly. She took another step forward ... very slowly. Then she placed her hands on either side of his temples, her fingertips softly touching his skin. She could see he was not comfortable doing this ... at all.

Aria closed her eyes and her fingertips slowly started glowing as she projected all the images from the past three days into his mind ... showing him exactly where she came from and how she managed to make her way onto his ship. She opened her eyes as she let her hands drop to her sides, comprehension dawning on his features as her blue eyes searched his dark depths.

During the entire process Karena had stepped closer and was literally standing inches away from Aria, ready to do grievous bodily harm to her if anything happened to Kircanos. Aria was startled to find her there and nearly lost her footing as she tried to move away from Karena. She backed up against the wall again, staring at Karena with wide eyes.

[kircanos]

Kircanos nodded as she said her name, it wasn't one that he was very familiar with, it must have been something that was localized to their planet. He stiffened as she moved to him, his eyes keeping watch on her for anything that might seem to signal that he was in danger. None of her moments seemed threatening so he allowed her to proceed, plus he knew Karena was there. His muscles tensed as she raised her hands up towards him, something about this seemed so wrong to him.

As her skin contacted him, he could hear her voice in his head. Images started to flash in his brain, the death, the devastation. All that she had gone through the last few days to survive, how much she had lost in such a short time. When she took her hands away from he they stared at each other for a long moment. He tried to comprehend all that he had seen, taking a deep breath he took a step back, and rested on the crate. Something didn't feel right, his stomach started to flip flop inside of him, the room began to spin. He grabbed for the crate trying to steady himself, he slipped and fell to his knees.

“What did you do to him” He heard Karena yell as she grabbed Aria and slammed her against the cold hull of the ship.

Kircanos looked down at the grating of the ship and coughed, and then spit out a little bit of bile that had come up into his mouth. “Stop” he called, not sure how loud his voice was, he could barely hear it as his ears were ringing. Looking up at the two of them, he reached out his hand for assistance, he felt Karena's strong grip on his fore arm as she helped him to his feet.

Taking several deep breaths he started past Karena at Aria “Take her to the galley and get her some food” he said as his dark brown eyes continued their icy stare. He hadn't enjoyed having her memories forced on him, he had seen them and now he had to make sense of them. What was he going to do with her, he asked himself as he saw them start to walk past him.

[DarkEmpress]

Aria was absolutely stunned when Kircanos grabbed for the crate, losing his footing and falling to his knees. She may have given him a sensory overload from dumping so much information in his mind. Her eyes filled with regret …

The next moment Karena hurtled herself at Aria, slamming her into the wall, hitting her head hard against the metal surface. A small gasp of pain escaped her lips as her violet blue eyes riveted on Karena in fear. She had her hands poised in front of her defensively. “Stop!” Kircanos’ voice boomed through the air, stopping them both in their tracks as their eyes flicked to him.

Aria recoiled at the icy gaze that his dark eyes levelled on her as he ordered Karena to escort her to the galley. He was clearly not impressed. Karena snorted at Aria, giving her a death stare before roughly yanking her from the wall and dragging her along. “You can consider yourself lucky he stopped me,” Karena snided at Aria.

They made their way through the ship with crewmembers looking at her curiously, as they passed. Karena unceremoniously threw Aria down in a seat in the galley as she looked at Gareth and ordered him to give her something to eat. Aria sat huddled on the chair staring at everyone that was inspecting her curiously, Karena towering over her … determined not to let her move.

Aria’s mind was racing as Gareth placed something in front of her that resembled soggy newspaper. She swallowed hard and plastered a smile on her face as she looked up at Gareth, offering him a smile of thanks. Everyone was looking at her expectantly, waiting for something.

She gingerly took a small spoon of the substance and placed it in her mouth. It tasted … like nothing … mostly. It was bland with no flavour. She carefully kept her expression in check and managed to conjure an artificial smile that she bestowed on Gareth, as she said “mmmmm, delicious.” Karena quickly translated her words and everyone around her grinned at her knowingly.

She ate the food quickly though and felt a bit more restored. Her skin was slowly starting to glow, just a light shimmer.

[kircanos]

Kircanos took his time as he steadied himself and gathered his focus, the physical affects of her mental assault on him wore off slowly as he stood there. He wasn't sure how long it took him to feel somewhat functional again, but when he did he wasn't in a good mood. With a scowl he stalked out of the cargo bay and made his way into the ships main corridor. He made his way to one of the equipment lockers and grabbed a pair of shackles, the heavy chains clanked by his side as he continued down the corridor.

