Author Topic: Taking Off [Rina!] (Read 2465 times)

Tally · « **Reply #20 on:** October 13, 2011, 10:03:46 pm »

He gave Reet a flat look, let him suffer under that for just a second, then allowed a hint of good humor into his expression in the arch of a brow, the upward quirk of a corner of his mouth.

Bed warmer, hm? Now that was something he didn't have, and the kid was fetching. Something to think about—later. Reet was still a stowaway, intentional or otherwise, and he was doing his time in the lock up for it.

They'd arrived. The cell had a bed, a sink, and a toilet. A solid door, too, with a window covered by good old-fashioned steel bars. He gestured like he was inviting Reet into a grand new home. "It's all yours."

Anonymous · « **Reply #21 on:** October 13, 2011, 10:24:28 pm »

Thank all the gods that listened! The man finally smiled! "Good! I was starting to worry you were immune to my natural charm and that would make this whole process much less fun."

The cell had Reet's smile fading as he stared at it, "Um...can I at least have a book or something? Pretty please?" He was not looking forward to being stuck in there.

"And, um, when do you think you'll wanna let me out for good behavior?"

Tally · « **Reply #22 on:** October 13, 2011, 10:48:05 pm »

Justin's smile only grew, and stayed in place well after Reet's faded. It wasn't a kind smile.

"We'll see," he said, and slid the door shut.

It took some five days to reach their destination. Reet was fed, provided a few books to pass the time. Justin checked in on him, but not much. It was mostly crew who saw to him, with instruction not to linger. Stowaways paid for the transgression on Justin's ship, in one way or another.

They left their destination planet behind, now with half the crew they'd had coming in. Justin slid open Reet's cell door. "Want something to do?"

Anonymous · « **Reply #23 on:** October 13, 2011, 11:03:57 pm »

Reet was just about crawling up the walls with raw boredom. The books he had been given were useful, but he tore through them too quickly. He almost never got to read books back home, not being able to afford the luxury. But he was a voracious reader when given the chance.

He rolled off the bed and was up against the bars, face eager, "YES! Whatever it is, YES!"

Tally · « **Reply #24 on:** October 13, 2011, 11:27:04 pm »

Justin laughed and let Reet out. He let him walk behind him this time. He kept his hand on his gun.

Reet wasn't touching his computer systems. He didn't trust the kid enough for that. But he could see to some simple tasks Justin didn't care to do himself.

"You're going to join me on the bridge," he said. "Help me clean the place up."

By 'help' he meant that he would sit in the pilot's chair and supervise and Reet would do all the real work. The bridge was covered in debris from a tune up they'd gotten on world. Wires, old panels, screws, and metal were everywhere.

"Well kid, make yourself useful." Justin slouched back in the seat.

Anonymous · « **Reply #25 on:** October 13, 2011, 11:33:15 pm »

Reet didn't even notice the mess. He only had eyes for the windows staring out into space. Reet moved closer, staring up at the sky, mouth parted. He hadn't really seen much of space. There weren't exactly windows all over Cancer. He didn't have many chances to see the open sky.

"Whoa. It's beautiful..."

Tally · « **Reply #26 on:** October 29, 2011, 11:31:07 am »

Justin almost snapped at the kid, and then it clicked. He wasn't ignoring his orders, he'd just found something he couldn't look away from.

He grinned, and let the kid have his moment. He'd had that moment himself, and wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone. You had a right to that awe, with a view like that. Justin took hold of the yoke and nudged the ship's view dock a few degrees counter clockwise. A nebula came into view, light years away but also light years huge. It's gaseous stalagmites branched up in luminescent colors.

"Dawnstar Nebula."

Anonymous · « **Reply #27 on:** October 29, 2011, 09:59:38 pm »

Reet's eyes got even wider, moving closer until he was pressed up against the glass. Everything else was forgotten, there was just that huge, endless expanse of the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He almost didn't hear Justin talk, so absorbed in the view, "I...whoa. Is this...real? I mean...can something actually be that...perfect?" He didn't have the words to describe the awe he felt, the power and the pull of those stars. And the colors in that nebula...it almost hurt to look it it, it was so amazing.

Tally · « **Reply #28 on:** November 02, 2011, 08:42:41 pm »

"If you can call interstellar gas perfect." He was pretty much talking to himself, and he realized that. It was one hell of a nebula, deserved its moment of glory, it did. Even pictures of it would leave you looking on silent for a few moments, but nothing compared to seeing it in front of you, nothing but void and glass between you and it.