He heard talking coming from the galley, he made his way slowly there and stuck his head in, he took a brief look around the room and saw Aria sitting there making some small talk with Gareth. He smiled pleasantly “Karena, can I talk to you for a moment” he asked in a soft voice and then stepped back out into the corridor. He noticed the color on Aira had changed, quite a strange thing, he thought as he waited.

He waited for Karena to walk out, her eyes were instantly drawn to the shackles in his hands, her look took on a very serious one. “I'm going to ask her nicely” he said and then shrugged “but I'm not taking no for an answer” he said as he looked at Karena.

She nodded “I'm right behind you sir”.

Kircanos nodded and headed into the galley, Aria's back was to him. He walked up behind her and stood on her right shoulder, Karena moved to her left side. He dropped the shackles on the table with a thud. “Please put this on Aria” he said in a serious tone, he glanced up to see the shock on Gareth's face and then focused back on Aria. “I can't have you doing that to my crew, I need them all to be able to do their jobs” he said in a stern tone.

He waited for a moment to see if she was going to comply willingly, or if he was going to have to compel her to obey his request.

[DarkEmpress]

Aria jumped when the shackles landed next to her on the table. She could feel Kircanos and Karena flanking her and noticed Gareth’s shock expression before she looked back down at the shackles. His tone of voice alone told her that she had no choice in the matter.

Aria would never willingly place those things on her wrists ... it would be like tying the hands of a deaf person. Aria’s violet eyes darted to the door, trying to judge how far away it was. Gareth was not a threat at this stage ... Kircanos and Karena on the other hand ... especially Karena.

She closed her eyes for a moment considering whether it would be worth it to try and run or whether she should comply with his demand ... Aria slowly opened her eyes staring with mounting dread at the metal object. Her entire body cringed at the thought. She slowly lifted her hand and let her fingertips touch it. She gently picked it up while slowly pushing her chair out to stand.

Moving very quickly, Aria threw the shackle at Kircanos and pushed her chair hard into his shin. With fingertips glowing Aria touched Karena and dumped three-times as much information in her mind within a split second ... Karena’s eyes rolled into the back of her head as she collapsed to the floor. Gareth stared at the chaos in disbelief as Aria grabbed the opportunity to dash for the door, running as fast as she could.

[kircanos]

Kircanos grunted as the chair slammed into his shin, the pain seared up his leg and the weight up the blow pushed him back and off balance. He tried to plant with his injured leg but the searing pain was to much, it buckled and he went down to the hard metal floor with a thud. He heard Karena yell and join him on the floor, her body convulsing from the images that were forced into her head. Kircanos reached out as Aria started to run past him, his fingertips caught on the edge of her boots but he couldn't close his grasp as she slipped past him.

His dark eyes followed her out of the room and watched as she sprinted down the ships main hallway. “Bitch” he murmured as he made it to his knees. He made his way gingerly over to the wall panel by the door, he pressed the intercom button “Jax put the ship on lock down” he growled as he looked back at Gareth.

He shook his head slowly in disgust that the kid hadn't done anything to help them out, oh well he wasn't much of fighter any way. “Check Karena” he said as he looked down at Karena on the floor, her eyes blinking randomly. “then grab the shackles and come with me” he said as he started to walked out into the hallway.

He looked down the hallway, his eyes searching for anything that would show him where she went. His lips curled up in a cruel smile as he started to think about what he was going to do now. He tried to be a reasonable man but he could be pushed to far. “Aria” he called in an almost singsong voice as he started to walk down the hallway.

He stopped at the first door and entered the code to unlock it, is swooshed open and he gave his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness as he searched for any signs of her figure.

[DarkEmpress]

She didn’t know what she was thinking. There was literally nowhere she could run. They were in space, and the ship was only that big. She was avoiding the inevitable and in doing so probably angered Kircanos ... no, she was certain he would be furious. She was a stow-away on his ship and so far she has managed to incapacitate him with her memories and leave a pretty nasty bump on his shin, while she was still wearing his jacket.

Her heart was thrumming in her chest as she ran down the hallway desperately looking for any place to hide. All the doors suddenly hissed shut around her and the lights went out, leaving Aria trapped in a section of the hallway. Fear was ebbing through her body ... a tangible fluid thing that sent silent tears running down her cheeks. She desperately made her way around the small confined space, her fingers searching for any door or air vent that she could use. The surface was smooth all around.

She heard the door in the next chamber hiss open and she could hear Kircanos calling her name in a sickeningly sweet voice. She stood against the opposite door letting her fingers claw at it. She peered over her shoulder in time to see him make his way to her door. She looked around frantically and decided to push herself in the corner. It is dark ... maybe he won’t see me, her heart was trying to comfort her despairing mind.

Aria kept absolutely still, her chest burning as she was trying to control her breathing. Her eyes riveted on Kircanos as the door hissed open, his silhouette reflecting against the dim light from the galley. Gareth was short on his heels with the shackles lifted in front of him as if it was a safety net.

Kircanos' features became more defined as he moved closer to her down the hallway. She could see a cruel little smile lingering on his lips, his dark eyes glinting like granite in the dark. Aria lifted her chin defiantly as her entire body tensed in anticipation of whatever was about to happen. She had a fresh batch of images lined up to project into Kircanos’ mind, if an opportunity presented itself for her to touch him.

Her eyes were riveted on his, she held her breath ... she was convinced he would hear her heart hammering in her chest.

[kircanos]

Kircanos saw her the moment the door opened, well not her but the glow from her skin was clearly visible in the darkness of the room. He moved into the room closing off any the only exit available to Aria. He was trying to figure out how to do this as best he could with as little damage to himself and to the rest of his crew. Reaching back behind him he took the shackles from Gareth and nodded towards the door.

The young man retreated to the entrance of the room and stood in the doorway, Kircanos knew he wouldn't stop her from leaving the room if he failed, but at least the threat was there. He turned is attention to the glow coming from the dark corner, there were a few crates haphazardly stacked that she was trying to cover her illuminated skin with.

He reached for each of his sleeves and pulled them down as far as they would go trying to cover as much skin as he could, no need to give her anything extra to make contact with. He took a deep breath as a fresh surge of adrenalin as he rounded the corner and they looked at each other, both locking eyes.

There was no pretense of hiding now, the glare that she shot back was colder than the vacuum of space. Kircanos couldn't help but flash a cocky smile at her “Now I asked you nicely earlier” he said as he unclasped the shackles “I'm not opposed to doing things in a less pleasant way” he said as his shin reminded him of the pain she had inflicted on him “But what Karena will want to do to you when she comes around will be down right disturbing” he said as the smile left his face. He knew his crew, and she was the one that you didn't mess around with, not even jokingly.

He gave Aria a second to take in what he had said through her ear piece. He couldn't quite place the look on her face, he hadn't studied her species well enough. Calculating their positions he needed to try and coax her out of her corner to a position where it would be easier for him to pin her down and secure her hands. “You got nothing left Aria” he said “you ran away from your home, your family, everything you knew” he taunted trying to see how this would affect her.

[DarkEmpress]

Aria stared him down defiantly, rage kindling in her violet blue eyes as he towered over her. He seemed pleased with her reaction in some perverted way as he flashed a cocky smile at Aria. He was right though, the only thing that she had managed to achieve is to make them both furious at her. Her eyes drifted back to the galley, as if she was subconsciously trying to gauge what Karena’s reaction would be.

For a moment she looked down at the floor and considered lifting her hands and surrendering her wrists to Kircanos. “You ran away from your home, your family, everything you knew” Kircanos said tauntingly.

Her eyes snapped back to his incredible blue depths, staring back at her provokingly. “You have no right …,” she hissed under her breath.

“I gave you my memories to explain to you where I came from … I did NOT give them to you to throw them back in my face as an accusation,” she screamed. She took a step forward. “My home is destroyed, my family is dead … everything I know is lying in ashes on that godforsaken planet,” Aria seethed as she took another small step closer to him.

“There is nothing in this world that you can do to scare me Kircanos,” she hissed as she cocked her head to the side, giving him a daring look. “Do your worst,” she whispered in a barely audible voice, as she straightened her head to glare at him, her face a few short centimetres from his. Aria’s raven black hair was wildly strewn across her shoulders and her skin was glowing brightly at the sheer magnitude of the emotions that were coursing through her mind, illuminating the hallway in an eery bluish sheen.

[kircanos]

Kircanos' dark brown eyes followed her every move as she started to advance towards him. They occasionally locked on her violet blue eyes as as she spoke her angry words at him. He squinted softly as her skin glowed brighter as her anger flared. He stood his ground as she started to advance on him, all of his senses on alert for an attempt to try and touch him.

Her words were were laced with more venom than a Heusian viper, his cocky smile returned to his lips as her tone of voice became harsher. He stood on the balls of his feet as she was only an inch from his face. Her appearance was wild and almost a little frightening as her skin glowed, if he didn't know anything about her he might be worried.