Anonymous · « **Reply #29 on:** November 05, 2011, 01:44:24 am »

Reet just nodded absently, hands pressed against the cold glass. He was still awestruck and it was several minutes before he could manage to tear away from the glass, turning to look over at Justin, "You get to see this? Like, every day?"

Tally · « **Reply #30 on:** November 05, 2011, 02:29:32 am »

Justin shrugged. "Among other things."

They called it a void, but the universe had a shit ton of beauty and strangeness to behold. It was far from empty. Aside from the staggering variety of planets themselves, there were asteroids of astonishing make up and material, double pulsars, supernovae, wormhole rifts, belts of debris and asteroids so thick you couldn't fly a shuttle through. There was a lot out there, and he'd seen most of what any human traveling he void could hope or expect to see.

Anonymous · « **Reply #31 on:** November 06, 2011, 03:52:45 pm »

"Wooooow." Reet kept turning back to stare out the window, despite knowing he really should get back to cleaning up. It was just so beautiful, those swirling colors, filling that dark sky. And the stars, perfect points of light against that rich backdrop.

For having spent his entire life in space, Reet had never seen much of it and he didn't want to look away. He finally shook his head and reluctantly focused on the mess, "Okay, so, do you want me to save any of this or what?"

There was something so disappointing from going from pure, raw beauty to...this.

Tally · « **Reply #32 on:** November 07, 2011, 04:14:43 pm »

Justin waved a hand at the whole mess. "Nah, trash it. It's all getting sold when we hit Cancer anyway."

He'd have been more picky otherwise, but in a week or so none of this would be his responsibility anymore. He focused deliberately on all the good things this would bring about, and not at all on all of the pitiful, nostalgic misgivings he had.

Anonymous · « **Reply #33 on:** November 09, 2011, 01:28:29 pm »

"All of it? Really?" There seemed like there were some usable parts still in there. But it wasn't his, so he just shrugged and went to work, gathering up the scrap. He hadn't been working long when he realized the rest of what Justin said, "Wait? You're selling it? Like the ship? No way! Serious?"

Tally · « **Reply #34 on:** November 09, 2011, 05:22:00 pm »

"Whole thing." Justin swiveled the chair around and swept a hand out in a gesture than encompassed the entirety of the ship. "And everything in it. Got a buyer already lined up."

Some of the crew had taken their leave at the last port. The rest would take themselves to whatever else life had for them next after they docked at Cancer. Thinking about it made him imagine what it would be like when he stepped off his ship for the last time. His heart plummeted at that.

Anonymous · « **Reply #35 on:** November 12, 2011, 07:50:00 pm »

"Are you crazy?!" Reet stared at Justin, open mouthed in shock, a part dangling from his hand, "You are giving this up? For what? Why!?" This ship was like his idea of paradise and the idea that Justin was just going to sell it was insane to him. How could he even consider that idea?

Tally · « **Reply #36 on:** November 22, 2011, 07:19:57 pm »

"For money enough to retire. They say it's a good time to be a pirate but they're wrong."

Dead wrong. Years of running jobs on the wrong side of the law cautioned him to know better. This wasn't their playground, no matter what it looked like on the surface. They were building their fortunes on a sleeping volcano and couldn't feel the rumblings. Justin felt them enough to give up his ship while he still could.

He stared at the part hanging from the kid's hand. "Keep it up, now. Don't make me break out the whip."

Anonymous · « **Reply #37 on:** November 22, 2011, 08:04:32 pm »

"Wait, is that a threat or a promise?" Reet grinned, recovering from his earlier surprise and quickly shoving more of the parts into the beg, "So, what? You're gonna give up all this? All this freedom and go...live on Cancer or something?"

Tally · « **Reply #38 on:** December 14, 2011, 10:33:41 pm »

Justin only shrugged, but kept his eyes on Reet and gave him a sly smile. He wasn't quite trusting enough or accepting enough of this kid yet to joke like that with him.

"Cancer, Libra...maybe. More likely one of the little colonies out around Aria Six or some such. I'm trying to get away from it all, not trap myself in it even more."

Anonymous · « **Reply #39 on:** December 15, 2011, 12:21:49 pm »

Okay, well, that joke failed. But he wasn't quiet ready to give up on Operation: Make them love me so they wont turn me in. There weren't a whole lot of other options, besides running away and dying in the dead space around them.

"Oh yeah? I hear those places are nice. Like, plants and real skies and shit. That would be a pretty nice place, but still...It's not a ship."

Author Topic: Taking Off [Rina!] (Read 2465 times)

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