Her invitation to do his worst was very interesting, he was never one to play by all of the rules if bending a few meant an advantage for him. He could see her shoulders heave as she breathed deeply, her rage seething through her. He decided to act, his hand flew from his side making contact with her shoulder. The force of his blow spun her around, her back exposed to him, he put his shoulder into the middle of her back and drove her into the wall of the room.

He heard a whoosh as the breath was knocked out of her. Adrenalin pulsed trough his system as he tried to steady his hands and carefully grip her wrists. He pulled them both behind her and secured the cold metal shackles to her wrists.

A little sigh of relief escaped his lips as he heard the shackles click into place, the smile returned to his face as he spun her around. “Now, that wasn't so hard was it” he said as he pulled her out of the corner by her shoulders and pushed her towards the door way “stick her in the empty compartment till I decide what her punishment should be” Kircanos said to Gareth as he shoved Aria again in his direction.

He waited for Gareth to begin to escort her down the hallway before he took in a long deep breath, that had been a little easier than he had expected, thankfully. Now to check on Karena, he thought as he made his way to the galley.

[DarkEmpress]

Kircanos quickly shot a hand out pushing hard against Aria’s shoulder. Her entire body whirled around leaving her half dazed as he slammed his shoulder into her back propelling her forward and into the wall. The blow forced the air from her lungs leaving Aria painfully gasping for air that would just not come. Somewhere between the ringing in her ears, she heard the faint sound of metal clicking in place.

A soundless ‘No’ formed on her lips as air finally started filling her lungs. Kircanos pulled her away from the cold metal surface and half pushed her towards Gareth. Aria nearly collapsed into his chest, forcing Gareth to catch her as she slumped against him, her body racking with coughs as her lungs slowly filled with life-giving oxygen.

Gareth wordlessly pulled Aria with him as he carefully watched her hands. He was painstakingly careful to avoid them all together. He finally reached the designated compartment and pressed the button to allow the doors to hiss open. He pushed Aria into the room and closed the door behind her without saying a word.

Aria was left in the dark. She thankfully had a glimpse at the room before the doors closed and realised it was completely empty. The glow from her skin illuminated the room a little. She slowly walked to the back of the small little room and sank down to the floor against the wall, her hands uncomfortably confined behind her back. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks.

Waiting …

[kircanos]

Kircanos walked with his head down to the galley to check on Karena, she was sitting up and looked really pissed off. Kircanos flashed her a smile seeing her condition, “Glad to see your alright” he said as he kneeled down and helped her up into one of the chairs.

“Did you get her” Karena asked hoarsely, her voice soft and weak.

Kircanos smile widened “Yeah we did, shes locked up and in a holding room” he paused. “Im trying to decide what to do with her” he said as he looked over at Karena.

“Air lock the skank” Karena hissed.

Kircanos laughed and shook his head “Now now” he said with a chuckle. “I was thinking 20 lashes would suffice and that she would be confined to quarters the rest of the journey” with that he stood up and looked down at Karena.

She looked up and nodded “Sir” she said as she looked down with anger blazing in her eyes.

Kircanos made his way out of the galley and into the room where Aria sat against the back wall. He flipped on the lights and walked into the room. He looked down at her sitting there, her eyes glossy, even more blue now from the tears. He walked in to the center of the room and stood, drawing himself up to his full figure. “Now you know that your acts of violence cannot go unpunished” he said sternly in a lecturing voice. “Your punishment will be 20 lashes” he said as he watched her eyes for her reaction. He had to suppress a smile as he could see the anger in her eyes “You will be stripped and taken to the cargo bay for the administering of this punishment in two standard hours. The crew will be witness to this” he said as he looked down at her. He paused “Consider yourself lucky Karena wanted to air lock you” he said as he stooped down and reached out his hand to touch her knee. “Do you have anything to say” he asked in an almost soft and kind voice.

[DarkEmpress]

Aria’s imagination was running away with her as she stared at the door, blindly. Every minute felt like an eternity. There was nothing else to do but await her fate ... her verdict.

The door hissed open and Aria could see Kircanos’ silhouette before he flicked the lights on, momentarily blinding her. She closed her eyes and squinted slightly as she looked at the floor for a moment before leaning her head back to look up at him. She wished she had a bit more warning then she would have stood to stare him down, there was no way she was going to try and clamber to her feet with her hands tied behind her back now.

Kircanos towered over Aria as he straightened himself in the middle of the room, gazing down at her sternly, his eyes inspecting her very carefully. “Your punishment will be 20 lashes,” he said unceremoniously. Every muscle in her body constricted in fear, but she held his gaze. She pursed her lips together and lifted her chin slightly giving him something that she hoped resembled a defiant look.

She was however taken aback at the knowledge that he was planning on stripping her and having the crew witness the punishment. Her cheeks stained slightly as fury erupted in her blue depths, her breathing becoming slightly more haggard.

He suddenly sat down on his haunches and reached a hand to touch her knee, speaking in a gentle voice that completely belied the fate he had just bestowed upon her. Aria levelled her smouldering eyes on him, rage blazing from their blue depths. He almost looked pleased at her reaction, his dark eyes roaming across her features as if he was analysing every move she made.

Aria felt incredibly uncomfortable. She had no defence against him and she had no idea what Kircanos was capable of either, which made him even more terrifying. If he was furious at her, he was hiding it very well behind a flawless facade of cool dejection.

“No,” she said as she cocked her head to the side “Unless the fact that I hope you burn in hell counts?” she asked, her soft words laced with condescending fury.

[kircanos]

Kircanos' face was stoic as she heaped her scorn on him, he nodded softly and stared at her. A smile slowly crept across his face as he looked at her. She still had spirit in her, good that would mean there would be something left for him later. He looked down at the floor and then back up at her “I'm sure I will be in a long line” he said as he smiled at her.

He stood up and headed to the doorway, he looked back “I'll be back in two hours” he said and then flicked the lights off and walked out of the room, locking the door behind him.

He grinned as he walked down the hallway, she was going to be a fun one to break he thought as he headed to the galley again. He saw Karena sitting down looking much more with it “Get things set up” he said as he saw an evil smile spread across her face, she nodded gleefully. A small shiver ran down his spine, Karena was even crueler than he was, Aria wouldn't be alive if she was in command.

Kircanos headed to the cockpit to check on their progress and see how things were going.

The time passed slowly, everything was running smoothly and Kircanos made his way back to her holding room. A surge of anticipation and excitement tingled through him as he keyed open the lock to the room. He flicked the lights on again “It's time Aria” he said as he stepped inside.

[DarkEmpress]

Aria watched him leave the room, flicking the light off and locking her inside her little piece of personal hell. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the cold metal surface. Stupid girl, she berated herself. You should have never gotten onto the ship.

She slowly pushed herself up against the wall and started pacing up and down …up and down. Aria was desperately trying to keep her mind occupied, trying very hard not to think of what lay ahead. She tried to focus on being angry … it was better than being scared.

She was angry with the mindless thugs who destroyed her family. She was angry at the ‘powers that be’ for letting it get this far. She was furious at herself for surviving … even more so, for getting onto this worthless hunk of steel. As she thought it, she kicked the ‘wall’, only to bounce back jumping around as it hurt her toe. That made her even angrier.

Most of all, she was angry with Kircanos for making her do this.

By the time the door hissed open, Aria was staring daggers into Kircanos. She stood in the one side of the room her chin slightly down as her smouldering eyes glinted with a fiery blue flame.

“I am happy for you,” she snided sarcastically.

[kircanos]

He smiled softly and quickly crossed the ground between him and Aria, he gripped her roughly by the shoulder and forced her to walk in front of him. He kept his e yes on her fingertips making sure that they were far enough away for him to be comfortable. He led her down the hallway and out into the cargo bay. A cable had been strung over one of the beams and swayed loosely in the crowded room. The rest of the crew stood there, Karena held a leather flogger in her hand as a wide smile came across her face.

Kircanos moved Aria into position and reached down and gripped her wrist, as Karena came around and held her other one. He unlocked the shackles, the metal clicked as it opened allowing one of wrists to go free. Kircanos moved that free wrist in front of her and Karena forced the other one there as well. He slipped the shackle around her wrist and locked it. He grabbed the cable and wrapped it around the shackled and nodded, with a tug it was lifted up and stretched out Aria.

Kircanos stalked around Aria walking around her one time before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife. He flicked the blade out and reached for the neck of her shirt, he slipped the blade into her shirt and pulled it down, the sharp blade slicing through her shirt. He let the blade to the work, moving through the front of her shirt, he then moved around to her back and the same, and then the sleeves. He slowly peeled the loose pieces of fabric from her body, revealing her naked top.

His blade moved to her pants and cut two long slits, one down either side of her legs, he pulled the pants away from her body. He took a long moment to stare at her naked body, her skin glowed, he wasn't sure it was from anger or embarrassment.

He stepped away from her and nodded to Karena to begin the administration of the punishment.